India’s position in UN Population report, 2nd Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, Gram Nyayalayas, Bali G-20 summit, 27th COP of UNFCCC
India’s position in UN Population report
The human population touched 8 billion on 15 November 2022, a milestone that heralds both opportunities and challenges — especially for India, which is set to become the world’s most populous country next year by surpassing China. While the United Nations hailed the 8-billion figures as “a testament to humanity’s achievements”, it also sounded a note of caution.
How India is placed
- India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, “with prospects to reap the demographic dividend as the median age of an Indian this year was 28.7 years, compared to 38.4 for China and 48.6 for Japan against a global value of 30.3 years.
- The population prospects report had said that India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China’s 1.426 billion.
- India is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050 way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century.
- According to UNFPA estimates, 68 per cent of India’s population is between 15-64 years old in 2022, while people aged 65 and above comprise seven per cent of the population.
- As per UN estimates, over 27 per cent of the country’s population is between the ages of 15-29. At 253 million, India is also home to the world’s largest adolescent population (10-19 years).
- UNFPA has noted that India has its largest ever adolescent and youth population. According to UNFPA projections, India will continue to have one of the youngest populations in the world till 2030 and is currently experiencing a demographic window of opportunity, a “youth bulge” that will last till 2025.
What did the UN say?
- The UN population report said the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 per cent in 2020.
- The world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
- More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
- Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050, the report said.
Second Janjatiya Gaurav Divas
On the occasion of the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda, the Centre marked the second Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on 15 November to celebrate the contributions of tribal communities to Indian culture. President Droupadi Murmu, who was appointed India’s first tribal woman president this year, visited Ulihatu village in the Khunti district of Jharkhand – the birthplace of ‘Bhagwan’ Birsa Munda – and paid floral tributes.
What was the situation of Jharkhand’s tribals in the 18th century?
- The Munda tribe inhabited the Chota Nagpur region of today’s Jharkhand. When Birsa Munda was born in 1875, the British were attempting to establish control over and exploit forest lands, disrupting the tribal way of life.
- This was done in part by allying with local zamindars, who helped force the tribals into bonded labour.
- A feudal zamindari system was introduced, destroying the tribal “Khuntkatti” agrarian and land ownership system that was more community-based.
- The Raj brought in outsiders — moneylenders and contractors, as well as feudal landlords — to aid them.
What was the role Birsa Munda played?
- Munda received his early education under the guidance of his teacher Jaipal Nag. Influenced by him, Birsa converted to Christianity in order to join the German Mission School. He, however, opted out of the school after a few years.
- With the impact of British rule in the region, as well as the activities of Christian missionaries, many tribals became critical of the British and missionaries’ presence.
- Birsa soon emerged as a tribal leader who brought people together on fighting for these issues.
- He became a God-like figure, with him leading the faith of ‘Birsait’. Soon, members of the Munda and Oraon communities started joining the Birsait sect and it turned into a challenge to British conversion activities.
What was the Ulgulan movement?
- The Ulgulan movement of 1899 also involved the use of weapons and guerrilla warfare to drive out foreigners. Munda encouraged the tribals to refuse following colonial laws and paying rent.
- He encouraged changes in the social sphere too; challenging religious practices to fight against superstition, and became known as ‘Bhagwan’ (God) and ‘Dharati Aba’ (Father of the earth) by his followers.
- But the British were soon able to halt the movement. On 3 March 1900, Munda was arrested by the British police while he was sleeping with his tribal guerilla army at Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur.
- It is believed he died in Ranchi jail due to an illness on 9 June 1900, at the young age of 25.
SC issues notice for setting up of ‘Gram Nyayalayas’
The Supreme Court sought a response from all high courts on a 2019 plea seeking a direction to the Centre and all states for taking steps to set up ‘Gram Nyayalayas’ under the supervision of the top court. The Supreme Court issued notices to the registrar general of all high courts and made them parties in the case.
