Current Affairs 24 July 2025

Content :

1. In Odisha, Crimes Against Women Mount as Courts and Police Falter
2. Can Presidential Reference Change a Judgment?
3. Is the Plastic Industry Trying to Influence Green Policies?
4. Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Neurodevelopmental Issues
5. Paika Rebellion of 1817
6. AfaDixVax: India’s New Weapon Against Malaria

In Odisha, crimes against women mount as courts and police falter

 Alarming Recent Incidents

• 15-year-old girl in Puri abducted, assaulted, and set ablaze in broad daylight; now critical.
• 20-year-old college student in Balasore died by suicide after alleging sexual harassment and institutional inaction.
• Nepali student died by suicide after similar harassment, triggering a diplomatic fallout with Nepal.

Relevance : GS 1(Society ) , GS 2(Social Justice)

High Crime Rate, But Justice Elusive

• Odisha recorded 51 cases of crimes against women per 1 lakh population in 2022 — among the highest in India.
• India’s average stood at 33 cases per lakh — Odisha far exceeds this.

Chargesheeting in Decline

• Chargesheeting rate fell from 91.2% in 2017 to 71.4% in 2022.
• Indicates weakening police efficiency in taking cases forward for trial.
• Consistent decline despite a higher-than-average crime rate.

Conviction Rates Among the Lowest

• Only ~9% of women-related cases sent for trial in 2022 resulted in conviction.
• Odisha had the second-highest number of such cases sent for trial, yet ranks near the bottom in conviction outcomes.
• Reflects investigation gaps, prosecutorial weakness, and judicial delay.

Trial Pendency at Crisis Levels

• Over 95% of rape cases in Odisha were pending trial in 2022 — highest in India.
• Massive backlog points to a choked judiciary and absence of fast-track mechanisms.

The Triple Crisis

Odisha is marked by a dangerous combination:

1. High incidence of crimes against women
2. Falling chargesheeting rates
3. Low conviction outcomes

This “high crime–low justice” paradox creates a culture of impunity and public distrust.

Systemic & Institutional Apathy

• Colleges failed to act on complaints; grievance redressal mechanisms remain non-functional.
• State response marred by administrative inertia and political silence.

Policy Imperatives

• Strengthen fast-track courts and judicial infrastructure.
• Enhance police-investigation and forensic capacity.
• Make college and workplace grievance mechanisms legally accountable.
• Expand victim support services, including mental health and legal aid.
• Enforce time-bound chargesheeting and trial timelines for gender-based crimes.

Can Presidential Reference change a judgment?

Context & Trigger

• On July 22, 2025, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Union and States on a Presidential Reference seeking clarity on the powers and timelines for the President and Governors in assenting to State Bills.
• Triggered by the Supreme Court’s April 8 judgment which ruled Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in assenting to 10 Tamil Nadu Bills as illegal and unconstitutional.
• The April ruling imposed judicially enforceable timelines for constitutional authorities to act on State Bills—a first in Indian constitutional jurisprudence.

Relevance : GS 2(Polity and Constitution )

Core Constitutional Question

• Can the President or Governor be judicially compelled to act within a prescribed timeframe on Bills passed by State legislatures?
• Does such judicial compulsion violate the discretionary space constitutionally granted to these authorities?

Role of Article 143(1)

• Provides advisory jurisdiction to the Supreme Court when the President refers questions of law or fact of public importance.
• Such questions need no ongoing litigation, and the court may accept or decline the Reference.
• The Supreme Court is not bound to answer; it has discretion (e.g., declined Ayodhya Reference in 1993 for violating secularism).

Scope & Limits of Advisory Opinions

• The court’s opinion must remain within the scope of the Reference—it cannot enlarge or rewrite the issues referred.
• While not binding precedents, advisory opinions carry high persuasive value (as seen in R.K. Garg case).
• Still, Article 141 binds courts only to decisions arising from the court’s adjudicatory (not advisory) jurisdiction.

Can Advisory Opinions Overturn Judicial Rulings?

• No. As per precedent (e.g., Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal case), Article 143 cannot be used to reverse settled judgments.
• The April 8 decision, passed under Article 141, remains binding unless altered via review or curative petition.
• However, the court may clarify or refine its legal interpretation under advisory jurisdiction without overturning the earlier verdict (e.g., Natural Resources Allocation case, 2012).

Key Precedents in Use of Presidential References

• 1998 Collegium Reform Reference: Court refined judicial appointments process while upholding core judgment of 1993.
• Ayodhya Reference (1993): Declined on constitutional and secularism grounds.
• Special Courts Bill (1978): Clarified opinions are not binding but can influence future rulings.

Governance Implications

• The Reference has arisen due to increasing friction between State governments and Governors, often politically appointed.
• Clarification may set clear timelines and processes to ensure federal balance and legislative autonomy of States.
• Could reinforce judicial oversight over executive inaction, while preserving constitutional boundaries.

