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Betavolt, a Chinese startup, has announced that it has developed a revolutionary battery capable of powering smartphones for 50 years without requiring recharging.

China Develops Coin-Sized Nuclear Battery

• Mechanism: The battery is a miniaturized atomic energy system, which utilizes Nickel-63 nuclear isotopes compactly arranged within a module smaller than a coin.
  • It generates electricity by converting the energy released from decaying isotopes into electricity.

Coin-Sized Nuclear Battery

• Utility: These atomic energy batteries can provide enduring power in aerospace, AI equipment, medical devices, microprocessors, advanced sensors, small drones, and micro-robots.
  • It has the potential to revolutionize electronics by eliminating the need for chargers or portable power banks. 
• Capacity: The initial nuclear battery developed by Betavolt delivers 100 microwatts of power and has a voltage of 3V, while measuring a tiny 15x15x5 cubic millimeters.  
• Construction: 
  • It has a layered structure that prevents the battery from catching fire or exploding when subjected to sudden force. 
  • The battery can operate in a wide temperature range, from -60 degrees Celsius to 120 degrees Celsius.
  • It uses 10 microns thick diamond semiconductors to convert the decay energy into electrical current. 
• Safety: The startup claims that it is suitable for use in medical devices inside the human body, like pacemakers and cochlear implants. 
• Environmental Threat: After the decay period, the 63 isotopes transform into a stable, non-radioactive isotope of copper, posing no environmental threat or pollution.

News Source: Economic Times

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A team led by Northwestern University in Illinois has developed a new fuel cell they claim can harvest energy from microbes living in the soil to power sensors, communications.

About Soil Microbial Fuel Cell (SMFC)

• About: The soil microbial fuel cell (SMFC) is a potential technology for bioelectricity generation. 
  • An soil microbial fuel cell can convert chemical energy from organic compounds to electrical energy by utilizing exo-electrogenic bacteria existing in the soil.

Soil Microbial Fuel Cell (SMFC)

• Origin: They were first created in 1911 and have a similar mechanism as a normal battery. 
• Design: They have an anode, a cathode and electrolyte. But instead of using chemicals to generate electricity, they harvest electricity from bacteria that naturally give out electrons. These electrons then create an electric circuit.
• Mechanism: This fuel cell generates power with the help of microbes in the soil.
• Uses: It can potentially be used to fuel underground sensors used in green infrastructure and precision agriculture. 
• Benefits: 
  • Eco Friendly: Since these are not built of lithium, heavy metals and toxins that are dangerous to the environment, they will be environment friendly. 
  • Efficiency: Not only did the fuel cell work in both wet and dry conditions, but its power also outlasted similar technologies by 120%.
  • Longevity: As long as there is organic carbon in the soil for the microbes to break down, the fuel cell can potentially last forever.
• Challenge: These cells need to stay hydrated and oxygenated to operate without disruption, which is quite difficult in dry dirt.

News Source: Indian Express

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has released comprehensive guidelines on the ethical use and governance of large multi modal models (LMM) in healthcare.

WHO Releases  on The Ethics and Governance Of AI For Health

• WHO called for a collaborative approach involving governments, technology companies, healthcare providers, patients and civil society, in all stages of LMM development and deployment.

Large Language Models (LLMS)

• About: Large Language Models (LLMs) are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that uses deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to perform a variety of natural language processing (NLP) tasks to understand, summarize, generate and predict new content.
  • They  are also referred to as neural networks (NNs), as they are in effect  computing systems inspired by the human brain.

• Applications Large Language Models In Healthcare: 

  • Diagnosis and clinical care, such as responding to patients’ written queries.
  • Patient-guided use for investigating symptoms and treatments
  • Clerical and administrative tasks in electronic health records
  • Medical and nursing education with simulated patient encounters
  • Scientific research and drug development.

Who Guidance on The Ethics and Governance Of AI For Health

• Core Principles: 

• • Protect autonomy
  • promote human well-being, human safety, and the public interest;
  • ensure transparency, explainability, and intelligibility;
  • foster responsibility and accountability; 
  • ensure inclusiveness and equity;
    promote AI that is responsive and sustainable.

• Concerns and Risks: 

  • Data bias: The data  used to train AI may be biased, generating misleading or inaccurate information that could pose risks to health, equity and inclusiveness
  • Automation Bias: Large language models (LLM) generate responses that can appear authoritative and plausible to an end user; however, these responses may be completely incorrect or contain serious errors, especially for health-related responses.
  • Infringement on the Right to Privacy: The  data gathered may be without requiring consent of the owner and the protection of  sensitive data (including health data) that a user provides to an application is also not guaranteed.
  • Disinformation: It can be misused to generate and disseminate highly convincing disinformation in the form of text, audio or video content that is difficult for the public to differentiate from reliable health content.

• Key Recommendations: 

• • Stakeholder Approach: Developers engage in stakeholders, including potential users and healthcare professionals, from the early stages of AI development. It also recommends designing LMMs for well-defined tasks with necessary accuracy and understanding potential secondary outcomes.
  • Investing in public infrastructure, like computing power and public datasets, that adhere to ethical principles
  • Using laws and regulations to ensure LMMs meet ethical obligations and human rights standards
  • Assigning regulatory agencies to assess and approve LMMs for healthcare use
  • Introducing mandatory post-release audits and impact assessments
  • Policy-makers should ensure patient safety and protection while technology firms work to commercialize LLMs.

Also Read: 

• Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• New Delhi AI Declaration

News Source: Down to Earth

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The Supreme Court directed the Centre to clear its plans to save the critically-endangered Great Indian Bustard.

SC Asks Govt to Prepare Plan to Save Great Indian Bustard

• The  Supreme Court outlined that the Centre should  plan to maintain a balance between the preservation of the bird species and India’s global commitments to reduce its carbon footprints while embracing alternatives  such as solar power.

About Great Indian Bustard

• Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan.

Great Indian Bustard

• Conservation Status:

  • • International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (IUCN): Critically Endangered
    • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix1
    • Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Appendix I
    • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • Habitat: It is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat.
  • Threat: Due to their poor frontal vision, the birds can’t spot overhead power lines from a distance, and are too heavy to change course when close. Thus, they collide with the cables and die.

• Steps Taken to Protect

  • • Project Great Indian Bustard: It has been launched by the Rajasthan government with an aim of constructing breeding enclosures for the species.
    • GIB species recovery programme: Under this, the Wildlife Institute of India and Rajasthan forest department jointly set up breeding centers where GIB eggs harvested from the wild were incubated artificially.
  • Significance: GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland and hence barometers of the health of grassland ecosystems.

News Source: The Hindu

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A Japanese spacecraft SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon),  touched down on the moon, making Japan the fifth country to reach the lunar surface.

• Soft Landing Club: Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon making it the 5th country to do so. 

About SLIM: Smart Lander for Investigating Moon 

• SLIM is a small-scale exploration lander designed for pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface.
• It will also test technology fundamental to exploration in low-gravity environments, an important requirement for future scientific investigation of the solar system.
• Launched by:  Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

SLIM: Smart Lander for Investigating Moon

• Objectives:

• • Demonstration of the accurate lunar landing techniques embodied in a small explorer
  • Acceleration of the study of the moon and other planets using the lighter exploration system

News Source: MoneyControl

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Chief Justice of India and Judges of the Supreme Court in a Full Court meeting  designates 56 lawyers as ‘senior advocates’.

Supreme Court Designates 11 Women Lawyers As Senior Advocate

• Eleven of the advocates-on-record and advocates designated senior advocates by the Supreme Court are women.
• The designation comes after a gap of four years and is the first time after the Supreme Court modified its guidelines for ‘senior advocate’ designation in its judgment in 2023 to make the process transparent and fair.

Senior Advocate of Supreme Court and High Courts

• Mentioned in: Section 16 of the Advocates Act refers to the separate class of lawyers ie.  ‘senior advocate’.
• Designation Authority: They can be designated by both the Supreme Court and High Courts.
  • In Supreme Court:  ‘Committee for Designation of Senior Advocates’ is a permanent committee which is entrusted with the function of designating  senior advocates. It comprise of: 
    • Chairperson: Chief Justice of India.
    • Members: Two senior-most Judges of the  Supreme Court of India, Attorney General for India, A member of the Bar nominated by the Chairperson and Members.
• Criteria: Merit, experience, special knowledge of the law and standing at the Bar.
• Eligibility: 
  • Ten years’ standing as an Advocate; or 
  • Ten years combined standing as an Advocate and as a District and Sessions Judge or as a Judicial Member of any Tribunal in India.
  • Attainment of the age of 45 years, unless the age limit is relaxed by the Committee, or the name has been recommended by the Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court.
• Advantage: As per Section 23 of the Advocate  Act, senior advocates shall have right of pre-audience over other lawyers and their right of pre-audience inter se shall be determined by their respective seniority.

News Source: The Hindu

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Caste Census in Andhra Pradesh: The Andhra Pradesh government has started a 10-day-long “caste survey”, to create a comprehensive caste-based database of people.

Caste Census in Andhra Pradesh 

• Methodology and Verification Process: Volunteers will visit every home to collect caste details, emphasizing the role of the village secretariat system in verifying and correcting the information.
• Second State to Undertake Caste Census: Andhra Pradesh is the second state after Bihar to undertake the caste census.
• Scale and Coverage of the Census: Details on the extensive coverage, involving volunteers, village secretariat employees, and covering millions of families in both rural and urban areas. 
• Purpose and Welfare Goals: Focusing on addressing the welfare needs of castes that have not received government schemes. The significance of the census in ensuring inclusive governance and social justice.

About Caste Census

• Caste census means inclusion of caste-wise tabulation of India’s population in the Census exercise.
• India has counted and published caste data from 1951 to 2011 of the schedules castes and schedules tribes only.

Demand for Caste Census

• Earlier it did not include information about the population of lower and intermediate castes, known as Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which make up about 52% of the population. 
• This has led to calls for a separate census to gather data about the OBC population.

Earlier Caste Census

• The last caste census was conducted in 1931. It became the basis for quota caps under the Mandal formula.
• Caste data were collected for the 2011 census but the data were never made public.

Difference Between Census and Socio-Economic Caste Census

Also Read: Caste Survey in Bihar

News Source: LiveMint

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The inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024 by the Indian Prime Minister is reminiscent of the inauguration of Somnath temple seventy-three years ago by the Indian President, Rajendra Prasad.

About Somnath Temple

• Location: In Prabhas Patan, Veraval, in Gujarat.
  • Veraval was an ancient trading port.

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

• Hindu Holy Place: Somnath temple is an important Hindu pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat.
  • It is the holy place of the First Aadi Jyotirling Shree Somnath Mahadev and the sacred soil where Lord Shri Krishna took his last journey. 
  • A pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a Triveni sangam, the confluence of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and Sarasvati. 
• Chairman of the Trust: Presently the Prime Minister of India is the chairman of Shree Somnath Mandir trust.Construction & Reconstruction of Somnath Temple
• Origin: Somnath’s first temple is said to have existed 2000 years ago. 
• Reconstruction: In 649 AD, King Maitre of Vallabhini built a second temple in place of the temple and renovated it. 
  • In 815 AD, Pratishtha King Nag Bhatt II constructed the temple for the third time using a red stone (sandstone). 
  • During 1026-1042 AD, Solanki Raja Bhimdev built the fourth temple of Bhoj and Anhilwad Patan, Parmar King of Malwa.
  • In 1782, Maratha queen Ahalyabai Holkar built a small temple at the site.
  • After India’s independence, those ruins were demolished and the present Somnath temple was reconstructed in the Māru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture.
• Attack: In 725 AD, the old ruler of Sindh attacked the temple and destroyed the temple. 
  • In 1026, Mahmud Ghazni lent the precious jewels and property of Somnath temple. 
  • After looting, slaughtering innumerable pilgrims of the temple and burning the temple and destroying it. 
  • Somnath was destroyed when the Delhi Sultanate occupied Gujarat in 1299. 
  • In 1394 it was destroyed again. 
  • In 1706, Mughal ruler Aurangzeb again demolished the temple.

