(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Competition Commission of India to host 8th BRICS International Competition Conference during October 11-13, 2023 in New Delhi READ MORE
2. SC to hear pleas challenging electoral bond scheme on October 31 READ MORE
3. Net direct tax collections up 21.8% to ₹9.57 lakh crore READ MORE  
4. PCA regime to cover PSU NBFCs from October 2024 READ MORE
5. IMF raises India growth forecast to 6.3% for FY24 READ MORE
6. India, Italy sign defence cooperation agreement READ MORE
7. SC to hear petition challenging electoral bonds: What is the scheme and its criticisms? READ MORE  
8. Dancing frogs of Western Ghats among most threatened amphibians globally READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Mental disorders 10 times more likely following detention among asylum-seeking children: Report READ MORE
2. Women want change, society needs change READ MORE
3. DC Edit | Caste census to address inequity READ MORE
4. Something changed about cyclone formation in the 1990s | Explained READ MORE  
5. What the hottest September ever reveals about climate change READ MORE
6. India can reap the demographic dividend – but there’s a deadline READ MORE
7. Why does Delhi NCR frequently experience earthquakes, what causes seismic activity in region? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Caste census: Why the liberal intelligentsia’s opposition is misplaced READ MORE
2. Stop being vindictive’: SC directive to ED welcome READ MORE
3. DC Edit | SC’s relook at PMLA provisions welcome READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Learning for the future READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. BRICS: The mortar of competition in a globalised world READ MORE
2. ‘West is hypocritical’ is now India’s go-to foreign policy response. Delhi not exempt either READ MORE
3. India and the Israel-Palestine War: Choices, challenges and trade-offs READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The impact of Claudia Goldin’s work READ MORE  
2. Achieving the green energy goal READ MRE
3. Centre’s push on infra is transforming India READ MORE
4. West Asia crisis can hit global economy READ MORE
5. Claudia Goldin’s Nobel is a Wake-up Call for India’s Disjointed Labour Markets READ MORE
6. DC Edit | RBI keeps its focus on inflation READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Deregulation of biodiversity regime to impact environment READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. We need evidence-based traditional medicine READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. More people moved into high flood zones, exposing larger populations to water disasters: World Bank READ MORE
2. Sikkim’s Chungthang dam collapse signals the need for dam safety & emissions reduction READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. How the Khalistan movement is interlinked with Punjab’s growing drug problem, gun culture READ MORE
2. Beyond ‘Black Mirror’s’ fiction – Impact of Generative AI on policing, security READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Gita unfolds the true essence of sanatan dharma READ MORE
2. Dealing with failure READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Why does Delhi NCR frequently experience earthquakes? What causes seismic activity in this region?
2. There is a need to redefine the relationship between the State and universities for a truly autonomous and thriving academic environment. Comment on the statement in light of recent developments.
3. While constitutional safeguards and legal protection for Dalits exist, caste-based discrimination has taken on new forms in the modern era. Discuss why the safeguards and legal protection failed to address the issue of discrimination in higher educational institutions?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.
• India must carefully weigh the situation, its long-term trajectory, and fall outs and find sensible geopolitical choices and security measures to deal with future challenges.
• The growing perception of Canada being a sanctuary for global offenders not only tarnishes its international reputation but also poses a threat to its societal fabric.
• It is difficult to fathom how a pause in policy rates or controlling liquidity could bring down food inflation, which was caused mainly because of supply shortages.
• Inclusion does not happen on its own in a society beset with inequalities which have a history of thousands of years; it takes deliberate and forceful attempts.
• While the apex court puts its imprimatur on the law finding it an effective tool to take on international terror rackets, its use on the ground does not share that confidence.
• It may be a paradox that a country which runs per a democratic Constitution and vouches by the rule of law has for all these years let an investigating agency infringe on the fundamental right to liberty of citizens without offering them a reason.
• Future-ready education is one that will help students adapt to ever-changing circumstances, prepare them for the drastic fallouts of climate change, teach them the importance of maintaining a balanced ecology and help them to be genuine global citizens.
• Generative AI’s impact on military warfare can be both revolutionary and riddled with ethical and legal considerations. It has significant implications for defence strategies, intelligence gathering, and training simulations.
• The fall in prices and the strengthening of international financial linkages will allow India to attain a current account surplus.
• The United Nations’ report on ageing in India serves as a reminder that the country’s opportunity to reap the demographic dividend is not perpetual.
• Russia’s increasing involvement in Africa is about its geopolitics, economics, and intricate security concerns.
• Reservation is the most effective form of affirmative action and equity is the first step to equality.

50-WORD TALK

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is complaining about India to a growing list of global leaders from the UK, the UAE, and now Jordan. If Trudeau has concrete evidence of Indian wrong-doing, he should present it. Else, he’ll have to get used to the eye-rolling all whiny children eventually get.
• Awarding the Economics Nobel to economic historian Claudia Goldin is entirely appropriate. She’s greatly enhanced our understanding of women’s pay and labour participation, and historical issues therein. That she’s only the third woman to win this Nobel, and the first to do it solo, highlights how vital her research is.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED. Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. MULTIMODAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Artificial intelligence models have evolved with the passage of time and changed all the dimensions of growth in each and every sector. For the next possible frontier of AI models, ideas are pointing towards multimodal systems.

EXPLANATION:

• ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced on September 25, 2023, that it had enabled its GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models to study images and analyse them in words.
• Its mobile apps will have speech synthesis so that people can have full-fledged conversations with the chatbot.
• The Microsoft-backed company had promised multimodality in March, during the release of GPT-4.
• A report by “The Information” revealed that Google’s new yet-to-be-released multimodal large language model called Gemini, was already being tested in a bunch of companies.
• The report also stated that Google had an easy advantage over competitors in the multimodal world because of its readily available bank of images and videos via its search engine and YouTube.
• But OpenAI is moving fast to make inroads.
• The company is actively hiring multimodal experts with pay packages up to a hefty $3,70,000 per year.
• It is also reportedly working on a new project called Gobi which is expected to be a multimodal AI system from scratch, unlike the GPT models.

WHAT IS MULTIMODAL AI?

• Multimodal AI is artificial intelligence that combines multiple types, or modes, of data to create more accurate determinations, draw insightful conclusions or make more precise predictions about real-world problems.
• Multimodal AI systems train with and use video, audio, speech, images, text and a range of traditional numerical data sets.
• Most importantly, multimodal AI means numerous data types are used in tandem to help AI establish content and better interpret context, something missing in earlier AI.

HOW DOES MULTIMODEL AI WORK?

• Multimodal AI systems are trained on large datasets of multimodal data.
• This training data allows the system to learn how to combine the different modalities in a way that produces accurate and meaningful outputs.
• For e.g. OpenAI’s text-to-image model, DALL.E, upon which ChatGPT’s vision capabilities are based, is a multimodal AI model that was released in 2021.
• E is built on another multimodal text-to-image model called CLIP that OpenAI released the same year.
• E is underpinned with the same concept that runs other popular AI image generators like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, linking together text and images in the training stage.
• The system looks for patterns in visual data that can connect with data of the image descriptions.
• GPT’s voice processing capabilities are based on its own open-source speech-to-text translation model, called Whisper, which was released in September last year.
• Whisper can recognise speech in audio and translate it into simple language text.

APPLICATIONS OF AI:

• Image captioning:
  • Multimodal AI can be used to generate text descriptions of images.
  • This is useful for applications such as accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, and for improving the accuracy of image search.
• Video summarization:
  • Multimodal AI can be used to summarize videos into shorter, more concise versions.
  • This is useful for applications such as video surveillance and social media.
• Machine translation:
  • Multimodal AI can be used to improve the quality of machine translation by incorporating information from multiple modalities, such as images, audio, and video.
• Medical diagnosis:
  • Multimodal AI can be used to help doctors diagnose diseases by combining information from medical images, patient records, and other sources.
• Robotics:
  • Multimodal AI is essential for robots to be able to interact with the real world in a meaningful way.
  • Robots need to be able to perceive their surroundings and respond to stimuli from multiple modalities, such as vision, audio, and touch.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-is-multimodal-artificial-intelligence-and-why-is-it-important/article67401139.ece

2. THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT, 1988

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging Section 17A Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act & 2018 PC Act Amendments on Nov 20, 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• The petition was filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation.
• The constitutionality of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been challenged on the ground that it violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Article 14 (Equality before law) and 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty) of the Indian Constitution.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

• Primarily, the challenge is two-fold.
• The petition stated that the amendments have rendered the Act almost ineffective by dilluting some of the original provisions, by deleting some of the earlier offences and also by introducing new provision.
  • Its effect would protect corrupt officials and exponentially increase level of corruption.
• Inter-alia, the petitioner has also assailed Section 12 of the Amendment Act that had introduced Section 17A (1) under the Act.
  • It provides that no investigation/inquiry/enquiry can be initiated against any public servant in relation to the offences under the Act without prior approval from the appointing government.
• Section 7 of the Amendment Act, 2018 has also been challenged.
• This provision substituted sub-section (1) of Section 13 and thereby, deleted old provision under Section 13 (1) (d) (ii) of the Act.
• It has been contended that the deletion of Section 13 (i) (d) (ii) of the Act has substantially diluted the scope of the Act and would make it a very weak law.
  • Section 13(1)(d)(ii) of the unamended Act made it an offence if a public servant abused his position to obtain for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage.
  • This was irrespective of whether the public servant obtained or attempted to obtain a bribe/gratification or undue advantage.
  • As per the petition: It is the provision of section 13 (1)(d)(ii) that is the very essence of saving the country from the evil of corruption and realization of Preambular ideals on equality and economic justice.
  • It is the heart of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• Although abuse of position has now been included in the amended section 7 of the Act.
• The marginal heading of section 7 states ‘Offence relating to public servant being bribed’.
  • It makes clear that abuse of position by a public servant resulting in pecuniary advantage for any Person (including himself), would not by itself constitute an offence under the Act unless the element of bribery is necessarily established.

PREVIOUS SUPREME COURT RULINGS:

• The Supreme Court, in Vineet Narain’s case, has already had struck down the validity of a Single Directive issued by the Government which required prior sanction of the designated authority to initiate the investigation against officers of the Government and the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), nationalised banks above a certain level.
• The Central Vigilance Commissioner Act, 2003, reinstated this requirement.
• However, this directive was again struck down by the Supreme Court in the course of another judgment in 2014 on the basis that it violated the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution.

THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT, 1988:

• It came into force on 9th September, 1988.
• It was aimed at making anti-corruption laws more effective by widening their coverage and by strengthening the provisions to make the overall statute more effective.
• It incorporates the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952, and Sec. 161 to 165-A of the Indian Penal Code with certain tweaks in the original provisions.
• It has enlarged the scope of the definition such as Public Duty and Public Servant.
• It has shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution as mentioned in the CrPC to the accused who is charged with the offense.
• The provisions of the Act clearly state that the investigation is to be made by an officer, not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
• The Act covers corrupt acts as bribe, misappropriation, obtaining a pecuniary advantage, possessing assets disproportionate to income and the like.

SOURCE: https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-prevention-of-corruption-act-constitutional-validity-centre-for-public-interest-litigation-v-union-of-india-239712?infinitescroll=1

3. NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS FOR 2023

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Nobel Prize in Economics for 2023 was awarded to Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University professor, for “having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes”.

EXPLANATION:

• Goldin is only the third woman to win this honour.
• In 2009, Elinor Ostrom got the award along with Oliver E Williamson, while in 2019, Esther Duflo shared it with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer.

KEY FINDINGS OF HER RESEARCH:

• OLDER DATA GAVE MORE PERSPECTIVE:
  • Researchers believed that as the economy grew, so did women’s labour force participation.
  • Goldin reached back to older data to reveal that before industrialisation, more women were likely to have been involved in economic activity related to agriculture and various cottage industries.
  • With greater industrialisation, work was concentrated in factories, and women found it difficult to leave their homes and travel to work.
  • This trend reversed in the early 20th century, with the growth of the services sector.
  • Two other factors played a crucial role in women’s access to higher education and employment marriage and the contraceptive pill.

• THE LIMITATIONS OF MARRIAGE:
  • Goldin’s work found that by the beginning of the 20th century, while around 20 per cent of women were gainfully employed, the share of married women was only five per cent.
  • Marriage bars prevented married women from continuing their employment as teachers or office workers.
  • Despite an increasing demand for labour, married women were excluded from parts of the labour market.
  • This type of legislation peaked during the 1930s’ Great Depression and the years following it but was not the only reason.
  • Women’s expectations were based on the experience of their mothers, and thus their educational and professional decisions were not taken with the expectation of having a long, uninterrupted, and fruitful career.

• CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS:
  • By the end of the 1960s, as easy-to-use contraceptive pills became more popular, women could exercise greater control over childbirth and actually plan careers and motherhood.
  • Women also ventured beyond the services sector, studying subjects like law, economics, and medicine.
  • Now, women were catching up in terms of education and fields of employment.

• PAY GAP AND PARENTHOOD:
• • Till the time men and women worked in factories, where the pay depended on the day’s countable output, the pay gap was not too high.
  • It became wider when monthly pay contracts came into the picture.
  • One factor significantly impacted how men were paid versus women childbirth.
  • As women had to shoulder more of the parenting responsibilities once a child was born, they were also punished for this at the work front in terms of a slower rise on the pay scale.

NOBEL PRIZE:

• Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been honouring men and women from around the world for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for work in peace.
• The prizes consist of a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary award.
• In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
• The prize is based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank on the occasion of the bank’s 300th anniversary.
• The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.
• The prize in economic sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/economics-nobel-2023-claudia-goldin-explained-8975198/

4. INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION (IORA)

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Sri Lanka is set to take over the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) succeeding Bangladesh during the 23rd Council of Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for October 11, 2023, in Colombo.

EXPLANATION:

• The Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo will see the participation of 16 Ministers including those of India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Iran, Malaysia and South Africa.
• Sri Lanka will hold the chairmanship of the association from 2023 to 2025, with the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh ceremoniously handing over the chairmanship to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister.
• The Ministers will deliberate on ways to cooperate on six priority areas identified by the IORA which are:
  • Trade and Investment,
  • Maritime Safety and Security,
  • Fisheries Management,
  • Strengthening Regional Ties,
  • Disaster Risk Management and
  • Blue Economy.

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR SRI LANKA:

• Navigating Geopolitical Dynamics:
  • Sri Lanka often finds itself managing complex strategic interests involving India and China within the Indian Ocean Region, positioning it as a crucial player in the IORA.

• Regional Inclusivity:
• • Sri Lanka’s active participation in the forum aligns it with neighbouring nations, fostering regional inclusivity and cooperation.
  • This engagement extends to countries such as Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan.

INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION (IORA):

• It is an inter-governmental organisation which was established on 7 March 1997.
• It aims at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States and 11 Dialogue Partners.
• The association’s Secretariat is based in Cyber City, Ebene, Mauritius, responsible for managing, coordinating, servicing, and monitoring policy decisions, work programs, and projects adopted by member states.

IORA CHAIR:

• The Council of Ministers, on voluntary offer by Member States, elects a Chair of the Association for a period of two years.
• If there is no voluntary offer, the Chair is elected on the basis of geographical consideration.
• The incoming Chair is the Member State that served as the Vice-Chair of the Association during the term of office of the incumbent Chair.

STRUCTURE:

• IORA’s apex body is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) which meets annually.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) assumed the role of Chair since November 2019 November 2021, followed by the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
• A committee of Senior Officials (CSO) meets twice a year to progress IORA’s agenda.
• CSO consider recommendations by Working Groups and forums of officials, business and academics to implement policies and projects to improve the lives of people within the Indian Ocean Member States.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lanka-to-take-over-as-chair-of-indian-ocean-rim-association/article67398819.ece

5. COLLAPSE OF CHUNGTHANG DAM

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the abrupt eruption of South Lhonak Lake, led to the collapse of the Chungthang dam situated in northern Sikkim.

EXPLANATION:

• The dam’s collapse triggered a staggering surge in water levels, elevating them by an alarming 15-20 metres within the Teesta River.
• The resultant flash flood wreaked havoc across numerous districts. On October 9, the death toll was at 74.
• Moreover, approximately 100 individuals, encompassing civilians and army personnel, are still reported as missing.
• The ongoing scientific investigations over Chungthang dam bursting are trying to unravel the exact cause of the abrupt eruption.

CHUNGTHANG DAM:

• The Chungthang dam was a part of the 1,200-megawatt (MW) Teesta Stage III Hydro Electric Project.
• It was constructed along the Teesta River and became operational in 2017, primarily for hydroelectric power generation.
• The dam stood at 817 metres and had a net head of 778 metres.
• This hydroelectric project was established to generate revenue for the Sikkim government.
• The project was designed to generate electricity at a scale nearly twelve times greater than the state’s demand, surpassing the typical requirement of approximately 100 MW.
• The primary objective was to export surplus power to neighbouring states, including West Bengal.
• Chungthang is situated at 1,700 metres above mean sea level and is the confluence point for the Lachen River, originating from South Lhonak Lake and the Lachung River, together forming the Teesta River.

For more information, please refer to the 5^th September 2023 DNA.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/natural-disasters/sikkim-s-chungthang-dam-collapse-signals-the-need-for-dam-safety-emissions-reduction-92192

CONTEXT: The News Click case flags a disturbing trend to misuse anti terror laws to undermine individual and media rights.

More on the news:

Charges put on the founder of News Click:

• Terrorism
• Hatching a conspiracy to undermine the country’s security
• Disrupting the 2019 parliamentary polls
• Causing disaffection against the government
• Disrupting essential services.
• Infusion of foreign funds illegaly into India to disrupt sovereignty and territorial integrity and threatening its unity and security.

The FIR was filed under:

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967: Sections 13 (unlawful activities); 16 (terrorist act); 17 (raising funds for terrorist acts); 18 (conspiracy); 22 (C) (offences by companies, trusts)
• IPC Sections: 153A (promoting enmity between different group) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Charges based on:

• It refers to a conspiracy based on purported email exchanges to show Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir as not part of India.
• Remittances by American businessman is being shown as illegal finding from China that is alleged to be used for propaganda and undermining country’s security.
• It refers to stretching the farmers’ agitation of 2020-21 and thereby disrupting supply of services and other essential supplies.

Issues arising in the case:

• Broad definition of terms in UAPA: It can be misused by criminal to escape with misinterpreting the definitions of the terms in the Act and by tweaking of the law.
• Used to suppress dissent: The case is being used to suppress dissent by confining the dissenters for prolonged time.
• Undermining media independence: Misuse of UAPA tends to send a chilling message to wider media fraternity which leads to undermining their independence.
• Electoral politics: It has been alleged that there the case is being misused by highlighting the issue of ‘chinese conspiracy’ for electoral politics.
• Criminalising legal services: There is alleged creation of shell companies by two telecom companies for funding terror. By mentioning of a lawyer in creation of legal network for these companies police seems to criminalize legal services.

Regulation of foreign funding:

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• An amended FCRA was enacted in 2010 to consolidate the law on utilisation of foreign funds, and to prohibit their use for any activities detrimental to national interest.
• The law was amended again in 2020, giving the government tighter control and scrutiny over the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds by NGOs.

What is a shell company and what are the provisions for its regulations?

• A shell company is a business that is created to hold funds and manage another entity’s financial transactions. In most cases, these businesses merely have assets on paper and not in reality. 

Acts related to its regulations:

• Benami Transactions Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2016: This Act grants the government the authority to seize benami assets. These are the assets held in the name of another person or fictional person in order to avoid taxation or hide unaccounted money.
• Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002: It is considered as a offence of money laundering if the money has not been taxed and passed through a shell company. It considered offence under under Section 3 of the PMLA and is punishable by 3 to 7 years in prison and a fine.
• Companies Act 2013: Section 248 of the Companies Act 2013 empowers the Registrar of Companies to strike a company off the register of companies if
• It fails to commence business within one year of its incorporation
• It fails to carry on business for two financial years
• Has not applied for dormant company status.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• Independent probing: For quick and efficient resolution, there is need for independent probe of the case without any bias and involving any electoral politics.
• Ensure media independence: Media is considered as fourth pillar of democracy and its independence is necessary to ensure democratic principles.
• Taking Dissent positively: It is necessary in a democratic country to take dissent and criticism positively for ensuring accountability and keeping check on the institutions.
• Regulation of foreign funding: Foreign funding is to be regulated properly so that legitimate activities of the organisations are not hampered.

THE CONCLUSION: Free media is the need of the hour to make the government accountable for its action and at the time there should also be a check on the media that it doesnot act in a way to disrupt the unity and integrity of the nation.

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q.1 Examine the scope of Fundamental Rights in the light of the latest judgement of the Supreme Court on Right to Privacy. (2017)

Q.2 “Recent amendments to the Right to information Act will have profound impact on the autonomy and independence of the Information Commission”. Discuss. (2020)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION

The media is the parliament of citizens. In the light of this statement examine the invocation of the recent terrorism charges on media organization in the name of national security.

Note: Please refer to 5^th October Mains focus for more on this news.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/newsclick-non-case-the-hindu-editorial-on-the-strange-case-of-a-terrorism-fir-without-a-terrorist-act/article67397093.ece

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Harvard professor Claudia Goldin wins Nobel Economics Prize for gender gap research READ MORE
2. Scientists untangle mystery about the universe’s earliest galaxies READ MORE
3. Sri Lanka to take over as Chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association READ MORE  
4. Ahead of Bima Vistaar rollout, IRDAI issues guidelines on Bima Vahaks READ MORE
5. ICMR to set up study to develop solutions to remedy childhood undernutrition READ MORE
6. What is multimodal artificial intelligence and why is it important? READ MORE
7. Joint Statement during the State Visit of the President of Tanzania to India and launch of Strategic Partnership between India and Tanzania (8-10 October 2023) READ MORE  
8. Appointment of Manipur HC CJ to be notified soon, Centre tells apex court READ MORE
9. Unemployment rate drops to 6.6% in urban areas in Q1 READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Mental health and the floundering informal worker READ MORE
2. Socio-economic takeaways from Bihar caste survey READ MORE
3. Does India need a caste census? READ MORE
4. Extreme weather impact: 20,000 children displaced every day in last 6 years READ MORE  
5. How climate crisis will trigger more water wars in India READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The state of India’s Scheduled Areas READ MORE
2. Uncertain timing, Census and delimitation hurdles cast shadow over women’s reservation READ MORE
3. Law Commission age of consent recommendations threaten to criminalise the young READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The ‘invisible’ disability of mental illness: Challenges of social security access READ MORE
2. Fundamental health services for women: Analysing gender disparities READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. The end of the two-state solution: Hamas’s spectacular terrorism will push back Palestinian statehood by a generation READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. With food inflation limited to dal roti, why govt policy may need changes READ MORE  
2. Economics Nobel 2023: How Claudia Goldin shed light on the status of women in the workforce READ MORE
3. Is RBI heading in the right direction? READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Why India is launching a national framework for climate services Extreme weather impact: 20,000 children displaced every day in last 6 years READ MORE
2. Natural disasters occur due to our apathy towards environment READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. More people moved into high flood zones, exposing larger populations to water disasters: World Bank READ MORE
2. Sikkim’s Chungthang dam collapse signals the need for dam safety & emissions reduction READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Back to square one on theatre commands READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. It’s okay to be not okay READ MORE
2. Only we can reform our society READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Empowering women with the right to a safe and inclusive online environment is a crucial step toward a more equitable and just society in the digital age. Comment.
2. There is a need to redefine the relationship between the State and universities for a truly autonomous and thriving academic environment. Comment on the statement in light of recent developments.
3. While constitutional safeguards and legal protection for Dalits exist, caste-based discrimination has taken on new forms in the modern era. Discuss why the safeguards and legal protection are failed to address the issue of discrimination in higher educational institutions?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Palestine is the cement that holds the Arab world together, or it is the explosive that blows it apart.
• The disturbing trends seen in women’s mental health call for immediate gender mainstreaming action in mental health policies.
• Policy neglect, uncertain job market, and increased contractualisation are making labourers’ economic condition worse. Inflation is negating purchasing power too.
• Wages of informal labourers neither become an election issue nor do they count as a measure of poverty.
• ]The only way to protect the Indian rupee is through price stability. Assured stability through firmer anti-inflationary measures sends an effective message to overseas investors.
• We need to enhance our responsibility and responsiveness towards climate cure and healing; we must investment in climate-pro solutions.
• Enhance cooperation for mitigation efforts, and develop sustainable and viable ecosystems for a crisis-free society.
• A caste census is deemed discriminatory and opposed by those who seek equal rights for all. Besides, opinions are sharply divided on its impact.
• The release of the socio-economic profile of various SRCs can bring back the lost focus on the ‘economic’ aspect of social justice.
• The promise of a caste census could influence outcomes in the upcoming assembly elections but not do much for the cause of universal welfarism.
• India and South Korea, guided by universal values, should build beyond bilateralism as they refuse to be bystanders amid global disorder.
• Law Commission recommendations on age of consent sidestep key question of how to protect the young from sexual abuse, while ensuring they are not punished for consensual sexual activity with peers.
• Informal workers, despite their significant contribution to national income, are perennially exposed to economic, physical, and, in turn, mental vulnerabilities.
• The only way forward is for a Palestinian leadership that can credibly signal to the Israeli people that it will not use the freedoms it gains from any peace deal to hurt Israel. The prospects for that seem dim.

50-WORD TALK

• The shocking failure of Israel’s security services to preempt Hamas’ brutal strikes illustrates the damage caused when elected dictators operate without scrutiny and the perils of emulating Erdogan-style rule. PM Netanyahu’s politics undermined Jerusalem’s military and intelligence leadership. Israel will prevail—but at a price that need not have been paid.
• Army signing contracts worth Rs 18,000 crore under emergency procurement and asking it be institutionalised shows how convoluted military procurement has become. It is a shame that Services have to use EP to fill up critical gaps. This piecemeal approach should be stopped and procurement systems decluttered for faster procurement.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED. Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. MONEY BILL

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Chief Justice of India orally remarked for the constitution of a seven-judge bench to hear the constitutional issue regarding money bills.

EXPLANATION:

• The CJI’s observation about setting up a seven-judge bench came during the hearing challenging set of amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
• In July 2022, a three-judge bench had upheld the PMLA and the vast powers of the ED.
• However, the bench had left the validity of amendments to the PMLA through the Money Bill route open for a larger Constitution bench to hear.
• The Finance Acts passed in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 brought in crucial amendments to the PMLA.
• Finance Bills passed during the budget are introduced as money bills under Article 110 of the Constitution.

OTHER CHALLENGES:

AADHAAR CASE:

• The first major challenge on whether a bill qualified to be a money bill under the Constitution was in the Aadhaar case.
• In a 4:1 majority, the Supreme Court in 2018, had ruled in favour of the government and had cleared the Aadhaar Act as a valid money bill under Article 110 of the Constitution.
• Justice Chandrachud in the Aadhaar ruling of 2018, criticised the government for passing the Aadhaar Act as a money Bill.
• He had called it a “fraud on the Constitution” and “subterfuge”.

TRIBUNAL REFORM:

• In November 2019, in Roger Matthew vs Union of India, the Supreme Court heard the challenge against tweaks in the service conditions of tribunal members which was also introduced as a money bill in the Finance Act, 2017.
• While a five-judge bench of the court struck down the law as unconstitutional for interfering with judicial independence, it referred the money bill aspect to a larger constitution bench.
• The court also expressed doubts over the correctness of a five-judge Constitution Bench’s 2018 verdict upholding the Aadhaar Act which had been passed as a money Bill.

MONEY BILL:

• A money bill is a piece of legislation that deals with the raising of taxes, the appropriation of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India, or the borrowing of money by the government.
• Article 110 of Part V the Constitution deals with the Money Bills.
• Money bills have special status under the Indian Constitution, as they can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha and do not require the Rajya Sabha’s consent.
• Money Bill can be introduced only on the recommendation of the President.
• If any question arises whether a bill is a money bill or not, the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is final (Article 110(3)).

Article 110(1) of the Constitution defines a money bill as a bill that contains only the following provisions:

1. The imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax;
2. The regulation of the borrowing of money or the giving of any guarantee by the Government of India, or the amendment of the law with respect to any financial obligations undertaken or to be undertaken by the Government of India;
3. The custody of the consolidated Fund or the Contingency Fund of India, the payment of moneys into or the withdrawal of moneys from any such Fund;
4. The appropriation of moneys out of the consolidated Fund of India;
5. The declaring of any expenditure to be expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or the increasing of the amount of any such expenditure;
6. The receipt of money on account of the Consolidated Fund of India or the public account of India or the custody or issue of such money or the audit of the accounts of the Union or of a State; or
7. Any matter incidental to any of the matters specified in sub clause (a) to (f).

