Context: 

This editorial is based on the news “Why Kashmir and Ladakh are without snow this winter, its implications” which was published in Indian Express. This article highlights the issues which are rising due to bereft of snow this season in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with possible reasons for the existence of the concerned situation.

Snowfall Scarcity: IMD Highlights Unusual Rainfall Patterns in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh

• Dry winter in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh: Winter precipitation is here mainly in the form of snowfall. The region gets its first snowfall in the first half of December, and then through most of January. 
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) Data: Jammu and Kashmir saw 80% rainfall deficit in December, and 100% deficit in January so far, while Ladakh has had no precipitation at all in December or January.

Decline in Western Disturbance Events: A Probable Reason of Decline in Snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh

The overall decreasing trend of snowfall has been attributed to:

• Decline in Western Disturbance Events: The mean frequency of strong and extreme Western Disturbances, that results in rainfall or snowfall, had declined as much as 43% in recent years.
• Gradual Rise in Temperatures: The rate of increase of temperature is seen to be higher and contributing to the decline in snowfall.
• The prevailing El Niño event in the eastern Pacific Ocean: For the past few months, El Niño has persisted and will continue to do so in the coming months. This has affected the global atmospheric circulation, and might be contributing to the deficit precipitation.

About Western Disturbances

• Rain-bearing Winds: These are large eastward-moving rain-bearing wind systems that originate beyond Afghanistan and Iran, picking up moisture from as far as the Mediterranean Sea and even the Atlantic Ocean. 
• Significance: Winter precipitation in the Himalayan region is caused mainly by Western Disturbances. 
  • Western Disturbances are the primary source of rainfall over north and northwest India during the post-monsoon and winter months. 
    • These are the 3rd major contributors to India’s annual rainfall. During winters, about 4 to 6 western disturbance events happen every month on an average.

About El Niño

• It is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Repercussions of Less Snowfall in the Region:

• Long-term Implications: The generation of less hydroelectricity, high rate of glacier melting, and an adverse impact on the drinking water supply, since scanty snowfall means very little recharge of groundwater.
• Short-term Implications: An increase in forest fires, agricultural drought, and a drop in crop production. It can lead to an early spring, which means early flowering, which can cause a reduction in yield.
• Impact on Winter Tourism Attractions: As per officials, the decline in such tourists would be at least 60%.

Continue To Read: Dry Spell In Kashmir Winter

Conclusion

The winter snow is a source of steady moisture to the soil that is vital for winter crops, particularly horticulture. Yields of apples or saffron, important ingredients of the local economy, are badly affected in the absence of snowfall. It will impact the local climate and availability of waters in streams and rivers too.

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Context: 

This editorial is based on the news “International Court of Justice | Justice without power ” which was published in The Hindu. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest judicial body, is in spotlight due to hearing of a case instituted by South Africa, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. 

• Over 23,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90% of Gaza’s population displaced in Israel’s offensive that started after the attack by Hamas, but Israel has rejected the genocide allegations.

About the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• Establishment: In June 1945 by the Charter of the UN, following decades of international conflicts in the form of two World Wars.
• Location: Seated at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands 
• Judges: The International Court of Justice has a total strength of 15 judges who are appointed for nine-year terms through separate, simultaneous elections at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
  • However, ‘ad-hoc judges’ are sometimes appointed in cases that require specialised knowledge about the concerned dispute.
• Jurisdictional Powers: 
  • Advisory Jurisdiction: It relates to the jurisdiction of the court in providing legal opinions on matters referred to it by the organs and specialized agencies of the UN.
  • Jurisdiction in Contentious Cases: It involves settling disputes between countries and determining “state responsibility” for crimes committed in violation of international law.

Must Refer: UNSC Reforms For A New Era; What The World Thinks

Challenges With the Efficacy of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• No Enforcement Powers: The UN Charter authorizes the UNSC to enforce the court’s decisions. However, its compliance is often at the mercy of the power politics of the permanent members of the Security Council. 
• Non-participation of Powerful Member States in its Proceedings: Example- In the proceedings instituted by Ukraine against Russia in 2022, the latter refused to advance submissions. 
  • Similarly, in the famous Nicaragua vs the U.S. case, the latter refused to submit to the court’s jurisdiction and enforce its subsequent ruling.
• Slow and Bureaucratic Procedure: It has also been a subject of criticism. 
  • Example- A 2019 case instituted by Gambia against Myanmar for its military crackdown on Rohingya refugees is still in trial. 
  • Two prior cases involving the Genocide Convention also took over a decade to resolve — Croatia vs Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Serbia and Montenegro. 

