1. Article 355: Recently, unrest in Manipur was triggered by a decision of the High Court to pursue a 10-year old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community. In view of the prevailing unprecedented burning situation, the Centre imposed Article 355 in the state to control the situation
It is a provision that empowers the Union government to protect every state in India against external aggression and internal disturbances. It can also be employed when a state fails to comply with or to give effect to any of the directions given by the Union under the Constitution
Under this Article, the Union Government has the power to issue directions to any state to ensure compliance with the Union’s laws and regulations.
However, the directions should be of an immediate nature and cannot extend beyond the period necessary to remedy the failure of state machinery. The duration of the assistance provided under Article 355 is not specified in the Constitution. The duration of the assistance provided is subject to judicial review.
The state government should also be given an opportunity to submit its views before the issuance of such directions.
The Union government cannot use this power to intervene in the internal affairs of a state unless there is a failure of the state machinery
2) Lithium reserves found in Rajasthan: After J&K, lithium reserves have been traced in Rajasthan’s Degana (Nagaur district)
These lithium reserves are higher than the ones recently found in J&K. The amount of lithium present in these reserves can satisfy 80% of India’s total demand. The discovery of these reserves may help in reducing the dependency of India on China for lithium
Lithium is a non-ferrous metal, which is used to make mobile-laptops, electric vehicles and other chargeable batteries
Lithium reserves are concentrated in the lithium triangle in South America – Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, with 50% of the deposits concentrated in these regions. The world’s largest
lithium reserves of 21 million tonnes are currently in Bolivia. Despite this, China, which has reserves of 5.1 million tonnes of lithium, continues to have a monopoly in the global market
India’s plan to increase EV penetration by 30% by 2030 relies heavily on lithium
According to World Bank, by 2050, the global demand for lithium metal will increase by 500%
3) Phase-III Of Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana: Recently, 3rd phase of Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY)/ Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Program was launched, along with Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana Portal, on World Thalassemia Day (8th May)
Scheme Funding: provided by Coal India Limited as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The program provides one-time financial assistance of Rs 10 lakhs per Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in case of underprivileged thalassemia patients who have a matched family donor