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/sc-challenge-centre-money-bill-key-legislation-8970978/

2. DANDELI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: In recent years, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are impacting the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary ecosystem and the people living around them and dependent on them.

EXPLANATION:

• The Dandeli forest in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is known for its forest grasses, birds and cattle herders.

DANDELI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY:

• Located in Karnataka, it is the second largest wildlife sanctuary of the state.
• It is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna.
• It is known for its lush green forests, grasslands, rivers, and streams.
• The sanctuary is home to a variety of plants and animals, including many endangered species, such as the Indian gaur, the tiger, and the Asian elephant.
• With more than 300 species of birds nesting amidst the forest, the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is also a bird lover’s paradise.
• It is well connected with rail and road networks, which makes it accessible to travellers coming from different corners.

IMPACT ON THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM:

Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are causing a number of changes in the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, including:

• Changes in the distribution of plant and animal species:
  • Some plants and animals are more tolerant of heat and drought than others.
  • As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns become more erratic, some species are shifting their ranges to cooler and wetter areas.
  • This is disrupting the food chain and other ecological relationships.
• Increased risk of wildfires:
  • Wildfires are a natural part of the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary ecosystem.
  • However, rising temperatures and drought conditions are making wildfires more frequent and severe.
  • This is damaging forests and grasslands, and displacing wildlife.
• Increased pest and disease outbreaks:
  • Pests and diseases thrive in warm and humid conditions.
  • Rising temperatures are creating ideal conditions for the spread of pests and diseases, which can damage forests and crops.

IMPACT ON PEOPLE:

• The people living around the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary are dependent on the forest ecosystem for their livelihoods.
• The forest provides them with food, fuel, and income from tourism and other activities.
• The changes in the forest ecosystem due to climate change are having a negative impact on the livelihoods of the people living around the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary.
• For example, the decline in forest grasses is making it difficult for cattle herders to feed their animals.
• The increased risk of wildfires is destroying homes and crops.
• And the increased pest and disease outbreaks are damaging crops and reducing crop yields.

WAY FORWARD:

There are a number of things that can be done to mitigate the impact of climate change on the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and the people living around it. These include:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions:
  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the most important thing that can be done to mitigate climate change.
  • This can be done by switching to renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
• Protecting and restoring forests:
  • Forests play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • Protecting and restoring forests can help to mitigate climate change.
  • It provides benefits such as improving water quality and reducing soil erosion.
• Supporting sustainable livelihoods for people living around the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • It is important to support the sustainable livelihoods of the people living around the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • This can be done through programs that promote sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and other activities that do not harm the forest ecosystem.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/climate-crisis-in-forests-dandeli-losing-its-distinctive-grasses-hornbills-to-erratic-weather-92127

3. STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL INTERVENTION (SAI)

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: A new study published in the journal Nature Food has warned about implementing a controversial climate intervention technology called stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI).

EXPLANATION:

• It could create inequities in food production, benefitting some and harming others.

STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL INTERVENTION (SAI):

• SAI mimics volcanic eruptions by injecting sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere where it oxidises to form sulphuric acid, which then forms reflective aerosol particles.
• For example, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 2001 and injected about 15 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, which then formed aerosol particles.
• It caused a drop in the average global temperature of about 0.6 degrees Celsius over the next 15 months.
• It is a proposed strategy to reduce the effects of anthropogenic climate change.
• There are many temperature targets that could be chosen for a SAI implementation, which would regionally modify climatically relevant variables such as:
  • surface temperature,
  • precipitation,
  • humidity,
  • total solar radiation and
  • diffuse radiation.
• Higher-latitude nations tend to produce the most calories under unabated climate change.
• Midlatitude nations maximize calories under moderate SAI implementation.
• Equatorial nations produce the most calories from crops under high levels of SAI.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF SAI FOR FOOD PRODUCTION:

• Increased crop yields in high-latitude regions such as Canada and Russia.
• Reduced crop losses due to extreme weather events such as droughts and floods
• Extended growing seasons in some regions

POTENTIAL RISKS OF SAI FOR FOOD PRODUCTION:

• Decreased crop yields in low-latitude regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia.
• Changes in rainfall patterns that could disrupt agricultural production.
• Depletion of the ozone layer, which could lead to increased UV radiation and damage to crops.

IMPACT OF SAI ON SMALL-SCALE FARMERS:

• Small-scale farmers are often more dependent on rain-fed agriculture than large-scale farmers.
• This makes them more vulnerable to the changes in rainfall patterns that are expected to occur under SAI.
• Small-scale farmers also have fewer resources to invest in irrigation and other technologies that can help to reduce their vulnerability to changes in rainfall patterns.

WAY FORWARD:

• The potential impact of SAI on agriculture is a major concern, as it could exacerbate existing inequalities in food production and access.
• It is important to consider the needs of vulnerable populations, such as small-scale farmers in developing countries, when making decisions about the deployment of SAI.
• It is also important to note that SAI is a temporary solution to the problem of climate change.
• It would not address the underlying causes of climate change, such as the burning of fossil fuels.
• It is important to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in renewable energy to address the root cause of climate change.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/modelling-study-shows-how-controversial-geoengineering-may-affect-global-food-production-92138

4. COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT)

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Russian president stated that Russia might revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to be on level terms with the United States, and not to resume nuclear testing.

WHAT IS CTBT?

• The CTBT is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, whether for military or peaceful purposes.
• Although it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996, it’s still in the ratification stage, 18 countries are yet to ratify.
• While Russia ratified the agreement in 2000, the US is still to do so.
• Although India initially participated in negotiating the CTBT, it subsequently walked out of the negotiations and has never signed the treaty.

HOW DID CTBT COME INTO BEING?

• Between 1945 and 1996, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out by the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, France and China.
• The radioactive fallout from those tests drew criticism from around the globe.
• After then, the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (LTBT) prohibited nuclear testing in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater, but underground tests were still permitted.
• To tackle the limitations of LTBT, a comprehensive test ban was discussed during the negotiation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1968. However, no agreement was reached on the issue.
• Six years later, the US and Soviet Union agreed to sign the Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT).
• A major breakthrough came after the Cold War ended around 1990 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
• As the geopolitical tensions simmered down, the UN took advantage of the situation and adopted the CTBT.
• It put a blanket ban on the explosive testing of nuclear weapons, on September 10, 1996, and it opened for signature on September 24, 1996.

DID THE CTBT STOP NUCLEAR TESTING?

• Since the CTBT, 10 nuclear tests have taken place.
• India conducted two in 1998, Pakistan also two in 1998, and North Korea conducted tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 (twice) and 2017, according to the United Nations, Reuters reported.
• The United States last tested in 1992, China and France in 1996 and the Soviet Union in 1990.
• Russia, which inherited most of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, has never conducted a nuclear test.

WHICH KEY COUNTRIES HAVEN’T RATIFIED CTBT?

• Notably, for the treaty to enter into force, it must be signed and ratified by 44 specific nuclear technology holder countries.
• China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States are yet to ratify the agreement, according to the UN.
• In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged these countries to ratify CTBT.
  • He said, “Given its necessity and readiness, it is both disappointing and frustrating that the Treaty has not yet entered into force.”
  • The eight remaining Annex II States ratifications are required for the Treaty’s entry-into-force.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/nuclear-test-ban-treaty-ctbt-8971599/

5. AMPHIBIANS

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a new study based on the second global amphibian assessment, revealed that climate change posed the greatest threat to the existence of amphibian life.

EXPLANATION:

• The assessment evaluated the extinction risk of more than 8,000 amphibian species from all over the world, including 2,286 species evaluated for the first time.
• More than 1,000 experts across the globe, including scientists and researchers from Assam-based biodiversity conservation organisation, Aaranyak, and other Indian institutions, contributed their data and expertise.
• These data will be published on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STUDY:

• Two out of every five amphibians are threatened with extinction.
• Between 2004 and 2022, a few critical threats have pushed more than 300 amphibians closer to extinction.
• Climate change was the primary threat for 39% of these species.
• This number is expected to rise as better data and projections on species’ responses to climate change become available.
  • Climate change is especially concerning for amphibians in large part because they are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment.
• Climate change is emerging as one of the biggest threats to frogs, salamanders, and caecilians.
• As per the study, climate change is already having a significant impact on amphibians, and this impact is expected to worsen in the coming years.

Rhacophorus rhodopus from Assam

Icthyophis garoensis from Meghalaya

FACTORS AFFECTING AMPHIBIANS:

• Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to climate change because they are ectotherms, meaning that their body temperature is regulated by the environment.
• As temperatures rise, amphibians are more likely to overheat, which can lead to death.
• Climate change is disrupting amphibians’ breeding cycles and making it more difficult for them to find food and water.
• In addition to climate change, amphibians are also facing a number of other threats, including habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species.
• However, the study found that climate change is the most serious threat to amphibians, and that it is likely to be the primary driver of amphibian extinctions in the coming decades.
• The study’s findings are a stark reminder of the urgent need to take action on climate change.
• Amphibians are important members of ecosystems, and their decline could have a significant impact on food security and human health.
• It is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate the impacts of climate change on amphibians and other vulnerable species.

AMPHIBIANS:

• Amphibians are a class of vertebrates that can live in both water and on land.
• They are ectotherms.
• Amphibians have a moist, permeable skin that allows them to breathe oxygen and absorb water.
• They also have long, sticky tongues that they use to catch prey.
• Amphibians go through a process called metamorphosis, which is a transformation from a larva to an adult.
• The larvae are typically aquatic and have gills for breathing.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CONSERVE AMPHIBIANS?

• Support policies that address climate change and protect biodiversity.
• Reduce our own carbon footprint by driving less, using less energy at home, and eating less meat.
• Support conservation organizations that are working to protect amphibians and their habitats.
• Volunteer your time to help with amphibian surveys and habitat restoration projects.
• Educate others about the importance of amphibians and the threats they face.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/two-of-every-five-amphibians-threatened-with-extinction-reveals-study/article67383443.ece

REFERENCE TO UPSC SYLLABUS: GS 2: DIGITAL INDIA, INTERNET SHUTDOWNS, GS 3: INTERNAL SECURITY

THE CONTEXT

The internet shutdown in Manipur was reimposed on September 26, 2023.  The internet had been back in place for barely three days after the 143-day-long shutdown that began on May 3, 2023 before it was shut down again as the conflict intensified.

MORE ON THE NEWS

• There is a cycle of internet shutdowns happening in the state of Manipur as it is trapped in ethnic conflict, marked by frequent loss of life and property. It underpins a lack of confidence in the state as a recurring theme for protests in Imphal, regardless of internet access.
• Violence and brutality from Manipur reflect a deep-seated social discord and a breakdown in public trust. The term “cycle of violence,” is aptly used here. It was coined by Lenore Walker to describe situations of domestic abuse, and is no longer used in this context.
• However, it captures the toxic relationship that can develop between the state and its citizens. Those in power persist in depriving citizens of digital access to essential aspects of life, all to evade accountability. Cycles do not stop by themselves. To end, they require political leadership, not the continued use of “limited internet shutdowns” in Manipur.

WHAT IS INTERNET SHUTDOWN?

• Internet shutdowns are an absolute restriction placed on the use of internet services due to an order issued by a government body.
• It may be limited to a specific place and to specific period, time or number of days. Sometimes it can even extend indefinitely.
• An internet shutdown may be limited to mobile internet that you use on smartphones, or the wired broadband that usually connects a desktop – or both at the same time.

INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN INDIA

• Data compiled by global digital rights group Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition reveals that India implemented at least 84 shutdowns in 2022, the highest number of shutdowns in the by any country in 2022.
• Since 2016, India has accounted for approximately 58% of all shutdowns documented in the Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP database).

REGULATION RELATED TO INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN INDIA

• Till the year 2017, shutdowns were imposed largely under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
• However, in 2017 the law was amended and the Government promulgated the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017 under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
• The 2017 Rules provide for temporary shutdown of telecom services in a region on grounds of public emergency and give senior bureaucrats from the Home Ministry at the central and state levels the power to order shutdowns.
• The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 grants the central government the power to disconnect or intercept communication services in the interest of case including:  Public safety, sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, or public order.
• Section 69 of the IT Act allows the government to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecom service providers, web hosting services, search engines, online marketplaces, etc. However, the Section requires the information or content being blocked to be deemed a threat to India’s national security, sovereignty, or public order.

ISSUES RELATED TO INTERNET SHUTDOWNS

• Economic impact: Internet shutdown has vast economic implication due to disruptions in communication as businesses and startups mostly rely on internet to operate.
• Suppress dissent: Internet shutdowns are tend to often used by governments to suppress dissent and limit political opposition.
• Affects day to day life: Shutdowns tend to disturb day-to-day life as online transactions, delivery and essential services came to a standstill. Students preparing for their boards, patients unable to reach their doctors and candidates struggling to commute to their job interviews were.
• Affects international reputation: India is seen as democratic nation and frequent internet shutdowns have a negative impact on India’s international reputation as a democratic nation.
• Not effective steps by regulators: As, the Department of Telecom refuses to maintain a centralised database and has proposed a Telecom Bill that retains unchecked power to implement internet shutdowns. Also, a recently concluded Telecom Regulatory Authority of India consultation ignored internet shutdown issue. Thus, institutions which serve as checks on a state government are either offering tacit support or adopting wilful ignorance towards internet shutdowns.

THE WAY FORWARD

• Need of political leadership: The Cycles of shutdowns do not stop by themselves. To end, they require political leadership, not the continued use of ‘limited internet shutdowns’ for long term solutions.
• Reforming the Legal Framework: Existing legal framework seems to be inadequate in limiting the internet shutdowns, government should repeal or amend the outdated laws.The state also needs to follow the Anuradha Bhasin judgement of the SC in letter and spirit.
• Alternative solution: There can be alternative solution by engaging civil society for peace and communication. Also, instead of complete shutdown, there can be blocking of specific content or websites.
• Action by private players: There is need of cautionary approach by private players. OTT platforms must exercise due caution and discretion when featuring the activities, beliefs, practices, or views of any racial or religious group. For example, Major telecom players like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone are advocating for service-level blocks by internet companies, a move that could not only increase compliance burdens but also risk government-dictated “essential” internet services.

THE CONCLUSION

A proportionality and necessity test analysis to determine the proper course of action are essential at this juncture. For better internet governance and government and the Indian civil society needs to push for a transparent and accountable system.

 PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

1. Has digital literacy, particularly in rural areas, coupled with lack of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility hindered socio-economic development? Examine with justification. (2021).
2. Discuss different types of cybercrimes and measures required to be taken to fight the menace. (2020).

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. India has accounted for one of the highest internet shutdowns in recent years. In this respect, discuss the laws for internet shutdown regulation and issues arising out of frequent shutdown in India.
2. Is internet shutdown provides an effective solution for maintaining public order or it is used as a tool to evade accountability? Discuss.

 SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/apar-gupta-writes-in-manipur-another-internet-shutdown-a-conflict-intensified-8970390/

REFERENCE TO UPSC SYLLABUS: GS1: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT; GS 2: ELECTORAL RRFORMS.

THE CONTEXT

The landmark Women’s Reservation Bill now the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act that reserves one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women received presidential assent recently.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL

• Reservation for women: The Bill reserves, one-third of all seats for women in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.  This will also apply to the seats reserved for SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and states legislatures.
• Commencement of reservation: The reservation will be effective after the census conducted after the commencement of this Bill has been published.   Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women.  The reservation will be provided for a period of 15 years.  However, it shall continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament.
• Rotation of seats:Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law made by Parliament.
• Ratification of bill: The Bill needs ratification from a minimum of 50 per cent of the states. The constitutional reasoning for requiring ratification by states is the potential impact of the Bill on the rights of states.

SIGNIFICANCE 

• Increase political representation of women: According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, India ranks 148th out of 193 countries in terms of women’s representation while the global average is 26.5 per cent. Similarly, women’s representation in state assemblies is also dismal, ranging from 3.1 per cent in Nagaland to 23.1 per cent in Bihar. The Bill aims to increase the number of women MPs to 181 from the current 82 and women MLAs to more than 2,000 from the current 740.
• Gender equality: The Bill aims to empower women and promote gender equality in society. The Bill hopes to create a conducive environment for women to voice their concerns and demand their rights. It also hopes to inspire more women to enter public life, take on leadership roles and challenge the patriarchal norms and stereotypes that limit their potential.
• Enhance governance: The Bill will improve the quality and effectiveness of governance and policymaking in India. Studies have shown that women legislators tend to be more responsive, accountable, honest, and collaborative than their male counterparts. They also tend to focus more on issues related to health, education, welfare, environment, and social justice, which are crucial for human development.

WOMEN’S RESERVATION IN PANCHAYATS

• The Bill marked a new chapter in India’s democratic journey and it comes on the 30th anniversary of the constitutional reforms that reserved one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women.
• The Parliament enacted the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments that sought to make panchayats and municipalities “institutions of self-government”.
• It mandated a minimum of one-third of seats and office of chairpersons in panchayats and municipalities to be reserved for women.
• It also mandated reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Schedules Tribes (STs) based on their percentage population and enabled States to reserve seats for Backward Classes.
• This has created a system with over 3 million elected panchayat representatives, out of which almost half are women.
• While the Union government’s 2009 constitutional amendment to increase women’s reservation in local governments from 33% to 50% failed, many States have enacted laws that reserve 50% seats for women.
• Hence, presently in panchayats and municipalities, there is, at one level, vertical reservation of seats for SCs, STs, and OBCs and a horizontal category of reservation for women that applies across all categories general, SC, ST, and OBC.
• However, unlike the case of the 73rd and 74th amendments, the present law does not enable reservation for OBC women.

IMPACT OF WOMEN’S RESERVATION IN PANCHAYATS

• Strengthening democracy: With 30 years of women’s reservation in local government, it has ensured to strengthen democracy at grass root level which can be lesson for upper democracy. It led to expansion and diversification of the representative base of Indian democracy which is the most successful element of these constitutional reforms.
• Holistic address of disadvantaged section: Because of Such a mix of vertical and horizontal reservations the issue of disadvantaged section of people are recognized due to their location in the intersection of their caste and gender identities. The present women’s reservation law, adopts a similar model of intersectional reservation for women.
• Efficiency of Women leaders: Women leaders tends to be more efficient and women’s reservation in local governments yielded substantive benefits.

Differing impacts:

• More efficient: A 2004 paper by Esther Duflo and Raghabendra Chattopadhyay on panchayats in West Bengal and Rajasthan found that women leaders invest more in public goods and ensure increased women’s participation in panchayat meetings. A more expansive study in 2011 across 11 States by Ms. Duflo and others reaffirmed the finding that women-led panchayats made higher investments in public services like drinking water, education, and roads.
• Worse impact: However, a 2010 paper by Pranab Bardhan and others found that women’s reservations worsened the targeting of welfare programmes for SC/ST households and provided no improvement for female-headed households. Also, A 2020 paper by Alexander Lee and Varun Karekurve-Ramachandra examining reservations in Delhi found that constituencies reserved for women are less likely to elect OBC women and more likely to elect upper-caste women.
• Not much difference: Meanwhile, a 2008 paper by Vijayendra Rao and Radu Ban found that women leaders perform no differently than their male counterparts in south India and instead institutional factors such as the maturity of the State’s panchayat system were more relevant.

Evidently, the impact of women’s reservation is not straightforward. Since the role that women play in local governments is different from their role in Parliament, the impact of reservation may play out differently, it needs more effective studies to analyse the impacts at parliament level.

CONCERNS

• Can create division among women: The Bill will create divisions among women based on caste, religion, region, and class. Some parties have demanded that within the 33 per cent reservation for women, there should be a sub-quota for women from backward classes and minorities. Without such a provision, the Bill will benefit only upper-caste and urban women at the expense of lower-caste and rural women.
• Restrict choice of voters: Reservation of seats in Parliament restricts choice of voters to women candidates. Therefore, some experts have suggested alternate methods such as reservation in political parties and dual member constituencies.
• Issue in rotation provision of the bill: By reserving seats for women by rotation, the Bill may create instability and uncertainty in the electoral process. Rotation of reserved constituencies in every election may reduce the incentive for an MP to work for his constituency as he may be ineligible to seek re-election from that constituency.
• Issue regarding merit of legislators: Another point of criticism is that it may reduce the merit and competence of legislators. By reserving seats for women based on gender alone, the Bill may compromise the quality and efficiency of governance.
• Can repeat trend of local bodies: One of the major concern is repetition of trend of local bodies where in name of women candidate, male members (Sarpanch Patis) tends to enjoy the political privileges overshadowing women’s political rights.
• Not proper discussion and consultation: There is no such proper stakeholder consultation. However, something as vital as a constitutional amendment for women’s reservation should have been introduced after widespread discussion and analysis of its experience, instead of being introduced through a “supplementary list” in a hastily organised Parliament session.

THE WAY FORWARD

• Immediate implementation: The reservation is proposed to be implemented after a new Census is published and the delimitation exercise is completed which may take time longer than expected. In this case there is need to have immediate implementation for its effective result.
• More inclusivity: There should be sub quota for reservation of OBC as well to have inclusive political representation of women from marginalized strata of society.
• Extend reservation to Rajya Sabha: The report examining the 1996 women’s reservation Bill recommended reservation be extended to the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Councils as well to have an overall holistic growth.
• Reforms in the Electoral Process: Reforms such as introducing proportional representation and preferential voting systems can help to increase women’s representation in politics.

THE CONCLUSION

Overall, the reservation to women is a significant step forward for engendering political system.  There is need to ensure commitment of each political party towards empowerment of women within the political sphere by giving more tickets to them in the interregnum .

 PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

1. Is the National Commission for Women able to strategize and tackle the problems that women face at both public and private spheres? Give reasons in support of your answer. (2017)
2. Assess the importance of the Panchayat system in India as a part of local government. Apart from government grants, what sources the Panchayats can look out for financing developmental projects? (2018)
3. The reservation of seats for women in the institution of local self-government has had a limited impact on the patriarchal character of the Indian political process”. Comment. (2019)

 MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. The Women Reservation Bill, 2023 is a new step in electoral reforms. Examine the concerns regarding its feasibility, desirability, and implications.
2. How far the Women Reservation Bill, 2023 can address the under representation of women in the Indian Political System?

 SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/womens-quota-panchayats-to-parliament/article67381623.ece

1. DIRECTORATE OF ENFORCEMENT (ED)

TAG: GS 2: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: In Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India Case 2023, the Supreme Court has held that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) must furnish the reasons of arrest to the accused.

EXPLANATION:

• The judgement came on a plea by Pankaj Bansal and Basant Bansal, Directors of M3M real estate group.
• They challenged an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which declined to set aside their arrest by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
• the Supreme Court ruled on 3^rd October 2023 that it is necessary a copy of the grounds of arrest to the arrested person as a matter of course and without exception.
• The arrest was held illegal by the bench, as arrest does not fulfil the mandate of Article 22 (1) of Constitution and Section 19 (1) of the PMLA.
• It underlined that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is not expected to be vindictive in its conduct.

SUPREME COURT RULINGS:

• In recent years, the ED has been under increasing scrutiny from the Supreme Court.
• The court has issued a number of rulings that have limited the ED’s powers and strengthened the rights of the accused.

Vijay Madanlal Choudhary & Ors v. Union of India 2022:

• • The Supreme Court court dealt with confiscation proceedings under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 [PMLA].
  • It limited the application of Section 8(4) of PMLA concerning interim possession by authorities before conclusion of the final trial to exceptional cases.
  • The Supreme Court in 2022 upheld the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) right to make arrests and seize assets, while rejecting multiple challenges to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
  • A bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said ED should put more information in the public domain.
  • It said the lack of judicial officers dealing with PMLA cases is a serious issue, asking the government to address the problem.
  • Confiscation of the property based on the provisional order as mentioned under Section 8(4) should be an exception and not a rule.

In Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India Case 2023:

• The Supreme Court has held that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) must furnish the reasons of arrest to the accused.
• Mere non-cooperation of a witness in response to the summons issued under Section 50 of the (PMLA) Act of 2002 would not be enough to render him/her liable to be arrested under Section 19.

ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE (ED):

• ED is a Multi-Disciplinary Organisation under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
• It is mandated with the task of enforcing the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
• The ED headquartered in New Delhi is headed by the Director of Enforcement.
• There are five Regional offices and other such zonal and subzonal offices in various parts of the country.
• It was formed in 1956 in the Department of Economic Affairs, to investigate cases of foreign exchange-related violations, a civil provision.
• But in 2002, after the introduction of the PMLA, it started taking up cases of financial fraud and money laundering, which were of criminal nature.
• Recently, its functioning has been under a cloud of suspicion as they are alleged to be used against the opposition leaders, the media and the critics of the Central Government.
• The state governments also allege that the agency violates the federal principles enshrined in the Constitution.

CRITICISM OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE:

• The PMLA has been misused for targeting dissident voices and thereby preventing free speech and expression.
• This has become a routine affair especially in the case of NGOs.
• For instance, all bank accounts of Amnesty International India were completely frozen by the Enforcement Directorate in September 2020 on the charge of the alleged violation of PMLA.
• The division of power under the Schedule 7 of the Constitution places the responsibility for police and public order in the State List.
• But the power of ED to investigate cases without states consent especially in ordinary crimes is against federal principles.
• The ED has been accused of selective application of the PMLA provisions and the major money laundering scams are either not investigated or not followed up by ED.
• For instance, The Rose Valley Chit Fund Scam in Odisha, the NARADA scam in West Bengal etc.
• Unlike the CrPC which provides for a proper procedure to commence an investigation, in the PMLA there is no procedure prescribed.
• This is a direct violation of Art 20(3) which protects individuals from self-incrimination.
• Section 120 B dealing with criminal conspiracy is part of PMLA. The section can be applied to any offence and requires only a mere allegation.

SOURCE: https://www.livelaw.in/supreme-court/why-ed-must-furnish-grounds-of-arrest-to-accused-in-writing-supreme-court-explains-239308

2. PM STREET VENDOR’S ATMANIRBHAR NIDHI (PM SVANidhi) SCHEME

TAG: GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE, GS 1: SOCIETY

THE CONTEXT: Onboarding of 50 lakh beneficiaries of PM SVANidhi Scheme.

EXPLANATION:

• As per Govt. of India PM SVANidhi has not only made the lives of street vendors easier but has also given them an opportunity to live with dignity.

PM STREET VENDOR’S ATMANIRBHAR NIDHI (PM SVANidhi) SCHEME:

• The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on June 01, 2020.
• It aims to for provide affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.
• The duration of the scheme initially was until March 2022.
• It has been extended till December 2024.
• It has enhanced the focus on collateral free affordable loan corpus, increased adoption of digital transactions and holistic socio-economic development of the Street Vendors and their families.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the implementing agency of the scheme.

TARGET BENEFICIARIES:

• This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors.
• A vendor, according to the scheme guidelines is any person engaged in vending of articles, goods, wares, food items or merchandise of daily use or offering services to the public in a street, footpath, pavement etc., from a temporary built-up structure or by moving from place to place.
• The goods supplied by them include vegetables, fruits, ready-to-eat street food, tea, pakodas, breads, eggs, textile, apparel, artisan products, books/ stationary etc.
• The services include barber shops, cobblers, pan shops, laundry services etc.

SCHEME BENEFITS:

• Vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.
• On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on quarterly basis.
• There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan.
• The scheme promotes digital transactions through cash back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 100 per month.
• The vendors can avail the facility of escalation of the credit limit on timely/ early repayment of loan.

SOURCE: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1964005

3. NOBEL PRIZE 2023 IN CHEMISTRY

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.

BACKGROUND:

• Physicists had long known that in theory size-dependent quantum effects could arise in nanoparticles.
• But at that time it was almost impossible to sculpt in nanodimensions.
• Few people believed that this knowledge would be put to practical use.
• In the early 1980s, Alexei Ekimov succeeded in creating size-dependent quantum effects in coloured glass.
• The colour came from nanoparticles of copper chloride and Ekimov demonstrated that the particle size affected the colour of the glass via quantum effects.
• A few years later, Louis Brus was the first scientist in the world to prove size-dependent quantum effects in particles floating freely in a fluid.
• In 1993, Moungi Bawendi revolutionised the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles.
• This high quality was necessary for them to be utilised in applications.

QUANTUM DOTS AND ITS APPLICATIONS:

• Quantum dots have unique properties and spread their light from television screens and LED lamps.
• They catalyse chemical reactions, and their clear light can illuminate tumour tissue for a surgeon.
• Quantum dots have primarily been utilised to create coloured light.
• It is believed that in the future quantum dots can contribute to flexible electronics, miniscule sensors, slimmer solar cells and perhaps encrypted quantum communication.
• Today quantum dots are an important part of nanotechnology’s toolbox. The 2023 Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have all been pioneers in the exploration of the nanoworld.
• Quantum dots now illuminate computer monitors and television screens based on QLED technology.
• They also add nuance to the light of some LED lamps, and biochemists and doctors use them to map biological tissue.
• Quantum dots are thus bringing the greatest benefit to humankind.
• Researchers believe that in the future they could contribute to flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells and encrypted quantum communication – so we have just started exploring the potential of these tiny particles.