Relevance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• Expanding Jurisdiction: Over the years, states have approached the International Court of Justice for diverse international law matters like human rights, environmental issues and dispute settlement. 
  • Example: Romania recently advanced a declaration in support of the court’s jurisdiction in which over 30 states have joined so far.
• Successful Reparations: Major rulings on reparations have also been adhered to by the concerned parties. 
  • Example: In its 2022 judgment in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) vs Uganda, the court ordered Uganda to pay a total of $325 million to the DRC. Subsequently, Uganda complied with the ruling.
• Advisory Role: The Court has also played an enormous role in advancing peaceful solutions to conflicts and supporting diplomatic efforts. 
  • Example: The ‘Legality of Use of Nuclear Weapons’ in 1996, and ‘Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’ in 2004.

Conclusion

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been able to carve out a niche position in international judicial adjudication despite the emergence of new courts and tribunals. However, the concerns have also raised about the potential fragmentation of international law where various judicial bodies impart contradictory rulings.

• Now it’s time for a decentralized judiciary that could foster more judicial independence as international law has been the last resort in safeguarding the interests of the World.

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Context:

This editorial is based on the news “The geography of unequal growth” which was published in The Business Standard. The income inequality among India’s states over the past three decades have increased significantly.

The Evolving Landscape of Income Inequality in India

• Geographical Divide of State Domestic Product (SDP): A clear geographical distinction exists between states with per capita SDP above the national average in 2019-20 and those below it.
  • The affluent states are situated in the south, west, and northwest, while the less prosperous ones are in the north, center, and east.
  • During 1990-91, the per capita SDP of the higher-income states was 1.7 times that of the lower-income states which increased to 2.5 times by 2019-20.

Must Read: Finance Commission’s Role In Curbing Populism

Reasons Behind Income Inequality in India

• Historical Factors: The British and industrialists developed only those regions that possessed rich potential for prosperous manufacturing and trading activities. Ex- Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. 
• Failure of Planning Mechanism: The planning mechanisms enlarged the disparity between India’s developed and less developed states.
• Lack of Growth of Ancillary Industries in Backward States: The Government followed a decentralized approach for the development of backward regions. However, due to lack of growth of ancillary industries, these areas remained backward. 
• Failure of India’s Industrialization Strategy: Unlike China, India could not break its stagnant history of industrialization, rather the services sector emerged as the driver of economic growth. But, between 2012 and 2019, there has not been a 1% point increase in its employed workforce.
• Concentration of Services Sector in High-Income States: Services Sectors are almost entirely located in the few higher-income states with West Bengal (Kolkata) as an exception. 
• Declining Public Investments: The primary factor contributing to the expanding disparity in per capita SDP is the increased shift in investment from the public to the private sector during the post-1991 liberalization era and leads to the widening gap in per capita income.
• Poor Linkage of Economic Hubs: India’s growth hubs are not connected with each other. The few growth hubs did not lead to spillover effects leading to skewed distribution of employment across the states creating pockets of poverty in the poorer states.
• Limited Success of Green Revolution (GR): Its benefits have been unevenly distributed. The benefits were concentrated in Punjab, Haryana and Western UP regions.
• Others: Labour Force Disparity: In northern and central states, the labour force participation rate and the percentage of workers with regular wage are below the national average.
  • Disparity in Access to Engineering Education: 70% seats are in higher-income states.
  • Poor Investment in Education: It has decreased from 10.8% to 9.7%
  • Entrepreneurship Imbalance: As per Annual Survey of Industries 2019-20, higher-income states accounted for nearly 75% of factories and employment. 

Impacts of Unequal Growth

• Impacts households’ access to basic services such as health, nutrition, and physical infrastructure, Highly skewed population distribution, Overcrowded cities, Migration of poor to urban areas, Increase in slums and the rise in the cost of urban housing.

Also Read: Resolving Regional Disparities: States in South are more developed than North

Government Interventions for Backward Regions

• The 14th Finance Commission assigned 50% weight to income distance. 
• Backward Regions Grant Fund Scheme to redress regional imbalances in development.  
• Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana focused on development programs for backward areas.
• Aspirational Districts Programme to transform 112 most under-developed districts nationwide.
• National Rural Livelihoods Mission aims to promote poverty reduction. 

Way Forward to Reduced Income Inequality in India

• Connecting Value Chains in High-Income States with Low-Income States: A national policy that promotes value chains that link enterprises in southern and western states for input supply in northern and eastern states is needed. 
• Skill Development: Immediate actions are required to enhance skill development and engineering education. This will cultivate the potential necessary to attract enterprises.
• Region-Specific Interventions: It needs a focus on specific regional dimensions supplemented by significant investments in education and health.
• Relaxing Borrowing Limits for Poor States: This will enable poorer states to raise their capex spending, raising growth, and helping them catch up with other states.
• Increasing Female Labour Force Participation Rate: According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey Report 2022-23,  it stands at 37.0% in 2023.

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