Context: The number of workers in unincorporated sector enterprises in India has shown a decline, particularly in manufacturing, while marginal increases are noted in trade and other services sectors. 

• This trend raises concerns about the role of the informal sector as an employment provider and its resilience amid economic challenges.

Decline in Unincorporated Sector Employment

• Sector-wise Analysis: The workforce in manufacturing within unincorporated sector enterprises decreased significantly from 3.60 crore to 3.06 crore.

• Stagnation and Marginal Increases: Conversely, trade saw a slight increase from 3.87 crore to 3.90 crore workers, while "other services" also showed a minor rise from 3.65 crore to 4 crore.

• Impact of Economic Shocks: Factors such as demonetisation, GST implementation, and pandemic-induced lockdowns contributed to the contraction, affecting small-scale enterprises disproportionately.

Shift towards Formal Sector and Structural Transformation

• Potential Formalisation: While data on formal sector expansion is lacking, any shift towards formal employment is seen as beneficial, offering higher productivity and better wages.

• Challenges of Informal Sector: Informal enterprises are often characterized by low productivity and wages, posing challenges to genuine structural transformation of the economy.

• Need for Skill Development: The informal sector's limitations highlight the necessity for skill development to match the demands of high-productivity sectors like manufacturing and services.

Redefining Agriculture's Role in Employment Generation

• Enhancing Agricultural Productivity: There is a call for reimagining agriculture as a source of not just raw materials but also as a hub for value addition and employment generation.

• Potential Job Creation: Jobs in agriculture can expand beyond farming to include activities such as processing, packaging, and retailing, thereby boosting rural employment.

• Vision of Agriculture as Industry: Promoting agriculture as a source of processed goods can replicate the success of sectors like sugar mills and dairies in adding value and creating local employment opportunities.

Context: The recent Supreme Court judgment in Mohd Abdul Samad vs The State of Telangana reaffirmed the rights of divorced Muslim women to claim maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC, clarifying its applicability alongside the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 (MWA).

What are the four main pillars of the SC Verdict?

• 1) Social justice measure must be insulated from applicable personal laws- The SC held that Section 125 of CrPC was introduced as a measure of social justice to protect women and children. The provision manifested the constitutional commitment of social justice under Article 15(3) , which provided for special measures to ensure a life of dignity for women at all stages of their lives.

• A claim under Section 125 CrPC is maintainable, irrespective of the applicable personal laws of the parties.

• 2) Equivalent rights of maintenance- The SC held that both- the secular provision of Section 125 of the CrPC and the personal law provision of Section 3 of the 1986 Act– provide equivalent rights of maintenance in their distinct domains.

• The SC held that passage of the 1986 Act did not ‘militate against or dilute‘ relief under Section 125 of the CrPC. The intent of the Parliament behind the 1986 Act was to provide an additional remedy for divorced Muslim women.

• 3) Harmonious Interpretation- The SC has held that the two conflicting statutes should be harmoniously and purposively interpreted. SC has held that a divorced Muslim woman is entitled to seek recourse to either or both the provisions.

• The choice lies with the Muslim woman to apply for maintenance either under Section 125 of the CrPC or the 1986 Act. If the woman is unable to provide for herself, she can seek remedy under Section 125 of the CrPC. If she is financially independent, she can seek maintenance under the 1986 Act till the expiry of the iddat period.

• 4) Muslim women divorced through triple talaq entitled to relief- The SC has held that Muslim women who have been divorced through illegal methods such as triple talaq are entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC.

Clarification of Legal Rights

• Interpretation of Concurrent Provisions: The Supreme Court clarified that divorced Muslim women can claim maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC, alongside the provisions of the MWA.

• Resolution of Ambiguity: The ruling resolved conflicting interpretations among High Courts regarding whether the MWA supersedes the CrPC in matters of maintenance for divorced Muslim women.

• Social Benefit: Upholding Section 125 ensures equitable access to maintenance for all women, regardless of religion, promoting gender justice.

Impact on Legal Precedents

• Building on Danial Latifi Case: The judgment reinforces the principles established in the Danial Latifi case, ensuring a fair and reasonable provision beyond the iddat period.

• Constitutional Safeguards: Emphasis on Articles 14, 15, and 21 highlights the Court’s duty to protect fundamental rights through harmonious interpretation of laws.

• Preventive Measure: Section 125 is viewed not just as a remedial measure but as a preventive tool to ensure social welfare and gender equality.

Social and Constitutional Significance

• Equality and Rights: The decision underscores the equal entitlement of all women to maintenance rights under secular law, regardless of personal laws.

• Constitutional Principles: Upholding Section 125 aligns with constitutional principles of equality and non-discrimination.

• Social Welfare Obligations: Section 125 reflects the state's responsibility to ensure social welfare and support for vulnerable sections of society, including women.

Conclusion

• The Supreme Court’s verdict is a testament to the Court’s ability to employ a harmonious interpretation to broaden the scope of rights and secularize access to remedies. In the process, the Court has also neutralised the perception that the right of Muslim women to seek maintenance under secular provisions stood extinguished since 1986.

• The ruling has significantly strengthened the rights of divorced Muslim women and is likely to have far-reaching implications for the future trajectory of personal laws in India. It may potentially lead to more challenges to discriminatory practices and greater alignment with the Constitution’s principles of equality and justice.

Context: Recently, the first mothership carrying cargo from the Xiamen Port in China called at the Vizhinjam international seaport, India’s first deep-water container transshipment port.

• India’s first deepwater transshipment port, the Vizhinjam international seaport near Thiruvananthapuram, received its first mothership (a mothership refers to a large cargo vessel that acts as a central hub for the transshipment of goods.).

• The MV San Fernando, carrying 2,000 containers, was given a grand welcome at the port. The berthing of the ship was part of a trial run at the port before it is slated to open for commercial operations.

Why India needs a container transshipment port?

Lacks infrastructure to deal with ultra-large container ships

• India has 13 major ports. However, the country lacks a landside mega-port and terminal infrastructure to deal with ultra-large container ships.

• Hence, nearly 75 per cent of India’s transshipment cargo is handled at ports outside India, mainly Colombo, Singapore, and Klang.

• In fiscal 2021-22, the total transshipment cargo of India was about 4.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), out of which about 4.2 million TEUs were handled outside India.

Othe benefits

• Developing such ports will accrue significant benefits such as forex savings, foreign direct investment, increased economic activity at other Indian Ports.

• It will also lead to the development of related logistics infrastructure, employment generation, improved operation/logistics efficiencies and increase in revenue share.

• Several other allied businesses viz. ship chandlery-ship supplies, ship repair, crew change facility, logistics value-added services, warehousing and bunkering also come up at the transshipment port.

Increased economic activities

• A deepwater container transshipment port can attract a large share of the container transshipment traffic.

• Currently, this is being diverted to Colombo, Singapore and Dubai.

• It can also ensure India’s economic development and open up immense job opportunities.

Vizhinjam International Seaport Project

• The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by the Government of Kerala. It’s India’s first deep-water container transshipment port.

• It is designed to primarily cater to the transshipment and gateway container business with provision for a cruise terminal, liquid bulk berth and facilities for additional terminals.

Key features of the Vizhinjam port

• India’s first international deepwater transshipment port

• This is India’s first international deepwater transshipment port with a natural depth of more than 18 meters, scalable up to 20 meters.

• This depth is crucial to get large vessels and mother ships.

• It is designed to cater to container transshipment, multi-purpose, and break-bulk cargo.

• The cost of movement of containers to and from foreign destinations is likely to come down.

• Strategic location

• The port is located ten nautical miles from the international shipping route.

• The port is expected to compete with Colombo, Singapore, and Dubai for winning trans-shipment traffic.

• Increased capacity and minimum maintenance

• Its capacity in the first phase is one million TEU, which can be increased to 6.2 million TEU.

• Other features include minimal littoral drift along the coast and virtually no requirement for any maintenance dredging.

• Economic benefits

• The project is expected to generate 5,000 direct job opportunities, apart from giving a boost to an industrial corridor and cruise tourism.

• Vizhinjam port offers large-scale automation for quick turnaround of vessels with state-of-the-art infrastructure to handle Megamax container ships.

• This will accrue significant benefits such as forex savings, foreign direct investment, increased economic activity at other Indian Ports, enhanced logistics infrastructure and thus, efficiencies, employment generation, and increased revenue share.

Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) initiative has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. This honor not only highlights India's sustainable farming progress but also places Andhra Pradesh on the global map for its pioneering efforts in eco-friendly agriculture.

• The award is instituted by the Portugal-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (CGF).
• The award is for the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.
• It is presented annually to individuals and organizations making substantial contributions to Global food security, Climate resilience, and Ecosystem protection. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated Prime Minister’s College of Excellence for all 55 districts in Madhya Pradesh.

• These colleges started by the state government in line with the NEP aim to make education employment-oriented.
• Shah was addressing the main programme held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Arts and Commerce College in Indore, which  has been developed as a PM College of Excellence.
• The 55 colleges are coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 486 crore.

The All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi successfully concluded its Second National Seminar SAUSHRUTAM Shalya Sangoshti, marking the celebration of Sushruta Jayanti-2024.

• The three-day event, which began on July 13, honored Sushruta, widely regarded as the father of surgery.
• AIIA Director Prof. (Dr) Tanuja Nesari and Prof Dr Yogesh Badwe, HoD Shalyatantra, welcomed the attendees and provided an overview of the seminar.
• A highlight of the event was the live demonstration of 25 complex surgical procedures, offering participants a unique opportunity to observe and learn from renowned surgeons.
• These surgeries, performed using both modern techniques like VAAFT, laparoscopy, and laser, as well as traditional Shayla methods, addressed conditions such as fistula-in-ano, hemorrhoids, and gallbladder stones.

COSPAR has kicked off the COSPAR 2024 Scientific Assembly in Busan, celebrating the theme “Team Spirit in Space Research.”

• The assembly featured around 2800 participants from over 60 countries with attendees engaging scientists, presenting over 3000 talks and posters, and participating in 150 scientific events.
• The Assembly brought space leaders from KASA, NASA, CNSA, ISRO, JAXA, ASI, and the UAE together, with the roundtable of Space Agency leaders featuring the next decade of space science programs from each agency.
• Space sustainability emerged as a major recurring theme.
• A significant highlight of the Scientific Assembly was COSPAR’s new community-driven Space-Weather Roadmap.

The Uttarakhand Forest Department has opened its first Bird Gallery at the Nature Education Centre in Jolly Grant Dehradun. Sanjiv Chaturvedi, IFS and Chief Conservator of Forest (Research), shared his thoughts on this bird haven.

• The Bird Gallery shows off the many types of birds in Uttarakhand. We want people to love these special-winged creatures.
• Uttarakhand serves as a home to over 710 bird species representing more than half of India’s varied bird population.
• The gallery spotlights some notable inhabitants, including the striking Himalayan Monal, the graceful White-capped Redstart, the high-flying Himalayan Griffon, the bright Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, and the lively Black-headed Jay. Each of these birds brings its own unique hues to the state’s bird landscape.

The ICC Annual Conference is set to be held in Colombo between July 19-22. BCCI secretary Jay Shah will also be attending the conference.  

• The first day of the conference will be focused on the election for The Associate Members Director.
• There would be a battle for three important Board positions with the Associate Members and Regional Representatives casting their votes. The new directors will be appointed for a two-year tenure. 
• The following two days will also be focused on different meetings between the Associate Member Committee and the CEC.
• Shah will be chairing the Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee meeting with a lot of questions regarding the overshooting of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 expected to be discussed. 

The United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, as well as for addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development.

• The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2024 – ‘Youth Skills for Peace and Development’, underscores the crucial role young people play in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. 
• Honouring the significance, the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD) staged a captivating program on July 15, where about 50 persons with disabilities and their parents across the state participated.
• The chief guest of the event was Dr. Suresh Sundaram – HOD of Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD). Dr. P. D. Madan Kumar – HoD of Ragas Dental College, was the guest of honour. 

India is hosting for the first time the UNESCO’s prestigious 46th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting from 21st-31st July, 2024 in New Delhi  under the theme: “World Heritage in the 21st Century: Building Capacities and Exploring Opportunities for Youth.”

About the World Heritage Young Professional Forum

• The World Heritage Young Professionals Forum is an initiative by UNESCO to engage young professionals in the field of heritage conservation.
• The first World Heritage Young Professionals Forum was organized in 1995.
• The primary aim is to engage young professionals in heritage conservation and management through capacity building, networking, and awareness-raising.

The second Asia Pacific ministerial conference on civil aviation will take place in New Delhi on September 11 and 12, with representatives from approximately 40 countries, including China and Pakistan, expected to attend.

As a major contributor to global air traffic, the Asia Pacific region includes India, the world's fastest-growing aviation market.

This conference is jointly organised by the Indian government and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) APAC.

Spain wins Euro Championship title after beating England for a record fourth time . For England, it's another agonizing near-miss in the team's decades-long tale of underachievement.

• Completing a tournament the team dominated from start to finish, Spain beat England 2-1 in the European Championship final on Sunday with Mikel Oyarzabal the unlikely match-winner in the 86th minute.
• Oyarzabal, a backup striker who came on as a substitute for captain Alvaro Morata, slid in to poke home a left-wing cross by Marc Cucurella, just when the game at Berlin's Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time.
• England, the birthplace of soccer, is still without a major title in the men's game since winning the 1966 World Cup and its players watched on forlornly as Morata raised aloft the silver trophy to backdrop of confetti and fireworks inside the stadium built for the 1936 Olympics.

The repeat of last year's final yielded the same outcome as Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to retain his Wimbledon men's singles title on Sunday (14 July).

The 21-year-old won the 2024 edition 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in two hours and 28 minutes to become the first Spaniard to claim back-to-back Wimbledon triumphs, something neither Manuel Santana nor Rafael Nadal could manage.

Alcaraz is also the fourth man to win a fourth Grand slam title while aged 21 or under, matching Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Boris Becker.

Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to win the Wimbledon women’s title for her second Grand Slam singles triumph.

Krejcikova, the 31st seed, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 on Saturday to add the 2024 All England Club crown to her 2021 French Open victory.

Her win comes 26 years after her mentor Jana Novotna, who died of cancer in 2017, claimed the Wimbledon title.

The result means seventh-seeded Paolini has lost two Grand Slam finals back-to-back after coming off second-best to Iga Swiatek at the French Open last month.

Nepal's Communist leader KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the fourth time on Monday( 15 July 2024). KP Oli will lead a coalition government with the support of the Nepali Congress party, headed by its president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

• KP Oli, the chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPI-UML), was appointed as the prime minister after former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ lost a trust vote in the House of Representatives on Friday ( 12 July 2024).
• KP Oli submitted the letter of support with signatures from 165 members to form a government in the 275 member House of Representatives.
• Among 165 members, 77 are from his party, (CPI-UML) and 88 are from the Nepali Congress party (NC).