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2. What is the Principle of ‘Reasonable Accommodation’?
Reference News:-
In its recent verdict on Hijab case, the Karnataka High Court rejected an argument in
support of permitting Muslim girls wearing head-scarves that was based on the principle
of ‘reasonable accommodation’.
 This meant that the court did not favour making any change or adjustment to the rule
that could have enabled the students to maintain their belief or practice even while
adhering to the uniform rule.
What is the Principle of ‘Reasonable Accommodation’?
 It is a principle that promotes equality, enables the grant of positive rights and
prevents discrimination based on disability, health condition or personal belief.
 It captures the positive obligation of the State and private parties to provide
additional support to persons with disabilities to facilitate their full and effective
participation in society.
How does the principle work?
The general principle is that reasonable accommodation should be provided, unless some
undue hardship is caused by such accommodation.
In 2016, the ILO came out with a practical guide on promoting diversity and
inclusion through workplace adjustments.
Four categories of workers were chosen for the guide:
1. Workers with disabilities.
2. Workers living with HIV and AIDS.
3. Pregnant workers and those with family responsibilities.
4. Workers who hold a particular religion or belief.
Accomodations:
 A modified working environment, shortened or staggered working hours, additional
support from supervisory staff and reduced work commitments are ways in which
accommodation can be made.
 Suitable changes in recruitment processes — allowing scribes during written tests or
sign language interpreters during interviews — will also be a form of
accommodation.
Significance:
The provision of reasonable accommodation plays a major role in addressing these
barriers and thus contributes to greater workplace equality, diversity and inclusion.
What is te legal position on this in India?
In India, the Rights of People with Disabilities Act, 2016, defines ‘reasonable
accommodation’ as “necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments, without

3. imposing a disproportionate or undue burden in a particular case, to ensure to persons with
disabilities the enjoyment or exercise of rights equally with others”.
What is Par Tapi Narmada river-linking project?
Reference News:-
The tribals in Gujarat are protesting against the Centre’s Par Tapi Narmada river-linking
project.
About the Project:
Envisioned under the 1980 National Perspective Plan.
It proposes to link three rivers:
1. Par, originating from Nashik in Maharashtra and flowing through Valsad.
2. Tapi from Saputara that flows through Maharashtra and Surat in Gujarat.
3. Narmada originating in Madhya Pradesh and flowing through Maharashtra and
Bharuch and Narmada districts in Gujarat.
The project proposes to transfer river water from the surplus regions of the Western
Ghats to the deficit regions of Saurashtra and Kutch.

4. Benefits:
The surplus water proposed to be diverted through the estimated Rs 10,211 crore Par-
Tapi-Narmada link project is expected to irrigate an area of 2,32,175 hectares, of which
61,190 ha is en route to the link canal.
Why is this project being opposed?
According to a report by the NWDA, about 6065 ha of land area will be submerged due to
the proposed reservoirs.
 A total of 61 villages will be affected, of which one will be fully submerged and the
remaining 60 partly.
 The total number of affected families would be 2,509 of which 98 families would be
affected due to the creation of the Jheri reservoir, the only one in Maharashtra,
spread over six villages.

5.  In Gujarat, around 2000 families will be affected by the project. The districts where
the project will be implemented are largely dominated, by tribals who fear
displacement.
Benefits of interlinking:
1. Enhances water and food security.
2. Proper utilisation of water.
3. Boost to agriculture.
4. Disaster mitigation.
5. Boost to transportation.
Issues and Concerns:
 Interlinking of rivers is a very expensive proposal. It will adversely affect land,
forests, biodiversity, rivers and the livelihood of millions of people.
 Interlinking of rivers will lead to destruction of forests, wetlands and local water
bodies, which are major groundwater recharge mechanisms.
 It causes massive displacement of people. Huge burden on the government to deal
with the issue of rehabilitation of displaced people.
 Due to interlinking of rivers, there will be decrease in the amount of fresh water
entering seas and this will cause a serious threat to the marine life.
What is ExoMars?
Reference News:-
The European Space Agency’s ExoMars 2022 mission has been delayed after the
agency suspended all cooperation with Russia’s space program Roscosmos.
About ExoMars:
It was a joint endeavour between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
 The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of
whether life has ever existed on Mars.
Components of the mission:
The programme comprises two missions.
 The first launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter
(TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.
 TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace
atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological
processes. The Schiaparelli probe crashed during its attempt to land on Mars.
 The second, comprising a rover and surface platform, is planned for 2022.
Together they will address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

6. Objective:
 The primary aim of the mission is to check if there has ever been life on Mars and
also understand the history of water on the planet.
 The main goal is to land ESA’s rover at a site which has high-potential for finding
well-preserved organic material, particularly from the history of the planet.
Other Mars Missions:
1. NASA’s Perseverance Rover.
2. UAE’s Hope Mars Mission (UAE’s first-ever interplanetary mission).
3. India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan.
4. Tianwen-1: China’s Mars Mission.
International Day of Forests – 21st March:
Reference News:-
Observed on: 21st March every year since 2021.
The organizers are the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with Governments, the
Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.
Background:
The occasion was established, and the date fixed, on November 28, 2012, by a resolution
of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The aim behind observing
the International Day of Forests is to ‘celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of
all types of forests.’
Theme 2022:
 “Forests and sustainable production and consumption”.
Did you know?
 Forests are home to about 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, with more that
60,000 tree species.
 Around 1.6 billion people depend directly on forests for food, shelter, energy,
medicines and income.
 The world is losing 10 million hectares of forest each year – about the size of
Iceland.
State of Forest Report 2021:
The biennial report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) is an assessment of the country’s
forest resources.