NOBEL PRIZES:

• Alfred Nobel was an inventor, entrepreneur, scientist and businessman who also wrote poetry and drama.
• His varied interests are reflected in the prize he established and which he lay the foundation for in 1895 when he wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth to the establishment of the prize.
• Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been honoring men and women from around the world for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for work in peace.
• The prizes consist of a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary award.
• In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
• The prize is based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank on the occasion of the bank’s 300th anniversary.
• The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.
• The prize in economic sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/2023-nobel-prize-chemistry/article67377618.ece

4. GLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOOD (GLOF)

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: The South Lhonak Lake burst, causing recent flash floods in north Sikkim.

EXPLANATION:

• Ten casualties have been confirmed, and many more are missing due to the Teesta River’s rising flood level and nonstop rain.
• The South Lhonak Lake had drawn criticism for its quick growth and vulnerability to GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods).

WHAT IS GLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOOD (GLOF)?

• Glacial lakes, like South Lhonak Lake, form in front of, on, or beneath melting glaciers.
• As they grow, they become more dangerous, often dammed by unstable ice or sediment.
• If the dam breaks, massive volumes of water rush downstream, causing floods known as GLOF.
• GLOF can be triggered by earthquakes, heavy rains, ice avalanches, or landslides.

HOW DID SOUTH LHONAK LAKE BECOME SUSCEPTIBLE TO GLOF?

• Glacial lakes are common in steep, mountainous regions, making them vulnerable to landslides or ice avalanches that displace water.
• The impact of climate change leads to rapid glacier melting, resulting in the formation and expansion of glacial lakes.
• In Sikkim Himalayan, rising temperatures have caused glacier melt, leading to the proliferation of glacial lakes, including the South Lhonak Lake.
• There are over 300 glacial lakes in Sikkim Himalayan, with 10 identified as vulnerable to GLOF.
• South Lhonak Lake had shown significant growth over the past five decades.
• An earthquake in 1991 and another in 2011, along with future seismic events, were identified as potential triggers for GLOF.
• Government authorities had been monitoring the lake’s expansion and susceptibility to GLOF.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS TAKEN BY THE SIKKIM GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE THE EXPANDING SOUTH LHONAK LAKE?

• In 2016, authorities, including the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority and Sikkim’s Department of Science and Technology and Climate Change, initiated measures to address the expanding South Lhonak Lake.
• Innovator Sonam Wangchuk supervised the implementation of a technique involving the syphoning off of lake water.
• Three eight-inch wide and 130-140 meters long High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes were installed in the lake to remove water at a rate of 150 liters per second.

LHONAK LAKE:

• Lhonak Lake is a glacial lake situated in the pristine landscapes of North Sikkim, at a staggering altitude of approximately 17,000 feet above sea level.
• Its formation is attributed to the melting glaciers of the region, a process accelerated by rising global temperatures.
• South Lhonak Lake is a glacial-moraine-dammed lake, located in Sikkim’s far northwestern region.
• It is one of the fastest expanding lakes in the Sikkim Himalaya region, and one of the 14 potentially dangerous lakes susceptible to Glacial lake outburst flood (GLOFs).
• It plays a role in the hydrological cycle, releasing water downstream, ultimately benefiting the Teesta River basin.

WAY FORWARD: MITIGATION

• Regular lake monitoring is necessary to evaluate changes in water levels and the strength of natural dams in glacial lakes.
• Implementing early warning systems that can identify and alert areas downstream of potential GLOFs.
• Building protective infrastructure to control floodwaters, such as dams or diversion channels.
• Implementing zoning and land-use planning to prevent construction in high-risk locations.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-climate/glacial-lake-outburst-flood-glof-sikkim-8968562/

5. DYNAMIC INJUNCTION

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The Delhi HC has passed dynamic injunction against illegal ICC World Cup broadcasting.

EXPLANATION:

• A plea has been filed by Star India which stated that given the exclusive rights they had acquired from ICC, they enjoyed broadcast reproduction rights.
• But these rights are contemplated under Section 37 of the 1957 Copyright Act.
• Recently, the Delhi High Court restrained nine websites from illegally broadcasting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 matches.

WHAT IS SECTION 37 OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT?

• Section 37 deals with a “special right” extended to every broadcasting organisation.
• Section 37 (2) proceeds to enlist what constitutes an infringement of this right.
• It states that “during the continuance of a broadcast reproduction right” any person who:
  • without the licence of the right’s owner engages in re-broadcasting the broadcast; or
  • causes the broadcast to be heard or seen by the public on payment of charges; or
  • makes any sound or visual recording of the broadcast; or
  • makes any reproduction of such sound or visual recording where the initial recording was done without licence or was licensed, for any purpose not envisaged by the licence; or
  • sells or hires to the public, or
  • offers for such sale or hire, any such sound recording or visual recording,

will be deemed to have infringed this right, subject to the provisions of Section 39.

• Section 39 provides exceptions when the reproduction of such content can be considered as ‘fair dealing; and not copyright infringement.

WHAT IS A DYNAMIC INJUNCTION?

• A dynamic injunction is passed to protect copyrighted works even before they are publicly released, distributed, or created.
  • An injunction is an official order given by a law court, usually to stop someone from doing something.
• It ensures that no irreparable loss is caused to its authors and owner.
• It restricts the imminent possibility of works being uploaded on rogue websites or their newer versions immediately after their creation or release, given the challenges posed by online piracy.
• In August, the court has observed that given the nature of the illegalities that rogue websites indulge in.
• It concluded that there is a need to pass injunctions which are also dynamic as once a film or series is released, it might be immediately uploaded on the rogue websites, causing severe and instant monetary loss to its creators.

What are the other cases where such injunctions have been passed?

• Star India Pvt. Ltd. said that since 2021, the Delhi HC had granted similar dynamic injunctions against several such rogue websites in Star India’s favour, which led to them ultimately being taken down.
• The Delhi HC in its 2019 ruling in “UTV vs. 1337x.to” introduced the concept of dynamic injunctions for the first time.
• Star India had come across almost all major sporting events being illegally communicated and disseminated on the internet, Star approached the court seeking an injunction restraining the defendant websites.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/delhi-hc-what-is-dynamic-injunction-8968692/

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. PM hails landmark of 50 lakh beneficiaries of PMSVANidhi Scheme READ MORE
2.  2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Three share prize for discovery of quantum dots, now used in LEDs READ MORE  
3. National Action Plan for Green Shipping promotes eco-friendly practices: DG of Shipping READ MORE
4. U.S. keeps distance on Muizzu’s plan to end Indian military presence in Maldives READ MORE
5. New defence indigenisation list has futuristic weapons, systems READ MORE
6. In first polls post-370, Kargil hill council elections sees over 78% turnout READ MORE
7. Glacial lake outburst flood kills 14 in Sikkim, 102 people missing: What is GLOF, and why does it happen? READ MORE
8. Delhi HC passes ‘dynamic injunction’ against illegal ICC World Cup broadcast: What this means, what was the case READ MORE
9. Latest Nipah Virus Outbreak reports 33% case fatality rate, all bat samples tested negative: WHO READ MORE
10. India, Japan launch sustainability fund worth $600 million for low carbon emission projects READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Hugh and Colleen Gantzer write: Women’s Bill, through our travels READ MORE
2. Missing in the caste survey READ MORE
3. Economic and social reform constitute a radical agenda of eradicating caste READ MORE
4. Cause and Effect | Did an underwater volcanic eruption add to rising temperatures? READ MORE
5. Monsoon woes READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Women’s quota, panchayats to Parliament READ MORE
2. Retribution for the south, accolade for the north READ MORE
3. Drawing lines in Cauvery waters READ MORE
4. Court’s Sweeping Powers Under Article 142 Can’t Be Used to Override Substantive Law: SC READ MORE
5. Age of Consent: Law Panel Report Simply Diagnoses, Doesn’t Solve the Problem READ MORE
6. “One Nation-One Election” is vital for good governance READ MORE
7. Dynamics of women’s empowerment in Indian politics READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Making menstrual health a welfare priority: Insights from three states READ MORE
2. NEP 2020 centralises education, worsens existing maladies READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Development partnerships for food security: India in the Indo-Pacific READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Driving mobility to a sustainable future READ MORE  
2. Advancing women’s role in India’s economic progress READ MORE
3. It is a global recession with economic growth among lowest in four decades READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Keeping tabs on carbon with an accounting system READ MORE
2. Tackle climate risk firmly to minimise economic losses READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Let there be light: On the 2023 physics Nobel READ MORE
2. Don’t deprive scientists of funds, incentives READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. As Sikkim Reels From Disastrous Floods, Concerns Over Warning Signs and Enormous Impact READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Mizoram National Front and the politics of cross-border kinship READ MORE
2. Why the Five Eyes remain blind to India’s security concerns READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Is mortality subjective? READ MORE
2. God and his many forms READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ONOE would be a great help in substantially minimizing the effects of using polarisation based on socio-economic toxicity to win elections. How far do you agree with this statement? Analyse your viewpoint.
2. Discuss the issue of climate migrants. Suggest ways to address the challenges related to climate migration.
3. By collaborating with neighbouring countries, India can serve as a catalyst for positive change and promote food security and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific. Comment.
4. India’s female workforce participation remains paltry and calls for an urgent review of India’s policies and schemes related to women’s empowerment. Argue.
5. While legislative representation is a critical aspect, it must be complemented by measures that empower women at the grassroots level. Comment on the statement in the light of the recent Women’s Reservation Act

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Don’t hit at all if it is honourably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft!
• ONOE would be a great help in substantially minimizing the effects of using polarisation based on socio-economic toxicity to win elections.
• An election should mark the celebration of a vibrant democracy. It should not degenerate into an exercise maximising polarisation based on socio-economic toxicity. ONOE would be a great help in substantially minimising this adverse impact.
• Being a multilateral forum of international economic cooperation, the G20 can serve as a suitable platform for creating a dedicated fund for climate migrants.
• By collaborating with neighbouring countries, India can serve as a catalyst for positive change and promote food security and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific.
• India’s female workforce participation remains paltry and calls for an urgent review of India’s policies and schemes related to women’s empowerment.
• While legislative representation is a critical aspect, it must be complemented by measures that empower women at the grassroots level.
• Achieving gender equity and true empowerment requires a deeper understanding of the complexities involved and a commitment to addressing them effectively.
• True empowerment necessitates a sociopolitical transformation at the grassroots level, characterised by women’s access to education, equal opportunities, economic independence, and, most importantly, political independence.
• Consent is pivotal as it respects individual autonomy, fosters safety, maintains ethical standards, and promotes healthy, respectful relationships.
• A good plan of action is being implemented by the Integrated Development Project implemented by the Himachal Forest Department with the assistance of the World Bank. It seeks to improve upstream water management and water productivity of selected gram panchayats.
• Resolution of dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu can pave the way for addressing interstate river water conflicts.
• The five southern States have effectively controlled their population and should not be penalised through reduced political representation.

ESSAY TOPIC

• India to awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened
• What we sow we reap.

50-WORD TALK

• Canada should have first pursued private diplomatic talks with New Delhi before it decided to go to parliament with Nijjar killing allegations and collect a mohalla-style panchayat of its global allies. The onus of privileging its domestic politics over diplomacy is on Ottawa. Justin Trudeau can’t have it both ways.
• The journey to gender equality in India’s workforce is long and challenging. Yet, the potential benefits of women’s economic empowerment are enormous and transformative, both for women and society. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that the women workforce in India gets their due.
• India can serve as a catalyst for positive change, promoting food security and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific for the benefit of the entire region. Regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration among nations in the region are vital for developing and implementing effective strategies to overcome these challenges.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED. Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

CONTEXT: Recently, three Bills, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (‘New Penal Bill’), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (‘New Procedure Bill’) and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 (‘New Evidence Bill’), were introduced in the Parliament to replace colonial era legislation for quicker justice and a bid to escape colonial legacy.

MORE ON THE NEWS:

• These three new criminal law Bills have generated concerns, questions and commentary on the changes that have been made. There are also questions about how different the Bills are compared to existing codes and laws.
• While introducing the three criminal law Bills and earlier while setting up the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Law in 2020, a lot was said about the decolonisation that these Bills will bring about.
• However, there are concerns that these Bills do very little to decolonise Indian criminal law and indicate the continuation and intensification of colonial-style powers.

KEY FEATURES OF THE BILLS

BHARATIYA NYAYA SANHITA, 2023

• It replaces the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and , will have 356 sections instead of the earlier 511 sections, 175 sections have been changed, 8 new sections have been added and 22 sections have been repealed.
• Sedition:  The Bill removes this offence.  It instead penalises the following:

(i) exciting or attempting to excite secession, armed rebellion, or subversive activities,

(ii) encouraging feelings of separatist activities, or

(iii) endangering sovereignty or unity and integrity of India

• Defines Terrorism and Organised Crime: The Bill defines terrorism as an act that intends to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of the country, to intimidate the general public or disturb public order. It also defines organized crime and imposes penalty.
• Protection to Women: The Bill allows death penalty for gang rape of women below 18 years of age. The Bill penalises the act of sexual intercourse with a woman through deceitful means with a simple or rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years, and a fine.

BHARATIYA SAKSHYA BILL, 2023

• It repeals the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, will now have 170 sections instead of the earlier 167, 23 sections have been changed, 1 new section has been added and 5 have been repealed.
• The Act provides rules for the admissibility of evidence in legal proceedings.  The Bill retains several parts of the Act.   It removes certain colonial references from the Act, widens the ambit of electronic records admissible as evidence, and removes provisions related to telegraphic messages.
• Admissibility of electronic or digital records as evidence: The Act provides for two kinds of evidence – documentary and oral evidence.  The Bill provides that electronic or digital records will have the same legal effect as paper records.
• Expand the definition of document: The law expands the definition of documents to include electronic or digital records, e-mails, server logs, computers, smart phones, laptops, SMS, websites, locational evidence, mails, messages on devices.

BHARTIYA NAGARIK SURAKSHA SANHITA BILL, 2023

• It will replace Criminal Procedure Code, 1898, now has 533 sections, 160 sections of old law have been changed, 9 new sections have been added and 9 sections have been repealed.
• Trials in electronic mode: The Bill provides that all trials, inquires, and proceedings may be held in electronic mode.
• Forensic investigation: The Bill mandates forensic investigation for offences punishable with at least seven years of imprisonment.
• Timelines for procedures: The Bill prescribes timelines for various procedures.  For instance, it requires medical practitioners who examine rape victims to submit their reports to the investigating officer within seven days.  Other specified timelines include:
• Giving judgement within 30 days of completion of arguments (extendable up to 60 days)
• Informing the victim of progress of investigation within 90 days
• Framing of charges by a sessions court within 60 days from the first hearing on such charges.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BILLS

• Decolonisation of laws: These three outgoing laws were made to strengthen the British rule and their purpose was to punish not to give justice and had signs of slavery. These news laws have been passed for decolonization of laws and to remove these signs of slavery.
• Protect rights of citizens: The soul of the three new laws is to protect all the rights given to Indian citizens by the constitution, and, their purpose is to give justice.
• Transparency and Efficiency: The new provision has been made through these laws to enhance transparency and efficiency of the system. It is done by digitization of entire process of criminal justice system from FIR to case diary, case diary to charge sheet and charge sheet to judgement.
• Quicker justice: Provision has been made in India’s criminal justice system for quicker justice that now anyone will be able to get justice within a maximum of 3 years. It will be compulsory for the Police to give the status of the complaint in 90 days and thereafter every 15 days, to the complainant.

ISSUES IN THE BILLS

• Opacity in the crafting of the Bills: There is issue raised of opacity in crafting of the Bills as the inputs of the stakeholders and the final report of the MHA’s Committee For Reforms In Criminal Laws (CRCL) has not been put in the public domain.
• Issue of increased suspicion: The framework produced by the Bills views citizens with such increased suspicion and mistrust that the state appears to almost be in opposition to the citizen.
• Continuation of colonial power: A notable feature of colonisation is suppression in the pretext of security by giving the executive unchecked police powers. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill expands the police power as it allows police custody for periods longer than is allowed under the current Criminal Procedure Code. This legislative increase in the use of police or police adjacent powers, is a continuation of colonial powers and not a route for undoing them.
• Inadequate police and prison reforms: Police and Prison has been seen as relics of colonization. Yet, the decolonisation that the Bills seek to achieve provides no scope for their reform.

WAY FORWARD

• Development with Decolonisation: The narrative of decolonisation surrounding the Bills must not be seen in isolation from developments. The areas of criminal lawmaking should work for both development and decolonization.
• Need to reflect changed relationship between state and citizen: A ‘decolonised’ or a post-colonial law, would necessarily need to reflect the changed relationship between the citizen and the state. This fundamental shift changes the process of law-making, and the priorities and purpose of the law.
• Reforms in institutions: There is need to take stringent action for reforms in institutions of police and prison by increasing Without reorienting the foundational perspective of these institutions calls for decolonisation will remain impassive.

CONCLUSION

Though the newly introduced legislation is a significant step forward in reforming criminal justice system in India. But the issue of decolonization of the laws still persists. There is need to give effect to reordered relationships between the state and citizen through these laws to ensure effective justice delivery.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/criminal-law-bills-and-a-hollow-decolonisation/article67373127.ece

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

Q.1 We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (2014)

Q.2 Mob violence is emerging as a serious law and order problem in India. By giving suitable examples, analyze the causes and consequences of such violence. (2015)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q.1 Recently, three Bills have been introduced in the Parliament to reform the criminal justice system in India. Analyze the potential benefits and concerns associated with these proposed changes.

Q.2 Criminal Justice Reforms for decolonization require not only legislative changes but also institutional and social changes. Comment.

CONTEXT: The Bihar government has recently released the results of its recently concluded survey of castes in the state.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY

• The survey puts the share of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) cumulatively at more than 63% (EBC :36.01% and OBC: 27.12%). The “unreserved” category of so-called “forward” castes is about 15.52% and scheduled castes 19.65% and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are (1.68%).
• Bihar’s population, according to the survey, is 13.07 crore compared to the 10.41 crore recorded in the 2011 census. Hindus comprise 81.99% of the population, and Muslims 17.72%. The populations of Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and other religious denominations are minuscule.

WHAT IS A CASTE CENSUS?

• Caste census means inclusion of caste-wise tabulation of India’s population in the Census exercise.
• India has counted and published caste data from 1951 to 2011of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes only. It also publishes data related to religions, languages and socio economic status.
• The Ministry of Rural Development Government of India, commenced the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June 2011 through a comprehensive door to door enumeration across the country.
• However, SECC 2011 did not publish the caste data. The SECC data excluding caste data was finalized and published in 2016.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CASTE SURVEY:

• Identity Politics: Caste survey can enforce Identity politics as it will become easier to resonate with vote bank politics. Party campaign tends to play upon fixed identities and harnessing the ides of shared ideas and shared concerns. Also, in the case of Bihar unified EBC leadership may receive a new fillip. Similarly, Political coalition will get shaped and reshaped.
• Amplify calls for enumeration outside state:Bihar’s caste survey will also amplify calls for enumeration outside the stateand even on nationwide.This comes amid submission of Justice G Rohini Commission report.
• Inclusive growth: Caste based survey can acts as equalizing forces. With the help of caste numbers an informed public decision making can be done with at the same time giving aspiration and freedom of opportunity to marginalized sections. The survey has not only considered one’s caste but also one’s economic status, which would help us devise further policies and plans for the development of all classes.”
• Renewed demand for reservation: It may create opportunity for renewed backward class mobilization and can amplify demand for OBC quota beyond 27%. The survey data will also reopen the longstanding debate over the 50% ceiling on reservation imposed by the Supreme Court in its landmark ruling in Indra Sawhney v Union of India (1992).

ISSUES INVOLVED:

• Not holistic image: The survey may not capture the holistic image of the dynamic changes which may lead to inaccurate representations of reality. The dynamic changes may include intra caste variation and associated historical changes that fail to take into account contemporary changes.
• Political Manipulation: Caste-based data can beexploited by politicians for short-term gainsleading to vote bank politics. This can divert attention from genuine policy issues and can led to division in society.
• Stigmatization of marginalized groups: Disclosure of caste identities could lead to individuals being stigmatized or discriminated against based on preconceived notions associated with certain castes.
• Census under the union list:Census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.According to the constitution, Census is aUnion subject under list I, entry 69, schedule 7. Thus, it is held that it empowers only the central government to conduct census. Hence, by conducting the survey the state is violating the constitutional provisions according to critics.

WAY FORWARD:

• Balanced approach: There is a need of balanced approach for conducting a caste-based survey with establishing a clear ethical framework with informed consent that prioritizes privacy and dignity of citizens.
• Awareness campaigns: Public awareness campaigns with regular reviews and capacity-building initiatives can contribute to a long-term vision of conducting census with aim of reducing inequalities and fostering social integration.
• Uphold democratic principles: The census data should not become a weapon for increasing polarization to win elections and there is need to uphold democracy and the enhance the notion of representative democracy.
• Undoing historical injustice: Caste census data can be used as an instrument to address historically embedded backward and inequality and it can provide government opportunity for social justice.

CONCLUSION: There is no doubt that the publication of the Bihar caste survey results is an important moment in national politics. However, data must be handled with care and should not lead to shrinking of the very notion of representation in a large and diverse democracy.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/bihar-caste-survey-a-welcome-step-8965726/

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

1. How do you explain the statistics that show that the sex ratio in Tribes in India is more favourable to women than the sex ratio among Scheduled Castes? (2015)
2. Though there have been several different estimates of poverty in India, all indicate reduction in poverty levels over time. Do you agree? Critically examine with reference to urban and rural poverty indicators. (2015)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. How can Caste based Survey help policymakers design and implement more effective policies to reduce socio-economic inequalities? Comment.
2. How Caste based Census can shape the identity politics in the country at regional and national level? Explain.

1. APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: According to the Supreme Court the judiciary is losing fresh talent like never before as prospective candidates shortlisted for judgeships in High Courts give up as months tick by without a decision from the government.

EXPLANATION: 

• The Supreme Court of India has set a deadline for the government to take action on pending recommendations for judgeships, transfers of high court judges, and the appointment of a chief justice.
• The recommendation for judgeships was made by the High Court Collegiums, which have been pending with the government for over 10 months, since November 2022.

What is the Collegium system?

• It is a system under which appointments and transfers of judges are decided by a forum of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. It has no place in the Indian Constitution.
• The word Collegium is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution, it has come in force as per Judicial Pronouncement.
• The origin of the concept for establishment of the system may be traced by the recommendations of the Bar Council of India made on 17 October 1981, during a national seminar of the lawyers at Ahmedabad.

• The Collegium consists of:
  • The Chief Justice of India
  • Four senior Judges of the Supreme Court
  • Two representatives who would be representing the Bar Council of India and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

• The collegium recommendations to the President regarding appointment of a Supreme Court or High Court Judge.

Criticism of Collegium system:

• The Collegium System has been criticized for its opacity and lack of openness.
• There is scope of nepotism in collegium system.
• The judiciary has total authority over the nomination process under the collegium system, which functions without any external checks and balances.
• The collegium system has also come under criticism for being ineffective at handling transfers and appointments, which causes vacancies in the judiciary and delays in the administration of justice.

Strength and Composition of the Supreme Court: 

• The Supreme Court was initially composed of eight justices, including one chief justice.
• The number of judges has grown throughout time due to the Parliament.
• Currently, there are 34 judges on the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice.

Constitutional provision regarding appointment of Judges:

• Article 124 deals with the appointment of Supreme Court judges. It says the appointment should be made by the President after consultation with such judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court as the President may deem necessary. The CJI is to be consulted in all appointments, except his or her own.
• Article 217 deals with the appointment of High Court judges. It says a judge should be appointed by the President after consultation with the CJI and the Governor of the state. The Chief Justice of the High Court concerned too should be consulted.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/judiciary-losing-fresh-talent-to-govts-silence-segregation-of-names-sc-tells-centre/article67347939.ece)

2. BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

THE CONTEXT: Disruption in Black Sea Grain Initiative can worsen food security across the Middle East, North Africa.

EXPLANATION: 

• Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa regions are experiencing severe food crises due to inability to afford food and exposure to the negative effects of conflict and trade dynamics in the Black Sea.
• The expanding population and growing demand for important food items, these countries were faced with food insecurity for decades.
• India also banned rice export to protect local supply.
• The combined shocks of above issues may result in the beginning of an era of unprecedented food inflation in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Black Sea Grain initiative:

• The Black Sea Grain initiative aims to address rising food costs brought on by supply chain interruptions as a result of Russian actions in the “breadbasket” of the globe.
• The agreement, which was mediated by the UN and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul in July 2022.

Objective:

• The agreement, which was initially set up for a duration of 120 days, was intended to give Ukrainian exports (especially those of food grains) a secure maritime humanitarian corridor.
• The main goal was to control market volatility by assuring a sufficient supply of grains and preventing an increase in food prices.

Why is the Black Sea Grain Initiative Important?

• Ukraine is one of the world’s top exporters of rapeseed, sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, and wheat.
• It may directly contact grain importers from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Russia and Europe, due to its access to the deep-sea ports in the Black Sea.
• The initiave has also been praised for making a significant difference in the world’s affordability dilemma.
• Since the initiative started, almost 9.8 million tonnes of grains have been transported.
• The occupied Palestinian Territories, Tunisia and Egypt have a historical dependence on grain exports from Russia and Ukraine.
• Due to the shortage of supplies, those who had been stockpiling grain in the hopes of selling it for a significant profit were suddenly forced to do so.

Source:(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/food/disruption-in-black-sea-grain-initiative-can-worsen-food-security-across-middle-east-north-africa-report-91981)

3. ANGEL TAX

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT:  The Income Tax Department has notified new angel tax rules that comprise a mechanism to evaluate the shares issued by unlisted startups to investors. Rule 11UA for valuation of shares for the purposes of section 56 of the Act has been modified via a notification.

THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHANGES IN RULE 11 UA ARE:

• The Finance Act, 2023 amended the Income Tax Act 1961 which provided for payment of income tax by unlisted companies.
• The tax needs to be paid on the difference between the fair market value(FMV) of shares and the consideration received for shares.
• The notification adds that the tax needs to be paid only when the consideration exceeds the fair market value.
• The introduction of five alternative valuation methods for equity shares will give merchant bankers more flexibility to value a company.
• Under Rule 11UA, five more valuation methods have been made available for non-resident investors, namely;

a) Comparable Company Multiple Method,

b) Probability Weighted Expected Return Method,

c) Option Pricing Method,

d) Milestone Analysis Method,

e) Replacement Cost Method.

• FMV of the equity shares for resident and non-resident investors, subject to the following:

(i) To the extent the consideration from such FMV does not exceed the aggregate consideration that is received from the notified entity, and

(ii) The consideration has been received by the company from the notified entity within a period of ninety days before or after the date of issue of shares which are the subject matter of valuation.

• The government has also offered a 10% tolerance for deviations from the accepted share valuations. This means that a startup can be valued at up to 10% more than its fair market value without being liable for angel tax.

Angel tax:

• Angel tax, introduced in 2012, refers to tax levied on capital raised by unlisted companies.
• Objective was to deter generation and use of unaccounted money through subscription of shares of a closely held company, at a value which is higher than fair market value.
• Prior to 2023 Budget proposal, angel tax provisions were applicable only for investments received from resident investors.
• However, Finance Bill 2023 has now extended its applicability to non-resident investors as well.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/business/amid-startups-funding-winter-centre-seeks-to-soften-angel-tax/article67349609.ece

4. WELFARE OF TRANSGENDER PERSONS

TAG: GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE CONTEXT: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on September 26. 2023 issued an advisory to the Centre, State governments and Union Territory Administrations to ensure the welfare of transgender persons.

