Monthly magazine index for August 2022

MONTHLY MAGAZINE August 2022
• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

• DEHRADUN • GANDHINAGAR • KANPUR • PATNA • RAIPUR • RAJKOT • RANCHI • SURAT • VADODARA
Whatsapp No. 93132-18734, 82877-76460 (chahalacademy@gmail.com)
INDEX
POLITY & GOVERNANCE...............................01 - 23 • Integration of ODOP Initiative With ONDC
• Section 295 (A) of the Indian Penal Code • Over Leveraging
• Data Protection Bill • Gati-Shakti Vision For Telecom Infrastructure
• Cooperative Federalism
ENVIRONMENT & GEOGRAPHY..............40 - 59
• Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 • New e-Waste Rules Raise Concerns
• Appointment of the Chief Justice of India • Hybrid Electric Vehicles
• Lifetime Perks For Former CJIs And SC Judges • Mines And Minerals (Development And
• Guardianship And Adoption of Minors Regulation) Act, 2021
• Naga Peace Accord • Bill on Energy Conservation
• Section 144 • Hasdeo Aranya
• Arms Act • Peninsular Rock Agama
• Bilkis Bano Case • Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill

• India Adds 10 More Wetlands Designated As
• Special Marriage Act, 1954
Ramsar Sites
• Rules For Displaying The Tricolour
• India’s Solar Power Dream
• Foreigners’ Tribunals
• Wind Power Projects
• 2013 Verdict On Poll Promises • Megalodon
• Lok Ayukta • Ocean Diversity Pact
• Use of Loudspeakers In Mosques • Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
• Rules Governing Disposal of Seized Narcotics • Arth Ganga
• Bill For Gati Shakti University • Endosulfan
• Bengaluru’s Idgah Maidan • Sloth Bear
• The Concerns Around Aadhaar-Voter Id Linkage • Tiger Range Countries (TRCs)
• Jurisprudence Of Bail
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY..........................60 - 67
• ‘Crime In India’ Report
• Why Do So Many Dangerous Viruses Emerge In
Africa And Asia?
ECONOMY..........................................................27 - 39
• Alphafold
• Fair And Remunerative Price (FRP)
• NavIC
• Farmer Producer Organisations
• Vasculitis
• Stablecoins
• Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
• National Initiative For Promotion Of Upskilling Of
• Vaccine Derived Poliovirus
Nirman Workers (NIPUN)
• Vitamin D Supplements
• Portal to Register For Rations
• PFAS
• Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas
Investment) Rules, 2022 • Indigenous Vaccine For Lumpy Skin Disease
• Novel Langya Henipavirus
• RBI’s Surveys on India’s Economy
• Hand, Foot, And Mouth Disease
• India As A Developed Country
• Oncolytic & Myxoma Viruses
• UPI Payment
• Tomato Flu
• Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Asian Development Bank
• What is NAFIS?

CULTURE............................................................68 - 83 • Political Crisis In Iraq
• Pingali Venkayya • India-Bangladesh River Water Sharing

• India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade
• Operation Polo
Committee
• Lachit Borphukan
• Solomon Islands Blocked Foreign Navy Vessels
• Gita Govind • India Begins Cooperation With Combined
• Recalling Quit India Maritime Forces
• Partition Horrors Remembrance Day • Exercise Pitch Black 2022

• Exercise Vajra Prahar
• History of Popular Slogans Raised During The
Indian Independence Movement • Indo-French Exercise
• Exercise Vinbax 2022
• The Revolutionaries Whom PM Mentioned In His
Independence Day Speech • Exercise Al Najaf IV
• Pandurang Khankhoje DEFENCE & SECURITY..............................100 - 105

• What is Mandala In Art? • INS Vikrant
• Women Heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle • Mig-21 Bison Aircraft
• Anang Tal Lake Declared Monument of National • Military Ex Al Najah-Iv
Importance • Pitch Black Exercise
• Lord Curzon • INS Sumedha
• Veershaiva - Lingayats • Drdo, Indian Navy Test Indigenous Missile

• Exercise Udarashakti
• Ondiveeran
• What is a Naval Ensign?
• Manusmriti
• The Women’s Indian Association (Wia) SOCIAL ISSUES............................................106 - 113
• Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande • Corporal Punishment
• Yakshagana • Salient Features of NEP, 2020

• Gender Gaps in Food
• Salar Jung Museum
• More Muslim Women Are Opting For ‘Khhula’
• Victoria Memorial
• Sex Ratio At Birth Normalises Slightly
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.....................84 - 99 • Transgender Pilots

• Talaq-E-Hasan
• Historical and Cultural Connections Between
India And Thailand • Talaq-E-Tafweez
• SEED Scheme
• India’s One-China Stand & Relations With Taiwan
• India To Host UNSC Meet on Counter-Terrorism MISCELLANEOUS.......................................114 - 122
• Weapons of Mass Destruction • Orunodoi Scheme
• Minerals Security Partnership • Operation Cast Lead
• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty • Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Guardafui Channel
• One Year Of Taliban 2.0
• Black Sea Grain Initiative
• India-Afghanistan
• South Sandwich Islands
• Nepal’s New Citizenship Law
• Indian Institute Of Heritage
• United Nations Military Observer Group In India
• Mount Pinatubo
And Pakistan
• Rajasthan’s Orans And Nadis
• The Tigray Crisis
• Surrendering A Policy
• Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant • Dolmen of Guadalperal

• Odessa
• Sumatra Island GOVERNMENT SCHEMES.........................123 - 126
• Burkina Faso • Swadesh Darshan Scheme
• Katchal Island • Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
• Cheruthoni Dam • Pradhan Mantri Gram Samridhi Yojana
• Haryana’s Cheerag Scheme For Ews Students • Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana
• IMEI Number • PM Formalisation Of Micro Food Processing

Enterprises
• Cantillon Effect
• PM-Daksh
• Acculturation
• One Nation One Fertiliser Scheme
• Sulli Deals
• Methamphetamine KURUKSHETRA..........................................127 - 129
• Punjab Bans Use Of 10 Insecticides • Changing Face of Rural Industries
• Moonlighting Policy
• Why Has FIFA Banned India, and What Happens ECONOMY SPECIAL...................................130 - 132
to Indian Football now? • Some Important Concepts

1 MONTHLY MAGAZINE August 2022
POLITY & GOVERNANCE

SECTION 295 (A) OF THE INDIAN PENAL CODE
Context: The legality of Section 295(A) was affirmed by a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court.
About Section 295 (A):

• There isn’t any formal legislation against blasphemy in India.
• The closest equivalent to a blasphemy law is Section 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which punishes
any speech, writings, or signs that “with premeditated and malicious intent” insult citizens’ religion or
religious beliefs with a fine and imprisonment for up to three years.
Are hate speech cases rising?

• As per the data given by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there has been a huge increase in cases
registered promoting hate speech and fostering animosity in society.
• The data reads that while there were only 323 cases registered in 2014, it had increased to 1,804 cases in 2020.
• The legality of Section 295(A),

which had been challenged in the
Ramji Lal Modi case (1957), was
affirmed by a five-judge Bench of
the Supreme Court.
• The apex court reasoned that while
Article 19(2) allows reasonable
limits on freedom of speech and
expression for the sake of public
order, the punishment under
Section 295(A) deals with the
aggravated form of blasphemy
which is committed with the
malicious aim of offending the religious sensibilities of any class.
• Interpretation of the legislation:

The apex court redefined the test it laid down in the Ramji Lal Modi case.
 In the case of Superintendent, Central Prison, Fatehgarh vs Ram Manohar Lohia the Supreme Court
stated that the link between the speech spoken and any public disorder caused as a result of it should
have a close relationship for retrieving Section 295(A) of IPC.
 By 2011, it concluded that only speech that amounts to “incitement to impending unlawful action”
can be punished.

That is, the state must meet a very high bar before using public disturbance as a justification for suppressing
expression.
Should there be a difference between blasphemy laws and hate speech laws?
• The wording of Section 295(A) is considerably too wide.
• It cannot be stated that deliberate disrespect to religion or religious sensibilities is necessarily tantamount
to incitement.
• The Supreme Court has said on several occasions that perhaps the goal of hate speech statutes in Section
295(A) is to prevent prejudice and ensure equality.

• Unfortunately, there is a huge disparity between this interpretation and the actual wording due to which
the law is still being exploited at all levels of administration.
• Insulting religion or religious figures may be disputed or condemned but it should not be legally outlawed
or prosecuted.
• The reason for this is that hate speech laws are predicated on the critical distinction between criticising or
ridiculing religion and encouraging prejudice or aggression towards individuals or a community because of
their faith.
DATA PROTECTION BILL

Context: The Union government recently withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, from the Lok Sabha and
said it will come up with a fresh Bill that “fits into the comprehensive legal framework”.
What is the Data Protection Bill 2019?

• In 2017, the Supreme Court enshrined the right to privacy as a
fundamental right within the ambit of the Constitution.
• The top court had directed the Centre to come up with a data
protection framework for the country.
• An expert panel headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B.N.
Srikrishna was set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY), which recommended the establishment of
personal data protection legislation in its report.
• The Joint Parliamentary Committee was set up to deliberate on
the bill, give their recommendations, and submit their report to the
Parliament.
• The purpose of this Bill is to provide for the protection of privacy
of individuals relating to their Personal Data and to establish a Data
Protection Authority of India for the said purposes and the matters
concerning the personal data of an individual.
• The Bill proposes to supersede the Information Technology Act,
2000 (Section 43-A) deleting the provisions related to compensation payable by companies for failure to
protect personal data.
• The PDPB prescribes the manner in which personal data is to be collected, processed, used, disclosed, stored,
and transferred.

Provisions of the Bill:
Obligations of Data Fiduciary/Service Provider:

• Processing of personal data should be only for a clear, specific and lawful purpose.
• Personal data should be processed in a just, fair and reasonable manner and only for
 the purposes consented to by the individual
 a purpose, incidental to the purposes consented by the individual or
 a purpose which the data principal reasonably expects the data to be used for.
• A notice must be sent to data principals at the time of collection of personal data.
• A data fiduciary or service provider should take necessary steps to ensure that the personal data processed is
complete, accurate, not misleading and updated, having regard to the purpose for which it is processed.
• Personal data collected should be retained only till it satisfies the purpose for which it was collected and
deleted thereafter.
• Consent should be obtained from the data principals at the time of commencement of data processing.
  Such consent, should be free, clear, specific and capable of being withdrawn.
Rights of the Individual/Data Principal:
• Receiving confirmation from the service provider on the processing of personal data
• The data principal has the right to seek correction of personal data which is inaccurate, incomplete or
obsolete.

This right will ensure erasure of data which is no longer useful for the purpose for which it was initially
collected.
• Transferring personal data to any other service provider under certain circumstances
• Restricting disclosure of their personal data by a fiduciary, if the purpose of processing is over or the
consent is withdrawn.
• In case of non-compliance, the aggrieved person can approach the proposed Data Protection Authority
for enforcement of his right under the framework of this bill.
Data Protection Authority:

• The Bill envisages the creation of a Data Protection Authority which is required to protect the interest of
individuals, prevent misuse of personal data and ensure compliance with the Bill.
• This authority shall be comprised of six whole-time members.
 These members will be appointed by a committee that consists of the Chief Justice of India or any
other Supreme Court judge nominated by him, the Cabinet Secretary, and one expert of repute.
Processing personal data without consent:

• In certain circumstances, personal data can be processed without consent. These include:
 If it is required by the State for providing benefits to the individual,
 In legal proceedings,
 To respond to a medical emergency,
 For instance, admitting a patient to a hospital under emergency conditions
 To provide assistance during a disaster,

 Under any law for the time being in force made by the Parliament or any State Legislature.
Obligations of Social Media Intermediaries:

• A voluntary user verification mechanism for users in India:
 For instance, Facebook will now be obliged to verify its users before it allows them to use its apps.
Transfer of data outside India:

• The Bill permits the transfer of sensitive personal data outside India unless explicit consent is obtained
from the individual.
• However, such sensitive personal data should continue to be stored in India.
• There are certain categories of personal data classified as critical personal data which can be processed
only in India.
• While the bill and the report which was released with the bill are both silent as to what constitutes one’s
critical personal data, it can be presumed that information like medical records, financial information, etc.
come under the scope and ambit of this term.
Exemptions:
• The Bill permits the central government
to exempt any of its agencies from the
provisions of the Act in the interest of
the security of the state, public order,
sovereignty and integrity of India, and
friendly foreign relations.
• Processing of personal data is also
exempted from provisions of the Bill for
certain other purposes such as prevention,
investigation, or prosecution of any
offence, or personal, domestic, or
journalistic purposes.
Sharing of non-personal data with

government:
• The central government may require data
fiduciaries to provide it with any
 Non-personal data,
 Data that cannot be used to identify
individuals for better targeting of
services.
Personal Data of Children:

• Data fiduciaries are required to verify
the age of a child and obtain the consent of his/her parent or guardian prior to processing personal data
pertaining to children.
• Operators of sites directed towards children such as Facebook Messenger Kids and Funology are classified as
guardian data fiduciaries.
• These service providers are prohibited from tracking, profiling or carrying out any other targeted
advertising which may harm the interests of children.
COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM
Context: The Prime Minister of India recently said the collective effort of all the States in the spirit of cooperative
federalism was the force that helped India emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is Federalism?
• Federalism means a structure of government where the functions, powers, and authority are divided between
two levels of government i.e. - Central government and State Government (Regional level governments).
• These two levels are separate and independent of each other in terms of exercising their powers.
• This system is an antithesis of the Unitary System, where the country is governed by a single level of
government and this sole institution holds the supreme position in the state.
• Cooperative Federalism is a type of Federalism.
What is Cooperative Federalism?

 Cooperative Federalism is the branch of Federalism that envisages that all the levels of governance, which
are- central, state, and local bodies, should cooperate with one another in order to achieve collective
goals for the benefit of society.
 All these bodies put their collaborative efforts towards a common goal and strive to achieve that for the
growth of the country.
 No level of government is supreme in this Federalism; all share their place at a horizontal line.
Cooperative Federalism in India:
Indian Constitution has been given the label of “Quasi-Federal” by Prof. K. C. Wheare, as there is unitary bias in the
Indian Federalism where there are some uniformity and centralizing tendencies.
• Some examples of Cooperative Federalism in India are:
• Article 1 of the Constitution of India which provides that “India shall be a Union of States”.
 This provision provides for the integrity among the Union and the States, as one is inseparable to
another.
• Seventh Schedule consists of three lists, namely- the Union list, the State list and the Concurrent list.
 This is an ideal example of coordination among the different levels of government in India.
• Inter-State Council (Article 263) is charged with the duty to make suggestions on any matter for the better
implementation or coordination of policies.
 This council promotes cooperation and coordination among states.
• Zonal Councils:
 Section 15 of the State Reorganization Act, 1956 provides for the constitution of zonal councils for all
the five zones in India.
 These councils consist of representatives from every state, union territory, and union.
• National Development Council:
 This council was developed as a functionary under the Planning Commission.
 This was set up as an agency to support the implementation of five years plan made by the Planning
Commission.
 This council helped in promoting cooperativeness because it had the Prime Minister, Union Cabinet
Ministers, Chief Ministers of all states, and representatives of Union Territories as its members.
 However, it has been dissolved after the constitution of Niti Ayog in 2014.
• NITI Aayog has the representation of all states, which promotes cooperation.
• GST Council makes recommendations to the Union and the States on the taxes and surcharges levied by
the Union, the States, or the Local Bodies.
 Its members represent all the levels of the government.
• Taxation Powers:
 Article 269A (1) of the Indian constitution provides that, the GST Council and not the Finance
Commission has the powers to make recommendations about the distribution of taxes in interstate trade.
 This provision is very important in respect of the economic cooperation of states because states have a
right to vote in the GST Council.
 Article 270 provides that the tax collected by the Union under article 246A and under Inter-State Trade
shall be distributed among the states too.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE (IDENTIFICATION) ACT, 2022
Context: The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act 2022 has come into force recently. It was passed by the
parliament in April this year. It repeals the existing Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
Need to replace Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920:

• In 1980, the 87th Report of the Law Commission of India undertook a review of this legislation and
recommended several amendments.
• In the State of UP vs. Ram Babu Misra case, the Supreme Court had highlighted the need for amending this
law.
• The first set of recommendations laid out the need to amend the Act to expand the scope of measurements to
include “palm impressions”, “specimen of signature or writing” and “specimen of voice”.
• The second set of recommendations raised the need of allowing measurements to be taken for proceedings
other than those under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
• The Law Commission Report also notes that the need for an amendment is reflected by the numerous
amendments made to the Act by several States.
• The Minister of Home Affairs, observed that with advancements in forensics, there was a need to recognize
more kinds of “measurements” that can be used by law enforcement agencies for investigation.
Key provisions of Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act 2022:

• The Bill expands:
 The type of data that may be collected,
 Persons from whom such data may be collected, and
 The authority that may authorise such collection.
• It also provides for the data to be stored in a central database.
• Data permitted to be collected: Fingerprints, foot-print impressions,
photograph biological samples, and their analysis, behavioral
attributes including signatures, handwriting, and examinations under
sections 53 and 53A of CrPC (includes blood, semen, hair samples, and
swabs, and analyses such as DNA profiling).
• Persons whose data may be collected:
 Convicted or arrested for any offence. However, biological samples may be taken forcibly only from
persons arrested for offences against a woman or a child, or if the offence carries a minimum of seven
years imprisonment.
 Persons detained under any preventive detention law.
 On the order of Magistrate, from any person (not just an arrested person) to aid investigation.
• Persons who may require/ direct collection of data:
 Officer in charge of a police station, or of rank Head Constable or above. In addition, a Head Warder of a
prison.
 Metropolitan Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate of first class. In case of persons required to maintain good
behavior or peace, the Executive Magistrate.
• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will be the central agency to maintain the records. It will share
the data with law enforcement agencies. Further, states/UTs may notify agencies to collect, preserve, and
share data in their respective jurisdictions.
• The data collected will be retained in digital or electronic form for 75 years. Records will be destroyed in case
of persons who are acquitted after all appeals, or released without trial. However, in such cases, a Court or
Magistrate may direct the retention of details after recording reasons in writing.
Comparison of key provisions of the 1920 Act and the 2022 Act:
Issues in the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act 2022:

• The issues arise due to the fact that:
 Data can be collected not just from convicted persons but also from persons arrested for any offence and
from any other person to aid an investigation;
 The data collected does not need to have any relationship with evidence required for the case;
 The data is stored in a central database which can be accessed widely and not just in the case file;
 The data is stored for 75 years (effectively, for life); and
 Safeguards have been diluted by lowering the level of the official authorized to collect the data.

• Since the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 was a colonial legislation, its duplication in the Criminal
Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, a post-independence legislation has raised some concerns related to
the protection of fundamental rights.
• The legislation comes in the backdrop of the right to privacy being recognized as a fundamental right. A
fundamental facet of the right to privacy is protection from the invasion of one’s physical privacy. As per
the Puttaswamy judgment, for a privacy intrusive measure to be constitutional, there is a need for the
measure to be taken in pursuance of a legitimate aim of the state, be backed by the law and be “necessary and
proportionate” to the aim being sought to be achieved.
Conclusion/Way ahead:
• The objections have been raised that the law was not being submitted for public consultation or referred to
parliamentary standing committees.
• The Central government has responded that privacy and data protection-related concerns will be addressed
in the Rules formulated under the legislation and through model Prison Manuals that States can refer to.
• A writ petition has been filed challenging the constitutionality of the law before the Delhi High Court. The
court has issued notice to the Central government for filing a reply.
APPOINTMENT OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

Context: UU Lalit is appointed as the new Chief Justice of India.
Who can become the Chief Justice of India?

• Apart from being an Indian citizen, the person must
 have been for at least five years a Judge of a High Court or of two or
more such Courts in succession or
 have been for at least ten years an advocate of a High Court or of two
or more such Courts in succession, or
 be, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist.
Who appoints the CJI?
• The Chief Justice of India and the other judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President under
clause (2) of Article 124 of the Indian Constitution.
• The appointment by the President is to be done after consultation with judges of the Supreme Court, as the
President may deem necessary.
 Article 217, which deals with the appointment of High Court judges, says the President should consult
the CJI, Governor, and Chief Justice of the High Court concerned.
• The tenure of a CJI is until they attain the age of 65 years, while High Court judges retire at 62 years.
The collegium system

• The collegium system is followed in the appointment of judges, consisting of five senior-most judges of the
Supreme Court and the High Courts.
• The government gets a background inquiry done by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) at times from the names
first suggested for appointment by the collegium.
• While the government can also raise objections, usually the collegium’s will prevails.
• The term “collegium” is not mentioned in the constitution, which only speaks of consultation by the
President.
• Given the ambiguity of the word “consult”, this method of appointment has often been challenged in the
courts, leading to cases such as the First Judges Case where it was held that recommendation made by the
CJI to the President can be refused for “cogent reasons”.
 This meant the President or the executive would be in a more influential position in deciding
appointments.

• The Supreme Court laid down guidelines for appointments and transfers leading to the present form of the
collegium in which decisions are to be taken by a majority of the five senior-most judges, a result of the
‘Third Judges Case’.
 In the last few years, the common understanding was that the independence of the judiciary from the
executive was to be guarded in matters of appointments.
• Usually, the senior-most judge of the court after the chief justice (in terms of the years served) is recommended
as the successor.
 This convention was memorably discarded by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who appointed
Justice AN Ray as CJI in 1973 over his seniors for a CJI more favourable to her regime.
• After the collegium’s recommendations are finalised and received from the CJI, the Law Minister will put up
the recommendation to the Prime Minister who will advise the President on the matter of appointment.
What is the procedure for removal of CJI?

• The Constitution lays down the procedure for the removal of a judge of Supreme Court, which is applicable in
the case of the Chief Justice of India as well.
• The Chief Justice of India remains in the office until the age of 65 years, unless he or she is impeached on
grounds of misbehavior or incapacity.
• The Constitution, along with the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 and the Judges (Inquiry) Rules, 1969, provides
for the entire process of Impeachment.

A notice of motion is issued by 100 MPs from the Lok Sabha or 50 MPs from the Rajya Sabha.
 This motion for removal can be moved in either House.
 The motion can either be accepted or rejected by the Speaker/Chairman of the House.
 If the motion is admitted, the Speaker or the Chairman of the House forms a three-member committee
comprising a senior judge of the Supreme Court, a judge of the High Court and a distinguished jurist
to investigate the charges.
 If the three-member committee decides to support the motion, it is taken up for discussion in the House,
where it had been introduced and must be passed by a special majority - the total membership of
that House not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting.
 Once it is passed, it is taken up in the next House where again it needs to be passed by a special
majority.
 After the motion is passed through both the Houses with two-third majority, the President of India is
approached to remove the Chief Justice of India.
FULL COURT MEETING

Context: Recently, the Chief Justice of India called a meeting of the ‘full court’.
What is a full court meeting?

• A full court meeting literally means one which is attended by all the judges of the court.
• There are no written rules dealing with this.
• As per convention, full-court meetings are called by the Chief Justice of India to discuss issues of
importance to the judiciary.
• The senior designations of practising advocates in the Supreme Court and high courts are also
decided during the full court meetings.
• Full court meetings are an ideal occasion to arrive at common solutions to deal with problems
that beset the country’s legal system and to make any amends, if necessary, in the administrative
practices of the court.
• As a full court meeting is convened at the discretion of the Chief Justice of India, it does not follow
any particular calendar.
• Full court meetings have been held many times in the past.

LIFETIME PERKS FOR FORMER CJIs AND SC JUDGES
Context: The Centre amended the Supreme Court Judges Rules the second time to provide chauffeurs and domestic
help for retired Chief Justices of India and Supreme Court judges for their entire lifetime.
Key Details
• Retired CJIs would also get secretarial assistants.
• The staff would be paid the salary and allowances of
regular employees of the Supreme Court.
• There was no mention of “domestic help”, who would be
an employee in the level of junior court assistant.
• The benefit of 24-hour security cover has been extended
to five years for retired Chief Justices and three years for
retired judges of the Supreme Court.
• Former CJIs and retired judges of the top court can get their
monthly mobile phone and Internet bills reimbursed to
the extent of ₹4,200.
• A retired CJI is also entitled to a rent-free Type VII accommodation, other than the designated official
residence, in New Delhi for six months immediately after retirement.
• The amended Rules mandate that retired Chief Justices and judges be extended courtesies as per protocol
at ceremonial lounges of airports.
• Post-retirement benefits would be available only if the retirees were not getting similar facilities from any
High Court or government body.
INDEPENDENCE OF SUPREME COURT

The Constitution has made the following provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial
functioning of the Supreme Court:
The judges are appointed by the President in consultation with the members of the judiciary itself.
They can be removed from office by the President only in the manner and on the grounds mentioned in the
Constitution.
The salaries, allowances, privileges, leave and pension of the judges are determined by the Parliament and
cannot be changed to their disadvantage after their appointment except during a financial emergency.
The salaries, allowances and pensions of judges, staff and administrative expenses are charged on the Consolidated
Fund of India.
The Constitution prohibits any discussion in Parliament or in a State Legislature with respect to the conduct
of the judges, except when an impeachment motion is under consideration of the Parliament.
The retired judges are prohibited from pleading or acting in any Court within the territory of India.
It can punish any person for its contempt. Thus, its actions and decisions cannot be criticized and opposed by
anybody.
The Chief Justice of India can appoint officers and servants without any interference from the executive.
The Parliament is not authorized to curtail its jurisdiction and powers. However, the Parliament can extend
the same.
The Constitution directs the State to take steps to separate the Judiciary from the Executive in the public
services.

GUARDIANSHIP AND ADOPTION OF MINORS

Context: A Parliamentary panel has recommended conferring equal rights on mothers as guardians under the Hindu
Minority and Guardianship Act (HMGA), 1956 instead of treating them as subordinates to their husbands, and has
called for joint custody of children during marital disputes. It has also proposed allowing the LGBTQI community to
adopt children.
Recommendations of the Parliamentary panel on guardianship and child custody:

• The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice
in its report said that there is an urgent need to amend the HMGA (Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act,
1956) and accord equal treatment to both mother and father as natural guardians as the law violated the
right to equality and right against discrimination envisaged under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
• In cases of marital dispute, the panel says there is a need to relook at child custody which is typically
restricted to just one parent where mothers tend to get preference.
• It says courts should be empowered to grant joint custody to both parents when such a decision is conducive
for the welfare of the child, or award sole custody to one parent with visitation rights to the other.
• On adoption, the Committee has said that there is a need for new legislation that harmonizes the Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act
(HAMA), 1956 and that such a law should cover the LGBTQI community as well.
Law on guardianship:
• Indian laws accord superiority to the father in case of guardianship of a minor.
• Under the religious law of Hindus, or the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, (HMGA) 1956, the natural
guardian of a Hindu minor in respect of the minor’s person or property is the father, and after him, the
mother
 Provided the custody of a minor who has not completed the age of five years shall ordinarily be with
the mother.
• The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 says that the Shariat or the religious law will
apply in case of guardianship according to which the father is the natural guardian, but custody vests with
the mother until the son reaches the age of seven and the daughter reaches puberty though the father’s
right to general supervision and control exists.
 The concept of Hizanat in Muslim law states that the welfare of the child is above all else.
 This is the reason why Muslim law gives preference to the mother over the father in matters of
custody of children in their tender years.
Judicial interventions:
• The Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Githa Hariharan vs Reserve Bank of India in 1999 challenged
the HMGA for violating the guarantee of equality of sexes under Article 14 of the Constitution of India.
• The court held that the term “after” should not be taken to mean “after the lifetime of the father “, but rather
“in the absence of the father”.
• The judgment failed to recognize both parents as equal guardians, subordinating a mother’s role to that
of the father.
• Though the judgment sets a precedent for courts, it has not led to an amendment to the HMGA.
• The panel’s proposals on guardianship have been made by the Law Commission of India in its 257th report on
“Reforms in Guardianship and Custody Laws in India” in May 2015 as well as its 133rd report in August,
1989 on “Removal of discrimination against women in matters relating to guardianship and custody of
minor children and elaboration of the welfare principle”.
Cases of marital disputes:

• In cases of marital disputes, some courts such as the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Bombay High
Court have framed rules to grant joint custody or shared parenting.
Adoption for queer and transgender people:

• The Adoption Regulations, 2017 is silent on adoption by LGBTQI people and neither bans nor allows them
to adopt a child.
• Its eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents says that they should be physically, mentally and
emotionally stable, financially capable and should not have any life-threatening medical condition.
• Single men can only adopt a boy while a woman can adopt a child of any gender.
• A child can be given for adoption to a couple only if they have been in a marital relationship for at least
two years.
• Activists say LGBTQI people who seek adoption face institutional discrimination because of stigma.
• Therefore, the law should be amended to include them as eligible candidates including when they apply as
non-single parents such as when they are in civil unions or married for which there is no legal recognition in
the country as yet even though the Supreme Court decriminalised gay sex in 2018.
NAGA PEACE ACCORD
Context: Nagas cannot merge with India but cannot live apart from Indians, due to the necessity of the inter-dependent
relationship among peoples and nations, the chief of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or Isak-Muivah
faction of the NSCN, said recently.
Key Details:
• The NSCN claimed that the Nagas have been owning some 120,000 sq. km for years while the Indian
government claims Nagalim is an integral part of India.
 Nagalim refers to all Naga-inhabited areas in Nagaland, three adjoining north-eastern States, and
Myanmar.
• It said that the Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015, recognised the unique history of the Nagas,
which essentially means the land of the Nagas has never been a part of India despite the occupation of the
“Naga country” by British imperialists in 1832.
• It indicated New Delhi went back on the contents of the Framework Agreement by not respecting the Naga
national identity.
• Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Manipur are opposed to the idea of integrating all Naga-inhabited areas
under one umbrella, a long-term goal of the NSCN (I-M).
The Naga Peace Accord, 2015:

• The Nagaland Peace Accord is a peace treaty, signed, on 3 August 2015, between the Government of India,
and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), to end the insurgency in the state of Nagaland in
Northeast India.
• The Government’s interlocutor for Naga Peace Talks, R. N. Ravi (Former special director of the
Intelligence Bureau, A.K. Mishra replaced him) signed it on behalf of the Government of India.
• The exact details of the agreement haven’t been revealed.
• The NSCN (IM) in particular remained adamant on its stance of shared sovereignty, greater Nagalim i.e.,
stretching the borders beyond the state of Nagaland apart from the demands of a separate constitution and
separate flag.
• These were never acceptable to the central government, even though the group claims that they had
assurances from the center regarding these issues during talks.
• Such demands could not be acceptable particularly post the abrogation of article 370.
• The NSCN(IM) on the other hand is not ready to compromise on these demands and consider them as
fundamental to the peace process.

SECTION 144
Context: Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in Shivamogga of Karnataka following tension
over an alleged attempt to remove a banner of V D Savarkar.
Section 144 of the CrPC:

• This colonial-era law, which has been retained in the Code, empowers a district magistrate, a sub-divisional
magistrate, or any other executive magistrate empowered by the state government, to issue orders to
prevent and address urgent cases of apprehended danger or nuisance.
• The written order by the officer may be directed against an individual or individuals residing in a particular
area, or to the public at large.
• In urgent cases, the magistrate can pass the order without giving prior notice to the individual targeted
in the order.
• The provision allows the magistrate to direct any person to abstain from a certain act, or to pass an order
with respect to certain property in the possession or under the management of that person.
• This usually means restrictions on movement, carrying arms, and unlawful assembly.
• It is generally understood that an assembly of three or more people is prohibited under Section 144.
• When aimed at restricting a single individual, the order is passed if the magistrate believes it is likely to:
 Prevent obstruction, annoyance or injury to any lawfully employed person, or
 A danger to human life, health or safety, or
 A disturbance of the public tranquility, or
 A riot, etc.
• Orders passed under Section 144 remain in force for two months, unless the state government considers
it necessary to extend it.
• But in any case, the total period for which the order is in force cannot be more than six months.
ARMS ACT
Context: A Kanpur court recently sentenced Uttar Pradesh Minister Rakesh Sachan to one-year imprisonment and
imposed a fine of ₹1,500 on him in a 1991 Arms Act case.
About the Arms Act:

• The Arms Act, 1959 was enacted by the Indian Parliament with the sole purpose of consolidating and
amending the laws relating to arms and ammunition.
• The Act aims to be as extensive as possible to cover all aspects relating to the acquisition, possession,
manufacture, sale, import, export, and transport of arms and ammunition.
• This Act was followed by the Arms Rules of 1962.

• The 1959 act permits individuals to possess a maximum of three firearms. The excess, if any, is to be
deposited at the nearest police station within 90 days of the commencement of the Act.
• The minimum age that an individual needs to be in order to be eligible to possess a firearm is 21 years. In the
case of a ‘junior target shooter’, however, an individual of 16 years of age is allowed to possess a firearm.
• For a self-defense license, it is mandatory that the individual proves that he/she faces an impending threat
to life. This can, however, include the threat of wild animals.

• The Central Government has the final say on the confiscation of licenses and weapons of individuals at
any point in time. They also hold a monopoly over the manufacture, import, export and sale of such arms and
ammunition.
• Types of arms:
 Prohibited Bores (PB), which can be used only by the Army, Central Paramilitary forces or the State
police.

