State interventions, Lakshadweep’s future (Polity and governance, GS-2, The Hindu)

09 Jun State interventions, Lakshadweep’s future (Polity and governance, GS-2, The Hindu)

Context:- Administration in the lakshadweep took the administrative decision for the reforms. On this point 4 legislations or laws/ rules have been enacted.

What are those legislation:-

1. The Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation, 2021;
2. The Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (PASA);
3. The Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulation, 2021 and
4. Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021.

What is lakshadweep:-

• India’s smallest Union Territory
• It is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands 
• Directly comes under the control of the Centre through an administrator.
• The Capital is Kavaratti 
• Pitti island has a bird sanctuary.
• All are of coral origin (Atoll) and are surrounded by fringing reefs.

There are three main group of islands:

1. Amindivi Islands
2. Laccadive Islands
3. Minicoy Island. 

Socio-economy of society:

• The society is matriarchal. 
• The religion is Islam.
• It also gives India a huge and exclusive economic zone with three distinct ecosystems: land, lagoon and ocean.
• Fishing is a primary occupation here. 
• The language is Malayalam but in Minicoy it is Mahl.
• Vatteluttu was the earliest script used with its Sanskrit component.

Issue:-

• Administrator’s interference in the life of islander 
  • Introduction of beef ban 

The Goonda Act:-

• AlreadyVery less crime rate 
• revoking of restrictions on alcohol for benefit of tourism is the one of issue.

• mandatory quarantine if the island bound travellers 
• panchayat rules designed to restrict or decrease the population growth in a territory 
  • According to NHFS-5 (2019-20), the total fertility rate is 1.4 (which is far behind the national average of 2.2) 

What can be the effects of these rules:-

• ‘One island, one resort’ policy has kept pressure on reefs low due to a wide distribution of the tourist population.
• the business model is about giving coral reefs economic significance
  • rich and healthy reefs are essential for private capital’s
• tourists will come because of the natural beauty and the sheer amount of marine life in insland
• regulation is limited to ban on reef fishing and collection of corals, having no certainty to land acquisition that land will be acquitted by government
• Issue of Groundwater will be lost:-
  • Groundwater occurs as a thin lens floating over the seawater and is tapped by open wells replenished by the monsoon; 
• new draft legislation seeks preventive detention for ‘anti­social activities’, and covers “cruel person” and “depredator of environment”.

Why “no” to maldives model:-

• It will damage the socio economic fabric of island society
• Environmental destruction
• Grabbing of land by the cement mafias
• A new plan for Lakshadweep should be based on industry had to be people-centric and enrich the fragile coral ecology.
• Excessive centralisation

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Swarn Singh

Plutus IAS Current Affair Team Member