Present Affairs 12 June 2025
Content material :
- Violent crimes by juveniles have elevated in India
- A unique method to the caste census
- Structure doesn’t avert its gaze from caste, poverty, injustice: CJI
- Making ready the electoral rolls is one in every of world’s most clear workout routines: CEC
- India unlikely to ratify ‘Excessive Seas Treaty’ at U.N. Ocean Convention
- Union govt. to wield high quality management ‘stick’ to drive exports
Key Details and Information Developments
- Rising share of violent juvenile crime: In 2022, 49.5% of juveniles apprehended in India had been booked for violent crimes — up from 32.5% in 2016.
- Whole juvenile offenders reducing: General juvenile crimes have dropped from 37,402 (2017) to 33,261 (2022) — however violent offences have grow to be extra proportionally dominant.
- Definition of violent crimes contains: homicide, rape, sexual assault, dacoity, theft, arson, grievous harm.
- Excluded: non-violent crimes like theft, fraud, rash driving, pickpocketing.
Relevance : GS 2(Social Points)
State-wise Patterns
- High 5 States in absolute numbers (2017–2022):
- Madhya Pradesh – 21.8% of all violent juvenile crimes.
- Delhi – Regardless of smaller dimension, 6.8% share, probably attributable to higher reporting and policing.
- Highest proportion of violent juvenile crimes amongst whole juvenile offences:
- Tripura, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh – over 60%
- Exception: Odisha – Solely 10% of juvenile crimes are violent regardless of being in a high-crime area.
Potential Causes & Context
- Cultural & psychological components:
- Adolescence marked by identification crises, aggression, lack of impulse management.
- Publicity to on-line misogyny, cyberbullying, incel subcultures, glorification of violence.
- Socioeconomic triggers:
- Damaged household buildings, substance abuse, peer strain, unemployment.
- Systemic gaps:
- Weak implementation of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
- Insufficient rehabilitation, counselling, and group reintegration.
Implications for Governance
- Coverage paradox: Fewer whole juvenile circumstances, however more and more violent nature suggests deeper sociopsychological points.
- Want for:
- Early intervention packages in colleges.
- Gender-sensitisation and digital literacy campaigns.
- Higher youngster psychological well being infrastructure.
- Juvenile justice boards want help with educated counsellors, not simply authorized officers.
Context & Latest Developments
- Union Cupboard (2025) has authorized caste enumeration within the upcoming Census below Article 246 (Union checklist).
- First nationwide caste enumeration since 1931 — overdue regardless of rising demand for data-driven insurance policies.
- Bihar (2023) and Telangana (2025) have already carried out caste surveys — exhibiting OBC/BC majorities and deep marginalisation.
Relevance : GS 2(Social Points)
Key Findings from State Caste Surveys
- Bihar (2023):
- OBC + EBC = 63% of inhabitants.
- SC = 19.65%, ST = 1.68%, Normal = 15.52%.
- 34% of households dwell on lower than ₹200/day.
- 44% of SC households beneath that line — highlights economic-caste overlap.
- Telangana (2025):
- BC = 56.33%, together with BC Muslims (10.08%).
- Underrepresentation:
- Solely 4% professors and 6% affiliate professors in 45 Central Universities are OBCs.
- Normal class holds 85% of those posts — regardless of authorized reservation framework (2019 Lecturers’ Cadre Act).
What’s a Social Administration Method?
- Backside-up mannequin beginning with granular, caste-disaggregated knowledge.
- Contrasts with top-down welfare that assumes uniform options for all.
- Sees caste as a developmental determinant, not a stigma — enabling tailor-made coverage design.
- Used successfully by Tamil Nadu & Karnataka to refine reservation, scholarships, and governance fashions.
Why a Nationwide Caste Census Issues
- Permits focused budgeting and higher allocation of welfare sources.
- Helps conduct range audits in authorities, schooling, and personal sectors.
- Enhances transparency and civil society’s means to observe coverage outcomes throughout caste traces.
- May assess effectiveness of schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Talent India, and so forth., throughout social teams.
Counterarguments & Rebuttals
- Criticism: Caste census might deepen divisions and undermine unity.