Nehru’s Opposition to the Inauguration of Somnath Temple

• Political Reasons: As the policy they followed was secularism, and this ceremony was a religious based manner, in addition, revivalist in character.
• Financial Reasons: For the Saurashtra government contribution of Rs 5 lakh towards the ceremony, he criticized it, citing austerity measures and economic challenges and suggested expenditure on education, on health and other beneficent services.
• Secular Nature of State: He emphasized that being a secular state, it is not appropriate to associate with any religious events.
• Opposition to External Affairs Circular: A circular was sent round to Indian ambassadors to collect water from the major rivers, soil and twigs from the mountains of the countries. Nehru asked the Ministry of External Affairs to ignore these requests.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Recently, the  Gangetic Dolphin was rescued by Forest Officials in Odisha from a river.

• The Dolphin was captured from the Jalaka river situated in Chandipur forest range and will be released into the  Budhabalang river.

About Gangetic Dolphins

• Scientific Name of Gangetic Dolphin: Platanista gangetica gangetica
• Common or local names: susu, soos, shushuk, socho etc, reminiscent of the noise the dolphin makes when it breathes.

Gangetic Dolphin

• Status: Gangetic Dolphin is recognised as the  National Aquatic animal of India. 
• Habitat: Freshwater Rivers. They are commonly found in deeper sections of the river, and prefer eddies around islands, river bends and confluences.
• Distribution: Their historical range extends to the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, but presently found in the Ganga and its tributaries, as it went extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.
• Features:
• • Tiger of the Ganges:  It is  a top predator and  an ecosystem indicator species 
  • Echolocation: They are essentially  blind they hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounce off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind. 
• Protection Status: 
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 :Schedule 1
  • IUCN: Endangered  
  • CITES :    Appendix I
• Threats:
  • Water-related infrastructure: dams, barrages, diversions, and embankments  cause flow regulation and habitat fragmentation.
  • Hunting  for oil and meat, and  entanglement in fishing nets,
  • Pollution:  from domestic, industrial and agricultural sources,
  • Human  activities:  Including boat traffic, dredging and underwater noise 
• Conservation:  ‘Project Gangetic Dolphin’ Launched on August 15, 2023 for the conservation of the Gangetic dolphins.

News Source: Down to Earth

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The Minister of State for External Affairs will participate in the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 (G77) and China in Kampala, Uganda. 

Third South Summit of the Group of 77 (G77) and China

• Theme of Summit: “Leaving No One Behind”.
  • It is in line with India’s vision of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, i.e., “the World is one Family”. 

About G77 and China

• For Developing Countries: G77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations.
• Formation: In 1964, Geneva, by signing a Joint Declaration during the first session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• Guided by: The Charter of Algiers that was established and adopted in 1967. 
• Purpose: To provide the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity within the United Nations system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.
• Members: 134 countries across Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Oceania. 
  • China is not a part of the group, so the group is often known as “G-77 and China”.
  • Although the members of the G-77 have increased to 134 countries, the original name was retained due to its historic significance.
• Supreme Decision-making Body: South Summit
  • First South Summit: In 2000, Havana, Cuba
  • Second South Summit: In 2005, Doha, Qatar
• Annual Meets: The G-77  meets annually at the UN in New York.
• India was the first nation to preside over the G77 in New York.

Also Read: Davos Summit 2024

News Source: All India Radio

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The ‘Alliance for Global Good Gender Equity and Equality’ was announced at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting at Davos with the support of India.

About the Alliance for Global Good Gender Equity and Equality:

• Origin: The idea of this alliance emerged from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development.
• Objective: To bring together global best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas  of women’s health, education, and enterprise.
• Key Collaboration: 
• • Network Partner: The World Economic Forum 
  • Institutional Partner: Invest India
• Strengthening G20 Commitments Towards Women: It will build on the initiatives within the G20 framework, including the Business 20, Women 20, and G20 EMPOWER.
• Foundation Support: The alliance will be housed and anchored by the CII Centre for Women Leadership supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Also Read: Davos Summit 2024

News Source: PIB

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Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed an improvised Distress Alert Transmitter for fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats.

About ISRO Second Generation Distress Alert Transmitter

• ISRO has improvised DAT with advanced capabilities and features evolving to Second Generation DAT (DAT-SG). 
  • The first version of DAT has been operational since 2010. 
• The services of  Second Generation DAT have been declared operational on a 24/7 basis, with more than 20,000 DATs being used till now.

Distress Alert Transmitter

Working of Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT)

• Using DAT, messages are sent through a communication satellite and received at a central control station (INMCC: Indian Mission Control Centre), where the alert signals are decoded for the identity and location of the fishing boat.
• The decoded information is then forwarded to Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) under the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
• Using this information, the MRCC coordinates to undertake search and rescue operations to save the fishermen in distress without delay.
• Sagarmitra: The central control centre (INMCC) has a web-based network management system called Sagarmitra which maintains a database of registered DAT-SGs and helps MRCCs to access the information about boat, coordinate the boat in distress in real time.

News Source: DH

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This article is based on the news “Buddha’s teachings are not relics of the past, but a compass for our future – VP”  which was published in the PIB. Recently, the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) was inaugurated in New Delhi by the Vice President of India.

• The Vice President said that Buddhism was born in India and was spread to different parts of the world, it carried a message which is relevant for everyone in contemporary time. 

About Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP)

• Founded in: ABCP was founded in 1970 at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as a voluntary movement of followers of Buddhism with both monastic (monks) and lay members. 
• Headquarter: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 
• Theme: “ABCP – The Buddhist Voice of Global South.”
• Members: ABCP had members from South Korea, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Japan and Russia etc.

India: The Land of Buddhism

• Genesis of Buddhism: India is known as the ‘Land of the Buddha’ as Gautam Buddha founded Buddhism about 2,500 years ago in this region. India stands as the homeland of Bhagwan Buddha, a nation that has contributed ‘Buddha’ to the world rather than ‘Yuddha’ (war). 
• Buddhist Structures: A number of Buddhist Stupas, Viharas , Chaityas, Pillar and Rock Edicts have been built during the reign of Mauryan kings, Gupta rulers and Satvahana rulers in ancient India.
  • A Stupa preserve relics and different religious object.
  • Major Rock Edicts and Major Pillar Edicts mentioned the teachings of proper behaviour and non violence under the general concept of “Dharma”.
• Buddhist Population: With a global populace of nearly 500 million, Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world. 
  • Majority of the Buddhists live in China (50%), Thailand (13%), Japan (9%), Myanmar (8%), Sri Lanka (3%), Vietnam (3%), Cambodia (3%), South Korea (2%), India (2%) and Malaysia (1%).
• Buddha’s Teachings: It serve as inspiration for India’s service-driven governance, emphasizing citizen welfare and inclusivity, from farmers to the vulnerable and the differently- abled. 
  • This commitment extends to environmental sustainability, where the interconnectedness of all life shapes India’s advocacy for a greener future.

The world faces challenges that are universal and call for concerted efforts on the issues like climate change, conflict, terrorism or poverty. 

Conference Coincides with Rising Contemporary Issues

• Rising Global Conflicts: Notable events include recent strikes between Iran and Pakistan, the enduring Israel-Palestine Conflict and tensions between Russia and Ukraine. 
  • Concerns arise on balancing military actions with concerns for soldier’s safety and civilian casualties.
  • According to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s annual Global Peace Index, more than 238,000 people died in global conflict last year, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in at least 82,000 deaths in 2022. 
  • For example, this dilemma is witnessed by the challenge of combating Hamas while ensuring humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine.
• Climate Change Challenges: Climate change has been described as a “perfect moral storm” because it brings together three major challenges to ethical action: 
• • Climate change is a truly global phenomenon with skewed vulnerabilities, at least in the short- to medium-term. 
  • Current emissions have profound intergenerational effects.
  • Theoretical tools are underdeveloped in many areas, such as international justice, intergenerational ethics, scientific uncertainty, and the appropriate relationship between humans and the rest of nature. 
• Terrorism Trends: Amid rising global disorder, terrorists have emboldened terror attacks across the world. 
  • For instance, The tenth annual edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI)-2023 reveals attacks are more deadly with 26% more people dying in each incident – the first rise in lethality in five years.
• Growing Poverty and Inequality: Ethical concerns arise from the persistence of poverty, increasing inequality, and human deprivation stands against human decency, human rights, and basic claims of distributive justice. 
  • Oxfam’s findings reveal extreme wealth and extreme poverty have sharply increased simultaneously. In 2022, nearly 670 million people were estimated to be living in extreme poverty, and since 2020, the richest 1% have captured almost two-thirds of all new wealth. 
  • Further, the world could see its first trillionaire within the next decade, according to an assessment of global inequalities published by Oxfam International.
• Challenges Faced by Youth of the World: Substantial anxiety and stress about jobs, long-term financial stability and the current economy and job market are primary sources of uncertainty for this generation, according to EY’s 2023 Gen-Z Segmentation Study.

Relevance of Buddha’s Teachings in the Contemporary World

• Overcoming Individual and Global Conflicts Through Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path: Embedded in the fabric of our world, Buddha’s timeless wisdom provides a transformative roadmap for individuals and nations grappling with today’s conflicts. 
  • The international community is prompted to uphold ethical standards, fostering a world where conflicts are resolved through compassionate dialogue rather than resorting to violence.
• Overcoming Terrorism Through Dharma and Harmony: “May those who fight with arms in hands meet with flowers”. Dharma is the doctrine, the universal truth common to all individuals at all times, and Buddhist stupas, chants and festivals echo as a symbol of Buddha’s message in contrasts with the forces of hate and terror threatening our world. 
  • Buddha’s teachings serve as an unwavering rejection of violence and hatred, providing a framework for countering terrorism with compassion and peace. 
• Addressing Existential Challenges:  The principles of Buddha serve as a beacon of hope, fostering convergence among stakeholders on a common platform.
  • By applying Buddha’s principles, nations are encouraged to work collaboratively, adopting ethical practices that safeguard the environment for current and future generations.
  • At the 12th General Assembly of ABCP, the leader defined Delhi declaration calling on leaders and nations around the world to end wars as the biggest takeaway of the event.
• Tackling Climate Change Through Shared Heritage and Well-being: The shared heritage, intertwined with faith, culture, and love, forms an unbreakable bond. In a divided world, Buddha’s wisdom urges to follow the light of tolerance, justice, and a shared commitment to peace, fostering a future where all flourish and virtues shine.
• Tackling Poverty and Inequality: Lord Buddha taught us, “Bhavatu Sabb Mangalam”, which means blessings, compassion and welfare of all. Buddha’s teachings centered on the alleviation of suffering, inspire efforts to promote an equitable distribution of resources and work towards distributive justice. 
• • Efforts towards social justice and inclusivity become ethical imperatives in line with Buddha’s teachings, creating a more ethically just world.
• Middle Path as the Compass for the Future: Buddha’s teachings are not relics of the past but a compass for our future. In a rapidly changing landscape, his Middle Path – emphasizing friendship, moderation, and reverence for all life – presents a sustainable course for both humanity and our planet. 
• Coping With Stress: Buddha’s Teachings present useful ways to cope with stress by calming the mind, controlling negative emotions and feelings through meditation, and developing wisdom and insight in order to purify the mind to be free from stress and sufferings through insight meditation. 
  • Buddha’s Teachings provide practical ways such as breathing meditation (Ãnãpãnasati) for coping with various problems that cause stress with mindfulness and consciousness.

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This article is based on the news “How the legal debate over sub-categorisation among SCs has evolved over the years” which was published in the Indian Express. The Union government has established a panel of secretaries led by the Union Cabinet Secretary to categorize Scheduled Castes (SCs) into A, B, C, and D groups.

Sub Categorisation Within Castes: Background

• This comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister’s promise to look into the demand for sub-categorisation of SCs as raised by the Madiga community.
• States Demand for Separate Quota:  The Union government received representations from state governments, such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, advocating for the sub categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), including Madigas. 

• • They demand a separate quota for some castes within the SC quota of 15% to ensure that the benefits are equitably distributed among all castes.
• Hearing by Constitution Bench: The matter is at present under consideration of a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court.
  • Power of sub-classifications among SCs: The Supreme court will decide if states have the power to create these sub-classifications when providing reservations or if such power is vested only with the President.
  • Constitutionality of sub-categorization: It will focus on the constitutionality of sub-categorization among Scheduled Castes (SCs) to address the reservation in jobs and education designated for them. 
• However, the government panel will explore alternative approaches to address their grievances.

About the Committee

• Composition of Committee: The committee comprises secretaries of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs and Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Chaired by: Union Cabinet Secretary
• Mandate of Committee: 
• • To assess and devise a strategy for the fair distribution of benefits, schemes, and initiatives for the most marginalized communities among the 1,200 Scheduled Castes nationwide. 
  • To address the overshadowing of interests of SCs like Madigas and other such groups by relatively more forward and dominant ones.

What is Sub Categorisation within Caste?

• About:  It refers to further classifying broader caste groups into sub-groups based on various criteria. 
• Objective: It attempts to address the diversity within larger caste groups and provide targeted benefits to specific sub-groups that may be perceived as socially and economically disadvantaged.
• Demand for Sub Categorisation of Caste: Over time, some castes and communities have sought recognition and specific privileges based on their unique characteristics, historical backgrounds, or socio-economic status. 

Need for Sub Categorisation within Castes

• Unequal Opportunities: The policy of protective and compensatory discrimination leads to disproportional representation of sub-castes in employment, education, and legislature.
  • In Tamil Nadu, a 3% quota within the Scheduled Caste quota is accorded to the Arundhatiyar caste, after Justice M S Janarthanam report stated that despite being 16% of the SC population in the state, they held only 0-5% of the jobs.
• Graded Inequalities: There have been graded inequalities among SC communities and even among the marginalized, some communities have less access to basic facilities. 
  • The relatively more forward communities among them have managed to avail benefits consistently while crowding the more backward ones out. 
• Overcoming Hierarchy: The SCs category is not homogenous and comprises a wide range of communities with distinct cultural, social, and economic characteristics.
  • According to the annual report of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, there were 1,263 SCs in the country in 2018-19. 
  • Some SC communities may have made progress in education, employment, and socio-economic development, while others continue to face significant disadvantages.
• Securing Social Mobility: The reservation policy is ineffective in providing benefits to every sub-caste group at a uniform level which resulted in competition and conflict between various sub-caste groups of Scheduled Castes. 
  • The acquisition of political power, educational improvement, and occupational change could become the major assets for Scheduled Castes’ upward mobility, which acts as a major factor for the demand for sub-categorization.
• Ensuring Social Justice: Social justice emphasizes ensuring that historically marginalized communities receive fair and just treatment and that their specific concerns are adequately addressed. 
  • Sub-categorization allows for a more targeted approach in addressing the specific vulnerabilities and needs of particular SC sub-groups. 
• Ensuring Equitable Distribution of Resources: Sub-categorization could help avoid the concentration of benefits in certain communities while others remain underserved. 
  • For this, States have tried to divide the scheduled caste quota on the grounds that caste is a form of graded inequality. 
  • Punjab created an order of preferences in 1975 within scheduled castes for recruitment.

Legal Battles for Scheduled Caste Sub Categorisation

• 1975: Sub-Categorisation by Punjab Government
  • Punjab government divides its 25% SCs reservation into two categories:
    • Reserved for the Balmiki and Mazhbi Sikh communities (most economically and educationally backward communities).
    • Thus, they were to be given first preference for any reservations in education and public employment.
  • Rest of the SCs communities, which didn’t get this preferential treatment.
• 1996: Formation of Justice Ramachandra Commission
  • The Andhra Pradesh government formed the Commission.
  • Recommendations: The commission proposes sub-categorisation of SCs in the State based on evidence that some communities were more backward and had less representation than others.
• 2000: Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act:
  • The Andhra Pradesh government introduced the Act.
  • The law contained an expansive list of scheduled caste communities identified in the state and the quota of reservation benefits provided to each of them.
• 2004: E.V. Chinnaiah v State of Andhra Pradesh
  • In 2004, a five-judge constitution bench struck down the act for being violative of the right to equality. 
  • Arguments given by the Court: The Court held that the sub-classification would violate the right to equality by treating communities within this category differently and the SC list must be treated as a single, homogenous group.
• Dr. Kishan Pal v. State of Punjab: In this case,  the Punjab & Haryana High Court struck down the 1975 notification.
• 2006: Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act
  • The Punjab government attempted to bring back the law by passing this act.
• 2010: Appeal to Supreme Court
  • The Punjab government subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court(SC) against the High Court’s decision, contending that the SC’s 2004 judgment had incorrectly concluded that sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste quota is not permissible.
• 2014: Davinder Singh v State of Punjab. 
  • The SC referred the appeal to a five-judge constitution bench to determine if the E V Chinnaiah of 2004 required reconsideration since it needed an inquiry into the interplay of several constitutional provisions. 
    • Interpretation of the Constitution requires a bench of at least five-judges of the Supreme Court.
• 2018: Jarnail Singh v Lachhmi Narain Gupta
  • In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the concept of “creamy layer” within SCs too. 
  • The ‘Creamy layer’ concept puts an income ceiling on those eligible for reservations. 
  • While this concept applies to Other Backward Castes (OBC), it was applied to promotions of SCs for the first time in 2018.
• Matter is Pending Before 7 judges Bench: As both the Davinder Singh bench and the E V Chinnaiah bench consisted of five judges, the matter is now being heard by a larger seven-judge bench as the decision of a larger bench takes precedence over that of a smaller bench.

Challenges Related with Sub Categorisation within Caste

• Identification and Criteria: Determining the criteria for sub-categorization can be challenging. Parameters such as socio-economic status, educational attainment, or regional factors may be considered, but reaching a consensus on these criteria can be difficult.
  • Supreme Court rulings in 1976 and 2005 empahsizes that ‘SCs are not castes, they are class’ and their protection is based on addressing untouchability, not other factors.
• Data Accuracy and Availability: Concrete population numbers of each community and sub-community and their respective socio-economic data are necessary to decide how castes can be categorized, how much percentage should be given, etc. 
  • Obtaining accurate and up-to-date data on the socio-economic status of different Scheduled Caste communities is a challenge. 
• Potential for Intra-group Disputes: Sub-categorization may lead to internal divisions and disputes among SC communities. 
  • Some groups may feel marginalized from the benefits, leading to social tensions within the broader  Scheduled Caste category. 
  • For instance, backwardness among  SCs  also draws from the practice of untouchability, and sub categorisation may sharpen differences within and bring in competitive affirmative action. 
• Possibility of Fragmentation: There is a risk that sub-categorization might lead to the fragmentation of the SC community, diluting their political and social identity. 
  • This could weaken their collective strength in advocating for their rights.
• Quota May Not be Enough: The National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had opposed the move, arguing that just setting aside a quota within the quota would not be enough.
  • They have argued that given the disparity, even if posts were reserved at higher levels, these most backward SCs would not have enough candidates.
  • Thus, it needs to be made sure that the existing schemes and benefits reach them on a priority basis. 

Way Forward

• Exploring Alternatives to Introduce Sub-Categorisation: The Union government needs to explore legal options for the same. 
  • For instance, the Attorney General of India (AGI) had opined that a constitutional amendment could be brought in to facilitate this.
  • The NCSC and NCST had opined that Article 16(4) of the Constitution already provided for States to create special laws for any backward classes it felt were under-represented.
  • The Justice Usha Mehra Committee in its 2008 report recommended the inclusion of Clause (3) in Article 341 through a constitutional amendment empowering state legislature to enact reclassification of the Scheduled Caste category subject to Presidential confirmation.
• Data Collection and Analysis: According to legal experts, the Constitution does not  prohibit the Parliament from sub-categorising SCs or STs.
  • However, the government needs to ensure comprehensive and accurate data collection on the socio-economic conditions of different Scheduled Caste communities. 
  • This can be the only empirical basis to justify sub-categorisation of benefits and evaluating extra share of benefits required by each community.
• Criteria Development: Develop transparent and inclusive criteria for sub-categorization, considering factors such as socio-economic status, educational attainment, and regional disparities.
  • The Andhra Pradesh government in 1996 formed a Commission of Justice Ramachandra Raju, which recommended sub categorisation of Scheduled Caste in the State based on evidence that some communities were more backward and had less representation than others. 
• Following the Middle Path: Strike a balance between recognizing the diversity within the Scheduled Caste category and maintaining the overall unity of the community. 
  • Policies need to address the specific needs of sub-groups without causing fragmentation or weakening the collective strength of the SC community.

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