Key science developments to look forward to in 2015

The year 2015 is likely to see some key science developments. The one that most people are eagerly looking forward to is the development of an effective and efficacious Ebola vaccine and/or drug.

In theearly part of 2015, a few vaccine trials are set to begin and the results are expected by June. Several drugs are already being tested. The most promising one appears to be the trial that uses antibody–rich blood of people who have survived Ebola. According to Nature, “The blood treatments could be rolled out quickly and widely if proved effective.”

Human clinical trials have already begun in Liberia to test the effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT). Similar trials are expected to begin soon in two other places — Guinea and Sierra Leone. These three African countries have faced the brunt of the virus.

“Convalescent plasma was found to effectively treat diphtheria and tetanus at the end of the nineteenth century, and was widely used in the first half of the twentieth century to treat diseases such as measles, mumps and pneumonia,” notes Nature. But with the arrival of antibiotics, antivirals and vaccine, convalescent plasma was all but forgotten.

According to the WHO, the number of suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea has crossed 20,000. The death toll stands at over 7,800. As of December 27, 2014, Sierra Leone has been the hardest hit with over 9,400 cases, which is almost half of all cases in the three African countries. But Liberia has the highest death toll of 3,413.

Reaching Pluto

If Rosetta finally reached a comet in August 2014 after travelling for ten years and covering a distance of 6.4 billion km, in July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will reach Pluto.

The New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto will occur on July 14. By then the craft will have travelled 5 billion km after it was launched in January 2006.

But even before New Horizons reaches Pluto, the craft will begin observing the Pluto system in mid-January. And by mid-May, New Horizons will be able to provide better views of the Pluto system. These views will be far better than the ones that the Hubble Space telescope can provide.

“For decades we thought Pluto was this odd little body on the planetary outskirts; now we know it’s really a gateway to an entire region of new worlds in the Kuiper Belt, and New Horizons is going to provide the first close-up look at them,” Hal Weaver, New Horizons Project Scientist said in a release.

Meanwhile, in March 2015, NASA’s Dawn probe will arrive at the protoplanet Ceres. Ceres is the “most massive body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.” The interest in exploring Ceres is because water ice is believed to be present beneath the crust.

Ancient human’s genome

After the 2013 publication of the mitochondrial genome of the 400,000-year-old Sima de Los Huesos human, in 2015 palaeontologists are hopeful of sequencing the complete genome of the ancient human. The specimen was found in a deep cave in northern Spain.

If extracting the mitochondrial material was a “Herculean task” given the badly deteriorated condition of the bones, sequencing the complete genome will be far tougher.

But when completed, the results will prove to greatly useful. “The results could help to clarify the evolutionary relationship between humans, Neanderthals and another ancient group called Denisovans, and to identify episodes of inbreeding between distantly related hominins,” notes Nature.

Large Hadron Collider

Finally, the Large Hadron Collider will reboot in March; it was shutdown two years ago. Once rebooted, LHC will be able to smash particles at 13 trillion electronvolts — almost double the currently achieved one.

The extra power will allow scientists to find the phenomena that “fill the gaps” in the standard model of particle physics.

But if LHC with the extra power is unable to find evidence of many heavy particles that supersymmtery theory predicts, that would result in the theory losing “further flavour.”

The theory is already in “doubt.”

Women need to thrive, not just survive

Instead of strengthening women’s rights in the Asia Pacific region and in the rest of the world, governments are whittling them away in some cases

There was one significant photograph missing in the lobby of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) hall in Bangkok where an important regional review of the Beijing plus 20 goals was under way from November 17-20. While many women leaders in the region, including former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, were represented, Thailand’s first woman Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, ousted in a military coup in May, didn’t find a place. The Thai Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, Yongyuth Yuthavong, in his inaugural address, confessed to being the odd man out in a women’s meeting just a few years ago, but today the scene is different; there were more men in the room, he said. Yes, there are certainly more men for gender equality meetings now but there are also many elephants in the room.