- Rebuttal:
- Caste already shapes entry to alternative, wealth, and energy.
- Ignoring caste doesn’t erase inequalities — it obscures them.
- Like U.S. (race), Brazil (race/language), South Africa (ethnicity), India too wants identity-based knowledge for fairness.
- Census would assist expose elite seize inside caste teams and empower actually deprived subgroups.
Democratic Accountability & Social Justice
- Caste census = instrument for clear governance and citizen empowerment.
- Can result in:
- Extra correct affirmative motion.
- Addressing intra-caste inequalities.
- Enhancing land rights, housing, labour protections, and justice for marginalised communities.
- A step in the direction of constitutional literacy and participatory democracy.
Key Message by CJI B.R. Gavai
- The Indian Structure is a transformative, social doc that boldly recognises structural injustices like caste, poverty, and exclusion.
- It doesn’t assume equality exists, however intervenes to restructure energy and restore dignity.
- Described the Structure as a “quiet revolution etched in ink” — not simply legislation, however lifeline for the oppressed.
Relevance : GS 2(Judiciary )
Private Testimony & Symbolism
- CJI Gavai, Chief Justice of India, highlighted his journey from a municipal faculty to the apex judicial workplace — made doable by constitutional safeguards.
- Emphasised that the Structure enabled illustration of these traditionally silenced and excluded.
- “To be seen within the Structure is to be seen by the nation… to be included in its textual content is to be included in its future.”
Structure as an Instrument of Social Justice
- Not a impartial or passive doc, however one which recalibrates energy relations in society.
- Goals to right centuries of exclusion with recognition, dignity, and safety for susceptible teams.
- Affirmative motion and basic rights are framed not as charity, however as devices of reparation and rightful inclusion.
Framing Course of: Function of the Marginalised
- The CJI reminded that susceptible teams weren’t simply beneficiaries however lively contributors in drafting the Structure.
- Structure-making was a participatory and democratic act, not elite imposition.
Implications for Governance and Judiciary
- Constitutional interpretation ought to be delicate to lived realities of marginalised teams.
- Coverage and authorized frameworks should actively replicate the constitutional promise of inclusion and justice.
- Reinforces the necessity for empathy-driven governance, not technocratic neutrality.
Key Assertions by CEC Gyanesh Kumar
- India’s electoral roll preparation is without doubt one of the most rigorous and clear workout routines globally.
- Elections in India are carried out below the steady scrutiny of:
- These stakeholders act as “concurrent auditors” all through the method.
Relevance : GS 2(Electoral Reforms)
Mechanism of Electoral Roll Preparation
- Since 1960, electoral rolls have been:
- Yearly shared with all recognised political events
- Open to claims, objections, and appeals
- This transparency ensures accuracy and integrity in voter lists and reduces scope for manipulation.
Response to Allegations
- The CEC’s feedback come after allegations of “industrial-scale rigging” by opposition leaders concerning the 2024 Maharashtra Meeting election.
- Whereas not naming the political chief, the deal with serves as an institutional rebuttal, asserting procedural robustness.
India’s Electoral Equipment: Scale and Energy
- Conducting elections in India is an enormous logistical and administrative process:
- Over 20 million personnel concerned: polling workers, safety forces, observers, celebration brokers.
- Greater than the mixed workforce of many governments and multinational firms.
- Ensures that just about 1 billion electors can freely vote.
World Electoral Management
- India’s Election Fee showcased as a mannequin for electoral integrity on the Stockholm Worldwide Convention on Electoral Integrity.
- Over 100 contributors from ~50 international locations attended the occasion — positioning India as a benchmark in democratic course of administration.
Significance for Democracy
- Reinforces the institutional credibility of the Election Fee of India (ECI).
- Highlights the significance of transparency and inclusiveness in sustaining public belief in electoral democracy.
- Underscores India’s dedication to free, honest, and strong elections amid rising world considerations of electoral manipulation.
What’s the Excessive Seas Treaty (BBNJ Settlement)?
- Formally: Biodiversity Past Nationwide Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty.
- Informally: Excessive Seas Treaty.
