Asiatic Black Bear

• Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is also known as Moon bear.
• The Asiatic black bear has 7 subspecies, out of which we find the Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger) subspecies in India.
• Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) – Is the only rehabilitation facility for Asiatic Black Bear in India.
• It is situated at the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Distribution – The Asiatic black bear occupies a narrow band from south-eastern Iran to Myanmar, across the foothills of the Himalayas.
• It is not endemic to Himalayan region and can be found in Iran.
• In India it is distributed across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• Threats – Hunting, poaching, habitat loss and climate change.
• Conservation – It is protected under the schedule 1 of the wildlife (protection) act of 1972.
• It is protected under the appendix 1 of the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
• It is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN red list.

Election Commissioner

The current Election Commissioner is about to retire and appointment of the new Election Commissioner will follow the consultative process as directed by the supreme court of India.

• Article 324 deals with the conditions for the appointment of the Election Commissioner.
• The process for the appointment of Election Commissioner (EC) - The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.
• They were appointed solely at the discretion of the government.
• The power to make appointments rested exclusively with the Executive (Union Government).
• The Prime Minister held the power to decide the appointment, with the President formally appointing the chosen candidate.
• The Supreme Court bench in 2022 directed for a consultative process in which a collegium or a body of persons is tasked with the responsibility to select the Election Commissioners.
• On March 2023, the final verdict of the Supreme Court bench said that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be made by the President on the advice of a select Committee.
• Following the final verdict of the Supreme Court, The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 was passed.
• According to the law The CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
•  The Selection Committee will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister and Leader of Opposition/leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabh.
• A Search Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary will propose a panel of names to the Selection Committee. 
• Eligibility for the posts includes holding (or having held) a post equivalent to the Secretary to the central government.
• Removal – The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office in like manner and on like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
• The other Election Commissioners can only be removed from office on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
• Dinesh Goswami Committee – Recommended that, for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs the President consult the:
  • Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition (or)
  • The leader of the largest Opposition group.
• The recommendations of Dinesh Goswami Committee for appointment of CECs and ECs is consultative in nature and not solely depend on the union government.

Jigarthanda

India's First High Hypersonic Test Facility, nick named ‘Jigarthanda’ was recently unveiled at IIT Kanpur.

• The S2 is the India's First High Hypersonic Test Facility that was nicknamed as Jigarthanda.
• It is a 24-meter-long facility located at IIT Kanpur’s Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL).
• It is a major achievement that puts India amongst only a handful of countries with this advanced hypersonic testing capability.
• It is capable of generating flight speeds between 3-10 km/s, simulating the hypersonic conditions encountered during atmospheric entry of vehicles, asteroid entry, scramjet flights and ballistic missiles.
• This makes it a valuable test facility for ongoing missions of ISRO and DRDO including Gaganyaan, RLV, and hypersonic cruise missiles.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

The Supreme Court has recently pulled up the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for its “recurrent engagement” in “unilateral decision making” and cautioned that in “its zealous quest for justice”.

• The National Green Tribunal is a statutory body that has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• It deals with environmental protection cases.
• It is set up for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment.
• The Tribunal is not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but is guided by principles of natural justice.
• The Tribunal is mandated to finalize all applications and appeals within 6 months of their date of submission.

Uniform Civil Code

Recently the Uttarakhand has passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill to provide common set of laws that are applicable to all Indian citizens.

• UCC refers to a common set of laws that are applicable to all Indian citizens, and is not based on religion in dealing with marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption, among other personal matters.
• Article 44 of the Indian Constitution deals with Uniform Civil Code.
• It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 1948.
• Members of the All India Muslim League (AIML) argued that it affects the Religious Freedom and Harmony.
• They argued that a secular state should not interfere with long-standing religious practices, as it could lead to discontent and disrupt religious harmony in the country.
• Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, highlighted that uniform laws were already in place for almost every aspect of human relationships.
• The UCC was meant to address the "little corner" of personal laws relating to marriage and succession.
• K M Munshi, a Congress member and member of the Constituent Assembly Drafting Committee, opposed the view that the UCC was tyrannical.
• Munshi pointed out that if matters like inheritance and succession were left to personal religious laws, women would not be treated equally, going against the fundamental right against discrimination.
• Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, member of the Drafting Committee, argued that the UCC aimed to achieve unity and amity by removing factors that contributed to differences between communities.