EXPLANATION:

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued an advisory on the welfare of transgender persons, calling for a number of measures to protect their rights and ensure their welfare.
• Some of the key recommendations of the NHRC include:
  • Separate toilets: Provision of separate toilets for transgender persons in all public places.
  • Free sex reassignment surgery: Ensuring that transgender persons have access to free sex reassignment surgery.
  • Pension rights and Inheritance rights: Granting transgender persons pension rights. Allowing transgender persons to inherit ancestral agricultural land.
  • Multi-purpose identity card and Insurance: Providing a multi-purpose identity card to transgender persons to help them access government schemes and other benefits. Advising insurance companies to consider and accept the Transgender Certificate issued by the appropriate authority for document verification purposes.
  • Transgender Welfare Board and Transgender Protection Cell: Setting up a Transgender Welfare Board under Section 10(1) of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. Establishing a Transgender Protection Cell under the Director General of Police or his/ her nominee in the State to monitor cases of offences against transpersons.
  • Respect and dignity: Ensuring that transpersons are treated with respect and dignity so that they do not face hurdles in education and growth. Taking steps to tackle the sexual harassment of transgender persons and prevent violence or discrimination.
  • Medical boards: Setting up medical boards at the district level to assist transpersons in medical consultation, besides making provisions in every district civil hospital for consultation, treatment and counselling for sex reassignment surgery.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Advising the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to consider incorporating welfare activities of Transgender Persons explicitly in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, which provides the list of activities that can be included for making expenditures for CSR activities.
• These recommendations are a welcome step towards ensuring the welfare of transgender persons in India.
• Transgender persons are often marginalized and discriminated against, and these measures will help to protect their rights and ensure that they have access to the same opportunities as everyone else.
• The NHRC’s advisory is a significant step in raising awareness of the challenges faced by transgender persons and promoting their rights.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019:

• The Act calls for establishing a National Council for Transgender persons (NCT).
• No transgender person shall be separated from parents or immediate family on the ground of being a transgender.
• The Act also seeks to provide rights of health facilities to transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries.
• The Bill prohibits discrimination of transgenders in relation to opportunities for education, job, health care services, and access to services etc.
• Every person has a right to be recognized as a transgender.
• A certificate of identity has to be obtained from the District Magistrate, who will issue the certificate based on the District Screening Committee.
• Penal Provisions: it criminalizes: (i) begging, forced or bonded labor (ii) denial of use of a public place; (iii) denial of residence in the household, village, etc.; (iv) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nhrc-advisory-for-transpersons-pushes-for-separate-toilets-pension-rights-free-sex-reassignment-surgery/article67349098.ece

5. “ciTRAN” A SPECIFIC CIRCULAR RNA

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) identified a specific circular RNA (circRNA) called ‘ciTRAN’, which plays a crucial role in the multiplication of the AIDS-causing HIV-1 virus within the human body.

EXPLANATION:

• The research shows how ciTRAN helps the process of copying genetic information from the virus, essentially helping the virus multiply more efficiently.
• HIV-1 infects human cells by binding to a protein called CD4.
• Once the virus has entered the cell, it releases its genetic material, which is RNA.
• The virus then uses the cell’s machinery to copy its RNA and produce new viruses.
• ciTRAN helps HIV-1 to copy its RNA by stabilizing a protein called Rev.
  • Rev is a protein that is essential for the transport of HIV-1 RNA from the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm, where the virus assembles and buds from the cell membrane.
• ciTRAN binds to Rev and prevents it from being degraded. This helps to ensure that Rev is available to transport HIV-1 RNA to the cytoplasm, which is essential for the virus to multiply.

CIRCULAR RNA:

• Ribonucleic acid is a molecule in living cells that carries genetic information and helps in the production of proteins.
• RNAs are in general straight-chain, free-end structures but these circular RNA (‘circRNA’) forms a closed-loop.
• The circRNA plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and is essential for various biological processes.
• Its role in HIV-1 replication has remained unclear for a long time.
• Characterizing circular RNA can be tricky because it usually is less abundant, making it further challenging to detect in the native form.
• During viral infections, there’s so much information from the virus that it can make it hard to find the less common ones like circular RNA.

HIV AND AIDS:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system.
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the most advanced stage of the disease.
• HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system. This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers.
• HIV is spread from the body fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids. It can also spread from a mother to her baby.
• HIV can be treated and prevented with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Untreated HIV can progress to AIDS, often after many years.
• WHO now defines Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) as CD4 cell count less than 200cells/mm3 or WHO stage 3 or 4 in adults and adolescents. All children with HIV younger than 5 years of age are considered to have advanced HIV disease.

PRESENT SITUATION REGARDING HIV AND AIDS:

• The present situation on HIV is that it is a global pandemic that continues to affect millions of people around the world.
• In 2022, there were an estimated 39.0 million people living with HIV, and 1.5 million new HIV infections.
• However, there has been significant progress in the fight against HIV in recent years.
• The number of new HIV infections has declined by 59% since 2001, and the number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by 69% since 2004.
• This progress is due in part to the widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can suppress HIV replication and allow people with HIV to live long and healthy lives.
• However, there are still significant challenges to overcome in the fight against HIV.

SOURCE: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/indian-researchers-identify-circular-rna-that-can-lead-to-treatment-strategies-against-aids/articleshow/103928375.cms?from=mdr

1. THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS 

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Three years have been completed of the Abraham Accords.

EXPLANATION:

• About the Abraham Accords:
  • The normalization pact between Israel and the UAE is formally known as the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement.
  • It was signed in 2020,  between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, under the auspices of the U.S. government.
  • In December 2020, Morocco joined the process, signing a normalization agreement with Israel.
  • The Abraham Accords permitted Muslims from all over the globe to visit Israel’s historic sites and pray at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest mosque in Islam.

• Previous Agreements: In more than 25 years, Israel and the Arab States have only ever reached two peace agreements.
  • The first Arab nation to reach a peace agreement with Israel was Egypt in 1979.
  • In 1994, Jordan signed a peace accord.

• Significance:
  • The agreements have ushered in a new era of normalization and peace that not only connects governments but also brings people together, despite the differences in their language, religious beliefs, cultures and more.
  • Abraham Accords have offered a mere glimpse into the full potential of regional cooperation. For example, the scope of trade between Israel and other West Asian countries increased 74% between 2021 and 2022. Another example is tourism, mostly non-existent in the past, which has skyrocketed.
  • The Accords have also had a significant influence on reinforcing Israel’s relations with neighboring countries. For example, the Prosperity Green & Blue agreement between Israel, the UAE, and Jordan determined that a solar field to supply 600 megawatts of electricity to Israel would be established in Jordan.
  • The Abraham Accords encourage collaboration and education. In the summer of 2022, Ben­Gurion University welcomed students from Morocco. Bahrain has also embraced the prospects for shared educational activities and signed a number of agreements with Israel to advance student and professor exchanges.
  • Normalization has also helped foster increased levels of diplomatic engagement and conflict de-escalation across the Middle East, as seen through an array of bilateral and multilateral initiatives such as the Baghdad summits, the Negev summit and the Israel–Lebanon Maritime Agreement.

• Benefits for Indians: The Abraham Accords have also opened up exciting opportunities for India and its thriving business community, which maintains strong relations and active engagement with our nations.
  • Regional connectivity of West Asia will help the vibrant Indian diaspora in the Gulf, now they will have the convenience of direct flights between the UAE and Israel, as well as between Israel and Bahrain.
  • The Accords have laid the foundation for expanded regional and multinational cooperation, and this has resulted in a flow of economic opportunities reaching India. We have witnessed substantial commercial collaborations between companies from the UAE, Israel, Bahrain, and the U.S., partnering with the Indian private sector.
  • A concrete example of this high-level economic cooperation between Indian and west Asian governments is the establishment of the I2U2 Group, formed by Israel, India, the UAE, and the U.S.
  • The Abraham Accords made the I2U2 Group possible, and its primary focus will be on joint investments in critical areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

• Challenges:
  • Palestinian matters: Regional leaders have expressed displeasure with the Palestinian leadership’s ‘failure’ to reach a peace deal with Israel or at least their continuous lack of opportunities. Even in September 2023, there is tension going on between Palestinian and Israel over the West bank.
  • Iran problem: Tensions with Iran are a critical component of the Israeli–Emirati relationship. Unlike in past years, Iran’s obstructionist role is driving regional states to deepen their engagement. ‘Iran’s destabilizing regional activities is a common denominator for many MENA states that are forging cooperation.
  • Geopolitics and the US dimension: The Middle East since the signing of the Abraham Accords is experiencing an important period of transition that offers agency, activism and opportunities. The war in Ukraine has become an added challenge and complication for MENA states. With geopolitical competition accelerating, those states have been trying to navigate a weakened but still influential Russia and US–China polarization.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/three-years-of-the-abraham-accords/article67327731.ece)

2. THE CITIZENSHIP ACT, 1955

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud decided to hear a series of petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.The Section 6 A was added to the 1955 Act in the context of the Assam Accord.

EXPLANATION:

About Assam Accord:

• Section 6A is a special provision inserted into the 1955 citizenship Act in furtherance of a Memorandum of Settlement called the ‘Assam Accord’ signed on August 15, 1985 by the then Rajiv Gandhi government with the leaders of the Assam Movement to preserve and protect the Assamese culture, heritage, linguistic and social identity.
• It is a result of a six-year-long agitation by the All-Assam Students Union to identify and deport illegal immigrants.
• Section 6A of Citizenship Act was added in the Constitution by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1985, which added the following special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord (which related to the foreigners’ issue):
  • Individuals of Indian origin who came to Assam before January 1, 1966, subject to some conditions deemed to be Indian citizens.
  • Every Individuals of Indian origin who came to Assam on or after January 1, 1966, but before March 25, 1971, from Bangladesh, subject to some condition deemed to be a foreigner and shall have to register himself.
  • Such a registered person shall be deemed to be a citizen of India for all purposes as from the date of expiry of a period of ten years from the date of detection as a foreigner. But, in the intervening period of ten years, he shall have the same rights and obligations as a citizen of India, excepting the right to vote.

 What are the challenges against Section 6A of Citizenship Act,1955?

• It is discriminatory in nature because, it grants citizenship to immigrants and illegal ones.
• This special provision was in violation of Article 6 of the Constitution, which fixed the cut-off date for granting citizenship to immigrants.
• It provides different cut off dates for regularising illegal migrants who entered Assam.
• It is claimed that it is violative of right to equality (Article 14), right to life (Article 21) and minority rights (Article 29) under the Constitution of India.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/constitution-bench-to-hear-challenge-to-section-6a-of-citizenship-act-on-oct-17/article67325390.ece)

3. GALAXY EVOLUTION.

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: How gravitational instabilities affect evolution of galaxies.

EXPLANATION: 

• Scientists have compared the star formation rate, gas fraction, and timescale for the growth of gravitational instabilities of nearby galaxies and investigated the stability levels of a sample of 175 galaxies taken from the Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) database.
• This comparison helped them to trace the role of dark matter in regulating the stability levels of the galaxies and understand if stars and gas can self-regulate the stability levels.
• Scientists have found that spiral galaxies like the Milky Way exhibit a higher median star formation rate, lower stability, lower gas fraction, and a smaller timescale for the growth of gravitational instabilities.
• “This indicates that gravitational instabilities in spirals rapidly convert a substantial amount of gas into stars, depleting the gas reservoirs.

Formation of galaxy and Stars:

• In the early universe, matter and energy were not even distributed.
• These earlier variations in density led to variations in gravitational forces, which brought the stuff together. These served as the foundation on which galaxies were built.
• A galaxy has a lot of stars in it. The immense distances between galaxies, estimated in thousands of light-years, are enormous.
• Individual galaxies’ sizes range from 80,000 to 150,000 light years.
• When hydrogen gas gathers into a massive cloud termed a nebula, a galaxy begins to form. An expanding nebula eventually forms small, localized gas clusters.
• As these aggregates keep expanding into denser and denser gaseous masses, stars begin to form.

Spiral galaxies:

Spiral galaxies are twisted collections of stars and gas that often have beautiful shapes and are made up of hot young stars. Most spiral galaxies contain a central bulge surrounded by a flat, rotating disk of stars. The bulge in the center is made up of older, dimmer stars, and is thought to contain a supermassive black hole. Best example of Spiral galaxy is the Milky Way.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/2023-09-21/th_delhi/articleG5QBPC0H8-4317008.ece)

4. CANINE BRUCELLOSIS

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Canine brucellosis, an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Brucella Canis (B. Canis), is increasingly posing a threat to human health in the UK.

CANINE BRUCELLOSIS:

• Canine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium, Brucella Canis (B. Canis).
• This bacterial infection is highly contagious among dogs.
• Infected dogs usually develop an infection of the reproductive system, or a sexually transmitted disease.
• Different species of Brucella infect sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, and other animals.
• Brucella canis was first described in 1966 in the United States, where it caused mass abortions of beagles in a research facility. Since then, it has been reported in many countries around the world, especially where dogs are bred intensively or imported without testing.

SIGNS OF BRUCELLOSIS:

• Male dogs infected with brucellosis develop epididymitis, an infection in part of the testicle.
• It can manifest in various ways and may include symptoms such as lethargy, fever, swollen lymph nodes, reproductive problems (such as infertility and spontaneous abortion in females), joint pain, and testicular swelling in males.
• Female dogs infected with brucellosis develop an infection of the uterus.
• Canis will infect the intervertebral discs, eyes, kidneys, heart or brain.

TRANSMISSION:

• It primarily affects dogs but can also spread to humans.
• The origin of Brucella canis is thought to be zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted between animals and humans.
• Brucella canis is primarily transmitted among dogs through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as urine, saliva, and reproductive fluids, from infected individuals.
• It can also be spread through contaminated materials, like bedding or equipment.
• In humans, transmission typically occurs through contact with infected dogs or their secretions, although this is relatively rare.

SYMPTOMS IN HUMANS:

• Human infection with Brucella canis, known as brucellosis, often starts with flu-like symptoms.
• These initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, and body aches. These symptoms can be mistaken for common illnesses like the flu, making diagnosis challenging without proper testing.
• Joint pain (arthralgia) is a common symptom of brucellosis in humans.
• The joints, especially the larger ones like the knees, can become painful and swollen. This can lead to reduced mobility and discomfort.
• In more severe cases of brucellosis, the infection can affect various organs in the body resulting in swelling of organs.
• Organs commonly involved include the liver and spleen. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver), and splenomegaly (enlarged spleen). These symptoms can be indicative of a more advanced stage of the disease.
• In rare instances, brucellosis can lead to reproductive complications in women.
• This can include miscarriages, stillbirths, or difficulty conceiving. The bacteria can infect the reproductive organs and interfere with fertility.

TREATMENT:

• There is no definitive cure for Brucella canis infection in dogs.
• Management typically involves controlling the spread of the disease through isolation and quarantine of infected animals.
• Infected dogs may be prescribed antibiotics to manage symptoms and reduce the risk of transmission, but complete eradication of the bacterium is challenging.
• In humans, it can be treated with a course of antibiotics such as doxycycline and rifampin.
• Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for a favourable outcome.
• Preventative measures, such as avoiding contact with infected animals and practising good hygiene, are crucial in preventing the spread of Brucella canis to humans.

SOURCE: https://www.indiatoday.in/health/story/incurable-dog-disease-brucella-canis-infects-humans-in-uk-what-is-it-2438117-2023-09-20

5. KISAN RIN PORTAL AND WINDS PORTAL

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY AND AGRICULTURE

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Finance Minister launched Kisan Rin Portal along with Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) manual in Delhi.

KISAN RIN PORTAL:

• It is developed in collaboration with multiple government departments, is poised to revolutionize access to credit services under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
• The Kisan Rin digital platform will offer a comprehensive view of farmer data, scheme utilization progress, loan disbursement specifics, and interest subvention claims, enhancing integration with banks for more efficient agriculture credit.

Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan: Door to Door KCC Campaign

• The event marks the beginning of the “Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan,” an ambitious campaign to extend the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme to every farmer across India.
• This campaign aims to achieve universal financial inclusion, ensuring that every farmer has unhindered access to credit facilities that drive their agricultural pursuits.
• This campaign will play a pivotal role in reaching out to non-KCC account holder PM KISAN beneficiaries and fostering the saturation of KCC Accounts among eligible PM Kisan beneficiary farmers.
• Total number of operative KCC Accounts as on March 2023 are 7.35 Crores with total sanctioned limit of Rs. 8.85 lakh crores.
• For KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, NABARD has been identified as the Primary Executing Organization, vested with the responsibility of overall execution and monitoring of the programme.
• In this regard, NABARD has taken the initiative to develop a portal to facilitate in monitoring the conduct of saturation drive camps in the field as also processing and issuance of KCCs to all eligible PM Kisan beneficiaries by the respective banks.

WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK DATA SYSTEMS (WINDS):

• The portal was launched in July, 2023 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
• It leverages advanced weather data analytics to provide stakeholders with actionable insights on weather for informed decision-making in agriculture.
• This comprehensive manual also provides stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the portal’s functionalities, data interpretation, and effective utilisation, empowering farmers, policymakers, and various agricultural entities to make well-informed choices.
• The WINDS initiative is laying emphasis on setting up a strong network of weather stations.
• Through this initiative, the target is to establish a wide network of weather stations at the block and gram panchayat level.
• This extensive network of weather stations will enable accurate monitoring of weather patterns, effective planning, risk assessment and timely response to meteorological challenges.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/govt-launches-kisan-rin-portal-and-weather-winds-manual-rrb-nirmala-sitharaman-11695139080059.html

1. WOMEN’S RESERVATION BILL

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT:  Government of India introduces women’s quota Bill in Lok Sabha.

EXPLANATION:

• About Women’s Reservation Bill,2023:
  • The Government of India introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill to reserve one-third seats in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies.
  • It is a constitutional amendment bill.
  • The Hindi title of the Bill is ‘Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam’.

• Background:
  • The women’s reservation Bill was brought in earlier by the Deve Gowda government in 1996, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998 and 1999 and the Manmohan Singh government in 2008, when it was introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

• Key features of the Bill:
  • Reservation for women: The Bill reserves, as nearly as may be, one-third of all seats for women in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.  This will also apply to the seats reserved for SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state legislatures. There is, however, no separate reservation for women from the Other Backward Classes.
  • Commencement of reservation: The reservation would be implemented only after the 2026 delimitation exercise using data from the Census to be conducted after the passage of the Bill.  Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women.  The reservation in the Lok Sabha can hence be implemented only in the Lok Sabha election in 2029 and not in 2024.
  • Tenure:  The reservation will be provided for a period of 15 years. However, it shall continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament.
  • Rotation of seats: Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law made by Parliament.
  • Number of seats: The number of women representatives in Lok Sabha would reach 181 from the current 82.

• Amendment in the constitution: 
  • This bill will amend the article 239AA(Delhi legislative assembly shall have the power to make laws for the whole or any part of the NCT with respect to any of the matters in the State List or Concurrent List ), 330 (deals with the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People.), 332(The number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of any State) of the Indian constitution.

• Present on women MPs:
  • Women MPs make up a mere 15% of the strength of the Lok Sabha and around 10% in many Assemblies in the 17th Lok Sabha.

• Advantage: 
  • The allocation of seats in parliament to women empowers women and motivates them to get involved in politics and parliamentary affairs.
  • By designating such reservations for women, a spirit of equality is upheld and women have the same rights to enter parliament as males.
  • It will strengthen the democracy of the country.

• Disadvantage: 
  • Reservation of one-third of seats for women in Parliament would restrict the choice of voters in the reserved constituencies.
  • Political parties may assign women candidates to constituencies where they are weak.
  • The MP may be less motivated to grow his constituency if reserved constituencies are rotated throughout elections because he may not be able to run for reelection from that constituency.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/womens-reservation-bill-govt-introduces-nari-shakti-vandan-adhiniyam-in-lok-sabha/article67322055.ece#:~:text=Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%20appealed,for%20the%20last%2027%20years.)

2. ELEPHANT CORRIDORS

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:  Centre identifies 62 new elephant corridors; total now 150.

EXPLANATION:

• A new elephant corridor report released by the central government showed a 40 per cent increase in elephant corridors across 15 elephant range states in India.
• The number of elephant corridors have increased to 150 against 88 registered by the Government of India in 2010. The elephant population in the country is estimated to be over 30,000.

• What Are Elephant Corridors?
  • Elephant corridors can be described as a strip of land that enables elephant movement between two or more friendly habitats. Or Elephant corridors are linear, narrow, natural habitat linkages that allow elephants to move between secure habitats without being disturbed by humans. The corridors were reported by respective state governments and ground validation methods were used to verify them.

• Total  150 Elephant corridors in India:
  • West Bengal has 26 elephant corridors , that is 17 percent.
  • The East central region contributed 52 corridors, that is 35 percent.
  • The North East region was second largest with 48 corridors, that is 32 percent.
  • Southern India registered 32 elephant corridors, that is 21 percent.
  • Northern India was lowest with 18 corridors that is 12 per cent.

• Need of Elephant corridors :
  • The Asian elephant is currently facing major problems in India despite being a symbol of traditional cultural reverence, having been named a National Heritage Animal, and enjoying the greatest level of legal protection.
  • The demand for resources has expanded tremendously over the past few decades along with India’s population growth. This need essentially comes down to the requirement for additional land, which is required for homes, roads, dams, mining, and farmland in order to produce more food.
  • Elephants are having to travel farther and farther away, which puts them in confrontation with people.

• Asiatic elephants: Asian elephants come in three subspecies: Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan.
  • Estimated population of the world: 20–40,000.
  • The majority of the continent’s remaining elephants belong to the Indian subspecies, which has the largest range.
  • In India, there are over 30,000 elephants, with Karnataka housing about 25% of them.
  • Status on the IUCN Red List: Endangered.
  • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
  • Status of Appendix I of CITES.

• Elephants in Africa:
  • The Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant are two subspecies of African elephants.
  • African Forest Elephant IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered
  • Savanna elephant:endangered

Source:(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/centre-identifies-62-new-elephant-corridors-total-now-150-91825)

3. SDG SUMMIT

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:  Leaders from around the world gathered for the High-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit (2023) and agreed to intensify their efforts to deliver SDGs by 2030.

EXPLANATION:

• The SDG summit of 2023 was held in New York.
• Member nations of submit endorsed a resolute political declaration which outlined the shared commitment to create a sustainable and inclusive world by 2030.
• Key outcome: Member nations acknowledge that the objectives of the SDGs 2030 will not be achieved without making a quantum jump in investments to enable just and equal access to food, energy, digital transitions, a revolution in education and strong social security in developing nations.
• The annual SDG funding gap has risen, that’s why leaders in the declaration reiterated that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is a crucial component of the 2030 Agenda.
• About Addis Ababa Action Agenda: In 2015, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda had emphasised on efficient use of all financial flows, both public and private, for sustainable development and the need for integrated national financing frameworks.

SDG goals:

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
• The Brundtland Commission’s report Our Common Future (1987) provided the definition of sustainable development that is currently most widely recognized.
• To create an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for people and the earth, sustainable development (SD) asks for coordinated actions.
• There are 17 SDGs:

SDG summit of 2023:

• The President of the United Nations General Assembly convened Heads of State and Government for the 2023 High-level political forum on sustainable development.
• The Summit marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provides a crucial opportunity to accelerate our efforts.
• The SDG Summit will be the centrepiece of the High-level General Assembly. It will respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world and is expected to reignite a sense of hope, optimism, and enthusiasm for the 2030 Agenda.
• The Summit is envisaged to be forward-looking and action-oriented, with the aim of accelerating international action to improve people’s lives and reinvigorating the sense of hope, optimism and enthusiasm that characterized the adoption of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda.

Source:(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/sdg-summit-2023-political-declaration-for-massive-increase-in-investments-to-attain-sdgs-adopted-91836)

4. THE GDP GROWTH RATE

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the economic growth data for the first quarter (April, May, June) of the current financial year. It showed that the India’s economy grew by 7.8% in Q1.

EXPLANATION:

• But it led to a controversy on two different counts.
• First, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, the main Opposition party, alleged that the Q1 GDP data was overstating the GDP by a full percentage point.
• Second, some economists pointed to the two main ways in which India calculates its GDP and argued that they did not match up.
• In other words, the allegation is that the government is favouring the higher estimate of GDP by using a statistical tool called “discrepancy”.
• However, to understand these two criticisms, we need to understand the how GDP is calculated in India.

What is GDP and how is it calculated?

• The GDP is the most basic way to assess the performance of any economy from one year to another. The idea behind the concept is to assess the size of an economy.
• Ideally, the size of the economy should grow from one year to another except years when some terrible crisis happens like in 2020 there was a global pandemic — all economies tend to grow from one year to another.
• That’s because technically GDP is defined as the total “market value” of all final goods and services in an economy.
• GDP can grow either because an economy actually produces more of goods and services or because the same level of goods and services are priced higher, or as it happens almost always — a combination of the two factors.
• REAL GDP VERSUS NOMINAL GDP:
• It is important here to distinguish between nominal GDP and real GDP.
• The overall GDP that one observes by adding up the market value is called the nominal GDP.
• But to arrive at the “real” GDP, statisticians remove the effect of price inflation from nominal GDP.
• GDP deflator:
• It is the ratio of the value of goods and services an economy produces in a particular year at current prices to that of prices that prevailed during the base year.
• GDP price deflator = (nominal GDP ÷ real GDP) x 100
• Since the real GDP growth rate is a derived number, it crucially depends on the rate of GDP deflator that the official statisticians assume to be the rate of inflation in the country.

Two ways to calculate GDP:

• To arrive at the size of the economy, should one look at all the money earned by everyone in the country, or should one look at all the money spent by everyone in the country?
• The former method is the income method, and the latter method is called the expenditure method of calculating the GDP. India calculates the GDP through both the methods.
• On paper, GDP should be the same no matter which method one uses. But in reality, many issues crop up.
• For instance, timely data availability. Official statisticians can’t always know exactly how much money was spent or earned at least not within the time frame of a quarter or a year. That is why national income data often gets revised.
• The difference between the two GDP estimates is called “discrepancy” it is like that “miscellaneous” heading under which one puts small expenditures that one cannot immediately recall or verify.

IS INDIA OVERSTATING ITS REAL GDP GROWTH RATE?

• India’s real GDP is a derived number and depends entirely on what statisticians assume to be the GDP deflator (the proxy rate of inflation during a period).
• India’s nominal GDP in Q1 of FY24 was 8%. On the face of it, a real GDP growth rate of 7.8% implies that inflation was just 0.2% in the three months — April, May, and June.
• As consumers, the real GDP growth rate of 7.8% an obvious overstatement.
• That’s because the retail inflation rate (the inflation consumers face) in these three months was 4.7%, 4.3% and 4.9%, respectively.
• If one was to “deflate” nominal GDP using consumer price inflation, the real GDP would fall to less than 4%.
• But then if one goes by wholesale inflation, the real GDP will actually be much higher than 8%.
• That’s because wholesale inflation was negative in all the three months -0.8%, -3.6%, and -4.2%, respectively.

CHART  shows how rare this is. It maps both nominal GDP growth rate (in orange colour) and GDP deflator (in blue) for each quarter (going back all the way to Q3 of 2008.

WAY FORWARD:

• This is not the first time that experts have raised a question mark on the credibility on India’s GDP estimates.
• The former Chief Economic Advisor (under the current government itself) had also argued that India was overstating its GDP.
• The important thing to understand is that the credibility of India’s GDP estimates depends on the quality of underlying data.
• Over the past decade many of these databases have not received the attention they deserved.
• If policymakers do not address the quality of Indian macroeconomic data, the credibility of India’s GDP estimates will continue to be questioned repeatedly.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/explainspeaking-india-gdp-controversy-8947783/

5. RASHTRIYA VIGYAN PURASKAR

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Department of Science and Technology has proposed the constitution of a new Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar which will be the highest recognition in the field of science, technology, and innovation in India for 13 domains.

EXPLANATION:

• The awards will be announced on the National Technology Day (11 May), while the ceremony will take place on National Space Day on 23 August.
• These are the days on which India successfully conducted its second nuclear test in 1998, and then catapulted the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander on the moon this year.
• Scientists and innovators working in government as well as private sector organisations, or even those working in their individual capacity, who have made distinguished contributions in science and technology-led innovations will be eligible for these awards.
• These awards will be given in four categories — Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award and Vigyan Team.
• There will be three Vigyan Ratna, 25 Vigyan Shri, 25 Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and three Vigyan Team awards every year.
• Like the prestigious Padma awards, these awards will not include any cash component; instead, they will likely bestow only a certificate and medallion on the awardee.
• It has been drafted in consultation with other departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology and sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the final approval is awaited yet.
• The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar will be given in the following 13 domains: physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics & computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering sciences, agricultural science, environmental science, technology & innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology.

Open to PIOs and Age limit:

• The new awards will also be open to persons of Indian origin (PIOs), though a maximum of one such may be awarded the Vigyan Ratna, while three PIOs each can be selected for the Vigyan Shri and the VY-SSB.
• However, PIOs will not be eligible for the Vigyan Team awards.
• The Vigyan Ratna awards shall be for “lifetime contributions along with excellence made in any field of science”.
• The Vigyan Shri for “distinguished contribution to any field”.
• The SSB for “exceptional contribution by young scientists”.
• The team awards shall be for three or more researchers who have made an “exceptional contribution as a team”.
• There are no age limits for any prizes except the SSB, for which recipients must be 45 years or younger.

