Top News Highlights- 21 October 2024

Strengthening Child Marriage Prohibition in India

• The two recent judgments by the Supreme Court hold forth a view of strong measures being required to be taken on the part of state governments to prevent child marriages. It was related to the legal guidelines to amend and strengthen the PCMA, 2006.
• These guidelines envisage that a focus on preventive measures rather than seeking punitive actions, and a multi-faceted approach to education, law reforms, and community engagement is essential.
• Specialized police units and Child Marriage Prevention Officers are to be deployed so that the law is enforced in a better way.

Responsible Capitalism: A Shift Towards Ethical Business Practices

• Responsible capitalism has been identified, which proposes a business ethos balancing profit with social responsibility.
• This is supportive of environmental sustainability, equitable wage, and inclusive growth so that long-term business sustainability as well as sound governance are assured adequately.
• In CSR mandates, strict environmental regulations, and labor reforms, Indian policy focuses on the ethos of ethical business practice.

Global Coral Bleaching Crisis

• NOAA has recorded a never-before and never-again global coral bleaching event, impacting huge ecological and socio-economic consequences.
• Almost 77% of the world’s corals have been exposed to heat stress at homicidal levels. Thus, the urgency for the global governance of the environment is quite apparent.
• Therefore, the report calls for a unified global response toward the proper management and protection of marine ecosystems, emphasizing that all global environmental problems are interconnected.

Valuing Water as a Global Common Good

• The Global Commission on the Economics of Water has published a report calling for the management of the hydrological cycle to address common global water challenges.
• It advocates for the use of water as a global common good, hence its sustainable management for food security, economic stability, and human dignity.
• Recommendations made by this report are likely to shape global policy, hence the area is very critical in understanding environmental policy and sustainable development.

Non-Kinetic Warfare Preparedness

• India is now aligning its strategic posture to incorporate readiness against forms of non-kinetic warfare, currently ranging from cyber attacks to electronic warfare, which are increasingly common in modern wars.
• Specialized agencies like the Defence AI Project Agency signal some proactive steps India is taking to integrate advanced technologies into defense strategies.
• Understanding these emerging security dynamics provides essential insight into India’s defense policies and their implications for national and global security.

Supreme Court’s Stand on Benami Transactions

• The Supreme Court will face a challenge of jurisdiction in the validity of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act when interpreting constitutional matters regarding property rights and economic policy in India.
• This review is an intense recognition of this ongoing legal and policy debate on property rights, financial transparency, and the fight against corruption in India.

Key Concepts and Policies

• PCMA: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, aimed at preventing child marriages through strict enforcement and socio-legal mechanisms.
• Responsible Capitalism: An economic philosophy that integrates social responsibility into business operations to achieve sustainable and equitable growth.
• Coral Bleaching: A marine phenomenon where corals lose their color and vitality due to environmental stress, primarily from warming ocean temperatures.
• Non-Kinetic Warfare: Forms of conflict that involve non-physical means to achieve military objectives, such as cyber warfare, propaganda, and economic pressure.
• Benami Transactions: Financial transactions where the true beneficiary is not the one in whose name the transaction is conducted, often used for concealing illicit wealth.