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General Studies-02

‘Finalise body for Cauvery water sharing’

News:

• The Tamil Nadu government insisted on Tuesday that the Supreme Court itself should finally appoint an authority and frame a scheme for sharing and management of Cauvery river waters among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, and not leave the responsibility to the Centre.

Beyond News:

• It has for the past 25 years had a frictional relationship with Karnataka over Cauvery, and had often to make the journey to the Supreme Court for release of water.
• The day-long hearing saw the court chide the Centre for not implementing the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal in 2007.
• The court questioned the reluctance shown by the Centre to set up of the Cauvery Management Board and frame a scheme for implementation of the tribunal award despite it having been notified in 2013.

25 new judges for two HCs

News:

In a move towards reducing the large number of vacancies in the higher judiciary, President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday cleared the appointment of 25 judges in two High Courts.

Beyond News:

• Issuing separate notifications, the Law Ministry notified the appointment of 19 additional judges in the Allahabad High Court and six in the Calcutta High Court.
• The Allahabad High Court, the largest in terms of Bench strength, has an approved strength of 160 judges. But until Tuesday’s appointment, it was functioning with 91 judges.
• The Calcutta High Court, India’s oldest, too has a shortage as the court, until now, has been functioning with 31 judges against an approved strength of 72.

General Studies-03

Portion of canal in Bihar collapses a day before inauguration by CM.

News:

A portion of a canal, which was to be inaugurated on Wednesday by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in Bhagalpur district of Bihar collapsed on Tuesday.

Nb: A project costs Rs.828 Cr getting collapsed before inauguration is an important aspect.

Beyond News:

• The 11-km long Bateshwarsthan Ganga Pump Nahar Priyojna (Bateshwarstahn Ganga Canal Project) took 40 years for completion at a cost of Rs.828 crore.
• The Bateshwarsthan Ganga Pump Nahar Pariyojna is a “lift irrigation project” in which water from the Ganga is to be lifted with the help of pumps and released into the canal to irrigate agricultural areas of Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur and adjoining district of Godda in Jharkhand.
• Started in 1977 with an initial investment of ₹13.88 crore, the project was to irrigate 23,000 hectares However, the project was expanded and the estimated cost shot up to ₹828 crore.

Scholars, activists urge India to act against forced labour

News:

• A group of over 40 activists and academics from different parts of the world have released a signed, 25-point statement urging India to ensure a more effective implementation of labour law protections to eliminate modern slavery and forced labour in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Beyond News:

• This comes inline with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) new global estimates of modern slavery.
• A multi-pronged strategy that responds to the needs of all affected constituencies, including bonded labourers, contract workers, domestic workers, intra- and inter-state as well as international migrant workers, and sex workers is necessary in order to achieve SDG 8.7.

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