More about the notice
- The top court said the high courts should be made party as they are the supervisory authority.
- Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner NGO National Federation of Societies for Fast Justice and others, submitted before the bench that despite a direction from the top court in 2020, many states have yet not taken any action.
- These ‘Gram Nyayalayas’ should be such that people may be able to articulate their grievances without the need of lawyer.
- The apex court in 2020 had directed the states, which are yet to come out with notifications for establishing ‘Gram Nyayalayas’, to do so within four weeks, and asked the high courts to expedite the process of consultation with state governments on this issue.
- An Act passed by Parliament in 2008 provided for the setting up of ‘Gram Nyayalayas’ at the grassroots level for providing access to justice to citizens at the doorstep and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to anyone by reason of social, economic or other disabilities.
- The plea had said that sections 5 and 6 of the 2008 Act provide that state government in consultation with the high court will appoint a ‘Nyayadhikari’ for each ‘Gram Nyayalaya’, who will be a person eligible to be appointed as a judicial magistrate of the First Class.
- The Constitution of India under Article 39-A mandates for free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of society.
- The Law Commission of India in its 114th report recommended the establishment of Gram Nyayalayas for providing speedy, substantial and inexpensive justice to the common man.
- Subsequently, the Parliament of India passed the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 providing for its establishment.
Salient features of the Gram Nyayalayas Act
The Gram Nyayalayas Act defines its establishment, jurisdiction, and procedure in civil and criminal cases.
- Each Gram Nyayalaya is a court of Judicial Magistrate of the first class.
- Its presiding officer (Nyayadhikari) is appointed by the State Government in consultation with the High Court.
- The Gram Nyayalaya shall be established for every Panchayat at the intermediate level or a group of contiguous Panchayats at the intermediate level in a district.
- The seat of the Gram Nyayalaya will be located at the headquarters of the intermediate Panchayat; they will go to villages, work there and dispose of the cases.
Jurisdiction
- Gram Nyayalayas have jurisdiction over an area specified by a notification by the State Government in consultation with the respective High Court.
- Nyayadhikari can hold mobile courts and conduct proceedings in villages.
Gram Nyayalayas have both civil and criminal jurisdiction over the offences.
- They can try criminal offences specified in the First Schedule and civil suits specified in Second Schedule to the Act.
- The Central as well as the State Governments have been given the power to amend the First Schedule and the Second Schedule of the Act.
- The pecuniary jurisdiction of the Nyayalayas is fixed by the respective High Courts.
- High Courts can transfer eligible cases from the District court to the Gram Nyayalayas.
- The Court shall try to settle disputes via conciliation between the parties and the court can make use of the conciliators to be appointed for this purpose.
- Gram Nyayalayas shall follow a summary procedure in the criminal trial. Summary proceedings are faster and simpler than ordinary steps in a suit. They are normally deployed for cases involving a smaller number of definite issues that require prompt action.
- The judgments and orders passed by Gram Nyayalayas are deemed to be a decree.
- Gram Nyayalayas are not be bound by the rules of evidence provided in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 but shall be guided by the principles of natural justice and subject to any rule made by the High Court.
- The appeal in criminal cases shall lie to the Court of Session, which shall be heard and disposed of within a period of six months from the date of filing of such appeal.
- The appeal in civil cases shall lie to the District Court, which shall be heard and disposed of within a period of six months from the date of filing of the appeal.
- A person accused of an offence may file an application for plea bargaining.
- Access to justice for the poor and marginalized remains a perennial problem in India.
- Various measures such as simplifying procedural laws, establishing alternate dispute redressal mechanisms, setting up fast track courts and providing free legal aid to the poor are undertaken in this regard.
- Despite these measures, access to justice and faster, inexpensive settlement of disputes at the grass-roots level are yet to materialize.
Gram Nyayalayas can greatly help in
- devolving justice delivery to the fourth tier
- ensuring equal access to justice
- reducing the burden of district courts
- delivering speedier justice
- reducing the costs associated with litigation for the common man
- reducing dependency on extra-constitutional forums of justice
Why Gram Nyayalayas are not operational?
- Lack of infrastructure like buildings, office spaces and related equipment
- Lack of man-power resources, notaries, stamp vendors etc. at sub-district level
- Inadequate Central assistance
- Lack of awareness among lawyers, police officials
- Non-cooperation of enforcement agencies
- The reluctance of state functionaries to invoke the jurisdiction of Gram Nyayalayas
- Setting up of legal services institutions at Taluk level reducing the dependency on Gram Nyayalayas
- The number of disputes settled by Gram Nyayalayas are negligible and most are referred to District forums by appeal. Hence, they are not effective in reducing the burden of District Courts.
- Absence of a regular cadre of Gram Nyayadhikari
- Ambiguities regarding jurisdiction due to the parallel existence of alternate dispute mechanisms, tribunals, adalats etc.
- Some Gram Nyayalayas are located at cities and towns which doesn’t provide any utility to villagers.
- Inadequate awareness amongst various stakeholders
How to improve the functioning of Gram Nyayalayas?
- Establishing a regular cadre of Gram Nyayadhikaris
- Conducting procedures in local language and with simpler procedures
- Creating awareness amongst stakeholders via seminars, press releases etc.
- Establishing permanent Gram Nyayalayas at the intermediate level in a suitable location proving easy access to the common people
- Clearly specifying the jurisdiction of Gram Nyayalayas and re-defining it to remove any ambiguities
- Providing building, staff etc. for Gram Nyayalayas and provisioning them in the state budget
The Significance of the Bali G-20 Summit
The leaders of the world’s most advanced economies, the G-20, have gathered at Bali’s Nusa Dua resort for the 17th summit of the G20, presided by Indonesia,, which is scheduled to take place on 15-16 November 2022.
While the focus of the Summit will be on post-pandemic recovery and dealing with energy and food security impacted by the Russian war in Ukraine, much interest will be on the bilateral summits which will be on the sidelines.
- The 2022 G20 Bali summit is the seventeenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), a summit scheduled to take place in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia on 15–16 November 2022.
- Indonesia’s presidency of G20 began on 1 December 2021, leading up to the summit in the fourth quarter of 2022.
What is the agenda of the 2022 Summit?
- The motto for this G-20 is Recover Together, Recover Stronger. President Joko Widodo has made recovering from the pandemic a major focus despite geopolitical tensions overshadowing the summit.
- The leaders will engage in discussions over three sessions: On Food and Energy security, Health Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, and Digital Transformation.
- Additionally, Mr. Joko Widodo will take his guests to the Indonesian mangroves of Taman Hutan Raya, which have been rebuilt over a 30-year effort spanning approximately 700 acres, in order to emphasize the issues around climate change.
- Prime Minister of India Mr. Modi will outline his goals for the upcoming year as India holds the G-20 presidency, paying particular attention to the Global South and the problems it is facing as a result of geopolitical unrest, food, and fuel shortages.
What distinguishes the 2022 G-20 summit from earlier?
- This is the first G-20 meeting for the entire world since Russia started the conflict in Ukraine and the west placed sanctions on Russia.
- There will be an effort to bring the world together on problems that have polarized it.
- Since it will be India’s turn to host the summit in 2023, the gathering of the world’s most developed economies is significant for India.
- India will take over the presidency on December 1 when Mr. Modi receives a handover from Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
- Additionally, this is President Xi Jinping of China’s first overseas trip since the COVID pandemic and his second overall since being re-elected at the Party Congress of China last month.
- The G20, sometimes known as the Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental organization made up of 19 nations and the European Union.
- The most significant industrialized and developing economies in the world are together at the G20, a strategic meeting.
- It attempts to solve important issues affecting the world economy, like preserving the integrity of the global financial system, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and advancing sustainable development.
- The G20 plays a crucial strategic role in ensuring future prosperity and global economic progress.
- It is an advisory body rather than a forum governed by treaties, therefore its recommendations are to the members themselves.
- It was created in 1999 as a workable middle ground between the more “elitist” G-7 (then the G-8), and the more unwieldy 38-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
- The G-20 has been viewed as a more representative and egalitarian grouping of world leaders over the past two decades as the balance of the global economy has changed.
- The G-20 has gained popularity as a more representative and equal collection of world leaders over the past two decades as the global economic balance has changed.
- The G-20 was especially helpful in guiding the world economy during the 2008 global financial crisis and banking collapse.
- Significantly, the G-20 “Troika” will include emerging economies for the first time in 2013.
- The G20 is composed of both the world’s major advanced and emerging economies and represents two-thirds of the world’s population, 80% of the worldwide Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 80% of the global investment, and more than 75% of the world’s commerce.
- The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, and other multilateral organizations are represented at the G20, making it a special organization.
- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and EU are its members.
- In 1999, the G20 was established in response to various global economic problems.
- The G20’s status as the top crisis management and coordination organization was confirmed by the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2008.
- The first G20 Summit was created when the US took over the G20 Presidency in 2008, replacing the gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors.
- The Washington, London, and Pittsburgh Summits led to the establishment of some of the most significant worldwide reforms.
G20 and Presidency of India in 2023:
- In 2023, India will become the G20 summit’s new president.
- As the G20’s President from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, India will host the summit.
- The Secretariat will keep running until February 2024. In addition, it will enable India to enhance its long-term leadership on global concerns in multilateral fora, including knowledge and proficiency.
- Indonesia assumed the presidency of the G20 in December 2021.
27th COP of UNFCCC
All nations that signed the pact under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at the COP27.
About current situation:
- As per the Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 2015, the focus is to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and keep the rise in average global temperature to well below 2°C and as close to 1.5°C as possible by the end of the century.
- Current temperature rise stands at 1.2°C to 1.3°C over the pre-industrial average, the highest in about 12,000 years since the last Ice Age.
- UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2022 says global warming is projected to rise to 1.8°C with a 66% probability, even if all the Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs (voluntary pledges submitted under the Paris pact) are implemented.
- At 2°C, up to 20% decline in snowmelt water for irrigation, diminished water for farming and human settlements due to glacier mass loss, and a two-fold increase in flood damage could happen, while up to 18% of species on land could go extinct.
- Global annual emissions during 2021 at 52.8 Gigatonnes (GtCO2e), represents a slight increase compared to 2019, the pre-COVID year, and that the outlook for 2030 is not bright.
- The latest Sixth Assessment Report (SAR) of the IPCC says that biodiversity loss, Arctic ice loss, threat to coastal settlements and infrastructure, conflicts & migration of affected people and urban challenges to energy and water access could also arise.
- Tipping points means moments that cascade into irreversible changes, with a domino effect on other elements such as heat waves, Greenland ice sheet collapse, West Antarctic ice sheet collapse, thawing of the boreal permafrost, and tropical coral reef die offs, all of which are expected to happen at 1.5°C.
- G20 members account for 75% of emissions, although it is the richer countries that are responsible for accumulated emissions since the industrial revolution.
Objectives of COP27:
- The COP27 is described as the conference of implementation.
- Aim: to review progress, raise ambition on emissions cuts and draw up funding plans to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
- Countries most affected by the effects of a changing climate have been seeking loss and damage payments from the richer industrialised nations in the form of a separate loss and damage fund.
- To move away from fossil fuels and to peak emissions by 2025.
- “10 New Insights on Climate Science” released at COP27 – shows continuing high emissions from fossil fuels.
1 Comment
Reading your article helped me a lot, but I still had some doubts at the time, could I ask you for advice? Thanks.