 Non- Prohibited Bores (NPB), which can be used by all individuals who hold a valid arms license.
The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019:

• The main feature of the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was the modification of the definition of ‘arms’ to
include firearms, swords and anti-aircraft missiles.
• The validity period of the arms license was extended from three to five years and the number of arms
permissible to be within an individual’s possession (provided he/she is carrying a valid license) was reduced
from three to two.
• Under the list of prohibitions, the obtaining or procuring of unlicensed firearms was added as well as the
conversion of one category of firearm to another without a valid license, which included modifications done
to increase the efficiency of performance of the firearm.
• The quantum of punishment according to the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been almost doubled as
compared to the Arms Act of 1959.
BILKIS BANO CASE

Context: There has been widespread outrage over the premature release of 11 convicts in a case relating to the
gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of at least seven persons.
 It is now under challenge in the Supreme Court.
Life imprisonment and rules for remission

• Life imprisonment normally means convicts remain in jail for the whole of their life.
• However, they can be released by the State and Central governments at some point, but not before they
complete 14 years, by remitting the remaining prison term.
• A two-judge Bench ruled that Gujarat is the appropriate government to consider remission.
• Based on the Supreme Court’s direction to consider their plea for remission, the Gujarat government ordered
the release of all the 11 convicts.
What are the rules for remission?

• Courts have ruled that remission should be informed, fair and reasonable, and not arbitrary; that it should
not undermine the nature of the crime.
• In Laxman Naskar vs Union of India (2000), the Supreme Court laid down five considerations:
 whether the offence is an individual act of crime that does not affect society;
 whether there is a chance of the crime being repeated in future;
 whether the convict has lost the potentiality to commit crime;
 whether any purpose is being served in keeping the convict in prison; and
 socio-economic conditions of the convict’s family.
Was the remission given in this case legal?

• Lawyers and activists have highlighted possible legal infirmities.
• The remission has been granted by the Gujarat government without consulting the Centre.
 Under Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), in a case investigated by the CBI, such
consultation is mandatory prior to remission.
 The Supreme Court has also ruled that ‘consultation’ means ‘concurrence’ in this regard.
• Reports indicate that the committee that recommended remission contained some ruling party functionaries,
including two MLAs.
 A remission panel usually consists of:
 government officials,
 officers in charge of parole,
 rehabilitation and probation of offenders

 prison officials.
 The opinion of the judge who conducted the trial or in charge of the district should be taken too.
 In this case, the district judge is understood to have opposed the grant of remission.
 While the judge’s opinion may not be binding, courts have cautioned against brushing aside the opinion
without valid reasons.
• The question whether Gujarat is indeed the appropriate government may also be raised again.
 Section 432(7) of the CrPC says the appropriate government will be the State within which the offender
is sentenced or the said order is passed.
 Commentators have pointed out that the current remission policy bars those found guilty of heinous
crimes from being given remission.
• Their release under a 1992 policy (because it was the one prevailing during their conviction) may also be
subjected to legal scrutiny.
TYPES OF PARDONS
• Pardon:
 It removes both the sentence and the conviction and completely absolves the convict from all
sentences, punishments and disqualifications.
• Commutation:
 It denotes the substitution of one form of punishment for a lighter form.
• Remission:
 It implies reducing the period of sentence without changing its character.
 For example, a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for two years may be remitted to rigorous
imprisonment for one year.
• Respite:
 It denotes awarding a lesser sentence in place of one originally awarded due to some special fact,
such as the physical disability of a convict or the pregnancy of a woman offender.
• Reprieve:
 It implies a stay of the execution of a sentence (especially that of death) for a temporary period.
 Its purpose is to enable the convict to have time to seek pardon or commutation from the President.
SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT, 1954
Context: Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a writ petition challenging provisions of the Special Marriage Act
(SMA), 1954 requiring couples to give a notice declaring their intent to marry 30 days before their marriage.
What are the provisions that have been challenged?

• Section 5 of the SMA requires couples getting married under it to give a notice to the Marriage Officer 30
days before the date of marriage.
• Section 6 requires such a notice to be then entered into the Marriage Notice Book maintained by the
Marriage Officer, which can be inspected by “any person desirous of inspecting the same”.
 These notices have to be also affixed at a conspicuous place in the office of the Marriage Officer so that

anyone can raise an objection to the marriage.
• Section 7 provides the process for making an objection such as if either party has a living spouse, is
incapable of giving consent due to “unsoundness of mind” or is suffering from mental disorder resulting in the
person being unfit for marriage or procreation.
• Section 8 specifies the inquiry procedure to be followed after an objection has been submitted.
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WHAT IS THE SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT?

• A marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 allows people from two different religious backgrounds
to come together in the bond of marriage.
• The Special Marriage Act, 1954 lays down the procedure for both solemnization and registration of
marriage, where either of the husband or wife or both are not Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, or Sikhs.
• According to this Act, the couples have to serve a notice with the relevant documents to the Marriage
Officer 30 days before the intended date of the marriage.
• Registration process Special Marriage Act:
 Both parties are required to be present after the submission of documents for issuance of public
notice inviting objections.
 Registration is done 30 days after the date of notice after deciding any objection that may have been
received during that period by the SDM.
 Both parties along with three witnesses are required to be present on the date of registration.
RULES FOR DISPLAYING THE TRICOLOUR
Context:
• Recently, the Department of Post (DoP) revealed that it sold over one crore National Flags through its
widespread network of post offices across the nation, as well as through online channels.
• Rules surrounding the act of hoisting or displaying the Tiranga are contained in the Flag Code of India 2002
and upheld by the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
About the rules:

• According to the Flag Code of India which came into effect on January 26, 2002, the following are allowed
to hoist or display the Tricolour on “all days or occasions in accordance with the dignity and honour of the
National Flag:
 Any person,
 Organization - private or public, or
 Educational institution (including scout camps).
• The flag can be as big or small as one wants but the ratio of the length to the height (width) of the National
Flag shall be 3:2.
• So, the flag must always be a rectangle rather than square or any other shape.
• After an amendment on December 30, 2021, the material of the flag has been decided as handspun and
handwoven or machine-made, cotton, polyester, wool, silk or khadi bunting.
• If the flag is placed in the open or on the house of a member of the public, it may be flown day and night.
• It is against rules to display a damaged or disheveled National Flag.
• At all times, the National Flag must be displayed in a position of honour and should be distinctly placed.
• No other flag or bunting shall be placed higher than or above or side by side with the National Flag;
• Nor shall any object including flowers or garlands, or emblem be placed on or above the flag mast from
which the National Flag is flown.
• The Tricolour should never be used as a festoon, rosette, bunting or for a decorative purpose.
• No advertisements should be festooned to the pole from which it flies.
• A person is forbidden by law to use the national flag as a portion of a costume or uniform.

• It cannot be used as an accessory to be worn below the waist of any person nor shall it be embroidered or
printed on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, undergarments or any dress material.
• The National Flag cannot be flown on any vehicle except those of the President, Vice President, Prime
Minister, Governor and other dignitaries.
 The flag should also not be used to cover the sides, back, and top of any vehicle.

• The Tricolour should not be stored in a way that might dirty or damage it.
 In case your flag is damaged, the Flag Code instructs you not to cast it aside or treat it disrespectfully but

destroy it as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any method consistent with the dignity of
the flag.
 The flag shall not be allowed to touch the ground or the floor or trail in the water.

• What is the punishment for disrespecting the flag?
 According to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, the punishment for disrespecting

the flag is imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine, or with both.
FOREIGNERS’ TRIBUNALS
Context: The Gauhati High Court has asked the Centre and the Assam government to collectively decide whether or
not the ministerial staff for 200 additional Foreigners’ Tribunals (FT) would be appointed.
What is a foreigners’ tribunal?

• Foreigners’ Tribunals are quasi-judicial units founded as per the Foreigners’ Tribunal Order, 1964, and the
Foreigners’ Act, 1946.
• It is for those who have been excluded in the definitive NRC list or have been commemorated as ‘D’
meaning ‘doubtful’.
• The ones subsiding under this classification have the Right to contest to the Foreigners Tribunal.
• Under the outlay of Foreigners’ Act, 1946 and Foreigners Tribunal Order, 1964, solely Foreigner Tribunals
have the Right to confirm someone as a Foreigner.
• The oversight of a person’s name in the NRC does not prima facie sum up to that person being a proclaimed
non-citizen.
• Nonetheless, if proclaimed a foreigner or positioned in the skeptical class the Burden of Proof lies with the
indicted.
• Commemorating the NRC shaft in Assam, the Government of India lengthened the time limit for putting in
order of petitions from 60 days to 120 days.
• The Foreigners Act, 1946 distinguishes a foreigner as an individual who is not a Citizen of India.
 Section 9 of the Act asserts that, where the ethnicity of a person is not noticeable as per the preceding

Section 8, the burden of verifying whether an individual is a foreigner or not, shall prevaricate
upon such self.
• Regardless, in the Illegal Migrants (IMDT) Act, the responsibility of substantiating the Citizenship or
contrarily sloped on the accuser and the police, not the accused.
• This was a crucial withdrawal from the requirements of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
History of Foreign Tribunal in India:

• The Foreign Tribunals was established through the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 in a referendum
to allow State Administration to make a connection about an individual doubted to be a foreigner to the
Tribunals.
• The Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 was authorized by the Central government through the use of
Powers awarded under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

• The Illegal Migrants Act (IMDT) was legislated in 1983 by Indira Gandhi led UPA Government.
 It was forged to distinguish illegal immigrants (From Bangladesh) and deport them from Assam.

 The Act was nudged through primarily on the footings that it furnished outstanding protections against

unnecessary harassment to the “minorities” encompassed by the Assam Agitation.
 It was adequate to the State of Assam only whereas, in other States, the distinguishment of foreigners

is done under The Foreigners Act, 1946.
Constitution of Foreigners Tribunal:

• All Foreign Tribunal component is ordained under the Foreigners Tribunal Act, 1941, and Foreigners Tribunal
Order, 1984, as through the protocols handed out by the Government at any period.
• A member is also expected to possess a reasonable understanding of the authorized languages of Assam
(Assamese, Bengali, Bodo and English) as well as be acquainted with the ancient atmosphere to the foreigners’
case.
2013 VERDICT ON POLL PROMISES
Context: The Supreme Court said it will constitute a three-judge Bench to reconsider a 2013 judgment which held
that pre-poll promises made by a political party cannot constitute a corrupt practice under the Representation of the
People (RP) Act.
Key Details:
• The S. Subramaniam Balaji versus Government of Tamil Nadu judgment, based on DMK’s pre-election
promise to distribute colour television sets to poor households in Tamil Nadu, said only an individual
candidate, not his party, can commit a ‘corrupt practice’ under the RP Act by promising free gifts.
• The Balaji judgment, by a two-judge Bench of the top court, came under the spotlight after nine years when
a Bench led by Chief Justice N. V. Ramana was told that there cannot be a dichotomy between a political
party and its candidate.
 What the candidate promises is what his party wants him to promise.
 The party cannot escape liability.
RPA, 1950 RPA, 1951

• Qualification of voters • Actual conduct of elections in India
• Preparation of electoral rolls • Administrative machinery for conducting elections
• Delimitation of constituencies • Qualification and disqualification of MPs/MLAs
• Allocation of seats in the Parliament and state • Election offences and disputes
legislature
• Registration of political parties

LOK AYUKTA
Context: The Kerala Assembly passed the Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill.
Key Details
• The amendments were related to the competent authority to consider Lok Ayukta recommendations.
• In the case of any unfavourable decision from the Lok Ayukta against the Chief Minister, the competent
authority will now be the Legislative Assembly instead of the Governor in the existing Act.
What is Lokayukta?
• The Lokayukta is an authority at state level which deals with corruption and mal-admistration complaints
made by the general public.
• This authority is constituted for a quicker redressal of public grievances.
• The concept of Lokayukta traces back to the ombudsman in Scandinavian countries.
• The Lokayukta is put into power when the Lokayukta act is passed in the state and works for the State
governments and addresses the complaints of the people living in the state.
• The complaints can be against the integrity and efficiency of the government or its administration which
includes the people working in the government sector.
• The complaints can also be regarding any corruption faced by the people from the government administration.
• To address these serious issues a well-qualified and reputed person, generally a former high court chief
justice or a former Supreme Court judge, is appointed as the Lokayukta and this person once appointed
cannot be dismissed or transferred by the government.
• The creation of Lokpal at the centre and Lokayukta at the state level was suggested by the Administrative
Reforms commission in the year 1966 after which the first Lokpal act was passed in the year 1971 in the
state of Maharashtra.
• The Lokayukta has a fixed tenure and has to make sure to perform the given functions independently and
impartially.
• The general public can directly approach this lokayukta with complaints against corruption, nepotism or
defects in administration.
USE OF LOUDSPEAKERS IN MOSQUES
Context: The Karnataka High Court recently declined to accept the contention that uttering azan (a call to Muslims to
pray) in the mosque through loudspeakers violates the fundamental right guaranteed to the believers of other religious
faiths.
Key Details:
• The petitioner had sought direction to the authorities to stop the use of loudspeakers in mosques for the
purpose of azan while contending that the words used on azan hurt the sentiments of people belonging to
other religions.
• The Court observed that:
 Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India embodies the principles of religious toleration, which is

characteristic of Indian civilisation.
 Article 25 confers the fundamental right on persons to freely profess, practise and propagate their

own religion.
 However, the aforesaid right is not an absolute right but is subject to the restrictions on the ground of
public order, morality, health as well as subject to other provisions of the Constitution.

 The petitioner as well as believers of other faiths had the right to practise their religion.
• However, the Bench directed the State government to ensure that loudspeakers, public address systems and
sound-producing instruments should not be permitted to be used in violation of the Noise Pollution
(Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 while observing that religious practices like azan are not absolute
right but are subjected to restrictions in the Constitution.
Rules for use of loudspeakers:
According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 under The Environment (Protection) Act,
1986:
• The noise level at the boundary of the public place, where a loudspeaker or public address system or any other
noise source is being used shall not exceed 10 dB (A) above the ambient noise standards for the area or 75 dB
(A) whichever is lower.
• A loudspeaker or a public address system shall not be used except after obtaining written permission from the
authority.
• A loudspeaker or a public address system or any sound producing instrument or a musical instrument or a
sound amplifier shall not be used at night time except in closed premises for communication within, like
auditoria, conference rooms, community halls, banquet halls or during a public emergency.
• The state government is allowed to subject to such terms and conditions as are necessary to reduce noise
pollution, permit use of loud speakers or public address system and the like during night hours (between 10.00
p.m. to 12.00 midnight) on or during any cultural or religious festive occasion of a limited duration not
exceeding 15 days in all during a calendar year.
 The state government shall generally specify in advance, the number and particulars of the days on

which such exemption would be operative.
• The peripheral noise level of a privately-owned sound system or a sound producing instrument shall not, at the
boundary of the private place, exceed by more than 5 dB (A) the ambient noise standards specified for the
area in which it is used.
RULES GOVERNING DISPOSAL OF SEIZED NARCOTICS
Context: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently destroyed 30,000 kg of seized drugs.
The Rules:
• Section 52-A of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 allows probe agencies
to destroy seized substances after collecting required samples. Officials concerned must make a detailed
inventory of the substance to be destroyed.
• A five-member committee comprising the area SSP, director/superintendent or the representative of the
area NCB, a local magistrate and two others linked to law enforcement and legal fraternity is constituted.
• The substance is then destroyed in an incinerator or burnt completely leaving behind not any trace of the
substance.
• The agency first obtains permission from a local court to dispose of the seized narcotic substances.
• These substances are then taken to the designated place of destruction under a strict vigil.
• The entire process is video graphed and photographed.
• Authorized Agency:
 Every law enforcement agency competent to seize drugs is authorised to destroy them after taking
prior permission from the area magistrate.
 These include state police forces, the CBI, and the NCB among others.

• Need to destroy seized drugs:

 The hazardous nature of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, their vulnerability to theft,
substitution, and constraints of proper storage space are among the reasons that make agencies destroy
them.

NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU (NCB) [ESTABLISHED:1986]

• It is an Indian central law enforcement and intelligence agency.
• Concerned ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs
• Task: Combating drug trafficking and the use of illegal substances under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances Act,1985.
BILL FOR GATI SHAKTI UNIVERSITY

Context: Recently, the Education Minister of India introduced the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, which
seeks to convert the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), a deemed-to-be university, into the Gati
Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, an autonomous Central university.
The proposed amendments:

• The Bill seeks to expand the scope of the university from beyond just the Railways to cover the entire
transport sector.
• The new university will be funded and administered by the Ministry of Railways.
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009,
inter alia, to provide for the establishment of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya as a body corporate under the
said Act.
Pros of amendments:
• The establishment of the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya would address the need for talent in the strategically
important and expanding transportation sector and meet the demand for trained talent to fuel the growth and
expansion of the sector.
• The proposed university will reverse brain drain and create critical capability and capacity by developing
master’s and doctoral degrees in transportation, go a long way in making the nation self-reliant in the
transportation sector through its programs for skilling and digitising India.
• SThe university would carry out critically-needed research and development by creating innovative
technologies to encourage local manufacturing and substitute the imports of expensive technology, equipment,
and products.
GATI SHAKTI MASTER PLAN

• The Gati Shakti Master Plan is essentially a digital platform bringing together 16 ministries, including
roadways and railways, for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure
connectivity projects.
• It seeks to incorporate infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments, such as
Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry and land ports, UDAN.
BENGALURU’S IDGAH MAIDAN

Context: Refusing to allow Ganesh Utsav at the Bengaluru Idgah, the Supreme
Court directed the Karnataka government to maintain status quo on the issue.
WHAT IS A WAKF PROPERTY ?
The Wakf Act defines ‘Wakf’ as a
permanent dedication by a person
When did the controversy begin?
professing Islam, of any movable
• Back in 1965, the Mysore state government promulgated a notification or immovable property for any
purpose recognised by Muslim law
which said the Idgah maidan Chamarajpet was formally gazetted as pious, religious or charitable.
as a Wakf property pursuant to a survey conducted by a government
survey commissioner.
• In 1982, for the first time, communal violence over the maidan took
place during the Ganesha festival.
What has the SC ruled?

• The state government agreed that the Idgah land has not been used for any other religious purpose except
by the Muslims for over 200 years.
• However, the state owns the land, and can use it for any purpose it deems fit.
• The Idgah authorities argued that the state had not challenged the title of the Idgah when the land was
declared a Wakf as per law.
• A 1964 judgment of the SC which had confirmed earlier rulings of the Mysore High Court that not all
graveyards in the city were owned by the municipality, was also cited.
 The ruling also said that the municipality was not in possession of the Idgah on the mere count that
children played there.
THE CONCERNS AROUND AADHAAR-VOTER ID LINKAGE

Context: Reports have surfaced online of instances where block level officers have asked individuals to link their
Aadhaar with their Voter IDs, failing which their Voter IDs could be cancelled.
Key Details
• This comes in the aftermath of the Election Commission’s (EC) campaign to promote the linkage of Voter
ID and Aadhaar.
• The EC conducts regular exercises to maintain an updated and accurate record of the voter base.
• A part of this exercise is to weed out duplication of voters, such as:
 migrant workers who may have been registered more than once on the electoral rolls in different
constituencies or
 for persons registered multiple times within the same constituency.
• As per the government, linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs will assist in ensuring that only one Voter ID is
issued per citizen of India.
Is the linking of Aadhaar with One’s Voter Id Mandatory?

• In December 2021, Parliament passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 to amend the Representation
of the People Act, 1950, inter alia.
• Section 23(4) was inserted in the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
 It states that the electoral registration officer may require them to furnish their Aadhaar numbers:

 for the purpose of establishing the identity of any person or

 for the purposes of authentication of entries in electoral roll of more than one constituency or

more than once in the same constituency for citizens already enrolled.
• To reflect this amendment, in June 2022, the government notified changes to the Registration of Electors
Rules, 1960.
 Rule 26B was added to provide that every person whose name is listed in the roll may intimate his

Aadhar number to the registration officer.
 Although, the use of discretionary language throughout the amendments have been accompanied by

assurances by both the government and the EC that linkage of the Aadhaar with Voter ID is optional,
this does not seem to be reflected in Form 6B issued under the new Rule 26B.
 Form 6B provides the format in which Aadhaar information may be submitted to the electoral

registration officer.
 Form 6B provides the voter to either submit their Aadhaar number or any other listed document.

 However, the option to submit other listed documents is exercisable only if the voter is not able to

furnish their Aadhaar number because they do not have an Aadhaar number.
 To that extent, the element of choice that has been incorporated in the amendments seem to be negated

or at the very least thrown into confusion.
Relevant cases
• At the end of 2021, 99.7% of the adult Indian population had an Aadhaar card.
This coverage exceeds that of any other officially valid document such as driver’s licence, ration cards,

PAN cards etc. that are mostly applied for specific purposes.
• Since Aadhaar allows for biometric authentication, Aadhaar based authentication and verification is considered
more reliable, quicker and cost efficient when compared to other IDs.
• In Puttaswamy, one of the questions that the Supreme Court explored was whether the mandatory linking of
Aadhaar with bank accounts was constitutional or not.
The Court observed that the mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts was not only for new bank

accounts but also existing ones, failing which the individual will not be able to operate their bank account.
The Court held that depriving a person of their right to property for non-linkage fell foul of the test of

proportionality.
It needs to be considered whether requiring an Aadhaar holder to mandatorily provide Aadhaar for

authentication or verification would not be considered violative of their informational autonomy (right
to privacy) which would allow them to decide which official document they want to use for verification
and authentication.
• In Lal Babu Hussein (1995), the Supreme Court had held that the Right to vote cannot be disallowed by
insisting only on four proofs of identity.
 Voters can rely on any other proof of identity and obtain the right to vote.

Operational difficulties
• The preference to Aadhaar for the purposes of determining voters is puzzling as Aadhaar is only a proof of
residence and not a proof of citizenship.
 Therefore, verifying voter identity against this will only help in tackling duplication but will not remove

voters who are not citizens of India from the electoral rolls.
• The estimate of error rates in biometric based authentication differs widely.
 As per the Unique Identification Authority of India in 2018, Aadhaar based biometric authentication had

a 12% error rate.
 This led the Supreme Court to hold in Puttaswamy that a person would not be denied of benefits in case

Aadhaar based authentication could not take place.
• Civil society has highlighted that linking of the two databases of electoral rolls and Aadhaar could lead
violation of the right to privacy and surveillance measures by the state.
 To address these concerns, one needs to have enforceable data protection principles that regulate how

authentication data will be used.
Jurisprudence of bail
• The jurisprudence of bail in post-independent India, is anchored on the bedrock of Article 21 of the Constitution
which safeguards not only life but also liberty by commanding that liberty can be deprived only through the
procedure established by law.
• The same procedural law which provides for arrest and incarceration, ensures that bail can be sought by an
accused through a broad spectrum of provisions ranging from pre-arrest bail to statutory bail.
 Pre-arrest bail: It is envisaged under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). It enables

the accused to approach a Sessions court or High Court seeking a direction to release him on bail in
case he is arrested on a non-bailable offence,
 Statutory bail: It is conceived under Section 167 of the CrPC. It vests with the accused the right to be

released if the investigation is not completed within ninety days or sixty days, as the case may be,
depending on the severity of the alleged offence.
Grant of bail as the rule

• Bail refers to the conditional release of a person from confinement or custody during investigation and trial.
• The Supreme Court has time and again reiterated that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception”.
 A conjoint reading of Section 436 (bailable offences) and 437 (non-bailable offences) of the CrPC

makes it clear that the wisdom of the legislature is to secure bail as the rule and jail as the exception.
• Related case:
 Emperor vs H. L. Hutchinson (1932)

 Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia (1980).

• Bailable Offence:
 The CrPC defines “bailable offence” as an offence which is shown as bailable in the First Schedule of the

CrPC, or which is made bailable by any other law for the time being in force.
• Non-bailable offence:
 “Non-bailable offence” means any other offence.

• While bail is a matter of right in bailable offences, in non-bailable offences, the grant of bail is at the
discretion exercised by the judge taking note of the factual aspects of the case.
The triple test

• The grant of regular bail is usually guided by what is referred to as the triple test —
 the ascertainment of whether the accused is at flight risk

 possibility of tampering with the evidence

 influencing witnesses.

• In addition to the above three, it was held by a three-judge-bench of the Supreme Court (P. Chidambaram
Case (2019)) that the gravity of the offence may also be an additional consideration which may be ascertained
by the sentence prescribed for the offence alleged to have been committed.
‘CRIME IN INDIA’ REPORT

Context: Recently, a new edition of ‘Crime in India’, the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),
was released, for crime-related statistics in 2021.
Key Details of the report

• NCRB reports have been a valuable compilation of statistics over the years on offences ranging from crimes
against women to economic and financial crimes.
• Overall, 2021 saw a 7.6 per cent decline in the number of crimes registered, as compared to 2020.
• The crime rate per lakh population declined from 487.8 in 2020 to 445.9 in 2021.
• Violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping, atrocities against children, and robberies registered across India
increased in 2021, after the pandemic-related restrictions led to a decline in these severe offences in 2020.
Who publishes the NCRB report?

• The NCRB was established in January 1986 with the aim of
establishing a body to compile and keep records of data on crime.
• It functions under the Union Home Ministry.
• Apart from publishing annual reports, its functions include
collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-
state and international criminals to the respective states.
• NCRB also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint
records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating
interstate criminals through fingerprint search.

Limitations of NCRB report

• Since the publication caters to the ‘Principal Offence Rule’ for classification of crime, the actual count of each
crime head may be under reported.
• The Principal Offence Rule states that in a case where multiple offences are registered, only the “most
heinous crime”, carrying the most stringent punishment, will be considered when counting.
 For example, ‘Murder with Rape’ is accounted as ‘Murder’, leading to undercounting of the crime of

rape.
• Since the report only compiles data that are submitted at the local level, inefficiencies or gaps in data at
that level have an impact.
• Vacancies or a shortage of police officers at the local level may hinder the collection of data.
• The data record the incidence of registered crime rather than of actual crime.
 So, when reported crimes against women in Delhi rose significantly in the aftermath of the 2012 bus

gangrape case, it may have been a reflection of increased awareness about the need for registering
crimes, both among those affected and the police, rather than an actual increase in the incidence of
crime against women.
• ‘Rise in crime’ and ‘increase in registration of crime by police’ are clearly two different things, a fact
which requires better understanding,
• Since actual numbers will be mostly higher for the bigger states, a “crime rate” is calculated per unit of
population.
 But again, the data used at present for determining the total population is old — from the 2011 Census.

    

ECONOMY
FAIR AND REMUNERATIVE PRICE (FRP)
Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of
sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October - September) at ₹305 per quintal.
About Fair and Remunerative Price:

• Fair and remunerative price (FRP) is the minimum price at which sugarcane is to be purchased by sugar
mills from farmers.
• FRP is the price declared by the government, which mills are legally bound to pay to farmers for the
sugarcane procured from them.
• The payment of FRP across the country is governed by The Sugarcane Control order, 1966.
 It mandates payment within 14 days of the date of delivery of the cane.
• The concept of Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of sugarcane was replaced with the ‘Fair and Remunerative
Price (FRP)’ of sugarcane for 2009 -10 and subsequent sugar seasons with the amendment of the Sugarcane
(Control) Order, 1966 in 2009.
• The cane price announced by the Central Government is decided on the basis of the recommendations of
the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) in consultation with the State Governments.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister approves Fair and Remunerative
Price (FRP) of sugarcane.
• Under the FRP system, the farmers are not required to wait till the end of the season or for any
announcement of the profits by sugar mills or the Government.
• It also assures margins on account of profit and risk to farmers, irrespective of the fact whether sugar mills
generate profit or not, and is not dependent on the performance of any individual sugar mill.
• The FRP is linked to a basic recovery rate of sugar, with a premium payable to farmers for higher recoveries
of sugar from sugarcane.
FARMER PRODUCER ORGANISATIONS

Context: Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare briefed the Lok Sabha about the scheme for Farmer
Producer Organisations.
About the Scheme:

• The Government of India has launched the Central Sector Scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000
Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the year 2020.
• Under the scheme, the FPOs are to be developed in produce clusters, wherein agricultural and horticultural
produce is grown / cultivated for leveraging economies of scale and improving market access for members.
• Formation & Promotion of FPOs are to be done through Implementing Agencies (IAs), which further engage
Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) to form & provide professional handholding support to
FPOs for a period of 5 years.
Under the said scheme, a professional agency named as Cluster Based Business Organization (CBBO)

is to prepare a business plan with the participation of farmers.
The business plan will cover the entire end-to-end value chain including those of production, post-

production, marketing, value addition, exports, etc.

• FPOs will be provided financial assistance up to Rs 18.00 lakh per FPO for a period of 3 years.
About FPOs:
• FPO is an organization, where the members are farmers themselves.
• Farmers Producers Organization provides end-to-end support and services to the small farmers, and
cover technical services, marketing, processing, and others aspects of agriculture inputs.
• To facilitate the process, the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) was mandated by the
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to support the
State Government in the formation of the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). 
• The main aim of the Farmer Producer Organization is to ensure a better income for the producers through
an organization of their own. 
• Key Points of FPO:
 Initially, the minimum number of members in Farmer Producer Organization are 100 in North East &
Hilly Areas and 300 in plain areas.
 The Farmers Producers Organizations are formed and promoted through the Cluster-Based Business
Organizations and engaged at the State or Cluster level by implementing the agencies.
 Farmer Producer Organization is promoted under “One District One Product” to
promote the specialization and better branding, marketing, processing, and exports by FPO.
STABLECOINS
Context: Recently, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), a body that advises major economies on international finance,
promised to push for stablecoin regulation, citing “recent turmoil” in the cryptocurrency market.
What are stablecoins?

• A stablecoin is a digital currency whose value is pegged to a ‘stable’ asset, such as the U.S. dollar or gold.
• The best-known stablecoin in the crypto ecosystem today is arguably Tether (USDT), whose market cap is
close to $66 billion, putting it below Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency in existence.
• Other stablecoins such as USD Coin (USDC) and Binance USD (BUSD) are also pegged to the U.S. dollar and
are known for their high market cap values.
• Tether also recently launched a stablecoin pegged to the British pound.
• Stablecoins are not authorised for use by country lawmakers or central banks, which means that investors
take on considerable legal and financial risk to hold them.
NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR PROMOTION OF UPSKILLING OF NIRMAN WORKERS (NIPUN)

Context: The Minister of state for Housing and Urban Affairs informed the Lok Sabha that the Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs has launched an innovative project NIPUN (National Initiative for Promotion of Upskilling of
Nirman workers), as part of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
About the scheme:

• The project NIPUN is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under its flagship scheme of
the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
 DAY-NULM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

 Its aim is to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households in the country by enabling them

to access self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable
improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis.
• It seeks to train over 1 lakh construction workers, through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and
provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also.
• The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the nodal agency under the Ministry of Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), will be the Implementation Partner for NIPUN.
• The courses are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).
• Under NIPUN, it is also envisaged that NSDC will place approximately 12,000 people in foreign countries
such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and other GCC countries.
• It will also facilitate and support convergence with related line ministries.

• NSDC will be responsible for the overall execution of training, monitoring and candidate tracking.
• Under RPL, certified candidates are extended benefits of the ‘Kaushal Bima’ i.e., three-years accidental
insurance with coverage of ₹ 2 lakh.
• To fulfil this mission, the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and the Confederation of
Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) have joined Project NIPUN as industry partners
and will identify training job roles of aspirational value in the construction sector in collaboration with the
SSC.
PORTAL TO REGISTER FOR RATIONS

Context: The Centre has launched a common facility to register names in ration cards on a pilot basis for 11 States and
Union Territories.
Key Details:
• The facility will enable these States to identify and verify the eligible beneficiaries for coverage under the
National Food Security Act.
• Named as Ration Mitra, this software developed by the National Informatics Centre can be used to enroll
people of any State.
• The portal is an enabler for States/UTs to complete their inclusion exercise under NFSA.
About NFSA:
• The National Food and Security Act of 2013 provides subsidized food grains to 75% of India’s rural
population and 50% of its urban population.
• NFSA 2013 includes almost two-thirds of the Indian population in its entirety.
• Provisions under the National Food Security Act 2013:
 Approximately 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population are covered by the Targeted

Public Distribution System (TPDS), which provides a uniform monthly allocation of 5 kg per person.
 Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) foodgrain allotment will be 35 kg per household per month.

 Central and state governments share joint responsibilities under the National Food Security Act 2013.

 The center is in charge of allocating and transporting food grains to designated depots in the states and

UTs.
 The center is required to give central assistance to states/UTs for the distribution of food grains from

authorized FCI godowns to the Fair Price Shops’ doorsteps.
 In accordance with Section 18 of the NFSA 2013, the Government has declared the eldest woman (not

less than 18 years of age), shall be the head of the household for the purpose of ration cards.
 States and union territories are in charge of:

 Identifying eligible households,

 Issuing ration cards,

 Distributing foodgrain entitlements through fair price shops,

 Issuing licenses to Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers and monitoring them

 Establishing an effective grievance redress mechanism and necessary strengthening of the Targeted Public

Distribution System (TPDS).
 The National Food Security Act (2013) also includes provisions for reforms in the Targeted Public

Distribution System that include cash transfers for the provisioning of food entitlements.
 First started in the union territories of Chandigarh and Puducherry, Direct Benefit Transfer entails the

cash equivalent of the subsidy being transferred directly into the bank accounts of eligible households.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE MANAGEMENT (OVERSEAS INVESTMENT) RULES, 2022
Context: The Finance Ministry recently released the Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas Investment) Rules,
2022 subsuming extant regulations for Overseas Investments and Acquisition and Transfer of Immovable Property
Outside India Regulations, 2015.
What are the tweaks in overseas investment norms?