COMMITTEE PROPOSED:

• A Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) will be constituted by the science minister and chaired by the principal scientific advisor to the government, will recommend names for the award from the nominations placed before it.
• The RVPC will comprise secretaries of the six departments and related ministries the department of science and technology, the department of biotechnology, the department of scientific and industrial research, the ministry of earth sciences, the department of space and the department of atomic energy.
• The committee will also have six scientists and technologists from different fields of science and technology, along with four presidents of science and engineering academies.
• The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) will coordinate the administration of the awards process for two years, after which it will be taken over by the proposed National Research Foundation.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/science-and-tech-awards-to-get-padma-style-makeover-into-rashtriya-vigyan-puraskar/article67322829.ece

1. EXTINCTION OF THE SPECIES

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a study published in journal PNAS stated that between 1500 and 2022 AD, 73 genera of vertebrates (excluding fish) went extinct.

EXPLANATION:

• To gain insights into patterns of extinction beyond the species level, researchers from the United States and Mexico studied how the current extinction crisis is impacting land vertebrates at the generic level.
• The team first gathered information on species’ conservation statuses from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Birdlife International and other databases.
• Overall, they examined 5,400 genera of land-dwelling vertebrate animals and as per their analysis 73 genera of land-dwelling vertebrates have vanished since 1500 AD.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

• As per the study, human actions are compounding the severity of the ongoing sixth mass extinction. Humans are putting a big dent in the evolution of life on the planet in the long term.
• Humans have fuelled a surge of genus extinctions in the last five decades, which otherwise would have taken 18,000 years to occur.
• The current rate at which entire genus of vertebrates, or animals with spinal cords, are going extinct is 35 times greater than the last million years.
• A genus is a group of animals or plants which share some common characteristics.
• For example, dogs and wolves are in the same genus, Canis.
• Previous studies have focused on the extinction of species and found thousands of species and myriad populations have vanished.
• For example, around 10,000,000 African elephants roamed Earth at the beginning of the 20th century. Now, only about 450,000 remain.
• It was found that from 1500 AD the birds have suffered the heaviest losses with 44 genus extinctions, followed by mammals (21 genus extinctions), amphibians (five extinctions) and reptiles (three extinctions).
• Most extinctions were recent. The years between 1800 and 2022 saw 55 total extinctions.
• Birds ranked the highest with 36 extinctions, followed by mammals (12), amphibians (five) and reptiles (two).
• Without humans, the researchers estimated that Earth would likely have lost only two genera between 1500-2022.

WHAT ARE IMPACTS OF THE EXTINCTION?

• This mass extinction is transforming the whole biosphere, possibly into a state in which it may be impossible for our current civilisation to persist.
• Losing a genus could impact the functioning of an entire ecosystem.
• For example, when the passenger pigeons went extinct, it narrowed human diets in northeastern North America and altered ecosystem structure over wide areas. It also triggered population declines of cougars and wolves, leading to shifts in rodent communities.
• According to the study, the region became more conducive to outbreaks of infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans.
• An example is Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.
• Then, there is impact on climate change also.
• Climate disruption is accelerating extinction and extinction is interacting with the climate.
• Because the nature of the plants, animals, and microbes on the planet is one of the big determinants of what kind of climate we have.

WHAT IS MASS EXTINCTION?

• A mass extinction event is when species vanish much faster than they are replaced. This is usually defined as about 75% of the world’s species being lost in a short period of geological time – less than 2.8 million years.
• It’s difficult to identify when a mass extinction may have started and ended.
• However, there are five big events that we know of, where extinction was much higher than normal background rate, and these are often used to decide whether we are going through a sixth one now.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/sixth-mass-extinction-more-severe-than-estimated-73-genera-vanished-since-1500-study-91820

2. THE GLOBAL BIOFUEL ALLIANCE (GBA)

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister of India along with the leaders of Singapore, Bangladesh, Italy, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Mauritius and UAE, launched the Global Biofuel Alliance on 9 September 2023, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

GLOBAL BIOFUEL ALLIANCE (GBA):

• The Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) is an initiative by India as the G20 Chair.
• The Alliance intends to expedite the global uptake of biofuels through:
• facilitating technology advancements,
• intensifying utilization of sustainable biofuels,
• shaping robust standard setting and
• certification through the participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders.
• The alliance will also act as a central repository of knowledge and an expert hub.
• To ensure energy security, affordability, and accessibility for the future, the GBA will facilitate global collaboration, supporting the development and deployment of sustainable biofuels.
• It will help raise awareness of biofuels’ vital role in greenhouse gas reduction.
• According to G20 Biofuels Study report, biofuels account for 0 to 7 per cent of G20 country’s energy mix.
• It drives global sustainable biofuel development, aids national programs, shares policy insights, builds capacity, reshapes perception, and boosts global trade.
• It will help promote best practices for efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable feedstock use.
• It will ensure a stable supply of eco-fuels and create a virtual marketplace connecting industries, countries, and tech providers, enhancing demand-supply mapping.

OBJECTIVES:

• GBA aims to serve as a catalytic platform, fostering global collaboration for the advancement and widespread adoption of biofuels.
• It brings together biofuel producers and consumers with the intent to strengthen global biofuels trade for a greener sustainable future.
• It is also expected to contribute to job creation and economic growth.

COUNTRIES PART OF THIS PROJECT:

• Nineteen countries and 12 international organisations have already agreed to join the GBA.
• Seven G20 member countries supporting GBA are: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, South Africa, and the USA have joined. Four G20 invitee countries, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, and UAE also support it.
• Eight non-G20 countries are also supporting GBA. Iceland, Kenya, Guyana, Paraguay, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Finland are the countries.
• 12 international organisations such as World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Economic Forum, World LPG Organization, UN Energy for All, UNIDO, Biofutures Platform, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Energy Agency, International Energy Forum, International Renewable Energy Agency, World Biogas Association are supporting.
• GBA Members constitute major producers and consumers of biofuels, such as the USA (52 per cent), Brazil (30 per cent) and India (3 per cent), contributing about 85 per cent share in production and about 81 per cent in consumption of ethanol.

HOW WILL THIS ALLIANCE HELP INDIA IN ACHIEVING ITS TARGET?

• This will help India become the voice of the global south by getting countries which are still to start their biofuels programme.
• For India, it will provide additional opportunities to its industries by exporting technology and equipment.
• It will help accelerate India’s existing biofuel programmes such as – PM-JIVANYojna, SATAT, and GOBARdhan scheme — thereby contributing to increased farmers’ income, creating jobs and overall development of the Indian eco-system.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blexplainer/bl-explainer-what-is-the-global-biofuel-alliance-all-about/article67320708.ece

3. SANTINIKETAN AND HOYSALA TEMPLES

TAG: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: Santiniketan, the university town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, has been inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid, and Somnathapura in Karnataka are also added to UNESCO World Heritage list.

SANTINIKETAN:

• It has been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2023.
• This was announced by the international agency on 17^th Sep, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee is being held till September 25.
• Santiniketan becomes the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the third in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways.
• It was established in rural West Bengal in 1901 by the renowned poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.
• It was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
• A ‘world university’ was established at Santiniketan in 1921, recognizing the unity of humanity or “Visva Bharati”.
• Distinct from the prevailing British colonial architectural orientations of the early 20th century and of European modernism, Santiniketan represents approaches toward a pan-Asian modernity, drawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions from across the region.

HOYSALA TEMPLES:

• Date of Inscription: 2023
• The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala — the famed Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somananthpura in Karnataka have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
• This inclusion marks the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and comes just a day after Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan also received this distinguished recognition.
• This serial property encompasses the three most representative examples of Hoysala-style temple complexes in southern India, dating from the 12th to 13th centuries.
• The Hoysala style was created through careful selection of contemporary temple features and those from the past to create a different identity from neighbouring kingdoms.
• The shrines are characterized by hyper-real sculptures and stone carvings that cover the entire architectural surface, a circumambulatory platform, a large-scale sculptural gallery, a multi-tiered frieze, and sculptures of the Sala legend.
• The excellence of the sculptural art underpins the artistic achievement of these temple complexes, which represent a significant stage in the historical development of Hindu temple architecture.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE:

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
• This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO’s World Heritage mission is to:

• Encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage.
• Encourage States Parties to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the state of conservation of their World Heritage sites.
• Provide emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger.
• Support States Parties’ public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation.
• Encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world’s cultural and natural heritage.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/santiniketan-makes-it-to-unescos-8944445/

4. THE OLD PARLIAMENT INSPIRATION

TAG: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: The old Parliament will be turned into a museum as from September 19, 2023, the ongoing special House session moved to the new Parliament building.

EXPLANATION:

• The circular, colonnaded Parliament building has for long been a symbol of India’s democracy, its graceful, dignified architecture enshrining the jostling aspirations of a billion people.
• A similar, round, and pillared structure in India pre-dates the Parliament by several centuries, and many believe it inspired the 20th century building. This structure is the Chausath Yogini temple in Mitaoli, Madhya Pradesh.

THE OLD PARLIAMENT AND ITS INSPIRATIONS:

• The old parliament was designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker when the British decided to move their capital to New Delhi.
• After Independence, it served as the Constituent Assembly of India, and once the Constitution was adopted and India became a republic, as the Parliament of India, housing the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• When New Delhi was being planned, the then Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, was quite clear that the buildings should have Indian elements and not look like foreign structures transplanted on Indian soil.
• Even though Lutyens was quite convinced of the superiority of Western architecture.
• However, Hardinge made Lutyens and Baker visit most of the ancient and medieval sites of northern and central India for inspiration, like Mandu, Lahore, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Indore.
• Thus, the Parliament, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and other buildings are a mix of Indian and Western-style architecture.

THE CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLE AND ITS MYSTERIES:

• The grand Chausath Yogini temple stands atop a hillock in Mitaoli, about 40 kilometres from Gwalior, in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It was built around 1323 by King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
• Dedicated to the 64 (chaunsath) yoginis, its architecture is different from the temples dedicated to one deity.
• The 64 yoginis are believed to be powerful warriors and sorceresses.
• The Mitaoli temple is circular, with 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis, and a central shrine dedicated to Shiva.
• While most Hindu temples have a shikhara, or projecting dome, the Mitaoli temple, like other Chausath Yogini temples, is hypaethral, which means it has no roof.
• The Parliament-like pillars are on the inside of the stone temple complex.
• The central shrine has a slab with perforations, for excess rainwater to drain off. According to an article on the Madhya Pradesh government’s tourism portal, the temple has a diameter of 125 feet.

DID THE CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLE INSPIRE THE PARLIAMENT?

• Though there is no evidence Lutyens or Baker ever visited it, but locals in the area say so.
• However, the Chausath Yogini Temple is in a Seismic Zone 3 area.
• Since its construction in the 1300s, the temple has withstood many an earthquake with almost no visible damage. One theory suggests that this could be the reason why Lutyens may have sought reference or inspiration from a building of such an unusual shape.
• One of the historians says that Lutyens and Baker were sent off on this tour to look at examples of Indian architecture. They also might have seen photographs collected by the Archaeological Survey of India. So even though there is no proof of them emulating Indian monuments, it is not inconceivable that they might have done so.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-culture/old-parliament-madhya-pradesh-temple-8945663/

5. DISQUALIFICATION OF MLAs IN MAHARASHTRA

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court directed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to not delay hearing of disqualification petitions against 56 Maharashtra MLAs and decide within one week of time period.

EXPLANATION:

• Mr Thackeray, an MLA of Maharashtra urged the Deputy Speaker to initiate disqualification proceedings against the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who distanced themselves from the coalition government of Maharashtra and showed faith in a new leader, Mr Eknath Shinde.
• Later the Thackery faction approached the Supreme Court regarding the disqualification of the MLAs.
• The Supreme Court referred the matter to the Constitution bench.
• The Speaker must decide on disqualification petitions within a reasonable period and the Supreme Court cannot ordinarily adjudicate petitions for disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India in the first instance.
• A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India recalled that the Supreme Court’s May 11, 2023 judgment in the Maharashtra political crisis matter had asked the Speaker to decide the petitions “within a reasonable period”.
• Because of inaction of the speaker regarding the disqualification proceedings against MLAs, supreme court on 18^th Sep, 2023 directed the Speaker to fix the time schedule for adjudicating the petitions within “no later than one week”.

ABOUT ANTI – DEFECTION LAW:

• The Tenth Schedule – popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act – was included in the Constitution via the 52nd Amendment Act, of 1985. This was done to bring stability to governments by discouraging legislators from changing parties.
• The decisions on questions as to disqualification on the ground of defection are referred to the Speaker/Chairman of the House, which is subject to ‘Judicial review’.
• However, the law does not provide a timeframe within which the presiding officer has to decide a defection case.
• The 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, changed the initially envisaged 1/3rd to now at least two-thirds of the members of a party must be in favour of a “merger” for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.

THE GROUNDS OF DISQUALIFICATION UNDER ANTI DEFECTION LAW:

The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the grounds for disqualification of legislators on account of defection. These are:

• If an elected member voluntarily gives up his membership in a political party.
• If he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by his political party or anyone authorized to do so, without obtaining prior permission.
• As a pre-condition for his disqualification, his abstention from voting should not be condoned by his party or the authorized person within 15 days of such an incident.
• If any independently elected member joins any political party.
• If any nominated member joins any political party after the expiry of six months.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-maha-speaker-timeline-disqualification-cm-shinde-others-8945504/

1. GST APPELLATE TRIBUNAL.

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT:  Government notifies 31 Benches of GST Appellate Tribunal.

EXPLANATION: 

• The Finance Ministry notified the constitution of 31 Appellate Tribunals across 28 States and eight Union Territories for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), setting the stage to resolve a growing number of taxpayer disputes with the Revenue Department.
• The establishment of these tribunals was envisaged at the time of the implementation of the GST regime from July 1, 2017

About GSTAT:

• Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal is the forum of second appeal in GST laws and the first common forum of dispute resolution between Centre and States. The appeals against the orders in first appeals issued by the Appellate Authorities under the Central and State GST Acts lie before the GST Appellate Tribunal, which is common under the Central as well as State GST Acts.
• CGST Act empowers the Central Government to constitute, an Appellate Tribunal on the recommendation of Council.
• CSTAT is for hearing appeals against the orders passed by the Appellate Authority or the Revisional Authority.
• The National Bench of the Appellate Tribunal shall be situated at New Delhi. GSTAT shall be presided over by its President and shall consist of one Technical Member (Centre) and one Technical Member (State).

Power of GSTAT: 

• As per the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, the GST Appellate Tribunal holds the same powers as the court and is deemed Civil Court for trying a case. The Appellate Tribunal has been granted the powers to hear appeals and to pass orders and directions, including those for the recovery of amounts due, for the enforcement of its orders, and for the rectification of mistakes.
• The Tribunal also has the power to impose penalties, revoke or cancel registrations, and take such other measures as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the GST laws.
• GSTAT may be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Benefits of GSTAT:

•  It will make the GST regime more efficient.
• Setting up of state-level benches of GSTAT would help businesses by way of faster dispute resolution.
• Ensuring speedier and economic resolution of cases by dedicated and specialized GSTATs will help in bolstering business sentiments and ease of doing business in the country,”
• It will help to reduce the burden on high courts.

Source:(https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/finance-ministry-notifies-constitution-of-gst-appellate-tribunals/article67312126.ece

2. KUNO NATIONAL PARK AND CHEETAH

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:  Kuno’s only cheetah cub has many guardians.

EXPLANATION: 

• Kuno National Park’s officials are working towards ensuring the survival of the Cheetah cub.
• In 2022, five female and three male cheetahs were introduced from Namibia to India(Kuno national park) as part of a historic conservation action plan to reintroduce the species back to their former range.

About Kuno National Park:

• India’s Madhya Pradesh state is home to Kuno National Park and wildlife sanctuary. Kuno River is where it gets its name.
• With an initial area of 344.686 km, it was established as a wildlife sanctuary in the districts of Sheopur and Morena in 1981. In 2018, it received the status of national park.
• The Kuno River, one of the Chambal River’s major tributaries, runs the entire length of the National Park.
• All four of India’s big cats may have populations in the Kuno. All four of these animals—the tiger, the leopard, the Asiatic lion, and the cheetah—have coexisted in the same environments.
• Biogeographically this area falls under the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forest eco-region and the forest types found in this area include the Northern tropical dry deciduous forest, Southern tropical dry deciduous forest, Dry Savannah forest & grassland, Tropical riverine forest.
• There are plenty of cattle, chinkara, chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pigs, and other animals.

Why Kuno is Suitable for Cheetah?

The Kuno National Park offers a variety of habitat types, including

• Dry deciduous forests.
• Savanna forest
• Open woodlands,
• Evergreen riverine forests.

are favorable for lions and cheetahs.

While plateau tops had shorter grasses, forest grass species were prevalent in ecosystems in valleys.

About cheetah:

• The cheetah is a big cat that is native to Africa and Southwest Asia.
• As the fastest land animal, it has developed special adaptations for speed, including a light frame, long, slender legs, and a long tail. It can run at speeds between 80 and 98 km/h.
• The cheetah inhabits savannahs in the Serengeti, dry mountain ranges in the Sahara, and steep desert terrain in Iran, among other habitats.
• Threats to the cheetah include habitat destruction, contact with humans, poaching, and a high susceptibility to disease.

African Cheetah:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
• CITES: Appendix 1.
• WPA: Schedule-2.

Asiatic Cheetah:

• IUCN Red List: Critically endangered.
• CITES: Appendix 1.
• WPA: Schedule-2.

Source:(https://indianexpress.com/article/india/relationship-with-mother-complex-but-kunos-only-cheetah-cub-has-many-guardians-8941769/)

3. CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS ACT

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:  The European Union, the world’s largest trading bloc, aims to reduce its dependence on China and increase its domestic capacity for critical minerals through this legislation.

EXPLANATION: 

• The EU was 99 percent dependent on China for rare earth metals.
• Metals and critical minerals are crucial for the green transition as they are used to manufacture solar panels, windmills, and electric car batteries.
• Australia and Chile with huge reserves such as cobalt, lithium, and manganese are potential strategic partners for diversifying the supply chain.

Critical Raw Materials: Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are those natural raw materials which are economically and strategically important for the country. It is Used in environmental technologies, consumer electronics, health, steel-making, defense, space exploration, and aviation, these materials are not only ‘critical’ for key industry sectors and future applications, but also for the sustainable functioning of the world economy.

The raw materials listed as critical include:

• Aluminum [Am. 5]
• Bismuth
• Boron — metallurgy grade
• Cobalt
• Copper
• Gallium
• Germanium
• Lithium — battery grade
• Magnesium metal
• Manganese — battery grade
• Natural Graphite — battery grade
• Nickel — battery grade
• Platinum group metals
• Rare earth elements for magnets
• Silicon metal
• Titanium metal
• Tungsten

Why they matter: Rare earth elements are crucial for the production of many high-tech products. They are key, for example, for producing permanent magnets — an essential component of smartphones, TVs, computers, as well as car and wind turbine engines ,and solar panels.  Contrary to what their name may suggest, these elements are not rare in nature but their extraction is hazardous.

Concern related to Critical Raw Materials for India: 

• Dependence on China: India will be forced to rely on other nations, notably China, to fuel its energy transition plans for electric vehicles if it is unable to explore and develop these minerals.
• Lack of Expertise: India’s absence of any relevant expertise makes it unlikely that it would have been accepted into the Minerals Security Partnership group.
• Difficult to mine: They are challenging to mine and expensive to process properly.
• Monopoly of few: The concentration of reserves in the hands of a small number of countries generates issues for the majority of the world’s population.
• Environmental Impact: The main issue is that the low-level radioactive element thorium, which has been associated with an increased risk of developing lung, pancreatic, and other malignancies, is tied up in mineral deposits with the rare earth elements.

Source:(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/energy/eu-parliament-votes-in-favour-of-critical-raw-materials-act-91789)

4. JAL JEEVAN MISSION

TAG: GS 2: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: In Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, inefficient implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission has been reported.

EXPLANATION:

• Mahoba is a water-starved district in south-eastern Uttar Pradesh, and it reported only 1,612 households with tap connections in 2019.
• Four years later, 1,29,209 households or about 98% of all rural homes in Mahoba district have water connections, according to the public dashboard of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
• No other district in India has reported such a dramatic increase in tap connections.
• However, a visit to some of the villages here suggests that a household certified as “connected” in JJM parlance does not mean one with an actual water supply.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION (JJM):

• It was launched in 2019 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• It is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
• The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rainwater harvesting.
• It will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education, and communication as a key component of the mission.
• It looks to create a Jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.

COMPONENTS UNDER JJM:

The following components are supported under JJM:

• Efforts should be made to source funds from different sources/ programmes.
• Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household.
• Development of reliable drinking water sources and augmentation of existing sources to provide long-term sustainability of water supply system.
• Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to cater to every rural household.
• Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue.
• Retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide Functional Tap Connection (FHTC) at minimum service level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd).
• Greywater management
• Support activities, i.e., Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development (HRD), training, development of utilities, water quality laboratories, water quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building of communities, etc.
• Any other unforeseen challenges emerging due to natural disasters or calamities which affect the goal of FHTC to every household by 2024, as per guidelines of Ministry of Finance on Flexi Funds.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-missing-link-in-the-jal-jeevan-scheme-water/article67311157.ece

5. GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) MUSTARD DMH-11

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The environmental release of GM mustard DMH-11 marks a new era in self-reliance and sustainability in agriculture in India.

EXPLANATION:

• India faces a major deficit in edible oils, with 60% of its demand being met by imports.
• Mustard is one of the most important edible oil crops in India; however, its per hectare yield is very low when compared to the global average.
• Thus, increasing the productivity of mustard in the country is vital for the economic well-being of farmers and self-sufficiency in edible oil production.

WHAT IS DMH-11?

• DMH-11 is an indigenously developed transgenic mustard. It is a genetically modified variant of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) mustard.
• DMH-11 is a result of a cross between Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ and East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mustard.
• It contains two alien genes (‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’) isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens that enable breeding of high-yielding commercial mustard hybrids.
• Barnase in Varuna induces a temporary sterility because of which it can’t naturally self-pollinate. Barstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced.
• DMH-11 has shown approximately 28% more yield than the national check and 37 % more than the zonal checks and its use has been claimed and approved by the GEAC.
• “Bar gene” maintains the genetic purity of hybrid seed.

APPROVAL AND TESTING OF DMH-11:

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, made a landmark decision of approving the release of DMH-11 and its parental line for cultivation in 2022.
• The hybrid DMH-11 has been tested against the varieties Varuna and RL-1359 during Biosafety Research Level Trials (BRL) I and II, where it gave 28.15% high over Varuna during 2010-11 to 2014-15.
• Field trials for three years were conducted to assess the impact on human health and environment as per the stipulated guidelines and applicable rules.
• Extensive studies carried out on toxicity, allergenicity, compositional analysis, field trials and environmental safety studies of GM mustard lines.
• Their non-transgenic comparators have provided evidence that the GE mustard hybrid DMH-11 and its parental lines are safe for cultivation and for food and feed use.
• Visitation of bees to the transgenic lines is similar to the non-transgenic counterparts during the BRL-I and BRL-II trials conducted as per the protocols approved by Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and GEAC.

HOW DOES DMH-11 ADD SELF RELIANCE TO THE COUNTRY?

• As the mustard varieties in India have a very narrow genetic base, the decision by GEAC to allow barnase-barstar-based hybrid production in mustard paves the way for the breeding of mustard hybrids.
• It not only for higher yields but also to ensure resistance to diseases and improve oil quality.
• This advancement will benefit farmers by increasing yield per hectare, also leading to an increase in their incomes.
• Cultivation of these GM mustard hybrids developed indigenously could help enhance farmers’ income, reduce the oil-import burden and help achieve much-needed self-reliance in edible oil production.
• The domestic consumption of edible oils is around 25 million tonnes, while the domestic production of mustard oil was approximately 8.5 million tonnes in the year 2020-21.
• India’s edible oil imports were approximately 13 million tonnes, which touched ₹1.17 lakh crore in value terms.
• The environmental release of DMH-11 marks the beginning of a new era in self-reliance and sustainability in agriculture. More improved GM food crops are needed to boost the profitability of Indian farmers.

WAY FORWARD:

• The adoption of technologies for crop improvement such as genetically modified (GM) crops as a supplement to conventional breeding methods has become an absolute necessity to address the challenge of achieving global food and nutritional security.
• According to the global Food Security and Nutrition Report, 2019, it is difficult to achieve the ‘Zero Hunger’ target by 2030.
• To increase food production and become self-reliant, we require superior crop varieties and hybrids that provide enhanced yields and wide adaptability across environments and require fewer inputs of natural resources.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-gm-crop-decision-that-cuts-the-mustard/article67312658.ece

1. SPECIAL SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The five-day session of Parliament was announced from Sept 18-22 by the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister recently. However, the agenda for the session has not been revealed yet. 

EXPLANATION:

• Opposition had expressed its dissatisfaction with the government’s apparent lack of transparency regarding the forthcoming special parliamentary session.
• They have raised that government should have a debate on the continuing violence in Manipur, price rise, unemployment, Chinese transgressions among others, during the five-day special session of Parliament.

What is Special session of Parliament?

• The Constitution does not define a ‘special session’. The term sometimes refers to sessions the government has convened for specific occasions, like commemorating parliamentary or national milestones.
• The announcement has led to speculation about the government’s legislative plans for the session.
• Usually, a few days before a Parliament session, the government convenes an all-party meeting to share its agenda and build consensus on possible issues for discussion.
• However, Article 352 (Proclamation of Emergency) of the Constitution does refer to a “special sitting of the House”.
• Parliament added the part relating to the special sitting through the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978.
• Its purpose was to add safeguards to the power of proclaiming Emergency in the country. It specifies that if a Proclamation of Emergency is issued and Parliament is not in session, then one-tenth of Lok Sabha MPs can ask the President to convene a special meeting to disapprove the Emergency.
• For the two Houses to be in session, the presiding officers should chair their proceedings. The presiding officers can also direct that the proceedings of their respective Houses would be limited and procedural devices like question hour would not be available to MPs during the session.

When does Parliament meet?

• India’s Parliament has no fixed calendar of sittings.
• The government determines the date and duration of parliamentary sessions.
• The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs takes this decision. It currently has ten Ministers, including those for Defence, Home, Finance, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting.
• The Law Minister and the Minister of State for External Affairs are special invitees to the Committee.
• The President is informed about the Committee’s decision, who then summons Members of Parliament to meet for the session.

Constitutional provisions:

• The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions. The framers of the Constitution borrowed it from the Government of India Act of 1935.
• It allowed the British Governor General to call a session of the central legislature at his discretion, requiring that the gap between two sessions should not be more than 12 months. The Constituent Assembly reduced the gap between sessions to six months.

How often do Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha meet?

• Before independence, the central assembly met for a little more than 60 days a year. This number increased to 120 days a year in the first 20 years after Independence. Since then, the sitting days of the national legislature have declined.
• Between 2002 and 2021, Lok Sabha averaged 67 working days. The situation in state legislatures is much worse. In 2022, 28 state Assemblies met for 21 days on average.
• On multiple occasions, the conference of presiding officers has recommended that Parliament should meet for more than 100 days. The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution set up in 2000 made a similar recommendation.
• Individual MPs have introduced private member Bills that stipulated increased sitting days for Parliament. If the 1955 recommendations of the Lok Sabha committee were accepted, Parliament would be in session for eight months every year.

History of Earlier Parliament Special Sessions:

• The first-ever special session of the Parliament was convened on 14 and 15 August in 1947, to mark India’s independence.
• During the India-China war in 1962, another special session under the leadership of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss the incursion made by China at length.
• On 15 August 1972, a special session was called to mark the 25 years of India’s Independence.
• A midnight session was called on 9 August 1992 to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the ‘Quit India Movement’.
• On 15 August 1997, a midnight session was convened to mark 50-years of India’s independence.
• On 30 June 2017, the government called for a joint midnight session of both the houses to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST). This was the first special session of the Parliament where a bill was discussed. All previous such sessions were convened to commemorate historical events.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/parliament-special-session-24-india-bloc-parties-to-attend-sonia-gandhi-set-to-write-to-pm-modi-11693961560663.html

2. G20 LEADERS’ SUMMIT

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10. Leaders from the most powerful nations in the world will flock to New Delhi for the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit.

EXPLANATION:

• The culmination of India’s year-long presidency of the G20, the summit will be concluded with the adoption of a G20 Leaders’ Declaration.
• Declaration will state the participating leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

G20 and its objectives:

• The G20, or the Group of Twenty, comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States) and the European Union.
• These members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
• As a forum for international economic cooperation, it plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

Some of its major objectives are as follows:

• Policy coordination between its members in order to achieve global economic stability, sustainable growth
• To promote financial regulations that reduce risks and prevent future financial crises; and
• To create a new international financial architecture.

Origin of the G20

• The Soviet Union fell in 1991, bringing an end to the Cold War. At the same time, vibrant economies were emerging in the Global South, in countries such as Brazil, China and India.
• It was in this context that a need for reform emerged in global governance and international institutions.
• In 1997, the Asian financial crisis ripped through some of the fastest-growing economies in East Asia. It soon spread to Latin America. It was in the context of this crisis that the G22, G20’s earliest iteration, was set up in 1998.
• While initially conceived as a one-time crisis-response meeting, in early 1999, two more meetings were convened including 33 members (G33) to discuss reforms of the global economy and the international financial system.
• It was in late 1999 that the G20, with its current composition, was finally founded as an informal forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of its members to meet annually.
• The global financial crisis of 2008 forced G20 to its present status. As the world reeled from the greatest economic crisis to hit since the Great Depression, France, which held the EU presidency at the time, argued for an emergency summit meeting to address the crisis.
• The G8 (comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US) was not sufficiently influential on its own to stabilise a crisis on this scale. Typically, diplomats would deliberate for months to decide which countries to call, but amid the ongoing crisis, there was simply no time. The G20 was the obvious answer.
• The first G20 Leaders’ Summit (the ‘Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy’) was convened in Washington DC in November 2008. In addition to the leaders of its 20 members, the heads of the IMF, the World Bank and the United Nations were invited, along with Spain and the Netherlands. Annual summits have been held ever since.

How does the G20 work?

• G20 is an informal grouping and unlike the United Nations (UN), it does not have a permanent secretariat or staff.
• Rather, the G20 presidency rotates annually among the members and is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda, organising its workings and hosting summits.
• The presidency is supported by the “troika” previous, current and incoming presidencies. India holds the presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, with the troika comprising Indonesia (the previous presidency), India, and Brazil (the incoming presidency).
• The G20 is also informal in another sense while the decisions of the G20 are important, they do not get implemented automatically.
• Rather, the G20 is a forum where leaders discuss various issues and make pronouncements, which signals their intentions. Then, they are implemented by relevant nations or international organisations.

How is the G20 presidency determined?

The G20 presidency is rotated among its members who (except the EU) are divided into 5 groups.

• The presidency rotates from group to group. However, each country within a group is eligible for presidency when it is their group’s turn.
• Thus, the countries in the eligible group negotiate among themselves to determine the group’s presidency.

What is the working structure of the G20?

• The G20 works in three major tracks two of them are official and one is unofficial. The official tracks are the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. The unofficial track includes engagement groups or civil society groups.
• FINANCE TRACK: It is headed by the finance ministers and central bank governors, who usually meet four times a year, it focuses on fiscal and monetary policy issues such as the global economy, infrastructure, financial regulation, financial inclusion, international financial architecture, and international taxation. It currently has 8 working groups.
• SHERPA TRACK: It is established after the inception of G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2008, it is headed by Sherpas, who are the appointed representatives of the member countries’ president/ prime minister. It focuses on socio-economic issues such as agriculture, anti-corruption, climate, digital economy, education, employment, energy, environment, health, tourism, trade, and investment. It currently has 13 working groups.
• ENGAGEMENT GROUPS: The unofficial track comprises non-government participants from each member country dealing with a gamut of issues. These groups draft recommendations to the G20 leaders that contribute to the policy-making process. There are 11 Engagement Groups at the moment.

What is the theme of the G20 this year?

• This year’s theme is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth, One Family, One Future”. It is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.
• Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life human, animal, plant, and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
• Further, the website says the theme also spotlights LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), “with its associated, environmentally sustainable and responsible choices, both at the level of individual lifestyles as well as national development, leading to globally transformative actions resulting in a cleaner, greener and bluer future.”

What is the 2023 G20 logo?

• The G20 Logo draws inspiration from the vibrant colours of India’s national flag – saffron, white and green, and blue.
• It juxtaposes planet Earth with the lotus, India’s national flower that reflects growth amid challenges. The Earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature.
• The symbol of the lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope in this time. Even if the world is in a deep crisis, we can still progress and make the world a better place.
• The seven petals of the lotus in the logo are also significant. They represent the seven continents.
• The logo is to reflect the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole earth is a family). “The lotus flower symbolises our Puranic heritage, our aastha (belief) and boddhikta (intellectualism).

SOURCE:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/g20-summit-delhi-8926140/

3. THE TRANSITION OF LOANS FROM FLOATING TO FIXED RATES

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Reserve Bank of India issued a circular that provided borrowers the option to transition from a floating interest-based regime to a fixed interest rate for their loans.

EXPLANATION:

• According to RBI, the endeavour was to address borrowers’ grievances pertaining to elongation of loan tenure and/or increase in the EMI amount in the event of an increase in the benchmark interest rate..
• The provisions would be extended to existing as well as new loans by the end of the current calendar year.

What exactly has the RBI instructed?  

• This would be based on a board-approved policy drafted by the lending entity. The policy must also specify the number of times such a switch would be allowing during the tenure.
• The lender must also transparently communicate to the borrower all relevant charges alongside service charges or administrative costs associated with the transition.
• The responsibility would rest with the lender to communicate clearly, at the time of loan sanction, the impact emanating from the change in regime (floating to fixed), such as the change in EMI and/or tenure of the loan or both.
• Additionally, the borrower would now also have the option to choose between enhancement of the EMI or elongation of the tenure or a combination of both.
• The instructions would apply to all equated installment-based loans of different periodicities with certain changes based on the nature of the loan.

What is the difference between a fixed and floating interest rate?  

• Fixed interest rates are those that do not change during the tenure of the loan. On the other hand, floating interest rates are subject to market dynamics and the base rate therefore, the risk differentiation.
• Floating interest rates are generally lower than the fixed interest rates. For example, if the floating interest rates for home loans is 10.5%, the fixed interest rate would be 12%.
• Lenders argue that even if the floating interest rate were to rise by up to 2.5 percentage points, the borrower would be able to save more money when it is below the fixed rate.
• The floating interest rate loans do not draw any prepayment penalty unlike fixed rate loans.
• However, the fixed rate-based regime endows a borrower with greater certainty and security. This also helps in better planning and structuring of individual budgets.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/business/the-transition-of-loans-from-floating-to-fixed-rates-explained/article67241615.ece

4. SCRUB TYPHUS

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: As per reports, at least 5 people have succumbed to scrub typhus and more than 700 people have tested positive.

EXPLANATION:

• Recently, a bacterial infection has emerged known as scrub typhus which is claiming lives Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

What is scrub typhus?

• Scrub typhus is an emerging infectious disease with seasonal flare caused by the bacterium ‘Orientia tsutsugamushi’, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mites found in areas with heavy vegetation.
• It is commonly found in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, and is more prominent during rains and in hilly areas.
• It is majorly spread in human beings by the bites of infected mites known as chiggers. These mites are usually present in dense forest green environments and tall grasses.
• The symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, rashes, and swollen lymph nodes.
• Additionally, a characteristic feature of scrub typhus is an eschar (a type of necrotic tissue that can develop on severe wounds), a dark, scab-like lesion at the site of the chigger bite.
• Without treatment, severe cases can lead to organ dysfunction, including respiratory and renal failure.

Diagnosis and treatment

• Scrub typhus is a disease of concern in India because of potential to cause significant morbidity and in some cases, mortality if not diagnosed and treated promptly.
• It has overlapping symptoms in monsoon season with malaria, dengue and other febrile illnesses making overt diagnosis and management both challenging and crucial.
• Those at risk of scrub typhus include people living in rural or forested areas, being involved in outdoor activities such as farming, camping or hiking in endemic regions, and lack of protective measures.
• To prevent scrub typhus, it is important to take preventive measures such as wearing protective clothing, using insect repellents, and avoiding areas with dense vegetation.
• Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics like doxycycline or azithromycin can effectively treat scrub typhus.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/scrub-typhus-deaths-india-infectious-disease-symptoms-causes-prevention-treatment-8925299/

5. AEROSOL FORMATION BY BLIZZARDS CONTRIBUTE TO ARCTIC WARMING

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Fine sea salt aerosols produced under blizzardy conditions has been found to contribute to Arctic warming, according to new research published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

EXPLANATION:

• The study analysed data collected by the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), an international collaboration and a year-long expedition into the Central Arctic from September, 2019 to October, 2020.
• Fine sea salt aerosols, which refer to the suspended sea salt particles in the air, are good for forming clouds, trap the heat emitted by Earth and contribute to warming.
• According to the study, sea salt aerosols thus produced account for 30 per cent of all the aerosols in the Arctic.
• Considering the absence of sunlight in the winter and spring Arctic, these clouds have the capacity to trap surface long-wave radiation, thereby significantly warming the Arctic surface.
• In the central Arctic, the coldest winter nights are the clearest, when heat from Earth can escape into space unimpeded.
• While the presence of sea salt in the Arctic atmosphere is common because of breaking ocean waves, these particles are large and not abundant.
• However, under blizzardy conditions, when snow is blown about by strong winds, the sea salt particles were much finer and abundant.
• The study has further revealed that the sea salt aerosols thus produced contributes a more substantial fraction to the total aerosol population in the central Arctic.
• Even as ‘Arctic haze’, resulting from pollutants being transported over long distances, has previously been identified as the primary source of aerosols in the Arctic during winter and spring.

The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC)

• It is an international research expedition to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that coupled the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, and ecosystem.
• The project has been designed by an international consortium of leading polar research institutions, under the umbrella of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

India’s initiatives in the Arctic:

• India’s engagement with the Arctic began when it signed the Svalbard Treaty in February 1920 in Paris between Norway, the US, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Ireland, and the British overseas Dominions and Sweden concerning Spitsbergen.
• The Indian Arctic policy is built on six central pillars: science and research, environmental protection, economic and human development, transportation and connectivity, governance and international cooperation, and national capacity building.
• India initiated its Arctic research program in 2007 with a focus on climate change in the region. The objectives included studying teleconnections between Arctic climate and Indian monsoon, to characterize sea ice in the Arctic using satellite data, to estimate the effect on global warming.
• India presently has a single station, Himadri established in 2008 by the Minister of Earth Sciences, in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, where research personnel is usually present for 180 days.
• India is one of the five Asian and 13 Observer states to the Arctic council, having obtained the membership in 2013, which was subsequently reaffirmed in 2019.

SOURCE: https://www.deccanherald.com/science/aerosol-formation-by-blizzards-contribute-to-arctic-warming-study-finds-2673437

1. THE FIN WHALES

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Iceland’s government in September 2023 said it would resume hunting fin whales after a two-month halt but with new guidelines which aims at killing them as quickly as possible to reduce suffering.

The Fin Whales:

• After blue whale, the fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world.
• It is the fastest swimming of the large whales, known as the greyhound of the seas.
• They are given the conservation status of vulnerable as per IUCN Red List.
• They are streamlined in shape but rather “fuller” than the blue whale, although it isn’t as long.
• They grow to 20 meters in length and weigh approximately 70,000 kilograms.
• They are dark grey to brownish-black in colour along the top of the body, with an asymmetrically pigmented head.
• Fin whales have a very unusual feature: the lower right jaw is bright white, and the lower left jaw is black.
• Lifespan: They can live for 80 to 90 years.
• Females are slightly longer than males.

Distribution:

• They inhabit the temperate and polar zones of all major oceans and open seas and, less commonly, in tropical oceans and seas.
• Some populations are migratory, moving into colder waters during the spring and summer months to feed. In autumn, they return to temperate or tropical oceans.

THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION (IWC):

• The IWC was established in 1946 as the global body responsible for management of whaling and conservation of whales.
• It is an inter-governmental organisation with a current membership of 88 governments from all over the world.
• The IWC work programme also includes bycatch & entanglement, ship strikes, ocean noise, pollution and debris, and sustainable whale watching.
• The Commission’s work is divided into five main areas: Science, Conservation, Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling, Whale Killing & Welfare Issues, Infractions and Finance & Administration Committee.
• India is a member of this commission and it joined in 1981.

Whaling:

• The Convention recognises three different types of whaling: commercial, aboriginal subsistence and special permit (also known as scientific) whaling.
• A Commercial whaling moratorium was adopted in 1982 and came into full force in 1986.
• The Commission continues to regulate Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling, which is conducted by indigenous communities, often in remote parts of the world.
• Regulation of aboriginal whaling has always been a core responsibility of the Commission and remains so today.
• It recognises nutritional and cultural needs and is underpinned by a rigorous scientific process.
• The Convention contains a separate category of special permit whaling for scientific research purposes.
• Special permit whaling is not regulated by the Commission but by national governments, although none currently undertake this type of whaling.

SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/iceland-resumes-fin-whale-hunting-killing-needs-be-faster-2023-08-31/

2. THE FIRST AI SCHOOL OF INDIA

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Kerala introduced the first AI school of India.

EXPLANATION:

• This pioneering development was launched by Santhigiri Vidhyabhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• It is the result of a collaboration between iLearning Engines (ILE) USA and Vedhik eSchool.
• The school’s curriculum aligns with the National School Accreditation Standards, which are based on the New National Education Policy (NEP 2020).
• The school predominantly teaches its students deep on Artificial Intelligence and other advanced technologies to boost the learning experiences of students.
• It includes the integration of AI technologies like machine learning, natural language processing and data analysis, into several aspects of education.
• For e.g., school curriculum design, personalised assessment, learning and student support.

SIGNIFICANT FEATURES OF THE AI SCHOOL:

• Personalised support service
• It caters to students from 8 to 12 grade with various multifaceted support services.
• They will get many benefits like support from multitude of teachers, different test levels, aptitude tests, career planning, memory techniques and counselling.
• The holistic skill development
• The AI system offered by the Vedhik eSchool nurtures the skills like interview techniques, group discussion aptitude, emotional well-being as well etc.
• Competitive exam preparations
• It equips its students to prepare for competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CUET, CLAT GMAT and IELTS, for a better higher education.
• Better guidance for future
• The guidance on scholarship opportunities is another significant feature of this AI school.
• It helps students get opportunities for esteemed foreign universities and paves the way for students to pursue their higher studies in foreign countries.
• Advanced technology in low cost
• Even though the AI school uses cutting-edge technology, it is inexpensive. The online resources that are made using AI are available in the school website which makes students use them at any time without spending too much on them.

Various Initiatives/Programmes for AI

• The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) launched the US-India Artificial Intelligence Initiative in March 2021 to foster AI innovation by sharing ideas and experiences, identifying new opportunities in research and development and bilateral collaboration.
• Responsible AI for Youth is a national programme for government schools to empower the young generation to become AI-ready and reduce the skill gap in India.
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) launched a new version of its portal, version 3.0, MCA 21, which will leverage data analytics, AI, and ML, to simplify regulatory filings for companies.
• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is preparing a new National Curriculum Framework for School Education in pursuance of the National Education Policy 2020. This will also aim at introducing a basic course on AI at the secondary level.

SOURCE: https://indiaai.gov.in/news/india-s-first-ai-school-launched-in-kerala

3. ADITYA L1 MISSION

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Indian Space & Research Organization (ISRO) has launched the Aditya L1 on 2^nd September 2023 after the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3.

WHAT IS ADITYA L1 MISSION?

• Aditya L1 is the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun.
• The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
• A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses.
• This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
• The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
• Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun, and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1.
• It will provide important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.

Layers of the sun

PHASES OF THE MISSION:

• Following its scheduled launch on September 2, 2023, Aditya-L1 stays Earth-bound orbits for 16 days, during which it undergoes 5 maneuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey.
• Subsequently, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion maneuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point.
• Upon arrival at the L1 point, another maneuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun.
• The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF ADITYA-L1 MISSION?

The major objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are:

• Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
• Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares.
• Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
• Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
• Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma’s temperature, velocity, and density.
• Development, dynamics, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
• Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base, and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
• Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona.
• Drivers for space weather (origin, composition, and dynamics of solar wind.

ADITYA-L1 PAYLOADS:

• The instruments of Aditya-L1 are tuned to observe the solar atmosphere mainly the chromosphere and corona.
• In-situ instruments will observe the local environment at L1.
• There are total seven payloads on-board with four of them carrying out remote sensing of the Sun and three of them carrying in-situ observation.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/aditya-l1-launch-live-updates-sept-2/article67262515.ece

4. THE RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD

TAG: PRELIMS SPECIFIC

THE CONTEXT: Oncologist Ravi Kannan has been named one of the four winners of the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award.

EXPLANATION:

• Ravi Kannan serves as the Director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) located in Assam.
• Transformation of Cancer Treatment: He is credited with revolutionizing cancer treatment in Assam through a people-centric and pro-poor healthcare approach. He hails from Chennai and had previously worked at the Cancer Institute, Adyar, before relocating to Silchar in 2007.

Ramon Magsaysay:

• Ramon Magsaysay born on 31 August 1907 and passed away on 17 March 1957, was the 7th President of the Philippines.
• His tenure as the president was from 30th December 1953 – to 17th March 1957.
• He has done outstanding service as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific War.
• The Ramon Magsaysay Award is presented in formal ceremonies in Manila, Philippines on August 31st, the birth anniversary of the much-esteemed Philippine President whose ideals inspired the Award’s creation in 1957.

Indian winners in the past:

• Prominent Indians who have won the award include Vinoba Bhave in 1958, Mother Teresa in 1962, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay in 1966, Satyajit Ray in 1967, and Mahasweta Devi in 1997.
• In recent years, Arvind Kejriwal (2006), Anshu Gupta of Goonj (2015), human rights activist Bezwada Wilson (2016), and journalist Ravish Kumar (2019) have won the award.

Ramon Magsaysay Award:

• The Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize and highest honour, recognizes greatness of spirit shown in selfless service to the peoples of Asia.
• The Ramon Magsaysay Awardees, annually selected by the RMAF board of trustees, are presented with a certificate and a medallion with an embossed image of Ramon Magsaysay facing right in profile.

From 1958 to 2008, the Award was given in six categories annually:

• Government Service: to recognize outstanding service in the public interest in any branch of government, including the executive, judicial, legislative, or military.
• Public Service: to recognize outstanding service for the public good by a private citizen.
• Community Leadership: to recognize leadership of a community toward helping the disadvantaged have fuller opportunities and a better life.
• Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts: to recognize effective writing, publishing, or photography or the use of radio, television, cinema, or the performing arts as a power for the public good.
• Peace and International Understanding: to recognize contributions to the advancement of friendship, tolerance, peace, and solidarity as the foundations for sustainable development within and across countries; and
• Emergent Leadership: to recognize an individual, forty years of age or younger, for outstanding work on issues of social change in his or her community, but whose leadership may not yet be broadly recognized outside of this community.

SOURCE: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/magsaysay-for-oncologist/articleshow/103265296.cms?from=mdrv

5. ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The government has constituted a committee headed by the former President of India Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of “one nation, one election”.

EXPLANATION:

• In line with the government’s commitment for “One nation One election”, on 1^st September 2023 the government reportedly announced a committee to look into this issue. Although official notification has not been released. The ex-president Mr Kovind will be heading the committee on “One nation One election”.
• The composition, term of reference and other details will be available once the notification is issued.
• “One Nation, One Election” concept envisions a system in which all state and Lok Sabha elections must be held simultaneously.
• This will require changing the Indian election cycle such that the national and state elections take place at the same time.
• This would suggest that voters will elect members of the LS and state assemblies simultaneously (or in a phased manner, as the case may be).
• Assembly polls are due in five states in November-December of 2023, and they will be followed by the Lok Sabha elections in May-June next year.
• However, the recent moves by the government have thrown open the possibility of advancing the general elections and some state polls, which are scheduled after and with the Lok Sabha contest.

Reintroduction of simultaneous elections as a possibility:

• The Election Commission’s 1983 annual report mentioned the possibility of holding simultaneous elections once more. Additionally, it was also mentioned in the Law Commission’s 1999 Report.
• The NITI Aayog prepared a working paper on the subject in 2017, following the Prime Minister of India’s reintroduction of the idea in 2016.
• The Law Commission stated in its 2018 working paper that at least “five Constitutional recommendations” would be required to make simultaneous elections a reality in India again.
• The prime minister announced in June 2019 that a committee would be formed to examine the matter and a meeting with party leaders would be scheduled.
• The issue of holding simultaneous Parliamentary and Assembly elections in July 2022, has been referred to the Law Commission in order to develop a workable roadmap and framework.

Benefits of simultaneous elections:

• The massive expenditure that is currently incurred for the conduct of separate elections, simultaneous polls will reduce enormous costs involved in separate elections.
• Simultaneous Election would mean saving on transport, accommodation, storage arrangements, training, remuneration, and so on.
• This will also mean saving in terms of human resources. Another area of saving would be in the deployment of the Central Police Force.
• The policy paralysis that results from the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during election time.
• Burden on crucial manpower that is deployed during election time.

Constitutional Challenges:

• The Indian Constitution provides for the dissolution of the legislature if the ruling party loses majority by passing a vote of no confidence.
• Article 83, Article 172(1) of Indian constitution deals with the term of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies respectively.
• These Houses can be dissolved ahead of the scheduled expiry of the term of five years [Articles 85(2)(b) and 174(2)(b)].
• However, there is no provision for extension of the term unless a proclamation of Emergency is in operation.
• Simultaneous elections could be held together through amendments to the Constitution. Since it will affect federal character, at least 50% of the states will require to ratify the constitutional amendments.

SOURCE: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-forms-one-nation-one-poll-committee-ex-prez-kovind-to-head-report-101693541071281.html

1. THE PARDONING POWER OF PRESIDENT

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: A death-row convict whose mercy petition has been disposed of by the president will have no right to appeal in a court against the decision when the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill (BNSS), 2023 becomes law.

WHAT IS BHARATIYA NAGARIK SURAKSHA SANHITA (BNSS) BILL, 2023?

• 3 New Bills have been brought up by the parliament to repeal Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
• The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 will be replaced by the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023.

WHAT DOES BNSS BILL PROPOSES?

• Article 72 of the Constitution empowers the president to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of anyone convicted of any offence.
• According to section 473, an addition to the BNSS Bill, no appeal shall lie in any court against the order of the president made under Article 72 of the constitution and it shall be final, and any question as to the arriving of the decision by the President shall not be enquired into in any court.
• Section 473 of the BNSS Bill also seeks to rule out delays on account of separate pleas filed by multiple death-row convicts in the same case. E.g., In the Nirbhaya case, the four convicts had filed their mercy pleas at separate times, forcing a delay until the last plea was rejected.
• It proposes that a jail superintendent shall ensure that every convict, in case there are more than one in a case, submits the mercy plea within 60 days.
• If no such petition is received from the other convicts, he shall himself send the names, addresses, copies of the case records and all other details to the Centre or the state government, along with the original mercy petition.
• However, no time-limit has been specified for the president for disposing of the mercy petitions.
• Section 473 of the BNSS Bill also seeks to give the Union 60 days’ time from the date of receipt of the state government’s comments on the pleas to send its recommendation to the president.
• Although there is no deadline for the president to decide on mercy petitions, the Union requests that the president’s decision be conveyed to the state home department and jail superintendent involved within 48 hours of the decision being made.

RULING OF SUPREME COURT:

• There have been several instances in the past where death row convicts approached the court at the eleventh hour, seeking a review of the president’s rejection of their mercy petitions.
• In Shatrughan Chauhan & Anr vs Union Of India , 1947 case, the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that the exercise of prerogative powers, such as clemency and pardons, by the president or the governor is justiciable and may be challenged on grounds like an “undue and unexplained” delay, solitary confinement etc.
• For e.g., 1991 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon in 2015 and the four Nirbhaya case convicts in 2020.

SOURCE: https://m.thewire.in/article/rights/new-bill-proposes-to-make-presidents-call-on-mercy-plea-final-to-reduce-judicial-delays/amp

2. THE INDUS WATERS TREATY (IWT)

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Pakistan ‘unilaterally’ initiated arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) to address the interpretation and application of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in Jan 2023. But today, India and Pakistan must recognise their common interest in the optimum development of the Indus rivers system.

INDUS WATER TREATY:

WHAT IS THE ISSUE OVER IWT?

• The Kishanganga and Rattle hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir are at the centre of the current conflict between India and Pakistan.
• Pakistan has objected, citing treaty violations and potential harm to its water supply, which is against the terms contained in the treaty’s Annexure D.
• Pakistan first raised its concerns over the Kishanganga project in 2006 and the Rattle project on the Chenab in 2012. In 2010, the dispute on the Kishanganga project was taken to the Court of Arbitration (CoA).
• Pakistan contended that India’s plan is not in line with Article III, Article IV (6) and Paragraph 15(iii) of Annexure D of the IWT.
• In 2013, the CoA delivered the final judgment, ruling that the Kishanganga hydroelectric project is a run-of-river dam.
• India, under the IWT, can divert water from the river Kishanganga/Neelum for power generation.
• India has to maintain a minimum flow of water in the Kishanganga/Neelum river to nine cusecs (cubic metre of water per second).
• The two countries reached an amicable resolution on only one out of four issues that were expected to be resolved.
• In 2016, Pakistan requested the World Bank to form a CoA:
• India requested a neutral expert be appointed to deal with the dispute. At that time, the World Bank paused the works on the Kishanganga and Rattle projects “to allow the two countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements”.

STANCE OF INDIA:

• In 2023, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) unanimously rejected India’s objections and confirmed its competence to consider and resolve the disputes raised by Pakistan.
• The PCA, based on its interpretation of paragraph 1 of Annexure G and Article IX of, unanimously said that it is competent to “consider and determine the disputes set forth in Pakistan’s Request for Arbitration”.
• India said: It cannot be “compelled to recognize or participate in illegal and parallel proceedings not envisaged by the Treaty”.
• India has been participating in the neutral expert’s proceedings whose first meeting was held at The Hague on February 27-28.

WAY FORWARD:

• Revisiting the Indus Water Treaty will be helpful rather than the Court action. The need is to incorporate equitable and reasonable utilisation and the no harm rule in the IWT.
• It requires better ties and enduring trust between India and Pakistan.
• There is a remote chance that Pakistan will agree to India’s request to renegotiate to modify parts of the IWT’s clauses because of a wide trust gap between the two nations.
• There is a need to involve local stakeholders in any negotiation process between India and Pakistan on shared water issues.
• A Joint group comprising technocrats, climate experts, water management professionals, and scientists from both countries can be set up to look at the core of the problem.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/cross-the-boulders-in-the-indus-waters-treaty/article67253004.ece

3. THE GOODS AND SERVICES TAX

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: India’s goods and services tax collections grew 11 per cent to Rs 1.60 lakh crore on an annual basis in August 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• The collection from Goods and Services Tax (GST) was Rs 1,43,612 crore in August 2022.
• in July 2023, the central and state governments collected ₹1.65 trillion in GST revenue, an improvement of 11 percent from the year-ago period.
• Among large state economies, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu reported double-digit revenue growth.
• While Delhi witnessed a 25% annual improvement in GST revenue in July at ₹5405 crore.
• Uttar Pradesh had reported a 24 percent jump in revenue at ₹8802 crore.
• In June 2023, the gross GST revenue collected was ₹1,61,497 crore of which CGST was ₹31,013 crore, SGST was ₹38,292 crore, IGST was ₹80,292 crore and cess is ₹11,900 crore.
• GST collections have grown by more than nominal GDP, despite being no increase in tax rates.
• This is because of better compliance and improved tax collection efficiency. Tax evasion and avoidance is low.
• With the onset of festival season, the increased consumer spending for homes, cars, vacations, and other consumer items may also ensure higher monthly GST collections.

Goods and Services Tax (GST):

• It is an indirect tax (not directly paid by customers to the government) that came into effect on July 1, 2017, as a result of the 101st Amendment to the Indian Constitution.
• It is imposed on both manufacturers and sellers of goods, as well as suppliers of services.
• For tax collection, it is divided into five tax slabs – 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%.

GST Council:

• It is an apex committee to modify, reconciles or make recommendations to the Union and the States on GST, like the goods and services that may be subjected or exempted from GST, model GST laws, etc.
• Article 279A of the Indian Constitution empowers the President of India to constitute a joint forum of the Centre and States called the GST Council.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/economy/gst-revenues-grow-11-to-about-rs-1-6-lakh-crore-in-august-govt/amp-11693556117569.html

4. Red Sand Boa

TAG: GS 3: Ecology and Environment

Context: A report by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)-India has pointed out 172 incidents of seizures of red sand boa (Eryx johnii) between the years 2016-2021. The report, compiled by the Counter Wildlife Trafficking unit of WCS-India, and titled ‘Illegal Trade of Red Sand Boa in India 2016-2021 ‘ collates information from media reports on the seizures.

EXPLANATION:

Red Sand Boa:

• The red sand boa is a non-venomous snake found in Iran, Pakistan, and India. It is a primarily reddish-brown and thick-set snake that grows to an average length of 75 cm. Unlike most snakes, the tail is almost as thick as the body and gives the reptile the appearance of being “double-headed”.
• The red sand boa is found in dry, semi-desert scrub plains and rocky dry foothills. It is a burrowing snake that spends most of its time underground. It feeds on small mammals, lizards, and birds.
• The red sand boa is a popular pet snake in India. However, it is also a highly sought-after species in the illegal wildlife trade. The snake is believed to have medicinal and supernatural properties, and its price can be very high.
• The red sand boa is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The main threats to the snake are habitat loss and illegal trade.
• The scientific name of the red sand boa, Eryx johnii, is in honor of the English naturalist John John Smith.
• The red sand boa is the largest of the sand boas in the world.
• The red sand boa is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/172-incidents-of-seizures-of-red-sand-boa-recorded-from-2016-to-2021-wcs-india-report/article67249299.ece

5. THE LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY (LIBS)

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole. These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters.

EXPLANATION:

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS):

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid, non-destructive analytical technique that uses a laser to ablate a small amount of material from the surface of a sample and then analyzes the light emitted from the resulting plasma. The light emitted from the plasma contains information about the elemental composition of the sample.

• LIBS is a scientific technique that analyzes the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses.
• It a high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the surface of a material, such as a rock or soil.
• The laser pulse generates an extremely hot and localized plasma.
• The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as Charge Coupled Devices.
• Preliminary analyses, graphically represented, have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface.
• That measurement has revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). Thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway.
• LIBS payload is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS)/ISRO, Bengaluru.

THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF A LIBS SYSTEM ARE:

• A laser: The laser is used to ablate the sample material. The most common lasers used for LIBS are Nd:YAG lasers, which operate at a wavelength of 1064 nm.
• A spectrometer: The spectrometer is used to collect and analyze the light emitted from the plasma.
• A detection system: The detection system is used to convert the light signal into an electrical signal that can be processed by a computer.

LIBS can be used to analyze a wide variety of materials, including metals, minerals, rocks, and biological materials. It is a versatile technique that can be used for a variety of applications, including:

• Quality control: LIBS can be used to quickly and easily analyze the elemental composition of materials for quality control purposes.
• Forensic analysis: LIBS can be used to identify materials and trace the origin of materials.
• Environmental monitoring: LIBS can be used to measure the elemental composition of air, water, and soil for environmental monitoring purposes.
• Cultural heritage: LIBS can be used to analyze archaeological and cultural heritage objects to learn more about their composition and history.

The advantages of LIBS:

• It is a non-destructive technique, meaning that the sample is not damaged during analysis.
• It is a rapid technique, with analysis times typically taking a few seconds.
• It is a versatile technique, capable of analyzing a wide variety of materials.
• It is a sensitive technique, capable of detecting even trace amounts of elements.

Limitations of LIBS:

• It can be difficult to obtain accurate results for samples with high concentrations of refractory elements.
• The results can be affected by the surface condition of the sample.
• The technique can be affected by atmospheric conditions.

Source: https://www.isro.gov.in/LIBSResults.html#:~:text=LIBS%20is%20a%20scientific%20technique,extremely%20hot%20and%20localized%20plasma

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=LIBS-confirms-presence-of-Sulphur-(S)-on-lunar-surface-through-unambiguous-in-situ-measurements&id=466926

1. SEETHAKALI FOLK ART

TAG: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: The Perinad Seethakali Sangham, a 20-member folk dance group is all set to perform Seethakali folk art outside Kerala for the first time.

EXPLANATION:

Origin of the Art

• It is a vibrant and flamboyant folk art which traces its roots from Perinad in Kollam district, Kerala.
• This art form emerged around 150 years ago and was initially performed by Dalit artistes belonging to the Veda and Pulaya communities.

Features of the Art:

• It is a dance drama which presents minuscule episodes of the Ramayana at every homestead and breathes life into mythical characters such as Rama, Seetha, Ravana, and Hanuman.
• Seethakali songs were orally passed on from one generation to the next, the tradition came to a standstill at one point.
• Seethakali was a part of Onam festivities in the past and it is a Dravidian dance form portraying the portions from vanayatra (exile to the forest) to Sita’s andardhanam (descend into the earth).
• It’s a blend of songs, story telling and fast movements while ganjira, manikatta, chiratta and kaimani are among the accompaniments.

Instruments and Attire

• Seethakali performances captivate with their dynamic music, traditional instruments, and spontaneous rhythmic movements.
• Natural materials like bamboo and palm leaves find artistic expression in Seethakali.
• The costumes and makeup are strikingly vibrant and characters like Rama and Laxmana are adorned in green, a color symbolic of gods and goddesses in Kathakali.

SOURCE:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/artistes-breathe-a-new-life-into-seethakali-folk-art/article67234768.ece#:~:text=Shajimon%2C%20a%20Kerala%20Folklore%20Akademi,(descend%20into%20the%20earth)

2. ESG (ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE) REGULATIONS

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Analysts stated that new regulations pertaining to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations disclosures issued by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) are stringent and will help in better regulations.

EXPLANATION:

• SEBI’s new ESG rules have become mandatory for top listed companies from this year.
• These new standards are expected to provide uniformity and transparency in ESG disclosures.

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations

• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations refer to the regulatory measures designed to promote sustainable and responsible business practices.
• Environmental factors cover a range of issues related to climate change, pollution, resource depletion, waste management etc.
• Social factors cover issues related to labour practices, human rights, and community impact etc.
• Governance factors cover issues related to business ethics, transparency, board composition and corporate governance etc.
• These factors are increasingly being considered by investors to evaluate the long-term sustainability of companies and also to guide their investment decisions.
• This trend has been driven by recognition of the critical role that long-term sustainability plays in the success and stability of global economy.

ESG Regulations in India and Role of SEBI

• In India, ESG regulations have been gaining traction, driven by growing awareness of ESG risks and opportunities among investors, increasing focus on corporate sustainability, and the regulatory push towards responsible investment practices.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the Indian securities market, has been actively promoting ESG investing in India through various initiatives.
• In 2012, SEBI issued a guidance note on ESG disclosure, which recommended that companies listed on Indian stock exchanges should disclose their ESG performance in their annual reports.
• This guidance note was updated in 2015 to include more detailed reporting requirements, such as reporting on water usage, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, SEBI has been periodically issuing circulars and guidelines on ESG disclosure, and many companies have started reporting on their ESG performance.
• In 2020, SEBI took a major step towards promoting ESG investing in India by mandating the top 1,000 listed companies to disclose their ESG-related information in their annual reports from the financial year 2021-22 onwards.
• The disclosure requirements cover a range of ESG issues, including carbon emissions, water usage, waste management, diversity and inclusion, employee health and safety, and board composition.

Implications for Companies

• ESG regulations require companies to disclose their ESG performance and risks to investors, which increases transparency and accountability.
• Companies that fail to meet ESG standards may face reputational damage and loss of investor confidence, which can have a significant impact on their bottom line.
• ESG regulations may require companies to change their business practices to align with ESG standards, which would involve significant investments in new technology, processes, and systems.

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SEBI)

• SEBI is a statutory body and a market regulator, which controls the securities market in India.
• The basic functions of SEBI is to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
• SEBI is run by its board of members. The board consists of a chairman and several other whole time and part time members. The chairman is nominated by the union government.
• The others include two members from the finance ministry, one member from Reserve Bank of India and five other members are also nominated by the Centre.
• The headquarters of SEBI is situated in Mumbai and the regional offices are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.

Functions and powers of SEBI

• SEBI controls activities of stock exchanges, safeguards the rights of shareholders and also guarantees the security of their investment.
• It also aims to check fraudulence by harmonising its statutory regulations and self-regulating business.
• The regulator also enables a competitive professional market for intermediaries.
• Apart from the above functions, Sebi provides a marketplace in which the issuers can increase finance properly.
• It also ensures safety and supply of precise and accurate information from the investors. Sebi analyses the trading of stocks and safes the security market from the malpractices.
• It provides education regarding the market to the investors to enhance their knowledge.

SOURCE:https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sebi-esg-rules-tough-in-right-direction-11693249398152.html#:~:text=The%20new%20regulations%20pertaining%20to,at%20Mint%20Sustainability%20Summit%202023

3. RECONSTITUTION OF PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEES

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: Rajya Sabha Chairman has re-constituted eight Department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees, coming under his administrative jurisdiction.

EXPLANATION:

• The Chairman, Rajya Sabha has, in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha, re-constituted the eight Department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees, coming under the administrative jurisdiction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.
• The new Parliamentary Standing Committees will come into effect from September 13, 2023.
• These eight committees include Committee on Commerce; Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports; Committee on Health and Family Welfare; Committee on Home Affairs; Committee on Industry, etc.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES

• A Parliamentary Committee is a panel of MPs that is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker, and which works under the direction of the Speaker. It presents its report to the House or to the Speaker.
• Parliamentary Committees have their origins in the British Parliament. They draw their authority from Article 118, which gives Parliament authority to make rules to regulate its procedure and conduct of business.

What are the various Committees of Parliament?

• Broadly, Parliamentary Committees can be classified into Financial Committees, Departmentally Related Standing Committees, Other Parliamentary Standing Committees, and Ad hoc Committees.
• The Financial Committees include the Estimates Committee, Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Public Undertakings. These committees were constituted in 1950.
• Seventeen Departmentally Related Standing Committees came into being in 1993 to examine budgetary proposals and crucial government policies. The aim was to increase Parliamentary scrutiny, and to give members more time and a wider role in examining important legislation.
• The number of Committees was subsequently increased to 24. Each of these Committees has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
• Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills etc.
• Apart from the Ad hoc Committees, each House of Parliament has Standing Committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee.

How are the Committees constituted, and how are their chairpersons chosen?

• There are 16 Departmentally Related Standing Committees for Lok Sabha and eight for Rajya Sabha; however, every Committee has members from both Houses. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha panels are headed by members of these respective Houses.
• Among the important Lok Sabha panels are: Agriculture; Coal; Defence; External Affairs; Finance; Communications & Information Technology; Labour; Petroleum & Natural Gas; and Railways.
• The important Rajya Sabha panels include Commerce; Education; Health & Family Welfare; Home Affairs; and Environment.
• Presiding Officers use their discretion to refer a matter to a Parliamentary Committee, but this is usually done in consultation with leaders of parties in the House.
• MPs typically have a one-year tenure on Parliamentary Committees. Usually, the composition of a Committee remains more or less the same in terms of representation of the various parties.

How important are the recommendations of the Committees?

• Reports of Departmentally Related Standing Committees are recommendatory in nature. They are not binding on the government, but they do carry significant weight.
• These panels also examine policy issues in their respective Ministries and make suggestions to the government. The government has to report back on whether these recommendations have been accepted.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/rajya-sabha-chairman-re-constitutes-8-department-related-parliamentary-standing-committees-11693278824296.html

4. ECHIDNA

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Echidnas are even more mysterious and unusual than commonly assumed. They sense electric fields, tolerate snow, and have ‘mating trains.

ABOUT ECHIDNAS:

• They’re ancient egg-laying mammals:
• Short beaked echidnas and long beaked echidnas are two types of echidnas among others.
• Short-beaked echidnas are one of just five species of monotreme surviving in the world, alongside the platypus and three worm-eating long-beaked echidna species found on the island of New Guinea.
• Short-beaked echidnas can weigh up to six kilograms, but the Western long-beaked echidna can be as large as 16 kg.
• These ancient mammals lay eggs through their cloacas (monotreme means one opening) and incubate them in a pouch-like skin fold, nurturing their tiny, jellybean-sized young after hatching.
• Scientists believe echidnas began as platypuses who left the water and evolved spines.
• Bigibila(Gamilaraay) and Yinarlingi (Warlpiri) are the other names of echidnas.
• From deserts to snow, echidnas are remarkably adaptable:
• Echidnas can be found on northern tropical savannah amid intense humidity, on coastal heaths and forests, in arid deserts and even on snowy mountains. There are few other creatures which can tolerate broad climate ranges.
• Subspecies are also markedly different, with variations to hairiness and the length and width of spines.
• Kangaroo Island echidnas have longer, thinner, and paler spines compared to the mainland species.
• Tasmanian echidnas are well adapted to the cold, boasting a lushness of extra hair. Sometimes their spines can’t be seen amidst their hair.
• What do marsupials and monotremes have in common?
• Marsupials bear live young when they’re very small and complete their development in a pouch.
• Despite this key difference with monotremes, there’s a fascinating similarity between Australia’s two most famous mammal families.
• At 17 days after conception, the embryo of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) hits almost the same developmental milestone as echidna embryos. Both are in the somite stage, where paired blocks of tissue form along the notochord, the temporary precursor to the spinal cord and each have around 20 somites.
• Despite millions of years of evolutionary pressure and change, these very different animals still hit a key embryo milestone at the same time.
• In echidnas, this milestone is tied to egg-laying and the embryo is packaged up in a leathery egg the size of a grape and laid into the mother’s pouch. The baby puggle hatches 10–11 days later. In tammar wallabies, the embryo continues to develop in-utero for another 9–10 days before being born.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/the-animal-that-senses-electric-fields-tolerates-snow-and-has-mating-trains/article67244337.ece

5. KAMPALA DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: 48 African countries have agreed to adopt the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC) to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.

EXPLANATION:

• The continental expansion of the KDMECC was discussed at a three-day Conference of States that began August 23, 2023, held at Nairobi, Kenya.
• It was co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Uganda with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• It also enabled the African States to develop a common position ahead of the Africa Climate Summit and the Conference of Parties (COP 28).

Representatives from 48 African countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Conference of States on the continental expansion of the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change.

The Declaration calls for enhanced cooperation and action to address five areas of concern:

• Progressive desertification and land degradation creating forced mobility of people and livestock.
• Unsustainable use of ecosystems and the impact of frequent and intense extreme weather events on people and livestock
• Unplanned migration of people from rural to urban centres because of climate change and disasters
• Paucity of data and statistics on the impact of climate change on human and livestock mobility in the region
• Limitations of partnerships and financing to respond to the climate crisis adversely affecting the mobility of our people and livestock in the region.

Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change (KDMECC): –

• It was signed in 2022 at Kampala, Uganda by 15 African States to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.
• The declaration is the first comprehensive, action-oriented framework led by Member States to address climate-induced mobility in a practical and effective manner.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/kampala-declaration-on-climate-change-human-mobility-now-has-48-african-countries-as-members-91393

1. CAG AUDITS NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP)

TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY; GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: The CAG report found several irregularities in National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).

EXPLANATION:

• The CAG report found several irregularities in beneficiary payments, the most glaring being that all states, except for Haryana and Kerala, did not maintain a database of eligible beneficiaries.
• This led to several eligible beneficiaries being left out of the scheme while payments worth several crores were made to ineligible persons.
• Around Rs 79 crore has been transferred to ineligible beneficiaries under the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) between 2017 and 2021. Of this, Rs two crore was paid to beneficiaries even after their deaths.
• At the same time, many eligible beneficiaries were likely to have been excluded from the welfare programme either due to non-maintenance of Below Poverty Line (BPL) lists or due to states not carrying out periodic surveys to identify eligible beneficiaries.
• Additionally, ineligible payments of Rs 15.11 crore under IGNDPS as disability pension was paid to 21,322 people in 16 states / UTs. In these cases, the percentage of disability was either below 80 per cent or could not be ascertained.
• Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Ladakh are among the States that made the highest numbers of ineligible payments.
• The beneficiaries were to be selected from the BPL list until the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) was finalised. Though the governments are mandated to identify beneficiaries using SECC once it is finalised, they continued to use BPL lists that were not regularly updated.
• In the absence of proactive identification and non-maintenance of database of eligible beneficiaries as intended, the scheme was being implemented in a demand-driven mode where benefits were provided to only those beneficiaries who applied for pensions/benefits under NSAP themselves.
• The eligible beneficiaries who were unaware/lack resources to apply for the benefits were left out of ambit of NSAP,” the report revealed.
• Further, funds of Rs 57.45 crore earmarked for NSAP were diverted for other schemes and purposes in six states/UTs, while funds amounting to Rs 18.78 crore were lying idle for a period ranging from one to five years in eight states/UTs.

NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP)

• NSAP was launched on 15th August, 1995 to provide social security to the destitute population living below the poverty line and vulnerable groups in 1995.
• The programme includes five sub-schemes, of which three  Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) are pension schemes.
• The other two sub-schemes are the National Family Benefit Scheme which provides one-time assistance to the bereaved family in the event of death of the breadwinner and the Annapurna scheme, which ensures food security to eligible old age persons who are not covered under IGNOAPS.
• The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) represents a significant step towards the fulfillment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 and 42 of the Constitution recognizing the concurrent responsibility of the Central and the State Governments in the matter.

Objective of NSAP

• It is a social security and welfare programme to provide support to aged persons, widows, disabled persons and bereaved families on death of primary bread winner, belonging to below poverty line households.

Components of NSAP

The NSAP at its inception in 1995 had three components namely

• National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS,
• National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and
• National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) was subsequently transferred on 1st April, 2001 from the Ministry of Rural development to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely –

• Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS),
• Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS),
• Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS),
• National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and

Eligibility and scale of assistance

• For getting benefits under NSAP the applicant must belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family according to the criteria prescribed by the Govt. of India.
• The other eligibility criteria and the scale of central assistance under the sub – schemes of NSAP are as follows. Besides the central assistance, states / UT contribute an equal amount as their share.

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/rs-79-crore-transferred-to-ineligible-beneficiaries-under-nsap-finds-cag-91122

2. PRADHAN MANTRI UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (PM-USHA)

TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY;  GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE CONTEXT: 14 States as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are yet to join Centre’s flagship education scheme which mandates the implementation of the National Education Policy. It is important in order to avail funds worth almost ₹13,000 crore for the next three years, under the Centre’s flagship scheme for State-run higher education.

EXPLANATION:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre mandates National Education Policy implementation.
• However, some Opposition-ruled States are against MoU, given that PM-USHA scheme has 60:40 funding split between Centre and States, with no extra money for NEP reforms.
• The Centre says it holding discussions to iron out differences with dissenting States.
• The MoU is to show the willingness of States and UTs to participate in the PM-USHA scheme and it will help in the better implementation of the scheme.

NEP reforms need more funds:

• The MoU which makes it mandatory for States to undertake the administrative, academic, accreditation, and governance reforms detailed in the NEP, including an academic credit bank, entry and exit flexibility, and the Samarth e-governance platform has irked some State governments.
• Opposition states remarked that this MoU does not say anything about finding funds for changes envisaged under the NEP.
• Centre however, said that multiple consultations had been undertaken before finalising the structure of PM-USHA. The MoU contains clauses regarding proper planning, implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
• Commitment on planning and drafting the proposals by the State by aligning it with NEP will lead to integration between NEP and PM-USHA.
• The Centre points that PM-USHA reduces the fragmentation of resources by streamlining the number of scheme components to six.
• More flexibility has been given to States/UTs to undertake activities as per felt needs. Unit costs of some components have been rationalised for tangible outcomes.
• States and UTs have also been given the flexibility to identify their focus districts on the basis of various indicators, such as low gross enrolment ratio, gender parity, population proportion of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
• These districts will be prioritised under the scheme to address the diverse needs of each State or UT.

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA).

• In the light of the National Education Policy, RUSA scheme has been launched as Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA).
• PM-USHA is the new name for the Ministry’s scheme to improve the quality of higher education in State Universities through curricular and programme changes, teacher training, physical and digital infrastructure, accreditation, and enhancing employability while ensuring equity, access, and inclusion.
• It provides an outlay of ₹12,926.10 crore between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
• The first phase of the scheme was launched in 2013 and the second phase was launched in 2018.
• PM USHA covers government and government-aided institutions of the States and UTs. As the demand for higher education is increasing continuously over the years, there has been an unprecedented expansion in the number of institutions, universities, and volume of students in the country.

Focus Areas:

1. a) Equity Access and inclusion in higher education
2. b) Developing Quality Teaching & Learning processes
3. c) Accreditation of Non Accredited Institutions and improving accreditation
4. d) ICT – based Digital Infrastructure
5. e) Enhancing Employability through Multidisciplinary.

Institutional Structure of PM USHA:

1)Central Level

• National Mission Authority : Chaired by Minister of Education.
• PAB : Chaired by Secretary Higher Education , GoI
• National Project Directorate
• Technical Support Group

 2)State Level

• State Higher Education Council (SHEC)
• State Project Directorate
• State Technical Support Group

3)Institution Level

• Board of Governors
• Project Monitoring Unit

Scope of PM- USHA : 1) Focus Districts and 2) Challenge method selection of institutions
1) Focus Districts :

Maximum 50% District of the State will be considered as focus District
• Lack of access to government colleges
• Low GER,
• Population proportion for females, transgender, SC, ST,OBCs
• Aspirational /Boarder Area, left wing extremism prone area
• Gender parity

2) Challenge method selection of institutions:

• Institutions will be short listed by the state by giving priority to the focus areas.
• On the basis of pre defined criteria weightages will be given to different institutions for
  proposal submission.
• The proposal bill be submitted and it will be evaluated by MoE and approval will be done by PAB at central level.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/education/14-states-yet-to-sign-mou-with-centre-needed-to-avail-higher-education-funds/article67191204.ece

3. ADITYA L1: INDIA’S FIRST MISSION TO STUDY THE SUN

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Aditya L1 spacecraft, assembled and integrated at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru, has arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

EXPLANATION:

• Aditya L1’s payloads are expected to provide crucial information for understanding the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics etc.
• The Aditya L1 mission will be launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which also launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and the Mars Orbiter spacecraft in 2013.
• The launch is likely to take place in August-end or September.

Aditya L1

• Aditya L1 shall be the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
• A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses.
• This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
• The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
• Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1.
• It will provide important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
• The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial informations to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields etc.

The major science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are:

• Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
• Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares
• Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
• Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
• Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.
• Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
• Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
• Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona .
• Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind .

Aditya-L1 Payloads:

• The instruments of Aditya-L1 are tuned to observe the solar atmosphere mainly the chromosphere and corona.
• In-situ instruments will observe the local environment at L1. There are total seven payloads on-board with four of them carrying out remote sensing of the Sun and three of them carrying in-situ observation.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/indias-first-mission-to-study-the-sun-is-getting-ready-for-launch-isro-aditya-l1/article67192992.ece

4. ENGINEERING OF ACINETOBACTER BAYLYI BACTERIA TO DETECT CANCER

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Researchers at the University of California have engineered a specific species of bacteria that can detect cancer in its early stages by incorporating tumour DNA into its system.

EXPLANATION:

• According to a study that was published in the journal Science, an engineered bacteria may one day be able to detect cancer wherever it may be hiding in the human body’s intestines.
• The goal of the research is to turn these bacteria into a probiotic sensor in the gut that can carefully examine, identify, and report any intestinal disorders.
• This discovery is significant since colon cancer rates are growing and early identification in persons under 50 is critical.
• Acinetobacter baylyi, a kind of bacterium, has been effectively manipulated by a team at the University of California.

ACINETOBACTER BAYLYI BACTERIA

• These bacteria are normally non-pathogenic.
• They are naturally competent to take up DNA by horizontal gene transfer.
• These bacteria become resistant to a specific drug only when they took up DNA containing a cancer-associated mutation in a specific oncogene.
• These species are gram-negative aerobic bacteria that are coccobacillary in shape. (Cocci are sphere-shaped bacteria, while bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria. Bacteria that fall between these two shapes are called coccobacilli).

HOW DOES THIS BACTERIA DETECT CANCER?

• Acinetobacter baylyi bacteria is known for its ability to absorb DNA from their surroundings.
• It has been programmed to seek specific DNA sequences common in colorectal cancers.
• When it incorporates tumour DNA into its system, an antibiotic-resistance gene gets activated.
• This gene enables the growth of the bacteria on feces-derived antibiotic-containing agar plates.
• It demonstrates the presence of cancer cells.

WAY FORWARD TO ITS USE

• It might take some time before the approach is approved for use in clinical trials because the research is still in its early stages.
• The effectiveness and safety of the engineered bacteria still need to be meticulously tested.
• The bacteria are being engineered to recognise KRAS mutations (The KRAS gene belongs to a class of genes known as oncogenes), which are present in roughly 40% of colorectal malignancies, some lung cancers, and the majority of pancreatic tumours.
• For it to be genuinely effective in humans, researchers need to show that Acinetobacter baylyi is safe for oral ingestion and that it consistently yields accurate results when identifying cancer cells in faecal samples.
• The level of effectiveness of this bacterial biosensor in comparison to colonoscopy, a more invasive diagnostic procedure, needs to be examined as well.
• This discovery is significant since colon cancer rates are growing and early identification in persons under 50 is critical.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/engineered-bacteria-cancer-dna-8888930/

5. INTEGRATION OF NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM (NPS) STATEMENT OF TRANSACTION WITH CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT STATEMENT (CAS)

TAG: GS 2: POLITY; GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The PFRDA has integrated the NPS Statement of Transaction with CAS is in line with the Centre’s goal to establish a comprehensive record of each person’s financial assets.

EXPLANATION:

• The National Pension System (NPS) subscribers now have access to a consolidated view of their personal assets in the securities market because of the updated mark-to-market values provided by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and SEBI.
• It includes the investors’ Demat account holdings as well as their mutual fund holdings.
• This will benefit over 1.35 crore NPS subscribers.
• It is expected to provide a simplified and secured way to stay informed on NPS investments through CAS.

PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (PFRDA)

• It is a statutory regulatory body set up under PFRDA Act enacted in 2014.
• It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance for overall supervision and regulation of pension in India.
• Its objective is to promote old age income security and protect the interests of NPS subscribers.
• It is ensuring the orderly growth and development of pension market.
• COMPOSITION OF THE AUTHORITY:
• The Authority shall consist of a Chairperson and not more than six members, of whom at least three shall be Whole-Time Members, to be appointed by the Central Government.

NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM (NPS)

• The Central Government has introduced the National Pension System (NPS) with effect from 2004 (except for armed forces).
• PFRDA the regulatory body for NPS, has appointed Protean eGov Technologies Limited as Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) for National Pension System.
• CRA is the first of its kind venture in India which will carry out the functions of Record Keeping, Administration and Customer Service for all subscribers under NPS.
• National Pension System (NPS) is an important milestone in the development of a sustainable and efficient voluntary defined contribution pension system in India.
• It has the following broad objectives:
• Provide old age income.
• Reasonable market-based returns over the long term.
• Extending old age security coverage to all citizens.
• NPS is structured into two tiers:
• Tier-I account:
• This is the non-withdrawable permanent retirement account into which the accumulations are deposited and invested as per the option of the subscriber.
• Tier-II account:
• This is a voluntary withdrawable account which is allowed only when there is an active Tier I account in the name of the subscriber.
• The withdrawals are permitted from this account as per the needs of the subscriber as and when claimed.

CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT STATEMENT (CAS)

• It is a single/combined account statement which shows the details of financial transactions made by an investor during a month across all Mutual Funds and also other securities held in Demat mode.
• CAS is issued for those accounts wherein a financial transaction has been made during a month and wherein unit holders are identical, identified by Income Tax Permanent Account (PAN).
• CAS is generated on a monthly basis in respect of the PANs common to the RTAs and the Depositories.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/pfrda-integrates-nps-statement-with-cas/article67190612.ece

1. THE EMBLEMS AND NAMES (PREVENTION OF IMPROPER USE) ACT, 1950

TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: A PIL has been filed by a social worker against the formation of an “alliance using the name INDIA”. The plea seeks directions to the parties prohibiting them from using the acronym and a direction to the Centre and ECI to take action against them.

EXPLANATION:

• The PIL has contended that the use of the acronym violates provisions under Sections 2 and 3 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.
• Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Centre, the Election Commission of India (ECI), and an alliance of 26 opposition parties in a public interest litigation (PIL) against these parties’ use of the acronym I.N.D.I.A. (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance).

Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950:

• The Act was passed on March 1, 1950, to “prevent the improper use of certain emblems and names for professional and commercial purposes”.
• Section 2 of the Act defines emblem as “any emblem, seal, flag, insignia, coat-of-arms, or pictorial representation specified in the Schedule”. “Name” includes “any abbreviation of a name”.
• Section 3 of the Act prohibits the “improper use of certain emblems and names”. It stipulates that except in “such cases and under such conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government”, no person shall “use or continue to use, for the purpose of any trade, business, calling or profession, or in the title of any patent, or in any trademark or design, any name or emblem specified in the Schedule or any colourable imitation”.
• The 1950 Act’s Schedule has been amended repeatedly. As of date, it prohibits the improper usage of the name, emblem, or official seal of the Government of India (GOI) or of any state, the World Health Organisation (WHO), or the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
• It also bars such usage of the national flag, the Prime Minister, the President, and the Governor’s seal, name, and emblem.
• Besides this, using names, emblems, or seals of historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Indira Gandhi is also prohibited.

What powers are exercised by the Centre under this Act?

• Section 4 prohibits the registration of certain companies by a “competent authority’’ if it bears a title containing “any name or emblem” in contravention of Section 3.
• If any question arises before such an authority as to whether any emblem falls under the ones specified in the Schedule, the authority may refer the question to the Centre, following which the latter’s decision will be final.
• Any person who violates the provisions of Section 3 of the 1950 Act “shall be punishable with a fine which may extend to five hundred rupees”.
• However, no prosecution for any offence punishable under this Act “shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government or of any officer authorized in this behalf by general or special order of the Central Government”.
• Thus, even the competent authority’s power to initiate prosecution is subject to the Centre’s approval.
• Besides this, the Centre’s power has been extended to amend the Act’s Schedule under Section 8. The Central Government may, by notification in the Gazette, add to or alter the Schedule, and any such addition or alternation shall have effect as if it had been made by this Act.
• The government also has the power to make rules “to fulfil the objectives of this Act”, which will be published in the Official Gazette, Section 9 states.
• However, every such rule will be laid before both Houses of Parliament for thirty days while in session, following which, if a modification or cancellation of the same is suggested, the rule will have effect only in such modified form or no effect at all.
• Despite this, any such modification or annulment of the rule “shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule”.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/opposition-alliance-india-name-emblems-act-explained-8880854/

2. THE SUPREME COURT ORDER ON MANIPUR ISSUE

TAG: GS 2: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: Supreme Court intervenes in Manipur, and the SC bench, while seized of petitions seeking its intervention for restoration of order in Manipur, had taken suo motu cognisance of a video of two women being sexually assaulted and paraded naked in the state.

EXPLANATION:

• A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India said a detailed order is being issued to restore a sense of confidence/faith in the rule of law in Manipur and to that extent bring a sense of trust and faith and confidence.
• Supreme Court said it is appointing former Mumbai Police Commissioner to be the “overall monitor” of a CBI probe into the instances of sexual violence in Manipur.
• It also named a three-member committee of former High Court judges, headed by retired J&K High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, to look into the humanitarian aspects.
• This committee will be looking at things including relief, remedial measures, rehabilitation, compensation, restoration of homesteads, religious places of worship and so on and so forth.
• So the remit of the committee will be broad-based, including looking at conditions of relief camps. They will look into diverse aspects of a humanitarian nature in the current situation.
• The bench said officers will be brought on deputation to the CBI specifically for the purpose of overseeing the investigation of these FIRs, which have been transferred to it.
• These officers will also be functioning within the four corners of the infrastructural and administrative set-up of the CBI. So they may be supervised by an officer of the Joint Director, CBI, adding it will ask the state DGPs to nominate the officers.
• The bench said there will be one more layer of scrutiny where a former IPS officer who has wide experience in investigation will oversee the nature of the investigation.

Manipur Violence : In Brief

• On the 10^th of March, mass rallies were held across hill districts by The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), where the Kuki tribe raised slogans against the eviction of residents from K. Songjang village.
• On March 11, the State government retaliated by withdrawing the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement which is a ceasefire agreement that the Central and State government signed with the United People’s Front and the Kuki National Organisation in 2008.
• On May 3, 2023, Kuki held a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ to oppose the High Court’s decision to grant ST status to Meiti.
• The violence broke out in Churachandpur, a town just south of the state capital Imphal; a few hours after the march, an Anglo-Kuki War memorial gate was set on fire by the Meiteis in Churachandpur.
• The memorial marks the 1917-19 war between the Kukis and the colonial British, who ruled over India until 1947. The burning of the gate triggered clashes across Manipur as armed groups from both sides went on a rampage, attacking villages and burning homes.
• On May 4, as the violence escalated, the Centre invoked Article 355 of the Constitution, which is a part of emergency provisions. Convoys of trucks belonging to the Army, the Assam Rifles, the Rapid Action Force, and local police personnel have moved into the State and entered several affected areas.
• Since then, many people have been killed and displaced, police armouries have been looted, hundreds of churches and more than a dozen temples have been ruined, and villages have been destroyed.
• Indefinite curfew has been imposed in the Meitei-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, as well as in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal districts.
• After the fake news and misinformation circulated, claiming that Meitei women had been raped and killed by Kukis, Kuki women began to be systematically targeted in revenge attacks, which included rape, torture and assault. There have also been several reports of beheadings.
• A video went viral online on July 19, showing a mob of Meitei men parading and groping two naked Kuki women on a rural road before taking them to a field, where one of them was reportedly raped.
• The state is swiftly bifurcated along ethnic lines, with the Meiteis in the valley and the Kukis in the hills, defending their territory against violent mobs, with a buffer zone created in the middle.

Causes of Violence:

• High Court Proposal of granting ST Status to Meiti: The violence was sparked by a court ruling in March that granted the majority Meitei “scheduled tribal status”, entitling them to the same economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education as the minority Kuki. It also allowed Meiteis to buy land in the hills, where the Kukis predominately live, further fuelling fears that their lands, jobs and opportunities would be taken away.
• Eviction from forest area: The government’s clampdown on reserved and protected forests in the State’s hill areas, as many acres of land in the hills are being used for poppy cultivation. It led to the eviction of primarily Kukivillagers from houses and villages allegedly built on forest land in violation of the Indian forest laws, leading to protests and violence.
• Cultural conflict: Manipur is divided into exclusive ethnic zones where Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals, Nagas, and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. They have for decades fought one another over conflicting homeland demands and religious differences; however, time, the conflict is strictly rooted in ethnicity, not in religion.
• Illegal migrants: Several illegal migrants from neighbouring Myanmar have entered India has angered the indigenous tribals who fear the loss of land and resources, and the feeling of persecution led to Kuki unrest and led violence.
• Scarcity of resources: The violence stems from decades of contestation over land and natural resources, fuelling deep-seated resentment among both the Meiteis and Kukis. As the population grows, resources are getting scarce, leading to conflicts between communities.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/manipur-violence-sc-commences-hearing-state-proposes-district-level-sit-probe-cases-8880736/

NOTE: See our ED discussion for more information on the Manipur issue.

Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzxhoGHdrlU

3. THE GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023

TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: After intense opposition and questions over its constitutionality, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, received approval of Rajya Sabha. Delhi Chief Minister compared NCT Bill to the British-era Govt of India Act of 1935.

EXPLANATION:

The issues raised in the Bill:

• The Bill grants the Centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor of Delhi increased powers over the administrative apparatus of the national Capital.
• In this regard, the issue was raised of autonomy and a comparison was made with GOI 1935. As Government of India Act of 1935 states that there will be elections in India, but the elected government will not have any powers,
• Under the colonial law, the governor-general at the Centre and provincial governors retained authority on key matters and had the power to supersede or suspend elected governments.

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023

1.National Capital Civil Services Authority:

• The Bill establishes the National Capital Civil Services Authority to make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi (LG) on certain matters related to services.  These include:

(i) transfers and postings

(ii) matters related to vigilance

(iii) disciplinary proceedings

(iv) prosecution sanctions of Group A of All India Services (except Indian Police Service) and DANICS.

• The Authority will consist of the: (i) Chief Minister of Delhi as Chairperson, (ii) Principal Home Secretary of the Delhi government as Member Secretary, and (iii) Chief Secretary of the Delhi government as Member.
• The central government will appoint both the Principal Home Secretary and Chief Secretary.
• All decisions of the Authority will be based on a majority vote of the members present and voting.  The quorum for a meeting is two people.

2.Powers of the Lieutenant Governor:

• Under the Bill, matters where the LG may act on his discretion are:

1. matters outside the legislative competence of the Delhi Legislative Assembly but which have been delegated to the LG
2. matters where he is required by law to act in his discretion or exercise any judicial or quasi-judicial functions.

• The Bill specifies that in these matters, the LG will act in his sole discretion. It expands the discretionary role of the LG by giving him powers to approve the recommendations of the Authority or return them for reconsideration.
• In the case of a difference of opinion between the LG and the Authority, the former’s decision will be final.

3.Disposal of matters by Ministers:

• A Minister of the Delhi government may issue standing orders for the disposal of matters brought to his attention.  The order should be issued in consultation with the concerned Department Secretary.
• Certain matters must be submitted to the LG, through the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, for his opinion prior to the issue of any order.
• These include proposals affecting:

1. the peace and tranquillity of Delhi
2. relations between the Delhi government and the central government, Supreme Court, or other state governments

• summoning, prorogation, and dissolution of the Legislative Assembly

1. matters on which LG is to give an order in his sole discretion.

4.Duties of Secretaries: 

• Additionally, the concerned Department Secretary must bring certain matters to the notice of the LG, the Chief Minister, and the Chief Secretary.
• These include matters which may bring the Delhi Government into controversy with the central or any state government, the Supreme Court, or the High Court of Delhi.

Government of India Act 1935:

• The Act was divided into 451 clauses and 15 schedules, making it the most complicated document ever passed by the British Parliament.
• The Act of 1919 established ‘dyarchy’ in the provinces, but the Act of 1935 was enacted with the aim of establishing ‘dyarchy’ at the centre.
• The object was to meet the needs of Indians to have a responsible government in the country.
• It was for the first through this Act that an attempt was made to bring the Indian princely states together and associate them with the constitutional set-up and centre in India. However, there was no preamble in the Act.

Some of the key features of the Act were:

• The Government of India Act of 1935 set out to establish the “Federation of India” consisting of British Indian territories and princely states, and governed at two levels, central and provincial.
• The Act introduced bicameralism in upper and lower Houses at the Centre and in six provinces, along with direct elections to these chambers. At the time, it was one of the longest pieces of legislation passed in the British Parliament.
• The Act eliminated the system of diarchy introduced by the Government of India Act of 1919, which devolved some powers to provincial legislatures but kept authority in key areas such as finance with the British-appointed provincial governor.
• The 1935 Act also granted the provincial governor the power to suspend the provincial government if deemed necessary.
• However, it retained diarchy at the central level. The governor-general, who was not accountable to the legislature, had direct control over some matters, including defence, taxation, and the police.
• Other subjects, such as health and education, were left to the legislature, but the governor-general was given the authority to act on these matters too.
• It also expanded voting rights from 3% of the population to 14%, set up a federal court in Delhi, and established the Reserve Bank of India.
• But Indian leaders were unhappy with the Act since it placed limitations on the autonomy it granted. The governor-general and provincial governors retained authority on key matters and had the power to supersede or suspend elected governments.
• The Federation of India, however, was never established since many princely states refused to support the Act.
• The rest of the Act was enacted in 1937 after the first provincial elections were held. The Act was nullified after the Constitution of India was drafted in 1950, though the Constituent Assembly borrowed several provisions from it.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/arvind-kejriwal-nct-bill-british-law-govt-of-india-act-8882017/

4. GUT MICROBIOTA AND IMMUNE SYSTEM

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The scientific community has unveiled a hidden ally in our body’s Défense mechanism – the gut microbiota.

EXPLANATION:

• A Recent Research study has highlighted that a harmonious gut microbiota composition can effectively enhance immune responses, while an imbalance (dysbiosis) might lead to immune-related disorders.
• One of the most significant revelations in the field of health and immunology is the profound impact that gut microbiota has on our immune system.
• Research suggests that a healthy gut microbiome can positively impact other body systems.

GUT MICROBIOTA

• The gut microbiota is a community of trillions of bacteria residing in the digestive tract.
• It is often referred to as gut flora.
• It contributes to digestion, metabolism, and nutrient absorption.
• It plays a pivotal role in training and developing the immune system.
• It maintains a healthy gut lining’s integrity, producing immune-modulating compounds, competitive exclusion, and impacting other body systems, including the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems.
• These microscopic organisms residing in our digestive tract play a pivotal role in maintaining overall health.

HOW GUT MICROBIOTA SUPPORTS OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

• The Gut Microbiota plays a crucial role in training and developing the immune system, during infancy and early childhood.
• A healthy gut lining forms a barrier that prevents harmful substances from entering the bloodstream.
• It aids in maintaining this barrier’s integrity by stimulating the production of mucus and strengthening the tight junctions between cells. This barrier function is vital in preventing infections and autoimmune reactions.
• It produces short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites that play a role in regulating immune responses.
• These compounds help modulate inflammation and promote a balanced immune reaction.
• It competes with potential pathogens for resources and space within the intestines.
• Beneficial bacteria can outcompete harmful microorganisms, reducing the risk of infections.

POSITIVE IMPACTS

• The influence of gut microbiota extends beyond the digestive system.
• A healthy gut microbiome can positively impact other body systems, including the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems, all of which contribute to overall immune health.
• The importance of nurturing a healthy gut microbiota cannot be overstated.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO FOR A HEALTHY MICROBIOTA?

• The importance of nurturing a healthy gut microbiota cannot be overstated. A balanced gut flora and a robust immune system leads us to healthy life.
• Consumption of a variety of whole foods, including fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
• Adding probiotics and prebiotics is essential to nourish and replenish gut microbiome.
• Using antibiotics judiciously, as these medications can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota.
• Chronic stress can impact gut health.
• Practices like meditation, exercise, and adequate sleep can contribute to a healthier gut.

SOURCE: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/how-to/what-is-gut-microbiota-and-how-it-helps-our-immune-system/articleshow/102507322.cms

5. DIGITISATION OF CENTRAL REGISTRAR OF COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES (CRCS)

TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: The digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office was launched in Pune by Union Home Minister, and Minister of Cooperation in August 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• Union Minister added that the work of the Central Registrar (CRCS) office, which operates the Multi State Cooperatives, is becoming completely digital today.
• All the work of cooperative societies like opening new branches, expansion to other states or auditing, will be done online now.
• It is a transformational step towards efficiency and transparency.

CENTRAL REGISTRAR OF COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES (CRCS)

• As per the Constitution, the Cooperative societies with objects confined to one State only are governed by the Cooperative laws of the respective State Government
• The cooperative societies with objects confined to more than one State are governed by the central law, namely, ‘the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002.
• The Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies is appointed as per article 243ZH(f) of the Constitution read with subsection (1) of section (4) of Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002.
• It is the statutory body responsible for registration and other processes of the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS).

FUNCTIONS OF THE CRCS

• Registration of Cooperative Societies.
• Amalgamation, Division, and re-organization of Cooperative Societies.
• Ensure timely Election of the Managing Committee in Cooperative Societies.
• Conduct elections of Managing Committee in primary cooperative banks and federal cooperative societies.
• Settle disputes of Cooperative Societies through the process of arbitration.
• Function as an appellate Court.
• Operating Cooperative Education Fund for training, education, propaganda, and publicity programme for the development of Cooperative Movement in the NCT of Delhi.
• To approve proposals for enrolment, resignation, and cessation of membership in Housing Cooperative.
• To frame, execute and monitor various beneficiary schemes approved by the Central /State Govts, including financial assistance to various sectors of Cooperatives.

THE MULTI-STATE COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 2002

• It is an Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to co-operative societies, with objects not confined to one State and serving the interests of members in more than one State.
• It facilitates the voluntary formation and democratic functioning of co-operatives as people’s institutions based on self-help and mutual aid.
• It enables them to promote their economic and social betterment and to provide functional autonomy.
• To achieve the objective, The Multi State Cooperative Societies Bill was introduced in the Parliament.
• The bill having been passed by both the Houses of Parliament received the assent of the President on 3rd July 2002.
• It came on the Statute Book as The Multi State Cooperative Societies ACT 2002 (39 of 2002).

THE MULTI-STATE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022

• The Bill amends the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
• It establishes the Co-operative Election Authority to conduct and supervise elections to the boards of multi-state co-operative societies.
• A multi-state co-operative society will require prior permission of government authorities before the redemption of their shareholding.
• A Co-operative Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development Fund will be established for the revival of sick multi-state co-operative societies.
• The Fund will be financed through contributions by profitable multi-state co-operative societies.
• The Bill allows state co-operative societies to merge into an existing multi-state co-operative society, subject to the respective state laws.

SIGNIFICANCE OF DIGITISATION

• Enhanced Accessibility: Digitization allows stakeholders, including members of cooperative societies, regulatory authorities, and the public, to access information easily and remotely.
• This accessibility promotes transparency and accountability in the functioning of cooperative societies.
• Improved Efficiency: Manual record-keeping is often time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Digitization streamlines administrative processes, reducing paperwork and enabling quicker data retrieval and analysis.
• This efficiency leads to better decision-making and resource allocation.
• Data Integrity and Security: Digital records are less susceptible to damage, loss, or tampering compared to physical documents.
• Robust cybersecurity measures can be implemented to safeguard sensitive cooperative society data, ensuring its integrity.
• Real-time Reporting: Digitization facilitates real-time reporting and monitoring of cooperative society activities.
• Regulatory authorities can track financial transactions, membership details, and compliance with regulations more effectively, leading to proactive intervention when required.
• Empowering Members: Cooperative society members can access their records, transactions, and benefits through digital platforms.
• This empowerment fosters trust among members and encourages active participation in the cooperative movement.

CHALLENGES IN DIGITIZING CRCS

• While the benefits are promising, the digitization of CRCS is not without its challenges:
• Infrastructure and Connectivity: In many regions, inadequate internet connectivity and technological infrastructure can hinder the successful implementation of digitization efforts.
• Digital Literacy: Ensuring that all stakeholders, including cooperative society members and government officials, are digitally literate and comfortable with the new systems is crucial.
• Data Security and Privacy: Digital records require robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyberattacks.
• Resistance to Change: Resistance to adopting digital processes, particularly among traditional stakeholders, can slow down the transition and require comprehensive awareness campaigns.
• Financial Constraints: Implementing digitization requires financial investments for technology acquisition, training, and maintenance, which might be a challenge for resource-constrained regions.

SOURCE: https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/governance/sahkar-se-samriddhi-crcs-digital-portal-launched-1555-cooperative-societies-to-benefit/102477511

1. FEDIVERSE

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Threads will be the Meta’s first app to join the fediverse, which acts as a network of servers operated by third parties.

EXPLANATION:

• Meta, the parent company for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, recently launched its Twitter rival Threads, which is currently available as a standalone app but can only be used through an Instagram account.
• While Meta’s move to join the fediverse may have brought the network some coverage, the social network firm is yet to reveal how it plans to use the fediverse to build a decentralised social network.

What is the fediverse?

• The fediverse is a group of federated social networking services that work on decentralised networks operated using open-source standards. It is a network of servers run by third parties.
• Meta described the fediverse as “a social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other”.
• These servers are not controlled by any one entity and can be used by any member of social media platforms to facilitate communication between their users.
• It enables cross-platform communication while making it easier for users of one social media platform to communicate with users of a different platform if they are of the diverse.
• Users of social media platforms which use the fediverse can communicate seamlessly with each other without the need to create or maintain separate accounts for each platform.
• For example, once Threads becomes part of the fediverse, users on the platform will be able to communicate and interact with users of other social media platforms which use the fediverse, like Mastodon, without making a new account on it.

Why do social media platforms use the fediverse?

• One of the main reasons for social media platforms to use the fediverse is to tap into its decentralised nature. This allows users more control over the content they want to view and the accounts they want to interact with, along with the ability to enable cross-platform communications.
• The fediverse also separates the user interface from the underlying data, which means that users are not bound by the servers of the social media platform which hosts their online data and can freely transport their data to another platform.
• Additionally, if the servers for an existing platform go down, users of platforms on the fediverse can retain and shift their data to another platform that is part of it.

Challenges:

• The lack of a centralised network leads to the problem of scalability since decentralised servers might not be able to handle large amounts of traffic. Also, with the expansion of the number of servers, the propensity for failure and glitches could increase.
• Another problem is content moderation, as it would be difficult to decide content-moderation policies and their effective implementation due to the decentralised nature of the fediverse.
• Traditional social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X have unifying content moderation policies that prevent hate speech. It will be difficult to impose these policies universally across servers in the fediverse.
• Similarly, due to the lack of a decentralised network, enforcement of data privacy policies will also be difficult as data, once posted on a server, might not be deleted due to the lack of data deletion policies on other servers.

Is the fediverse a new idea?

• The idea of a diverse has been around for decades. In the past, companies like Google have tried to embrace the idea of a decentralised network.
• In 2008, Evan Prodromu founded the microblogging platform Identi.ca, which used a protocol used in the fediverse. In 2016, Mastodon and Pleroma, both of which are part of the ,diverse emerged as two notable social media networks.
• In 2018, the W3 (Worldwide Web Consortium) created the ActivityPub protocol, which is currently one of the more commonly used protocols used by applications on the fediverse.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-fediverse-social-networking-services-meta-plans-join/article67158032.ece

2. PRIVILEGE MOTION

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: Rajya Sabha Chairman has referred complaints against a few members to the Privileges Committee. This comes amid differences between the ruling party and some opposition parties that have plagued the ongoing Monsoon Session of its sittings.

EXPLANATION:

• The opposition complaints were primarily about asking Prime Minister Modi to make an appearance in the Parliament to speak about the ethnic violence that has taken place in Manipur.
• On consideration of the facts, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha has referred the matter under Rule 203 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report.
• Under this rule, the Chairman can refer any question of privilege to the Committee of Privileges for examination and investigation.

What is a privilege motion?

• The two rules referred to here relate to the concept of parliamentary privilege, which are certain rights conferred to the Members of Parliament for conducting the business of the Parliament.
• There is no codified list of the exact privileges, but it includes the right of free expression in the course of Parliamentary debates, and Members of Parliament will not be liable for court proceedings for this.
• If there is a belief that such a privilege has been breached, a motion can be raised by any member. It can be admitted by the Chairman. They can then refer it to the Privileges Committee.
• The Chairman can, from time to time, nominate such a Committee consisting of ten members. It will also have a Chairman appointed by the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
• The right to raise a question of privilege is based on satisfying two conditions, namely: (i) the question shall be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence, and (ii) the matter requires the intervention of the Council.
• Similar provisions exist in Lok Sabha, with the Speaker having the power to make such decisions.
• The Speaker/RS chairperson is the first level of scrutiny of a privilege motion. Therefore, the Speaker/Chair can decide on the privilege motion himself or herself or refer it to the privileges committee of Parliament.

What action can the privileges committee take?

• The mandate of the committee is to examine such cases and “make such recommendations as it may deem fit”. It can call the relevant people as part of its examination and look at related documents.
• It has to then make a report, and if the Council has not fixed any time for its presentation, the report shall be presented within one month of the date on which reference to the Committee was made.
• The right to raise a question of privilege is based on satisfying two conditions, namely: (i) the question shall be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence, and (ii) the matter requires the intervention of the Council.
• Similar provisions exist in Lok Sabha, with the Speaker having the power to make such decisions. The Speaker/RS chairperson is the first level of scrutiny of a privilege motion.
• Therefore, the Speaker/Chair can decide on the privilege motion himself or herself or refer it to the privileges committee of Parliament.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/committee-privileges-privilege-motion-explained-8876762/

3. THE INTER-SERVICES ORGANISATION (COMMAND, CONTROL & DISCIPLINE) BILL, 2023

TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The Lok Sabha has passed the Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control & Discipline) Bill – 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• Introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha is termed as part of a series of military reforms being undertaken by the Government with the aim of empowering the nation.
• The ‘ISO Bill – 2023’ shall be applicable to all personnel of regular Army, Navy, and Air Force, and to persons of other forces, as notified by the Central Government, who are serving in or attached to an Inter-Services Organisation.
• The bill seeks to empower the Commander-in-Chief and Officer-in Command of Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs) with all disciplinary and administrative powers in respect of the personnel serving in or attached to such organisations.
• Currently, the Armed Forces personnel are governed in accordance with the provisions contained in their specific Service Acts – Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and Air Force Act 1950.
• The enactment of the Bill will have various tangible benefits, such as

1. Maintenance of effective discipline in inter-service establishments by the Heads of ISOs
2. No requirement of reverting personnel under disciplinary proceedings to their parent Service units
3. Expeditious disposal of cases of misdemeanour or indiscipline
4. Saving of public money & time by avoiding multiple proceedings.

• The Bill would also pave the way for much greater integration and jointness amongst the three Services and lay a strong foundation for creation of Joint Structures in times to come and further improve the functioning of the Armed Forces.
• It is essentially an Enabling Act, and it does not propose any change in the existing Service Acts/Rules/Regulations, which are time-tested and have withstood judicial scrutiny over the last six decades or more.
• To maintain Command and Control in the absence of the Commander-in-Chief or the Officer-in-Command, the officiating incumbent or the officer will also be empowered to initiate all disciplinary or administrative actions over the service personnel.
• The Bill also empowers the Commanding Officer of an Inter-Services organisation to initiate all disciplinary or administrative actions over the personnel appointed, deputed, posted or attached to that Inter-Services Organisation.
• For the purpose of this Act, Commanding Officer means the officer in actual command of the unit, ship or establishment.
• The Bill empowers the Central Government to constitute an Inter-Services Organisation.

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1945699

4. CRITICAL MATERIALS CLUB

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

THE CONTEXT: India has been invited to join the European Union’s (EU) Critical Materials Club. Preliminary discussions have already begun, and the idea is mainly to reduce dependency on China.

EXPLANATION:

• Months after India secured a seat in the US-backed Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), the doors are set to open for it in Europe too.

Critical Materials Club:

• Critical Materials Club is being created by the European Union.
• It aims to work on supply chains for battery and green technology-related “critical materials.”
• The Critical Materials Club is expected to bring together like-minded partners to strengthen supply chains for battery and other green technology-related ‘critical materials’.
• The idea is mainly to reduce dependency on China and pool resources for self-reliance in energy transition–an area of high priority for the US, most parts of Europe and India.

India on the domestic front:

• With the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023, passed by Parliament, the Centre is readying to announce the first set of auctions for critical mineral blocks.
• The first set of critical minerals identified for exploration and processing in India are lithium, graphite and potash.
• Lithium is one of the most sought-after critical minerals due to its high usage in batteries across products from electric vehicles to smartphones.For its lithium requirement, India is almost fully dependent on imports, mainly from China
• Recent efforts by the Geological Survey of India have helped identify blocks of lithium in Reasi, in J&K, and is expected to move on this round of auctions.
• Graphite is equally crucial to energy transition. It is a critical raw material for the manufacturing of electrodes, electrical motor brushes, fuel cells, high-temperature lubricants, and composites in wind and water turbines.
• It is also essential to the aerospace industry. India has identified graphite reserves in Arunachal and will look to auction these on priority
• Potash is another mineral that India wants to move fast on as it relies completely on imports of this key fertiliser industry input. People in the know told ET that potash reserves in Rajasthan are likely to move to auction route on priority.

Minerals Security Partnership (MSP)

• The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) is a global initiative by the US to bolster critical mineral supply chains. It is also known as the critical minerals alliance.
• It was announced by the US and other key partner countries in June 2022 with an aim to ensure that critical minerals are produced, processed and recycled in a way that helps countries secure a stable supply of critical minerals for their economies.
• It also aims to weaken China’s grip on supplies of critical minerals worldwide.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/india-gets-eu-invite-for-critical-materials-club/articleshow/102403627.cms?from=mdr

5. DIGILOCKER

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The passport application process in India now requires uploading documents on the DigiLocker platform to expedite and streamline the process.

EXPLANATION:

• There has been a significant change in the passport application process for international travel, and to apply for a new passport, applicants are now required to upload necessary supporting documents using DigiLocker.
• Once the documents are uploaded, applicants can submit their passport application online through the official website www.passportindia.gov.in.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that if applicants use DigiLocker to upload their documents, they won’t need to carry the original physical copies during the application process, as reported by government scheme info.
• This move is expected to streamline the processing time and enhance the efficiency of the passport application procedure.

What is DigiLocker?

• DigiLocker is a digital wallet service provided by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• It allows users to securely store and access various government-issued documents digitally, such as driver’s licenses, vehicle registration certificates, academic mark sheets, and more.
• It makes the process even faster and more convenient for applicants.
• The Ministry has now permitted the use of Aadhaar documents through DigiLocker for online application submissions.
• DigiLocker allows users to store and access important official documents like education certificates, birth certificates, PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, passports, and voter ID cards,
• This change has been implemented to expedite the application process and reduce the need for physical document verification at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) across different regions.
• The decision to utilise DigiLocker was taken in response to discrepancies found during physical document verification at PSKs, such as incorrect birth dates and personal details.
• By implementing DigiLocker, the government aims to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the submitted documents.

How to use DigiLocker?

• To open a DigiLocker account, users need to provide a mobile number that is already linked to their Aadhaar.
• When registering for a DigiLocker account, the user will receive a one-time passcode (OTP) on the linked mobile number, which they need to enter to complete the registration process.
• If the user intends to make any changes to their DigiLocker account, such as updating the mobile number or full name, they must first update the corresponding data in their Aadhaar.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/passport-verification-through-digilocker-from-august-5-heres-why-and-how-11691197008770.html