Current Affairs 22 July 2025

Content

1. Dhankhar Submits His Resignation to President
2. What is the Legal Status of Right to Vote?
3. What Have Courts Ruled with Respect to AI and Copyright?
4. NISAR Mission
5. Water, Energy Demand Spotlights Risk of Human-Induced Quakes
6. ICMR Pushes Diagnostics Decentralisation Across States

Dhankhar submits his resignation to President

Basic Constitutional Context

• Date of Resignation: July 22, 2025
• Reason: Health concerns
• Constitutional Provision Used: Article 67(a) – resignation by writing addressed to the President
• Remaining Term: Approximately 2 years (elected in August 2022)

Relevance : GS 2(Polity and Constitution )

Constitutional Role and Powers of the Vice-President

• Article 63: There shall be a Vice-President of India
• Article 64: Vice-President acts as the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
• Presiding Functions: Maintains order, decides points of order, allows interventions, and refers bills to committees
• Tie-Breaking Role: Has a casting vote in case of tie in Rajya Sabha
• No executive powers, unlike the President

Election, Term, and Resignation Provisions

• Article 66: Elected by members of both Houses of Parliament through single transferable vote, secret ballot
• Term: 5 years (but eligible for re-election)
• Article 67(a): Resignation addressed to the President
• Article 68(1): Election to fill vacancy must be held within 6 months
• Newly elected VP gets full 5-year term, not remainder

Implications for Rajya Sabha Functioning

• Temporary vacuum in presiding leadership of Rajya Sabha
• Deputy Chairman (under Article 90) or senior member may preside during this interim
• Impacts proceedings, especially during contentious debates or legislative deadlocks
• Vice-President plays a crucial role in managing disruptions, procedural motions, and parliamentary etiquette

What is the legal status of right to vote?

Types of Rights in Indian Constitutional Scheme

• Natural Rights:
  • Inherent, inalienable; not codified
  • E.g., Right to life and liberty
  • May be interpreted into Fundamental Rights, but not directly enforceable

• Fundamental Rights (Part III):
  • Guaranteed under the Constitution (Articles 12–35)
  • Enforceable via Article 32 (Supreme Court) and Article 226 (High Courts)
  • State cannot violate them through ordinary legislation

• Constitutional Rights:
  • Found outside Part III, but still part of the Constitution
  • E.g., Right to property (Article 300A), right to vote (under Article 326), right to free trade (Article 301)
  • Enforced through enabling statutes and Article 226
  • Not on par with fundamental rights in protection

• Statutory Rights:
  • Provided through ordinary legislation
  • Can be created, limited, or taken away by Parliament or State legislatures
  • E.g., Right to work (MGNREGA), right to food (NFSA), right to vote (currently)

Relevance : GS 2(Polity , Constitution )

What Does Article 326 Say?

• Article 326 of the Constitution:
  • Provides for universal adult suffrage in Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections
  • Right to vote given to every citizen above 18 years, not otherwise disqualified
  • Actual implementation is through statutory laws — primarily the Representation of the People Act, 1951

What is Section 62 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951?

• Section 62(1): Every person whose name is in the electoral roll is entitled to vote
• Section 62(2): No person shall vote in more than one constituency
• Section 62(5): Disqualifies a person from voting if in prison, except under preventive detention
• This section has been controversial for denying voting rights to undertrial prisoners

What Have Courts Said on Right to Vote?

Justice Ajay Rastogi’s Partial Dissent (Anoop Baranwal, 2023)

• Asserted that:
  • Right to vote expresses political choice, which is part of Article 19(1)(a) – freedom of expression
  • Voting is intrinsic to free and fair elections, part of Basic Structure
  • Though operationalized by statutes, the right originates from Article 326
• Conclusion: Supreme Court should consider elevating right to vote to a constitutional right in spirit, if not form

What have courts ruled with respect to AI and copyright?

Can AI Models Use Copyrighted Content for Training?

• Training AI models involves large-scale ingestion of data from across the internet, including:
  • Public domain content (free to use)
  • Copyrighted material, which raises legal and ethical concerns
• The key legal question: Does using copyrighted data for training constitute copyright infringement?
• Fair use doctrine (U.S.) and text and data mining exceptions (EU, U.K.) are invoked to justify such use
• But unauthorised data scraping or pirated content remains a grey area with potential liability

Relevance : GS 3(IPR , AI Technology)

Key U.S. Court Judgments (2025)

Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence

• Ruled that AI training can be transformative and qualify for fair use
• Recognised the right to learn from copyrighted works as part of AI development

Bartz v. Anthropic

• Judge William Alsup ruled:
  • Training using copyrighted works was transformative (like human learning)
  • BUT, use of pirated content requires trial – fair use does not cover illegal sourcing

Kadrey v. Meta

• Judge Vince Chhabria ruled in Meta’s favour:
  • Plaintiffs failed to prove market harm
  • Considered Meta’s AI use of copyrighted works under fair use
  • Monetization of AI models was acknowledged but not penalised under current law

Legal Distinction: Public Domain vs Copyrighted Content

Implications for India’s IP Framework

• Copyright Act, 1957:
  • Section 14: Grants exclusive rights to reproduce, adapt, and communicate work
  • Section 52: Lists “fair dealing” exceptions (not identical to U.S. “fair use”)
• No AI-specific copyright provisions, but courts may interpret existing law to cover AI training
• India recognises legal persons (e.g. companies) as authors in certain IP cases, but AI-generated content’s authorship remains unclear
• Enforcement includes civil and criminal remedies for infringement, including digital piracy
• ANI vs OpenAI case may shape India’s policy stance on AI and copyright soon

Global Regulatory Ambiguity

• No harmonised international framework yet on AI and IP
• Differences in interpretation across jurisdictions (U.S., EU, India, U.K.)
• Key issues lacking clarity:
  • Who owns AI-generated content?
  • Can data mining for AI be exempt from infringement?
  • Does AI output qualify as “original work” under IP law?

NISAR Mission

What is NISAR?

• NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the first dual-frequency Earth Observation satellite jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
• Mass: 2,392 kg | Orbit: 743 km Sun-synchronous | Inclination: 98.4°
• Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F16 | Launch Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota | Launch Date: July 30, 2025, at 5:40 p.m.

Relevance : GS 3(Space , Science and Technology)

Key Technological Features

• Dual-Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR):
  • NASA’s L-band + ISRO’s S-band — a global first.
• Unfoldable Mesh Antenna:
  • 12-meter NASA-built antenna deployed on ISRO’s I3K bus.
• High Spatial Resolution & Wide Swathe:
  • 242 km wide swathe using SweepSAR technology.
• All-weather, Day-Night Imaging with 12-day repeat cycles.

Applications of NISAR

• Geophysical Monitoring:
  • Detects subtle ground deformation (earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes).
  • Ice sheet dynamics (Himalayas, Arctic, Antarctic).
• EnvironmentalStudies:
  • Vegetation structure and biomass mapping.
  • Soil moisture dynamics, forest degradation.
• Disaster Management:
  • Real-time support for floods, cyclones, earthquakes.
  • Supports NDMA and UN-SPIDER frameworks.
• Strategic Monitoring:
  • Ship movement, sea ice classification, shoreline erosion.

India–US Space Collaboration Milestone

• Institutional Partners: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and ISRO.
• Marks over a decade of scientific collaboration — a major component of India–US strategic tech partnership.
• Supports Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) goals for disaster resilience and space domain awareness in Indo-Pacific.

Linkages with National Missions and Goals

• Supports:
  • National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP).
  • National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) — via glacier and water resource monitoring.
  • Digital India (geospatial mapping).
  • PM Gati Shakti and Natural Resource Management using satellite data.

Strategic & Policy Significance

• Positions India as a key player in global Earth observation infrastructure.
• Enhances India’s soft power in global science diplomacy.
• Reinforces India’s role in international climate action monitoring (e.g. under Paris Agreement, Global Methane Pledge).

Forward Outlook

• Data Sharing & Utilization Framework must be defined:
  • Between ISRO, Indian ministries (MoEFCC, Jal Shakti, Agriculture), and international partners.
• Integration with public systems: Crop insurance, early warning systems, urban planning.
• Could shape future joint missions in deep space, asteroid mining, and lunar exploration under Artemis framework.

Water, energy demand spotlights risk of human-induced quakes

What Are Human-Induced Earthquakes?

• Definition: Seismic activity caused directly or indirectly by human interventions in Earth’s crust.
• Global Trend:
  • Over 700 human-induced earthquakes have been recorded in the last 150 years (Seismological Research Letters, 2017).
  • Increasing frequency due to growing infrastructural and energy activities.

Relevance : GS 1(Geography),GS 3(Infrastructure)

Causes of Human-Induced Earthquakes

A. Resource Extraction

• Groundwater Extraction:
  • Alters subsurface pressure and mass balance.
  • Delhi-NCR: Correlation between declining water tables (2003–2012) and rise in seismic activity (Scientific Reports, 2021).
• Mining and Oil/Gas Extraction:
  • Induces stress release and subsurface shifts.
• Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing):
  • Injecting fluids deep underground can induce tremors.
  • India has 56 fracking sites across six States.

B. Infrastructure Projects

• Large Dams:
  • Change in surface water load can modulate crustal stresses.
  • Koyna (1967): 6.3 magnitude quake linked to dam-induced seismicity.
  • Mullaperiyar (Kerala): Elevated seismic activity recorded.
• Tall Buildings/Coastal Structures:
  • Add static pressure on local faults, especially in seismically active regions.

Earthquake-Prone Zones in India

• Delhi-NCR: Located in Seismic Zone IV; vulnerable due to multiple fault lines and high groundwater stress.
• Gangetic Plains: Fast-depleting water tables and soft alluvial soil amplify seismic vulnerability.
• Himalayan Belt: Prone to natural and induced quakes due to tectonic activity.
• Western Ghats (Sahyadri): Seismicity triggered by heavy rainfall altering surface load.

Role of Climate Change

• Melting Glaciers: Alters crustal equilibrium (e.g., Antarctica, Greenland).
• Rainfall Pattern Shifts:
  • Sudden heavy rainfall increases crustal stress.
  • Longer droughts can reactivate old faultlines (e.g., California, 2014).

Regulatory and Scientific Measures

• Current Issues in India:
  • Lack of regulation for dam loading/unloading compared to U.S. standards.
  • Minimal seismic evaluation prior to large hydropower projects.
  • Weak seismic instrumentation networks in rural and high-risk zones.
• Recommended Steps:
  • Regulate dam operations in seismic zones.
  • Scientific groundwater extraction linked to recharge capacity.
  • Strengthen real-time seismic monitoring in stress zones (e.g., Palghar, NCR).
  • Integrate seismic risk into urban and energy planning.

Policy and Planning

• Disaster Management Plans (NDMA):
  • Must account for induced seismicity from both natural and anthropogenic sources.
• Energy Policy:
  • Shift towards low-impact renewables (solar/wind) to reduce seismic risks from hydropower and fossil extraction.
• Urban Policy:
  • Enforce seismic zoning and structural audits for buildings in Zones III–V.
• Climate Adaptation Strategies:
  • Include geological risk assessments for water and agriculture planning.

Key Takeaways

• Human activities do not cause earthquakes independently, but they can modulate or accelerate tectonic processes, especially in fault-prone or deforming zones.
• Earthquake risk is multi-dimensional, tied to hydrology, infrastructure, climate, and energy demand.
• Need for multi-agency coordination, scientific regulation, and climate-informed development planning.

ICMR Pushes Diagnostics Decentralisation Across States

Strengthening Health Federalism through Decentralised Diagnostics

• Empowers sub-centres and PHCs, the lowest tier in health infrastructure.
• Aligns with Entry 6, State List (health as a State Subject).
• Reflects cooperative federalism, promoting uniform standards via central guidance and state-level execution.

Relevance : GS 2(Health , Social Issues , Governance)

Advancing the Right to Health (Article 21)

• Improved diagnostics uphold the Right to Life, as interpreted by the Supreme Court.
• Supports early detection and treatment, especially in rural areas.
• Reinforces Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity v. State of West Bengal (1996)—State duty to provide timely medical care.

Directive Principles in Action

• Implements Articles 39(e), 42 & 47: State’s duty to ensure health and well-being.
• Focus on preventive healthcare (e.g., early detection of TB, thalassemia, sickle cell).
• Prioritises tribal and underserved populations, fulfilling social justice objectives.

Science-Led Policy via Public Institutions

• ICMR’s role shows institutionalised, evidence-driven decision-making.
• Reflects synergy between scientific advice and policy execution, ensuring relevance and credibility.
• Enhances democratic governance by bridging research and service delivery.

Centre-State Executive Coordination

• Aligns central disease-control missions (e.g., TB Elimination Program) with state-run PHCs.
• Demands effective resource-sharing and decentralised planning.
• A case of executive federalism functioning in practice.

Governance Reform & Local Accountability

• Testing at local level reduces delays and strengthens bottom-up accountability.
• Improves transparency and service delivery metrics.
• Enables community-based monitoring, key to democratic deepening at grassroots.

Reducing the Urban–Rural Health Divide

• Expands diagnostic equity, narrowing urban–rural healthcare gaps.
• Serves as a step toward universal health coverage, aligned with SDG 3 and constitutional equality principles.
• Promotes inclusive governance, especially for tribal districts.