Twenty years after the Beijing Declaration and 35 years after the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted, some countries like Iran don’t recognise feminist organisations, Russia has a problem with sex education, India conveniently denies armed conflict and caste, and everyone is reluctant to acknowledge sexual rights for women, differences in sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

As a result, the Asia Pacific ministerial declaration on gender equality and women’s empowerment, which was accepted in November, was a tame affair. Peace is inextricably linked with equality between men and women, according to one of the critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action. Yet only six countries in the region have development national action plans on women, peace and security. Survivors of armed conflict are still fighting for transitional justice with very little mechanisms in place for post-conflict situations and also for internally displaced persons. The Indian government, backed by Indonesia, managed to get the words ‘armed conflict’ out of the final declaration, the second important change it succeeded in making without much ado. That caste has deep implications, especially on women, was lost on the Indian government and it preferred the term ‘social origin’ instead; this was not opposed by any other country. The term ‘sexual orientation’ was replaced with ‘men and women in their diversity,’ angering activists who had fought for SOGI to be recognised.

A global concern

Two major UN meetings to review the Beijing Declaration and Sustainable Development Goals are coming up in 2015. Right from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, gender equality has been a global concern. The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and the Declaration and Platform for Action set the global standard for promoting women’s issues.

Reviews by governments of the Beijing goals 20 years later reveal many shortcomings. The UN Secretary General’s campaign ‘Unite To End Violence Against Women’ cites data to show that 50 per cent of sexual assaults in the world take place against girls who are under 16 years of age, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered a crime, between 15 and 76 per cent of women are targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, and 60 million girls are married before they are 18 years old.

On the positive side, a significant change in the last 10 years has been the increasing focus on involving men as partners in gender equality. The MenEngage programme and the HeforShe movement are some of the initiatives by UN Women to rope in men to speak up against violence and be partners rather than adversaries in the process. Many countries in the Asia Pacific region are only now conducting studies and coming up with policies. Nicolas Burniat, deputy representative at the Multi Country Office for the Pacific at UN Women, says, “There is a recognition that we need to spend much more energy on this issue. There is a broader community realisation that gender equality cannot be achieved without involving men and boys, and in the last ten years the region has seen laws passed against violence and for stronger political commitment.”

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, one of the two intergovernmental bodies, elected a woman as a secretary general. The Pacific region, which has reported a high rate of violence against women, is now realising the power of its collective voice on gender.

Speaking in a collective voice

However, attitudes to violence in a region where communities are matriarchal are hampered by kinship ties. Abacca Anjain-Madisson, chief of the community division from the government of Marshall Islands, says even recognising that violence exists is a challenge. The first study of women and violence in the Islands reported that one in two women experienced partner violence and only ten per cent were able to seek help. When women complained to the police or the church or community leaders, it was found that the violence was related in “some way to their husbands and [the leaders] refused to take cognisance of complaints.” She added: “We are taking ownership of the data and will soon have a gender policy.”

Climate change impacts, the rights of indigenous people and the vulnerability of women emerged as major issues at the conference. Land grabbing by corporates and struggles over land ownership were also identified as critical areas. There is a recognition that the region can speak in a collective voice on gender just as it did on climate change as part of the Alliance of Small Island States, Mr Burniat said. Even while there is progress in addressing violence against women in the region, promoting leadership and political participation of women, improving gender parity in primary school net enrolment and attendance rates and parity in secondary school education, high rates of violence, lower work participation, and threats to health and maternal mortality also persist. Roberta Clarke, UN Women regional director, asks, “Why are we underachieving so consistently?” She called for a reaffirmation of political will and financial commitment to deal with gender inequality.

According to ESCAP, for every hundred employed men, there are only 62 employed women in the Asia Pacific region, the average wage gap is 10 to 30 per cent, and women are still concentrated in low-paid, low-status and low-skilled work. The Asia Pacific region’s child sex ratio, which is in favour of boys, is one of the highest in the world. As a result of this, gender-biased practices including prenatal sex selection exist. Yet, comprehensive sex education is nonexistent in many countries and the ministerial declaration took a retrograde step by not recognising the sexual rights of women, which was an important right contained in the Beijing Declaration. In 17 Asia Pacific countries, less than 10 cent of seats in Parliament are held by women.