- Purpose: To manage the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas past nationwide jurisdiction (i.e., the excessive seas).
- Finalised below the U.N. Conference on the Legislation of the Sea (UNCLOS) framework.
- Key function: Equitable profit sharing of marine genetic sources and creation of marine protected areas on the excessive seas.
Relevance : GS 2(Worldwide Relations)
India’s Standing and Place
- Signed the treaty in September 2024 however has not ratified it but.
- Requires amendments to home legal guidelines, significantly the Organic Variety Act, earlier than ratification.
- Sources point out India is unlikely to ratify the treaty on the 2025 U.N. Ocean Convention (Good, France).
Procedural and Authorized Challenges
- Ratification entails a Parliamentary course of.
- Anticipated solely after the Monsoon Session (July–August 2025).
- Home authorized and institutional reforms should align with treaty obligations, particularly in benefit-sharing frameworks.
- India is cautious attributable to unresolved world disputes over:
- Entry to marine genetic sources
- Distribution of financial advantages
World Progress
- As of June 10, 2025:
- 49 international locations have ratified the treaty.
- 60 ratifications required for it to come back into authorized power.
India’s Marine Technique Highlights at Convention
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised:
- India is within the course of of ratifying the treaty (signaling dedication).
- Ongoing marine initiatives:
- Samudrayaan Mission: India’s first manned submersible to succeed in 6,000 metres depth; trial deliberate for 2026.
- Ban on single-use plastics (nationwide scale).
- Over $80 billion funding in Blue Economic system sectors.
- Launch of ‘SAHAV’ Digital Ocean Information Portal for improved marine knowledge entry.
India’s Broader Marine Diplomacy
- Advocated for a legally binding World Plastics Treaty.
- Seeks to stability:
- Nationwide curiosity (marine useful resource entry)
- World accountability (conservation management).
- Place suggests India helps marine biodiversity conservation, however on equitable and simply phrases.
Authorities’s Shift in Technique for Export Promotion
- The Union Authorities is shifting away from subsidies as the first instrument to spice up exports.
- Focus now could be on a “carrot-and-stick” method, emphasizing High quality Management Orders (QCOs) to push industries in the direction of world competitiveness.
Relevance : GS 2(Governance) , GS 3(Economic system ,Export)
High quality Management Orders (QCOs): The ‘Stick’
- QCOs mandate that merchandise (home/export/import) should meet minimal requirements as outlined by the Bureau of Indian Requirements (BIS).
- Supposed to reinforce product high quality, thus enhancing export credibility and decreasing sub-standard imports.
Rationale Behind the Coverage Shift
- Authorities officers admit that previous subsidies haven’t considerably boosted exports.
- Acknowledgement of product high quality points in Indian manufacturing.
- Give attention to regulatory facilitation like land acquisition and compliance ease, as a substitute of economic subsidies.
Subsidy Exceptions Nonetheless Being Thought of
- Regardless of total reluctance, subsidies for uncommon earth batteries are below dialogue:
- Triggered by China’s export ban on these vital parts.
- Highlights strategic sectors should get selective help.
Trade Reactions and Sector Calls for
- Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) has demanded:
- Subsidy of ₹10,000–15,000 per kWh for alternate gasoline HEMM in mining.
- Industries proceed to hunt direct help, regardless of coverage shift.
Debate Round QCOs
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal: QCOs are important for export competitiveness.
- NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery: Labels QCOs a “malign intervention” that might:
- Harm MSMEs and discourage imports wanted for manufacturing.
- Particularly problematic for models counting on imported inputs.
Authorities’s Balancing Act
- Exemptions from QCOs are allowed below:
- Advance Authorisation Scheme
- Export Oriented Items (EOUs)
- Particular Financial Zones (SEZs)
- Goal: To not hinder export-linked manufacturing that depends upon imported inputs.
Coverage Implications
- Signifies a strategic industrial push — India desires to compete globally on high quality, not on subsidies.
- Displays WTO-compliant coverage orientation, decreasing subsidy-related commerce disputes.
- Potential compliance burden for MSMEs and casual sector gamers.
- Aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, however wants institutional and high quality infrastructure help.
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