1. UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: 22nd Law Commission of India sought the views of religious organisations and the public on the issue of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

EXPLANATION:

• A notice issued by the Commission said those interested and willing may present their views within 30 days.
• This comes eight months after the Centre told the Supreme Court that the Constitution obligated the State to have a UCC for its citizens, saying that people of different religions and denominations following different property and matrimonial laws was an “affront to the nation’s unity”.
• Responding to petitions before the Supreme Court for uniformity in laws governing matters of divorce, succession, inheritance, adoption and guardianship, the Centre, in October 2022, had told the apex court that the Constitution obligated the State to have a UCC for its citizens. It had also submitted that the matter would be placed before the 22nd Law Commission.

What did the 21st Law Commission say on the matter?

• Underlining that the Uniform Civil Code is “neither necessary nor desirable at this stage”, the 21st Law Commission of India, in 2018, argued for reform of family laws of every religion through amendments and codification of certain aspects so as to make them gender-just
• In its ‘Consultation Paper on Family Law Reforms’, the Law Commission took a stand in favour of “equality ‘within communities’ between men and women” (personal law reform), “rather than ‘equality between’ communities” (UCC).
• It further noted that “women must be guaranteed their freedom of faith without any compromise on their right to equality” as it would be unfair to make women choose between one or the other.

What is Uniform Civil Code?

• A UCC would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities, in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Currently, Indian personal law is fairly complex, with each religion adhering to its own specific laws. Separate laws govern Hindus including Sikhs, Jains and Buddhist, Muslims, Christians, and followers of other religions.
• The exception to this rule is the state of Goa, where all religions have a common law regarding marriages, divorces, and adoption.

What does the Constitution say about a UCC?

• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for citizens throughout the territory of India.
• Article 44 is among the Directive Principles of State Policy. Directive Principles are not enforceable by court, but are supposed to inform and guide governance.
• While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc.
• Furthermore, the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44. All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44.

Why is there no uniform code for personal law?

• Article 25 lays down an individual’s fundamental right to religion.
• Article 26(b) upholds the right of each religious denomination or any section thereof to “manage its own affairs in matters of religion”.
• Article 29 defines the right to conserve distinctive culture.
• An individual’s freedom of religion under Article 25 is subject to “public order, health, morality” and other provisions relating to fundamental rights, but a group’s freedom under Article 26 has not been subjected to other fundamental rights.

2. HAWKISH PAUSE

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Federal Reserve of the United States, the world’s most influential central bank, decided to pause raising interest rates. While it is a pause, many are calling it a hawkish one a characterisation used for India’s RBI as well.

EXPLANATION:

• Over the past two reviews (in April and June) of monetary policy which essentially involves the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) tweaking interest rates in such a manner as to contain inflation while promoting growth and employment  the RBI has decided to “pause” raising interest rates.

• In any policy review, a central bank either raises interest rates or cuts them or decides to maintain the status quo.

What is a “hawkish pause”?

• Those central banks (or bankers) who have a very low threshold for tolerating variation from the targeted inflation level (or a range), and who keep their eyes peeled for such divergence and immediately swoop in to raise interest rates, are called “Hawks”.
• “Doves”, on the other hand, favour boosting growth (by keeping the interest rates low) and are far more willing to risk having higher inflation.
• A hawkish pause then implies that while the central bank has decided to pause raising interest rates, ending a streak of repeated interest rate .
• Low interest rates, for instance, imply that stock markets will move higher because fresh credit is cheaper than previously imagined.
• These are the things that make a pause “hawkish”. Essentially, no one should take it for granted that the Fed (or the RBI) have stopped taking the threat of inflation lightly.

3. MIYAWAKI TECHNIQUE

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister during his latest ‘Mann ki baat’ episode spoke about Miyawaki plantation, the Japanese method of creating dense urban forests in a small area. The PM also cited the example of a Kerala-based teacher, Raafi Ramnath, who used the Miyawaki technique to transform a barren land into a mini forest called Vidyavanam by planting 115 varieties of trees.

EXPLANATION:

• Meanwhile, to fight climate change, curb pollution levels, and increase the green cover of the financial capital, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been creating Miyawaki forests in several open land parcels of Mumbai.

What is the Miyawaki plantation method?

• Named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this method involves planting two to four different types of indigenous trees within every square metre. In this method, the trees become self-sustaining and they grow to their full length within three years.
• The methodology was developed in the 1970s, with the basic objective to densify green cover within a small parcel of land.
• The plants used in the Miyawaki method are mostly self-sustaining and don’t require regular maintenance like manuring and watering.

• Over the years, this cost effective method has become the go-to solution for the civic body to restore the green cover in a space-starved city like Mumbai.

How is Miyawaki useful?

• The dense green cover of indigenous trees plays a key role in absorbing the dust particles of the area where the garden has been set up. The plants also help in regulating surface temperature. Some of the common indigenous plants that are used for these forests include Anjan, Amala, Bel, Arjun and Gunj.

• With several infrastructure projects like real estate metro rail construction in progress in Mumbai over the past few years, it was recorded that the surface temperature in certain pockets of Mumbai has increased. Therefore, to fight this challenge, such forests are being created.
• These green patches play a major role in regulating the carbon levels of a given area, which may in return help in maintaining a clean year. Also, these forests encourage new biodiversity and an ecosystem is developed around it, which in turn increases the fertility of the soil and regulates surface temperature.

4. KAMALA SOHONIE

TAG: GS 1: HISTORY

THE CONTEXT: On June 18, Google Doodle honours scientist Kamala Sohonie on her 112th birth Anniversary and here is the brief account of how she made CV Raman change his stance on women in science institutions.

EXPLANATION:

• Kamala Sohonie was the first Indian woman to get a PhD degree in a scientific discipline and went on to win the Rashtrapati Award for her work on Neera, a palm extract that could fight malnutrition among children from tribal communities in India.

Early life of Kamala Sohonie:

• Kamala Sohonie (nee Bhagvat) was born on June 18, 1911 in Indore, in present-day Madhya Pradesh.
• Her father, Narayanarao Bhagvat, and his brother Madhavrao Bhagvat were both chemists who had studied at the Tata Institute of Sciences, now Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
• Following in their footsteps, Kamala graduated in 1933 with a BSc degree in Chemistry (principal) and Physics (subsidiary) from Bombay University, topping the merit list. She then applied for an MSc degree at the IISc, headed by CV Raman where she was rejected.
• Undeterred, the young Kamala went all the way to Bengaluru to confront Raman.
• In 1997, at an event to felicitate her at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), She challenged Raman that she would complete the course with distinction, and finally, he allowed her in, imposing several conditions.
• Sohonie completed her course with distinction and secured admission to Cambridge University, England, in 1936. “This incident forced Raman to change his opinion about women and from that year he admitted a few students every year.

Work at Cambridge and after

• At Cambridge, Sohonie finished her PhD in merely 14 months, and her thesis was just 40 pages. During her time there, she worked on potatoes and discovered the enzyme ‘Cytochrome C’, a type of protein in the mitochondria which plays an important role in cellular respiration.
• In 1939, she came back to India to serve her country.
• She served as head of the Department of Biochemistry at Lady Hardinge College, New Delhi.
• She then served as Assistant Director of the Nutrition Research Lab, Coonoor, before join the Royal Institute of Science in Mumbai. Here, she studied different food items to identify the nutrients present in them.

• According to an article on the website of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, she worked on ‘neera’, a drink made from palm extract on the suggestion of the First Indian President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Her studies established that ‘neera’ was a good source of Vitamin C along with other vitamins, moreover there are sulfhydryl compounds in Neera that protect vitamins during storage. Realising that this would be a cheap and good supplement for poor tribals, she went to popularise this drink. The introduction of neera in the diet of tribal malnourished children and pregnant women improved their health significantly.
• She also worked with the administration of the Aarey Milk project to improve the quality of the milk produced.
• Apart from her academic work, Kamala Sohonie was among the founding members of consumer protection body Consumer Guidance Society.

5. SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF SPECIES

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: In recent years, the field of taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying all living beings, has been witnessing a raging debate whether species with objectionable scientific names should be renamed.

EXPLANATION:

• In recent years, the field of taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying all living beings, has been witnessing a raging debate whether species with objectionable scientific names should be renamed.
• Rare insects, exotic flowers and deadly arachnids have been named in honour of people linked to racism and anti-Semitism. Racial slurs have figured in names of flora and fauna. Now, a debate about changing these names is brewing.
• Although such discussions have always existed, they became mainstream only recently, especially after the emergence of Black Lives Matter (2013-present) in the USA.

What are some of the species with problematic names?

• The best known example of such a living being is Anophthalmus hitleri. Named after the former German Führer, Adolf Hitler, this rare blind beetle, popularly known as the Hitler beetle, was discovered in 1933 by “Oscar Scheibel, a German amateur entomologist and ardent Hitler fan, and is found in only around 15 caves in central Slovenia. The popularity of the Hitler beetle touched such heights that it became nearly extinct.
• Another example is the common small-blotched lizard. With the scientific name Uta stansburiana, the reptile, in 1852, was named after Howard Stansbury, who led a famous expedition to study the flora and fauna in the USA’s Utah region and collected this lizard’s type specimens. He was a vocal supporter of and played a key role in a locally-infamous massacre of Timpanogos Native Americans in which more than 100 were killed.

• The flowering shrub Hibbertia scandens is one more case in point. The plant has the moniker after George Hibbert, an English amateur botanist, who was one of the leading members of the pro-slavery and anti-abolition lobby during the late 1700s.
• Among the species which have been named after derogatory terms is the Hottentotta tamulus scorpion “colonialists in the 17th century used “Hottentot” as a derogatory term for Indigenous Black people in Africa.
• One more example is Rauvolfia caffra, commonly known as the quinine tree, which gets its moniker from another offensive term regarded as hate speech against Black communities in South Africa.

How are species given their scientific names?

• Every species of animal or plant has two scientific names. The first name denotes the genus to which the species belongs. It is a generic name and is always capitalised. The second name identifies the species within the genus and is never capitalised. Both names are italicised.
• A genus may comprise several closely related species. Thus many large hawks are placed in the genus Buteo. Just as closely related species are placed in the same genus, closely related genera (the plural of “genus”) are grouped into a family. Jaguars, tigers, and house cats all belong to the family Felidae.
• These names are usually of Latin or Greek origin. Oftentimes, species are named based on their distinctive features.
• But other times, organisms are named after people who discover them. They are also sometimes named in honour of somebody. These practices, as mentioned before, have been quite controversial in recent times.

Who makes the rules regarding giving scientific names to organisms?

• Although anybody can propose a name for a type of organism they think hasn’t been formally identified by anyone else, there are certain rules, or nomenclature codes, that they have to follow.
• A new name is considered to be valid only when it is published in an “openly distributed publication, and it must be accompanied by a detailed description of the specimens the author claims are typical for the group.
• These nomenclature codes are governed by international bodies such as the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) which governs the naming of animals, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) that sees the naming of plants (including cyanobacteria), and the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) that governs the naming of bacteria (including Archaea) and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) that governs virus names.

Can a species’ offensive scientific name be changed?

• The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) in its rulebook says, “The only proper reasons for changing a name are either a more profound knowledge of the facts resulting from adequate taxonomic study or the necessity of giving up a nomenclature that is contrary to the rules.”
• Similarly, as Financial Times reported last week, ICZN recently refused to change problematic names, saying its “commitment to a stable and universal nomenclature remains the priority”.

1. RAM PRASAD BISMIL: REVOLUTIONARY AND A POET

TAG: GS 1: HISTORY

THE CONTEXT: Born on June 11, 1897, Bismil was a revolutionary freedom fighter with a poet’s heart. On his 126th birth anniversary, we remember Ram Prasad Bismil, whose words and actions have inspired generations of Indians.

EXPLANATION:

Who was Ramprasad Bismil?

• Ram Prasad Bismil was born on June 11, 1897 in a nondescript village in the United Provinces’ (now Uttar Pradesh) Shahjahanpur district.
• Fighting against the British Raj, he was involved in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918 as well as the more famous Kakori Train Action of 1925. He was hanged in 1927 by British authorities for his involvement in the Kakori Train Action.
• He founded the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, later Hindustan Socialist Republican Association).
• Today, he is a revered symbol of patriotism and Hindu-Muslim unit.
• He is one of India’s most revered freedom fighters, known as much for his revolutionary zeal as for his poetic profundity.

Early life and Arya Samaj connections

• He was born into a Rajput Tomar family, he learnt Hindi from his father and Urdu from a maulvi who lived nearby.
• He also went to an English medium school in Shahjahanpur.
• His exposure to multiple languages would develop his instincts as a writer and poet at a very early stage in his life.
• He joined the Arya Samaj and became a prolific writer and poet, penning patriotic verses in Hindi and Urdu under pen names like ‘Agyat’, ‘Ram’, and the one that is most known ‘Bismil’ (meaning ‘wounded’, ‘restless’).
• At the age of only 18, he penned the poem Mera Janm (My Birth), venting out his anger over the death sentence handed out to Arya Samaj missionary Bhai Parmanand.

The Mainpuri Conspiracy

• After graduating from school, Bismil got involved in politics. However, he would soon be disillusioned by the so-called moderate wing of the Congress Party.
• Bismil was not willing to “negotiate” or “beg” for his country’s freedom if the British did not accede, he was willing to take it by force.
• To achieve his ends, he started a revolutionary organisation called Matrivedi (The Altar of the Motherland) and joined forces with fellow revolutionary Genda Lal Dixit. Dixit was well-connected with dacoits of the state and wanted to utilise them in the armed struggle against the British.
• In 1918, Bismil wrote arguably his most famous poem, Mainpuri ki Pratigya, which was distributed across the United Provinces in pamphlets, bringing him adulation of nationalist locals and notoriety with the British.
• In order to collect funds for his fledgling organisation, he carried out at least three instances of looting at government offices in Mainpuri district. A massive manhunt was launched and Bismil was located which led to dramatic shootout at the end of which Bismil jumped into the Yamuna river and swam underwater to escape.

Founding the Hindustan Republican Association

• After his escape, Bismil would remain underground for the next few years, writing avidly but not undertaking any major revolutionary activity.
• During this time, he released a collection of poems called Man ki Lahar and also translated works such as Bolshevikon ki Kartoot (from Bengali).
• In February 1920, when all the prisoners in the Manipuri conspiracy case were freed, Bismil returned home to Shahjahanpur. There he initially worked gathering support for the Congress-led Non-Cooperation Movement but after Gandhi called it off post the incident at Chauri Chaura in 1922, Bismil decided to start his own party.
• Thus the Hindustan Republican Association was formed with Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee as founding members. Figures such as Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh would also later join the HRA.
• Their manifesto, largely penned down by Bismil, was officially released on January 1, 1925 and titled Krantikari (Revolutionary).
• It proclaimed, ‘’The immediate object of the revolutionary party in the domain of politics is to establish a federal Republic of United States of India by an organized and armed revolution.”
• Their envisioned republic would be based on universal suffrage and socialist principles.

The Kakori Train Action

• Revolutionaries planned to rob the train between Shahjahanpur and Lucknow, which often carried treasury bags meant to be deposited in the British treasury in Lucknow.
• On August 9, 1925, as the train was passing the Kakori station, about 15 km from Lucknow, Rajendranath Lahiri, a member of the HRA who was already seated inside, pulled the chain and stopped the train. Subsequently, around ten revolutionaries, including Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan, entered the train and overpowered the guard. They looted the treasury bags (containing approx Rs 4,600) and escaped to Lucknow
• However, the robbery both enraged the British and upset the Indian public. Due to a misfiring Mauser gun, one passenger (a lawyer named Ahmad Ali) was killed during the robbery – dampening the response to it from the public at large.
• British led a violent crackdown with almost everyone (with the exception of Chandrashekhar Azad) involved in the Kakori Train Action arrested. Bismil was picked up in October.

Death and legacy

• After an eighteen month long trial, Bismil, Ashfaqullah and Rajendranath Lahiri were sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on December 19, 1927. Ram Prasad Bismil was just 30 years old when he died.
• Today, Ram Prasad Bismil has also become a symbol of communal harmony due to his close friendship with fellow revolutionary poet Ashfaqullah Khan.

2. DEFAULT LOSS GUARANTEE (DLG) IN DIGITAL LENDING

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The RBI has allowed banks to accept Default Loss Guarantee (DLG) in digital lending only if the guarantee is in the form of a cash deposit, or fixed deposits in a bank with a lien in favour of the RE(Regulated Entities), or a bank guarantee in favour of the RE.

EXPLANATION:

• The RBI, after examining First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG), permitted the arrangements between banks and fintechs or between two regulated entities (REs).
• The central bank said an RE can enter into DLG arrangements only with an LSP or other REs with which it has entered into an outsourcing (LSP) arrangement.
• The LSP-providing DLG must be incorporated as a company under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Banks and NBFCs should ensure that the total amount of DLG cover on any outstanding portfolio does not exceed 5% of the amount of that loan portfolio.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed default loss guarantee (DLG), a safety-net arrangement among banks, non-banking finance companies, and lending service providers (LSPs, popularly known as fintech players) in the digital lending space.
• DLG is also known as First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG). The RBI nod for compensating banks in case of default is expected to boost fintech activity in the financial sector.

What is an FLDG arrangement?

• FLDG is an arrangement whereby a third party such as a financial technology (fintech) player (LSP) compensates lenders if the borrower defaults.
• The LSP provides certain credit enhancement features such as first loss guarantee up to a pre-decided percentage of loans generated by it.
• For all practical purposes, credit risk is borne by the LSP without having to maintain any regulatory capital.

What does an LSP do?

• Lending service providers are new-age players who use technology platforms in the lending space.
• They are agents of a bank or NBFC who carry out one or more of a lender’s functions (in part or full) in customer acquisition, underwriting support, pricing support, disbursement, servicing, monitoring, recovery of specific loan or loan portfolio on behalf of REs as per the outsourcing guidelines of the RBI.

3. CAPTAGON PILLS CRISIS

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Reports suggest that the Islamic State (IS) and Syrian fighters widely consumed Captagon to increase alertness and suppress appetite during their gruelling battles. Such use of amphetamine-type drugs isn’t a recent phenomenon though during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Allied forces provided their troops with amphetamines.

EXPLANATION:

• As global isolation of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad comes to an end with the Arab League reinstating Syria as its member, the discussions on the trade of Captagon pills have taken the centre-stage once again.
• Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-type drug, which is produced mainly in Syria and widely smuggled across West Asia.
• Sales of the drug have profited al-Assad, his associates and his family the pills have become a financial lifeline for them as Syria continues to struggle due to its economic crisis since the outbreak of the 2011 civil war.
• The reports of the rising prominence of Captagon first surfaced back in 2014, when it was found that the drug was being widely consumed by the Islamic State (IS) and Syrian fighters to increase alertness and suppress appetite during their gruelling battles.

What exactly is Captagon?

• Captagon is actually a counterfeit version of a medicine with the same brand name which was first produced in the 1960s by the German company Degussa Pharma Gruppe.
• They were manufactured to help treat attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and other conditions.
• The original Captagon contained fenetylline, a synthetic drug of the phenethylamine family to which amphetamine also belongs.
• It was commercially sold in several countries until the 1980s and was banned due to fears of its highly addictive nature.
• In the following decades, new illicit tablets, mainly containing amphetamine, labelled Captagon surfaced in Bulgaria from where Balkan and Turkish criminal networks smuggled them to the Arabian Peninsula.
• The drug finally made a comeback post-2011 but this time in Syria, where a bloody civil war had plunged the country into an economic crisis.

What do amphetamine-based drugs do?

• Captagon pills, like other amphetamine-based drugs, stimulate the central nervous system, providing “a boost of energy, enhance someone’s focus, let someone stay awake for longer periods of time, and produce a feeling of euphoria.
• They don’t help someone gain “superhuman alertness, bravery, strength, or pain resistance” a person consuming any amphetamine-based drug might feel some sort of placebo effect though, which could lead to erratic behaviours.
• Captagon or other amphetamine-type drugs usually stay in the blood for around 36 hours.
• When taken orally, their peak effect occurs one to three hours after consumption, and effects last for as long as seven to 12 hours.

What are their side effects?

• Consumption of amphetamines can cause loss of appetite and weight, heart problems such as fast heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and heart attack, which can lead to death.
• They can also cause high body temperature, skin flushing, memory loss, problems thinking clearly, and stroke.
• The addiction, happens when the drug is consumed to get high or improve performance which can lead to tolerance.

How have militaries around the world used them?

• Although amphetamine was discovered in 1910 and chemically synthesised in 1927, its craze among militaries reached a crescendo during World War II.
• While Nazi Germany supplied Pervitin, a methamphetamine (now known as crystal meth) to its soldiers, the Allied forces gave their troops Benzedrine, which was amphetamine sulfate.
• The drug was also a significant part of their Blitzkrieg strategy, which involved carrying out a swift attack on the enemy and relentlessly pushing ahead with tank troops, day and night.
• The 2015 Vox report mentioned that the US Air Force still uses these performance-enhancing drugs.

4. DRIP IRRIGATION SCHEME

TAG: SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: Irregularities is noticed in Centre’s drip irrigation scheme in Jharkhand. The investigation found numerous violations Aadhaar cards were misused to create “ghost” beneficiaries with farmers completely unaware that money was being collected by private companies in their name; brand new equipment was gathering dust; and third-party verification by Nabcons was repeatedly falsified to beat the system.

EXPLANATION:

• An investigation has uncovered numerous violations and corrupt practices in the implementation of the “Per Drop More Crop — Micro Irrigation” (PDMC-MI) scheme in Jharkhand.
• Of the 94 beneficiaries who were tracked by this paper, only 17 were found to be actually utilising the scheme. Many apparent beneficiaries had no clue about their own enrollment in the scheme.

What is the “Per Drop More Crop” scheme?

• PDMC-MI is a central government scheme to promote micro irrigation drip or sprinkler systems which is implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, with roughly 40% central funding. The rest is financed by states and farmers themselves; some states like Jharkhand and those in the Northeast have a different break-up.
• The scheme was launched in 2006 and was subsumed into the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojna (PMKSY) in 2015 as one of its four components.
• The main objectives of PDMC-MI are to enhance water-use efficiency and increase productivity, thus bolstering farmer incomes.
• The operational guidelines say the scheme is meant mostly for so-called water-guzzling crops like sugarcane, cotton, and banana, even though cereals and pulses may also be brought under its ambit.
• States are supposed to install irrigation infrastructure, conduct publicity campaigns, create market linkages, and provide training and other expert support.
• Drip irrigation systems are costlier than sprinkler systems. In drip irrigation, water is targeted directly at the roots of crops using emitters that are fitted on a lateral tube.

Why is this scheme important for Jharkhand?

• The state’s agricultural economy, especially its major crop, paddy, is predominantly rain-dependent.
• In 2022, Jharkhand suffered its worst drought in 122 years on record during the June 1-August 15 paddy sowing season.
• Drip irrigation can be of great help in this situation it enhances water-use efficiency by cutting water usage by roughly 70%, doubles productivity, assures energy savings, and helps directly deliver fertilisers to crop roots.
• Effective operation of PDMC-MI which was first introduced in the state in 2010-11 — can potentially reduce distress outmigration and deliver a climate-resilient solution for the agrarian economy.

How were the farmers and companies chosen?

• State governments are required to identify the places where drip/sprinkler irrigation can be used; then, companies that can provide the irrigation infrastructure, and the scheme’s beneficiaries are identified.
• In Jharkhand, the enrolment process is controlled by the companies, who in most cases reach out to farmers and apply to the agriculture department on their behalf, and then receive work orders from the district office of the department. This process often does not reflect the farmer’s opinion on drip irrigation or his willingness to buy into it.
• Companies are enlisted as PDMC-MI providers in the state for a period of five years through a tendering process, but each enlisted company has to re-register every year. Every district is allotted 4-5 companies.

How does the scheme work?

• The contracted companies install drip irrigation systems on the beneficiaries’ land, up to a ceiling of 5 ha (12.3 acres), contiguous or otherwise.
• Contract farmers, those who have taken land on lease, are also eligible if they can produce a lease agreement for a minimum period of seven years from the date of approval of the application. Beneficiaries to have already availed of the scheme are barred for the next seven years.
• The subsidy amount paid to the companies by the government depends on various factors, including water requirement, plant to plan spacing, water quality, and specific local factors.

Is there a verification process before and after installation?

• The process of applying for and receiving assistance under PDMC-MI incorporates various steps to ensure transparency and honesty within the system
• Pre-installation, the farmer fills out a form with all personal details, including Aadhaar, and attaches an affidavit detailing the land in possession. The mukhiya of the panchayat attests the documents, and a panchayat member or a government official certifies the authenticity of the details to the best of their knowledge.
• Post-installation of the drip irrigation infrastructure, the farmer writes a “satisfaction letter” stating that he has not received any subsidy, the installation is complete, and the requisite training has been provided to him. The farmer must also make a video statement, geotag it with the latitude and longitude of the farm with the drip irrigation equipment, and send it to Nabcons, the consultancy arm of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), for verification against the beneficiaries’ Aadhaar details.
• However, Nabcons relies on company agents/ representatives to reach the beneficiaries, which leaves scope for manipulation of data. The Investigation found that middlemen (company agents) and Nabcon verification personnel were in cahoots.
• Irrespective of the third party verification, the agriculture department is supposed to conduct verification exercises for 50% of beneficiaries this does not happen currently.

5. EU MIGRATION DEAL

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: European Union ministers agreed  on how to handle irregular arrivals of asylum-seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as a breakthrough after almost a decade of bitter feuds on the sensitive matter.

EXPLANATION:

• EU states is blamed over providing for the new arrivals since more than a million people mostly fleeing the war in Syria caught the EU bloc by surprise by reaching it across the Mediterranean in 2015.
• The bloc has since tightened external borders and its asylum laws, and struck deals in the Middle East and North Africa to have more people stay there. U.N. data shows fewer than 160,000 sea migrants made to it Europe last year.
• The bloc hopes lower irregular immigration would allow EU countries to restart cooperation to spread more evenly the task of taking care of arriving refugees and migrants

WHAT IS NEW PACT?

• Each EU country would be assigned a share of the 30,000 people overall the bloc is expected to accommodate in its joint migration system at any given time.
• That will be calculated based on the size of the country’s GDP and population, the number of irregular border crossings including via sea rescue operations, and more.
• Countries unwilling to take in people would instead be able to help their hosting peers through cash at least 20,000 euros per person a year equipment or personnel.
• The agreement would introduce a new expedited border procedure for those deemed unlikely to win asylum to prevent them from lingering inside the bloc for years.
• Instead, they should be sent away within six months if their asylum applications fails, one of several shortened deadlines in the deal.
• That mechanism would apply to all those deemed dangerous, uncooperative or coming from countries with low asylum recognition rates in the EU like India or Serbia.
• EU countries could also apply the speedy procedure to people picked up in the sea, caught while trying to get in illegally or filing for asylum at the border rather than in advance

ISSUES:

• It can create more overcrowded migration camps on the edges of the EU.
• New plan could lead to protracted detention of minors and criticised it as focusing on keeping people away rather than helping those in need.
• There is opposition from Warsaw and Budapest, however, majority deal among the 27 EU countries. Spain will now lead more negotiations on behalf of the member states with the European Parliament.

1. AHMEDNAGAR RENAMED AS AHILYANAGAR

TAGS: GS 1: HISTORY; ART AND CULTURE

CONTEXT: Marking the 298th birth anniversary of Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar on May 31, 2023, Maharashtra Chief Minister announced that his government would rename Ahmednagar after her. The Western Maharashtrian city will now be known as Ahilyanagar.

EXPLANATION:

How did the city of Ahmednagar first get its name?

• Located in the Western region of Maharashtra, Ahmednagar has been a part of some prominent kingdoms, starting from 240 BC, when the vicinity is mentioned in the reference to the Mauryan Emperor Ashok.
• In the Medieval period, the region was ruled over by the Rashtrakuta Dynasty, the Western Chalukyas, and then the Delhi
• In the last case, the rule was not direct, and a revolt by Afghan soldier Alladin Hasan Gangu led to the establishment of the Bahmani kingdom in the Deccan. In the following years, Ahmednagar, then known as Nizamshahi, became one of the five independent kingdoms to emerge from that empire.
• In 1486, Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah assumed the position of the Bahmani Sultanate’s prime minister. He successfully defeated the king of the Bahmani kingdom, who tried to dislodge him from power, in 1490.
• Four years later, he laid the foundation of a city close to where he had defeated the army, on the left bank of Sina river.  This city was named after him: Ahmednagar.
• Nizam Shah also later captured the fort of Daulatabad and stationed his army there. By his kindness, peaceful demeanour & efficiency, he could win the loyalty of the local and foreign Muslims and also of the Maratha peasants and worriers. Since his origin was Hindu, he found no difficulty in winning over the confidence of Brahmins, who were highly regarded by the Hindus.
• Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book A Discovery of India (1946), wrote of him, “Ahmad Nizam Shah, the founder of Ahmadnagar in 1490, was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk Bhairi, a minister of the Bahmani kings. This Nizam-ul-Mulk was the son of a Brahmin accountant named Bhairu. Thus the Ahmednagar dynasty was of indigenous origin.”

Ahilyabai holkar:

• Ahilyabai was born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde, who ensured that his daughter received an education, which was quite rare at that time.
• It is believed that Malhar Rao Holkar, the army commander to Peshwa Bajirao, spotted eight-year-old Ahilyabai at a temple service in Chondi. Impressed by her devotion and character, he decided to get his son, Khande Rao, married to her.
• After her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754, Ahilyabai took control of Malwa.

Role in administration and temple-building

• She excelled at administrative and military strategies under the guidance of her father-in-law, who believed she should lead her people, and not die by Sati after Khande Rao passed away. After the death of her father-in-law and son a few years later, she petitioned the Peshwa to become the ruler, backed by the support of her army.
• In his book, Nehru said Holkar’s rule, which lasted for thirty years (1765-1795), was “almost legendary as a period during which perfect order and good government prevailed and the people prospered.
• She was a very able ruler and organizer, highly respected during her lifetime.
• Notably, her role in the restoration of Hindu temples is often talked about for instance ancient Somnath, the temple built by Holkar in 1783.

2. COMBINED MARITIME FORCES

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT: The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn from a U.S.-led maritime coalition tasked with securing tense Gulf waterways that are vital to the global oil trade. The UAE “withdrew its participation” in the 38-nation Combined Maritime Forces two months ago, a Foreign Ministry statement said, without giving reasons for the move.

EXPLANATION:

• The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
• The Bahrain-headquartered CMF was established in 2001, initially as a partnership between 12 nations.
• It is active in crucial but troubled Gulf waters where tankers have been seized and attacked in recent months.
• CMF is commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet. All four commands are co-located at US Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
• CMF’s Deputy Commander is a United Kingdom Royal Navy Commodore. Other senior staff roles at CMF’s headquarters are filled by personnel from member nations.

CMF’s main focus areas:

• CMF’s main focus areas are counter-narcotics, counter-smuggling, suppressing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and engaging with regional and other partners to strengthen relevant capabilities in order to improve overall security and stability, and promoting a safe maritime environment free from illicit non-state actors.
• When requested, CMF assets at sea will also respond to environmental and humanitarian incidents.

CMF has four Combined Task Forces: 

• CTF 150 (Maritime Security Operations outside the Arabian Gulf)
• CTF 151 (Counter-Piracy)
• CTF 152 (Maritime Security Operations inside the Arabian Gulf)
• CTF 153 (Red Sea Maritime Security)
• CTF 154 (Maritime Security Training)

CMF has 37 member nations (Earlier 38 members including UAE)

• Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.

How CMF works?

• CMF nations are united in their desire to uphold the IRBO by protecting the free flow of commerce, improving maritime security, and deterring illicit activity by non-state actors in the CMF Area of Operations.
• CMF is a coalition of the willing and does not proscribe a specific level of participation from any member nation. The contribution from each country, therefore, varies depending on its ability to contribute assets and the availability of those assets at any given time.
• The 37 nations that comprise CMF are not bound by either a fixed political or military mandate.
• CMF is a flexible organisation. Contributions can vary from the provision of a liaison officer at CMF HQ in Bahrain to the deployment of warships or maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
• Participation is purely voluntary. No nation is asked to carry out any duty that it is unwilling to conduct. The contribution from each country varies depending on its ability to contribute assets and the availability of those assets at any given time.
• The 34 nations that comprise CMF are not bound by either a political or military mandate.

3. NEURALINK

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTEXT: Since its founding in 2016, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has had the ambitious mission to build a next-generation brain implant with at least 100-times more brain connections than devices currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The company has now reached a significant milestone, having received FDA approval to begin human trials.

EXPLANATION:

• Neuralink is making a Class III medical device known as a brain-computer interface (BCI).
• The device connects the brain to an external computer via a Bluetooth signal, enabling continuous communication back and forth.
• The device itself is a coin-sized unit called a Link. It’s implanted within a small disk-shaped cutout in the skull using a precision surgical robot. The robot splices a thousand tiny threads from the Link to certain neurons in the brain.
• Each thread is about a quarter the diameter of a human hair.

Potential benefits

• The company says the device could enable precise control of prosthetic limbs, giving amputees natural motor skills.
• It could revolutionise treatment for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and spinal cord injuries.
• It also shows some promise for potential treatment of obesity, autism, depression, schizophrenia and tinnitus.
• It can be used to help older people train their motor and cognitive abilities to moderate the worst effects of ageing.

What were the FDA’s concerns?

• The FDA had quite a list of issues that needed to be resolved before human trials could commence, as was reported in a Reuters investigation, which claimed to have spoken to several Neuralink sources.
• A precision robot known as Implant/r1 performs the surgical procedure to implant the Neuralink BCI. This robot surgeon had to be put through its paces to gather evidence that it could reliably and safely implant and remove the Neuralink BCI without damaging surrounding brain tissue, or creating the risk of infection, bleeding, inflammation.
• In particular, overheating lithium-ion batteries can pose great risk to users. When defective, such batteries have historically been known to overheat. They can even explode if the insulation between the cathode and anode (the metal electrode components) breaks down, resulting in a short circuit.
• Then there is the risk of wire migration. The Link consists of a disk-shaped chip with very thin wire electrodes that connect to neurons in the brain.
• Another challenge Neuralink faced was that of safe implant removal. The FDA wanted to know how easy or difficult it would be to remove the device from the brain if this became necessary.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
• The FDA also provides accurate, science-based health information to the public.
• FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by accelerating innovations to make medicines more effective and providing the public with accurate, science-based information on medicines and food to improve their health.
• FDA plays a significant role in addressing the Nation’s counterterrorism capability and ensuring the security of the food supply.

4. CITY INVESTMENTS TO INNOVATE, INTEGRATE AND SUSTAIN (CITIIS) PROJECT

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT:  The government approved the second phase of the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) project, a programme under the ambit of the Smart Cities Mission, which aims to promote integrated waste management and climate-oriented reform actions.

EXPLANATION:

• The CITIIS 2.0 will be implemented in 18 cities which would be selected based on a competition.
• The programme, aims to support competitively selected projects promoting circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management at the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at the state level, and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at the national level.
• It would span over a period of four years from 2023-2027 and has been conceived and would be implemented in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• The funding for CITIIS 2.0 would include a loan of Rs 1760 crore from AFD and KfW, split equally, and a technical assistance grant of Rs 106 crore from the European Union.
• The CITIIS 2.0 has three major components which are financial and technical support for developing projects focused on building climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation in up to 18 smart cities, support to all states and Union Territories on a demand basis and interventions at all centre, state and city levels to further climate governance in urban India through institutional strengthening, knowledge dissemination and capacity building.
• The design framework for CITIIS 2.0 is being conceptualized by AFD in consultation with SCM and MoHUA.

CITIIS(City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain)

• It is a sub-component of the Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission.
• The CITIIS program was launched on July 9, 2018.
• It is a joint program of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), the European Union (EU), and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• It was launched with projects in 12 cities namely Agartala, Amaravati, Amritsar, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Dehradun, Hubbali-Dharwad, Kochi, Puducherry, Surat, Ujjain and Visakhapatnam.
• Each city receives financial assistance through a grant as well as technicalassistance from an international mentor and a domestic expert, besidesaccess to a pool of transversal experts.
• CITIIS (Cities Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustain) Challenge was launched in partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and European Union, to extend a loan of EUR 100 million for implementation of upto 15 innovative projects selected through an All-India Challenge in four sectors- sustainable mobility, public open spaces, urban governance & ICT and social and organizational innovation in low-income settlements.
• The entire set of activities including organisation of preparatory Workshop, handholding of cities to enable submission of proposals by them, evaluation of proposals by the jury leading up to selection of 12 projects and signing of tripartite agreements with the concerned cities and States was completed in record time.
• The selected projects will improve sustainable mobility, increase the amountof public open spaces, implement ICT measures to improve e-governance andintroduce social and organisational innovation in low-income settlements.

5. WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON HEALTH ACTION PLAN FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

TAGS: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CONTEXT: Member states of the World Health Organization accepted a draft resolution that proposed developing a Global Plan of Action for the Health of Indigenous People during the World Health Assembly hosted on May 29, 2023. The plan will be up for consideration at the 79th World Health Assembly in 2026.

EXPLANATION:

• The document stated that the global plan should be done in consultation with member states along “strategic lines of action for the improvement of the health of Indigenous Peoples in the development of the 14th World Health Organization General Programme of Work”.
• The draft resolution was proposed by Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, the European Union and its Member States, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States of America and Vanuatu.
• This should be executed in consultation with indigenous peoples, with their free, prior and informed consent.
• The resolution that was proposed noted that the “indigenous peoples are disproportionately subject to poverty, poor housing, cultural barriers, violence, including gender-based violence, racism, experiencing disability, pollution and lack of access to education, economic opportunities, social protection, water, and sanitation, as well as appropriate resilience planning for climate change and natural and other emergencies”.
• The resolution put forward that the global plan be formulated “with a particular emphasis on the reproductive, maternal and adolescent health and with a specific focus on those in vulnerable situations, and bearing in mind local context”.
• WHO’s 194 member states were urged to develop a collection of ethical data to identify specific requirements of indigenous people and fill in the gaps. They were also urged to have an intersectional approach to their politics that overcomes geographical barriers, digital connectivity, information availability, remoteness and disability.
• Another approach proposed was to use evidence-based traditional medicine, along with medical services offered at the primary healthcare level, which also includes mental health and wellness serives.

Status of Indigenous people:

• According to the United Nations, The world presently has 476 million indigenous people across the world in about 90 countries.
• They speak 7,000 languages and come from 500 different cultures.
• They are marginalised individuals without access to basic infrastructure and oftentimes cannot claim titles over their land and surrounding natural resources.
• The life expectancy of indigenous people is 20 years lower than that of an average person.

United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

• The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues established in 2000.
• The Permanent Forum is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council established by resolution 2000/22 on 28 July 2000.
• The Forum has the mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.

World Health Assembly:

• The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO.
• It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
• The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.