As the world is looking to set new goals post 2015, financial and political commitments assume more importance than ever. Governments have to step up investment in gender equality and do more than recognise that it is an important area for improvement. As Laisema Ralika, an official from the Fiji Ministry of Education asks, “If it’s not now, then when?”

Women in the region and in the rest of the world are demanding their rights, already guaranteed to them in various global and national instruments of law. Instead of strengthening that, governments are whittling them away in some cases. “A very big part of the women’s agenda is that financing is the key to the post-2015 development goals and there is a need to step up existing commitments. Gender inequality is the scourge of the 21st century, and it is a systemic change that is called for,” says Noelene Nabulivou from Diverse Voices and Action for Equality. Women, as Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil Kjiner aptly sums up, “need to do more than just survive, we deserve to thrive.”

Draft concept note on Sagar Mala Project

The Ministry of Shipping has put up a working

draft note on „Sagar Mala Project‟ on October

28, 2014.34

The project seeks to improve

economic development in the country through

port led development. The project would bring

development of all ports, connectivity through

waterways and economic development of coastal

regions under the ambit of a single project.

Key components of the project include:

 Port modernization: This includes (i)

transforming existing ports into world class

ports by modernization of port infrastructure

and existing systems, and (ii) enhancing the

capability of Port Community System.

 Efficient evacuation systems: These include

(i) incentivising freight transport through

coastal mode, and (ii) setting up a coastal

shipping promotion fund for the development

of coastal shipping.

 Coastal economic development:

Encouraging economic activity in coastal

regions by development of coastal economic

regions and promotion of coastal tourism.

Achievement of the above components will be

driven by two broad initiatives: (i) development

of coastal economic regions, and (ii) policies to

promote coastal shipping and operations in ports.

For the institutional framework, a Sagar Mala

Company will be established at the national level

and will be chaired by the Secretary (Ministry of

Shipping). To develop each coastal economicregion, a Special Purpose Vehicle would be

formed with equity participation from the

concerned state government and the Sagar Mala

Company. 

Parliament passes Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014

The Delhi Special Police Establishment(Amendment) Bill, 2014 was passed by Lok

Sabha on November 26, 2014 and by RajyaSabha on November 27, 2014. The Bill wasintroduced on November 25, 2014.20

The Bill amends the Delhi Special PoliceEstablishment Act, 1946. The Act constitutes aspecial police force to be called the Delhi SpecialPolice Establishment (also known as the Central

Bureau of Investigation or CBI). 

The Bill makesthe following two amendments:

 Composition of the Committee: 

The Actprovides for a three member committee tomake recommendations to the central

government for appointment of the Directorof the CBI. The Committee comprises the

Prime Minister (Chairperson), the ChiefJustice of India or a Supreme Court judgenominated by him, and the Leader ofOpposition in the Lok Sabha. The Billamends this provision in relation to theLeader of Opposition. It states that wherethere is no Leader of Opposition, the Leaderof the single largest Opposition Party in that

House would be part of the committee.

 Vacancy Committee: 

The Bill introduces a

provision that states that the appointment of

a Director would not be invalid on the

grounds of any vacancy or absence of a

member of the Committee.

High Level Committee submits Report on six environmental laws

The Ministry of Environment, Forests andClimate Change constituted a High Level

Committee (Chair: Mr. T.S.R. Subramanian) inAugust 2014 to review six environmental laws

and suggest amendments to them.

The Committee was to review the followinglaws: 

(i) Indian Forests Act, 1927, 

(ii) Wild Life(Protection) Act, 1972

 (iii) Water (Preventionand Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, (iv) Forest

(Conservation) Act, 1980,

 (v) Air (Preventionand Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, 

(vi)Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The Committee submitted its Report onNovember 18, 2014.11.The Report of the

Committee has not been placed in the publicdomain as yet. According to news reports, key

recommendations of the Committee relate to: 

 Formulating an overarching law to regulateenvironmental clearances.

 Creating a National EnvironmentalManagement Authority at the central level,and State Environmental ManagementAuthorities at the state level.

 Creating an appellate court for thoseindustries aggrieved by penalties and theappraisal process.

 Revising the compensatory afforestationpolicy to provide for 2:1 afforestation inrevenue areas, and 3:1 afforestation indegraded forest areas as against the currentpolicy of 1:1 afforestation. 

WTO approves India-US agreement on food security,ias mains

The WTO adopted the Agreement that aims toease the movement of goods between member

countries; thereby reducing transaction costs 13Member countries are now free to accept the

Agreement.The General Council approved the peace clausethat will enable India to continue providing farm

subsidies indefinitely, and set a deadline tocomplete the Bali Package. Details of the events

that transpired over the last year are given below:

December 2013

The Trade Facilitation Agreement was to beadded to the WTO Agreement at the Ninth WTOMinisterial Conference. An interim solution onthe food grains stockholding issue was agreedupon at the conference. The WTO sets a limit onthe support that governments can provide tofarmers, at 10% of the total value of productionof food grains. Developing members, like India,with large populations that need to be ensuredfood security, would be protected from beingchallenged in WTO on grounds of exceeding the10% limit.

July 2014

At the WTO meeting, India did not support theadoption of the Protocol of Amendment for the

Agreement. It held that the adoption of theprotocol must be postponed until a permanentsolution on food security is reached, since theyare both part of the Bali decisions fromDecember 2013.14 The General Council couldnot find a solution and was declared closedwithout adopting the Agreement protocol.

November 2014

India and the US reached an agreement onsubsidies resulting from the public stockholding

of food grains on November 13, 2014.15 TheIndia-US agreement implied that the USsupported India's demand of being allowed togive subsidies to its farmers indefinitely, withoutbreaching WTO‟s limit.16

The peace clause can be used by India if it canmeet the following conditions:

 To ensure that the public stockholdingprogramme does not distort global trade andsimilar programmes by other countries.

 To notify the WTO if it has crossed or islikely to cross the limit on subsidies providedto farmers.

 New food stockholding programmes that maybe launched in the future will have to abide

by the 10% limit set by the WTO.

The peace clause was approved by the WTO

NJAC

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Constitution of India contains provisions for the appointment of Judges of the

Supreme Court and High Courts including the transfer of Judges from one High Court to

another High Court. The Supreme Court in the matter of the Supreme Court Advocates-onRecord

Association Vs. Union of India in the year 1993, and in its Advisory Opinion in 1998

in the Third Judges case, had interpreted clause (2) of article 124 and clause (1) of article 217

of the Constitution with respect to the meaning of ‘‘consultation’’ as ‘‘concurrence’’.

Consequently, a Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges to the Supreme

Court and High Courts was formulated, and the same is being followed for appointment.

2. After review of the relevant constitutional provisions, the pronouncements of the

Supreme Court and consultations with eminent Jurists, it is felt that a broad based National

Judicial Appointments Commission should be established for making recommendations for

appointments of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. The said Commission would

provide a meaningful role for the judiciary, the executive and eminent persons to present

their view points and make the participants accountable, while also introducing transparency

in the selection process. Keeping this in view, a Bill, namely, the Constitution (One Hundred

and Twenty-first Amendment) Bill, 2014 has been introduced in Parliament which provides

for the establishment of the National Judicial Appointments Commission to discharge

functions specified therein.

3. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 inter alia provides for

the time frame to initiate the process of filling up of vacancies in the Supreme Court and High

Courts and the procedure for selection of Chief Justice of India, Chief Justice of High Courts

and Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. It further provides that if two members of

National Judicial Appointments Commission do not agree, then the Commission shall not

make such recommendation. It also provides that the President may, if necessary, require the

Commission to reconsider the recommendation. However, if the Commission makes unanimous

recommendations on such reconsideration, then the President shall make the appointment

accordingly.

4. Further, the Bill provides that the National Judicial Appointments Commission may

make regulations inter alia specifying the criteria of suitability with respect to the appointment

of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, the procedure and conditions for selection

and appointment of Judge of the Supreme Court and High Court, the procedure for transfer

of Judges from one High Court to another High Court and the procedure to be followed by

the Commission in the discharge of its functions.

5. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 seeks to broad base the

appointment of Judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts, enables participation of

judiciary, executive and eminent persons and ensures greater transparency, accountability

and objectivity in the appointment of the Judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts.

6. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives.