1 – Aadhar Linkage with Aadhar Card:

GS II Topic Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

Almost 60% of Indian voters’ Aadhaar numbers are now linked to their names on the voter lists. In States like Tripura, which just had elections, the exercise has reached saturation of over 90%, but is behind in Gujarat and Delhi, where only about 30% of the voter has submitted an Aadhaar number to poll officials. As a result, campaigners have expressed worries about deprivation of rights, compulsion, and privacy.

Why is the Aadhar and voter ID link being pushed by the government?

Updating the database:

By regular exercises, the linking endeavour would help the Election Commission keep an up-to-date and accurate record of the voter base.

Remove Duplication:

to remove duplicate voters from the electoral rolls, such as migrant workers who may have registered on them more than once in multiple seats or for individuals registered more than once in the same constituency.

Indian voter identification:

The government claims that by connecting Aadhaar to voter identity cards, it will be possible to guarantee that every Indian resident has a single voter identification card.

Why and what does this link mean?

Universal defence:

At the end of 2021, 99.7% of Indian adults possessed an Aadhaar card.

Any other officially recognised document, including those frequently used for specialised purposes like ration cards, PAN cards, and driver’s licences, cannot compare to its scope of application.

Reliable and reasonably priced:

Because it offers biometric authentication, Aadhaar-based identification and verification are seen as being more dependable, rapid, and affordable when compared to conventional IDs.

Does one have to connect their voter ID to their Aadhaar?

Legal status:

In December 2021, Parliament approved the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, which inserted Section 23(4) to the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

In order to validate entries in the electoral rolls of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency for residents who have already registered, it stipulates that the electoral registration officer may ask people for their Aadhaar numbers.

Recently made changes:

The government has now revealed changes made to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The newly established Regulation 26B provides that any person whose name appears on the roll may furnish his Aadhar number to the registration officer.

Uncertainty in government actions:

The Form 6B produced under the new Regulation 26B does not seem to reflect the government’s and the EC’s statements that associating the Aadhaar with the voter identification is optional.

Form 6B:

The format for providing Aadhaar information to the electoral registration officer is described.

Aadhaar numbers and other specified documents can also be submitted by the voter.

Only if the voter is unable to supply their Aadhaar number because they do not have one can they choose to submit the other mentioned papers.

What issues do the Aadhar and voter ID connection have?

Unknown Constitutional Status:

One of the problems that the Supreme Court examined in the Puttaswamy case was the requirement to link Aadhaar with bank accounts (Right to Privacy).

A variety of Goals:

The desire to use Aadhar to select voters is puzzling considering that it only functions as proof of residence and not citizenship.

Checking voter identity against this will not result in the expulsion of voters who are not Indian citizens from the electoral records; rather, it will just help reduce voter duplication.

Biometric errors:

There are numerous estimates of the error rates for biometric-based authentication.

The Unique Identification Authority of India reported a 12% error rate for biometric authentication using Aadhaar in 2018.

This problem is also illustrated by prior instances of utilising Aadhaar to delete election rolls.

A similar attempt made in 2015 in Andhra and Telangana resulted in the disenfranchisement of over 30 lakh voters until the Supreme Court halted the connecting procedure.

Privacy Rights Infringements:

Aadhaar’s “demographic” data could be linked with voter identification data as a result of the integration of the two electoral registration databases and Aadhaar, infringing on the right to privacy and enabling the government to enact surveillance measures.

How to Proceed:

Alterations to the law:

The Government must solicit public comment and allow for more extensive legislative examination before to passing any new laws.

It is essential to make sure that elected officials and common individuals alike have access to chances and privileges in a Parliamentary democracy like India.

It is essential to have a meaningful debate regarding the ramifications of a proposed bill in order to identify and address the problems that legislation may generate.

Protecting citizens’ privacy:

Before pursuing the Aadhaar-voter ID linkage, the government must first concentrate on passing the Personal Data Protection (PDP) bill.

Governmental entities must be governed by the PDP regime and be required to get a person’s express consent before sharing personal information with other government entities.

2 – Hailstorms:

GS I Topic Geography related issues

Context:

On March 7, Ajit Pawar, the head of the opposition and a well-known NCP member, criticised the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government for allegedly being indifferent to the needs of the farming community as unseasonal rainfall in some parts of Maharashtra compounded farmers’ issues.

What happens in hailstorms?

Unusual weather conditions where ice balls fall from the sky called hailstorms. Simply put, ice balls are solid precipitation that occurs under particular conditions.

How do hailstorms form?

Hail is produced by cumulonimbus clouds, which are frequently large and dark clouds that can also produce thunder and lightning.

These clouds’ water droplets can be carried by winds to elevations where they freeze as ice.

As soon as the hailstones begin to fall, the first frozen droplets are swiftly swept back up by the winds, where more droplets immediately freeze onto them, building up many layers of ice.

The hailstones alternate between falling and rising until they get too heavy and hit the earth.

3 – Chabahar Port:

GS II Topic International Relations

Context:

The MEA said on Tuesday that India will ship wheat via Chabahar to Afghanistan, which is currently ruled by the Taliban. The choice was taken after negotiations to extend the timetable for transporting the wheat by land with Pakistan expired and were unsuccessful at the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Afghanistan’s inaugural meeting in Delhi.

Chabahar Port: What is it?

About:

Chabahar, a port city in southeast Iran, is located on the Gulf of Oman.

The only port in Iran with direct access to the sea is this one.

It is situated in the Sistan-Balochistan province of southern Iran, which is a region rich in energy.

India, Iran, and Afghanistan view the port of Chabahar as a route to lucrative business potential with central Asian nations.

Significance:

In comparison to other international ports, Chabahar has never attracted the same level of enthusiasm and attention from India.

India will be able to travel directly from the sea to Afghanistan without having to go through Pakistan.

Pakistan currently forbids India from enlarging its borders into Afghanistan.

The International North-South Transport Corridor, to which both nations and Russia were early signatories, would as a result pick up steam.

The primary entry point for this programme is Iran.

It would mitigate Chinese dominance in the Arabian Peninsula.

4 – Pritzker Prize:

GS II Topic International Relations

Context:

Several awards, including the Padma Bhushan, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the Pritzker Prize, were given to him. Doshi remained highly active in the field of architecture well into his eighties.

About:

The international Pritzker prize was established in 1979 by the Chicago-based Pritzker family.

One of the most esteemed honours in the industry, it is frequently referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture.

It is awarded yearly, and the winner receives a $100,000 prize as well as a bronze medallion.

What is newsworthy? Balkrishna Doshi, a prominent architect, became the first Indian to receive the Pritzker Prize.