• With an eye on wilful defaulters, the new rules stipulate that any Indian resident will have to seek a no
objection certificate before making any overseas financial commitment, who:
 Has an account appearing as a non-performing asset or,
 Is classified as a wilful defaulter by any bank or,
 Is under investigation by a financial service regulator or by investigative agencies in India.
• Any resident in India acquiring equity capital in a foreign entity or overseas direct investment (ODI), will
have to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) for each foreign entity, every year by December 31.
• No such reporting shall be required where a person resident in India is holding less than 10% of the
equity capital without control in the foreign entity and there is no other financial commitment other than
equity capital or a foreign entity is under liquidation.
• Any resident individual can make ODI by way of investment in equity capital or overseas portfolio
investment (OPI) subject to the overall ceiling under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the
Reserve Bank.
 Currently, the LRS permits $2,50,000 outward investment by an individual in a year.
• These norms make it easier for domestic corporates to invest abroad.
• Clarity on Overseas Direct Investment and Overseas Portfolio Investment has been brought in and various
overseas investment related transactions that were earlier under approval route are now under automatic
route, significantly enhancing ease of doing business.
• With regard to corporates, the notification said, an Indian entity can make OPI not exceeding 50% of its net
worth as on the date of its last audited balance sheet.
• ESOPs have been permitted for Indian employees in foreign parent or subsidiary of Indian parent.
• Gift of foreign securities permitted from a non-resident to any resident, subject to FCRA compliance.
 Currently gift is permitted only to a relative.
Prohibitions for overseas investments:

• Any Indian resident, who has been classified as a wilful defaulter or is under investigation by the CBI,
the ED or the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO), will have to obtain a no-objection certificate
(NOC) from his or her bank, regulatory body or investigative agency before making any overseas financial
commitment or disinvestment of overseas assets.
• The rules also provide that if lenders, the concerned regulatory body or investigative agency fail to furnish
the NOC within 60 days of receiving an application, it may be presumed that they have no objection to the
proposed transaction.
• The new rules also prohibit Indian residents from making investments into foreign entities that are engaged
in:
 Real estate activity,

 Gambling in any form,

 Dealing with financial products linked to the Indian rupee without the specific approval of the RBI.


RBI’S SURVEYS ON INDIA’S ECONOMY
Context: The RBI unveiled its latest monetary policy review as well as seven surveys that help it ascertain how the
economy is doing.
RBI’s Surveys:
• The RBI also released the results of seven surveys that it conducts.
• Each of these surveys throws light on some aspect or the other of the Indian economy.
• Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS):
 The CCS asks people across 19 cities about their current perceptions (vis-à-vis a year ago) and one-year

ahead expectations on the general economic situation, employment scenario, overall price situation and
own income and spending.
 Based on the responses, the RBI comes up with two indices:

 the Current Situation Index (CSI) and

 the Future Expectations Index (FEI)

• Inflation Expectations Survey (IES):
 It tracks people’s expectations of inflation.

 The biggest worry during phases of rapid inflation is that if inflation is not controlled soon, it can lead to

people getting into the habit of expecting high inflation;
 That, in turn, alters people’s economic behaviour.

• OBICUS Survey
 OBICUS stands for “Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey”.

 This survey covered 765 manufacturing companies in an attempt to provide a snapshot of demand

conditions in India’s manufacturing sector from January to March 2022.
 The key variable here is Capacity Utilisation (CU).

 A low level of CU implies that manufacturing firms can meet the existing demand without needing to

boost production.
 That, in turn, has negative implications for job creation and the chances for private sector investments

in the economy.
• Industrial Outlook Survey (IOS):
 This survey tries to track the sentiments of businessmen and businesswomen.

 The survey encapsulates a qualitative assessment of the business climate by Indian manufacturing

companies.
• Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS):
 Much like the CCS and IOS above, this survey does a qualitative assessment of how Indian companies in

the services and infrastructure sectors view the current situation and future prospects.
• Bank Lending Survey (BLS):
 This survey captures the mood qualitative assessment and expectations of major scheduled
commercial banks (SCBs) on credit parameters (viz., loan demand and terms & conditions of loans) for
major economic sectors.
• Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF):
 Lastly, there is a survey of 42 professional forecasters (outside the RBI) on key macroeconomic indicators

such as GDP growth rate and inflation rate in the current year and the next financial year.
 India’s real GDP is expected to grow by 7.1 percent in 2022-23 — projections revised down by 10 basis

points from the last survey round— and it is expected to grow by 6.3 percent in 2023-24.
INDIA AS A DEVELOPED COUNTRY

Context: In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister of India asked Indians to embrace the “Panch Pran” five
vows by 2047. The first vow is for India to become a developed country in the next 25 years.
What is a developed country?

• Different global bodies and agencies classify countries differently.
• The ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects’ of the United Nations classifies countries into three broad
categories:
 Developed economies,
 Economies in transition, and
 Developing economies.
• The idea is to reflect basic economic conditions and the categories are not strictly aligned with the regional
classifications.
• To categorise countries by economic conditions, the United Nations uses the World Bank’s categorisation
based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (in current US dollars).
• But the UN’s nomenclature of “developed” and “developing” is often contested.
Why is the United Nations classification contested?

• It can be argued that the UN classification is not very accurate.
• There are 31 developed countries according to the UN in all.
• All the rest except 17 “economies in transition” — are designated as “developing” countries, even though
in terms of proportion, China’s per capita income is closer to Norway’s than Somalia’s.
• China’s per capita income is 26 times that of Somalia’s while Norway’s is just about seven times that of
China’s.
• Then there are countries — such as Ukraine, with a per capita GNI of $4,120 (a third of China’s) — that are
designated as “economies in transition”.
Where does India stand?

• India is currently far behind both the so-called
developed countries, as well as some developing
countries.
• Often, the discourse is on the absolute level of GDP
(gross domestic product).
• On that metric, India is one of the biggest economies
of the world — even though the US and China remain
far ahead.
• However, to be classified as a “developed” country, the
average income of a country’s people matters more.
• And on per capita income, India is behind even
Bangladesh.
• China’s per capita income is 5.5 times that of India,
and the UK’s is almost 33 times.
• The disparities in per capita income often show up in the overall quality of life in different countries.
• A way to map this is to look at the scores of India and other countries on the Human Development Index
(HDI), a composite index where the final value is reached by looking at three factors:
 the health and longevity of citizens,
 the quality of education they receive, and
 their standard of life.

Way Forward:
• When compared to the developed countries or China, India has a fair distance to cover.
• Even though India is the world’s third-largest economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, most
Indians are still relatively poor compared to people in other middle income or rich countries.
• Ten per cent of Indians, at most, have consumption levels above the commonly used threshold of $10
(PPP) per day expenditures for the global middle class.
UPI PAYMENT
Context: Recently, the Finance Ministry clarified that there is “no consideration” in the government to levy any charges
for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services.
What did the RBI discussion paper say?

• In a discussion paper, the RBI had asked stakeholders if merchant discount rate (MDR), a fee paid by
merchants to acquiring banks, should be brought back for UPI transactions.
• The feedback received would be used to guide policies and intervention strategies.
• It covered all aspects relating to charges in payment systems such as:
 Immediate Payment Service (IMPS),
 National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system,
 Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system and
 Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and,
 Various payment instruments such as debit cards, credit cards and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs),
etc.
What is MDR?
• MDR, or merchant discount rate, on UPI transactions has been a long-standing demand of the payments
industry.
• Most other modes of digital retail payments attract a charge on transactions.
• Currently, the government has mandated a “zero-charge framework” for UPI transactions, with effect from
January 1, 2020.
 This translates into charges on UPI for users as well as merchants being nil.
• As per official NPCI data, in July, there were 628.84 crore UPI transactions representing a value of Rs 10.63
lakh crore.
• It has 338 banks live on the platform.
• Recently, the RBI allowed UPI on credit cards as well starting with NPCI’s RuPay cards.
About UPI:
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile
application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant
payments into one hood. It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as
per requirement and convenience.
• It is developed by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India).
• About NPCI:
 National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments

and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’
Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating
a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.

SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND SCHEME

Context: The Sovereign Gold Bonds 2022-23 (Series II) will be opened for subscription.
What is the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme?

• Sovereign Gold Bond Schemes are government securities denominated in grams of gold.
• They are substitutes for holding physical gold.
• Investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity.
• A sovereign gold bond scheme (SGB) is issued to resident Indian entities by the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) on behalf of the central government.
• This is a long-term form of market instrument.
• The government launched the sovereign gold bond scheme in November 2015 with an objective to reduce
the demand for physical gold and shift a part of the domestic savings, used for the purchase of gold, into
financial savings.
• The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with an exit option after 5th year to be exercised on the
next interest payment dates.
• Generally, SGBs can be redeemed or encashed on the interest payment dates after five years from the date
of issuance.
• SGBs come with a sovereign guarantee and are listed on the stock exchanges.
• Payment for the bonds is made through cash payment (up to a maximum of Rs 20,000) or demand draft or
cheque or online banking.
• These bonds are sold through:
 Banks,
 Designated post offices,
 Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL)
 Recognized stock exchanges - National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
• Investors in these bonds have the option of holding them in physical or dematerialised form.
• Investors can buy these bonds through authorised Sebi brokers.
• The scheme aims to reduce the current account deficit (CAD) by reducing the country’s reliance on the
import of gold to meet the domestic demand.
• Minimum investment in sovereign gold bonds is one gram.
• The maximum limit of subscription shall be 4 KG for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg for trusts and similar
entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the Government from time to time.
• The bonds pay interest at the rate of 2.5 per cent per year, which is payable on a half-yearly basis.
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Context: ADB and India sign a $ 96.3 million loan to improve water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh.
Key Details:
• The project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to
provide piped water to all rural households by 2024 and it will upgrade water supply infrastructure and
strengthen institutional capacity to ensure safe, sustainable, and inclusive rural water supply and sanitation
services.
• More than 90% of the state’s rural population have access to drinking water, but the water supply
infrastructure needs revamping, to result in efficient and improved service quality.
• To improve water supply and sanitation services, the project aims to construct 48 groundwater wells, 80
surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 km of water
distribution pipelines.
• A pilot fecal sludge management and sanitation programme will also be implemented in Sirmaur District.
• It will support the state governments water tariff policy reforms and introduce an asset management
system at the state-level and district asset management plans.
• Key project stakeholders and community-based organisations will be trained on water management, including
livelihood skills training for women self-help groups.
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB)

• ADB is an international development finance institution whose mission is to help its developing
member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people.
• Headquarters: Manila.
• It was established in 1966, ADB is owned and financed by its 68 members, of which 49 are from Asia.
• ADB’s main partners are:
 Governments,
 The private sector,
 Non-government organizations,
 Development agencies,
 Community-based organizations,
 Foundations.
• Under Strategy 2020, a long-term strategic framework adopted in 2008, ADB will follow three
complementary strategic agendas:
 Inclusive growth,
 Environmentally sustainable growth,
 Regional integration.
• In pursuing its vision, ADB’s main instruments comprise:
 Loans,
 Technical assistance,
 Grants, advice,
 Knowledge.
• Although most lending is in the public sector - and to governments - ADB also provides direct assistance
to private enterprises of developing countries through equity investments, guarantees, and loans.
• In addition, its triple-A credit rating helps mobilize funds for development.
• The Bank’s principal functions are:
 To extend loans and equity investments for the economic and social development of its developing
member countries (DMCs);
 To provide technical assistance for the preparation and execution of development projects and
programmes, and for advisory services;
 To promote and facilitate investment of public and private capital for development purposes; and

 To respond to requests for assistance in co-ordinating development policies and plans of its DMCs.

INTEGRATION OF ODOP INITIATIVE WITH ONDC

Context: Recently, the Government of India called for the integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative
with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
What is One District One Product Scheme?

• It was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

• Objective:
 To help districts reach their full potential, foster economic and socio-cultural growth, and create
employment opportunities, especially, in rural areas.
• It aims to do this by identifying, promoting and branding a product from one district.
• It aims to turn every district in India into an export hub through promotion of the product in which the
district specialises.
• In the scheme, the ODOP product is identified by the state for a district.
• The criteria for ODOP identification are given below:
 Percentage of ODOP produce relative to total agricultural produce of the district
 Perishable nature
 ODOP presence in the district relative to other districts
 Recognizability of the district with the ODOP product
 Processing level for ODOP in that district, other districts and states
 Number of workers engaged in ODOP production and processing
 Marketing linkages
 ODOP processing infrastructure in the district
Benefits to Districts
• Capital Investment:
 Existing micro-enterprises would be supported through capital investment.
 Enterprises producing ODOP products are given preference.
 New units, on the other hand, would be supported for ODOP products only.
• Marketing and Branding:
 Marketing and branding infrastructure support is provided.
 If marketing and branding are being conducted at the state or regional level, other products would also be
supported.
 Branding and marketing support is provided through grants of up to 50% of total expenditure, for the
state or regional level ODOP product, to SHGs, co-operatives, etc.
• Subsidy:
 Under the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme
with the ODOP approach, a credit-linked capital subsidy comprising 35% of the eligible project cost, up
to Rs. 10 lakhs may be provided.
 The beneficiary may need to contribute at least 10% of the amount and the balance as a bank loan.
• Credit-Linked Grant:
 A credit-linked grant of 35% would be provided to support groups such as self-help groups (SHGs),
Producer Co-operatives, etc. in their operations such as sorting, grading, storage, packaging, processing
and so on.
• Seed Capital:
 Seed capital is provided at Rs. 40,000 per SHG member involved in food processing.
 The capital is to be utilised for working capital and buying small tools.
• Training:
• Training is provided with a focus on:
 entrepreneurship development,
 operations,
 marketing,

 accounting,
 FSSAI standards,
 GST registration,
 Udyog Aadhaar,
 Geographical Indication (GI) registration and so on.
• Furthermore, training specifically designed for ODOP products is provided such as on hygiene, storage,
packaging and development of new products.
Popular Products Selected Under the Programme

• Soft Toys – Jhansi:
• Handicrafts – Gorakhpur: Source: Gorakhpur Success Stories, ODOP UP
• Brands Launched under ODOP:
What is ONDC?
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a network based on open protocol and will enable local
commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel,
among others, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.
• It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Features of ONDC
• ONDC, a UPI of e-commerce, seeks to
democratize digital or electronic commerce,
moving it from a platform-centric model to an
open-network.
• Through ONDC, merchants will be able to save
their data to build credit history and reach
consumers.
• It aims to create a level playing field for
e-commerce behemoths such as Amazon,
Flipkart, and offline traders.

• The platform will also be compliant with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and designed for compliance
with the emerging Personal Data Protection Bill.
• In this system, ONDC plans to enable sellers and buyers to be digitally visible and transact through an
open network, regardless of what platform or application they use.
• It will also empower merchants and consumers by breaking silos to form a single network to drive innovation
and scale, transforming all businesses from retail goods, food to mobility.
• The new framework aims at promoting open networks developed on open-sourced methodology, using open
specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform.
OVER LEVERAGING
Context: Bloomberg reported that the Adani Group is “deeply over leveraged”, and may in the worst-case scenario,
spiral into a debt trap and possibly a default.
When is a company ‘over leveraged’?

• A company or business is said to be “over leveraged” if it has unsustainably high debt against its operating
cash flows and equity.
• Such a company would find it difficult to make interest and principal repayments to its creditors, and may
struggle to meet its operating expenses as well.
• In the latter case, the company may be forced to borrow even more just to keep going, and thus enter a
vicious cycle.
• This situation can ultimately lead to the company going bankrupt.
GATI-SHAKTI VISION FOR TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE
Context: Union Minister of Communications, Electronics & IT and Railways released amendment in the Indian
Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016 to facilitate faster 5G roll-out in India.
Key Details
• These amendments will pave the way for deployment of 5G small cells on existing street infrastructure.
• With these series of reforms, the country is now ready for launch of 5G services by October, 2022.
The salient features of the amendments are:

• Expansion of telecom infrastructure:
 To facilitate faster 5G roll-out, RoW application procedures for small cell has now been simplified.

 Telecom licensees will be able to use street infrastructure to deploy telecom equipment at a nominal

cost of Rs. 150/annum in rural areas and Rs. 300/annum in urban areas.
 To facilitate faster fiberisation, street infrastructure may be utilized at a nominal cost of Rs. 100/annum

to install overground optical fibre.
 The amendments create distinction between ‘poles’ and ‘mobile towers’.

 Overground infrastructure of height up to 8 meters shall be treated as poles and will need minimal

regulatory permissions for deployment.
• Improving ease of doing business:
 Telecom licensees had to submit RoW applications on different platforms of State/UTs.

 The amendments provide for a single window clearance system for RoW applications.

 Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal of Ministry of Communications will be the single window portal for all

telecom related RoW applications.
 Single window clearance will reduce multiplicity of compliance and facilitate easier approvals.


• Rationalization of fees/charges:
• Rationalization of administrative fees:
 Telecom licensees are required to pay administrative fees for the RoW permissions.

 As technology improves, significant telecom equipment will be deployed on poles.

 To reduce the cost of compliance, the administrative fees have been rationalized as follows:

 No administrative fee shall be charged by Central Government or its agencies for establishment of

poles on the land owned/controlled by them.
 For State/UTs, the administrative fee for establishment of poles shall be limited to Rs. 1,000 per pole.

 Administrative Fee for laying overground optical fiber shall be limited to Rs. 1,000/ Km.
• Uniformity in calculation of area:
 Telecom licensees have to pay charges proportionate to the area occupied by telecom infrastructure.

 At present, different agencies use different methodology to calculate the area.
 The amendments now prescribe a methodology to calculate the area occupied by telecom infrastructure.
 This will bring uniformity in computation of area and associated charges for the telecom infrastructure

across the country.
• Rationalizing cost of restoration:
• In case of restoration, Telecom licensees either have to undertake the restoration themselves or pay the
concerned authority for restoration work.
• To ease this process, two major reforms have been introduced.
 If the Telecom licensee undertakes the restoration work, a Bank Guarantee amounting to 100% of

restoration cost needs to be submitted to the concerned agency.
 This amount has now been rationalized.

 Telecom Licensee shall be required to submit a BG for an amount of 20% of the restoration cost only.

 If the Telecom Licensee wishes to pay the concerned agencies, the cost of restoration shall be calculated

at the rates prescribed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) or Public Works Department
(PWD) of the State/UTs.
• No compensation for establishment of poles:
 Telecom licensees shall not be required to pay compensation for land for establishment of poles.

• Incentivizing use of technology:
 Technology is now available for laying Optical Fiber without digging a full trench.

 Therefore, in case of fiber laid using horizontal directional digging technology, Telecom Licensee shall
have to pay restoration charges only for the pits, and not for the entire route.
hese reform measures are aimed at bringing down the time and cost of deployment of telecom
 T
infrastructure.
• Telecom infrastructure over private property:
 For installing telecom infrastructure on private property, Telecom licensees may enter into agreement
with private property owners and they will not require any permission from any government
authority.
 In such cases, Telecom licensees shall be required to give only prior intimation along with structural
suitability certificate.
    
ENVIRONMENT & GEOGRAPHY

NEW E-WASTE RULES RAISE CONCERNS
Context: A proposed framework by the Centre for regulating e-waste in India has upset a key link of India’s electronic
waste collection system and threatens the livelihood of thousands of people.
Need for e-waste rules:

• Electronic waste, or electronic goods that are past What is E-waste?
their productive life and old parts, is largely handled • E-Waste or Electronic-Waste is generated through discarded,
old or end-of-life electronic appliances.
by India’s vast informal sector.
• It involves the parts, spares, components and consumables.
• Spent goods are dismantled and viable working parts
• It has two broad categories:
refurbished, with the rest making their way into
 Consumer electrical and electronics,
chemical dismantling units.
 Information technology and communication
Many of these units are run out of unregulated
 equipment.
sweatshops that employ child labour and • Any electronic items such as computers, televisions
etc. that is broken, defective and no longer usable is
hazardous extraction techniques.
e-waste.
This electronic detritus contaminates soil and

aggravates plastic pollution.
• To address all of this, the Environment Ministry brought the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016, which
introduced a system of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compelling makers of electronic goods to
ensure a proportion of the goods they sold every year was recycled.
• Rise of PROs (Producer Responsibility Organisations)
Most companies however did not maintain an in-house unit in charge of recycling and this gave rise

to a network of government-registered companies, called producer responsibility organisations (PRO)
which acted as an intermediary between manufacturers of electronic goods and formal recycling units
and were technologically equipped to recycle end-of-life electronic goods safely and efficiently.
The PROs typically bid for contracts from companies and arrange for specified quantities of goods to

be recycled and provide companies certified proof of recycling that they then maintain as part of their
records.
Several PROs work on consumer awareness and enable a supply chain for recycled goods.

The new Rules:

• Recently, the Ministry issued a draft notification that does away with the PROs and dismantlers and vests
all responsibility of recycling with authorised recyclers, only a handful of which exist in India.
• Recyclers will source a quantity of waste, recycle them and generate electronic certificates.
Companies can buy these certificates equivalent to their annual committed target and thus do not have

to be involved with engaging the PROs and dismantlers.
• Several PROs have mailed their objections to the Ministry arguing that dismantling a fledgling system was
detrimental to the future of e-waste management in India.
• Under the new rules, recyclers will likely establish their own supply chains, and companies will no
longer bear any responsibility for ensuring that their product is recycled.
• The threat:
Five years of investing and putting in place a system to collect and channel waste were under threat as

25,000 to 30,000 people were employed in this sector.
 The PROs provide checks and balances and this is necessary because in the current system, there is a lot

of unauthorised recycling and PROs are an important element in the chain to ensure verifiable recycling.
E-Waste Management Rules, 2016:

• The rules apply to businesses that are generating electronic waste items.
• The rules specify that businesses should make arrangements for the safe disposal of scrapped electronic
items.
• The rules are administered by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The Government of India has introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility Plan as part of the E-Waste
Management Rules.
 Under the plan, companies should undertake the responsibility to recycle a minimum percentage of

the electronic products manufactured.
• The rules mention the ceiling limit for hazardous chemicals that are used in manufacturing electronic
products.
• The rules also specify the procedure to obtain authorisation from the Pollution Control Board for handling
e-waste.
• A business that manufactures electrical and electronic items should follow the rules mentioned below:
• The company should ensure that the concentration of the following chemicals is within the limits specified
below:
 The chemicals lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated

diphenyl ethers can be added up to 0.1% of the total weight of the product.
 The chemical cadmium can be added up to 0.01% of the total weight of the product.

• The company should make arrangements to collect electrical and electronic items which have reached the
end of their useful life.
 These items should be obtained from the consumers and transported to the warehouse of the dismantler

or recycler.
 The company should ensure that no damage is caused to the environment on account of moving such

items.
• The Extended Producer Responsibility Plan:
 Under the plan, companies are recommended to provide a scheme of deposit.

 The scheme should specify that an amount is payable as a deposit by the consumer who buys the product.

 When the product has exhausted its useful life, the consumer can return the product to the company
and reclaim the deposit with interest.
• The company should ensure that products that contain mercury are suitably immobilised before forwarding
to the dismantler or recycler.
 It ensures that the mercury is converted from its hazardous form to a safer form. Thus, the chance of

environmental pollution is minimised.
• The maximum time allowed for the storage of e-waste is 180 days.
 The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has the power to extend the time up to 365 days.

 The extension will be made in case the e-waste needs to be processed before it is forwarded to the

dismantler or recycler.
The current system managed by PRO isn’t always reliable as there have been several instances of double-counting
(where the same articles recycled once for one company are credited into the account for multiple companies). Thus,
the new rules, would improve accountability because it would rely on an electronic management system that would
track the material that went in for recycling with the output claimed by a recycler when they claimed GST (Goods and
Services Tax) input credit.
HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Context: In recent months, automakers Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda have launched hybrid electric vehicles in
India, offering car buyers more choices in the nascent electric vehicle market.
What is a Hybrid Electric Vehicle?

• A Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) uses an ICE (a petrol/diesel
engine) and one or more electric motors to run.
• It is powered by the electric motor alone, which uses energy
stored in batteries, by the ICE, or both.
• The powertrain of the HEV is more complex than a regular ICE-
powered car as it has EV components and a conventional ICE.
How do HEV powertrains work?

• HEV powertrains are designed to power cars in a series,
parallel or series-parallel (power split) methods.
 A series HEV uses only the electric motor to drive

the wheels, while the ICE powers the generator,
which in turn recharges the battery.
 A parallel HEV, based on the driving condition,

uses the best power source to power the vehicle.
 It will alternate between the electric motor and

the ICE to keep the car moving.
 A series-parallel HEV offers a combination of

both models and allows to split power, wherein
power is routed from the ICE alone or from the battery to the electric motor to drive the vehicle.
• In all three designs, the battery is charged through regenerative braking technology.
How does regenerative braking work?

• A regenerative braking system (RBS) used in automotive applications has several advantages like better
braking efficiency in stop-and-go traffic which enhances fuel economy and also helps in reducing carbon
emissions.
• Besides, RBS also helps in energy optimisation resulting in minimum energy wastage.
• While regenerative braking systems are already available in most EVs, the technology is also used in electric
railways.
 Rail transit can be described as frequent acceleration and braking of trains across many stations.

 This increases the potential for braking energy recovery using energy storage systems, which can

recuperate and reuse braking energy from metro cars, further enhancing energy efficiency.
 A portion of a train’s energy consumption can be saved by using traction systems that allow regenerative

braking.
Different types of HEVs:

• The HEVs can be categorised into micro, mild and full hybrid vehicles, based on the degree of hybridisation.
 A full HEV will have a larger battery and a more powerful electric motor compared with a mild HEV.

 As a result, a full HEV can power the vehicle for longer distances using just electric mode.

 A mild HEV cannot drive using only the electric motor and uses the battery at traffic lights or in stop-
and-go traffic to support the ICE.
 Micro hybrids do not offer electric torque assistance as they lack an electric motor, but they have an
idle stop-start system and energy management functions.
 Full HEVs offer better fuel economy compared with the other two types of HEVs but they also cost more

than them.
• Then there are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that are just like full HEVs, but they can be charged
using a wall outlet, as they have an onboard charger and a charging port.
 PHEVs generally use the electric motor until the battery is almost drained, and then automatically

switch to the ICE.
Challenges of hybrid technology

• High vehicle cost:
 Battery, a vital component of an HEV, increases the cost of the vehicle, making it pricier than vehicles

powered only by an ICE.
 The RBS also adds to the higher cost of an HEV.

The rise in fossil fuel prices, increase in the adoption of clean mobility solutions, and stringent government norms for
emission control drive the growth of the global EV market. Self-charging strong-hybrid electric vehicles (SHEVs) will
play a critical role not only in reducing fossil fuel consumption, carbon emissions and pollution but also in creating
a local EV parts manufacturing eco-system while simultaneously protecting the huge existing investments and jobs
related to ICE parts manufacturing thus ensuring a faster and disruption-free technology transition.
MINES AND MINERALS (DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION) ACT, 2021

Context: The Kerala government has opposed the new set of proposed amendments to the Mines and Minerals
(Development and Regulation) Act.
Background:
• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2021 modifies significant sections
of The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 that regulate the mining sector in
India.
• Main regulations of the 1957 Act:
• The 1957 Act deals with mainly three concerns of the mining leases,
 Purpose for granting these leases,
 Its auction procedures,
 Ensuring the welfare of the inhabitants of a mining site.

• As per the Act, there are two categories of operational mines:
 Captive mines,
 Open mines.
• The reform made within this background allows all mines to sell 50% of their minerals in the open market
with one caveat.
 The company has to pay an additional amount of money to the state government for selling its products

in the open market.
 Thereby, the reforms get rid of the end-use restrictions on these mines.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAPTIVE AND NON-CAPTIVE MINES

• Captive Mines:
 Captive mines are the mines that are owned by companies.

 The coal or mineral produced from these mines is for the exclusive use of the owner company of the

mines.
 The company cannot sell coal or mineral outside.

• Non- Captive Mines/open mines:
 Non-captive Mines are mines from which the produced coals of minerals could be used for its own

consumption and as well as for selling it.
The new amendments:

• Transfer of statutory clearances:
 The 1957 Act deals with the transfer of statutory

clearances.
 It specifies that once a mining lease owned by a

lessee expires, it moves to new persons.
 Under the 2021 amendment, statutory

allowances will be considered legitimate even
after an end to the mining lease period or till the
exhaustion of mineable reserves.
 After the government conducts an auction, it

moves to a bidder in the auction.
 Thus, all rights relating to the mining lease

move on to the effective bidder after the successful auction.
• Removal of end-use restrictions for captive mines:
 The recent change permits captive mines (including fettered coal mine shafts) to sell up to half (50%)

of the minerals created after meeting the prerequisite of the connected end-use plants.
 The earlier prescribed end-uses were power generation or steel production.

 Additionally, the difference between captive and open mines is no longer present such that now

mines will not be limited to any specific purpose or industry.
• Transfer by auction of mineral concessions:
 The reforms have eliminated the limitation imposed on the transmission of mineral concessions, and

presently mineral concessions are relinquished without any transfer charges.
• Omission of Section 10C:
 The court has settled all forthcoming cases under Section 10A (2) (b) by nullifying the Section related to

the Grant of non-exclusive reconnaissance permits for mining leases.
 So that when a company wanted to probe a large area to find out the mineral potential or content, various

methods such as aerial surveys, seismic machines, and photography were employed.
 For this, the provisions required the company to obtain a non-exclusive license for the same.
 The change made to this provision removes the non-exclusivity part of the license and ensures ease of
operations.
• Insertion of two new schedules:
 The Fifth Schedule:

 It bears the ‘Notified Minerals’ list.

 The insertion of ‘The Fifth schedule’ provides the scope of identifying extra amounts payable on the

grant of a lease for specific categories of minerals, namely, iron ore and chromite; copper; coal and
lignite; and other minerals.
• The Sixth Schedule:
• The Sixth Schedule, on the other hand, is laid down to determine the additional amount payable for
different minerals such as Bauxite, Chromite, and Limestone and is divided into three subheads:
 Non-auctioned captive mines (other than coal and lignite),
 Auctioned captive mines (other than coal and lignite),
 For coal and lignite.
BILL ON ENERGY CONSERVATION

Context: Recently, the power Minster of India introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to make it mandatory for
buildings with a minimum connected load of 100 kilowatts (KW) to meet their energy requirements from renewable
sources.
Key Details:
• The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill has provisions to establish carbon markets and empower
state electricity regulatory commissions to make regulations for a smooth discharge of its functions.
• It seeks to increase India’s demand for renewable energy, thereby reducing the nation’s carbon emissions.
• The Bill proposes to amend the Electricity Conservation Act 2001, last amended in 2010, to introduce
changes such as incentivizing the use of clean energy by issuing carbon saving certificates.
• The proposed amendments:
 Defining the minimum share of renewable energy to be consumed by industrial units or any
establishment.
 This consumption may be done directly from a renewable energy source or indirectly via the power

grid.
 Incentivising efforts to use clean energy by issuing Carbon Saving Certificates.

 Strengthening institutions set up originally under the Act, such as the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

 Facilitating the promotion of green Hydrogen as an alternative to the fossil fuels used by industries.

 Considering additional incentives like carbon credits for the use of clean energy to lure the private sector

to climate action.
 Including larger residential buildings under energy conservation standards to promote sustainable

habitats.
 Currently, only large industries and their buildings come under the ambit of the Act.

Energy Conservation Act, 2001:

• The Energy Conservation Act, 2001 (amended in 2010) empowers the Centre to specify norms and
standards of energy efficiency for appliances, industrial equipment, and buildings with a connected load
over 100 kilo Watts (kW) or a contractual demand of more than 15 kilovolt-amperes (kVA).
• The Act established the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
• The 2010 amendment extended the tenure of the Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency
from three to five years.
• Framework for energy trading:

According to the Act, the Centre can issue energy savings certificates to those industries which consume

less than their maximum allotted energy.
However, this certificate can be sold to customers who consume higher than their maximum allowed

energy threshold.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE):

• The Government of India set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the
provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a
thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation
Act, 2001 with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy.
Role of BEE:
• BEE co-ordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations and recognize,
identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it
under the Energy Conservation Act. The Energy Conservation Act provides for regulatory and promotional
functions.
• Penalty:
 In case of any violations under this Act, each offence shall attract a penalty of Rs ten lakh with an

additional penalty of Rs 10,000 for each day the offence continues.
• Appeal:
 Any appeals against any such order passed by the Central or state government will be heard by the

appellate tribunal already established under the Electricity Act, 2003.
What are carbon markets?

• Carbon markets allow the trade of carbon credits with the overall objective of bringing down emissions.
• These markets create incentives to reduce emissions or improve energy efficiency.
• Under the Kyoto Protocol, the predecessor to the Paris Agreement, carbon markets have worked at the
international level as well.
 The Kyoto Protocol had prescribed emission reduction targets for a group of developed countries.

 Other countries did not have such targets, but if they did reduce their emissions, they could earn carbon

credits.
 These carbon credits could then be sold off to those developed countries which had an obligation to

reduce emissions but were unable to.
 This system functioned well for a few years. But the market collapsed because of the lack of demand for

carbon credits.
• Domestic or regional carbon markets are already functioning in several places, most notably in Europe,
where an emission trading scheme (ETS) works on similar principles.
• A similar scheme for incentivizing energy efficiency has been running in India for over a decade now.
 This BEE scheme, called PAT, (or perform, achieve and trade) allows units to earn efficiency certificates

if they outperform the prescribed efficiency standards.
 The laggards can buy these certificates to continue operating.
• However, the new carbon market that is proposed to be created through this amendment to the Energy
Conservation Act, would be much wider in scope.

HASDEO ARANYA
• The Hasdeo Aranya (Aranya means forest) lies
in the catchment area of the Hasdeo river and
is spread across 1,878 sq km in North-Central
Chhattisgarh.
• The Hasdeo river is a tributary of the Mahanadi
River which originates in Chhattisgarh and
flows through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Hasdeo forests are also the catchment
area for the Hasdeo Bango Dam built across
the Hasdeo river which irrigates six lakh acres
of land
• The forests are ecologically sensitive due to
the rich biodiversity they offer and due to the
presence of a large migratory corridor for elephants.
• It is on top of the Hasdeo coalfield in the east of India in Chhattisgarh.
• Hasdeo represents one of the largest coal reserves in India, having estimated reserves of 5.18 billion tonnes
of coal.
PENINSULAR ROCK AGAMA

Context: A study carried out by researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, undertook to
characterise urbanisation in the region and also to understand where the Rock Agama reside in and around Bengaluru
specifically.
About the Lizard

• The Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) which is a type of garden lizard has a strong presence
in southern India.
• This lizard is a large animal, strikingly coloured in orange and black.
• They do not generate their own body heat, so they need to seek warmth from external sources like a warm
rock or a sunny spot on the wall.
• They are important in ecology from different aspects they can indicate which parts of the city are warming,
and their numbers show how the food web is changing.
• IUCN Status: Least concern (LC)
Need for conservation:

• Habitat loss and other such features of urbanisation have affected the presence of the animal in urban centres.
• The study examined several environmental factors that could affect the presence of the lizard and revealed
that they are found mainly in rocky places and warm spots.
• The rock agama is a species which is dependent on rocky scrub habitats which are being converted into
buildings and plantations.
• Thus, the inference is that conservation efforts must point towards retaining rocky patches even while
reviving landscapes by planting trees.
• The study underlines that smaller fauna and flora could be key indicators of the health of the ecosystem
and need to be preserved, too.
WILDLIFE PROTECTION AMENDMENT BILL

Context: The Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha recently.
Key Details:
• The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Act regulates the protection of wild animals,
birds and plants.

• The Bill seeks to increase the species protected under the law, and implement the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Key features of the Bill:

• Implementation of Provisions of CITES:
 CITES is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in

specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
 Under CITES, plant and animal specimens are classified into three categories (Appendices) based on the

threat to their extinction.
 The Convention requires countries to regulate the trade of all listed specimens through permits.

 It also seeks to regulate the possession of live animal specimens.

 The Bill seeks to implement these provisions of CITES.

• Rationalising schedules:

• Currently, the Act has six schedules:
 For specially protected plants (one),

 Specially protected animals (four), and

 Vermin species (one) - Vermin refers to small animals that carry disease and destroy food.

• The Bill reduces the total number of schedules to four by:
 Reducing the number of schedules for specially protected animals to two (one for greater protection

level),
 Removes the schedule for vermin species,

 Inserts a new schedule for specimens listed in the Appendices under CITES (scheduled specimens).

• Obligations under CITES:
 The Bill provides for the central government to designate a:

 Management Authority, which grants export or import permits for the trade of specimens.

 Scientific Authority, which gives advice on aspects related to impact on the survival of the specimens

being traded.
 Every person engaging in trade of a scheduled specimen must report the details of the transaction to

the Management Authority.
 As per CITES, the Management Authority may use an identification mark for a specimen.

 The Bill prohibits any person from modifying or removing the identification mark of the specimen.
 Additionally, every person possessing live specimens of scheduled animals must obtain a registration

certificate from the Management Authority.
• Invasive alien species:

 The Bill empowers the central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or

proliferation of invasive alien species.
 Invasive alien species refers to plant or animal species that are not native to India and whose

introduction may adversely impact wildlife or its habitat.
 The central government may authorize an officer to seize and dispose of the invasive species.

• Control of sanctuaries:

 The Act entrusts the Chief Wild Life Warden to control, manage and maintain all sanctuaries in a state.

 The Chief Wild Life Warden is appointed by the state government.

 For sanctuaries falling under special areas, the management plan must be prepared after due consultation

with the concerned Gram Sabha.
 Special areas include a Scheduled Area or areas where the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional

Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is applicable.

 Scheduled Areas are economically backward areas with a predominantly tribal population, notified

under the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.
• Conservation reserves:
 Under the Act, state governments may declare areas adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries as a

conservation reserve, for protecting flora and fauna, and their habitat.
 The Bill empowers the central government to also notify a conservation reserve.

• Surrender of captive animals:
 The Bill provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the

Chief Wild Life Warden.
 No compensation will be paid to the person for surrendering such items.

 The surrendered items become the property of the state government.
• Penalties:
 The Act prescribes imprisonment terms and fines for violating the provisions of the Act.

 The Bill increases these fines.

INDIA ADDS 10 MORE WETLANDS DESIGNATED AS RAMSAR SITES

Context: India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make a total of 64 sites covering an area of
12,50,361 ha in the country.
Key Details:
• The 10 new sites include:
 Six sites in Tamil Nadu and
 One each in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha.

• Designation of these sites would help in the conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of
their resources.
10 WETLANDS DESIGNATED AS RAMSAR SITES
S. No. Name of wetland State

1. Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
2. Satkosia Gorge Odisha
3. Nanda Lake Goa
4. Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve Tamil Nadu
5. Ranganathituu BS Karnataka
6. Vembannur Wetland Complex Tamil Nadu
7. Vellode Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
8. Sirpur wetland Madhya Pradesh
9. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
10. Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
• India and China now have the most wetlands of international importance.
• Wetlands in India:
 Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 percent of the geographical area of the world.

 In India, according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO), wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square kilometers (sq km) which is
4.63 percent of the total geographical area of the country.
 In the state-wise distribution of wetlands,


 Gujarat is at the top with 34,700 sq km, 17.56 percent of the total geographical area of the state, or 22.7

percent of the total wetland’s areas of the country.
 It is followed by Andhra Pradesh (14,500 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (12,400 sq km), and West Bengal

(11,100 sq km).
• Ramsar Sites in India:
 India’s tally of 64 designated wetlands is the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia.

• Global leaders:
 The U.K. (175) and Mexico (142) — smaller countries than India — have the most Ramsar sites, whereas

Bolivia spans the largest area with 1,48,000 sq. km under the Convention protection.
• Importance of Ramsar Sites:
 Being designated a Ramsar site does not necessarily invite extra international funds, but the States —

and the Centre — must ensure that these tracts of land are conserved and spared from encroachment.
 Acquiring this label also helps with a locale’s tourism potential and its international visibility.

• Ramsar sites criteria:
• To be Ramsar site it must meet at least one of nine criteria as defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1961,
such as:
 Supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or

 Threatened ecological communities or,

 If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds or,

 Is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or

 Migration path on which fish stocks are dependent upon.

Definition of Wetlands:
• Wetlands, according to the Environment Ministry, are an “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural
or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas
of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters, but does not include river channels,
paddy fields, human-made water bodies/ tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures
specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes.”
The Ramsar Convention:

• The Ramsar Convention is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation
and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
• The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
• Since then, almost 90% of UN member states have become “Contracting Parties” and committed to the
Convention’s three pillars:

 Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands,

 Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands International Importance and ensure their effective

management,
 Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems, and shared species.

INDIA’S SOLAR POWER DREAM

Context: By 2030, India is targeting about 500 GW of renewable energy deployment, out of which ~280 GW is expected
from solar Photo Voltaic. This necessitates the deployment of nearly 30 GW of solar capacity every year until 2030.
Current production:
• A typical solar PV value chain consists of first fabricating polysilicon ingots which need to be transformed
into thin Si wafers that are needed to manufacture the PV mini-modules.
• The mini-modules are then assembled into market-ready and field-deployable modules.
• India’s current solar module manufacturing capacity is limited to ~15 GW per year.
• The demand-supply gap widens as we move up the value chain, for example
 India only produces ~3.5 GW of cells currently,

 India has no manufacturing capacity for solar wafers and polysilicon ingots,

 Currently imports 100% of silicon wafers and around 80% of cells even at the current deployment
levels.
• Also, out of the 15 GW of module manufacturing capacity, only 3-4 GW of modules are technologically
competitive and worthy of deployment in grid-based projects.
• India remains dependent on the import of solar modules for field deployment.
Current govt policy:

• Key initiatives include a 40% duty on the import of modules and a 25% duty on the import of cells, and a
PLI scheme to support manufacturing capex.

• Also, it is mandatory to procure modules only from an approved list of manufacturers (ALMM) for projects
that are connected to state/ central government grids; so far, only India-based manufacturers have been
approved.
• While this will certainly help to motivate the industry, the major challenges are related to size and
technology.
Raw materials supply:

• There is a huge gap on the raw material supply chain side as well.
• Silicon wafer, the most expensive raw material, is not manufactured in India.
• India will have to work on technology tie-ups to make the right grade of silicon for solar cell manufacturing
and since >90% of the world’s solar wafer manufacturing currently happens in China, it is not clear how
and where India will get the technology.
• Other key raw materials such as metallic pastes of silver and aluminium to form the electrical contacts too,
are almost 100% imported.
• India is more of an assembly hub than a manufacturing one, and in the long term, it would be beneficial
to move up the value chain by making components that could drive the price and quality of both cells and
modules.
Conclusion:
• Although India is making great progress in the deployment of solar PV modules for power generation, its
path to become a manufacturing hub for the same requires more than just putting some tax barriers and
commercial incentives in the form of PLI schemes, etc.
• It will warrant strong industry-academia collaboration in an innovative manner to start developing home-
grown technologies which could, in the short-term, work with the industry to provide them with trained
human resources, process learnings, root-cause analysis through right testing, and, in the long term, develop
India’s own technologies.
• High-end technology development requires substantial investment in several clusters which operate in
industry-like working and management conditions, appropriate emoluments, and clear deliverables.
WIND POWER PROJECTS

Context: According to a report, annual installation of new wind power projects in India will peak by 2024 and likely
decline thereafter.
Key Details:
• As part of its transition away from fossil fuels, India has committed to sourcing half its electricity in 2030
from non-fossil fuel sources and installing 60 gigawatt (GW, or 1000 MW) of wind power by 2022.
 So far, only 40 GW of wind power capacity has been established.

 Wind industry installations have been slowing down in India since 2017.

• Only 1.45 GW of wind projects were installed in 2021 with many delayed due to the second wave of
COVID-19 and supply chain-related disruptions.
• To compensate, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) granted a blanket timeline extension
for seven-and-a-half months after the scheduled commissioning date (SCD) for projects with power purchase
agreements (PPAs) signed before June 2021, which pushed the SCD of 0.7 GW projects to 2022.
• The trigger for the slowdown was the advent of the auction regime in 2017 to award tenders.
 The new scheme led to large orders but highly competitive bids.

• Subsequently, the market has concentrated wind projects around a few substations of Gujarat and Tamil
Nadu, which were home to the strongest resource potential and lowest cost of land.
• This created bottlenecks and slowed down project activity and made it costlier than solar power.
• After 2024, fresh projects are likely to be wind-solar hybrid projects (where both systems are installed on a
piece of land to generate power through the day).

• According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), wind energy contributed to 27% of the
world’s renewable electricity generation capacity as of April 11, 2022.
WIND FARM
• Onshore – Onshore wind refers to turbines located on land. Wind turbines harness the energy of moving air to
generate electricity.
• Offshore – Offshore turbines are located out at sea or in freshwater.
MEGALODON
• Researchers have found new evidence about
the life of one of the biggest predatory
animals of all time, the Megalodon.
• According to the new study, the Megalodon
could completely ingest, and in as few as five
bites a prey as big as the killer whale.
• The Megalodon was bigger than a school
bus at around 50 feet from nose to tail.
• In comparison, the great white sharks of
the present can grow to a maximum length of
around 15 feet.
• The researchers have suggested that the giant transoceanic predator would have weighed around 70 tonnes
or as much as 10 elephants.
• Megalodons roamed the oceans an estimated 23 million to 2.6 million years ago.
• The Megalodon had an average cruising speed faster than sharks today.
OCEAN DIVERSITY PACT

Context: A delegation from India and other member countries of the United Nations are in New York to deliberate on
a one-of-its-kind agreement to conserve marine biodiversity in the high seas, namely the oceans that extend beyond
countries’ territorial waters.

Key Details:
• The agreement follows a resolution by the UN General Assembly and is expected to be the final in a series
set in motion since 2018 to draft an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• The high seas comprise nearly 45% of the Earth’s surface.
• A key aspect of the agreement is deciding on the rights of companies that undertake exploration for
biological resources in the high seas.
• Typically, the focus of mining activity in the sea has been for gas hydrates, precious metals and other fossil
fuel resources.
• However, with advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering, several companies see potential in exotic
microbes and other organisms, several of them undiscovered — that abide in the deep ocean and could be
used for drugs and vaccines.
• Last year, the Union Cabinet approved a ‘Blue Economy’ policy for India, a nearly ₹4,000-crore programme
spread over five years.
 This among other things will develop a manned submersible vessel as well as work on bio-prospecting

of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes.
 Studies on sustainable utilisation of deep-sea bio-resources will be the main focus.

• Need for the agreement:
 There were already companies carrying out such exploratory activities though little was known about

them.
 Hence, an international agreement that spells out obligations and permissible activities is important.

 There was a race among international corporations for biological resources from the sea, making it

critical to have an agreement on benefit-sharing.
 These resources are the common heritage of mankind and it can’t be allowed to be monopolised by a

few entities.
ABOUT UNCLOS
• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention
or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international
agreement that establishes a legal framework for
all marine and maritime activities.
• 167 countries and the European Union are
parties.
• The Convention resulted from the third United
Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and
1982.
• UNCLOS came into force in 1994.
• UNCLOS does not deal with matters of territorial disputes or to resolve issues of sovereignty, as that
field is governed by rules of customary international law on the acquisition and loss of territory.
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 has a target regarding conservative and sustainable
use of oceans and their resources in line with UNCLOS legal framework

BATTERY WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2022
Context: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India published the Battery Waste
Management Rules, 2022 to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries.
Key Details:
• New rules will replace Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.
• The rules cover all types of batteries, viz.
 Electric Vehicle batteries
 portable batteries
 automotive batteries
 industrial batteries
• The rules function on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) where the producers
(including importers) of batteries are responsible for collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste
batteries and use of recovered materials from wastes into new batteries.
 EPR mandates that all waste batteries to be collected and sent for recycling/refurbishment, and it

prohibits disposal in landfills and incineration.
 To meet the EPR obligations, producers may engage themselves or authorise any other entity for

collection, recycling or refurbishment of waste batteries.
• The rules will enable setting up a mechanism and centralized online portal for exchange of EPR certificates
between producers and recyclers/refurbishers to fulfil the obligations of producers.
• The rules promote setting up of new industries and entrepreneurship in collection and recycling/
refurbishment of waste batteries.
• Mandating the minimum percentage of recovery of materials from waste batteries under the rules will
bring new technologies and investment in recycling and refurbishment industry and create new business
opportunities.
• Prescribing the use of certain amount of recycled materials in making of new batteries will reduce the
dependency on new raw materials and save natural resources.
• Online registration & reporting, auditing, and committee for monitoring the implementation of rules
and to take measures required for removal of difficulties are salient features of rules for ensuring effective
implementation and compliance.
• On the principle of Polluter Pays Principle, environmental compensation will be imposed for non-fulfilment
of Extended Producer Responsibility targets, responsibilities and obligations set out in the rules.
• The funds collected under environmental compensation shall be utilised in collection and refurbishing or
recycling of uncollected and non-recycled waste batteries.
ARTH GANGA
Context: The Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, spoke about the Arth Ganga model during his
virtual keynote address to the Stockholm World Water Week 2022.
Note: Since 1991, the Stockholm International Water Institute has been organising the World Water Week every
year to address global water concerns.

THE GOBAR-DHAN SCHEME

• Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro
Resources) - DHAN scheme.
• The scheme is being implemented as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
• The scheme aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and
organic waste.
• The scheme also aims at creating new rural livelihood opportunities and enhancing income for farmers
and other rural people.
• The GOBAR-DHAN scheme, with its focus on keeping villages clean, increasing the income of rural households,
and generation of energy from cattle waste, is an important element of this ODF-plus strategy.
ENDOSULFAN
Context: The Supreme Court recently directed the Kasargod District Legal Services Authority in Kerala to inspect
the medical and palliative care facilities provided to Endosulfan victims.
What is endosulfan and what happened in Kerala?

• Endosulfan is a pesticide developed in 1954.
• People extensively used it in farming with high consumption in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Later, it was found to be highly toxic to human health and the environment.
• It poisoned entire populations of useful and necessary insects.
• The Endosulfan tragedy also caused many ailments.
• These ailments included:
 Skin irritations,
 Destruction of nerve tissues and reproductive and
 Developmental damage in human beings and animals.
• For over 20 years, cashew plantations in Kasargod district in Kerala used Endosulfan as a pesticide.
• Tea plantations, paddy and fruit orchards in other areas of Kerala also used this pesticide administered via
aerial spraying or manual pumps.
• Prone to long-range atmospheric transport, Endosulfan linked to serious health disorders in the citizens
residing in these areas.
• In 2001, tests carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment in Padre village in Kasargod confirmed
the deadly effects of the pesticide.
The Ban of Endosulfan:

• The Kerala Government banned the use of Endosulfan
in 2005.
• However, neighboring States still used them.
• In 2011, the seventh meeting of the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POP’s) placed a global ban on the manufacture and
use of Endosulfan.
• In the same year, the Supreme Court of India banned
the use, manufacture and distribution of the pesticide.
• A Supreme Court-appointed panel recommended
phasing out the use of Endosulfan across a period of
two years to avoid the high cost of incinerating.
• Overall, people favored Endosulfan for its low cost and effectiveness.
• Even after the ban of the pesticide, there were reports in 2013 that farms and plantations in Kerala still
used Endosulfan.
SLOTH BEAR
Context: Forest officials recently rescued a sloth bear from smugglers in West Bengal’s Malda district.
About Sloth Bear:

• The sloth bear is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits,
ants, and termites.
• The sloth bear’s global range includes India, the Terai of Nepal, temperate climatic zones of Bhutan and Sri
Lanka.
• It occurs in a wide range of habitats including:

 Moist and dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands, and grasslands below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) on the

Indian subcontinent,
 Below 300 m (980 ft) in Sri Lanka’s dry forests.

• It is regionally extinct in Bangladesh.
Status and conservation:

• The sloth bear is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972, which provides for their legal protection.
• Commercial international trade of the sloth bear (including parts and

derivatives) is prohibited as it is listed in Appendix I of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species.
• Major sloth bear sanctuaries in India include the Daroji bear sanctuary,
Karnataka.
• It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.
TIGER RANGE COUNTRIES (TRCs)
Context: Recently, the pre-summit meeting of the Tiger Range Countries organized at New Delhi.
Key Details:
• Since the previous summit in St. Petersberg in 2010, Tiger Range Countries have put up a brave front and
done a commendable job on the wild tiger front.
• St. Petersburg declaration:
 With 2,967 tigers, India, four years in advance, has achieved the target set in the 2010 St Petersburg
Declaration of doubling the tiger population by 2022.
 The Heads of the Governments of Tiger Range countries at St. Petersburg, Russia, had resolved to double
tiger numbers across their global range by 2022 by signing the St. Petersburg declaration on tiger
conservation.
• Tiger Range Countries:
 There are currently 13 tiger range countries:
 India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia,

Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand
and Vietnam.
• Initiatives in India:
 India is home to 52 Tiger Reserves covering

approximately 75,000 Sq Km area in 18 States with
approximately 75% population of the wild tiger at
the global level.
 India achieved the goal of doubling the tiger numbers

in 2018 itself, four years in advance from the targeted
year 2022.

 Also, so far 17 Tiger Reserves in the country have got CA|TS international accreditation and two Tiger
Reserves have got International Tx2 Award.
 India is committed to bringing all the potential tiger habitats within the country under tiger reserve
network and support funding through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Project Tiger has also gone
up.
 India is having bilateral agreements and MoU with several Tiger Range Countries and is working very

closely with Cambodia, for technical assistance towards bringing back wild tigers.
 Likewise, a technical partnership has been firmed up with the Land of the Leopard National Park in
Russia for sharing best practices in science-based wildlife monitoring.
 As the Founding Member of the Global Tiger Forum, an inter-governmental platform, India intends

to further partnerships and collaboration with all the Tiger Range Countries to secure the future of wild
tigers both in India and as well at global level.
Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS):

• CA|TS is a globally accepted conservation tool that sets best practice and standards to manage tigers and
encourages assessments to benchmark progress.
• Habitats which support tiger populations are the building blocks of wild tiger conservation and effectively
managing them is essential for long-term survival of wild tigers, said officials.
• CA|TS is being implemented across 125 sites in seven tiger range countries and India has the highest 94
sites, out of which assessment was completed for 20 tiger reserves this year.
    

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

WHY DO SO MANY DANGEROUS VIRUSES EMERGE IN AFRICA AND ASIA?
Context: Monkeypox, Coronavirus, Zika, and Ebola mostly were first reported in either Asia or Africa.
Where are the most viruses found?

• As per the World Health Organisation’s Disease Outbreak
News from January 2021 to the present day, the majority of
cases were reported in Asian and/or African countries.
• There was a 63 percent increase in the number of zoonotic
outbreaks in Africa between 2012 and 2022 compared to 2001
and 2011.
Why are viruses being found in Asia and Africa so often?

• Multiple factors are at work here:
 Humans in these continents have a greater chance of

coming in contact with animals more often in their many
densely populated regions, thus increasing the risk of the spread of diseases.
 The dramatic, transformative change that many countries are undergoing in these regions:

 For example countries like the UK, to an extent, went through a similar experience when they underwent

industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries and faced diseases like cholera and typhoid.
 Increased frequency and reach of travel,

 Changing patterns of land use,

 Changing diets,

 Wars and social upheaval and climate change,

 The dense forests and the culture of consuming wildlife — both for food and as traditional medicine.

• These factors increase interactions between humans and reservoir hosts, facilitating exposure to zoonotic
viruses and spillover infections in people.
• The rapid growth in urbanisation and infrastructure development, as well as the clearing of biodiversity-
rich areas, has led to more interactions among species in the last few decades.
• Poor health systems and social upheaval may also be to blame, due to which health generally becomes
neglected.
ALPHAFOLD
Context: DeepMind, a company owned by Google, announced recently that it had predicted the three-dimensional
structures of more than 200 million proteins using AlphaFold.
What is AlphaFold?
• AlphaFold is an AI-based protein structure prediction tool.
• It is based on a computer system called a deep neural network.
• Inspired by the human brain, neural networks use a large amount of input data and provide the desired
output exactly like how a human brain would.
• The real work is done by the black box between the input and the output layers, called the hidden networks.
• AlphaFold is fed with protein sequences as input.
• When protein sequences enter through one end, the predicted three-dimensional structures come out through
the other.

• It uses processes based on “training, learning, retraining and relearning.”

 The first step uses the available structures of 1,70,000 proteins in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to train

the computer model.
 Then, it uses the results of that training to learn the structural predictions of proteins not in the PDB.

 Once that is done, it uses the high-accuracy predictions from the first step to retrain and relearn to gain

higher accuracy of the earlier predictions.
 By using this method, AlphaFold has now predicted the structures of the entire 214 million unique

protein sequences deposited in the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt) database.
NAVIC
Context: Recently the government said that India’s satellite-based navigation system, NavIC, is as good as GPS of the
United States in terms of position accuracy and availability in its service region.
About NavIC:
• NavIC (NAVigation with Indian Constellation) is the operational name of the Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System (IRNSS), which is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed
by India.
• This is India’s version of GPS.
• It has been designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region
extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
• NavIC provides two types of services:
 Standard Positioning Service (SPS): This service is for civilian use and can be used by all users.

 Restricted Service (RS): This service is encrypted and can only be used by authorized users (military

purposes).
• The constellation currently consists of 8 satellites that have been in orbit since 2018 with an additional
satellite on the ground as stand-by.
• NavIC uses dual frequency bands, which improves the accuracy of dual frequency receivers by enabling
them to correct atmospheric errors through the simultaneous use of two frequencies.
 NavIC operates in the L-band frequency of 1176.45 MHz & S-band frequency of 2492.028 MHz and

provides a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.
 Unlike GPS, which is solely dependent on L-band, NavIC’s utilization of dual frequencies make it more

accurate for positioning.
 In the NavIC system, the actual delay is assessed

by measuring the difference in delay of the two
frequencies (S and L bands).
 Therefore, NavIC is not dependent on any model

to find the frequency error making the error-finding
process more efficient than in GPS.
 It also helps in better reliability and availability

because the signal from either frequency can serve the
positioning requirement equally well.
• Out of the 8 satellites of NavIC, three of the eight satellites
are located in geostationary orbit (GEO) and the remaining
five satellites are in inclined geosynchronous orbit (GSO).
Applications of IRNSS:
• Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation,
• Disaster Management,
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management,
• Integration with mobile phones,
• Precise Timing,
• Mapping and Geodetic data capture,
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers,
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers.

VASCULITIS
• Vasculitis is simply an inflammation of blood vessels.
 Inflammation is the natural response of the body’s immune system to any injury or infection, which in

normal course can help the body fight invading germs.
• However, in vasculitis, the body’s immune system turns on healthy blood vessels, causing them to swell up
and narrow down.
• The trigger for vasculitis may be an infection or a drug, although the precise reason is often uncertain or
unknown.
• Vasculitis can be only a minor problem affecting the skin, or it can be a serious condition that impacts the
heart, kidneys, or other vital organs.
• According to the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center, there are around 20 different disorders that are
classified as vasculitis.
• Angiitis and Arteritis are used as synonyms for vasculitis, literally meaning “inflammation within blood
vessels” or “inflammation in arteries.”
• Although the diseases are similar in some ways, they often differ with respect to which organs are affected,
which medications are used to treat them, and other characteristics.
• Treatment:
 Different types of inflammation cause different diseases, which have their own symptoms and treatment

protocols.
 Steroids are frequently prescribed, as are some other medicines that reduce the activity of the immune

system.
SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE

Context: Small Satellite Launch Vehicle embarked on its first flight, carrying two satellites, including an earth
observation micro-satellite called EOS-02.
What is SSLV?
• The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is India’s smallest launch vehicle, weighing 110 tonnes.
• It is a smaller launch vehicle compared to the more common PSLV.
• Even though both are used to launch satellites into Low Earth Orbit, the technical configurations make
them different from each other.
 While the PSLV is 44 meters in height, SSLV tops at 34 meters.

 The SSLV has been configured with three solid stages, as against the PSLV, which is a four-stage rocket.

• The SSLV has been designed to carry objects ranging up to 500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer planar orbit.
• For its current mission, the vehicle will carry a 135 kg Earth Observation Satellite called Microsat 2A or
EOS-02 into low earth orbit of about 350 km.
• It will also carry the AzadiSat satellite to low earth orbit.
• The SSLV is a low-cost vehicle due to its low turnaround time, minimal launch infrastructure requirements,
and increased production rate from industries.
• Need for SSLV:
 With a growing market for global launch services for small satellites, ISRO’s SSLV would make for an

attractive option due to its low cost, ability to launch on demand, and capacity of carrying multiple loads.
 Operating SSLV on smaller and more commercial missions will free up the massively used Polar Satellite

Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for bigger missions to space.

EOS-02 (Microsat 2A):

• Microsat 2A is a small earth observing satellite developed by ISRO as a test payload for the maiden launch
of SSLV.
• The satellite, also known as EOS-02, is based on Microsat-TD, which was also an earth observing satellite.
• It was India’s 100th satellite in space, and had the capacity to capture images at night.
• Microsat 2A is expected to meet the increasing user demands of cartographic applications at cadastral level,
and facilitate:
 Urban and rural management,

 Coastal land use and regulation,

 Mapping of utilities,

 Other Geographic Information System (GIS) applications.
• Microsat 2A will be placed into the Sun-synchronous orbit.
AzaadiSAT:
• AzaadiSAT is an 11-kilogram satellite built by 750 girl students from 75 schools across India.
• The satellite, which will be launched into orbit as a co-passenger satellite on SSLV, has long-range
communication transponders, and selfie cameras that will click pictures of its own solar panels.
• AzaadiSAT has a mission life of six months.
• The project is expected to encourage girl students to take up STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) subjects.
• The satellite has been developed by Space Kidz India, an aerospace organisation creating young scientists for
the country.
• The AzaadiSAT project is a first-of-its-kind space mission with an ‘all women concept’ to promote ‘Women
in STEM’, a statement released by Space Kidz India said.
VACCINE DERIVED POLIOVIRUS

Context: Polio is spreading in London, New York and Jerusalem for the first time in decades, spurring catch-up
vaccination campaigns.
Key Details:
• Affecting mainly children under five, it is often asymptomatic
but can also cause symptoms including fever and vomiting.
• Around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis,
and among those patients, up to 10% die.
• There is no cure, but since a vaccine was found in the 1950s,
polio is entirely preventable.
• Globally, the wild form of the disease has almost disappeared.
• Afghanistan and Pakistan are now the only countries where
the highly infectious disease, spread mainly through contact with
faecal matter, remains endemic.
• There are two main forms of poliovirus. Alongside the wild-
type outlined above, there are also rare cases of what is known
as vaccine-derived polio.
• It stems from the use of an oral polio vaccine containing
weakened live virus.
• After children are vaccinated, they shed virus in their faeces for
a few weeks.
• In under-vaccinated communities, this can then spread and
mutate back to a harmful version of the virus.

How are remediation projects removing PFAS contamination now?

• Methods exist for filtering them out of water.
• The chemicals will stick to activated carbon, for example.
• But these methods are expensive for large-scale projects, and you still have to get rid of the chemicals.
• The most common method of destroying PFAS is incineration, but most PFAS are remarkably resistant to
being burned. That’s why they’re in firefighting foams.
INDIGENOUS VACCINE FOR LUMPY SKIN DISEASE
Context: The government recently launched an indigenous vaccine for

lumpy skin disease, which has spread across states, causing deaths of
hundreds of cattle since 2019.
About the vaccine:

• Lumpi-ProVacInd, the vaccine, has been developed by two
institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR):
 National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana)
 Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
• The vaccine is 100% effective, complying with all standards.
NOVEL LANGYA HENIPAVIRUS

HAND, FOOT, AND MOUTH DISEASE
Context: There has been a spike in cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Mumbai.
About Disease
• Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is
common in children under the age
of 5, but anyone can get it.
• It is most commonly caused by a
coxsackievirus, which belongs to
a group of viruses called nonpolio
enteroviruses.
• The illness is usually not serious,
but is very contagious.
• It spreads quickly at schools and
daycare centers.
• It spreads through person-to-
person contact when an infected
person’s nose secretions or
throat discharge, saliva, fluid
from blisters, stool or respiratory
droplets are sprayed into the air
after a cough or sneeze.
• Incubation period:
 It is the usual period from initial infection to the time symptoms appear among patients.
 It is between 3-6 days.
ONCOLYTIC & MYXOMA VIRUSES
Context: A new study published in the journal Cancer Cell suggests that the body’s immune capacity against cancer —
to recognise and destroy cancer cells — can be boosted by using oncolytic viruses.
Key Details
• Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are viruses that selectively target and kill cancer cells while sparing normal ones.
 These viruses also enhance the immune system’s ability to recognise and terminate cancer cells.
• The latest study focused on the virus known as myxoma and it found that T-cells infected with myxoma
virus can lead to a type of cancer cell death not previously observed.
• The research claims to uncover an unexpected synergy between T-cells and MYXV (myxoma virus) to
bolster solid tumor cell autosis that reinforces tumor clearance.
 Autosis is a form of cell destruction that is useful against solid tumors, which are seen as treatment-
resistant.
• Myxoma can target and kill cancer cells directly.
• But using myxoma-equipped T-cells works well as cancerous cells in the vicinity of those targeted are also
destroyed.
 This process is called bystander killing.
• The study makes the case that immunotherapy combined with virotherapy holds potential to seek and
destroy ‘cold tumors’ that fly under the immune system’s radar.

TOMATO FLU
Context: A new infection dubbed tomato flu, or tomato fever, has been detected in India mostly among children younger
than five, according to a report in the Lancet Respiratory Journal.
What is Tomato Flu?

• Tomato flu is a rare viral infection that could be a new variant of the viral hand-foot-and-mouth disease,
a common infectious disease targeting mostly children aged one to five years and immunocompromised
adults.
• In some case studies, hand-foot-and-mouth disease has been found in immunocompetent adults.
• The symptoms of tomato flu are similar to those of Covid-19.
• Both tomato flu and Covid-19 are associated with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and body aches.
• However, the tomato flu virus is not related to SARS-CoV-2.
• Tomato flu is a self-limiting illness, which means that it tends to go away on its own, without treatment.
• According to the Lancet report, tomato flu is currently in an endemic state and is considered non-life
threatening.
• There is no specific drug to treat tomato flu.
What Causes Tomato Flu?

• Tomato flu is caused by a virus.
• However, some experts suspect that tomato flu could be an after-effect of chikungunya or dengue fever in
children rather than a viral infection.
How is Tomato Flu transmitted?

• Since viral infections are common in children, they are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu.
• The disease is likely to spread through close contact.
• According to the Lancet report, young children are prone to infection with tomato flu virus through the use of
nappies, touching unclean surfaces, and putting things directly into the mouth.
• Tomato flu is very contagious, similar to other types of influenza.
SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Context: Health ministers of African countries launched a campaign to ramp up awareness and bolster prevention and
care to curb the toll of sickle cell disease.
What is Sickle Cell Disease?

• It is a group of inherited red blood cell (RBC) disorders.
 RBCs contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen.

 Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through

small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
• During SCD, the hemoglobin becomes abnormal, which
causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look
like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.”
• The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage
of RBCs.
• Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow.
• This can cause pain and other serious complications such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.
WHAT IS NAFIS?
Context: Union Ministry of Home Affairs inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System
(NAFIS) recently.

What is NAFIS?
• NAFIS, which was developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),
would help in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralised
fingerprint database.
• The National Automated Fingerprints Identification System (NAFIS) project is a
country-wide searchable database of crime- and criminal-related fingerprints.
• The web-based application functions as a central information repository by
consolidating fingerprint data from all states and Union Territories.
• It enables law enforcement agencies to upload, trace, and retrieve data from the
database in real time on a 24×7 basis.
• NAFIS assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
 This unique ID will be used for the person’s lifetime, and different crimes registered under different FIRs

will be linked to the same NFN.
 The ID’s first two digits will be that of the state code in which the person arrested for a crime is registered,

followed by a sequence number.
• Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to identify a deceased person through NAFIS.
    

CULTURE
PINGALI VENKAYYA
Context: Rallies, public meetings and photo exhibitions marked the 146th birth anniversary celebrations of Pingali
Venkayya, the architect of the National Flag, across Andhra Pradesh.
Early Life:
• Pingali Venkayya was born and brought up in a Telegu Brahmin near Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• After completing his high school studies in Madras, he went to Cambridge University to pursue graduation.
• He had a fondness for geology and agriculture.
• Venkayya was not only a freedom fighter but a staunch Gandhian, educationist, agriculturist, geologist,
linguist, and writer, who is remembered for his contributions to India’s freedom struggle.
• Pingali Venkayya was an avid flag enthusiast who also came up with a booklet titled ‘A National Flag for
India’ in 1916, wherein he presented twenty-four flag designs.
• He met Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) when he was posted
there as part of the British Indian Army.
• Recognitions:
 Pingali Venkayya was posthumously honored with a postage stamp in 2009 for his contribution to the

Indian freedom struggle.
 In 2014, his name was also proposed for the Bharat Ratna.

 In 2015, the then Urban Development Minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu renamed the AIR Vijaywada after

Venkayya and unveiled his statue on its premises.
 The Andhra Pradesh Government has also requested the Centre to confer the highest civilian honor
Bharat Ratna, to Pingali in recognition of his contribution to the nation.
Pingali Venkayya’s design:

• Pingali Venkayya had designed a flag, known as the Swaraj Flag, that now forms the basis of India’s present-
day national flag.
• It consisted of red and green bands to symbolize the two major communities in the country- Hindus and
Muslims.
• On the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, Pingali Venkayya added a white band over red over green with a charkha
design onto Khadi bunting.
 The white represented peace and the rest of the communities living in India, and the spinning wheel

symbolized the progress of the country.
• Though the first tricolor was not officially accepted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), it began to
be hoisted on all Congress occasions.
• The flag, however, had raised communal concerns after which a Flag Committee was set up in 1931.
• The Congress Working Committee (CWC) came up with a new tricolor which was called the Purna Swaraj.
• The flag replaced the red color with saffron, and the white band was shifted in the middle, from over
white over green emblazoned with a blue charkha in the center.
 It implied that the colors stood for qualities, not communities;
 Saffron for courage and sacrifice,
 White for truth and peace,
 Green for faith and strength.
 The charkha stood for the welfare of the masses.
OPERATION POLO
• Operation Polo was the code name for the police operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed
Forces invaded the state of Hyderabad and annexed the state to the Indian Union.
• Operation Polo was led by Interior Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Major JN Chaudhry.
• In 1947, when the British left India, they gave the princely states the choice to either join India or Pakistan
or remain independent.
• Being one state not under British rule, it opposed the idea of a merger with India after Independence.
• Then Sardar Patel requested Nizam to join India but he refused and declared Hyderabad as an independent
state in 1947.
• So, the government of India did a military operation named Operation Polo in order to annex Hyderabad.
• It resulted in the signing of the instrument of Accession by Nizam of Hyderabad.
LACHIT BORPHUKAN
Context: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has written a letter to his counterparts across the country to
include a chapter on Ahom army general Lachit Borphukan in the textbooks of educational institutions in their
respective States.
About Lachit Borphukan:

• Lachit Borphukan was a commander and Borphukan, in the
Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam, India, known for
his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a
drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of
Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
• November 24 is celebrated as Lachit Divas (Lachit Day) in Assam
to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan and the
victory of the Assamese army at the Battle of Saraighat
• Battle of Saraighat:
 Unlike in Alaboi, where he was forced to fight on land instead of a naval battle, Lachit in Saraighat enticed

the Mughals into a naval battle.
 Ahom forces combined a frontal attack and a surprise attack from behind.

 They lured the Mughal fleet into moving ahead by feigning an attack with a few ships from the front.


 The Mughals vacated the waters behind them, from where the main Ahom fleet attacked and achieved a

decisive victory.
GITA GOVIND
• The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva.
• It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and gopis (female cow herders) of Vrindavan.
• The Gita Govinda is organized into twelve chapters.
• Each chapter is further sub-divided into one or more divisions called Prabandhas, totalling twenty-four in all.
• The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis.
• It is mentioned that Radha is greater than Krishna.
• The text also elaborates the eight moods of Heroine, the Ashta Nayika, which has been an inspiration for
many compositions and choreographic works in Indian classical dances.
• Gita Govinda is one of the earliest musical texts in which the author indicates the exact raga (mode) and tala
(rhythm) in which to sing each of the songs.
• Its commentaries:
 Sarvangasundari Tika of Narayana Dasa (14th century),
 Dharanidhara’s Tika (16th century),
 Jagannatha Mishra’s Tika (16th century),
 Rasikapriya of Rana Kumbha (16th century)
 Arthagobinda of Bajuri Dasa (17th century).
• Most of the ragas and talas indicated by Jayadeva, with the exception of one or two, continue to be in practice
in the tradition of Odissi music.
RECALLING QUIT INDIA

Context: On 9th August 1942, 80 years ago the people of India launched the decisive final phase of the struggle for
independence – The Quit India Movement.
About the movement:

• It was a mass upsurge against the colonial rule on a scale not seen earlier,
and it sent out the unmistakable message that the sun was about to set on
the British Empire in India.
• Mahatma Gandhi, who had told the Raj to “Quit India” on the previous day
(August 8) was already in jail along with the entire Congress leadership, so
when August 9 dawned, the people were on their own — out on the street,
driven by the Mahatma’s call of “Do or Die”.
• This truly people-led movement was eventually crushed violently by the
British, but by then it was clear that nothing short of their final departure
was acceptable to India’s masses.
• Reasons for the movement:
 While factors leading to such a movement had been building up, matters came to a head with the failure

of the Cripps Mission.
 With World War II raging, the beleaguered British government needed the cooperation of its colonial

subjects.
 With this in mind, in March 1942, a mission led by Sir Stafford Cripps arrived in India to meet leaders

of the Congress and the Muslim League.
 The idea was to secure India’s whole-hearted support in the war, and the return offer to Indians was the

promise of self-governance.
 But things did not go that way. Despite the promise of “the earliest possible realisation of self-government

in India”, Cripps only offered dominion status, not freedom.
 The failure of the Cripps Mission made Gandhi realise that freedom would come only if Indians fought

tooth and nail for it.
 The Congress was initially reluctant to launch a movement that could hamper Britain’s efforts to defeat

the fascist forces. But it eventually decided on mass civil disobedience.
 At the Working Committee meeting in Wardha in July 1942, it was decided the time had come for the

movement to move into an active phase.
• Gandhi’s address: Do or Die
 On August 8, 1942, Gandhi addressed the people in the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay (Mumbai).

 He said: Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. Imprint it on your hearts, so that in every breath

you give expression to it. The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die trying; we shall not
live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.
 Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the Tricolour on the ground.

 The Quit India movement had been officially announced.

 The government cracked down immediately, and by August 9, Gandhi and all other senior Congress leaders

had been jailed.
 Gandhi was taken to the Aga Khan Palace in Poona (Pune), and later to Yerwada jail.

 It was during this time that Kasturba Gandhi died at the Aga Khan Palace.\

• Who gave the slogan ‘Quit India’:
 While Gandhi gave the clarion call of Quit India, the slogan was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and

trade unionist who also served as Mayor of Bombay.
 A few years ago, in 1928, it was Meherally who coined the slogan “Simon Go Back”.

• British reaction:
 The Quit India movement was violently suppressed by the British — people were shot and lathi-charged,

villages were burnt, and backbreaking fines were imposed.
 In the five months up to December 1942, an estimated 60,000 people had been thrown into jail.

 However, though the movement was quelled, it changed the character of the Indian freedom struggle,

with the masses rising up to demand with a passion and intensity like never before: that the British
masters would have to Quit India.
PARTITION HORRORS REMEMBRANCE DAY

Context: India is commemorating August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
Key details:
• The partition of India into India and Pakistan led to grave violence and communal riots, loss of property, and
extreme upheaval in the weeks and months around August 15, 1947.
• The Partition is acknowledged as one of the most violent and abrupt displacements in the recent history of
the world.
• Estimates of the numbers of those killed vary; according to the official document, it could be between 500,000
to over a million, but “the generally accepted figure stands at around 500,000”.
• Britain was in a hurry to leave India in the aftermath of World War II when its own condition was not strong.
• Lord Mountbatten, the governor-general at the time, was supposed to work out the independence of India by
June 1948, but he chose to advance the date, apparently because he was keen to return to Britain sooner.
• A barrister called Cyril Radcliffe was given the task of redrawing the boundaries of the two new nations, even
though he had never visited India before then.
• The lack of planning, administrative flux, and massive communal rioting and disturbances created the
horrors of Partition.
• The loss of property, massacres, and re-settlement, were major challenges for the two countries that lacked
basic systems after more than a hundred years of colonisation.
• The basic idea of remembering events such as the Partition, or other days that relate to a genocide or mass
violence such as the Holocaust Remembrance Day, is usually to reflect and learn the lessons from them and
not let them be repeated in the future and to honour the memory of victims.
HISTORY OF POPULAR SLOGANS RAISED DURING THE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
Context: Most of the popular patriotic slogans raised today are likely to have their origins in the movement for Indian
independence.
The Slogans:
• ‘Jai Hind’ by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
 Bengal’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

popularised ‘Jai Hind’ as a salutation for
soldiers of his Indian National Army (INA),
which fought alongside Netaji’s ally Japan
in the Second World War.
 But according to some accounts, Netaji did

not coin the slogan.
 In his 2014 book, ‘Lengendotes of

Hyderabad’, former civil servant Narendra
Luther said the term was coined by Zain-ul
Abideen Hasan, the son of a collector from
Hyderabad, who had gone to Germany to study.
 There, he met Bose and eventually left his studies to join the INA.

• ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi doonga’ by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose:
 The slogan had origins in a speech Netaji made in Myanmar, then called Burma, on July 4, 1944.

 Underlining his core philosophy of violence being necessary to achieve independence, he said, “Tum
mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi doonga” (Give me blood and I promise you freedom).
• ‘Vande Mataram’ by Bankim Chandra Chatterji:
 The term refers to a sense of respect expressed to the motherland.

 In 1870, Bengali novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote a song that would go on to assume a

national stature, but would also be seen as communally divisive by some.
 Written in Bengali, the song titled ‘Vande Mataram’ would not be introduced into the public sphere until

the publishing of the novel Anandamath in 1882, of which the song is a part. Vande Mataram would soon
be at the forefront of sentiments expressed during the freedom movement.
 After the British rule ended, the song was in contention for being the national anthem, but was criticised

by some and ended up becoming the national song instead.
• ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ by Maulana Hasrat Mohani:
 ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live the revolution) was first used by Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 1921.

 His stress on Inquilab was inspired by his urge to fight against social and economic inequality along with

colonialism.
 It was from the mid-1920s that this slogan became a war cry of Bhagat Singh and his Naujawan Bharat

Sabha, as well as his Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
 This slogan got major traction when he and B K Dutt dropped bombs in the Assembly on April 8, 1929,

and shouted it.
• ‘Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna’ by Bismil Azimabadi:

 “Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil men hai, dekhna hai zor kitna bazu-e-qatil men hai” (Our hearts are

now longing to die for a good cause, that we shall see what strength the arms of killers possess), are the
first two lines of a poem written by Bismil Azimabadi, a freedom fighter and poet from Bihar, after the
Jallianwalah Bagh Massacre of 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab.
 The lines were popularised by Ram Prasad Bismil, another revolutionary.

 He was a part of the Kakori train robbery, a successful and ambitious operation in which a train filled with

British goods and money was robbed for Indian fighters to purchase arms.
• ‘Do or Die’ by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:
 On August 8, 1942, the All-India Congress Committee met in Gowalia Tank Maidan (August Kranti Maidan)

in Bombay.
 Gandhi told the people what they must do: “Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. Imprint it on

your hearts, so that in every breath you give expression to it. The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free
India or die trying; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.”
• ‘Quit India’ by Yusuf Meherally

 While Gandhi gave the clarion call of ‘Quit India’, the slogan was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist

and trade unionist who also served as Mayor of Mumbai.
 A few years ago, in 1928, Meherally had also coined the slogan “Simon Go Back” to protest the Simon

Commission that although was meant to work on Indian constitutional reform, but lacked any Indians.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES WHOM PM MENTIONED IN HIS INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH

Context: In his address from the Red Fort on Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India paid tribute to a range of
personalities from India’s freedom struggle including fearless revolutionary heroes.
Mangal Pandey:
• A soldier with the British Indian army, Mangal Pandey is believed to have sparked off the mutiny of Indian
soldiers at Meerut that eventually became the great revolt of 1857, and spread to other parts of North India.
• The revolt is said to have been sparked by the introduction of the new Enfield rifle, which required soldiers
to bite off the cartridge casing before the weapon could be fired.
• Soldiers believed the casing was greased with cow fat and pig fat, which offended both Hindus and Muslims.
• Pandey was court-martialed for his protest and sentenced to death, and the rebellion was put down in some
months.
Tantya Tope:
• Born in 1814, Tantya Tope was a trusted lieutenant of Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II of
the Maratha empire.
• Nana Sahib lost his ancestral rights under the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ that disallowed adopted heirs of Indian
rulers from ascending to the throne.
• In the summer of 1857, Tantya brought together armed forces to declare Nana Sahib the ruler of Kanpur and
attempted to protect the seat of power for over five months.
• After Kanpur was lost to the British in December 1857, he assisted the Rani of Jhansi, whose adopted son
was also a victim of the Doctrine of Lapse, to mobilise an armed force.
• Tantya Tope was sent to the gallows in April 1859 in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, after a trusted aide betrayed
him.
• The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy extensively applied by East India Company in
India until 1859.
• The doctrine stated that any princely state under the vassalage of the company will now have its
territory annexed should the ruler of the said state fail to produce an heir.

Bhagat Singh:
• Of all the great revolutionary heroes of India’s freedom struggle, Bhagat Singh is perhaps the most charismatic
and storied.
• Bhagat Singh, who was inspired by communist thought, anti-colonialism, and anti-communalism, was
involved in the symbolic bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly.
• He was hanged by the British at the age of 23.
• Along with Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were also hanged to death.
Chandrashekhar Azad:
• Azad, a comrade and intellectual fellow traveller of Rajguru, Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh, Ramprasad Bismil, and
Ashfaqulla Khan, was born in Allahabad and began taking part in revolutionary activities from the age of 15.
• He gave himself the name ‘Azad’ and vowed never to be held captive; when cornered by police in his final
moments, he chose to shoot himself.
Ashfaqulla Khan:
• Born in Shahjahanpur, Khan helped form the HSRA and was part of the Kakori incident.
• In September 1926, Khan’s close friend Ramprasad Bismil was arrested, and finally, Khan too was arrested.
• The trial continued for about a year and a half, and in April 1927, Bismil, Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, and Roshan
Singh were sentenced to death.
Ramprasad Bismil:
• Bismil was associated with the Arya Samaj from an early age.
• He started writing powerful patriotic poems in Urdu and Hindi under the pen names ‘Bismil’, ‘Ram’, and
‘Agyat’.
• His autobiography is considered one of the finest works in Hindi literature, and the cult patriotic song “Mera
rang de Basanti chola” is attributed to him.
• He was executed at the age of 30.
PANDURANG KHANKHOJE
Context: Lok Sabha Speaker will unveil statues of Swami Vivekananda and Maharashtra-born freedom fighter and
agriculturalist Pandurang Khankhoje in Mexico.
Who was Pandurang Khankhoje?

• Born in Wardha, Maharashtra, in the late 19th century, Pandurang Khankhoje came in contact with other
revolutionaries early on.
• As a student, Khankhoje was an ardent admirer of the French Revolution and of the American War of
Independence.
• The Hindu reformer Swami Dayanand and his Arya Samaj movement, which called for a spirit of reform and
social change, became the hero to a young student group led by Khankhoje.
• Khankhoje decided to go abroad for further training in revolutionary methods and militaristic strategy.
• At this time, the British government’s suspicions of him were also growing due to his anti-government
activities.
• Before leaving, he visited Bal Gangadhar Tilak, by whom he was inspired.
• Tilak advised him to go to Japan, which was itself a strong, anti-West Asian imperialistic force then.
• After spending time with nationalists from Japan and China, Khankhoje eventually moved to the US, where he
enrolled in college as a student of agriculture.
His association with the Indian independence movement:

• Khankhoje was one of the founding members of the Ghadar Party, established by Indians living abroad in
1914, mostly belonging to Punjab.
• Its aim was to lead a revolutionary fight against the British in India.

• While in the US, Khankhoje met Lala Har Dayal, an Indian intellectual teaching at Stanford University.
• Har Dayal had begun a propaganda campaign, publishing a newspaper that featured patriotic songs and
articles in the vernacular languages of India.
• This was the seed from which the Ghadar Party would emerge.
How did Khankhoje reach Mexico?

• The Mexican Revolution of 1910 had led to the overthrow of the dictatorial regime, and this inspired

Khankhoje.
• He also reached out to Indians working on farms in the US with the aim of discussing the idea of Indian

independence with them.
• He then reached out to Bhikaji Cama in Paris, and met with Vladimir Lenin in Russia among other leaders,

seeking support for the Indian cause.
• However, as he was facing possible deportation from Europe and could not go to India, he sought shelter in

Mexico.
• He was appointed a professor at the National School of Agriculture in Chapingo, near Mexico City.

• He researched corn, wheat, pulses and rubber, developing frost and drought-resistant varieties, and was

part of efforts to bring in the Green Revolution in Mexico.
• Later on, the American agronomist Dr Norman Borlaug, called the Father of the Green Revolution,brought

the Mexican wheat variety to Punjab.
• Khankhoje was revered as an agricultural scientist in Mexico.

WHAT IS MANDALA IN ART?
Context: Residents of Liverpool are marvelling over a mandala the size of one and a half football pitches in length
created by artist James Brunt with materials such as leaves and rocks.
What is mandala and its origins?

• Mandala patterns are a centuries-old motif that are used to depict the
cosmos and have been adapted by artists the world over, each of whom
has added their own interpretation and painted it as their own.
• Literally meaning “circle” or “centre” in Sanskrit, mandala is defined
by a geometric configuration that usually incorporates the circular
shape in some form.
• While it can also be created in the shape of a square, a mandala pattern
is essentially interconnected.
• It is believed to be rooted in Buddhism, appearing in the first century BC in India.
• Over the next couple centuries, Buddhist missionaries travelling along the silk road took it to other regions.
• In Hinduism, the mandala imagery first appeared in Rig Veda (1500 – 500 BCE).
• It is believed that by entering the mandala and moving towards its center, one is guided through the cosmic
process of transforming the universe from one of suffering to that of joy.
Mandala in modern Indian art:

• Deep-rooted in ancient philosophy, the mandala has attained varied forms in the hands of modern and
contemporary Indian artists.
• While it continues to appear in thangka paintings, it has a central place in the practice of mainstream artists
associated with the tantric and neo-tantric spiritual movements.
• Choosing to transition from the more figurative depictions of the previous generations of Indian artists, in the
1960s Sohan Qadri and Prafulla Mohanty gained widespread recognition for their works that were imbibed
with tantric symbolism, such as mandalas that are also used in the rituals of tantric initiation.
• Geometric compositions also dominated works of artists such as Biren De, GR Santosh, Shobha Broota, and
famously SH Raza, who visualised the bindu as the center of his universe and the source of energy and life.
WOMEN HEROES OF INDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE

Context: In his ninth Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the Prime Minister
of India paid tribute to women freedom fighters for showing the world the true meaning of India’s “Nari shakti”.
Important Women Freedom Fighters:
Rani Laxmibai:
• The queen of the princely state of Jhansi, Rani Laxmibai is known for her role in the First War of India’s
Independence in 1857.
• Born Manikarnika Tambe in 1835, she married the king of Jhansi.
• The couple adopted a son before the king’s death, which the British East India Company refused to accept
as the legal heir and decided to annex Jhansi.
• Refusing to cede her territory, the queen decided to rule on behalf of the heir, and later joined the uprising
against the British in 1857.
• Cornered by the British, she escaped from Jhansi Fort.
• She was wounded in combat near Gwalior’s Phool Bagh, where she later died.
• Sir Hugh Rose, who was commanding the British army, is known to have described her as “personable, clever…
and one of the most dangerous Indian leaders”.
Jhalkari Bai:
• A soldier in Rani Laxmibai’s women’s army, Durga Dal, she rose to become one of the queen’s most trusted
advisers.
• She is known for putting her own life at risk to keep the queen out of harm’s way.
• Till date, the story of her valour is recalled by the people of Bundelkhand, and she is often presented as a
representative of Bundeli identity.
• Many Dalit communities of the region look up to her as an incarnation of God and also celebrate Jhalkaribai
Jayanti every year in her honour.
Durga Bhabhi:
• Durgawati Devi, who was popularly known as Durga Bhabhi, was a revolutionary who joined the armed
struggle against colonial rule.
• A member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, she helped Bhagat Singh escape in disguise from Lahore after the
1928 killing of British police officer John P Saunders.
• As revenge for the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, she made an unsuccessful attempt to kill
the former Punjab Governor, Lord Hailey.
• Born in Allahabad in 1907 and married to Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) member
Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Durgawati, along with other revolutionaries, also ran a bomb factory in Delhi.
Rani Gaidinliu:
• Born in 1915 in present-day Manipur, Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga spiritual and political leader who fought
the British.
• She joined the Heraka religious movement which later became a movement to drive out the British.
• She rebelled against the Empire, and refused to pay taxes, asking people to do the same.
• The British launched a manhunt, but she evaded arrest, moving from village to village.
• Gaidinliu was finally arrested in 1932 when she was just 16, and later sentenced for life.
• She was released in 1947.
• Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru described Gaidinliu as the “daughter of the hills”, and gave her the title of
‘Rani’ for her courage.
Rani Chennamma:
• The queen of Kittur, Rani Chennamma, was among the first rulers to lead an armed rebellion against British
rule.
• Kittur was a princely state in present-day Karnataka.
• She fought back against the attempt to control her dominion in 1824 after the death of her young son.
• She had lost her husband, Raja Mallasarja, in 1816.
• She is seen among the few rulers of the time who understood the colonial designs of the British.
• Rani Chennamma defeated the British in her first revolt, but was captured and imprisoned during the
second assault by the East India Company.
Begum Hazrat Mahal:

• After her husband, Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, was exiled after the 1857 revolt, Begum Hazrat Mahal,
along with her supporters, took on the British and wrested control of Lucknow.
• She was forced into a retreat after the colonial rulers recaptured the area.
Velu Nachiyar:
• Many years before the revolt of 1857, Velu Nachiyar waged a war against the British and emerged victorious.
• Born in Ramanathapuram in 1780, she was married to the king of Sivagangai.
• After her husband was killed in battle with the East India Company, she entered the conflict, and won with
support of neighbouring kings.
• She went on to produce the first human bomb as well as establish the first army of trained women soldiers
in the late 1700s.
• Her army commander Kuyili is believed to have set herself ablaze and walked into a British ammunition dump.
• She was succeeded by her daughter in 1790, and died a few years later in 1796.
ANANG TAL LAKE DECLARED MONUMENT OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE

Context: The Anang Tal lake in South Delhi, believed to have been built a thousand years ago, has been declared a
monument of national importance.
About the lake:

• Anang Tal is situated to the north of Jog Maya temple and northwest of Qutub Complex.
• It was created in 1052 A.D by the founder king of Delhi Maharaja Anang Pal Tomar, the builder of Lal Kot.
• Anang Tal has a strong Rajasthan connection as Maharaja Anang Pal is known as maternal grandfather of
Prithviraj Chauhan whose fort Rai Pithora is on the list of ASI.
• It is also said Alauddin Khalji, in 1296-1316 AD, utilised the water of this tank when he built (Qutub)
minar and extended the Qutub-ul-Islam mosque.
MONUMENTS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE
A “Monument of National Importance” is designated by the Archaeological Survey of India and includes the following:
• The remains of an ancient monument
• The site of an ancient monument
• The land on which there are fences or protective covering structures for preserving the monument
• Land by means of which people can freely access the monument
The Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an “Ancient Monument” as follows:
Ancient Monument means any structure, erection or monument, or any tumulus or place of interment, or any cave, rock-
sculpture, inscription or monolith which is of historical, archaeological or artistic interest and which has been in existence for
not less than 100 years

LORD CURZON
Context: The Bardhaman municipality in West Bengal has decided to erect a statue of an erstwhile Maharaja Bijay
Chand Mahatab (Ruler of Burdwan Estate, Bengal in British India) and his wife Radharani in front of the landmark
Curzon Gate in the city.
Who was Lord Curzon?

• Born in 1859, George Nathaniel Curzon was a British conservative politician who was educated at the elite
institutions of Eton and Oxford.
• He served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1891-1892), and for Foreign Affairs (1895-1898), before
being appointed Viceroy of India in 1899.
• As viceroy, his administration was known for intense activity and emphasis on efficiency.
• His contributions:
 He created a separate Muslim majority province of the North-West Frontier Province,

 Sent a British expedition to Tibet,

 Established a separate police service (set up a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer in 1902-

03).
Why was he disliked then?

• Curzon was both vexed and enraged by the growing nationalist movement in India and he sought to throttle
the growing aspirations of the educated Indian middle class.
• A staunch imperialist, he took a series of extremely unpopular measures, including:
 Passing in 1899, the Calcutta Municipal Amendment Act which reduced the number of elected
representatives in the Calcutta Corporation;
 The Indian Universities Act (1904), that placed Calcutta University under government control, and

 The Indian Official Secrets Amendment Act (1904) that reduced the freedom of the press even further.

• Partition of Bengal:
 Calcutta was the capital of the British Raj, and Bengal Presidency was one of the largest provinces in

India, populated by more than 78 million people, encompassing present day West Bengal, Bangladesh,
Bihar, parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Assam.
 For long, the British had maintained that Bengal was too large to efficiently manage and administer;

 It was also believed that with Calcutta as the nerve centre of the educated nationalists, the resistance

to colonial rule would only increase.
 Home Secretary H H Risley noted in 1904, “Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in

several different ways.”
 In July 1905, Curzon announced the partition of Bengal into two provinces.

 East Bengal and Assam, with a population of 38 million, was predominately Muslim, while the

 Western province, called Bengal, was reduced to 55 million people, primarily Hindus.

 This step was criticized and led to protests and ultimately the anti-partition movement.

VEERSHAIVA - LINGAYATS
Context: The ruling BJP and the principal Opposition Congress have sought to send strong signals to appease the
politically strong Veerashaiava-Lingayat community.
Who are the Lingayats?

• The Lingayat sect is believed to have stemmed from the principles of the 12th century social reformer and
Kannada poet Basava (also known as Basavanna).
• However, many scholars believe he furthered an established sect.
• Inspired by the ‘Bhakti’ movement, Basava rejected temple worship and Brahmin rituals and envisaged a
religion free of gender and religious discrimination.
• Several people from backward castes opted to be Lingayats over the centuries to escape the rigid Hindu caste
system. Are Lingayats and Veerashaivas the same?
Are Lingayats and Veerashaivas the same?
• While both Veerashaivas and Lingayats pray

to the Hindu god Shiva, the two sects are not
synonymous.
• Like the Brahmins believe they were born from

the ear of Brahma, the Veerashaivas believe
themselves to be born of Shiva’s lingam or
phallus.
• The major difference between the Lingayats and

the Veerashaivas is that while the former rejects the Vedas and the caste system, the latter don’t.
• The Lingayats worship Shiva as a formless entity (ishta linga), while Veerashaivas worship the Vedic idol
of Shiva with a snake around his neck.
• These are the reasons why, since the framing of the Constitution, the Lingayats have been seeking recognition
as a religion independent of Hinduism.
ONDIVEERAN
Context: Union Ministry of Communication authorized a commemorative

postal stamp for freedom fighter Ondiveeran.
Key Details:
• Ondiveeran Pagadai was an Indian freedom fighter and commander

in the army of Puli Thevan in battles against the British in Tamil Nadu.
• Ondiveeran came from the Arunthathiyar Scheduled Caste (Dalit)

and today is viewed as a hero by that community.
• Pressure from that community lead the government to build a memorial to him in Tirunelveli district.
MANUSMRITI
Context: The Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University recently criticized the Manusmriti, the ancient Sanskrit
text, over its gender bias.
What is Manusmriti?
• The Mānavadharmaśāstra, also known as Manusmriti or the Laws of Manu, is a Sanskrit text belonging to the
Dharmaśāstra literary tradition of Hinduism.
• Composed sometime between the 2nd century BCE and 3rd century CE, the Manusmriti is written in sloka
verses, containing two non-rhyming lines of 16 syllabus each.
• The text is attributed to the mythical figure of Manu, considered to be ancestor of the human race in
Hinduism.
• There has been considerable debate between scholars on the authorship of the text.
• Many have argued that it was compiled by many Brahmin scholars over a period of time.

At its core, the Manusmriti discusses life in the world, how it is lived in reality, as well as how it ought to be.
• The text is about dharma, which means duty, religion, law and practice.
• It also discusses aspects of the Arthashashtra, such as issues relating to statecraft and legal procedures.
• The aim of the text is to present a blueprint for a properly ordered society under the sovereignty of the king
and the guidance of Brahmins.
• It was meant to be read by the priestly caste and it would likely have been part of the curriculum for young
Brahmin scholars at colleges, and would have been referenced by the scholarly debates and conversations on
the Dharmasastras at that time.
Its significance
• It was the first Sanskrit text to be translated into a European language, by the British philologist Sir
William Jones in 1794.
 Subsequently, it was translated into French, German, Portuguese and Russian, before being included in

Max Muller’s edited volume, Sacred Books of the East in 1886.
• For colonial officials in British India, the translation of the book served a practical purpose.
 In 1772, Governor-General Warren Hastings decided to implement laws of Hindus and Muslims that

they believed to be continued, unchanged from remotest antiquity.
 For Hindus, the dharmasastras were to play a crucial role, as they were seen by the British as ‘laws,’
whether or not it was even used that way in India, he writes.
THE WOMEN’S INDIAN ASSOCIATION (WIA)

• The Women’s Indian Association (WIA) was founded at Adayar, Madras, in 1917 by Annie Besant, Margaret
Cousins, Jeena Raja Dasa, and others to liberate women from the deplorable condition women suffered
in socio-economic and political matters during the 19th and the early 20th century.

