1 – WHAT ARE FOREIGN TRIBUNALS:
GS II
Topic → Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies
• Context:
• A notice was sent on a deceased person by a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam’s Cachar district,
requesting him to appear before it by March 30 because he had failed to produce legal
documentation to verify his Indian citizenship.
• What is a Foreigners Tribunal, and how does it work:
• The Foreigners’ Tribunal Order, 1964, and the Foreigners’ Act, 1946 established quasi-judicial
entities known as Foreigners’ Tribunals.
• Composition:
• Advocates under the age of 35 with at least 7 years of experience (or) Retired Assam Judicial
Officers (or) Retired IAS of ACS Officers (not below the level of Secretary/Addl. Secretary) with
experience in quasi-judicial work.
• Who has the authority to establish these tribunals:
• The Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, has been revised by the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), empowering district judges in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals (quasijudicial bodies) to determine whether a person staying unlawfully in India is a foreigner or not.
• Previously, only the Centre had the authority to establish tribunals.
• Who has the authority to approach:
. No. Topic Name Prelims/Mains
1. WHAT ARE FOREIGN TRIBUNALS Prelims & Mains
2. APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF CHIEF MINISTER Prelims & Mains
3. SWACHH BHARAT MISSION Prelims & Mains
4. MERCURY POLLUTION Prelims Specific
• Individuals can also seek the Tribunals under the modified order (Foreigners (Tribunal) Order,
2019).
• Previously, only the State administration had the authority to file a complaint with the Tribunal
against a suspect.
• What is the definition of a declared foreigner:
• A declared foreigner, or DF, is a person who has been designated by the Foreigners’ Tribunal
(FT) for allegedly failing to show citizenship after being identified as an illegal immigrant by the
State police’s Border wing.
• Source → The Hindu
2 – APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF CHIEF MINISTER:
GS II
Topic → Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies
• Context:
• Pushkar Singh Dhami was recently sworn in as Uttarakhand’s 12th chief minister.
• Because the governor appoints the chief minister, the governor of the state administers the oath of
office.
• CM’s appointment:
• The governor appoints the Chief Minister.
• According to Article 164 of the Constitution, the governor would be assisted and advised by a
Council of Ministers, which will include the Chief Minister.
•
• Who is eligible for the position of Chief Minister:
• Following the general election for the State Legislative Assembly, the party or coalition group
that wins a majority in the House elects its leader and informs the Governor of his selection. The
Governor then appoints him as Chief Minister and requests that he assemble his Council of
Ministers.
• When there is no clear majority in the State Legislative Assembly, the Governor usually asks the
leader of the single largest party to form a government.
• Tenure:
• In theory, the Governor appoints the Chief Minister and the Chief Minister serves at the
Governor’s pleasure. In practise, however, the Chief Minister remains in office for as long as he
is the leader of the majority in the State Legislative Assembly.
• If the Governor loses his majority support, he can be fired.
• He can also be removed from office if the State Legislative Assembly passes a vote of no
confidence in him.
• The Chief Minister’s Roles & Responsibilities:
• To provide assistance and advice to the Governor.
• The Council of Ministers is led by the Chief Minister.
• He is the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• He must inform the Governor of any decisions made by the council of ministers concerning state
administration.
• He announces all of the policies on the floor of the house.
• He advises the Governor to dissolve the legislative assembly.
• He advises the Governor on calling and proroguing the State Legislative Assembly’s sessions as
needed.
• Source → The Hindu
3 – SWACHH BHARAT MISSION:
GS II
Topic → Government Policies and Interventions
• According to a report on water resources by the parliamentary standing committee:
•
• Only 12% of the communities that were meant to obtain infrastructure for liquid waste
management this year under the Swacch Bharat Mission’s second phase have done so.
• The implementation of solid waste management infrastructure was also behind schedule, with
only 22% of target villages covered by February 7 in 2021-22.
• Background:
• The Swacch Bharat Mission’s first phase aimed to deliver a toilet to every rural home, and it
claimed to have accomplished this goal in 2019.
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U): Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U):
• To achieve a 100% ‘garbage-free’ status in all cities, up from the present 70%.
• Ensure that grey and black water are properly managed in those cities that aren’t covered by
AMRUT.
• Make all urban local governments ODF+, and those with fewer than 1 lakh residents ODF++.
• Concentrate on solid waste source segregation using the 3Rs principles (Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle).
• For successful solid waste management, scientific processing of all types of municipal solid
waste and cleanup of legacy dumpsites is required.
• Source → The Hindu
4 – MERCURY POLLUTION:
GS III
Topic → Environmental Conservation related issues
• Context:
• Various parties are gathering in Bali, Indonesia, to adopt a non-binding declaration that will
improve international collaboration and coordination in the fight against illegal mercury trading,
a major pollutant around the world.
• The Indonesian government and the United Nations are seeking support and commitment from
Minamata Convention parties for a Bali Declaration on Combating Global Mercury Illegal Trade.
• Parties are urged by the non-binding declaration to:
• Develop practical tools, as well as notification and information-sharing systems, to track and
manage mercury trading.
• Share your experiences and best methods for addressing illegal mercury trade, particularly
minimising mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
• Give instances of national legislation, as well as facts and information about this type of trade.
• The fundamentals of Mercury:
• Mercury is a naturally occurring element present in the atmosphere, water, and soil.
• Natural processes such as rock weathering, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires,
and others release CO2 into the atmosphere.
• Mercury is also emitted as a result of human activity.
• Mercury can harm the neurological, digestive, and immunological systems, as well as the lungs,
kidneys, skin, and eyes.
• Mercury is one of the top ten compounds or groupings of chemicals that the World Health
Organization (WHO) considers to be of considerable public health concern.
• Minamata Disease is a methylmercury poisoning illness that was originally identified in the
residents of Minamata Bay, Japan, as a result of their eating mercury-contaminated industrial
waste-contaminated seafood.
• The Minamata Convention entails the following:
• The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty that aims to protect human health and
the environment against mercury and its compounds’ harmful effects.
• It was agreed upon at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee’s fifth session in Geneva,
Switzerland, in 2013. It becomes effective in 2017.
• One of the major obligations under the Convention is to control anthropogenic mercury
discharges throughout their lifespan.
• It is a United Nations treaty.
• The Convention also handles mercury interim storage and disposal once it has become waste,
mercury-contaminated places, and health concerns.
• The Convention has been ratified by India.
• Source → The Hindu