What Lies Ahead

• A Constitution Bench led by CJI Gavai will begin detailed hearings by mid-August.
• The Reference will test the delicate balance between constitutional morality, federalism, and judicial review.
• Outcome may redefine how constitutional functionaries are held accountable for delays that stall governance.

Is the plastic industry trying to influence green policies?

The Backbone of India’s Plastic Recycling

• Over 70% of plastic recycled in India is collected and processed by informal workers — ragpickers, sorters, grassroots recyclers.
• These workers operate without protective gear, legal recognition, or social security, facing toxic exposure and deep vulnerability.
• Despite their critical role, they remain excluded from policy frameworks and municipal contracts.

Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)

Steps Toward Formal Integration

• National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme (2024):
  • Seeks to integrate waste-pickers and sanitation workers into formal systems.
  • Offers health insurance (Ayushman Bharat), safety equipment, and access to social security schemes.
  • As of May 2025, over 80,000 workers profiled under the scheme by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (Amended 2022):
  • Enforces Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — obligates manufacturers to manage and recover plastic waste.
  • Pushes for inclusive models that recognize the role of informal workers in collection and segregation.

Challenges Persist

• Implementation gaps remain in integrating informal workers into city-level contracts and supply chains.
• Lack of identity documents and low digital literacy prevent full access to formal entitlements.
• Many workers continue to operate under unsafe, exploitative conditions, without union protection or labour rights.

Global Industry Tactics: Parallels with Tobacco

• Plastic industry, like tobacco, shifts blame to consumers while downplaying systemic harms.
  • Promoted recycling from the 1980s despite knowing it’s economically impractical at scale.
  • Funded misleading campaigns to divert scrutiny from corporate responsibility.
• Greenwashing through fake labels (“biodegradable,” “compostable”) misleads consumers and weakens regulation.
• Exploits weaker regulations in Global South as Global North tightens plastic laws.

Vulnerability of the Global South

• Plastic consumption in Asia projected to triple by 2060, compared to just 15% growth in Europe (OECD, 2022).
• Low- and middle-income countries like India face the double burden of rising plastic imports and poor waste infrastructure.
• Informal sector workers bear the brunt of this unsustainable growth without adequate safeguards.

The Way Forward

• Recognize and register waste pickers under urban local bodies and waste management policies.
• Promote worker-owned cooperatives and micro-enterprises in formal waste contracts.
• Strengthen social protection, workplace safety, and income security.
• Hold producers accountable through strict enforcement of EPR norms and transparent plastic reporting.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to neurodevelopmental issues

From Bones to Brains: Expanding the Role of Vitamin D

• Long recognized for its role in bone health and immunity, vitamin D is now being linked to brain development and mental health.
• A major Danish study (The Lancet Psychiatry) shows compelling associations between neonatal vitamin D levels and reduced risk of schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism.

Relevance : GS 2(Health )

Key Findings from the Danish Study

• Sample: Over 88,000 newborns (1981–2005) from Denmark’s neonatal biobank.
• Higher neonatal vitamin D levels correlated with:
  • 18% lower risk of schizophrenia
  • 11% lower risk of ADHD
  • 7% lower risk of autism
• Public health modeling suggests: if all babies had top 60% vitamin D levels, up to 15% of schizophrenia and 9% of ADHD cases could have been prevented.

Biological Mechanism and Genetic Insights

• Researchers used polygenic risk scores (PRS) and Mendelian randomisation to reduce bias and test causal relationships.
• Findings suggest inherited capacity to produce and bind vitamin D may protect against neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Limitations remain: possibility of pleiotropy (genes influencing multiple traits) and timing sensitivity not fully resolved.

Indian Context: Sunlight-Rich, Yet Vitamin D–Poor

• Despite abundant sunlight, India has alarming rates of deficiency:
  • 85.5% of pregnant women and 74% of infants deficient (AIIMS Rishikesh study).
  • 92.1% of newborns in Bengaluru found deficient.
• Factors include limited sun exposure, indoor lifestyles, cultural clothing, and poor dietary intake.

Pregnancy and the Biological Inheritance of Deficiency

• During late pregnancy, the mother’s body:
  • Doubles active vitamin D production
  • Increases calcium absorption for fetal skeletal growth
• Yet, maternal vitamin D doesn’t rise without proper diet or sunlight.
• Deficiency in the mother directly affects the fetus, making it a biological legacy passed across generations.

Clinical Practice in India: Slow But Emerging Response

• High-dose supplementation (60,000 IU/week) during the third trimester shows benefits:
  • Improved infant growth, immunity, and vitamin D levels
  • Reduced risk of severe neonatal deficiency by six months
• Still, routine vitamin D screening in pregnancy is rare, especially in rural and semi-urban settings.

Policy & Public Health Implications

• Recognize vitamin D deficiency as a developmental and neurological risk factor, not just nutritional.
• Integrate vitamin D screening and supplementation into antenatal care protocols.
• Launch awareness campaigns to tackle persistent myths (e.g., sunlight is always enough).
• Prioritize early, preventive intervention starting in the first or second trimester.

Balanced Perspective

• Vitamin D is not a magic bullet, but part of a larger neurodevelopmental puzzle.
• The goal is caution, not alarm — acknowledging that early nutrition can shape mental health trajectories.
• With growing global and Indian data, preventive supplementation is emerging as a low-cost, high-impact intervention.

Paika Rebellion of 1817

Background: Paikas of Odisha

• Paikas were traditional foot soldiers recruited by Gajapati rulers since the 16th century.
• They held rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs) in return for military service.
• By the 19th century, discontent grew across rural India due to East India Company’s expansion, affecting agrarian and tribal communities.

Relevance : GS 1(Modern History )

British Annexation of Odisha (1803)

• Colonel Harcourt led the East India Company’s forces into Odisha.
• Mukunda Deva II, the last Khurda king, was defeated.
• In return for surrendering forts and parganas, the king was promised Rs. 1 lakh but later betrayed.
• Four key parganas were withheld; King Rajguru and Jayee Rajaguru resisted.
• Rajaguru was captured and executed in 1806; the king was exiled to Puri.

Economic and Social Discontent

• Loss of political patronage and jagir lands post-British annexation disempowered Paikas.
• Revenue and land reforms displaced Paikas; Odia landlords were replaced by Bengali ones.
• Shift from cowrie-based to rupee-based taxation hurt tribal economies.
• Salt monopoly and coastal raids by British added to rural distress.

The 1817 Paika Rebellion

• Led by Bakshi Jagabandhu, over 400 Kondh tribals joined Paikas in revolt.
• Attacked police station at Banpur, killed British officers, looted treasury, and marched to Khurda.
• Over months, several clashes occurred, but the rebellion was suppressed.
• Jagabandhu went underground and remained at large till 1825.

Legacy and Historical Debate

• Seen in Odisha as a symbol of early resistance to colonialism.
• In 2017, Odisha government demanded it be called the “first war of independence”—predating 1857.
• Cultural Minister in 2021 announced NCERT inclusion, calling it a major uprising.
• Paika Memorial and Paika Academy initiatives launched to commemorate the event.

Key Takeaways

• Not merely a military revolt—rooted in agrarian distress, displacement, and cultural alienation.
• Demonstrated early signs of organized anti-colonial resistance.
• Its omission from early NCERT history textbooks triggered backlash in Odisha.

AfaDixVax: India’s New Weapon Against Malaria

Malaria Burden and New Hope

• Malaria kills ~400,000 globally per year, with India contributing significantly despite sharp recent declines.
• ICMR announces a promising candidate vaccine (AfaDixVax) for Plasmodium falciparum, to be co-developed with private players for commercial use.
• Though P. falciparum is more lethal, India’s cases are largely due to P. vivax, against which AfaDixVax is ineffective.

Relevance : GS 2(Health , Governance )

Declining Trend in India (1995–2022)

• Reported malaria cases dropped from 2.93 million (1995) to just 0.18 million (2022).
• Deaths fell drastically from 1,151 (1995) to just 83 (2022).
• These improvements are due to enhanced surveillance by NVBDCP and WHO support, though real numbers may be underreported.

What is AfaDixVax and Why it Matters

• Targets two P. falciparum proteins (PfCSP and Pf34/Pf48.5) using the PfCo6 protein strategy to prevent liver-stage infection.
• Demonstrated 90%+ protection in mice for over three months—translating to nearly a decade in humans, per ICMR.
• Early animal studies show robust, longer-lasting immunity, better than other vaccines.

Adjuvant & Safety Advantage

• Contains alum as adjuvant—widely used in childhood vaccines, safe and avoids chronic inflammation risks.
• Compared to WHO-approved RTS,S and R21, AfaDixVax:
  • Does not rely on CSP protein, reducing breakthrough infection risk.
  • Induces stronger protection in pre-clinical models.
  • Can be stored at room temperature for months, potentially solving cold chain challenges.

Production, IP, and Commercial Path

• ICMR will develop and test the vaccine, and partner with industry for manufacturing and commercial rollout.
• IP rights will be jointly held by ICMR and the partner, but ICMR retains all data and rights for non-commercial use.

Global Context & India’s Role

• Malaria is most endemic in Africa, but India’s innovation may help global fight, especially with scalable, heat-stable vaccines.
• AfaDixVax adds to India’s growing role in global health innovation, vaccine self-reliance, and public-private partnership models.