7. Highlights of the Report:
 India’s forest and tree cover has risen by 2,261 square kilometers in the last two
years with Andhra Pradesh growing the maximum forest cover of 647 square
kilometers.
 The total tree-and-forest cover in the country includes an increase of 1,540 square
kilometres of forest cover and 721 sq km of tree cover compared to the 2019 report.
 India’s total forest and tree cover is now spread across 80.9 million hectares, which
is 62 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
 The top five states in terms of increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq
km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km), Karnataka (155 sq km) and
Jharkhand (110 sq km).
 The gain in forest cover or improvement in forest canopy density may be attributed to
better conservation measures, protection, afforestation activities, tree plantation
drives and agroforestry.
 Among the mega cities in the country, Ahmedabad has been the biggest loser when
it comes to forest cover.
States with maximum forest cover:
 Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by
Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
 17 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover.
Challenges:
 The north-east did not show positive results as the current assessment showed a
decrease of forest cover to the extent of 1,020 sq km in the region.
 Arunachal Pradesh lost the maximum forest cover of 257 sq km, followed by Manipur
which lost 249 sq km, Nagaland 235 sq km, Mizoram 186 sq km and Meghalaya 73
sq km.
 In total 140 hill districts of the country, the forest cover has been reduced by 902 sq
km in the last two years. In the 2019 report, the forest cover in the hill regions had
increased by 544 sq km.
Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj:
Reference News:-
Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has released the “Disaster Management Plan of the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj(DMP-MoPR)”.
Areas covered under the Plan:
1) Institutional arrangement for Disaster Management.
2) Hazard Risk, Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis.
3) Coherence of Disaster Risk Management across Resilient Development and Climate
Change Action.

8. 4) Disaster Specific Preventive and Mitigation Measures-Responsibility Framework.
5) Mainstreaming of Community Based Disaster Management Plan of Villages and
Panchayats and so on.
Highlights of the plan:
 It aims to develop a culture of disaster resilience at the grassroots level among the
Panchayats and Rural Local Bodies.
 It seeks to establish a framework to align the disaster management measures in
rural areas to that of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
 Under the Plan, every Indian village would have a “Village Disaster
Management Plan” and every Panchayat would have their Disaster
Management Plan.
 All stakeholders including PRIs, elected representatives and functionaries of
Panchayats etc. would participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of the plan.
Need for Panchayati Level Plans:
Panchayat-level and village-level Disaster Management Plans to mitigate the challenges in
the event of disaster form a foundational level.
The Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI), the representative body of the people, is the most
appropriate institution from village to the district level in view of:
 Its proximity.
 Universal coverage.
 Enlisting people’s participation on an institutionalised basis.
Their close involvement will be able to make people more prepared for countering natural
disasters as well as involve them in all possible preventive and protective activities so that
the impact of the disasters are mitigated and the people are able to save their lives and
property.
Finlandization
Reference News:-
Despite several rounds of talks between the representatives of the Russia and Ukraine, it
remains unclear when and how the war might end.
Background
 Russia invoked the threat of Ukraine joining NATO as a pretext for the invasion.
 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now acknowledged that his country will not be
part of the US-led military alliance in the foreseeable future.
Finlandization model
 Among the scenarios that have been seen as potentially workable is the
“Finlandization” of Ukraine.

9.  It was proposed earlier in 2014, the year Russia annexed Crimea and fighting broke
out in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
 ‘Finlandization’ refers to the policy of strict neutrality between Moscow and the West
that Finland followed during the decades of the Cold War.
o The principle of neutrality was rooted in the Agreement of Friendship,
Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance that Finland signed with the USSR in
April 1948.
o Finland’s capital Helsinki is situated just across the Gulf of Finland from St
Petersburg (Leningrad).
o The treaty protected it from being attacked or incorporated into the USSR like
the Baltic and eastern European states.
o It allowed the country to pursue the path of democracy and capitalism while
staying out of the conflict between the great powers.
o It took neutral positions on matters on which the Soviet Union and the West
disagreed.
o It stayed aloof from NATO and European military powers, and used this
positioning to ward off pressure from Moscow to become part of the Soviet
bloc or the Warsaw Pact.
Ukraine and Finlandization
 If Ukraine undergoes this model, following outcomes may be relevant:
o Ukraine should have the right to freely choose its economic and political
associations, including with Europe.
o Ukraine should not join NATO, to avoid further invasion and attacks.
o Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the
expressed will of its people.
 Wise Ukrainian leaders may then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the
various parts of their country.
 Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland.
o Finland leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with
the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.
Padma awards
Reference News:-
India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who died in a chopper crash in
Tamil Nadu last year, political leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tata Sons chairman N.
Chandrasekaran, former Comptroller & Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi and late
Radheshyam Khemka were among 54 prominent personalities who were conferred the
Padma awards by the President of India.
 Total 128 awards were presented in the ceremony.
About Padma Awards

10.  The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced
annually on the eve of Republic Day.
 The Awards are given in three categories:
o Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service).
o Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and
o Padma Shri (distinguished service).
 It was instituted in 1954.
 All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for
these awards.
 The awards are presented by the President of India.
 The Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards
Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
 The Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes Home Secretary,
Secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons as members.
 The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the
President of India for approval.