• The Association later developed into a potent force to fight against:

 illiteracy
 child marriage
 the Devadasi system
 other social ills
• The name of the organization was chosen to indicate its inclusive makeup, allowing both Indian and
European women to join, and lack of affiliation to any philosophy, religion, caste, or social class.
 Its first president was Annie Besant.
• Founding members included:
 S. Ambujammal,
 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay,
 Mary Poonen Lukose,
 Begam Hasrat Mohani,
 Saralabai Naik,
 Dhanvanthi Rama Rau,
 Muthulakshmi Reddy,
 Mangalammal Sadasivier,
 Herabai Tata
• The Stri Dharma was the journal published by the WIA to voice its ideals and beliefs.
 It addressed political and social issues facing women in India as well as the achievements of women
worldwide.
• POINT TO REMEMBER: The association also participated in the Round Table Conferences.
ABOUT ANNIE BEASANT
Perhaps, one of the most popular foreigners whose name crops up in the freedom struggle is Annie Besant.
• Besant moved to India in 1893, coincidentally the year Mahatma Gandhi left for South Africa, owing to her
embrace of Theosophy.
• Her move to India saw her establishing girls’ schools and a major university, Banaras Hindu University,
before she took the plunge into the freedom struggle.
She helped set up the Indian Home Rule League, modeled after her Irish experience and even became the first
woman to serve as the president of the Indian National Congress in 1917.
In the years of the freedom struggle, Besant and Gandhi developed a rapport, which saw both of them arguing
quite often.
• She had the nerve to once write to Gandhi, saying that only time would tell which of the two (Besant
and Gandhi) had been more faithful to India and freedom.
Noted historian Ramchandra Guha in his book wrote that “Once she had chosen to become an Indian, she
would be an Indian all the way through.”
Today, she may not be remembered much, but she serves as a constant reminder that gender and geography
play no importance in the fight for one’s ideals.

YAKSHAGANA
Context: The all-night Yakshagana performances by more than a century-old theatre troupe Kateel Durgaparameshwari
Prasadita Yakshagana Mandali will soon be history with the group deciding to switch to shorter duration shows.
About Yakshagana
• Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, in the state of Karnataka and in
Kasaragod district in Kerala.
• It combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form.
• It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during the period of the Bhakti movement.

• It is sometimes simply called “Aata” meaning “the play”.
• Towards the south from Dakshina Kannada to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region, the form of Yakshagana is called
Thenku thittu and towards the north from Udupi up to Uttara Kannada it is called Badaga thittu.
• Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
• Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain
and other ancient Indic traditions.
SALAR JUNG MUSEUM

• The Salar Jung Museum was established in the year 1951 and is located on the southern bank of the River
Musi in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• The Salarjung Museum has a unique distinction as the third largest museum in India and has worldwide
fame for its biggest one-man collections of antiques.
• The Salar Jung family is responsible for its collection of rare art objects from all over the world.
VICTORIA MEMORIAL
• The Victoria Memorial, a huge monument made of white marble is located in the heart of the City of Joy,
Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta) in West Bengal.
• A brainchild of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Viceroy of India, this monument
epitomizing beauty and elegance was dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria (1819–1901).
• This grand and exquisite memorial not only stands as a reminiscence to the rule of the British Crown in the
Indian subcontinent but also stands out as an excellent architectural gem in the Indo-Saracenic revivalist
style.
• History:
 Queen Victoria who remained Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland since June 20,
1837 and Empress of India since May 1, 1876 passed away on January 22, 1901.
 Following her demise, Lord Curzon conceived the idea of constructing a colossal and grand building with

a museum and gardens where one and all can have a glimpse of the rich past.
 The foundation stone of the monument was laid on January 4, 1906 by the Prince of Wales George V

who later became King George V on May 6, 1910.
 In 1921, the memorial was opened to the public; however it became part of a provincial city instead of

the capital city as by the time its construction was completed, the capital of India was transferred from
Calcutta to New Delhi.
• Construction & Architecture:

 William Emerson, the then president of the Royal Institute of British Architects was the chief architect

of the memorial that was designed in Indo-Saracenic revivalist style.
 The style encompassed a blend of British architectural style with that of Egyptian, Venetian, Deccani,

Mughal and other Islamic styles.
 Build of Makrana marble brought from Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

    

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND THAILAND
Context: As part of his visit to Thailand for the ninth India-Thailand joint commission meeting, External Affairs Minister
S. Jaishankar visited the Devasthan in Bangkok.
The making of ‘Greater India’ in Southeast Asia:

• India and the Southeast Asia region share a long history of cultural and commercial relations.
• The classical Sanskrit and Pali texts from India carry references of the region using various names such as
Kathakosha, Suvarnabhumi (the land of God) or Suvarnadvipa (the golden island), indicating that this was
a region that attracted Indian merchants.
• Trade in spices, aromatic wood and most importantly gold is known to have flourished.
• In more recent times, European and Indian scholars have referred to Southeast Asia as ‘Farther India’,
‘Greater India’, or ‘Hinduised or Indianised states.
 Geographically, it refers to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and the Malay states.
• The Sanskrit, Buddhist, and Jain texts indicate that interactions between the two regions go back more than
two thousand years ago, mainly through sea voyages and that trade played an important role.
• The first Indian kingdom to come up in Southeast Asia was Funan, which is the predecessor of modern
Cambodia and Lin-yi in southern Vietnam, both of which came up in the second century CE.
• Contemporary Southeast Asian society carries several pieces of evidence of the cultural impact of these
interactions.
 Many local languages in the region, including Thai, Malay, and Javanese contain words of Sanskrit, Pali

and Dravidian origin in significant proportions.
 The Thai language is written in script derived from Southern Indian Pallava alphabet.

• Perhaps the most important influence of India on Southeast Asia was in the field of religion and how Shivaism,
Vaishnavism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism and later Sinhalese Buddhism came to be
practised in the region.
• The political and administrative institutions and ideas, especially the concept of divine authority and
kingship, are largely shaped by the Indian practices.
 For example, the Thai king is considered as an incarnation of Vishnu.

• The episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata are regularly featured in puppet shows and theatre events.
• In terms of architecture, monuments like Borobodur Stupa in Java, the Angkor Vat temple in Cambodia,
My Son temple in Vietnam are some of the best examples of Indian influence in the region.
• A Tamil inscription found in Takua-pa testifies trade links between the Pallava region of South India and
southern Thailand.
• A mercantile corporation of South Indians called Manikarramam had established a settlement here and
built its own temple and tank, and lived as a ‘self-contained’ colony.
• It is important to note that Brahmanism and Buddhism existed alongside each other in Thailand in the pre-
Sukhothai period of the 13th century.
• Apart from the popular Brahamanical deities of Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, Indra is also worshiped
in Thailand.

• The Ramayana — known in Thailand as Ramakriti (the glory of Rama) or Ramakien (the account of Rama)
— has provided an outlet of cultural expression in Thailand for both the elite and the common man.
• Episodes from the epic are painted on the walls of Buddhist temples and enacted in dramas and ballets.
INDIA’S ONE-CHINA STAND & RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN

Context: India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan yet, as it follows the One-China policy.
Details:
• While following the One-China policy, India has an office in Taipei for diplomatic functions — India-Taipei
Association (ITA) is headed by a senior diplomat.
• Taiwan has the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi.
• Both were established in 1995.
• Their ties focus on commerce, culture, and education.
• Now in their third decade, these have been deliberately kept low-profile, owing to China’s sensitivities.
 For example, parliamentary delegation visits and legislature-level dialogues have stopped since 2017.

• The Tsai government is keen on expanding areas of cooperation with India as it is one of the priority
countries for Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy.
• So far, it’s been largely an economic and people-to-people relationship.
• Now, amid the tension with China, New Delhi is paying attention to the need to advance India-Taiwan ties.
WHAT IS THE ‘ONE CHINA’ POLICY?

• It is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s position that there is only one Chinese government.
• Under the policy, the US recognizes and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan,
which China sees as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland one day.
• The One China policy is a key cornerstone of Sino-US relations.
• It is also a fundamental bedrock of Chinese policy-making and diplomacy.
• However, it is distinct from the One China principle, whereby China insists Taiwan is an inalienable
part of one China to be reunified one day.
• The US policy is not an endorsement of Beijing’s position and indeed as part of the policy, Washington
maintains a robust unofficial relationship with Taiwan, including continued arms sales to the island so
that it can defend itself.
• Although Taiwan’s government claims it is an independent country officially called the “Republic of China”,
any country that wants diplomatic relations with mainland China must break official ties with Taipei.
• This has resulted in Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation from the international community.
INDIA TO HOST UNSC MEET ON COUNTER-TERRORISM

Context: India will host diplomats and officials from all 15 countries of the United Nations Security Council,
including China, Russia, and the U.S., for a special meeting on terrorism, in Delhi and Mumbai in October.
Key Details:
• The meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which India is chairing
for 2022 as a member of the UNSC, will focus particularly on challenges such as
terrorism financing, cyber threats, and the use of drones.
• New Delhi is expected to highlight cross-border threats from Pakistan and
Afghanistan at the meeting.
• In addition, India has been pushing for the UN members to adopt a Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism (first proposed in 1996), which is likely to be raised during the
meeting.
• While terror financing was now recognized and dealt with through mechanisms such as the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF), it was necessary to build templates and “codes of conduct” for newer threats,
including financing through cryptocurrency and the use of drones for terror attacks.
• The United Nations said that the special meeting will specifically focus on three significant areas where
emerging technologies are experiencing rapid development, growing use by Member States (including for
security and counter-terrorism purposes), and the increasing threat of abuse for terrorism purposes, namely:
 the Internet and social media,
 terrorism financing,
 unmanned aerial systems.
COMPREHENSIVE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

• The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) is a proposed treaty which intends
to criminalize all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters
access to funds, arms, and safe havens.
• India proposed this convention in 1996.
• The UN General Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism and the General Assembly Sixth Committee
(Legal) have been undertaking negotiations since 1997.
• Although consensus has not yet been reached for the wording of the comprehensive terrorism convention,
discussions have yielded three separate protocols that aim to tackle terrorism:
 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted on 15 December 1997;

 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted on 9 December

1999;
 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, adopted on 13 April 2005.

• The negotiations of the Comprehensive Terrorism Convention are deadlocked because of differences
over the definition of terrorism.
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Context: The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities)
Amendment Bill, 2022, was passed in Rajya Sabha recently.
Key Details:
• The Bill seeks to amend The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition
of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005, to provide against the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their delivery systems in line with India’s international obligations.
• The 2005 Act prohibited the manufacturing, transport, and transfer of weapons of mass destruction,
and their means of delivery.
About Weapons of Mass Destruction:

• A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is something capable of inflicting mass casualties and/or
destroying or rendering high-value assets.
• While there is no single, authoritative definition of a WMD in international law, the expression is usually
understood to cover nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons.
• According to the United States Department of Homeland Security, “A weapon of mass destruction is a
nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of
people.”
• India’s 2005 WMD Act defines:
 Biological weapons as “microbial or other biological agents, or toxins…of types and in quantities that

have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes; and weapons, equipment or
delivery systems specially designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict”;

 Chemical weapons as:

 Toxic chemicals and their precursors except where used for peaceful, protective, and certain specified

military and law enforcement purposes;
 Munitions and devices specifically designed to cause death or other harm through the toxic properties

of those toxic chemicals;
 Any equipment specifically designed for use in connection with the employment of these munitions

and devices.
Control over the use of WMDs:

• The Geneva Protocol, 1925, banned the use of chemical and biological weapons;
• The Biological Weapons Convention, 1972, and Chemical Weapons Convention, 1992, which put
comprehensive bans on biological and chemical weapons respectively.
• India has signed and ratified both the 1972 and 1992 treaties.
• The use and proliferation of nuclear weapons is regulated by treaties such as Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
MINERALS SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Context: There is a growing concern in the Government over India not finding a place in the Minerals Security
Partnership.
Key Details:
• Minerals Security Partnership is an ambitious new US-led partnership to secure supply chains of critical
minerals, aimed at reducing dependency on China.
• Besides the US, the MSP includes Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
Sweden, United Kingdom, and the European Commission.
• The new grouping could focus on the supply chains of minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and also the
17 “rare earth” minerals.
• This new alliance is seen as being primarily focused on evolving an alternative to China, which has created
processing infrastructure in rare earth minerals and has acquired mines in Africa for elements such as cobalt.
What are Critical Minerals?

• Critical minerals are elements that are the building blocks of essential modern-day technologies and are
at risk of supply chain disruptions.
• These minerals are now used everywhere from making mobile phones, computers to batteries, electric
vehicles and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines.
• Major critical minerals are cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel, etc.
India’s concerns:
• If India is not able to explore and produce these minerals, it will have to depend on a handful of countries,
including China, to power its energy transition plans to electric vehicles
• The reason India would not have found a place in the MSP grouping is because the country does not bring
any expertise to the table.
• In the group, countries like Australia and Canada have reserves and also the technology to extract them,
and countries like Japan have the technology to process REEs.
India’s efforts:
• India has set up KABIL or the Khanij Bidesh India Limited, a joint venture of three public sector companies,
to ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals to the Indian domestic market.
• While KABIL would ensure mineral security of the nation, it would also help in realizing the overall objective
of import substitution.
• Australia’s Critical Minerals Facilitation Office (CMFO) and KABIL had recently signed an MoU aimed at
ensuring reliable supply of critical minerals to India.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
• Cobalt, Nickel and Lithium are required for batteries used in electric vehicles and rare
earth minerals are critical, in trace amounts, in semiconductors and high-end electronics
manufacturing.
Rare earth minerals:
• Rare earth minerals comprise seventeen elements and are classified as light RE elements (LREE)
and heavy RE elements (HREE).
• Some REMs are available in India such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium,
and Samarium, while others such as Dysprosium, Terbium, and Europium that are classified as
HREE are not available in Indian deposits in extractable quantity.
• Hence, there is a dependence on countries such as China for HREE, which is one of the leading
producers of RE with an estimated 70 percent of the global production.
MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATY

Context: India and Italy are finetuning a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) that will help the two countries
obtain formal assistance in an investigation related to criminal cases.
Key Details:
• Though the two countries have held two rounds of negotiation, the final agreement is said to be stuck amid
concerns that maximum punishment for heinous crimes in India is the “death penalty”, which has been
abolished in Italy.
• Earlier, Germany had also refused to sign the MLAT with India on death penalty grounds.
• While India has so far signed MLAT with 45 countries, India and Italy do not have a bilateral agreement on
criminal matters so far.
• The investigating agencies probing the 2013 Agusta Westland chopper scam had to face multiple hurdles
when Italy refused to extradite Carlo Gerosa, one of the three middlemen wanted by the CBI.
• It had contended in 2018 that the extradition could not take place as the two countries did not have an MLAT
or a formal extradition agreement.
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty “MLAT”:

• MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries for the purpose of:
Gathering and exchanging information,
 A mechanism for requesting and obtaining evidence and other forms of legal assistance for criminal
investigations and prosecutions.
• There are bilateral agreements that effectively allow prosecutors to enlist the investigatory authority of
another nation to secure evidence — physical, documentary and testimonial, for use in criminal proceedings
by requesting mutual legal assistance.
• Under an MLA framework, law enforcement in one country (such as India) requests evidence held in
another country (such as the United States) for criminal prosecution, frequently pursuant to an MLAT.
Advantages of MLATs as a mechanism to provide Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA):

• For prosecutors, in a world that is increasingly connected across international boundaries, MLA requests
are steadily becoming more and more important as the number of international criminal prosecutions
increases.
• In this context, MLA is recognised as critical for effective prosecution and deterrence of corrupt practices
and a variety of instruments have been developed in recent years to facilitate international cooperation in this
area.
• MLAT creates an unambiguous and binding obligation to provide assistance at the international level,
making the MLA process both reliable and predictable.
• As such, obligations are imposed on both parties, it gives the requested state a better guarantee of

reciprocity.
• Furthermore, MLAT’s create a privileged relation between two States.
• When the judicial capacity of the requested State is overloaded by MLA requests, priority is generally given
to requests emanating from countries where there is an MLAT.
• Bilateral MLA treaties speed up the MLA process by authorising direct correspondence between judicial
authorities instead of channeling the request through the intermediary of central offices or diplomatic
channels.
ONE YEAR OF TALIBAN 2.0

Context: It is been a year since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul.
Who are the Taliban?

• The terror group Taliban derives its name from the word ‘students’ and they first started to take form in the
1990s in Northern Pakistan, shortly after the Soviets returned from Afghanistan.
• It is a religious group that also goes by the name Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
• As opposed to their predominantly known image, the Taliban actually claim to be aiming to restore peace and
security and enforce their own austere version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power.
• This is not the first time Afghanistan is terrorized by the Taliban.
• Several pieces of literature are proof that Afghans continue to tell the story of the aftermath caused by the
Taliban back in 1996, when they captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, overthrowing the regime of President
Burhanuddin Rabbani.
• Taliban also introduced or supported punishments in line with their strict interpretation of Sharia law such
as public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers, and amputations for those found guilty of theft.
• Men were required to grow beards and women had to wear the all-covering burka.
• More than two decades later today, the Taliban is again seizing vast swathes of territory, threatening to once
again topple a government in Kabul in the wake of a foreign power withdrawing.
• However, in many cases, the Taliban have been able to take over major cities without a fight, as government
forces surrendered to avoid civilian casualties.
Peace agreements:
• Bonn agreement (2001)
 The 2001 Bonn Agreement, signed during the December 2001 Bonn Conference, was widely seen as a

“victor’s peace”, since it excluded the Taliban and was constrained by United States (US) military
aims.
 Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, transitional justice and human rights were seen as

low priorities in the 2001 Bonn peace process.
 The process included iterative steps for broadening inclusivity through a constitutional assembly and

elections.
 Two consequences of the Bonn Agreement were the Taliban insurgency and empowerment of

warlords.
 The exclusion of the Taliban in the Bonn Agreement led to the Taliban insurgency by 2003.

 The peace process also resulted in giving strong positions to warlords with track records of war crimes

and other serious human rights abuses.
 A common causal factor of both the Bonn Agreement itself and the Agreement’s consequences were the

political and military priorities of the United States.
• US–Taliban deal
 Following negotiations between US and Taliban negotiators that had started in Doha in 2018, a US–Taliban

agreement that called for prisoner exchange and the withdrawal of US forces, the US–Taliban deal was
signed.
 The deal led to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the

August 2021 Fall of Kabul to Taliban forces.

Current situation of Afghanistan

• The first time the Taliban took Kabul, in 1996, Afghanistan was in ruins, much of its infrastructure destroyed
by a raging civil war over the previous years.
• Over the last two decades, foreign powers including India helped rebuild:
 roads

 dams

 government offices

 hospitals

 rural infrastructure

 the economy

 education

• In 2021, the Taliban took over a readymade country but administering a nation of 32 million requires capacity
and finances. And the Taliban are short on both.
• The international community has not yet recognised the regime formally, and sanctions, including travel
bans on many Taliban, remain in place.
• Their access to international banking and finances are limited.
• The regime’s two top priorities are getting a grip on the economy and on security.
Economy
• In May, the Taliban presented an annual budget based entirely on domestic revenue.
 It projected an expenditure of 231.4 bn Afghani ($2.6 bn), and a revenue of 186.7 bn Afghani ($2.1 bn).

 No details were given about spending, or how the gap with revenue would be bridged.

• Afghanistan is the heart of Asia and countries in the region that want to trade with each other have to go
through Afghanistan.
 Most of Afghanistan’s revenues are now being raised through customs duties.

 It is also exporting coal to Pakistan.

 The regime is also leasing out small mines to local investors that was generating jobs and helping the

economy.
• The UN’s humanitarian response has helped Afghanistan keep its head above water.
 Until the Taliban banned high school education for girls, the UN was paying teachers’ salaries.

 It was also ensuring that community doctors and other health workers were paid.

 The ICRC is financing the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul.

• In the absence of international banking facilities, UN planes have flown in $1bn in hard cash, including to
fund money transfers to the needy through partner agencies.
• Some International NGOs are even using hawala.
Security
• The regime remains nervous about the Daesh or ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan province), which has carried
out attacks in Kabul with frightening regularity.
 According to the UN, from mid-August 2021 to mid-June 2022, 2,106 people were killed or wounded —

700 were killed — in violence attributed to or claimed by ISKP.
• The killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a Kabul neighbourhood by the US has added to the
Taliban’s insecurity, and most top leaders of the regime immediately left Kabul for Kandahar where their
supreme leader is based
Afghan people & the Taliban regime

• There hasn’t been much change in the Taliban’s attitude towards civil society from the time they last ruled
in Kabul.
• Unlike 20 years ago, outright brutalities, including public executions, have not been reported yet.

• A dress code has been prescribed for both men and women, but it is not strictly implemented.
• The Taliban banned the education of girls beyond class 6 in school, and made it difficult for women to
work.
• The regime has scrapped the constitution promulgated by the previous Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
• The minority communities that the Taliban have targeted, such as the Hazaras and Tajiks, feel more
vulnerable than the majority Pashtun.
• Reports of factionalism, and the reported dissonance between the Haqqanis and the Kandahar core of the
Taliban have fuelled speculation about the possibility of a breakdown and another cycle of civil war.
India’s stand in the current situation

• Afghanistan is possibly the only country in South Asia where people spontaneously declare, that they love
India.
• India has been sending food aid and medicines to the country since December 2021.
• India sees Afghanistan as vital for its strategic interests in the region, including access to Central Asia, and
ensuring that Pakistan is not able to relocate India-focussed terror groups to Afghanistan.
• From 2018 it found itself left out of regional discussions about the country as the Trump Administration and
Taliban, brought to the table by Pakistan, finalised the US exit.
 The Taliban’s proximity to Pakistan ensured that despite advice from its own diplomats, New Delhi was

diffident about reaching out to the group.
 It shut the embassy in Kabul two days after the takeover.

 Within months, as Pakistan and China assumed leadership on discussions about how to engage with the

Taliban, India was the only country in the region with no presence in Afghanistan.
 After months of unofficial contacts, and a couple of official meetings, the Indian Embassy reopened.

• From 2002 to 2021, India spent $4 bn in development assistance in Afghanistan, building high-visibility
projects such as:
 highways,
 hospitals,
 the parliament building,
 rural schools, and
 electricity transmission lines.
 One of the projects that was left incomplete was the Shahtoot Dam, to provide drinking water to 2 mn
residents of Kabul.
INDIA-AFGHANISTAN
Context: The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has asked India to complete the development projects it had started in
that country
Key Details:
• India recently reopened its embassy in Kabul, a year after it was shut down and all personnel evacuated in
the wake of the August 15, 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
• The mission is manned by a director-rank IFS officer, who is the officiating deputy chief of mission, and four
other officials.
• A contingent of ITBP has also been flown over for the security of the embassy.
• India’s development assistance to Afghanistan is estimated to be worth well over $3 billion across 20 years,
including key roads, dams, electricity transmission lines and substations, and schools and hospitals.
Projects across the country:

• Salma Dam:
 Already, there has been fighting in the area where one of India’s high-visibility projects is located — the
42MW Salma Dam in Herat province.

 The hydropower and irrigation project, completed against many odds and inaugurated in 2016, is known
as the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.
• Zaranj-Delaram Highway:
 The other high-profile project was the 218-km Zaranj-Delaram highway built by the Border Roads
Organisation.
 Zaranj is located close to Afghanistan’s border with Iran.

 The $150-million highway goes along the Khash Rud River to Delaram to the northeast of Zaranj, where

it connects to a ring road that links Kandahar in the south, Ghazni and Kabul in the east, Mazar-i-Sharif in
the north, and Herat in the west.
 With Pakistan denying India overland access for trade with Afghanistan, the highway is of strategic

importance to New Delhi, as it provides an alternative route into landlocked Afghanistan through
Iran’s Chabahar port.
• Parliament:
 The Afghan Parliament in Kabul was built by India .

 It was opened in 2015.

 A block in the building is named after former PM AB Vajpayee.

• Stor Palace:
 In 2016, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the restored Stor Palace

in Kabul, originally built in the late 19th century, and which was the setting for the 1919 Rawalpindi
Agreement by which Afghanistan became an independent country.
 In 2009, India, Afghanistan, and the Aga Khan Development Network signed a tripartite agreement for

its restoration.
• Power Infra:
 Other Indian projects in Afghanistan include the rebuilding of power infrastructure such as the 220kV

DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province to the north of Kabul, to beef up
electricity supply to the capital.
 Indian contractors and workers also restored telecommunications infrastructure in many provinces.

• Health Infra:
 India has reconstructed a children’s hospital it had helped build in Kabul in 1972 —named Indira

Gandhi Institute for Child Health in 1985 — that was in a shambles after the war.
 ‘Indian Medical Missions’ have held free consultation camps in several areas.

 Thousands who lost their limbs after stepping on mines left over from the war have been fitted with the

Jaipur Foot.
 India has also built clinics in the border provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar,

Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nooristan, Paktia and Paktika.
• Transportation:
 According to the MEA, India gifted 400 buses and 200 mini-buses for urban transportation, 105 utility

vehicles for municipalities, 285 military vehicles for the Afghan National Army, and 10 ambulances for
public hospitals in five cities.
 It also gave three Air India aircraft to Ariana, the Afghan national carrier, when it was restarting

operations.
Bilateral trade relations:

• Despite the denial of an overland route by Pakistan, India-Afghanistan trade has grown with the establishment
in 2017 of an air freight corridor.
• In 2019-20, bilateral trade crossed $1.3 billion.
• The balance of trade is heavily tilted exports from India are worth approximately $900 million, while
Afghanistan’s exports to India are about $500 million.

Afghan exports are mainly fresh and dried fruit.


Indian exports to Afghanistan include pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, computers and related

materials, cement, and sugar.
• Two air corridors — Kabul-Delhi and Herat-Delhi are in operation now.
• Trade through Chabahar started in 2017 but is restricted by the absence of connectivity from the port to
the Afghan border.
• Trade volumes are minuscule.
NEPAL’S NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW

Context: Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari sent back the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2006 to the Pratinidhi
Sabha (House of Representatives), the lower house of the Nepal Parliament, urging the members to reconsider the Act.
Key details:
• Nepal transitioned into a democracy beginning with the fall of the monarchy in 2006 and the subsequent
election of the Maoist government in 2008.
• The emergence of the multiparty system was followed by the adoption of a constitution on September 20,
2015.
• All Nepalese citizens born before this date got their children remained without citizenship naturalised
citizenship.
• But as that was to be guided by a federal law that has not yet been framed.
• This amendment Act is expected to pave the way to citizenship for many such stateless youth as well as their
parents.
• The main criticism against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2006 is that it goes against established
parameters of gender justice.
• A cursory reading also reveals contradictions among various sections of the law.
• Refusal to sign the Act has drawn attention to certain sections in the constitution that thrust greater
responsibility on women.
UNITED NATIONS MILITARY OBSERVER GROUP IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

Context: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios
of Argentina as the Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in
India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
Key Details
• UNMOGIP emerged from UN Security Council Resolution 39 of January 1948 that set up the UN Commission
for India and Pakistan (UNCIP).
• The Karachi Agreement of July 1949 firmed up the role of UN-level military observers and permitted
supervision of the Ceasefire Line established in Jammu and Kashmir.
• India officially maintains that the UNMOGIP’s role was overtaken by the Simla Agreement of 1972 that
established the Line of Control or the LoC which with minor deviations followed the earlier Ceasefire Line.
• Pakistan, however, did not accept the Indian argument and continued to seek cooperation from the
UNMOGIP.
• As a result of this divergent policies, Pakistan continues to lodge complaints with the UNMOGIP against
alleged Indian ceasefire violations whereas India has not officially gone to the UNMOGIP since 1972 with
complaints against Pakistan.
• In view of the difference of opinion between India and Pakistan, the UN has maintained that the UNMOGIP
could be dissolved only with a decision from the UN Security Council.

THE TIGRAY CRISIS
Context: Recently, The World Health Organization’s director-general suggested that racism is behind a lack of
international attention and interest in Ethiopia’s war-stricken northern Tigray region, where millions of civilians
are living in dire conditions.
The conflict in Tigray

• While there have been tensions in the regions for
nearly 3 decades, it escalated a couple of years ago,
when leaders in Tigray held local elections in
defiance of the Ethiopian government.
 These elections were considered illegal by the

federal government, further leading to conflict
with Tigray authorities.
• In November 2020 a military offensive was ordered

in the northern region of Tigray.
• The government claimed that the rebels known as the

Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TLPF), a former
ruling party in Ethiopia designated as a terrorist
organization by the Ethiopian government, had
attacked its army bases.
 The conflict was a result of months of

disagreements between the Abiy government
and political leaders in Tigray, who were
opposing reforms pursued by the federal
government.
The current humanitarian situation

• According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
• Food security is expected to worsen in Tigray
• The humanitarian situation had significantly deteriorated in the region in 2022, exacerbated by prolonged
drought.
• The COVID-19 vaccination campaign faced several difficulties including:
 intermittent power outage affecting cold-chain maintenance,
 lack of fuel,
 limited communication and internet access
 difficulty locating IDPs in host communities,
 low partners’ participation.
POLITICAL CRISIS IN IRAQ
Context: A bitter power struggle between the country’s dominant Shia parties have plunged the country into a
deepening crisis, leading to the current violence.

What triggered the political crisis?

• The Iraqi Constitution requires a new Parliament to
pick a President first, who then should ask the largest
parliamentary bloc to nominate someone for the
post of Prime Minister.
• The PM nominee should then form a government
and get parliamentary approval.
• For the Presidential election to take place, two-
thirds of the representatives should be present in
the House.
• The subsequent Presidential votes failed to go
through as the quorum was not met as different blocs
boycotted parliament sessions. Therefore, without
a new President, a new government could not be
formed.
• According to Iraq’s electoral laws, if a parliamentary seat becomes vacant, it will be filled by the candidate
who receives the second-highest number of votes in their electoral district.
• The Coordination Framework took advantage of the resignation of the Sadrist lawmakers and got them
replaced by those who finished second.
• In the new parliamentary make-up, the Coordination Framework became the largest bloc and they went
ahead with plans to form their government.
INDIA-BANGLADESH RIVER WATER SHARING
Context: India and Bangladesh discussed a wide range of issues related to the major common rivers such as the Ganga,
Teesta and several smaller rivers during the 38th meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC).
Ganga Water Sharing Treaty 1996

• The bilateral treaty was signed by India and Bangladesh on 12 December 1996 in New Delhi.
• The treaty established a 30-year water-sharing arrangement and recognised Bangladesh’s rights as a
lower-level riparian
• The treaty also permits the construction of barrages and irrigation projects in Kushtia and the Gorai-
Madhumati River in Bangladesh.
• The treaty provides for the setting up of a joint committee consisting of representatives nominated by the
two Governments in equal numbers.
 The Joint Committee shall set up suitable teams at Farakka and Hardinge Barrage.

 The Joint Committee shall submit to the two Governments all data collected by it and shall also submit a

yearly report to both the Governments.
 It shall be responsible for implementing the arrangements contained in this Treaty and examining any

difficulty arising out of the implementation of the above arrangements and of the operation of Farakka
Barrage.
 Any difference or dispute arising in this regard, if not resolved by the Joint Committee, shall be referred

to the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission.
 If the difference or dispute still remains unresolved, it shall be referred to the two Governments.

• The sharing arrangement under this Treaty shall be reviewed by the two Governments at five years’ interval
or earlier, as required by either party and needed adjustments.

It would be open to either party to seek the first review after two years to assess the impact and working

of the sharing arrangement as contained in this Treaty.
• India shall release downstream of Farakka Barrage, water at a rate not less than 90% (ninety per cent) of
Bangladesh’s share, until such time as mutually agreed flows are decided upon.
Sharing Teesta River water

• The Teesta river originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal to merge with the
Brahmaputra in Assam and (Jamuna in Bangladesh).
• The river covers nearly the entire floodplains of Sikkim, while draining 2,800 sq km of Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh has sought an “equitable” distribution of Teesta waters from India, on the lines of the Ganga
Water Treaty of 1996, but to no avail.
• Following a half-hearted deal in 1983, when nearly equal division of water was proposed, the countries hit a
roadblock.
• The transient agreement could not be implemented.
• Many of the glaciers on the Teesta basin have retreated
• Estimates suggested that the Teesta river has a mean annual flow of approximately 60 billion cubic metre
(BCM).
• A significant amount of this water flows during the wet season, between June and September.
• The importance of the flow and the seasonal variation of this river is felt during the lean season (from October
to April/May) as the average flow is about 500 million cubic metre (MCM) per month.
• Consequently, there are floods during monsoons and droughts during the dry periods.
• The West Bengal Chief Minister opposed an arrangement in 2011, by which India would get 42.5% and
Bangladesh 37.5% of the water during the lean season, and the plan was shelved.
India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade Committee

• India and Mauritius held the 1st session of India-Mauritius High-Powered Joint Trade Committee recently in
New Delhi.
• The High-Powered Joint Trade Committee had been constituted as per the mandate of the India-Mauritius
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership agreement (CECPA), to review the general
functioning and implementation of the India-Mauritius CECPA which entered into force on 1st April, 2021.
• CECPA is the first trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa.
• Both sides agreed to the inclusion of the General Economic Cooperation (GEC) Chapter and Automatic
Trigger Safeguard Mechanism (ATSM) in CECPA.
• The GEC chapter will enable enhancement of export competitiveness and enlarging the existing scope for
collaboration in various fields like Investments, Financial Services, Textile, Small and Medium Enterprises,
Handicrafts, Gems and Jewellery, etc.
SOLOMON ISLANDS BLOCKED FOREIGN NAVY VESSELS
Context: Recently, the Solomon Islands has temporarily halted all naval visits.
Key details of the Issue

• Earlier this month (August 2022), the Solomon Islands refused access to US and UK ships to its ports.
• The country’s move is a departure from the norm and raises concerns about China’s growing influence in the
country and the region at large.
• Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands established a security agreement with China, saying it needed China’s
assistance with its domestic security situation.

 The announcement had rattled the US, Australia and others in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The concerns were that the agreement could potentially lead to a Chinese military base on the island nation,
and the power-projection capabilities the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would gain as a result.
• The Solomon Islands said that US and UK ships had failed to be granted approvals in time because of a delay
in paperwork.
About Solomon Islands

• It is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller
islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
• Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal.
• The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a
collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands
(a part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes outlying islands, such as the Santa
Cruz Islands and Rennell and Bellona.
INDIA BEGINS COOPERATION WITH COMBINED MARITIME FORCES

Context: Recently, India formally commenced cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined
Maritime Forces (CMF).
What is CMF-B?
• Established in 2001 with only 12
members, the coalition — then called
the Combined Maritime Forces
(CMF)-Bahrain was formed as a
coalition of regional and international
like-minded partners to counter the
threat of international terrorism and
uphold the international rules-based
order.
• CMF is Commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice
Admiral, who also serves as Commander
US Naval Forces Central Command
(NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet.
• Today, the CMF-B is primarily tasked
with ensuring stability and security
across 3.2 million square miles of
international waters by acting against
illegal non-state actors operating in
vital sea lines of communication.
• Its scope has expanded from just
counterterrorism to counternarcotics, countersmuggling operations, and suppressing piracy.
• The coalition is headquartered in Bahrain.
• Other Asian members:
 Pakistan,
 The Philippines,
 Seychelles,
 Singapore
 Malaysia.
• Participation in the CMF-B is voluntary and it’s mandated neither by a political agreement nor a military one.
• As an associate member, India will reportedly not get command of the task forces’ and will also have a
limited say in planning operations.

Exercise Pitch Black 2022

• An Indian Air Force contingent has reached Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 in
Darwin.
• This is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• It will focus on Large Force Employment warfare.
• The last edition was conducted in 2018.
• The 2020 edition of the exercise was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Participating nations: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, US and UK.
• Germany, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will be participating fully for the first time.
EXERCISE VAJRA PRAHAR

Context: The 13th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “Ex Vajra Prahar 2022” commenced at the
Special Forces Training School (SFTS), Bakloh (HP).
About Exercise Vajra Prahar:

• The joint military exercise Vajra Prahar between India and the US started off in 2010.
• ‘Vajra Prahar’ is a Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US.
• Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important facet of deepening bilateral defence
cooperation between friendly countries.
• Armies of participating nations jointly train, plan and execute a series of operations for neutralisation of
threats of varied nature with a common aim of countering threats of international terrorism through mutual
training and jointness.
• Other Indo-US exercises:
• Army exercises:
 Ex Yudhabhayas,
 Ex Vajra Prahar
• Navy Exercise:
 Malabar (Multilateral)
 RIMPAC (Multilateral)
• Air Force:
 Ex Red Flag.
INDO-FRENCH EXERCISE
Context: Indian and French Navies Exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.
Key Details:
• INS Tarkash, on her long-range overseas deployment, conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX)
with French Naval Ships in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Replenishment at sea was exercised between Tarkash and the French Fleet Tanker FNS Somme.
• INS Tarkash is part of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy.
• This was followed by joint air operations with the maritime surveillance aircraft Falcon 50 participating in
multiple simulated missile engagements and air defence drills.
Other Exercises between India and France:

• Shakti Exercise is a bilateral exercise between the armies of India and France.
• Garuda Exercise is a bilateral exercise between the air forces of India and France.

EXERCISE VINBAX 2022

• Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise VINBAX 2022 concluded at Chandimandir recently.
• It ended with an impressive display of Multi Agency Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Relief (HADR)
demonstration and an equipment display showcasing the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
• The exercise was focused on deployment of Army Engineer and Medical teams in UN Peacekeeping
operations.
• What made the exercise unique was the fact that it was the first time ever that the Vietnam People’s Army
(VPA) was undertaking a Field Training Exercise with any foreign Army.
• Vietnam has deployed a contingent in UN peacekeeping operations for the first time in South Sudan while
India has a long and rich tradition of contributing to UN peacekeeping operations.
• The final validation exercise nicknamed ‘Men in Blue’ was built around the setting up of a base in a remote
African location faced with myriad challenges.
• The next edition of VINBAX will be hosted in Vietnam in 2023.
WHAT IS THE U.N. PEACEKEEPING MISSION?

• The U.N. Peacekeeping mission is a joint effort between the Department of Peace Operations
and the Department of Operational Support, and aims to assist host countries to transition from
situations of conflict to peace.
• The U.N. began its Peacekeeping efforts in 1948 when it deployed military observers to West Asia.
• U.N. Peacekeepers provide security as well as political and peacebuilding support to conflict-
ridden countries.
• The three basic principles that guide U.N.’s Peacekeeping missions are:
 Consent of the parties,
 Impartiality,
 Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
EXERCISE AL NAJAF IV
Context: The Indo Oman Joint Military Exercise Al Najaf IV concluded at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges recently.
Key Details:
• The aim of the exercise was to achieve inter-operability and to acquaint each other with operational
procedures and combat drills in a Counter Terrorism environment under United Nations mandate.
• The Indian contingent was from 18th Battalion of Mechanised Infantry Regiment and the Royal Army of
Oman contingent was represented by Sultan of Oman Parachute Regiment.
• The exercise was conducted in three phases:
 The first phase was orientation & familiarisation with weapon, equipment and tactical drills of each

other by the participating contingents.
 The second phase was combat conditioning, formulation of joint drills and putting them into practice.

 The last phase was a 48 hours validation exercise of key drills and concepts learnt during the first two

phases.
• The exercise also included effective employment of indigenous Advance Light Helicopter ‘Dhruv’, drones
and various new generation technologies
    

DEFENCE & SECURITY

INS VIKRANT
Context: The Indian Navy recently took delivery of INS Vikrant, the nation’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier
from its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
Historical Background:
• INS Vikrant was India’s first aircraft carrier, which it acquired from the United Kingdom in 1961.
• It played a key role in the 1971 war with Pakistan which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Key details about aircraft carrier INS Vikrant:

• The INS Vikrant – the 44,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) – is the first to be designed and
constructed in India.
 An aircraft carrier is an airfield at sea – a warship with a long, flat deck for fighter jets to take off and

land.
 Often it is the flagship that leads a battle group and is escorted by destroyers, frigates, and submarines to

shield it from any attack.
• After its induction, the warship will be a key component of the Indian Navy’s push to establish itself as a “blue
water” force, one with the ability to project its power on distant seas.
• It is especially important amid India’s bid to be a net security provider in the Indian Ocean region where it
faces China, whose navy, is focused on aircraft carriers.
• Construction of the vessel began in 2009 at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL).
BLUE WATER FORCE:

• A Blue Water Navy/force is one that has the capacity to project itself over a much bigger maritime area
than its maritime borders.
• It is a Navy that can go into the vast, deep oceans of the world.
• However, while most navies have the capacity to send ships into the deep oceans, a Blue Water Force is able
to carry out operations far from its borders, without being required to return to its home port to
refuel or re-stock.

• Indigenous:
 According to the Centre, over 76 per cent of the material and equipment on board IAC-1 is indigenous,

including 21,500 tonnes of special grade steel developed indigenously and used in Indian Naval Ships for
the first time.
 Over 50 Indian manufacturers were directly involved in the project, which is a result of the labours

of more than 40,000 people who were employed directly or indirectly in its construction.
 More than three-fourths of the total project cost has been ploughed back into the Indian economy.

MIG-21 BISON AIRCRAFT

Context: A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan recently.
About MiG-21
• The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 21 is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor
aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet
Union.
• The Russian-origin MiG-21 Bison is one of India’s six fighter jets.
• It is a single engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack
aircraft which forms the backbone of the IAF.
• It has a maximum speed of 2230 km/hr (Mach 2.1) and carries one
23mm twin barrel cannon with four R-60 close combat missiles.
• Approximately 60 countries on four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations six
decades after its maiden flight.
• India inducted the MiG-21 in 1963 and got full technology transfer and rights to license-build the aircraft in
the country.
 The supersonic MiG-21 was initially developed as an interceptor but was later upgraded to perform
other functions of a combat aircraft, including ground attacks, owing to various reasons but primarily a
crunch of funds.
 Since the 1950s, the MiG-21s have come out with nearly a dozen variants, of which the IAF squadrons
have comprised several — including Type-77, Type-96, and the BIS.
• The Bison is the latest upgrade.
 Since 2006, over 100 MiG-21s of the IAF have been upgraded to Bison.
• The IAF is expected to phase out the MiG-21 Bison by 2022 when the aircrafts reach the end of their lifetime.

Present fighter strength of the IAF

• In the last few years, the IAF has inducted two squadrons of
the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and two
squadrons of Rafale fighter jets procured from France which
pushed the squadron strength to 32.
• In January 2021, the IAF had signed a contract with Hindustan

Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 83 of the more advanced LCA
MK-1A which it will start receiving from early 2024 onwards.
• Along with that the to-be-acquired 114 Multi-Role Fighter

Aircraft (MRFA) will help arrest the drawdown.
• A larger and even more capable LCA-MK2 as well as the fifth

generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) are
under development.
MILITARY EX AL NAJAH-IV
Context: India and Oman will carry out a 13-day military exercise
with a focus on counter-terror cooperation.
Key Details:
• This is the fourth edition of India-Oman joint military exercise ‘AL NAJAH-IV’ between contingents of
Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman.
• The previous edition of the exercise was organised in Muscat in March 2019.
• The joint exercise would focus on Counter Terrorism Operations, Regional Security Operations and Peace
Keeping Operations under United Nations charter apart from organising joint physical training schedules,
tactical drills, techniques and procedures.
Note:Naseem-Al-Bahr (Sea Breeze) is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of
Oman, being conducted since 1993.

PITCH BLACK EXERCISE

Context: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will join 16 other nations, including Quad partners for Exercise Pitch Black, the
biennial exercise hosted by the Australian Air Force.
Key Details:
• Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial warfare exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• The exercise is normally held in Northern Australia, primarily at RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal.
• The aim of the exercise is to practice Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and Defensive Counter Air (DCA)
combat, in a simulated war environment.
• It traditionally consists of a ‘red team’ and a ‘blue team’ based at separate locations, with one attacking the
other.
• The first Pitch Black exercises took place in 1981 between different RAAF units.
• The Indian Air Force took part in the exercise for the first time in 2018.
INS SUMEDHA
Context: As part of the Indian Navy’s Long-Range Deployment in the South Eastern Indian Ocean, INS Sumedha, is on
a visit to Port Tanjung Benoa, Bali.
About the Ship:

• INS Sumedha (P58) is the third Saryu class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, designed and constructed
indigenously by the Goa Shipyard Limited.
• It is designed to:
 Undertake fleet support operations,
 Coastal and offshore patrolling,
 Ocean surveillance and monitoring of sea lines of communications and offshore assets
 Escort duties.
 It was launched at Goa Shipyard in 2011 and was handed over to the Indian Navy in 2014.
 She is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam.
DRDO, INDIAN NAVY TEST INDIGENOUS MISSILE

Context: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy successfully flight-tested
the indigenously developed Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test
Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
What is VL-SRSAM?
• VL-SRSAM has been designed and developed jointly by three facilities of the Defence Research and
Development Organisation for deployment of Indian Naval warships.
• The missile has the capability of neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming
targets.
• The tactic of sea skimming is used by various anti-ship missiles and some fighter jets to avoid being detected
by the radars onboard warships.
• For this, these assets fly as close as possible to sea surface and thus are difficult to detect and neutralise.
• Design of VL-SRSAM:
 The missile has been designed to strike at the high-speed airborne targets at the range of 40 to 50 km

and at an altitude of around 15 km.

 Its design is based on Astra missile which is a Beyond Visual Range Air to Air missile.
• • Two key features of the VL-SRSAM are cruciform wings and thrust vectoring.
 The cruciform wings are four small wings arranged like a cross on four sides and give the projective a

stable aerodynamic posture.
 The thrust vectoring is an ability to change the direction of the thrust from its engine control the angular

velocity and the attitude of the missile.
• The key DRDO facilities that contributed to the development of the system are:
 Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad

 Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad

 Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) based in Pune.

• VL-SRSAM is a canisterised system, which means it is stored and operated from specially designed
compartments.
 In the canister, the inside environment is controlled, thus making its transport and storage easier and

improving the shelf life of weapons
EXERCISE UDARASHAKTI
Context: Recently, a contingent of the Indian Air Force participated in a bilateral exercise named ‘Udarashakti’.
Key Details:
• Indian Air Force is participating in the air exercise with Su-30 MKI and C-17 aircraft while the RMAF will be
flying Su 30 MKM aircraft.
• The exercise will give an opportunity to IAF contingent members to share and learn best practices with some
of the best professionals from RMAF, while also discussing mutual combat capabilities.
• Ex Udarashakti will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence
cooperation between the two Air Forces, thereby augmenting security in the region.
WHAT IS A NAVAL ENSIGN?
Context: The Prime Minister of India will unveil the new naval ensign (flag) for the Indian Navy.
Key Details
• The new naval ensign will replace the present ensign that carries
the Saint George’s Cross with the Tricolour in the canton (top left
corner of flag).
 This ensign is essentially a successor to the pre-Independence
ensign of the Indian Navy which had the red George’s Cross on
a white background with the Union Jack of the United Kingdom
on the top left corner.
What is the Saint George’s Cross?

• The red cross on white background is known as the Saint George’s Cross and is named after a Christian
Warrior Saint who is believed to have been a crusader during the third crusade.
• This cross also serves as the flag of England which is a constituent of the United Kingdom.
• The flag was adopted by England and the city of London in 1190 to identify English ships entering the
Mediterranean.
• The Royal Navy adopted the George’s Cross to fly on their ships in various shapes and forms and the present
pattern of the British White Ensign (as it is known) was adopted around 1707.
COUNTRIES WHICH DISCARDED GEORGE’S CROSS AS NAVAL ENSIGN

• The Royal Canadian Navy adopted a new design in 2013 which has the Canadian flag in top left corner
and the Canadian naval crest on a white background.
• The Australian navy changed its ensign in 1967 and it now has the Union Jack and six blue stars positioned,
as in the Australian national flag, on a white background.
• The New Zealand navy also did away with the George’s Cross in 1968 and replaced it with a white flag
bearing Union Jack in top left corner and four red stars.
• The South African naval ensign has a green cross instead of the Red George’s Cross.
• Pakistan navy has its naval crest on the ensign while Bangladesh navy has a white flag with Bangladesh
national flag in top left corner.
    

SOCIAL ISSUES
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Context: Three private school teachers in Pune have been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act over allegedly
thrashing three Class 10 students, and threatening to grade them poorly in internal assessments.
What is corporal punishment?
• Corporal punishment means punishment that is physical in nature.
• While there is no statutory definition of ‘corporal punishment’ targeting children

in the Indian law, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education
(RTE) Act, 2009 prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’
under Section 17(1) and makes it a punishable offence under Section 17(2).
• According to the Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools issued by the National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), physical punishment is understood as any action
that causes pain, hurt/injury and discomfort to a child, however light. Examples include:
 Hitting, kicking, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling the hair, boxing ears, smacking, slapping, spanking,
hitting with any implement (cane, stick, shoe, chalk, dusters, belt, whip), giving electric shock and so on.
 It includes making children assume an uncomfortable position (standing on bench, standing against

the wall in a chair-like position, standing with school bag on head, holding ears through legs, kneeling,
forced ingestion of anything, detention in the classroom, library, toilet or any closed space in the school.
• Mental harassment, meanwhile, is understood as any non-physical treatment that is detrimental to the
academic and psychological well-being of a child including:
 Sarcasm, calling names and scolding using humiliating adjectives, intimidation, using derogatory remarks

for the child, ridiculing or belittling a child, shaming the child, and more.
Provisions under the law against such punishment

• Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act prescribes punishment for cruelty to children:
 Whenever a child is assaulted, abused, exposed, or neglected in child care, the punishment would be

rigorous imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.
 If the child is physically incapacitated or develops a mental illness or is rendered mentally unfit to

perform regular tasks or has a risk to life or limb, then imprisonment may extend up to ten years.
 Section 23 applies to cruelty by anyone in a position of authority over a child, which would include
parents, guardians, teachers, and employers.
• The RTE Act does not preclude the application of other legislation that relates to the violations of the
rights of the child, for example, booking the offenses under the IPC and the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities
Act of 1989.
• In theory, corporal punishment is covered by all the provisions under Indian law that punish perpetrators
of physical harm.
NCPCR guidelines:
• The NCPCR guidelines for eliminating corporal punishment against children require every school to develop
a mechanism and frame clear-cut protocols to address the grievances of students.
• Drop boxes are to be placed where the aggrieved person may drop his complaint and anonymity is to be
maintained to protect privacy.
• Every school has to constitute a ‘Corporal Punishment Monitoring Cell’ consisting of two teachers, two
parents, one doctor, one lawyer (nominated by DLSA), a counselor, an independent child rights activist of that
area, and two senior students from that school.
 This CPMC shall look into complaints of corporal punishments.
Who is entrusted with the responsibility to ensure children are protected?
• While a parent or caregiver can take the protection of the IPC and the JJ Act to file a police complaint in
cases of corporal punishment, there are relevant authorities earmarked to ensure the protection of children in
schools.
• Under Section 31 of the RTE Act, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the
State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) have been entrusted with the task of monitoring
children’s right to education.
• The state governments under their RTE rules have also notified block/district level grievance redressal
agencies under the RTE Act.
SALIENT FEATURES OF NEP, 2020

Context: The Ministry of Education briefed the Lok Sabha on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

GENDER GAPS IN FOOD

Context: A CARE report released recently highlighted a global link between gender inequality and food insecurity.
Key Details:
• It found that food security went down as
gender inequality increased across 109
countries.
• A 2010-2011 report by Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) — a
United Nations agency for improving food
security internationally — was one of the
last global studies that presented new
data and connections between gender
equality, women and food on a truly global
scale.
• According to the State of Food Security
and Nutrition in the World, 2022 report:
 Women have less food than men in every region in the world.

 The gap between women and men was 8.4 times greater than in 2018, when only 18 million more women

than men were food insecure.
 Gender equality is highly connected to food and nutrition security at a local, national, and global level

 Even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens

 Nations with high gender inequality, such as Yemen, Sierra Leone and Chad, experienced the lowest

food security and nutrition.
 Households where women were employed and earning money or when they were directly involved in

farming their food were less likely to experience food insecurity.
• According to World Food Program USA (Food Assistance branch of the UN):
 Women are also more likely than men to live in extreme poverty.

 This happens because women’s work is underpaid or not paid at all.

 Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, women took on three times as much unpaid work as men.

• According to 2020 report by CARE – Left Out and Left Behind:
 Women face incredible obstacles even more than men in getting enough food during emergencies.

 COVID-19, which has led to food crises and a rollback in women’s rights and gender equality, has

created an untenable situation for women.
Way forward:
• Women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), but also
integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.
• All the SDGs depend on the achievement of Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and
girls.
• Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still
curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres.
Additional information:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food
to lead active, healthy lives.
• With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
• Its headquarters is in Rome, Italy.

MORE MUSLIM WOMEN ARE OPTING FOR ‘KHHULA’

Context: More Muslim marriages are ending their marriages with khhula, the woman’s inalienable right to instant
divorce.
Key Details
• Data available at the Imarat-e-Shariah’s
TALAQ-E-BIDDAT
Darul Qaza or Islamic arbitration
centres show most cases of divorce are If a man belonging to the religion of Islam pronounces talaq
filed through the khhula method, and an thrice either orally or in written form to his wife, then the
increasingly larger number of women are divorce is considered immediate and irrevocable.
opting to end their marriage through khhula.
The only way to reconcile the marriage is through the
 Unlike talaq, which is pronounced
practice of nikah halala, which requires the woman to get
by the man, in the case of khhula, it’s remarried, consummate the second marriage, get divorced,
the woman who initiates divorce, observe the three-month iddat period and return to her
and surrenders her mehr (wealth husband.
transferred or promised to the
woman at the time of marriage) at
the time of such a divorce.
• Khhula can be affected orally or through a document called the Khhulnama.
 It has the effect of an instant divorce.

• Cases of talaq-e-biddat are automatically ruled out due to the very nature of the act.
INSTANT TRIPLE TALAQ

On 22 August 2017, the Indian Supreme Court (Shayara Bano v. Union of India & Others Case) deemed instant
triple talaq (talaq-e-biddah) unconstitutional.
Three of India’s neighbouring countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — are among the 23 countries
worldwide that have banned triple talaq.
 On 30 July 2019, the Parliament of India declared the practice of Triple Talaq illegal and

unconstitutional and made it a punishable act from 1 August 2019.
• There are few cases coming to the Islamic arbitration centres of women complaining against cases of talaq-e-
hassan, the pronouncement of three divorces separated by at least a month between each pronouncement,
or even mubarat, which is mutual divorce granted to a Muslim couple by the Shariah.
• Across the country, Darul Qazas provide timely and cost-effective ways to end unhappy marriages.
SEX RATIO AT BIRTH NORMALISES SLIGHTLY

Context: The latest study by the Pew Research Center has pointed out that son bias is on the decline in India as the
average annual number of baby girls missing in the country fell from 480,000 (4.8 lakh) in 2010 to 410,000 (4.1 lakh)
in 2019.
Key Details:
• The “missing” refers to how many more female births would have occurred during this time if there were
no female-selective abortions.
• The problem began in the 1970s with the availability prenatal diagnostic technology allowing for sex
selective abortions.
• Among the major religions, the biggest reduction in sex selection seems to be among the groups that
previously had the greatest gender imbalances, particularly among Sikhs.
• The world over, boys modestly outnumber girls at birth, at a ratio of approximately 105 male babies for
every 100 female babies.
• That was the ratio in India in the 1950s and 1960s, before prenatal sex tests became available across the
country.

• India legalised abortion in 1971, but the trend of sex selection started picking up in the 1980s due to the
introduction of ultrasound scan technology.
• In the 1970s, India’s sex ratio was at par with the global average of 105-100, but this widened to 108 boys
per 100 girls in the early 1980s, and reached 110 boys per 100 girls in the 1990s.
• From a large imbalance of about 111 boys per 100 girls in India’s 2011 census, the sex ratio at birth appears
to have normalised slightly over the last decade, narrowing to about 109 in the 2015-16 wave of the
National Family Health Survey and to 108 boys in the latest wave of the NFHS, conducted from 2019-21.
• The Pew Research Center report points out that between 2000 and 2019, nine crore female births went
“missing” because of female-selective abortions.
• The report has also analysed religion-wise sex selection, pointing out that the gap was the highest for
Sikhs.
 In the 2001 census, Sikhs had a sex ratio at birth of 130 males per 100 females, far exceeding that year’s

national average of 110.
 By the 2011 census, the Sikh ratio had narrowed to 121 boys per 100 girls.

 It now hovers around 110, about the same as the ratio of males to females at birth among the country’s

Hindu majority (109).
• Both Christians (105 boys to 100 girls) and Muslims (106 boys to 100 girls) have sex ratios close to the
natural norm, and this trend is holding.
• The study points out that while the Sikhs make up less than 2% of the Indian population, they accounted for
an estimated 5%, or approximately 440,000 (4.4 lakh), of the nine crore baby girls who went “missing” in
India between 2000 and 2019.
• The share of missing girls among Hindus is above their respective population share.
SEX RATIO
• Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per
1000 males in a given population.
• In a society that has males and females equal in
number, the sex ratio is 1:1 or 1000 females for every
1000 males.
• According to recently released NFHS-5 on population
and health indicators, there are 1,020 women for 1,000
men, an improvement over the last round of survey.
• Sex ratio at birth improved from 919 in NFHS-4 to
929 in NFHS-5.
TRANSGENDER PILOTS
Context: The aviation safety regulator has for the first time framed new medical guidelines that allow transgender
persons who have completed gender transition therapy or surgery to be declared fit to fly.
Key Details:
• An ongoing hormone therapy will also not be a ground for disqualification.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines for aeromedical evaluation of
transgender persons for obtaining medical clearance for all categories of pilot’s licence:
 Private pilot’s licence,

 Student pilot licence,

 Commercial pilot licence.

• The guidelines say that candidates who have completed their hormone therapy and gender affirmation
surgery more than five years ago will be declared medically fit provided they clear screening for mental
health in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

• If transgender applicants have completed the treatment within the past five years, they will have to
undergo a psychological and psychiatric evaluation apart from providing a detailed report from their
treating endocrinologist as well as a report from the surgeon, if there has been a surgery within the past
year.
• After an evaluation of these submissions, applicants can be declared fit.
• Where candidates are on life-long hormone therapy, they will be considered fit if they have reached a stable
dose.
• Where an aspirant has only recently started hormone treatment or has seen a change in the dose being
administered, the person will be declared unfit for three months following which a review can be sought.
Limitations:
• However, transgender pilots “may” have some limitations imposed such as:
 Being allowed to only fly as first officers (junior pilots) or,

 When they are flying as pilot-in-command their co-pilot has to have 250 hours of flying on that particular

type of aircraft or,
 The co-pilot has to be a senior captain who is a trainer.

TALAQ-E-HASAN
Context: The Supreme Court prima facie observed that the Muslim personal law practice of talaq-e-hasan is not so
improper.
Key Details:
• Talaq-e-hasan is a form of divorce by which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq once
every month over a three-month period.
• A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said a Muslim woman has the option to divorce by the process
of khula by returning the dower (mahr) or something else that she received from her husband or without
returning anything, as agreed by the spouses or Qadi’s (court) decree depending on the circumstances.
• The court’s remarks came while hearing a petition filed by journalist Benazeer Heena, represented by
senior advocate Pinky Anand and advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey.
• The petitioner argued that talaq-e-hasan and other forms of unilateral extrajudicial talaq is an evil
plague similar to sati.
• The petitioner argued that the practice in question was “neither harmonious with the modern principles
of human rights and gender equality nor an integral part of Islamic faith”.
What is Talaq-e-Hasan?
• Talaq-e-Hasan is an extra-judicial form of divorce prescribed in Islam that only men can practice.
• It is a revocable form of divorce under Muslim personal laws.
• These are traditional form of divorce as approved by Prophet Mohammad and are valid according to all
schools of Muslim law.
• This form of divorce allows a man to pronounce divorce on his wife in three turns.
• There has to be a gap of one month between the three pronouncements.
• The duration of these three consecutive talaqs is called the period of abstinence. The duration of abstinence or
‘iddat’ is 90 days or three menstrual cycles or three lunar months.
• If the couple starts cohabitation or intimacy during the period of abstinence, then the divorce is assumed to
be revoked.
• The idea behind introducing this form of talaq was so that the evil of divorce doesn’t become final at once.
If the practice of triple talaq was declared unconstitutional in 2017, why is it being challenged again?
• In 2017, the Supreme Court declared Talaq-e-Biddat unconstitutional in the case of Shayara Bano v Union
of India.
 It is the form of divorce where the man pronounces divorce three times in one sitting and the marriage

between the two parties comes to an end.
 This form of divorce was declared unconstitutional in 2017 by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court

with a ratio of 3:2.
 It was declared unconstitutional on grounds of being arbitrary and against the Quran. The majority

held that the practice of was not covered by the Quran and therefore could not be protected under Article
25.
• The form of talaq that is under challenge today is Talaq-e-Hasan, which requires the man to pronounce
divorce in three turns and there has to be a gap of at least one month between each turn.
TALAQ-E-TAFWEEZ
• Under Talaq-e-Tafweez, the husband vests his power to divorce in his wife, thereby effectively ruling out
hasty or instant talaq.
• Talaq means to divorce and Tafwid or Tafweez means to delegate.
• In Islam a husband can delegate the right of divorce to his wife or any third person.
• This delegated divorce is known as Talaq-e-Tafweez also spelt as Talaq-i-Tafwid.
• This delegation can be made at the time of marriage by way of a prenuptial agreement, with or without
conditions.
• This delegation (Tafwid) can be made either before or after the marriage.
• Through this delegated divorce generally inserted in as a prenuptial clause in the marriage contract or
Nikahnama gets the right of pronouncing divorce upon herself.
• By delegated divorce it does not mean that the woman will give divorce to her husband. Instead it means that
she has the delegated right of pronouncing Talaq upon herself.
SEED SCHEME
Context: The Union Social Justice Ministry is receiving online applications from across the country to avail benefits
under Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified/Nomadic/SemiNomadic (SEED) communities.
Objectives Of The Scheme

• To provide coaching of good quality for DNT/NT/SNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive
examinations.
• To provide health insurance to DNT/NT/SNT Communities
 The primary objective is to provide financial assistance to National Health Authority (NHA) in
association with State Health Agencies (SHAs) for undertaking providing a health insurance cover of
Rs.5 lakhs per family per year to DNT, NT and SNT families as per norms of “Ayushman Bharat Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• To facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/
SNT Communities institutions
 Its primary objective is to provide financial assistance to National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)

for undertaking institution building in association with State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) of state
Governments/UTs at community level.
• To provide financial assistance for construction of houses to members of the DNT/NT/SNT Communities.
• It has been proposed to earmark a separate outlay for PMAY to support specific importance in providing
houses only for DNTs living in rural areas who have not taken benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
as SC, ST, OBC and are living below poverty line.
Implementation of the Scheme

• The Scheme will be implemented through a portal, developed by the Department of Social Justice &
Empowerment.
• The other implementing agencies are:
 Ministry of Rural Development,
 National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)

 National Health Authority (NHA).


DE-NOTIFIED, NOMADIC AND SEMI-NOMADIC TRIBES

These are communities that are the most vulnerable and deprived.
DNTs are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminals’ during the British regime under a series
of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
• These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in l952, and these communities were “De-Notified”.
Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than
living in one place all the time.
• Historically, Nomadic Tribes and De-notified Tribes never had access to private land or home ownership.
While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes
(OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC, ST or OBC categories.
Many commissions and committees have been constituted since Independence for the welfare of these
communities.
• Criminal Tribes Inquiry Committee, 1947 constituted in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh),
• Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Committee in 1949.
• It was based on the report of this committee the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed.
• Kaka Kalelkar Commission (also called first OBC Commission) constituted in 1953.
• The B P Mandal Commission constituted in 1980 also made some recommendations on the issue.
• The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), 2002 held that DNTs have been wrongly
stigmatised as crime prone and subjected to high handed treatment as well as exploitation by the representatives of law
and order and general society.
    

MISCELLANEOUS
ORUNODOI SCHEME
Context: Some 22 lakh beneficiaries of the Orunodoi scheme in Assam will get ₹18 extra for August to buy a National
Flag or two.
About the scheme:

• Through Orunodoi scheme announced in the 2020-21 Budget, a monthly assistance of Rs 830 (initially
entailed) is transferred to women members of marginalised families of Assam.
• On account of being a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, the money is credited directly to the bank
account of the woman head of a family because they are “primary caretakers of the household”.
OPERATION CAST LEAD

• The Gaza War, also known as Operation Cast Lead,
was a 22-day armed conflict between Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip and Israel that began on December
27, 2008, and ended on January 18, 2009.
• Israel’s goal was to stop indiscriminate Palestinian
rocket fire into Israel and weapons smuggling into
the Gaza Strip.
• It is also known in the Muslim world as the Gaza
Massacre and referred to as the Battle of al-Furqan
by Hamas.
• Cast Lead proceeded in two phases:
 a week of intense aerial bombing followed by

two weeks of a joint air and land assault and
invasion.
• A fact-finding mission issued the so-called “Goldstone
Report,” a 575-page document detailing alleged war
crimes and crimes against humanity committed by
the Israeli military.
• The report also accused Palestinian armed groups
of war crimes as a result of indiscriminate rocket
attacks on Israeli civilians living near Gaza.
BAY OF PIGS INVASION

• The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an attempt in 1961 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United
States to overthrow Fidel Castro using Cuban exiles that had fled their country after he came to power.
• The invasion was a terrible failure that made the United States look really bad and strengthened the
communist cause in Cuba.
• In the interests of making the invasion look more like a Cuban revolution and less like a United States coup, the
CIA recruited and trained members of Brigade 2506 in secret.
• When President John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960, he officially approved the invasion plans.
• With the support of the U.S. military, Cuban exiles that had fled the island when Castro came to power would
enter the country through the Bay of Pigs.
• Castro’s forces greatly outnumbered the exiles and the invasion came to an unsuccessful end in three days.

Reasons for Failure:

• Lack of secrecy
• Lack of U.S. air support
• Pre-invasion military failures
• Wrongful assumptions about the Cubans
GUARDAFUI CHANNEL
• The Guardafui Channel is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn
of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and
Socotra to the west of the Arabian Sea.
• It connects the Gulf of Aden to the north with the Indian Ocean to
the south.
• Its namesake is Cape Guardafui, the very tip of the Horn of Africa.
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative involves signing of separate
accords by Russia and Ukraine with the UN and Turkey provides
for exports from three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny.
• Under the deal, the ships are to be guided through the Black Sea
waters by Ukraine’s navy to avoid mined areas.
• The vessels will then proceed to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait along an
agreed corridor and, from there, to various ports of the world.
• The ships are to also be inspected (to ensure only commercial
foodstuffs and fertiliser are carried) by teams from a Joint
Coordination Centre set up in Istanbul with representatives of the
UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.
SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS

• The South Sandwich Islands, a group of actively volcanic islets in the South Atlantic Ocean, north of the
Weddell Sea and 470 miles southeast of the island of South Georgia.
• They are covered with glaciers.
• Until 1985 they were included within the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) as a British dependency;
thereafter they formed (with South Georgia) a British overseas territory, though their administration was
still based in the Falklands.

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF HERITAGE

Context: Government have decided to set up the ‘Indian Institute of Heritage’ (IIH) as a Deemed-to-be University
as per UGC (Institutions deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2019 at Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Key Details:
• It will be one of its kind in the country providing higher education and research in the fields of Indian
heritage and conservation and the Government have no plan to create more such institutions in the
country.
• It would also offer Masters and Ph. D courses in History of Arts, Conservation, Museology, Archival Studies,
Archaeology, Preventives Conservation, Epigraphy and Numismatics, Manuscriptology etc. as well as
conservation training facilities to in-service employees and the students of the Indian Institute of Heritage
• Indian Institute of Heritage will be a world-class university that would focus on:
 The conservation and research in India’s rich tangible heritage,

 Offering research, development, and dissemination of knowledge,

 Excellence in the education of its students,

 Activities associated with a heritage contribute to the cultural, scientific, and economic life of India.

• This would be a standalone Institution of its type in the country.
MOUNT PINATUBO
• Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located on the island of Luzon in the
Philippines.
• It is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint
boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga, all
in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon.
RAJASTHAN’S ORANS AND NADIS

Context: Even as the incessant rain and flash floods have wreaked havoc in Jodhpur city
this monsoon, traditional water-harvesting structures called nadis are brimming with
rainwater.
Key Details
• Nadis or talabs (ponds) are shallow depressions across the rural landscape in
the arid regions of Jodhpur and Barmer districts.
• The water collected in these tanks will quench the thirst of people, cattle and
wild animals during the dry months.
• The rural communities store rainwater in these structures with the application
of traditional knowledge and locally available materials in view of the highly
fluctuating and scanty rainfall in the State.
• Ramrawas Kalan model:
 At Ramrawas Kalan, a village 49 km northeast of Jodhpur in Bhopalgarh tehsil, the two nadis and both

undergo periodic maintenance.
 The two structures there — Deoli and Chan, the latter being the bigger one and located 10 km away, are

in orans or sacred groves.
 The orans are associated with the local deities.

 Rather than causing flash floods, slower run-off of rainwater due to orans has led to more percolation

in the local nadis and ponds.
 The orans are mini-oases in an otherwise arid landscape.

 Well-functioning Orans and nadis create micro-climates, which will help improve local resilience against

the vagaries of global warming and climate change.
SURRENDERING A POLICY
Context: Data show that more than 2.3 crore life insurance policies were surrendered during the year — more than
three times the number of policies (69.78 lakh) surrendered in 2020-21.
What does Surrendering a policy mean?

• It means terminating the policy before its maturity.
• Surrendering a policy in the mid-term means that one would get a sum (surrender value) of what has been
allocated towards savings and earnings.
 Besides, a surrender charge also gets deducted from this amount.

• Surrender value: It is the amount that a policyholder receives from the life insurer when he or she decides to
terminate a policy before its maturity period.
ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT

• The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in
Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.
• It was built by the Soviet Union near the city of Enerhodar, on the southern shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir
on the Dnieper River.
ODESSA

• Odessa is a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine.

 It’s known for its beaches and 19th-century architecture, including the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.

 Odessa has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) that borderlines the semi-arid climate (BSk)

as well as a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).
 The city typically experiences dry, cold winters, which are relatively mild when compared to most of

Ukraine.
 Summers see an increased level of precipitation, and the city often experiences warm weather.

 Snow cover is often light or moderate.

 Sources of running water in the city include the Dniester River.

 Being located in the south of Ukraine, the topography of the area surrounding the city is typically flat and

there are no large mountains or hills for many kilometres around.
SUMATRA ISLAND
• Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world and is the
largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands,
Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia).
• Sumatra, Indonesian Sumatera, Indonesian island, the
second largest (after Borneo) of the Greater Sunda Islands,
in the Malay Archipelago.
• It is separated in the northeast from the Malay Peninsula
by the Strait of Malacca and in the south from Java by the
Sunda Strait.
• The Indian Ocean borders the west, northwest, and southwest
coasts of Sumatra, with the island chain of Simeulue, Nias,
Mentawai, and Enggano off the western coast.
BURKINA FASO
• Burkina is a landlocked country in West Africa.
• Previously called Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was
renamed Burkina Faso.
• Its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.
• The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people.
• Due to French colonialism, the country’s official language of
government and business is French.
KATCHAL ISLAND
Context: Recently, the NASA highlighted the loss of mangrove cover on Katchal island, a part of India’s Nicobar
archipelago.
About Katchal Island

• Katchal (Tihanyu) is one of the Nicobar Islands. Due to the remote
location and lack of exposure with the rest of the world, outsiders
economically exploited the innocent islanders for a long time.
• To stop their economic exploitation, the Government of India declared the
Nicobar Islands an Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area (ATRA) on 2 April
1957.
• This made the Nicobar Islands inaccessible to outsiders and currently
even Indian nationals need a special tribal pass to visit the islands.
• Only Government Servants (outsiders) posted to Katchal Islands are
allowed to stay in the island.
• An archeological inscription dating to AD 1059 says that Nicobar was
part of the overseas kingdom of Tamil Chola King of Tanjore.

• In 1869, the British took possession of the Nicobar Islands from the Danes and made them a part of modern
India.
• Katchal Island is home to both indigenous and non-indigenous people.
• Katchal is inhabited by Nicobari Tribes and Migrated Tamilians (For Rubber plantation workers under
Sastri-Srimao Bandaranayaka Pact of 1964).
• Languages spoken in Katchal are Nicobarese, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Santhali.
CHERUTHONI DAM
• The Cheruthoni Dam is a tall concrete gravity dam located in Idukki District, Kerala.
• This dam was constructed in 1976 as part of the Idukki Hydroelectric Project along with two other dams
Idukki and Kulamavu.
• The Government of Canada aided the Project with long-term loans and grants.
• The water impounded by these three dams of Idukki, Cheruthoni & Kulamavu has formed a single reservoir
spread over 60 km2.
• The Idukki Dam is a double curvature arch dam constructed across Periyar River in a narrow gorge
between two granite hills and is the tallest double curvature arch dam in Asia.
HARYANA’S CHEERAG SCHEME FOR EWS STUDENTS

About Haryana’s Cheerag Scheme:
• Haryana government recently launched the “Chief Minister Equal Education Relief, Assistance and Grant
(Cheerag)” Scheme launched to offer “free education” to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students of
government schools in “budget” private schools.
• Under the Cheerag Scheme, government school students whose parents have an annual verified income of
less than Rs 1.8 lakh can enroll in private schools from Class II to XII.
• The government will reimburse some amount per student depending on their class.
IMEI NUMBER
• The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a unique number that is used to identify a device
on a mobile network.
• It has 15 digits, and is like your phone’s unique identity.
• When you use the internet or place a call through your cellular service provider, then this number is used to
verify the identity of your device.
• If you have a dual SIM phone, then you will have two IMEI numbers, one for each slot.
• How is it useful?
 The IMEI number can help network providers track down a device in case it gets stolen or is lost.

 Once such loss or theft is reported, the carrier/s can deny the device access to the cellular network

even with a new SIM card.
 This will practically render the device useless as it won’t be able to make or receive calls.

CANTILLON EFFECT
What is Cantillon effect?
• The Cantillon effect refers to the idea that changes in the money supply in an economy causes:
 Redistribution of purchasing power among people,

 Disturbs the relative prices of goods and services,

 Leads to the misallocation of scarce resources.

• It is generally accepted by economists today that an increase in the overall money supply in an economy
causes a proportionate rise in the prices of goods and services over the long run.
• This is in line with the quantity theory of money, according to which the total amount of money in an economy
plays a crucial role in determining the general price level.
• So, if the money supply in an economy double, this should lead to a rough doubling of prices across the
economy.
• In other words, money has largely been considered to be “neutral,” in the sense that changes in its supply have
no real effect on the economy.
• The Cantillon effect has been widely cited by economists who are critical of expansionary central bank
policy to tackle economic downturns.
• Mainstream economists believe that recessions are the result of a drop in aggregate spending, which can be
sorted out by expansionary monetary policy that compensates for the drop in aggregate demand.
• Critics argue that when a central bank increases the money supply, it can have real effects on the economy.
ACCULTURATION
What is Acculturation?
• The concept of acculturation was coined in 1880 by American geologist John Wesley Powel in a report for
the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology.
• He defined it as the psychological changes induced in people due to cross-cultural imitation, resulting from
interaction with different cultures.
• At present, acculturation is defined as the process in which a person or group from one culture comes in
contact with another culture, adopting the values and practices of the other while still retaining their
own distinct identity.
• A two-way process:
 The most prevalent use of the concept is in relation to the cultural exchange between a minority group,

that migrates to a new society, with a predominant majority group.
 Sociologists understand acculturation as a two-way process, wherein the minority culture adopts

aspects of the majority to fit in and the culture of the majority is also influenced by that of the minority.
 The process can occur at both individual and group levels, as well as between groups that may not be a

majority or a minority in society.
SULLI DEALS
• The Supreme Court recently asked State governments for their response to a plea by Aumkareshwar Thakur,
who allegedly created the Sulli Deals mobile application, to club the FIRs registered against him in connection
with posting offensive and communally sensitive content on the Internet.
• What is Sulli Deal?
 On the open-source website called ‘Sulli (derogatory term for women) for Sale’, personal photos of

women’s Twitter handles were shared and ‘auctioned’, which was called the ‘Sulli Deal’.
 The app, hosted on GitHub, an open-source platform, pretended that the women were available to

trade sexual favours for money.
 The women whose names featured on the app include journalists, researchers and other professionals.

 The people who made the app under fake identities put up names and publicly available pictures of

Muslim women.
 GitHub, the platform where the app was hosted, took down the app upon receiving numerous complaints.

METHAMPHETAMINE
Context: As per Goa Police, BJP leader Sonali Phogat was given the recreational drug methamphetamine on the eve of
her death.
Methamphetamine and its effects

• Methamphetamine (meth for short) is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous
system, and is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep
disorder.
• Crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth is a form of the drug that looks like glass fragments or shiny,
bluish-white rocks. It is chemically similar to amphetamine.

• Methamphetamine can be smoked, swallowed in the form of a pill or tablet, snorted, and injected after
dissolving the powder in water or alcohol.
• Methamphetamine can lead to myocardial infarction (heart attack) - it can cause stroke.
• Meth raises the amount of dopamine in the brain.
 Dopamine: A natural chemical that plays a role in body movement, motivation, and reinforcement of

rewarding behaviours.
PUNJAB BANS USE OF 10 INSECTICIDES
Context: The Punjab government has decided to ban the use of 10 pesticides for 60 days.
Key Details:
• Amid reports that several samples of basmati rice contained the residue of certain pesticides above the
maximum residue level (MRL), a potential constraint in its export, the Punjab government has decided to
ban the use of 10 of these formulations for 60 days.
WHAT IS MRL?
• A maximum residue limit (MRL) is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally
tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly in accordance with Good
Agricultural Practice.
• The amounts of residues found in food must be safe for consumers and must be as low as
possible.
• Codex sets MRLs for all food and animal feed:
 The Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code” is a collection of standards, guidelines and
codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Commission,
also known as CAC, is the central part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme
and was established by FAO and WHO in 1963 to protect consumer health and promote
fair practices in food trade.
MOONLIGHTING POLICY
Context: Swiggy recently announced an “industry-first” policy of allowing its employees to take up gigs or projects
outside of their regular employment at the company, during the hours away from work. Swiggy calls these new norms
the “moonlighting” policy.
What is moonlighting?
• Moonlighting is the act of working at an extra job beyond regular working hours, usually without the
knowledge of the employer.
• Since the side job was mostly at nighttime or on weekends, it was referred to as moonlighting.
• The term gained popularity when workers in the US started seeking a second job beyond their regular 9-to-5
work for additional income.
• Swiggy’s moonlighting policy: Swiggy said that along with a full-time job at Swiggy, employees will be
allowed to pick up additional projects outside work and the company will support them.
WHY HAS FIFA BANNED INDIA, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO INDIAN FOOTBALL NOW?
Context: The apex body of football, FIFA, suspended the country’s top administrative organisation, the All India
Football Federation, for undue influence from third parties.
What events led to the ban?

• The current set of troubles for Indian football began after the erstwhile AIFF president, Praful Patel, who was
also a FIFA council member, refused to relinquish his post as the head of football in the country.

• His excuse for not exiting the stage was the long-drawn out pandemic, coupled with a court case regarding
the AIFF constitution.
• But recently, the Supreme Court intervened, and removed Patel from his post.
• The SC also appointed a Committee of Administrators (COA) to run the AIFF.
• The setting up of this COA is where the contentious relationship with FIFA began, which eventually led
to the ban.
What is the ban?

• As of now, the AIFF has been suspended by FIFA due to “third-party interference”.
 Third-party interference refers to a situation in which a member association of FIFA fails to remain

independent, is co-opted, and no longer has control over its organisation.
 In this case, the SC’s diktat to the COA to run the AIFF was a textbook case of third-party interference,

according to FIFA statutes.
• The suspension means, firstly, no international football and this applies to all national teams, across all age
groups.
• It also applies to both men’s and women’s football, and to all club teams in India.
• The suspension also impacts international transfers, as well as any courses or developmental programs that
AIFF officials could, or were taking part in.
• This in effect means a total ban on all football-related activities outside India.
• However, the league in the country, as well as domestic transfers, can continue.
DOLMEN OF GUADALPERAL
Context: One of the side-effects of drought in Spain is re-emergence of Dolmen of Guadalperal, also dubbed the ‘Spanish
Stonehenge’ as a dam dried up.
Key Details:
• The thousands of years old prehistoric monument was submerged under
water in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir in central Spain.
• Scorching summer has led to a 28% drop in water level, which in turn has
revealed the massive upright stones.
• About the Stonehenge:
 The monument is estimated to be at least 7,000 years old.

 It is a circle of more than 100 standing rocks.

 Archeologists think it served as a tomb, for religious rituals or even

as a trading centre, due to its proximity to the Tagus River.
 The monument was first found by German archeologist Hugo Obermaier in the 1920s.

 The site of the monument was flooded only in the 1960s with the construction of the Valdecañas

Reservoir under the then Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco.
    

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME
Context: The ministry of tourism briefed the Lok Sabha about Swadesh Darshan scheme.
About the Scheme:

• It is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It was launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
• It has theme-based tourist circuits in the country.
 These tourist circuits will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness, and

sustainability in an integrated manner.
• 15 thematic circuits have been identified under the Swadesh Darshan for development.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance – CFA to
State Governments, Union Territory Administrations for the infrastructure development of circuits.
Aims of the scheme:

• To position tourism as a major engine of economic growth and job creation.
• Promote cultural and heritage value of the country to generate livelihoods in the identified regions.
• Enhancing tourist attractiveness in a sustainable manner by developing world-class infrastructure in the
circuit/destinations.
• Follow community-based development and pro-poor tourism approach.
• Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of
increased sources of income, improved living standards, and overall development of the area.
• To create employment through active involvement of local communities.
• Development of tourist facilitation services to enhance visitor experience/satisfaction.
Key Features:
• The scheme was completely funded by the central government of India.
 The Scheme is 100% centrally funded and efforts are made to achieve convergence with other schemes
of Central and State Governments and also to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector.
• The scheme is a joint venture by the Central Government and the Ministry of Tourism.
• By launching the scheme both the ministry will be able to develop the heritage cities of the nation and
conserve them for the tourists from across the globe.
• Suitable Public-Private Partnerships to be taken up for improved sustainability of the projects.
 A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) may be created for the purpose, wherever feasible.

RASHTRIYA GRAM SWARAJ ABHIYAN

Context: The scheme has been revamped recently for implementation up to 2026.
About the scheme:

• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) was launched in 2018 as an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of
Panchayati Raj.
• It is a unique scheme proposed to develop and strengthen the Panchayati Raj System across India in rural
areas.

• Coverage:
 RGSA will extend to all States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country.

 For the purpose of these guidelines, wherever ‘Panchayats’ are mentioned, these will include institutions

of rural local government in non-Part IX areas.
• RGSA is proposed to be implemented as a core Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for four years viz., from
2018-19 to 2021-22 with State and Central shares.
• The sharing ratio for the State components will be in the ratio of 60:40 except NE and Hilly States, where the
Central and State Ratio will be 90:10. For all UTs, the Central share will be 100%. RGSA enables Panchayats
to function effectively to achieve SDGs and other development objectives that require significant Capacity
building efforts.
Focus areas of RGSA:

• To ensure:
 Basic orientation training for the Elected Representatives (ERs) of Panchayats, within 6 months of their

election.
 Refresher trainings to be ensured within 2 years.

 Capacity Building of ERs with Priority to Aspirational Districts and Mission Antyodaya clusters.

 Strengthening of the Panchayat – SHG partnership.

• To bridge gaps in:
 Capacity Building and Training (CB&T),

 Gram Panchayat infrastructure,

 Use of IT for distance learning & for e-Enablement of Panchayats,

 Institutional support for innovations,
 Gap filling support of economic development & income enhancement,

 Technical support including Human Resources (HR) based on identified gaps.

 To provide handholding support by Academic Institutions/ Institutions of excellence to GPs for Gram

Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) formulation.
• To promote the provision of adequate manpower at GP level & to provide support for technical manpower.
• To support greater e-enablement of Panchayats for e-governance to enhance efficiency and transparency
with thrust on Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES) Applications developed by the Ministry.
• To facilitate Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), Public Finance Management System (PFMS), use, and
Geotagging of assets in Gram Panchayats.
PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SAMRIDHI YOJANA

Context: The Minister of State for Food Processing Industries briefed the Rajya Sabha about the scheme.
Gram Samridhi Yojana:

• Gram Samridhi Yojana has been launched by the Central Government to help the unorganized food processing
enterprises focused in rural areas.
• Under this Scheme, the Government grants a subsidy to small or marginal farmer producer organizations
and individual food processors to enhance capacities, and performances and strengthen the farm-to-market
supply chain.
• Objectives of the Scheme:
 The primary objectives of Gram Samridhi Yojana are to implement an entrepreneurship development

process with the required skills and knowledge in setting up the food processing units besides
upgrading technology in existing units, improving the management of units and providing technical
support.
• Features and Benefits:
This scheme means to focus on setting up Common Facility Centers (CFCs) and providing business

incubators facilities in rural areas.

 The incubator will provide the required infrastructure, incubation space, and services to support the
growth of new food businesses.
 It will provide support services, equipment, and assistance programs to help businessmen/

entrepreneur in launching a new product into the market by enhancing sales and revenue through
development.
 This scheme additionally aims to guarantee an increase in farmers’ income and also ensures job
opportunities in rural zones.
 PM Gram Samridhi Yojana will focus on micro-enterprises with a capitalization of less than Rs. 10 lakh

rupees.
PRADHAN MANTRI ADI ADARSH GRAM YOJANA
Context: Government has modified the earlier scheme of ‘Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to
TSS) with nomenclature ‘Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY)’, for implementation during 2021-22
to 2025-26.
Key Details:
• Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana has been launched with the goal of faster development of
tribal villages.
• The focus of the scheme is on converging different programs of 41 ministries in the tribal villages to ensure
their all-around development.
• The aim of the govt is to take the villages into a saturation mode.
• The aim of the program is to turn the focus on such remote and backward villages of the country which are
lagging behind due to lack of attention.
• Efforts are also being made to ensure the geo-tagging of and market linkages for the tribal products through
TRIFED.
• Objective of this new scheme is to ensure that the programs and schemes introduced by multiple ministries of
central government for coordination and implementation at the bottom level.
• It aims at mitigating gaps and providing basic infrastructure in villages with significant tribal population
in convergence with funds available under different schemes in Central Scheduled Tribe Component.
• It is envisaged to cover 36,428 villages having at least 50% ST population and 500 STs across States / UTs
with notified STs during the period.
• It includes the following components.
• Preparing Village Development Plan based on the needs, potential, and aspirations;
• Maximizing the coverage of individual / family benefit schemes of the Central / State Governments;
• Improving the infrastructure in vital sectors like health, education, connectivity and livelihood;
• scheme envisions to mitigate gaps in prominent 8 sectors of development viz.
 Road connectivity (Internal and Inter village /block),
 Telecom connectivity (Mobile /internet),
 School,
 Anganwadi Centres,
 Health Sub-Centre,
 Drinking water facility,
 Drainage and
 Solid waste management.

PM FORMALISATION OF MICRO FOOD PROCESSING ENTERPRISES

Context: Minister of State for Food Processing Industries briefed the Rajya Sabha about the PM Formalisation of
Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme.
Key Details:
• The Food Processing Industry in India has a large production base and a wide variety of food products, which
is possible due to the age-old food culture and the combined efforts of the modern food processing units in the
country.
• India is credited for being the:
 Largest milk-producing nation in the world.

 Largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices in the world.

 The second largest producer of food grains, fruits, and vegetables in the world.

• To further support the food processing industries in the country, the PM FME scheme was launched in 2020.
• The scheme is a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and the “Vocal for Local” campaign.
About the Scheme:

• PM FME is a centrally funded sector scheme with an aim to provide financial, technical, and business
support to micro food processing units in the country.
• The total outlay of the scheme is $ 1.3 Bn spread over a span of 5 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
• The funding under the scheme will be shared by the Centre and State governments in the following ratios:
 For States and UTs with the legislature: 60% by Centre and 40% by State/ UT.

 Himalayan and North Eastern States: 90% by Centre and 10% by State.

 UTs without legislature: 100% by the Centre.

• Objectives of the Scheme:
 Formalization of micro units by means of GST, Udyog Aadhar, and FSSAI registrations.

 Financial assistance to individual units for upgradation of food processing facilities.

 Quality improvement and skill development through trainings and technical knowledge.

 Financial assistance to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), and
producer’s cooperatives for setting up common infrastructure facilities.
 Branding and marketing support to FPOs, SHGs, and producer cooperatives

 Support and assistance in availing bank loans and preparation of detailed project reports (DPR).

PM-DAKSH
Context: A total of 71,095 and 58,934 beneficiaries have registered themselves on the PM-DAKSH Portal for the year
2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively.
About the Scheme:
• PM-DAKSH (Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta
Sampann Hitgrahi) Yojana was launched by the
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E)
in 2020-21.
• It is a National Action Plan for skilling marginalized
persons covering SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs, and Sanitation
workers including waste pickers.
• It is a multi-pronged strategy to enhance the
competency level of the target groups and make them
employable both in wage and Self-employment for their socio-economic development of the following sections
of the target group:
• The main objective of the PM-DAKSH Yojana is to increase the skill levels of the target youth by providing
them with short-term and long-term skills, followed by assistance in wage/self-employment.
• The skill levels of artisans would be enhanced through Upskilling/Reskilling programs and enable them to
increase their incomes within their practicing vocations.
    
KURUKSHETRA
Changing face of Rural Industries
INTRODUCTION
India is blessed with a diverse variety of culture and heritage. Each village of India is home to various unique craft
skills and artisans.
This sector can be developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry. This sector has big potential as it holds the key for
sustaining not only the existing set of millions of artisans, but also for an increasingly large number of new entrants
in the crafts activity.
Presently, the handicraft sector is contributing substantially towards employment generation and exports. Along
with this various MSMEs, agribusinesses, and service activities are bringing a positive change in the lives of people of
rural areas.
History of Rural industrialisation

Phase I: Focus was on small industries
• Industrial Policy Resolution 1948: It maintained that Cottage and small-scale industries have a very
important role in the national economy. These industries are particularly suited for the better utilization of
local resources and for the achievement of the local self-sufficiency in respect of certain types of essential
consumer goods like food, cloth and agricultural implements.
• Certain classes of stores were reserved exclusively for purchase from village and small industries and some
price differentials were allowed to them over the products of large-scale industries.
Phase II: Transition from ‘safeguarding to development’

• The Karve Committee Report (1955) recognised the challenges related to over centralisation of economic
activities and moving from safeguarding of small-scale industries to their development.
• It recognised:
 Challenges related to over centralisation of economic activities
 Moving from safeguarding of small-scale industries to their development
• Industrial Policy Resolution (1956): While, safeguarding of small-scale industries by restricting the volume
of production in the largescale sector, by differential taxation, or by direct subsidies will continue to be taken,
whenever necessary, the aim of the State policy will be to ensure that the decentralised sector acquires
sufficient vitality to be self-supporting and its development is integrated with that of large-scale industry.
 Some 128 items were reserved for exclusive production in the small-scale sector.
Phase III: Improving the competitiveness of rural and small-scale industries

• Third Plan: Focused on positive forms of assistance such as improvement of skill, supply of technical advice,
better equipment and credit, to reduce progressively the role of subsidies, sales rebates, and sheltered markets.
• Fourth Plan focused on providing a combination of incentives and disincentives for securing decentralisation
and dispersal of small industries.
 It allowed for advancing loans to the State Cooperative Banks for financing 22 broad groups of small
industries.
• New IPR of 1977: Effective promotion of cottage and small-scale industries widely dispersed in rural areas
and small towns.
 Number of reserved items for small-scale industries was increased to 504.

 District Industry Centres (DIC): To promote under a single roof all the services and support required by

small and village entrepreneurs.
• IPRs of 1980 & 1990: Increased investment limits to support the growth of small-scale industries
 Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) (1990): To ensure both adequate and timely
flow of credit facilities for the small-scale industries.
 Delicensing was introduced in the case of 100 percent Export Oriented Units (EOU) set up in Export

Processing Zones (EPZ).
• Focus of the IPRs shifted towards promoting small-scale industries by making them self-sufficient while
providing a cushion of much needed safety.
• Enactment of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises Development (MSMED) Act of 2006: MSMEs have
been hailed as the engines of growth. There are 324.88 Lakh (51 percent) unincorporated non-agricultural
rural MSMEs in the country engaged in different economic activities in rural India.
Government schemes for bringing the rural industries under the ambit of the ‘Make in India’
programme
• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):
 A credit linked subsidy scheme for setting up of new micro-enterprises.

• Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI)
• Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE)
• Stand Up India
 To provide composite loans between Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 100 lakhs for setting up Greenfield enterprises

in non-farm sector by SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.
• Start-up Revolution and Technological Disruptions
 There are agri start-ups which provide smart solutions across the value chain of agriculture. Most of these
rest on the pillars of Digital India and the JAM trinity.
 NITI Aayog’s role in promoting rural entrepreneurship
 Atal Innovation Mission: Under AIM, Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACIC) have been set up to

nurture high growth and employment generating start-ups across the country.
 ACIC also runs a Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF) Programme in collaboration with UNDP India

to facilitate knowledge building and provide infrastructure support essential for the entrepreneurship
journey of aspiring community innovators.
• Digital Service Economy
• India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS): Under the Digital India Programme, the MeitY notified IBPS with
the twin objectives of:
 Employment generation through BPO/ITES operations

 Balanced regional growth of IT-ITES sector across the country.
• Implications for the Education Sector: National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has laid equal emphasis
on imparting digital skills, vocational training and entrepreneurial training both at the school level and
university level and has considered these activities as an integral part of the curriculum.
Conclusion
Rural Economy has been a major contributor to the GDP of the country. However, its contribution to the economy has
stagnated in the last decade while it still employs close to 50 percent of our labour force – mostly underemployed.
The non-farm sector holds immense potential provided we facilitate entrepreneurs to address the long-standing
challenges in the sector. It’s high time that we institutionalise the culture of entrepreneurship and technological
disruptions by embedding them in our curricula and deliver it to the last mile student – giving them wings to fly.
    

ECONOMY SPECIAL
(Some Important Concepts)
NOMINAL EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE (NEER) AND REAL EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE (REER)
• NEER: It is calculated as geometric weighted averages of bilateral exchange rates of domestic currency in
terms of foreign currency.
 If the domestic currency falls against the basket, the NEER depreciates.

 An increase in NEER indicates an appreciation of the local currency against the weighted basket of

currencies of its trading partners.
• REER: REER is a weighted average of bilateral nominal exchange rates that have been adjusted for inflation i.e.,
relative price differential between the domestic and foreign countries.
 Increase/ Decrease in REER: The competitiveness of exports is determined by the REER as the latter

reflects the movements in relative price levels.
 The higher India’s REER, lower India’s Export growth

• REER-6: It is calculated with reference to the basket of six major trading currencies representing the – USD,
Hong Kong dollar, Euro, Pound sterling, Japanese Yen, Chinese Renminbi.
Q. With reference to the Indian economy, consider the following statements:

[UPSC Prelims 2022]
1. An increase in Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) indicates the appreciation of rupee.
2. An increase in the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) indicates an improvement in trade competitiveness.
3. An increasing trend in domestic inflation relative to inflation in other countries is likely to cause an
increasing divergence between NEER and REER.
Which of the above statements are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3
PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION (PCA) FRAMEWORK

• It has been introduced by RBI to enable supervisory intervention at appropriate time and require supervised
entity to initiate remedial measures so as to restore the financial health of banks and for effective market
discipline.
• It applies to all banks in India (including the foreign banks) but excludes payment banks and small financial
banks from initiation of the action.
• Recently, the RBI has introduced the PCA framework for NBFCs which came into effect from October,1 2022
on the basis of their financial position on or after March 31st.
BASE EFFECT
• It is the impact of the price levels of previous year on the calculation of inflation rate.
• If inflation rate was too low in previous year, it will lead to higher inflation in this year.
BASE RATE
• Introduced in 2010 replacing the Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR) system.
• Base Rate is the minimum rate below which Scheduled Commercial Banks cannot lend.

• RBI publishes guidelines for calculation of Base Rate and every bank calculates its own base rate.
• Since 2016, RBI introduced a new methodology for calculation of the Base Rates based on marginal cost
of funds rather than average cost of funds. This new methodology is called Marginal Cost of Funds based
Lending Rate (MCLR) or Base Rate based on marginal cost of funds.
STRATEGIC DISINVESTMENT
• The term “Strategic Disinvestment” means the sale of substantial portion of the Government share-
holding of a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) of up to 50%, or such higher percentage (to the strategic
partner) along with transfer of management control.
 Strategic disinvestment is a way of privatisation.

    

AISHWARYA VERMA
Chahal Academy: Office No. 22-B, Ground Floor, Near Metro Pillar 112,
Old Rajinder Nagar, Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110060.

Monthly magazine index for August 2022

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MONTHLY MAGAZINE August 2022

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

• Arms Act • Peninsular Rock Agama

• Bilkis Bano Case • Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

CULTURE............................................................68 - 83 • Political Crisis In Iraq

• Pingali Venkayya • India-Bangladesh River Water Sharing

• Partition Horrors Remembrance Day • Exercise Pitch Black 2022

• Pandurang Khankhoje DEFENCE & SECURITY..............................100 - 105

• Veershaiva - Lingayats • Drdo, Indian Navy Test Indigenous Missile

• Yakshagana • Salient Features of NEP, 2020

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.....................84 - 99 • Transgender Pilots

• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty • Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant • Dolmen of Guadalperal

• Katchal Island • Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

• Cheruthoni Dam • Pradhan Mantri Gram Samridhi Yojana

• IMEI Number • PM Formalisation Of Micro Food Processing

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

POLITY & GOVERNANCE

About Section 295 (A):

Are hate speech cases rising?

• The legality of Section 295(A),

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

DATA PROTECTION BILL

What is the Data Protection Bill 2019?

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

Provisions of the Bill:

Obligations of Data Fiduciary/Service Provider:

Data Protection Authority:

Processing personal data without consent:

Obligations of Social Media Intermediaries:

Transfer of data outside India:

Sharing of non-personal data with

Personal Data of Children:

• Cooperative Federalism is a type of Federalism.

What is Cooperative Federalism?

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE (IDENTIFICATION) ACT, 2022

Need to replace Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920:

Key provisions of Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act 2022:

Issues in the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act 2022:

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

APPOINTMENT OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

Who can become the Chief Justice of India?

The collegium system

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

What is the procedure for removal of CJI?

FULL COURT MEETING

What is a full court meeting?

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

LIFETIME PERKS FOR FORMER CJIs AND SC JUDGES

INDEPENDENCE OF SUPREME COURT

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

GUARDIANSHIP AND ADOPTION OF MINORS

Recommendations of the Parliamentary panel on guardianship and child custody:

Cases of marital disputes:

Adoption for queer and transgender people:

NAGA PEACE ACCORD

The Naga Peace Accord, 2015:

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

Section 144 of the CrPC:

About the Arms Act:

• NEW DELHI • MUMBAI • KOLKATA • AHMEDABAD • ANAND • BHILAI • BHUBANESWAR • CHANDIGARH

The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019: