Current Affairs Magazine September 2023 WWW Iasparliament Com1

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INDEX
8.2 India- South Korea Relations ........................... 54

1. IMPORTANT TOPICS OF THE MONTH5
8.3 India-Canada Tussle......................................... 56
1.1 G20 Summit 2023 ............................................... 5
8.4 India - West Asia Relations .............................. 58
1.2 Women Reservation Bill, 2023 ......................... 10
1.3 20th ASEAN India Summit ................................. 13 9. INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ................ 59
1.4 Five Years of Ayushman Bharat ....................... 16 9.1 Implications of BRICS Expansion .................... 59
1.5 One Year of Project Cheetah ............................ 17 9.2 Key Outcomes of 18th East Asia Summit .......... 61
9.3 Three Years of Abraham Accords ..................... 63
G.S PAPER I .......................................... 19
9.4 SDG Summit 2023 ............................................ 65
2. HISTORY......................................... 19 9.5 South China Sea Dispute .................................. 67
2.1 Ashoka, the Great ............................................. 19 9.6 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ... 68
2.2 Ancient Red Sea Route...................................... 22
G.S PAPER III ....................................... 70
2.3 Hoysala Temples in World Heritage List ......... 23
10. ECONOMY ....................................... 70
3. SOCIAL ISSUES ............................... 25
10.1 Trade Trust Framework for India Singapore
3.1 Women led Climate Action ............................... 25 Trade ................................................................ 70
3.2 Creche Facilities in India ................................. 27 10.2 India’s FDI Flows ............................................ 72
3.3 Justice Amitava Roy Committee on Prison 10.3 India’s Supply Chain Opportunity .................... 74
Reforms............................................................. 29
10.4 India’s GDP Controversy ................................. 75
4. INDIAN POLITY ............................... 31 10.5 Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ........................... 77
4.1 Simultaneous Election (One Nation, One Election)
.......................................................................... 31 11. AGRICULTURE ................................ 79
4.2 Constitutional Amendments for State’s 11.1 Curbs on Rice Exports ...................................... 79
Ratification ....................................................... 33 11.2 India’s Falling Cotton Production ................... 80
4.3 Mercy Petition .................................................. 35
12. ENVIRONMENT ............................... 82
4.4 Autonomous District Councils in Manipur ....... 36
12.1 Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) Report ............... 82
4.5 Special Session of Parliament .......................... 38
12.2 Ecocide - A Crime ............................................ 84
4.6 Self-Respect Marriages .................................... 39
12.3 National Disaster Status ................................... 86
5. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND 12.4 Challenges in Biofuel Sustainability ................. 88
INTERVENTIONS ................................... 41
12.5 New Community Forest Resource Guidelines .. 89
5.1 PM-PRANAM Scheme ...................................... 41
12.6 Child Rights and Environment.......................... 91
6. GOVERNANCE ................................. 43 12.7 Breach of Planetary Boundaries ...................... 92
6.1 Concerns over RTI............................................ 43 12.8 Challenges in Tripling Global Renewable Energy
Capacity............................................................ 94
6.2 False Promises to Marry .................................. 44
6.3 Fake News ........................................................ 46 13. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY .............. 95
6.4 Selective Banning of OTT Services ................... 48 13.1 Sequencing the Y Chromosome ........................ 95
6.5 National Higher Education Qualification 13.2 Space Junk in Moon .......................................... 97
Framework (NHEQF) ...................................... 49
13.3 Synthetic Human Embryo ................................. 98
7. HEALTH .......................................... 51 13.4 Overhauling Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) .................................... 100
7.1 WHO report on Hypertension .......................... 51
13.5 Digital Public Infrastructure .......................... 101
8. BILATERAL ISSUES ......................... 53 13.6 Legal Framework for Space Missions ............ 103
8.1 Direct Trade between India and Pakistan ........ 53 13.7 Geospatial Intelligence ................................... 105
CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

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PRELIM BITS ...................................... 107 Beijing convention on the judicial sale of ships ......... 122
Transnational Grid under OSOWOG ......................... 123
14. HISTORY, ART & CULTURE ........... 107
Greenwashing ............................................................. 123
Chausath Yogini Temple ............................................ 107
Liptako-Gourma Charter............................................ 124
Nuakhai Juhar Festival .............................................. 107
Climate Ambition Summit (CAS) 2023 ....................... 124
Nadi Utsav .................................................................. 108
World Coffee Conference (WCC 2023) ...................... 124
Statue of Oneness ....................................................... 108
India-UN Capacity Building Initiative ....................... 125
Naganathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu ...................... 109
Global Security Initiative (GSI) .................................. 125
Matangini Hazra ........................................................ 109
Investor-State-Dispute Settlement (ISDS)................... 126
15. GEOGRAPHY ................................. 110
19. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS 126
Erg Chech 002............................................................ 110
Gujarat Declaration ................................................... 126
Pir Panjal Range ........................................................ 110
Horizon Europe .......................................................... 126
Earthquake in Morocco .............................................. 110
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ............ 127
Libya Floods............................................................... 111
International Organization of Legal Metrology ......... 127
Cyclone genesis & WACE pattern .............................. 111
London’s India Club ................................................... 128
Android Earthquake Alert System .............................. 112
Five Eyes .................................................................... 128
Sycamore Tree ............................................................ 112
20. ECONOMY ..................................... 128
16. POLITY ......................................... 113
One-Hour Trade Settlement System ........................... 128
Cauvery Water Management Authority ...................... 113
BRSR Framework ....................................................... 129
Status of NCERT......................................................... 113
VGF Scheme for BESS................................................ 129
Central Empowered Committee (CEC) ...................... 114
Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) ................................... 129
Vidya Samiksha Kendras ............................................ 114
Willful Defaulters ....................................................... 130
Operation Polo ........................................................... 115
Change in Angel Tax Rules ........................................ 130
Munshi-Ayyangar formula ......................................... 115
National Medical Commission (NMC) ....................... 116 21. AGRICULTURE .............................. 131
Extension of AFSPA ................................................... 116 Minor Irrigation Census (MIC) .................................. 131
UPAg Portal ............................................................... 132
17. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS &
Yak………………………………………………………….132
SCHEMES ........................................... 117
Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme .......... 132
Project TAMARA ........................................................ 117
Kisan Rin Portal & KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan ......... 133
GRIHA Norms ............................................................ 117
Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing ........... 118 22. ENVIRONMENT ............................. 133
Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Climate Change effect in Polar Bears ........................ 133
Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana .................................. 118
Sea weed Park ............................................................ 134
‘Mera Bill, Mera Adhikar’ scheme ............................. 118
Montreal Protocol ...................................................... 134
Malaviya Mission ....................................................... 118
Black Summer ............................................................. 134
SC's recent stand against corruption ......................... 119
Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030 ........... 135
Ayushman Bhav Campaign ........................................ 119
Artificial Reef (AR) ..................................................... 135
National Judicial Data Grid platform ........................ 120
Kole Wetlands............................................................. 135
Arogya Manthan 2023 ................................................ 120
Scarborough Shoal ..................................................... 136
The Draft Patents (Amendment), Rules, 2023 ............ 121
Green Hydrogen Bus .................................................. 136
e - Cabinet System ...................................................... 121
Conocarpus Plant ....................................................... 137
Compulsory Retirement .............................................. 121
23. SPECIES IN NEWS ......................... 137
18. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ........ 122
Tharosaurus indicus ................................................... 137
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) ...................... 122
Apis Mellifera ............................................................. 138

Mithuns ....................................................................... 138 Bharat Drone Shakti 2023 & C-295 aircraft .............. 145
Manis Mysteria ........................................................... 138
HEALTH .............................................. 146
Pink Bollworm ............................................................ 139
Pirola ........................................................................ 146
Armageddon reedtail .................................................. 139
Nipah Virus................................................................. 146
Outcomes of 1st African Climate Summit 2023 .......... 140
Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis ................................. 147
24. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ........ 140 Scheme for promotion of Research and Innovation in
Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) ................................ 147
SPACE ................................................ 140 Dual Disinfection-Solidification System ..................... 148
Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive
ionosphere and Atmosphere - Langmuir Probe BIO-TECHNOLOGY .............................. 148
(RAMBHA-LP) ........................................................... 140
Nasha Roko Committee .............................................. 148
PSLV-XL variant ........................................................ 141
Global Fund ............................................................... 148
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) ............ 141
Monoclonal antibodies ............................................... 149
XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) .. 142
Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC) ............. 142 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ............. 149
Space Launch System (SLS) & Starship ..................... 142 Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) ......... 149
Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification- NPCI's New Payment Products .................................. 149
Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) mission ..... 143 Dark Patterns ............................................................. 150
CO2 on Jupiter's moon Europa .................................. 143
CALIPSO Science Mission ......................................... 144 25. OTHERS........................................ 150
Breakthrough Prize .................................................... 150
DEFENCE ............................................ 144 Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) ............................. 151
Mahendra Giri & Project 17A ................................... 144 Sanchar Saathi ........................................................... 151
Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan (MIPP)..... 145
Stitched Ship ............................................................... 145 26. INDEX AND REPORT ..................... 152
India Ageing Report, 2023 ......................................... 152

SEPTEMBER 2023
1. IMPORTANT TOPICS OF THE MONTH
1.1 G20 Summit 2023
Why in news?
The 18th edition of G20 Summit which saw the participation of leaders from the most powerful nations was concluded
recently with the adoption of New Delhi Declaration.
What is G20?
• It is an international forum that brings together the world's leading
industrialized and emerging economies.
• Launch- Established in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a
regular forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
• Aim- To study, review, and promote high level discussion of policy
issues pertaining to international financial stability.
• Objectives-
o Policy coordination between its
members to achieve global economic
stability, sustainable growth
o To promote financial regulations that
reduce risks and prevent future financial
crises
o To create a new international financial
architecture
• Member- Earlier, it comprises of 19
countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, UK, US, Russia, Australia, Canada, Saudi
Arabia, India, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina,
Brazil, Mexico, China and Indonesia)
and European Union.
• The group does not have permanent secretariat.
• Presidency- The President is chosen by a
rotation system amongst the member countries.
• Troika- It comprises of past, present, and future
presidents. Troika 2023 includes Indonesia,
India, and Brazil.
• Guest- Every year, the host country chooses
other guests.
• Spain always participates in the G20 summits.
• Working structure-
o Finance track- Meets 4 times in a year.
o Sherpa track- Established after the inception of G20 Leaders’
Summit in 2008. It covers non-financial issues.
o Engagement groups- An unofficial track comprising non-
government participants from each member country.
What does G20 Presidency entail?
• The Presidency
o Is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda, organising its workings

o Gets to host various meetings and the G20 Leaders’ Summit

o Is in charge of all logistics and in absence of a permanent secretariat, provides the human and material
resources to successfully conduct the workings of the forum
India’s G20 Presidency
• India holds the

Presidency of G20 from
Dec 2022 to 30 Nov 2023.
• Theme - One Earth One
Family One Future.
• It means
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole earth is a
family).
• The theme is drawn from the Maha Upanishad.
• Guest countries- Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and
UAE
What are the key outcomes of New Delhi Declaration?

• India achieved a unanimous "New Delhi Leaders' Summit Declaration" on all developmental and geopolitical
matters.
• The declaration reflects India's motto of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas" –“Together with all,
Development for all, Trust of all”, which resonates with the spirit of multilateralism and inclusiveness.
Outcomes Description Significance
• India along with Brazil, Indonesia and

• G20 nations agreed that states cannot grab territory South Africa, played a key role in
Russia-Ukraine by force and highlighted the suffering of the people avoiding a fracturing of the G20 over
War of Ukraine, but avoided direct criticism of Russia for the Ukraine conflict, reflecting the
the war. growing power of the Global South
developing nations in the group.
• The 55-member African Union was formally made

permanent member of the G20, on par with the • The entry of the AU would provide
Inclusion of European Union, in order to make the grouping greater voice to the Global South
African Union more representative. within the G20 where the G7 countries
have long played a dominant role.
• Until now only South Africa was a member of G20.
India-Middle • A multinational rail and shipping project linking • It will challenge China’s economic
East-Europe India with the Middle East and Europe has been ambitions in the region.
Economic announced.
Corridor • It aims to boost trade, deliver energy
• The corridor would include India, Saudi Arabia, resources and improve digital
(IMEE-EC) UAE, Jordan, Israel and European Union. connectivity.
• The G20 leaders agreed to pursue tripling

renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and
accepted the need to phase-down unabated coal
power. • It will help countries to attain net-zero
Climate change
• It stressed the urgency of mobilizing “US$5.8-5.9 emissions by 2050.
trillion in the pre-2030 period for developing
countries” and “US$4 trillion per year for clean
energy technologies by 2030.

The declaration
• Envisages a green development pact Objectives of this move involves
• Endorses high-level principles on lifestyle • Sustainable development
Green
Development • Voluntary principles of hydrogen • Resilient blue economy
Pact • Chennai principles for a sustainable resilient • Food security and nutrition
blue economy
• Climate financing
• Deccan principles on food security and
nutrition among others
• It is an alliance driven by India, the United States, • The inauguration of the Global Biofuel
Global bio fuel and Brazil, is a concerted effort to address pressing Alliance at the G20 Summit signifies a
alliance energy and economic challenges through pivotal moment in the pursuit of
sustainable biofuels. sustainable energy solutions.
• A voluntary framework for Systems of Digital

Public Infrastructure for the development, • The repository will be a virtual stack
deployment and governance of DPI has been where non-G20 and G-20 countries
unanimously accepted. can voluntarily share their open-source
Digital Public mechanisms.
Infrastructure • The declaration also mentions the approval of
(DPI) India’s plan to build and maintain Global Digital • One Future Alliance will assist and
Public Infrastructure Repository. fund the implementation of digital
public infrastructure in low- and
• The declaration takes note of the proposal to middle-income countries.
create One Future Alliance, a voluntary initiative.
Reform of • The member countries endorsed the G20 Roadmap • The Capital Adequacy Frameworks
Multilateral for Implementing the Recommendations of the G20 (CAF) recommendations are focused
Development Independent Review of MDBs Capital Adequacy on enabling MDBs to use the existing
Banks Frameworks and called for its implementation. resources effectively.
• It aims to help the countries of Global

G20 Satellite • India has proposed to launch the G20 satellite
South for environment and climate
Mission mission for environment and climate observation
observation.
What are the major misses in the G20 Summit?

• Transport corridor - There were no details about financing or a time frame for the project that involved
laying down railway lines in the Middle East and then connecting them to India by port.
• Biofuel Alliance - India currently battles deep malnutrition, hyper food inflation and bad harvests.
• Converting arable land for ethanol production seems to please the US which has major interest in biofuel.
• Climate change – The G20 nations collectively contribute to approximately 80% of global emissions.
• However, the leaders at the G20 Summit did not reach a consensus on the phase-out of fossil fuels.
• It also did not provide any plan to amend existing policies and targets in order to achieve the target of ramping
of renewables.
• Absence of leaders- This year's summit is notable for the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Global financial system reforms - The summit talked about restructuring the global financial system that
was devised in the Bretton Woods Conference at the end of World War II but there are no timelines or an action
plan.
• Debt - Relief is needed for the countries struggling with debt row, but no concrete steps were announced.
• International aid agency Oxfam called the summit “uninspiring and underwhelming” with no action being taken
to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change.
• Russia Ukraine War- Ukraine criticized the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration as it did not explicitly mention
Russia's aggression towards Ukraine.

What are the Cultural values reflected in G20 summit?
Cultural Heritages Significance
Nataraja Sculpture • The World’s tallest 27-foot Nataraja sculpture has been installed at
Bharat Mandapam, venue of the G20 Leaders' Summit.
• Metal - The Bharat Mandapam Nataraja statue is an ashtadhatu (8-
metal alloy).
• The eight metals include Copper, zinc and lead with traces of tin, silver,
gold and mercury, with iron.
• Crafting process - Lost-wax casting method, indigenous to the Chola
era.
Konark wheel • A replica of Konark Wheel from the Sun temple in Odisha served as the
backdrop of Indian Prime Minister's welcome handshake with G20
leaders.
• History- Konark Wheel was built during the 13th century under the reign
of King Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
• The wheel with 24 spokes representing the wheels of Lord Surya's sun
chariot.
• Significance- The wheel has been adapted in the Indian National Flag.
• Its rotating motion symbolises time, Kaalchakra, as well as progress and
continuous change.
• Konark sun temple, an example of Kalinga architecture, is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Nalanda University • The Backdrop of Nalanda, a UNESCO World Heritage site, welcomed
delegates for the President’s dinner.
• Nalanda was an acclaimed Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in
the kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar).
• It is an ancient centre of higher learning, founded in the 5th century CE.
• Patrons- Nalanda flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire
in the 5th and 6th centuries (especially Krishna Gupta) and later under
Harsha, the emperor of Kannauj.
• It reached the peak of its fame and glory during the reign of the Pala
dynasty in the 8th and 9th centuries CE.
• Library of Nalanda- The library of Nalanda, known as Dharma Gunj
(Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasury of Truth).
What are the gifts given to the world leaders in the G20 Summit?
• Different heads of states & leaders got a special gift hamper from the government of India.
The Gifts Significance
• Sandook is the Hindi word for a treasure chest.

• Traditionally, it is a strong box made of solid old wood or metal, with a lid on top and
Sheeshamwood embellishments all over.
Sandook with
Brass Patti • The Sandook was handcrafted using Sheesham (Indian Rosewood), which is valued for its
strength, durability, distinctive grain patterns and rich colour.
• The brass patti (strip) was delicately etched and embedded on to the wood.

• Saffron has been valued across cultures and civilizations for its unparalleled culinary and
medicinal value.
Kashmiri
Saffron • Kashmiri Saffron’s intense aromatic profile, vibrant colour and unmatched potency sets it
apart.
• This is due to the crisp air, abundant sunlight and well-drained soil of Kashmir, which
yields saffron with a higher concentration of essential oils.
• Pekoe Darjeeling and Nilgiri Tea are two illustrious gems from India’s tea tapestry,
Pekoe Darjeeling epitomizing the delicate art of tea cultivation and infusion.
& Nilgiri Tea • Nilgiri Tea comes from the most spectacular mountain range in southern India, cultivated
amidst the mountains’ lush terrain at an elevation of 1000-3000 ft.
• Araku Coffee is the world’s first terroir mapped coffee, grown on organic plantations in the
Araku Coffee Araku Valley of Andhra Pradesh.
• Araku Coffee is known for its unique texture and a symphony of flavours.
Sundarbans • Sundarbans is home to wild colonies of honeybees and is less viscous than other honey.
Honey
• ‘Pashm’ means wool in Persian. In Kashmiri, it refers to the raw unspun wool of the
Kashmiri Changthangi goat (the world’s most unique Cashmere goat) found only at a height of
Pashmina 14,000 feet above sea level.
• In ancient courts, Pashmina was used as an indicator of rank and nobility.
• Zighrana Ittar is a masterpiece of fragrance from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

Zighrana Ittar • Ittar (perfume) is an essential oil derived from botanical sources.
• It showcases a centuries-old tradition of exquisite perfume crafting.
• Synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi, khadi is an eco-friendly clothing material most

Khadi Scarf beloved for its beautiful texture and versatility throughout the seasons.
• It is also one of the most important symbols of India’s freedom struggle.
• Banarasi silk stoles are India's elegant treasures.

Banarasi silk
stole • Handcrafted in Varanasi, luxurious silk threads are used to create intricate patterns,
reflecting the city's cultural richness and its weaving heritage.
• Assam stoles are traditional pieces of clothing crafted using Muga silk.
Assam stole
• Kadam – Burflower tree wood handcrafted by Karnataka artisans.
Kanchivaram • Stole using pure mulberry silk threads crafted in Tamil Nadu.
stole • They are renowned for their rich, vibrant colors and intricate designs.
• Stole by artisans of Odisha using mulberry silk with the exquisite Ikkat technique.
Ikkat stole
• 'Ikat' is a meticulous dyeing process on silk or cotton.
• To commemorate India’s G20 presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released special
G20 postage stamps and coins on July 26 this year.
• The G20 India Stamps and Coins were released during the inauguration of Bharat
Coin Box
Mandapam at Pragati Maidan.
• The designs of both the coins and stamps draw inspiration from India’s G20 logo and
theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

What lies ahead?

• 2024 Presidency- India has formally handed over the G20 presidency to Brazil.
• The next G20 summit is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2024, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking over
the presidency.
• Agenda priorities-
o Social inclusion and the fight against hunger
o Energy transition and sustainable development in its social, economic and environmental aspects
o Reform of the global governance institutions
1.2 Women Reservation Bill, 2023
Why in news?
President has given her assent to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 and now it will be
known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023.
Constitutional Provisions for Women empowerment
• Part III- It guarantees the fundamental rights for both men and women.
• DPSP- It ensure economic empowerment by providing for equal pay for equal work by both men and women,
humane conditions of work, and maternity relief.
• Right to contest election- Any Indian citizen who is registered as a voter and is over 25, can contest elections
to the Lok Sabha or the SLAs; for Rajya Sabha the minimum age is 30.
• Article 243 D- Provides for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women in
Panchayats.
• Article 243 T- Provides for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women in Urban
Local Bodies.
• Article 325- No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on
grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
• Article 326- The elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on
the basis of adult suffrage.
How about the representation of women in Parliament?

• Global average- As of May 2022, female representation
in national parliaments was 26.2 %
• India- The number of women MPs has increased from
5% in the first Lok Sabha to 15% (82 women MPs) in the
17th Lok Sabha.
• 13% of Rajya Sabha MPs are women.
• SLAs - The average number of women MLAs in
Assemblies across the nation accounts for only 9%.
• In the 2023 election, Nagaland got its first 2
women MLAs. Mizoram too has not had a women MLA
in the past 7 Assemblies.
• Panchayat - In 2006, Bihar became the first State to
provide 50% reservation for women in panchayat bodies.
At present, more than 20 States have 50% reservation for
women at the panchayat level.
• BRICS nation- When compared to BRICS nations, including the new members, India has the 2nd lowest share
(15%), just above Iran (6%).

What is the history of women reservation bill?

• Local governance- Reservation for women in Panchayats and Municipalities were provided by
o Article 243D- 73rd Amendment Act 1992
o Article 243T- 74th Amendment Act 1992
Bill About Reason for lapse
To reserve not less than 1/3rd of the total number of seats

81st Amendment Due to the dissolution of
filled by direct election in the House of the People and in
Bill, 1996 11th Lok Sabha
the State Legislative Assemblies (SLAs) for women.
To provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha, SLAs and

84th Amendment Due to the dissolution of
National Capital Territory of Delhi for 15 years from the
Bill, 1998 12th Lok Sabha
commencement of the proposed enactment
85th Amendment Due to lack of consensus

To provide reservation for women in legislatures.
Bill, 1999 amongst the political parties
To reserve 1/3rd of all seats for women in Lok Sabha and SLAs.
108th Amendment Due to the dissolution of
Bill 2008 The allocation of reserved seats shall be determined by such 15th Lok Sabha.
authority as prescribed by Parliament.
Proposes 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha, SLAs and

128th Amendment Both Lok Sabha and Rajya
the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of
Bill, 2023 Sabha passed the bill
Delhi.
What are the key features of the bill?

• Reservation for women- The Bill proposes 33% reservation for w omen in Lok Sabha, SLAs, and the
Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
• This will also apply to the seats reserved for SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and stat es legislatures.
• Introduction of new articles- Article 330A and Article 332A to be introduced in the Constitution to propose
changes for Lok Sabha and Assemblies respectively.
• Commencement - The reservation will be effective after the census conducted after this Bill has been
published.
• Based on this, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women for a period of 15 years. However, it
shall continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament.

• Rotation of seats- Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law
made by Parliament.
What is the need for women reservation?
• Limited political participation- If a group
is not represented proportionately in the
political system, its ability to influence policy-
making is limited.
• Reduce discrimination- The Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) provides that discrimination against
women must be eliminated in political and
public life.
o India is a signatory to the CEDAW.
• Voice for women- A 2003 study about the
effect of reservation for women in panchayats
showed that women elected under the
reservation policy invest more in the public
goods closely linked to women’s concerns.
• Meaningful contributions- The Standing
Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances,
Law and Justice (2009) had noted that
reservation of seats for women in local bodies
has enabled them to make meaningful
contributions.
• Legislated quotas- The Inter-Parliamentary Union (2022) has noted that legislated quotas have been a
decisive factor in women’s representation.
What are the advantages of the bill?
• Political empowerment of women- It is rightly perceived as a powerful and indispensable tool for
eliminating gender inequality and discrimination.
• Gender equity- It can be achieved by increasing the number of women members in Parliament and State
Assemblies.
• Develop society- Experience of women in family life as Rwanda model

a leader, will help the society at large.
• The country with highest percentage of
• Women leadership- In 2001, a study on the impact of women legislators in its Parliament is
women’s leadership on policy decisions in West Bengal has Rwanda, with 49 of its 80 Lower House seats
found that women invest more in infrastructure that are occupied by women (around 61%).
directly relevant to the needs of rural women like water,
fuel etc., • The Rwandan government put forward a
bold gender equality initiative, culminating
• Electoral advantage- Nominating women from in the 2003 constitution, which gave women
minority communities will be an electoral advantage. a 30% quota in all decision-making organs.
• Dual member constituencies- • A Ministry of Gender was set up, the first of
o Does not decrease the democratic choice for voters its kind in Africa.
o Does not discriminate against male candidates • According to the World Economic Forum’s
Gender Gap Index 2023, Rwanda
o Might make it easier for members to nurture ranked 12th out of 146 countries pointing to
constituencies whose average size is about 2.5 better performances in the fields of political
million people. representation and health.
What are the concerns with the bill?
• Proxy- Women will be used as a dummy candidate or a puppet by their politically strong husbands & relatives
and work behind them indirectly.
• Delays- Linking of the bill with delimitation exercise would mean a prolonged delay in the quota coming into
force and it may not effectively be operationalised in Lok Sabha before the general elections of 2029.

• 2021 census is already delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic which is yet to be conducted.
• Internal reservation- There is a demand to extend the women reservation to OBCs who constitute around
40% of the population, as recommended by the Joint Parliamentary Committee for 1996 bill.
• Issue with reserved seats- The bill doesn’t specify how these reserved seats will be identified.
• Issue with rotating constituencies- A study by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj recommended that rotation
of constituencies should be discontinued at the panchayat level because almost 85% women were first-timers
and only 15% women could get re-elected because the seats they were elected from were de-reserved.
• Lack of merit- The separate constituencies for women would not only narrow their outlook but lead to
perpetuation of unequal status because they would be seen as not competing on merit.
• Consideration of ability- When there is reservation of seats for women, the question of their consideration
for general seats, however competent they may be, does not usually arise.
• Electoral reforms issue- Reservation alone would not lead to political empowerment of women because
larger issues of electoral reforms have not been addressed including
o Criminalisation of politics
o Internal democracy in political parties
o Influence of black money
Delimitation Exercise
• Delimitation – The act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats to represent changes in
population.
• It is conducted periodically to reflect both increase in population and changes in its distribution.
• Objective- To provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.
• Article 82- Provides for readjustment of constituencies of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies after every Census.
• 42nd Amendment Act- It froze delimitation exercise until the first Census after 2000 is published.
• In 2001, this was further extended for 25 years. So now, delimitation would happen on the results of the first
Census after 2026.
• Delimitation commission (Boundary Commission) - It carries the delimitation exercise, appointed by the
Government of India under the Delimitation Commission Act.
• The Commission is appointed by the President and works in collaboration with Election Commission of India.
• Composition
o Retired Supreme Court judge
o Chief Election Commissioner of India
o Respective State Election Commissioners
• The Commission’s orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election
indefinitely.
1.3 20th ASEAN India Summit
Why in news?
Recently, the 20th ASEAN India summit was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, which provides opportunities for the leaders to
engage in dialogue and interactions.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Regional organisation- It comprises of 10 Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental

cooperation and facilitates economic integration amongst its members.
• Aim- To accelerate economic growth, social progress, and socio-cultural evolution, promote Southeast Asian
studies, alongside the protection of regional stability.

• Member nations- Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and
Vietnam.
• Land borders- ASEAN shares land borders with India, China, Bangladesh, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea.
• Maritime borders- It shares border with India, China, Palau, and Australia.
• ASEAN plus Three- It was created to improve existing ties with the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South
Korea.
• ASEAN Plus Six- ASEAN plus three with additional countries Australia, New Zealand and India
• Observer status -In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.
• Dialogue partner- In response, the organisation awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the UN.
What is the significance of ASEAN for India?

• Delhi Dialogue- Delhi Dialogue is a premier annual Track
1.5 event between India and ASEAN since 2009.
o Track 1.5 diplomacy involves both officials and non- 2022 marks the 30th anniversary
officials such as business leaders, business organisation of ASEAN-India relations and is
and all possible non diplomats of two states. being celebrated as the ‘ASEAN-
India Friendship Year’
• Cooperation- Discusses politico-security, frameworks on
economic and socio-cultural engagement.
• Delhi Declaration- India hosted the 10th edition of the Delhi Dialogue (DD X) under the theme
“Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation” in New Delhi in 2018.
• It urges countries to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in combating transnational crimes, including
people smuggling, trafficking in persons, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime.
• Strategic partnership- The Joint Statement on ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was
adopted in the 19th ASEAN-India Summit held at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• ASEAN-India Summit - ASEAN and India hold annual summits since 2002 to elevate political, security,
economic and socio-cultural ties.
• Observer- In 20th ASEAN India summit Timor Leste participated as observer country.
What are the key outcomes of 20th ASEAN Summit?
• Maritime domain- Both agreed to enhance information-sharing and capacity-building in the maritime
domain while strengthening cooperation through specialized agencies.

• Blue economy- Both 12-point plan proposed by India

agreed to promote
cooperation in areas of Economic corridor
sustainable development of
marine resources, marine •India reaffirms its commitment to establish multi-modal
connectivity and economic corridor that links South-East Asia-
biodiversity and ecosystem India-West Asia-Europe.
conservation, combating
climate change and marine
pollution, promoting green Digital infrastructure
and efficient maritime •India offered to share its Digital Public Infrastructure Stack with
transport and developing ASEAN partner.
new and renewable energy.
• Connectivity- Ensuring Digital innovation
seamless connectivity in the
Indo-Pacific by •India announced ASEAN-India fund for Digital Future focusing on
cooperation in digital transformation and financial connectivity
collaborating for quality,
sustainable and resilient
infrastructure, fostering Knowledge partner
greater engagement of
•India announced renewal of support to Economic and Research
private sector, tourism Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) to act as knowledge
industry, MSMEs, coastal partner for enhancing our engagement.
communities, financial
institutions etc.,
Global South
• Encourage innovation-
Through activities such as •India called ASEAN for collectively raising issues being faced by
hackathons, start-up Global South in multilateral fora
festivals and joint research
and encouraging Health
sustainable and eco-
tourism while promoting •Invited ASEAN countries to join Global Centre for Traditional
Medicine being established by WHO in India. It offered to share
cruise and sea-based experience in providing affordable and quality medicines to people
tourism. through Jan-Aushadhi Kendras.
• AITIGA- ASEAN India
Trade in Goods Agreement, Climate Change
both set 2025 as target for
concluding the review •It called ASEAN for working together on Mission LiFE
aimed at addressing the
asymmetry in bilateral Peace
trade.
•It called for collective fight against terrorism, terror financing and
• Peace - Both committed to cyber-disinformation
ASEAN-India Plan of
Action to Implement Disaster Management
the ASEAN-India
Partnership for Peace, •It invited ASEAN countries to join Coalition for Disaster Resilient
Progress and Shared Infrastructure
Prosperity (2021-2025).
Maritime cooperation
• AOIP- ASEAN Outlook on
Indo-Pacific is ASEAN’s •It called for enhanced cooperation on maritime safety, security
own initiative to enhance and domain awareness
ASEAN Community
building process, as well as
strengthen and complement cooperation with all partners, as reflected in the East Asia Summit Plan of Action
(2024-2028).
• It is adopted in Ha Noi Declaration 2020.
• Economic partnership- Both highlighted economic priorities of ASEAN to be advanced further, including
o Strengthening ASEAN market integration
o Sustainability and decarbonization
o Digital transformation
o Inclusivity

1.4 Five Years of Ayushman Bharat
Why in news?
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is organizing Arogya Manthan to celebrate 5 years of Ayushman Bharat -
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
What is Ayushman Bharat Scheme?
• It is the world’s largest health assurance scheme. Public Health is a State
Subject so states are responsible
• Year of Launch – 2018 as recommended by the National Health for providing effective public
Policy, 2017 health to the people.
• Ministry - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
• Aim – To achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which encompasses promotive, preventive,
curative, palliative and rehabilitative care.
• Funding – Centrally Sponsored Scheme (expenditure incurred in premium payment will be shared between
Central and State governments)
• Coverage - Targets over 10 crore families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) based on SECC (Socio-
Economic Caste Census)
• Implementing Agency – National Health Authority (NHA)
• Components - It has 2 components covering all 3 types of care to the people.
o Health and wellness Centres (HWC) – It covers primary care hospitalization by providing
comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health
services.
o Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) – To provide a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per
family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
o It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses such as

diagnostics and medicines.
o There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
o Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empaneled public
or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
•
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) – It was launched in 2021 to provide Unique Digital Health
IDs (UHID) for all Indian citizens to help hospitals, insurance firms, and citizens access health records
electronically when required.
What attributes to the success of AB-PMJAY scheme? Status of Ayushman Bharat Scheme
• Private sector participation – To elicit the • About 15.5 crore families are covered (50% of
participation of private service providers, health benefit India’s population)
packages (HBPs) are given.
• 11 states/UTs have pushed for 100%
• Quicker settlement of claims – Efforts are being coverage of their respective population.
made to settle the claims within a defined standard of 15
days. • 48% of treatments under the scheme have
been availed by women.
o A few states like Uttarakhand have brought
down the claims settlement time to less than 7 • More than 24 crore Ayushman Cards have
days. been created.
• Rewarding service providers – Reward to hospitals • It has resulted in savings of more than Rs 1
with a trustworthy record with an upfront payment of lakh crore for the beneficiaries which is often
50% of the claim without adjudication. cited as Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE).
o In 2023, Uttar Pradesh received 2 awards for • According to the World Bank, proportion of
excellent work in PM-JAY and on out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare in
the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) India, at 50.59 %, is the highest among
from the Centre. emerging economies.
• Guidance mechanism – Every hospital is mandated
to have dedicated Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras (PMAMs) who guide the beneficiaries.

Ayushman Mitra initiative is a part of PM-JAY where any citizen of India can voluntarily enroll themselves as
Ayushman Mitra to assist patients and to coordinate with beneficiaries and the hospital.
• Interstate portability – A patient registered in one state is entitled to receive care in any other state that has
an AB-PMJAY programme.
• This has proved helpful to migrants, especially in emergencies.
• Digitalized service delivery – NHA has deployed a public dashboard that tracks implementation on a day-
to-day basis.
• Ensures privacy – Beneficiary details are published without compromising their privacy and has faceless
claim processing.
• Real-time monitoring – The National Anti-Fraud Unit (NAFU) and state level Anti-Fraud Units oversee
anti-fraud incidences.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies are used to detect suspicious
transactions/potential frauds.
o Aadhaar-based authentication for card creation and
registration for treatment has been mandated. The scheme has taken India closer
• Feedback mechanism – The NHA’s call centre makes calls to to Sustainable Development
every beneficiary within 48 hours of discharge to verify the quantity Goal 3.8, which envisions
and quality of the treatment. universal health coverage.
• Inclusive treatment –Around 50 packages were designed

specifically for the transgender community, including packages on Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS).
• Holistic treatment – It provides cashless secondary and tertiary inpatient care for almost all health
conditions to its beneficiaries.
What issues were noted by the CAG report for 2018 to 2021?
• Registration of beneficiaries - The identification of beneficiaries based on the SECC could be irrelevant by
now.
• The CAG audit shows that matching of beneficiaries with the SECC in the online portal was not done and
registrations and rejections of applications was done in an arbitrary manner.
• The audit brought to light that there were large numbers of beneficiaries registered against the same mobile
number or Aadhaar.
• Malpractices - The auditors found large scale corruption in
insurance claims settlement. Public healthcare expenditure as
a percentage of GDP at around
• Hospital empanelment done without checks - An Empaneled
2%, places India among the
Healthcare Provider (EHCP) has to fulfil criteria like the presence of
underdeveloped economies.
round-the-clock support systems like pharmacy, blood bank,
laboratory, dialysis unit, ICU care etc.
• Many hospitals after being empaneled for a certain set of fixed services, failed in providing them.
• Missing hospitals - The existence of hospitals in the empaneled list did not necessarily translate into even
their existence in the scheme
• Shortage of infrastructure & personnel - Shortage of healthcare infrastructure, doctors and equipment in
many States and UTs.
1.5 One Year of Project Cheetah
Why in news?
Recently, 1 year anniversary of India’s cheetah reintroduction programme was observed with the 1 st batch of 8 cheetahs
from Namibia arrived on September 17, 2022.
Why is the cheetah being brought back?
• Asiatic cheetahs – Once abundant in India, cheetah was officially declared extinct by the Indian government
in 1952.

o Reasons - Over-hunting, decimation of its relatively narrow prey base species and loss of its grassland-
forest habitat.
• Cheetah Reintroduction– India carried
out negotiations with Iran in 1970s for
reintroducing Asiatic Cheetah but it didn’t take
off.
• In 2009, a plan was endorsed to reintroduce
Cheetahs in India but it was shot down by the
Supreme Court.
• Later, in 2020, the Supreme Court cleared the
move on an experimental basis.
• Need for introduction– To establish a viable cheetah metapopulation in India and provides space for the
expansion of the cheetah within its historical range.
• As it is a flagship species, the conservation of the cheetah will revive grassland-forests habitat.
What is Project Cheetah?
• Project Cheetah is India’s cheetah relocation programme and the 1 st intercontinental reintroduction of a wild,
large carnivore species.
• Aim- To bring in 5-10 animals every year, over the next decade, until a self-sustaining population of cheetahs
is established.
• Reintroduction- The African cheetahs are translocated from the forests of South Africa and Namibia to
the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
• Implementing body - The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of
Environment, Forest, and And Climate Change
• Assisted by - The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
To know more about Cheetah reintroduction programme, click here
Status of Project Cheetah
• Total Imports – 20 adult African cheetahs have been imported so far.
• Death – Of the 20 adult cheetahs imported, 6 of the 12 cheetahs which came from Africa have died.
• Additionally, 3 of the four cubs have died and the only remaining cub is being hand reared as its mother has
rejected it.
• Current status - The surviving 14 adult cheetahs and 1 cub are in captivity.
• The current status doesn’t indicate any progress to achieve the stated goal of Project Cheetah.
• Additional sites being prepared – Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary,
both in Madhya Pradesh.
Why are the reasons attributed to the death of Cheetahs?
• Premedical condition – The 1st cheetah which died is said to have a renal condition even before translocation.
• Extreme weather conditions – The death of the cubs born in India are attributed to heat wave conditions.
• Captivity– One of the females died when authorities attempted to get the cheetah to mate inside the enclosure.
• Organ failure –Cardio-pulmonary failure is another cause but what caused it has still not been determined.
• Unknown causes – The last three deaths occurred during the monsoon with no definite cause.
What are the issues associated?
• Higher quarantine time – It took more than 50 days for the first two cheetahs and more than 70 days for
the last of the eight cheetahs to be released into larger enclosure.
• It is not clear if scientific assessments of prevalence of diseases were carried out and what the results were, as
there is nothing in the public domain.
• Faulty selection process – It allowed the import of animals which were ill and behaviorally unfit for release
in the wild.

• 3 of the eight cheetahs that were part of the first batch of cheetahs from Namibia, did not meet the criteria
prescribed in the Action Plan.
• No separation of male and female – Certain events like the birth of a litter, the fatal mauling of a female
by two males and the death of a male while a female was in the same enclosure was against the given norms.
• Implementation failure – Action Plan for Cheetah Reintroduction in Indian States

Neither the mentioned timelines
nor the stated sequence of release • Quarantine for 30 days in a predator-proof enclosure at the site of
has been followed. release.
• Impact on other endangered • Monitor animals for manifestation of any sickness as per the
species – It probably diverted regulation of import of live animals under the Livestock-
financial resources from much Importation Act, 1898.
needed conservation projects like
the Great Indian Bustard and the • Do a scientific assessment to establish the prevalence of potential
translocation of Asiatic lions. carnivore pathogens/diseases at the release sites.
• Habitat conservation- Given • The selection of animals suitable for release will be verified by
the challenges that the cheetahs CTF/WII after necessary vaccinations and health checks.
have faced in surviving even in
captivity and the lack of suitable • Separation of male coalitions and females in adjoining
habitats for them, using African compartments so that they can know each other before release.
cheetahs to conserve grasslands • Radio-collared male (coalitions) would be released from the holding
and grassland-dependent species enclosure first after an appropriate period (1 to 2 months).
is clearly a faulty strategy.
• The females shall be released, after radio collaring, 1-4 weeks after
What lies ahead? the males.
• Need to incorporate the best
available scientific knowledge in planning, implementation and monitoring of a project of this scale.
• Focus on the establishment of high-quality habitats covering at least 5,000 square kilometres before bringing
more cheetahs from Africa.
• Make wider consultation involving scientists and conservationists.
• Authorities need to reassess the approach to prevent deaths, especially when the animals are in captivity.
• Need to determine if the African cheetahs are susceptible to certain insects and parasites in India, and if the
radio collars provide a micro-environment conducive for these to thrive.
Cheetahs are a low-density species, existing at best at 1-2 per 100 sq km and with a unique spatial ecology. The
introduced cheetahs will need about 5,000 sq km of good-quality habitat to establish a viable population in India.
G.S PAPER I
2. HISTORY
2.1 Ashoka, the Great
Why in news? Maurya Empire

Three Ashokan era edicts were recently found in Delhi.
• 322 – 185 B.C.E.
Who is Ashoka, the Great?
• Chandragupta Maurya founded 322
• Parents- Mauryan King Bindusara and Devi Dhamma. BCE after overthrowing the Nanda
Dynasty.
• Year- 273 BC - 232 BC
• Chanakya (also known as Kautilya and
• In 265 BC, he won the battle of Kalinga and after seeing the
Vishnugupta) who wrote Arthashastra
bloodsheds he had a change of heart. He started to follow the
was the political mentor of
path of non-violence and Buddhism.
Chandragupta Maurya
• He also made Buddhism as State religion around 260 BC.
• Ashoka - 3rd ruler of Mauryan Empire.

• 3rd Buddhist Council- Held at Pataliputra (250

BC) under the patronage of King Ashoka and Chairman
is Moggaliputta Tissa.
• Compilation of Abhidhamma Pitaka took place here.
• Edicts - Ashoka started to preach dhamma and wrote his
philosophy through 14 edicts. These were known as Ashokan
edicts.
• Great Sanchi Stupa was inscribed as a World Heritage Site
by UNECSO in 1989.
• Sarnath Pillar- The Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath has a 4-lion
capital, which was adopted as the national emblem of the
India post-independence.
What are the edicts and inscriptions of Ashoka?
• Edicts- It is a decree or announcement of law, which can be
under any official authority. It can be issued in any number
of physical forms
o Major and Minor Pillar Edicts, Major Rock Edicts-
14 edicts (termed 1st to 14th) and two separate ones
found in Odisha, Minor Rock Edicts.
• Inscriptions- It is a text produced by carving the letters
into solid surface like stones, coins, buildings and rocks
o Major Rock Inscriptions, Barabar cave inscriptions and Kandahar bilingual inscription.
What does Ashokan edicts and inscriptions say about?
• Themes - Ashoka’s conversion, his efforts to spread Buddhism, Moral and religious precepts and Social and
animal welfare programmes
• In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers himself as “Beloved Servant of the God” (Devanampiyadasi). The
identification of Devanampiyadasi with Ashoka was confirmed by an
inscription at Maski, found in the eastern part of India were written in All rock edicts are inscriptions
Magadhi Prakrit using the Brahmi script.
but all inscriptions are not
• Edicts- Collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka as well as rock edicts
boulders and cave walls made by the Emperor Ashoka.
• These inscriptions represents the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the Ashoka’s
view about dhamma, to solve the severe problems faced by the complex society.
Major Rock
About
Edicts
Prohibits animal slaughter

I
Bans festive gatherings
Mentions the South Indian kingdoms such as Cholas, Pandya, Satyaputas and Keralaputras.
II
Deals with social welfare measures
Liberty to Brahmanas Every five years Yukatas, Pradesikas along with Rajukas.
III
To visit all the areas of the kingdom to spread Dhamma.
Preference of Dhammaghosa (Sound of peace) over Berighosa (Sound of wandrums).

IV
Impact of Dhamma on society
Humane treatment of slaves by their masters.

V
Mentions about the appointment of Dhamma Mahamatras.
VI Deals with the welfare measures King’s wish to know about the condition of the people

VII Tolerance towards all religions and sects
Mentions about Ashoka’s visit to Bodh Gaya and Bodhi tree

VIII
Maintaining contact with rural people via Dhammayatras
Stresses on the moral conduct of people.

IX
Avoiding expensive ceremonies
X Condemns the desire for fame and glory
XI Elaborate explanation of Dhamma
XII Appeal for developing tolerance towards all religious sects
XIII Explains about Kalinga war and conquest through dhamma
XIV Deals with the purpose of engraving inscriptions in various parts of the country
Pillar Edict About
I Ashoka’s principle of protecting his people
II Defines Dhamma as minimum of sins, many virtues, compassion, liberty, truthfulness, purity
III Avoiding practices of cruelty, sin, harshness, pride and anger among his subjects.
IV Responsibilities of the Rajukas.
List of animals and birds that should not be killed on certain days.
Another list mentions animals that should never be killed.
V
Describes release of 25 prisoners.
This pillar edict is also known as Delhi-Topra Pillar Edict.
VI Dhamma policy of the State (welfare of the people).
VII Ashoka’s work for fulfilling Dhamma. Tolerance for all sects. Also, about Dhamma Mahamatta
What is Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma?

Inscription / Edict About
• The word dhamma is the Pali form of the Sanskrit
word dharma. Allahabad –
• Aim - To create a harmonious atmosphere in the state Kosam/Queens Ashoka asks the members of
where all people irrespective of their religious and cultural the Sangha to refrain from
Edict/Kausambi or causing division in the ranks.
diversities, lived in peace and harmony. Schism Edict
• Ahimsa- Ban on animal sacrifices, it reduced killing of
animals for food in the royal kitchen It is a famous bilingual edict
Kandahar Inscription
in Greek and Aramaic.
• Good conduct- It emphasised on good conduct and
social responsibilities that were part of dhamma.
Mentions “all men are my
o Proper courtesy to slaves and servants Kalinga Edict
children”
o Respectful behaviour towards elders
o Restrain in one’s dealing with all living beings.
• Gift of dhamma- Obedience to mother & father, Liberality towards friends, relatives, acquaintances and relatives
• Mutual respect- Religious toleration
• Dhamma as a king- To promote welfare of the people, Discharge the debt he owes to all beings, Ensure people’s
happiness in this world, Renunciation of warfare.

2.2 Ancient Red Sea Route
Why in news?
In the G20 Summit 2023, PM announced the launch of the historic India-Middle East-Europe mega economic corridor.
What is India Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor?
• Infrastructure corridor- The rail and shipping corridor is part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure
Investment (PGII) — a collaborative effort by G7 nations to fund infrastructure projects in developing nations.
• Aim- To enable greater trade among the involved countries, including energy products
• Member countries- India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and the US.
• Proposed corridors-
o East Corridor- India to West Asia/Middle East
o Northern Corridor- West Asia/Middle East to
Europe.
• Railway link- It involves the laying of a railway link
through Arabian Peninsula that could link up with Europe.
• Proposed projects- The corridor will include
o Electricity cable and high speed data cable,
o Hydrogen pipeline
o A green and digital bridge across continents and civilizations.
• Significance- The use of the land route in the Arabian Peninsula could bypass the congested Suez Canal
• The project eventually aims at laying out a seamless corridor running all the way from South East Asia to Europe
• It is seen as a weighty ideological alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
What is the ancient Red Sea trade route?
Before Common Era Roman Empire covered from
• Meluha-There are evidences of Indian diaspora in the Middle East at lowland Scotland to the
the time of Meluha (Indus Valley Civilisation, 3300-1300 BCE). borders of Persia, and from
the Sahara to the banks of
• Roman times- The trade expanded with huge cargo ships moving
directly between the subcontinent and the Roman Empire. Rhine & Danube
After Common Era

• Conquest of Egypt- The trade picked up in the 1st and 2nd centuries after the Romans conquered Egypt,
opening up for Roman merchants, who were adventurous enough to try to sail to India.
o Sir Mortimer Wheeler’s excavations at Arikamedu, Pondicherry in the 1930s and 40s, had established
the existence of Indo-Roman trade in the 1st century CE.
• Muziris Papyrus- This document gives details of one particular cargo sent to the Egyptian port
of Berenike from Muziris port, India.
• According to latest estimates, custom taxes on the Red Sea trade with India, Persia, and Ethiopia may have
generated as much as one-third of the income of the Roman exchequer.
• Maritime link- In the 1st and 2nd century CE, maritime highway linked the Roman Empire and India through
the Red Sea, with many hundreds of ships going in both directions each year.
What was being traded on this route?
• Exports- There was a great demand across the Roman Empire for luxuries from India.
o Cinnnamon-like plant called malabathrum whose leaves were pressed to create perfume
o Luxury items such as ivory, pearls, and precious gemstones
o Ivory figures such as Yakshi fertility spirit
o Exotic goods especially wild animals like elephants and tigers
o Spices such as pepper have been found during excavations at Berenike

• Import- The flow of goods in the other direction was more limited.
o The Roman historian Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) says it was mainly gold that went to India and the
balance of trade was firmly in India’s favour.
o There was some trade in olive oil and Garum, an ancient Roman fermented fish paste, evidence of
which has been found in Arikamedu and in Kerala.
• Trade organisation- The evidence points that the trade being highly organised.
What roles did Indians have in this trade?
• Monsoon winds- The Indians were quick to grasp that the heating of the Tibetan Plateau meant that the
monsoon winds blow in one direction in winter and the other in summer.
• Paintings- The pictures in Ajanta had large double-masted ships.
• Coins- Ships were a common insignia in many early Indian coins. For example- Satvahana coins
• Graffiti evidence- It is found in the Hoq caves on the Socotra island, at the mouth of Gulf of Aden.
• Images- There are images of Buddhist stupas, Shaivite tridents, swastikas, Syrian Christian crosses, and
pictures of large three-masted Indian ships, as well as prayers to Krishna and Radha.
• Recent evidences- There is a lot of evidences in places like Muziris in Kerala and Berenike in Egypt.
• Recently, the head and torso of a magnificent Buddha, the first ever found to the west of Afghanistan, was
discovered at the site in Berenike along with a triad of early Vaishnav deities.
How does the Red Sea Route differ from the Silk Route?
• Absence of record - The Silk Road was completely unknown
in ancient or mediaeval times. It certainly existed during the
Mongol period (13th and 14th centuries CE).
• However, during the Roman period, there’s no evidence that
China and Europe knew of each other’s existence.
• Indian ports- Chinese silk seems to have reached Rome
during this period via the ports of India.
• China factor- China has politicised the Belt and Road
initiative and actively mobilised the idea as part of Chinese foreign policy, to make China the end of a worldwide
trade network.
2.3 Hoysala Temples in World Heritage List
Why in news?
Recently, Hoysala-era temples were added as to UNESCO’s World
Heritage List thus becoming the 42nd site from India. World Heritage List of India
What is UNESCO World Heritage Site? • India has 6th highest number of WHS (Italy
• World Heritage Site (WHS) – These are the sites are is 1st with 58).
designated as having “outstanding universal value” under • Total number of World Heritage Site - 42
the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World
Cultural and Natural Heritage. • Total cultural heritage sites - 34
• It was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 and formally took • Total natural heritage sites - 7
effect in 1975.
• Mixed heritage - 1 (Khangchendzonga
• The list of WHS is maintained by the International World National Park in Sikkim).
Heritage Programme, administered by the UNESCO
• First WHS from India - Tajmahal, Agra Fort,
World Heritage Committee.
Ajanta and Ellora caves all listed in 1983.
• The 3 types of site are Cultural, Natural, and Mixed.
• Latest addition - Sacred Ensembles of
What is the procedure for including a site in WHS list? Hoysala Temples, Santiniketan in 2023.
• Selection - To be included on the World Heritage List, • Dholavira in Gujarat is the only site of Indus
sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at valley civilisation in the from India
least one out of 10 selection criteria of UNESCO.

• Only countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention can submit nomination proposals for
properties on their territory to be considered for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
• Tentative List – The first step a country must take is to make an ‘inventory' of its important natural and
cultural heritage sites located within its boundaries, known as the Tentative List.
• The World Heritage Committee cannot consider a nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List unless
the property has already been included on the State Party's Tentative List.
• Evaluation- A nominated property is independently evaluated by
o The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
o The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
o The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
(ICCROM)
• Deciding authority - Once a
site has been nominated and
evaluated, it is up to the
intergovernmental World
Heritage Committee to make
final decision on its inscription.
What constitutes the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas?
The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas
The Chennakeshava temple • Location – Belur in Hassan District

• Major shrine of– Lord Vishnu
• Time period – Consecrated around 1117 AD
• Built by – Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana
• Nickname - Vijaya Narayana temple as it was built by the king to mark
his victories against the Cholas
The Kesava Temple

• Location –Somanathapura village (Mysore district)
• Time period – 1268 C.E
• Built by – Somanatha, a General of Hoysala King Narasimha III
• Major Shrine - Vaishnava shrine
The Hoysaleswara temple • Location – on the banks of Dwarasamudra tank, Halebidu (Hassan
district)
• Time period – 12th Century C.E.
• Major Shrine – Lord Shiva
• It is believed to be the largest Shiva temple built by the Hoysalas.
• Halebidu was sacked by Malik Kafur, a general of the then Delhi Sultan
Alauddin Khalji in the early 1300s.
What makes Hoysala architecture stand out?

• Unique confluence of styles – These temples are amalgamation of 3 distinctive temple styles of India.
o Dravidian style represented in Pallava and Chola temples
o Vesara style, the variant of the Dravida style that emerged in the Chalukya and Rashtrakuta temples
o Nagara style of North India

• Construction material – The use of soapstone, a malleable stone has made it easy to carve and contributed
to abundant intricate sculptures on the temple walls.
• Elevated platforms – The temples are generally built on stellate (star-shaped) platforms.
o Kesava temple in Somanathapura is built in the shape of a 16-point star.
• Sculptures – The themes include animals, scenes of daily life, depictions from the epics and the Puranas.
• Differentiated Pillars – The total number of pillars in
Chennakesava temple at Belur is 46. Hoysalas
• All of them, except the four in the central bay are of

• Origin – Provincial governors under
different designs.
Western Chalukyas established themselves
• Signed temples - The temples are given with as rulers, as Western Chalukyas and Cholas,
information of the sculptors and masons who were crumbled.
involved in its construction.
• Geography – Karnataka
• Religious significance – These Vaishnava and
• Time period – 10th century to 14th century
Shaivya shrines were built at the time Jainism was
prominent in the region. It mark a turn towards • Capital – It was Belur earlier and moved to
Hinduism. Halebidu or Dwarasamudra later.
• Social significance – The jewellery, clothes, etc. of the • Hoysala Emblem - Figure representing
sculptures give an idea of the society of the times. Sala attacking the tiger
• One of the sculptures, Darpana Sundari (lady with the
mirror), is modelled on Shantala Devi, the queen of Vishnuvardhana who had the built the Chennakesava
temple.
• Other details– No known monuments other than temples like palaces or forts, survive from this period.
• The non-temple buildings were all built in either mud or brick or wood and not stone.
• So, except for some ruins in Hampi, nothing has survived in the form of architecture of Hoysalas.
Santiniketan on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
• Location – West Bengal Visva-Bharati University

• Establishment - Established in 1901, by poet and
• Sole Central University of West
philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, lovingly known
Bengal.
as Gurudev.
• Location- Santiniketan
• It was originally an ashram built by Debendranath Tagore, where
anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could spend time • Founded by - Rabindranath Tagore
meditating the one Supreme God.
• Declared as a Central University &
• Popularly known as - University Town an Institution of National
Importance by an Act of Parliament.
• It served as a residential school and centre for art based on
ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity • Chancellor - Prime Minister
transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
• In 1921, a ‘world university’ was established at Santiniketan to recognise the unity of humanity or Visva Bharati.
Santiniketan becomes the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the 3 rd in West Bengal, after
Sundarbans National Park and Darjeeling Mountain Railways. In 2022, West Bengal's Durga Puja was placed
on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by UNESCO.
3. SOCIAL ISSUES
3.1 Women led Climate Action
Why in news?
Emerging countries need women-led climate action as they are more vulnerable to climate change because of their
dependence on natural resource and labour-intensive work.

Why there is a need of women led climate action?

• Foster SDG- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said that gender equality
and environmental goals are mutually reinforcing that will accelerate the SDGs achievement.
• Global challenge- Its impact is one that has profound consequences for humans and has emerged as one of
the biggest global challenges in recent decades.
• Loss of work hours- As per International Labour Organization (ILO) study in 2019, around 2.2 % of total
working hours worldwide will be lost to high temperatures, a productivity loss equivalent to 80 million full time
jobs in 2030.
• Women at disadvantage- United Nations highlighted that across genders, women are considered to be highly
vulnerable and disproportionately affected by climate change than men.
According to the ILO, over 60% of working women in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are still in agriculture,
where they are often underpaid and overworked.
What are the Gender-specific issues?

• Climate disasters- According to a UN study, 80% of those displaced by climate-related disasters are women
and girls.
Situation in low-income countries
• Women inequality- According
to estimates, 130 million people
Dependence
could be pushed into poverty by
2050 due to climate change risks, •Women in developing and less developed countries are more
natural disasters, and food vulnerable to climate change because of their dependence on
inflation. natural resources and labour-intensive work.
• Stereotypes- Women, especially
those from vulnerable Poverty
communities, face particular •Women are more likely to live in poverty than men, one of
difficulties during and after natural the variables that makes them more susceptible to the
disasters as they are more effects of climate change.
susceptible to prejudice and
exploitation. Responsibility
• Nepal Earthquake- In 2015, the
•It is because women from low-income households are more
United Nations Population Fund
at risk because they are more responsible for food, water,
(UNFPA) found women were more and other homely unpaid work.
exposed to trafficking and
exploitation.
Regional divide
• Separation from social networks,
•Due to the climate crisis, more time and effort are needed to
• Higher risk of gender-based obtain basic necessities.
violence, and
• Decreased access- In employment Health risk
and education •Women may be at increased risk for health and safety
• Decreased access to health- Sexual because they must travel long distances every day to collect
and reproductive health care and water and fuel.
psychosocial support.
Inadequate rainfall
• Impact on health-Research
indicates that extreme heat •Turkana County is one of the most arid areas of Kenya.
increases incidence of stillbirth.
Low asset
• Climate change is increasing the
spread of vector-borne illnesses •Despite being the backbone of the food production system,
such as malaria, dengue fever, and women own only about 10% of the land used for farming.
Zika virus, which are linked
to worse maternal and neonatal
Climate refugees
outcomes.
• Feminisation of •A McAllister (2023) study has highlighted how there could
be 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050.
agriculture- Women make up a
disproportionately large portion of
the agricultural workforce in emerging countries.

• Extreme weather- Heat stress affects workers a lot in this sector, especially in South Asia and Africa.
• Unequal access- Women engaged in agriculture do not have access to quality inputs and possess low
education and technical knowledge.
What lies ahead?
• There is a need for investments in women’s education, training, and access to resources for increased resilience
against vulnerability.
• Sustainable practices reduce the negative impacts of climate change on people’s living standards.
o In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) teaches women farmers how to respond to
shifting climate patterns to support themselves better financially.
• Women’s participation in climate policy decision-making at all levels is crucial for effective climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as getting decent employment.
Gender and Climate Change Development Program is a program in South Asia which aims to increase women’s
influence in policymaking by providing them with a stronger voice.
3.2 Creche Facilities in India
Why in news?
Despite the significant role the crèches play in regulating women’s mobility within the economy, inadequate funding
and poor compliance with rules are plaguing the childcare infrastructure.
How the crèche scheme evolved in India?
• A crèche is a facility which enables parents to leave their children while they are at work and where children are
provided stimulating environment for their
holistic development.
• RGNCS- The Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche
Scheme (RGNCS) was launched in 2006 by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development to
provide affordable childcare facilities to
working mothers.
• National Crèche Scheme (NCS)- From
2017, RGNCS is
• being implemented as a Centrally Sponsored
Scheme to provide day care facilities to
children of working mothers.
• Mission Shakti- In 2022, National Creche
Scheme (NCS) was revised and
subsumed as part of the ‘Palma’
scheme under Mission Shakti.
• Aim- To provide day-care facilities
for children (6 months to 6 years) of
working mothers and to improve
nutrition and health status of
children.
• The NCS falls under the umbrella
of Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) under the Ministry of
Women and Child Development
(MWCD).
• It provides support to women of low-income groups who go to work at least 15 days a month, or 6 months a
year.
• Availability- 7.5 hours a day, 26 days a month
• Role of State Governments- They were made responsible for making, enforcing and monitoring the relevant
rules.

What are the laws that govern childcare facilities?
• MGNREGA- It is the only Act in the country that legalises support for childcare in the unorganised sector, by
including the provision for crèches.
Women workforce and crèche facilities
• It recognises both the work-related rights
of women, as well as their right to provide
adequate nutrition and care for their • MGNREGA scheme-Data shows more than 50% of the
infants. workforce are women under this scheme.
• Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act • Most of them are young and single mothers who have to take
of 2017 - It was enacted to include care of their children.
provisions for crèche facilities at the place • 2018 survey- It revealed that work opportunities provided
of work in every establishment with 50 or under the NREGA were made less attractive because of the
more employees. absence/insufficiencies of childcare at worksites.
• Rules for crèche facility- • Independent studies- It found a correlation between the
o Eligibility- To all employees presence of childcare facilities and women’s employment.
including temporary, daily wage, • If childcare services were made available, almost 90% of
consultant and contractual women showed interest in working.
personnel,
o Timing- The facility should operate on an 8 to 10-hour shift.
o Visits- It also entitles women to 4 visits a day and intervals for rest.
• New Labour Code on Social Security- It requires the governments, NGOs or private entities to provide
crèche facility located within the establishment or at an easily accessible distance for employees including a
woman working from home.
Impact of childcare on working women
• The Factories Act of
1948- Employers of factories with
more than 30 women workers shall Triple burden
maintain a suitable room for the use of
•Women face a ‘triple burden’ of house chores, paid labour and
children under the age of 6 years. child care.
• The Building and Other
Construction Workers India’s Time Use Survey Analysis
(Regulation of Employment and
Conditions of Service) Act, 1996- It
requires a facility if 50 female building •It showed that the working women between 15 to 60 years old
spend twice the amount on unpaid domestic work like
workers are employed in a construction caregiving, cleaning, cooking.
site.
• Shops Establishment Acts- States Motherhood
like Maharashtra and Gujarat have
identified crèche-related provisions in •World Bank report found that the urban women with children
their respective Shops and less than 6 years of age had lower participation in the
Establishment Acts. workforce.
What are the issues faced by India’s Drop out from workforce
crèche system?
•The pandemic, and subsequent closure of schools and day care
• Non-Functioning- Between 2015 and centres caused further dropping out from the labour force.
2020, more than 72% of functioning
crèches have shut down.
Informal sector
• Fund deficit- Insufficient and delayed
allocation of funds is a key hindrance to •Motherhood penalty’ plays out differently, where women make
the scheme’s functioning. concessions by taking up flexible, low-paying work or being
self-employed.
o Revised budget estimates for
NCS were brought down to Rs. Value to women work
65 crore from Rs.200 crore.
•A global review of policies in low- and middle-income
• Lack of utilisation- Only a small countries found that welfare schemes sees women as more
proportion of the allocated budget was than ‘mothers’ and assigns value to ‘women’s work’.
utilised.
o Out of the revised budget allocation of Rs 4 crore, no money was spent in FY 2022.

• Lockdown- The crèches were closed during the COVID-19 and no funds were allocated during 2021-22.
• Poor compliance- 2018 report found that 75% of the employers in the formal sector interviewed said that
there are no crèche facilities provided in their establishments.
• Lack of data- There is no centralised data maintained by the firms employing more than 50 employees and
crèche establishment centres.
• Unavailability- In a survey of 300 women it found that they made a negligible use of childcare facilities due
to lack of availability.
• Lack of awareness- The 2018 study, looked at creche facilities in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, found that
53% of women in Udaipur were aware of the provision of crèche facilities.
• Operational challenges- Inadequate staffs, Infrastructure deficit, Incompatible working times of women in
varied sectors, Space constraints.
• Familial acceptance- Women were told they would be responsible “if anything happens to the child,” which
discouraged them from using these facilities.
• Eligibility criteria- They are not universal, leading to the exclusion of several women workers such as home-
based workers, vendors, domestic workers, self-employed etc.,
What lies ahead?
• There is a need to go beyond recognising and reducing unpaid care work for women to redistribute the gendered
burden of children.
• Accessible and affordable creche facilities can reap a “triple dividend” where
o Women’s work and mobility are encouraged
o Women are integrated into the economy
o Maternal and child health is simultaneously looked after
3.3 Justice Amitava Roy Committee on Prison Reforms
Why in news?
The Supreme Court sought views of the Centre and the States on Justice Amitava Roy committee report which was
submitted in 2022.
Justice Amitava Roy Committee
A three-member committee constituted in 2018 to look into issues of reforms in prison administration & management
Functions assigned
• To examine various problems plaguing prisons in the country
• To analyse the reasons for violence in prisons and correctional homes and recommend measures to prevent
unnatural deaths
• To assess the availability of medical facilities and staffs in prisons and correctional homes and make
recommendations
• To suggest training and educational modules for the staff and assess the feasibility of establishing open prisons
• To recommend steps for the psycho-social well-being of minor children of women prisoners, including their
education and health
• To examine and recommend measures for children in observation homes, places of safety and special homes
established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
What are the key findings of the committee?

• Overcrowding- The highest rate of overcrowding was observed in district prisons (148%, central prisons
(129%) and sub-prisons (106%).
• Urgent action- The living conditions in jails are not comparable to those envisaged under the Model Prison
Manual, 2016 and require urgent and result-oriented attention.

• Infrastructural deficit- The lodging areas in almost all the jails visited, though in varying degrees, did
present a pitiful state of affairs.
• Regulatory constraints-Many construction projects are pending approval at the higher levels after having
been forwarded by the departmental heads.
Issue Data Recommendation
Suicide, particularly by hanging,

Construction of suicide-proof barracks with
Unnatural death accounted for a significant number of the
collapsible material, which could potentially prevent
among prisoners 817 unnatural deaths reported in Indian
such tragic incidents.
jails between 2017 and 2021.
In open prison, prisoners serve their

sentence with minimal supervision and To replicate successful practices from existing open/
Open prison system perimeter security, and are not locked up semi-open prisons for rehabilitative and productive
in prison cells. Currently it is active in 18 environment.
states and 1 union territory.
From 2016 to 2018, the total prison

It recommended to implement National Legal
Overcrowding in population in India has increased by
Services Authority (NALSA) guidelines to strengthen
prisons 8.2% against an increase of 0.7% in the
the 'Undertrial Review Committee' mechanism.
prison sanctioned capacity
Special fast track courts to be set up to deal with

Most of the prisons are full of undertrial petty offences and cases pending for 5 years or more.
Huge number of
prisoners, their numbers being highly The high courts should direct the District & Sessions
undertrials
disproportionate to those of convicts Judge to regularly monitor the progress of cases
pending
Mandatory segregation of undertrials and convicts.

Violence within There is increase in violence within
It proposed the separation of first-time offenders
prison prison
from hardened criminals among undertrials.
Inadequate availability of medical care Mandates the issuance of Ayushman cards for both
Medical care
for elderly and sick inmates existing and new inmates.
Working personnel The Prison Department has average It should be addressed immediately by filling up the
shortage vacancy of 30%-40% existing vacancies.
Why there is gender disparity in prison?

• Prison population- By 2019, women
accounted for 4.2% of the total prison
population.
• Infrastructural deficit- 75% of female
wards in prison have to share kitchens and
common facilities with male wards.
• Women exclusive prison- Only 18% of
women prisoners are allotted exclusive
women’s prison facilities, as only 15 states and
UTs have functional women’s prisons.
• Less than 40% of prisons in the country
provide napkins to female inmates.
• Training- There is a lack of gender-specific training.
• Poor grievance redressal mechanism- It also states that women inmates are allowed to file complaints
against the jail staff for any form of abuse or harassment only in 10 states and 1 UT.
• Poor health access- There is a lack of separate medical and psychiatric wards for women inmates, “basic
minimum facilities” for child delivery, and healthcare professionals.

Steps taken by Government for Prison Reforms
• State subject- Administration and management of prisons is the responsibility of respective State
Governments as Prisons/ Persons detained therein is a State subject under 7th Schedule.
• Ministry of Home Affairs- It provides regular guidance and advice to States and UTs on various issues
concerning prisons and prison inmates.
• National Policy on Prison Reforms- It is a draft seeks to provide alternatives to prisons such as community
service, forfeiture of property, payment of compensation to victims, public censure etc.,
• Justice Mulla committee- It recommended that those convicted for non-violent socio-political economic
agitations for public cause shall not be confined in prisons along with other prisoners.
• Model prisons Act 2023- It replaces the colonial prison act 1894. It will shift the focus of incarceration from
"retributive deterrence" to "reform and rehabilitation".
• National Police Commission 1977- It recommended to overhaul the legislative framework by enacting a
new Police Act to replace the Police Act of the 19 th century.
4. INDIAN POLITY
4.1 Simultaneous Election (One Nation, One Election)
Why in news?
The Central government set up a panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of the
‘one nation, one election’ (ONOE) plan.
What is simultaneous election?
Article 324 constitutes Election Commission which is responsible for conducting polls to the offices of the President
and Vice-President of India, Parliament, the state assemblies and the legislative councils.
• Simultaneous Elections refers to structuring the Indian election cycle by synchronizing the elections to Lok
Sabha and State Assemblies.
• It means that the voters will cast their vote for electing members of the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies on
a single day, at the same time or in a phased manner as the case may be.
• Current scenario- The elections to the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha are held separately (whenever the
incumbent government’s 5-year term ends or whenever it is dissolved).
To know more about simultaneous election click here
What is the history behind simultaneous election?
• Single party dominance- Lok Sabha and State Legislatures went to polls together in 1952 and 1957.
• Article 356- In 1959, the synchronised cycle was first broken in Kerala when the Centre invoked Article 356 of
the Constitution to dismiss the Kerala Government. This was followed by state elections in 1960.
• Emergence of regional parties- Defections and counter-defections
ultimately led to the dissolution of Assemblies, which separated the poll A NITI Aayog paper says that
cycles of many states from the central one. the country has at least 1
• Revert to simultaneous election-The idea of reverting to election each year; each state
simultaneous polls was mooted by has an election every year.
o Election Commission annual report in 1983

o Parliamentary Standing committee report 2015- ‘Feasibility of Holding Simultaneous Elections to
House of People (Lok Sabha) and State Legislative Assemblies’.
o Law Commission report in 1999 and 2018
o NITI Aayog working paper in 2017
• Completion of tenures- It is mainly because of the anti-defection law of 1985 and Supreme Court judgments
on invoking Article 356.

• The Supreme Court had held that the President can put a State Assembly in suspended animation, but cannot
dissolve it without the concurrence of Parliament.
• Further, the validity of the proclamation of President’s rule may be examined by the judiciary.
What are the advantages of simultaneous elections?

Feasibility of Simultaneous Election Report
• Reduce election expenditure- Cost reductions for 2015
political parties, candidates and public.
• Economic costs associated with Model Code of Conduct. Holding of simulataneous elections would reduce
• Reduce the manpower- It prevents the duplication of • Fund-The massive expenditure that is
efforts by administrative and law enforcement agencies in currently incurred for the conduct of separate
conducting multiple elections. elections
• Improve governance- The system will help ruling • Policy paralysis-It results from the
parties focus on governance, instead of being constantly imposition of the Model Code of Conduct
in election mode. during election time
• It reduces the distractions from long-term planning and • Impact on delivery of essential services and
policy goals. • Burden on crucial manpower that is deployed
• Boost voter turnout- According to the Law during election time.
Commission, it increases voter participation.
• Improve administration- It will increase the focus of administrative machinery on nation to remain
consistently focused on developmental effort.
• Reduce policy paralysis- This system will lead to minimised disruption of essential services.
What are the challenges in holding simultaneous election?
• Logistical issues- It requires around 30 lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verified paper
audit trail (VVPAT) machines.
• Increased man force- It needs immense deployment of central forces around the country
• Lack of synchronisation- Parliament and state elections were held simultaneously until 1967, but over the
years as Assemblies and Lok Sabhas were dissolved before the end of their terms, the elections fell out of sync
with each other.
o Currently, elections to the Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim Houses are held
along with Lok Sabha polls.
• Opinion of CECs- There are difference of opinion with the former Chief Election Commissioners of India.
• Infrastructure deficit- The Election Commission would need more time and money to manufacture more
EVMs and VVPATs.
o Currently it has 13 lakh control units and 17 lakh ballot units which is not sufficient.
• Time constraints- It will take a year to manufacture 6-7 lakh EVMs.
• Increased costs- As per 2015 report, simultaneous elections require large scale purchase of EVMs and VVPAT.
• The machines would also need to be replaced for every 15 years which increases the expenditure.
• Reduced utility- As of now ECI, delivers the cheapest election in the world with one dollar, one vote.
o If there are simultaneous polls, EVMs would be used for 3 elections as their life span is about 15 years.
• Movement of forces- The requirement of central forces to maintain law and order during the poll process
may pose another challenge as states ask for central force.
• Complexity- It would benefit the nationally dominant party at the cost of regional players.
• Unstable government- Complications would arise if any of the governments were to collapse before
completing its term.
• Even central government could fall, which would result in ineffective administration.
How to address the concerns?
• Law commission report 2018- The simultaneous elections could not be held within the existing framework
of the Constitution.

• These could be held together “through appropriate amendments to the Constitution, the Representation of the
People Act 1951, and the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies”.
• States ratification- At least 50% of the states may ratify the constitutional amendments.
• The Commission recommended that all elections due in a calendar year be conducted together.
• No-confidence motion- If passed, may curtail the term of Lok Sabha or an Assembly, the Law Commission
recommended replacing the “no-confidence motion” with a “constructive vote of no-confidence”.
• A government may only be removed if there is a confidence in an alternative government.
4.2 Constitutional Amendments for State’s Ratification
Why in news?
The Law Ministry has recommended the Ram Nath Govind panel to examine if the constitutional amendments required
to facilitate simultaneous elections would require ratification by the States.
The Constituent Assembly debates show that Dr. B.R Ambedkar was in favour of ratification by States for amending
certain constitutional provisions to ensure that the federal structure of the Constitution remains unaltered.
How the Constitution is amended?

• Article 368- It states that the Parliament may, in exercise of its constituent Article 368 in Part XX -
power, amend by way of addition, variation or repeal any provision of the Powers of Parliament to
Constitution in accordance with the procedure laid down for the purpose. amend the Constitution
• Limitation- In the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), the Supreme Court and its procedure.
ruled that the Parliament cannotamend those provisions which form the ‘basic
structure’ of the Constitution.
Procedures of Constitutional Amendments-
• Simple majority- It does not require specific
quorum.
• It is applicable to
o Article 4- It is related to changes in the
organisation of states
o Article 169- It deals with abolition or
creation of Legislative Councils in States
o Schedule VI- Provisions for
administration of Tribal Areas in Assam,
Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• Special majority - The requirement is
applicable only to the final voting stage.
• Lok Sabha rules prescribes adherence to special majority at all effective stages of the Bill.
• It is applicable to - Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, All other provisions which are not
covered by the 1st and 3rd categories.
• Special majority + States ratification- The moment half of the states give their consent, the formality is
completed.
• There is no time limit within which the States should give their consent to the bill.
• Revoking the ratification by States– There is no specific mention in the Constitution
States Ratification in the U.S.
• The U.S. Constitution does not specify any such time period. However, in Dilllon v. Gloss (1921), the U.S.
Court held that State ratification must take place within ‘reasonable time’.
• In the U.S., once a State has agreed to an amendment and communicated it to the Secretary of State, it cannot
revoke its ratification. However, the US Court in Chandler v. Wise (1939) held that a State can ratify an
amendment even if it has rejected it previously.

• States Ratification was applied for

o 99th Amendment Act- Established the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) for
the appointment of Supreme Court judges
o 101st Amendment Act 2016- Introduced GST regime
• Federal structure- Specifically listed in Article 368(2) and are commonly referred to as ‘entrenched provisions’
Entrenched Provisions Article
Election to the President of India Article 54 and 55
Extend of the executive power of the Union or State government Article 73 and 162
Union judiciary Article 124-147
High court Article 214-231
Distribution of legislative powers between the Union and the states Article 245 to 255
Any of the lists mentioned in 7th schedule Union list, State list, Concurrent list
Representation of states in the Parliament Article 82
Goods and Services Tax Council Article 279-A
Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and its procedure Article 368 itself
Can a constitutional amendment be struck down for want of ratification?
• Anti-Defection case- In Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillu (1992), the

constitutional validity of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution inserted 52nd Amendment Act, 1985 -
by the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985 was challenged on the ground that Introduced anti-defection law
the amendment was not ratified by the States. which became part of 10th Schedule
97th Amendment Act, 2011
• The Court upheld the validity of the Tenth Schedule but declared
- Gave constitutional status to
Paragraph 7 of the Schedule invalid for want of ratification.
Cooperative Societies.
• 97th amendment act, 2011- In Union of India v. Rajendra N. Shah,
the Court held that the amendment required ratification by at least one-half of the State legislatures as per
Article 368(2), since it dealt with an exclusive State subject under 7th Schedule.
Law Commission Report (2018) on Simultaneous Elections
• The Law Commission, chaired by Justice B. S. Chauhan, released a draft report stipulating that simultaneous
elections are not feasible within the existing framework of the Constitution.
• It suggested that appropriate amendments have to be brought about in
o The Constitution,
o Representation of the People’s Act 1951,
o Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies
• It highlighted that a constitutional amendment to this effect must receive ratification from at least 50% of the
States.
• B.P. Jeevan Reddy Commission (1999), similarly advocated for holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections
together.
• Experts have cautioned that implementing the recommendations of the Law Commission is not possible without
infringing upon the federal structure of the Constitution.

4.3 Mercy Petition
Why in news?
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, the proposed replacement for the Criminal Procedure Code
(CrPC), contains a new provision on mercy petitions in death sentence cases, thus changing the fundamental nature of
the provision.
What is mercy petition?
• Maru Ram case- In Maru Ram vs. Union of India case 1981, the Supreme Court held that while deciding
mercy petitions under Article 72, the President must act on the advice of the council of ministers (CoM).
• President is bound by the Cabinet’s advice and can only return the plea for reconsideration once under Article
74 (1).
• After this, if the Council of Ministers decides against the changes suggested by the President, she/he has no
option but to accept them.
What are the new provisions under BNSS?

• Advice of CoM - It does not include any requirement for the President to act in line with the advice given by
the council of ministers in death
sentence cases. About Union State
• Time frame - It allows a convict
under the sentence of death or his Authority President Governor
legal heir or any relative to file a
mercy petition under Article 72 or Article 72-The President shall
Article 161- It covers
under Article 161 within 30 days Constitutional have the power to grant
pardoning powers on the
after the date Provision pardons, reprieves, respites or
governor
remissions of punishment.
• Duties of Jail
Superintendent - The Jail
Governor can’t
Superintendent informs about the They can suspend, remit or pardon death sentence.
o Dismissal of the appeal or Death commute the sentence of any
special leave to appeal by sentence person convicted of any offence He can suspend, remit
for death sentence. or commute a death
the Supreme Court or
sentence.
o Date of confirmation of
the death sentence by the The pardoning power of the It is applicable for the
High Court and Jurisdiction President is applicable to the offence committed
offence against Central law against State law
o Time allowed to file an
appeal or special leave in
the Supreme Court has He can grant pardon, reprieve,
expired. respite, suspend, remit or Governor doesn’t
Court Martial
commute sentences by a court- possess such powers.
• Report- Following this, the martial (military court).
petition may be presented to the
Centre or the State Government’s Home Department.
• Petition to Governor- Rejection or disposal of the petition by the Governor will result in it being forwarded
to the President within 60 days from such rejection or disposal of the plea.
• Multiple convicts- The jail superintendent or the officer-in-charge shall ensure that every convict makes a
mercy petition within 60 days.
• Role of Centre- The Centre will seek the State Government’s comments, consider the petition along with the
case records, and then “make recommendations to the President within 60 days.
• Time limit- It has not been prescribed for the President to dispose of the mercy petitions.
• Lack of appeal- No appeal shall lie in any Court against the order of the President made under Article 72 of
the Constitution.
• It shall be final, and the decision by the President shall not be enquired into in any Court.
How this provision contravenes with the existing legal precedent?
• Judicial review- In, Epuru Sudhakar & Another vs Andhra Pradesh and Others, 2005, the SC held that the
powers of the President or Governor under Articles 72 and 161 are subject to judicial review.

• The decision can be challenged on grounds that

o It was passed without application of mind
o It is mala fide and was passed on extraneous or wholly irrelevant considerations
o Relevant materials were kept out of consideration
o If the decision suffers from arbitrariness
• Article 21- In Shatrughan Chauhan and Anr vs Union of India (2014), SC observed that “Article 21 inheres a
right in every prisoner till his last breath and the Court will protect that right.”
• The SC guidelines provide a minimum period of 14 days between the rejection of the mercy petition being
communicated to the prisoner and his family and the scheduled date of execution.
• However, no such period has been mentioned in the BNSS.
• Delay- If there is undue delay in execution due to pendency of mercy petitions or the executive/constitutional
authorities have failed to take consider the relevant aspects, the Court can hear the grievance of the convict and
commute the death sentence into life imprisonment under Article 32.
• But under the BNSS, there is no time limit for the President to decide the mercy pleas.
4.4 Autonomous District Councils in Manipur
Why in news?
The Manipur State has proposed the Centre to give more autonomy to the existing autonomous hill councils in solving
the ongoing conflict in Manipur.
Autonomous District Council
Pre-Independence Post-Independence
• Colonial rule- When the British took over the-then • Bardoloi committee- It recommended to adopt
Assam, their imposition of formal laws on the land GoI Act 1935 with improvements into the Sixth
was resisted ferociously by tribal populations living Schedule of the Constitution.
in the hills, who had their own customary laws.
• It had recommended creation of autonomous district
• Government of India Act 1935- To avoid councils (ADCs) in the 6 hill districts of Assam.
confrontation the British divided the hill regions of
Assam into “excluded” and “partially excluded” areas • The Committee recommended creation of regional
as they were only interested in economic exploitation councils under ADCs to cater to the needs of minor
of the region. tribes in the jurisdiction of those ADCs.
• Limitations- In these areas, federal or provincial • Sixth Schedule- It contains provisions related to
laws would not apply until the Governor felt they the administration of tribal areas in the states
were needed for peace and development. of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
o Currently, there are 10 ADCs under the Sixth
• Aim- To allow tribal populations to govern
Schedule in the North East.
themselves.
How was it adopted in the Constitution?

• Article 244- The Sixth Schedule was adopted under Article 244 of the Constitution.
• It has the provisions for formation of autonomous administrative divisions within a state.
• Autonomy- The ADCs were granted certain legislative, judicial and administrative autonomy within the state.
• Composition- ADCs within a state have 30 members with a term of 5 years.
• Powers- It can make laws, rules and regulations with regard to land, forest, water, agriculture, village councils,
health, sanitation, village and town level policing, inheritance of property, marriage and divorce, social customs,
and mining, among other issues.
• They have the judicial power to form court to hear cases where
o Both parties are members of Scheduled Tribes

o Maximum sentence is less than 5 years in prison

• Exception- The Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam is an exception to this with more than 40 members
and rights to make laws on 39 issues.
• Purpose- To protect the tribal life which was free from gender inequality, castesim and communalism, etc.
What is Manipur Hill Council?
• Manipur has 6 ADCs, these came into existence in
1971 under an act of Parliament.
• Colonial rule- The hill areas of Manipur went
through the same phase of governance division
when the British took over the region in 1891.
• Administration- The Maharaja of Manipur had
in 1939 agreed with the British to exclude the hill
areas of the region from his direct control and
governance.
• The demand for a separate administration for hill
areas has been raised in the region since the early 1960s.
• The Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act 1971- It paved the
way for creation of ADCs in Manipur’s hill areas. At that time Manipur
was a Union Territory.
• These regions constituted 90% of its geographical area, inhabited by
tribes such as Nagas, Kukis, Zomis, Hmars, etc.
• Aim- To grant the hill people a chance at self-governance, protect their
identity and culture, and to give them rights over the management of
their resources.
• Composition- The councils are to have not more than 18 members who
are to be elected.
• Power- They have the powers of taxation, maintenance of properties,
allotment of land, management of forests, regulation of cultivation, and
legislative authority on matters of marriage, inheritance, social customs and appointment of chiefs.
How Manipur ADCs differ from 6th Schedule?
About Manipur ADCs 6th Schedule ADCs
They are dependent on the state assembly due They derive power from Article 244
Power
to provision of the act. of the Constitution.
Legislative Their power is limited to personal matters of They have far wider legislative powers
powers marriage, divorce and social customs spanning several matters of governance
It is dependent on the state government for

Financial powers They get central grants through the state
financial devolution.
DC is appointed by the state government. In almost all

Role of Deputy
matters, the DC’s decision is final unless overruled by They are not dependent on Deputy
Commissioner
the Governor. The DC can even dissolve the ADCs Commissioner
(DC)
with Governor’s assent.
How have the ADCs evolved in Manipur?

• Inclusion in 6th schedule- The tribals in Manipur have long agitated for inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, and
thus, the creation of ADCs through a special Act was protested.
• Boycott of elections- Disappointed with the provisions and the alleged non-cooperation of the state
government, the hill people boycotted the ADC elections between 1990 and 2010.
• Haphazard amendments- Attempts to bring amendments either fizzled out or were stalled in the Assembly.

• Since 2021, a Bill proposing amendments to grant more autonomy to the ADCs has not been introduced in the
Assembly due to resistance from sections in the Valley.
• Poor power devolution- Many powers enshrined in the act were not devolved to the ADCs after Manipur
became a state in 1972.
• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) - It said the ADCs in Manipur never functioned properly.
• It has been so disorganized and the budgetary allocation by the state has been so poor at times that some ADCs
have not even been able to pay salaries.
• For all practical purposes, ADCs in Manipur are non-functional.
4.5 Special Session of Parliament
Why in news?
The Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, announced that a “special session” of Parliament would be held in
September 2023.
When does Parliament meet?
• Parliamentary system - The Constitution of India provides for a The Constitution does
parliamentary form of government. not use the term
“special session”.
o Articles 74 and 75 -In the Centre and
o Articles 163 and 164- In the states.
• Ivor Jennings called the parliamentary system as ‘cabinet system’ because the cabinet is the nucleus of power
in a parliamentary system.
• Sessions - When the Parliament meet for discussing various agenda and approving bills, motions with a
scheduled meeting, it is called session.
• India’s Parliament has no fixed calendar of sittings.
• In 1955, a Lok Sabha committee had proposed a timetable for parliamentary sessions but was never
implemented.
o The Parliament holds 3 sessions in a year - Budget session (February-May), Monsoon Session (July-
August), Winter Session (November-December)
• Determining the sessions -
The Cabinet Committee on Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Meeting
Parliamentary
Affairs determines the date and • Pre independence- The Central Assembly met for a little more
duration of parliamentary sessions. than 60 days a year.
• It currently has 10 Ministers, • Post-independence- It increased to 120 days a year in the first
including those for Defence, Home, 20 years after Independence. Since then, the sitting days of the
Finance, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, national legislature have declined.
Parliamentary Affairs, and
Information and Broadcasting. • Between 2002 and 2021, Lok Sabha averaged 67 working days.
• The Law Minister and the Minister • In 2022, 28 state Assemblies met for 21 days on average.
of State for External Affairs are • Recommendations- Conference of presiding officers has
special invitees to the Committee. recommended that Parliament should meet for more than 100
•
The President is informed about the days.
Committee’s decision, who then • The National Commission to Review the Working of the
summons Members of Parliament to Constitution set up in 2000 made a similar recommendation.
meet for the session.
• Private member Bill in 2017 suggested that Parliament should
What does the Constitution say about meet for 4 sessions in a year, including a special session of 15 days
Parliamentary sessions? for debating matters of urgent public importance.
• The framers of the Constitution • Lok Sabha committee 1955- It recommended that the
borrowed it from the Government Parliament would be in session for 8 months every year.
of India Act of 1935.
• International practice-The US Congress and Parliaments of
• It allowed the British Governor Canada, Germany and UK are in session throughout the year.
General to call a session of the

central legislature at his discretion, requiring that the gap between two sessions should not be more than 12
months.
• However, the Constitution specifies that 6 months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions.
What is a special session of Parliament?
• The term sometimes refers to sessions the government has convened for specific occasions, like commemorating
parliamentary or national milestones.
• Summon - The President, who summons a regular Parliamentary session will summon this session also as
per provisions of Article 85(1) of the Constitution.
Article 85(1) states that “The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such
time and place as he/she thinks fit”
• Chair- For the two Houses to be in session, the Presiding Officers should chair their proceedings.
• The presiding officers can also direct that the proceedings of their respective Houses would be limited.
• The procedural devices like question hour would not be available to MPs during the session.
• Article 352 does refer to a “special sitting of the House” which deals with proclamation of emergency.
• 44th amendment act 1978 added the part related to special sitting to add safeguards to the power of
proclaiming emergency in the country.
• If a Proclamation of Emergency is issued and Parliament is not in session, then one-tenth of Lok Sabha MPs can
ask the President to convene a special meeting to disapprove the Emergency.
What is the history of special sessions?
• Division- The special sessions can be divided into two parts
o Proper special sessions- It happens with debates or discussions, and
o Midnight sessions- It happens without any debates.
• Agenda- It has been to either celebrate a historical legacy like the Indian freedom struggle and Indian
Independence or to pass a bill.
• It holds a special place in the
parliamentary calendar and history
of democratic India.
• Special sitting in Lok Sabha- It
was organised on May 13, 2012, a
Sunday, to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the first sitting of the
Indian Parliament.
• Special sitting in Rajya
Sabha- It was organised in 1977
and 1991 when the Lok Sabha was
under dissolution to decide on the
President’s Rule.
• 2023 special session- Amidst
Amrit Kaal, Parliament is looking
forward to have fruitful discussions
and debates.
4.6 Self-Respect Marriages
Why in news?
Supreme Court recently held that ‘self-respect’ marriages or ‘suyamariyathai’ under Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, do not
need public solemnisation or declarations, setting aside Madras High Court judgement.
What is a self-respect marriage?
• It is a South Asian movement aimed at attaining a society where backward castes had equal human rights and
encouraging backward castes to have self-respect in a caste-based society.

• Aim- To end caste endogamy and encourage people from marginalised castes to live with dignity
• Pioneer -Periyar E. V. Ramasamy lead the movement in Tamil Nadu against Brahmanism.
• Launch- 1925.
• The first self-respect marriage took place in 1928 and was officiated by Periyar himself.
• Features- Periyar sought to encourage inter-caste marriages built on a promise of respect and equality.
• They challenge patriarchal norms and ideals of ownership.
• Over time people have turned to self-respect marriages to reclaim control and build companionship based
on dignity and equality.
• Hindu Marriage (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act,1967- It was passed in 1968 modifying the Hindu
Marriage Act of 1955 by inserting Section 7-A.
• Section 7-A legalised self-respect and secular marriages between two Hindus who meet the minimum age
requirement for marriage.
• Self-respect marriages are also required to be registered as per the law.
• They are generally solemnised in the presence of relatives, friends, or other persons, in the absence of a priest
and without following any quintessential wedding rituals such as a holy fire or a mangalsutra.
• Limitations- The idea of reformed marriages has failed to gain momentum, as its applicability is limited
to only Hindu ceremonies, as part of the Hindu Marriage Act and is only legal in the State of Tamil Nadu.
Madras High Court verdict
Disciplinary In 2023, Madras HC ordered the Tamil Nadu State Bar Council to initiate disciplinary proceedings
proceedings against lawyers who preside over secret marriages in their offices or trade union offices and issue
marriage certificates.
Mandatory The Madurai Bench of the HC said that all marriages including self-respect marriages must be
registration registered under the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriages Act, 2009, and the parties must
physically appear before the Registrar.
2014 ruling The High Court also relied on its 2014 decision, which held that marriages performed in secrecy in
the offices of advocates and bar association rooms cannot amount to a valid marriage under law.
What is the Supreme Court ruling on Self Respect Marriages?

• Present verdict- Supreme Court overruled the Madras High Court’s ruling and observed that self-respect
marriages do not require any public solemnisation or declaration.
• 2001 ruling- It also placed reliance on its 2001 ruling in S. Nagalingam v. Sivagami where the Court
upheld Section 7-A of the Hindu Marriage Act (Tamil Nadu State Amendment).
• It observed that the petitioner’s marriage with his wife was a valid one despite the ceremony of ‘saptapadi’, or
seven steps around the sacred fire, not taking place.
• Overruled 2014 ruling- It also overruled the 2014 judgement which held that marriages performed by the
advocates are invalid and that self-respect marriages cannot be solemnised in secrecy.
• Observations- The main thrust of this provision is that the presence of a priest is not necessary for the
performance of a valid marriage.
• Violates Article 21- It also noted that the High Court’s observations violate the fundamental right to
life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution as it creates an impediment for two adult individuals
exercising their free will.
• Power of advocates- They are free to solemise marriages in their personal capacities.
• It observed that advocates, being officers of the court, should not undertake or volunteer to solemnise such
marriages but in their private capacity as friends or as relatives, their roles as witnesses cannot be ruled out.
What are the other laws that govern secular marriages?
• Special Marriage Act- It was enacted in 1872 by the British government to permit inter-faith marriages where
neither party had to renounce their respective religion and could enter into a secular marriage after complying
with due formalities under the Act.

• It was later re-enacted by the Parliament in 1954, with provisions for divorce and other matters.
• Applicability- It applies to people of all faiths across India including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,
Jains, and Buddhists.
• Customary restrictions- Parties not being within degrees of a prohibited relationship still apply under this
law.
• Notice- Parties intending to get married are required to give a notice, in writing, to a Marriage Officer of a
district in which at least one party has resided for at least 30 days immediately preceding the notice.
• Marriage certificate- Before the solemnisation of the marriage, the parties and 3 witnesses are required to
sign a declaration form before the Marriage Officer, following which the parties are provided with a certificate
of marriage.
5. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS
5.1 PM-PRANAM Scheme
Why in news?
Promotion of PM-PRANAM scheme will help the government reduce subsidy bills and fiscal deficits.
Fertiliser Requirement of India
• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare assesses the requirement of fertilisers each year before the
start of the cropping season and informs the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers to ensure the supply.
• Fertilizer season- The Kharif season (June-October) accounts for nearly half the year’s production of foodgrains,
one-third of pulses and approximately two-thirds of oilseeds.
• A sizable amount of fertiliser is required for this season.
• Fertilizer Consumption - India has consumed about 500
LMT of fertilizer over the last ten years.
• In 2020, the overall consumption of fertilisers stood at
about 61 million tonnes, of which urea consumption
increased exponentially.
• India is a major buyer of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP).
• India is the 2nd largest consumer and the 3rd largest
producer of urea in the world.
• India consumes around 33 million tonnes of urea annually, of
which almost 70% is domestically produced and the rest is imported from other countries.
What is PM- PRANAM?

• Launch- PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of
Mother Earth) was launched in Union Budget 2023–24.
• Aim- To promote the balanced use of chemical and alternative fertilisers, generating awareness of regenerative
agriculture (RA).
• Objective - To incentivise the States and UTs to promote usage of alternative fertilizers and balanced use of
chemical fertilizers.
• Budget - PRANAM scheme has no separate budget, a 50% subsidy savings will be provided to States/UTs.
• 70% of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset creation related to technological adoption of
alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser production units.
• 30% grant money can be used for incentivising farmers, panchayats, farmer producer organisations, self-help
groups, etc.
• Data- iFMS (Integrated fertilisers Management System) data available in the Fertiliser Ministry dashboard will
be used for this purpose.

Why was the scheme introduced?
• Increased demand- The total requirement of 4 fertilisers — Urea, DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate), MOP
(Muriate of potash), NPKS (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) — increased by 21% between 2017-2018 and
2021-2022.
• Increase in subsidy- Due to increased demand for fertiliser in Regenerative Agriculture is an outcome-
the country over the past 5 years, the overall government based food production system that
expenditure on subsidy has also increased. • Nurtures and restores soil health,
• Reduced use of chemical fertiliser will reduce the burden on the • Protects the climate, water resources
exchequer. and biodiversity, and
o In 2022-23, the government has allocated Rs 1.05 lakh • Enhances farms’ productivity and
crore, but the fertiliser subsidy could cross Rs 2.25 lakh profitability.
crore during this year.
• Eco-friendly- It seeks to reduce the use of chemical fertiliser, in line with government’s focus on promoting
the balanced use of fertilizers.
Steps Taken to Promote Use of Alternate Fertilisers
• DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) system- It was launched in 2016 to plug leakages in fertiliser subsidy.
• 100% subsidy on various fertiliser grades is released to the fertiliser companies on the basis of actual sales made
by the retailers to the beneficiaries.
• Nano urea- India’s first liquid nano urea plant is inaugurated at Kalol, Gujarat.
• It has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about caking when it comes in contact with moisture.
• Urea Gold – It is a new variety of urea that is coated with sulphur which is expected to address sulphur
deficiencies in the soil.
• Usage of “Bio-stimulants” in the Fertilizer Control Order-1985 (FCO).
• Soil Health Card- It was launched in 2014, gives information to farmers on the nutrient status of their soil.
• It gives recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its
fertility.
• Neem-coated urea- All the indigenous and imported urea were neem coated so as to make the urea slow release
and difficult to use for non-agricultural purposes.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana- Assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare/ 3 years is given.
• In this, Rs. 31,000 (62%) is provided to the farmers directly through DBT, for inputs (bio-fertilizers, biopesticides,
vermicompost, botanical extracts etc)
• Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region- Farmers are given assistance of
Rs 25000/ ha/ 3 years for both onfarm & off-farm organic inputs, and seeds/ planting material.
• National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm- Financial assistance at 50% subsidy to the tune of Rs. 300/-
per ha is being provided for different components.
• It includes bio-fertilizers, supply of Rhizobium culture/Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB)/ Zinc Solubilising
Bacteria etc.,
• National Food Security Mission- Financial assistance is provided for promotion of Bio-Fertilizer
(Rhizobium/ PSB) @50% of the cost limited to Rs.300 per ha.
• INM &IPM- Government of India has been promoting soil test based Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)
under Soil Health Card Programme & Integrated Pest management (IPM) practices for judicious use of chemicals.
What lies ahead?

• Reduce subsidy- The gradual phase-out of subsidies on chemical fertilisers can stimulate alternative or bio-
fertiliser adoption.
• Phase out retention pricing scheme- Retention pricing scheme which safeguards chemical fertiliser (urea)
manufacturers, can be phased out to promote alternative fertiliser production.

• Provide incentives- The margin on bio-fertiliser sales should be worked out to incentivise sales and
distribution networks.
• Lesson from Sri Lankan food crisis- Demonstrating alternative fertilisers on farmer fields is critical, to
showcase higher productivity.
• Proper certification of such products can help farmers or their organisations realise a remunerative price.
• Improve infrastructure- In Budget 2023-24, the government said that 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres
will be set up over the next three years.
• It will create a national-level distributed micro-fertiliser and pesticide manufacturing network.
6. GOVERNANCE
6.1 Concerns over RTI
Why in news?
For 13 years, the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005, helped citizens obtain information and data from the
Government and State institutions that are not readily available in public domain.
What is RTI Act 2005?

Rights under RTI act
• Fundamental right- RTI is a part of
o Article 19(1) - Freedom of speech and expression. • Seek any information which is held by any
public authority.
o Article 21- Right to life and Personal liberty
• Take copies of government documents.
• It has been made a statutory right through the Parliament’s
enactment, the Right to Information Act, 2005. • Inspect works, documents, and records of
government.
• Responses- It mandates timely response to citizens’
requests for government information. • Take notes, extracts, or certified copies of
government documents or records.
• Definition- Section 2(j) of the RTI Act defines RTI as the
right to information accessible under this Act which is held • Take certified samples of Government work.
by or under the control of any public authority.
• Obtain information in the form of diskettes,
• Objective- floppies, tapes, video cassettes, or in any
other electronic mode or through printouts.
o To secure access to information for the citizens.
International regulatory landscapes
o To empower citizens, promote transparency and
accountability in the working of the Government,
• Canada- Access to Information Act is a
o To contain corruption, and make our democracy one stop shop for Suo-Moto Information. It
work in the real sense also provides designated minister for RTI.
• Nodal agency- Department of Personnel and Training, • Mexico- It is the 1st country in Latin
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. America to pass a “right to information”
law.
• Application - Only those private bodies or
organizations which are owned, controlled, or substantially • IFAI- It is an independent organization
financed by the Government are directly covered. with the necessary autonomy and authority
to enforce the Information Law.
• If government department is allowed to access information
by means of any other act, then the same can be accessed • It also review those cases in which the
under the RTI Act through that government department. authorities deny access to information and
determine whether the requested
• The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 –
information is public, privileged or
It amends Sections 13 and 16 of RTI Act, 2005.
confidential.
• The appointment and term of central Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) will be prescribed by the Central Government.
• The salaries, allowances and other terms of service of both CIC and ICs at both central and state levels shall be
such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
• Provisions regarding deductions in salary has been removed.

What are the issues with RTI?

• Dependency- The RTI Act’s Significance of RTI
implementation is dependent on
subordinate Rules made by the Union and • A step for ensuring good governance
State Governments.
• Upholding people's empowerment through participation
o Example- What payment method a
public authority can accept is left to • A step towards democratisation of governance
the States to decide. • Enhancement of public accountability
• Complexity- Tamil Nadu do not accept • Ensuring rule of law
Indian Postal Orders (IPOs), which are
cheques that can be bought at many post • Quest for combating corruption
offices, and attached to an application as
payment. • Creation of an instrument against misuse of discretionary
powers
• Inconvenient payment methods -
Court fee stamps, for instance, can only be • Helpful in promoting administrative efficiency
purchased at a courthouse. • Creation of a democratic and open society
• Delayed appointments- Delayed • The quest for the promotion of civil liberties
appointments in CIC, and SICs have
undermined the confidence in the • Ensures effective implementation of the government
framework. schemes
• Due to delayed appointments, the appeals • Introduced transparency in admissions and recruitments
can take months or years to be heard. • An instrument for reforming administration
o The Jharkhand SIC, had no
• Provided statutory basis for an implied fundamental right
commissioners to hear appeals since
2020.
• Lack of Online RTIs- Many States do not have an online RTI portal, and many State Government bodies are
not registered in the portal.
• Lack of flexibility- Filing applications in Union government’s RTI portal has become harder.
• The facility to create an account has disappeared, and the site forces all users to enter their particulars afresh
each time they file an application.
• Loss of data- The past data of applicants has been stuttering in and out of the portal. Recently, data of
applications filed by users before 2022 disappeared without a trace, which was later restored.
• Unfriendly site- RTI portal site is still slow, and at least one user who lost his account entirely has been
complaining that data of his applications and appeals are still not showing up on the site.
• Dissatisfaction- Dissatisfaction is growing at the most basic level as more and more first appeals are being
filed.
• Low awareness- As per survey it was revealed that only 15% of the respondents were aware of the RTI Act.
What lies ahead?
• There is a need to enhance accountability and clarity in role of the Public Authority, appropriate Governments
and Information Commissions.
• Appropriate governments should create RTI Implementation Cell to foster coordination.
• Design a monitoring and evaluation framework for continuously monitoring the progress of the RTI activities.
6.2 False Promises to Marry
Why in news?
In the recently proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) bill 2023, if a man promises to marry a woman but never
intends to, and still has ‘consensual’ sex with her, it will amount to a criminal offence under Section 69.
What does Section 69 say?
• Chapter 5 of the Bill- It is titled as “Offences against woman and children” and describes sexual intercourse
by employing deceitful means.

• Section 69 - Whoever, by deceitful means or by

making promise to marry to a woman without any Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill 2023
intention of fulfilling the same, and has sexual
intercourse with her, shall be punished with • The BNS is one of three new draft criminal law Bills
imprisonment of either description for a term brought by the Union Government.
which may extend to 10 years and shall also be
• IPC, 1860- The Bill, which seeks to replace Indian
liable to fine.
Penal Code, 1860, identifies sexual intercourse on
o Deceitful means- It will include false false promise of marriage as an offence.
promise of employment or promotion,
inducement or marrying after suppressing • Review- A Standing Committee on Home Affairs
identity. has 3 months to review, carry out consultations and
submit its report on the Bills.
o False promise to marry- It will be
attracted only when a man makes a • At present, the offence is not carved out separately in
promise to marry a woman, with the the IPC, but courts have previously dealt with similar
intention of breaking it, for the purpose of cases through other provisions within the criminal
getting her consent and sexually exploiting law framework.
her.
• Penalty- Both offences will extract a penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
How has IPC dealt with cases of ‘false promise to marry’?
• Causes
o When rape is committed and the promise of marriage is used to silence the victim or
o Where the promise is made to ‘convince’ the person into entering a sexual relationship.
• IPC- They were dealt with joint reading of Sections 375 and 90 of the IPC.
• Section 375- It defines rape and defines consent as “an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by
words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates a willingness to participate
in the specific sexual act.”
• This section lists 7 types of consent which would amount to rape if violated including the consent taken through
fear of death, hurt or intoxication.
• Section 90- Consent, given under “fear of injury” or “misconception of fact,” cannot be considered as consent.
• Court rulings- In 2021, the Supreme Court reiterated that under Section 375, a woman’s consent must involve
an active and reasoned deliberation towards the proposed act.
• Karnataka Court has said that educated women in a pre-marital relationship cannot claim rape after the
relationship is over for she is ‘mature’ enough to be aware of the consequences of being in a premarital
relationship.
What is the difference between false promise of marriage’ vs ‘breach of promise’?
• Both are distinguished on the basis of proving if the man intended to marry at the time of engaging in sex. They
are dealt under two parameters.
o Rape- If the promise was false, with the intention of being broken later on, this would disregard a
woman’s consent through a misconception of fact and would be considered rape.
o False promise- The false promise itself must be of immediate relevance, or bear a direct nexus to the
woman’s decision to engage in the sexual act, as argued in Sonu alias Subhash Kumar vs State of U.P.
And Another in 2019.
• Supreme Court observations- It observed that
o False promise- It is given on the understanding by its maker that it will be broken.
o Breach of promise- It is made in good faith but subsequently not fulfilled.
• Activists’ argument- ‘Circumstances’ are shorthand for social norms that uphold the status quo, reinforcing
gender roles, patriarchy and caste lines.
• Consensual sex- The Supreme Court in 2022 held that consensual sex on genuine promise of marriage does
not constitute rape.
• The court, in such cases, must very carefully examine whether the complainant had actually wanted to marry
the victim or had mala fide motives and had made a false promise to this effect only to satisfy his lust.

What are the issues involved in proving ‘intention’ to marry?
• Central issue- It involves, How consent is

Data on Cases of False Promise to Marry
obtained— through deceitful means, or by
misconception, Whether the man ever intended to
marry the woman. • Delhi police data-In 2016, a quarter of the total
rape cases registered in Delhi pertained to sex
• Codification of offence- Section 69 in the BNS under “false promise of marriage”.
codifies the offence instead of creating a new one.
• NCRB data- The National Crime Records Bureau
• In its present form, the Bill doesn’t dissolve the in 2016 recorded 10,068 similar cases of rape by
confused distinction between ‘false promise’ and “known persons on a promise to marry the victim”.
‘breach of promise’.
• Affect women autonomy- Section 69 if unscrutinised may promote restrictive ideas about women, marriage
and consent which hinder women’s autonomy and re-victimise them.
• Victim blaming lens- Delhi High Court verdict on pre-marital sex shifts the burden to women to prove their
consent is vitiated.
• Law as weapon- The women may use the law as a weapon for vengeance and personal vendetta.
• Promotes endogamy- The law shifts the conversation away from the real harm and abuse that women face.
• Caste factor – Taking the “impossibility of an inter-caste marriage” as a ground to acquit the accused of rape
in fact amounts to upholding the archaic practice of marrying within one’s own caste.
6.3 Fake News
Why in news?
Recently, a TV anchor was booked by Karnataka Police for allegedly spreading misinformation and fake news.
What is fake news?
• It refers to false reports or misinformation shared in the form of articles, images, or videos which are disguised
as real news.
• Aim- To manipulate people’s opinions for political or commercial gain.
• Types- There are 4 common types of fake news.
o Targeted misinformation- Fictitious piece of information shared for self-serving interests.
o Fake headlines- Headlines depicting fictitious facts to generate attention called as clickbait headlines.
o Viral posts- The large social networks favour shares, likes, and followers.
o Satire- Satirical news pick up on current affairs and news items and mix them with fictitious, and often
irrational events.
What are the consequences of fake news?
• Infodemic- It is too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical
environments during a disease outbreak.
o For example, rumours about COVID vaccine, made public hesitant to put vaccine.
• Mob lynching- The 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was brutally beaten by a mob in Jharkhand for alleged theft,
eventually leading to his death.
• Communalism- Targeting particular religion tends to create unrest situation.
o Example- Rumours that Muslims were spreading COVID.
• Media distrust- It disrupts the public confidence over the media.
• Undermine democracy- It erodes the public trust in democracy, people are the core in a country if they are
delivered fake news, it erodes public trust in the institution of democracy.
• Spread hatred- Fake news act as a platform for harmful conspiracy theories and hate speech.
• Digital wildfire- World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report in 2013 warned that misinformation could
spark "digital wildfires" in our hyper-connected world.

What are the legal provisions available to tackle fake news?

Legislative measures
• Fake news is considered as a crime under both the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act,
2000.
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
Provisions About Penalty
Criminalises acts that promote hatred or ill-will

Section 153A-
between different religious, racial, or linguistic
Promotion of Imprisonment of up to 3years, a fine, or both
groups, and actions prejudicial to the maintenance of
enimity
communal harmony
1st offence-Imprisonment for up to 3

Criminalises the sale, distribution, or public months, fine, or both
Section 292-
exhibition of obscene books, pamphlets, or other
Publication Subsequent offence-Imprisonment for up to
materials
2 years, fine, or both.
Defines defamation as making a false statement to

Section 499- harm a person’s reputation. Exceptions- “Imputation
Punishment is dealt under Section 500
Defamation of truth”, which is required for the “public good” and
thus has to be published.
In India, defamation can be both a civil and a Imprisonment for up to 2 years, a fine, or
Section 500-
criminal offence. both. Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to 2 years
Punishment for
in prison under this section, which triggered
criminal Punishment for criminal defamation is dealt under the law that led to his disqualification from
defamation this section Parliament.
Criminalises the act of threatening another person

Section 503- Imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or
with injury to their person, property, or reputation
Criminal both, depending on the circumstances and
with the intention to cause fear or compel them to do
intimidation severity of the threat.
something against their will
Section 504-
Pertains to intentional insult with intent to provoke Imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or
Intentional
breach of the peace”. both
insult
Information Technology Act, 2000
Provisions About Penalty
Section 67-
Pertains to “publishing or transmitting obscene
Publication in 3-year prison term, a fine, or both
material in electronic form”
electronic form
Empowers the government to intercept, monitor, or

Section 69- Does not specify a punishment but outlines
decrypt any information generated, transmitted,
National the government’s authority to access such
received, or stored in any computer resource in the
security information under certain conditions.
interest of national security.
Provides safe harbour provisions for intermediaries,

Section 69- Safe Does not specify punishment but defines the
shielding them from liability for user-generated
harbour legal responsibilities and immunities of
content if they follow certain due diligence
provision intermediaries in handling user content
requirements.
• Disaster Management Act, 2005- Section 54 says that if any person circulates any fake news or warning as
to disaster, or regarding its severity or magnitude, which leads to panic among the public, then such person shall
be punished with one year of imprisonment or with fine.

• The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 - It has provisions to curb the misuse of individuals’ data
on online platforms.
Other Measures
• The Government has set up of a Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau.
• It has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules,
2021, under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• Some well-known initiatives are, the launch of a chatbot named ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’ by WhatsApp in
partnership with the health ministry to provide accurate information.
• The government has also imposed limitation on the forward of WhatsApp messages.
The Shreya Singhal v. Union of India case has exempted the intermediaries from incurring any liability for
the content posted by the third parties.
What lies ahead?

• Karnataka oversight panel was constituted to curb fake news and menace of misinformation especially in
digital platforms, without curbing the freedom of expression.
• It is necessary to enlist the support of social media in calling out fake speech.
• The principle must be to identify what is false and trust the people.
6.4 Selective Banning of OTT Services
Why in news?
Recently, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on ‘Regulatory Mechanism for
Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services, and Selective Banning of OTT Services’.
What is OTT? Significance of OTT
• OTTs are Over-The-Top media services No pauses
that provides audio-visual streaming
services directly to customers over the •OTT technology will adjust to the network performance
web/internet. of the entire chain in real-time so that the video and
audio are delivered without pauses caused by buffering.
• Examples- Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max,
Amazon Prime Video, etc.
Multitude of options
What is the legality of internet shutdowns
in India? •With OTT video delivery technology, people have the
ability to view content on a variety of platforms such
• Section 144 of CrPC - Till 2017, as: Smart TVs, Roku, computers, tablets, mobile
shutdowns were imposed largely under phones, or gaming consoles.
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure (CrPC).
Control over choosing the content
• It gave the police and the District
Magistrate the powers in order to •They also have the option to access multiple
prevent unlawful gathering of people and distributors for specialized programs and view
also to direct any person to abstain from channels by “app switching”.
a certain activity.
• The Telegraph Act - The method to Overcomes the limitations of STB
suspend telecom services in case
of public emergency or public safety and •OTT systems overcome the limitations of the single
suspension of Internet services in India operator set top box (STB) technology required by
was notified under Section 7 of Telegraph IPTV.
Act, 1855, in 2017.
• The rules were named Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules,
2017.
• The efficient authority who are able to order such directions are:
o The Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Government)
o The Secretary of the Home Department to the concerned State Government (State Government)

• The rules mandate that the order passed by the efficient authority must contain reasons for such direction and
a copy of the order must be forwarded to a Review Committee by the next day.
• The Review Committee is bound to meet within next 5 working days of the issuance of order and make a record
that whether the suspension has been made conforming with the provisions under section 5(2) of the Indian
Telegraph Act.
• Section 69 of the IT Act, 2008 - It allows the government to
issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries such as Selective Banning is the concept
Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecom service providers, etc. of blocking certain OTT services in
specific regions or geographies
What are the issues with selective banning? during times, such as that of public
unrest or public disorder.
• Effect on fundamental right – Selective banning of OTTs
impinges on the right to speech and trade under Article 19.
• Technical issues – OTT service providers often use dynamic IP addresses to thwart cyber-attacks and may
even host multiple apps or OTT services on a single IP.
• Blocking of any such specific IP address may lead to unintended blocking of other apps which are using the same
IP address as well.
• Fake information/ misinformation- Without access to familiar apps, the affected populace may fall prey
to disinformation/misinformation or rumours.
• Disruption of commercial operations - It would severely disrupt commercial operations of MSMEs,
entrepreneurs, exporters, etc. as they often rely on OTT apps for orders, logistics, taxation, and payments.
• Unsuccessful - Selective banning is not likely to be a successful policy tool to counter malicious actors at times
of public unrest because the banned apps can be accessed using proxy servers or ‘virtual private networks’.
• This may lead to copycat versions of popular apps which may not have any local presence within India and might
be non-compliant with Indian regulations.
What about the constitutional validity of selective banning?
• Anuradha Bhasin case 2020– The court declared the internet to be essential in today's life and thereby
freedom of speech and expression and freedom to practice any profession, occupation or trade on the internet
is a part of fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution.
• It further stated that imposition of Section 144
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
cannot be used as a mechanism to avoid genuine
protest.
• It is a statutory body established by the Telecom
• Proportionality principle - The court Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
ordered to follow the test of Proportionality to
satisfy that no kind of violation of natural justice • Aim - To regulate telecom services, including
exists. fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom services which
were earlier vested in the Central Government.
• Supreme Court’s triple test – Lawfulness,
necessity, and proportionality are to be analysed • The TRAI Act was amended in 2000 to
to qualify as a ‘reasonable restriction’ under establish Telecommunications Dispute Settlement
Article 19 (2) of the Constitution. and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
What steps can be taken? • TDSAT adjudicates any dispute between a licensor
and a licensee, between two or more service
• A more balanced and nuanced approach providers, between a service provider and a group of
favouring minimal interventions may be adopted consumers, and hear and dispose of appeals against
by the government. any direction, decision or order of TRAI.
• The government under Section 69A of the IT
Act can direct OTT services to remove specific pieces of content from their platforms than selective banning.
6.5 National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF)
Why in news?
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has finalised the National Higher Educational Qualification Framework
(NHEQF), a regulatory reform proposed by National Education Policy 2020.
What is the historical background of formulating NHEQF?
• The idea was deliberated at the 60th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education in 2012

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) was assigned the responsibility to prescribe two separate
frameworks — the NHEQF and the National Credit
Framework.
• Higher educational institutions are separately required to The Ministry of Labour & Employment
implement the Academic Bank of Credits as a developed the National Vocational
mandated modality for recognising, accepting, and Qualifications Framework (NVQF) &
transferring credits across courses and institutions. the Ministry of Education developed
the National Vocational Education
o NHEQF - National Higher Education Qualification Qualifications Framework (NVEQF).
Framework aims to bring changes in the education
system right from the school to the higher education
levels.
o NCrF – National Credit framework was jointly developed by the Regulators of School, Skill and Higher
Education for accumulation of credit from academics and skill programmes.
o Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) - It is a digital or virtual or online store-house of academic credit
data base of Higher Education Institution.
What about the draft NHEQF?
• Based on a set of performance criteria, the NHEQF represents a comprehensive framework that specifies
qualification types and framework levels and the expected learning outcomes.
• Levels - The framework divides education into 8 levels - first 4 (school levels), last 4 (higher education).
• The first four levels will be taken up under the National School Education Qualification Framework (NSEQF),
while the NHEQF includes Level 4.5 to 8 (4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7 and 8).
• Qualification type - It refers to the broad Status of Higher education in India

discipline-free nomenclature such as a certificate,
diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and • Despite having the largest base of 900-plus
PhD. universities in the world, only 15 higher education
• The NHEQF also incorporates the qualifications institutions from India are in the top 1,000
from technical and vocational education and according to QS World Universities Ranking 2022.
training and professional and technical education • India has the largest population in the world in the
programmes, except medical and legal age bracket of 5-24 years with 580 million people,
education under one qualifications framework. presenting a huge opportunity in the education
• Parameters for assessing – It include generic sector.
learning outcomes, constitutional, ethical, and • India has the world’s 2nd largest higher education
moral values, employment ready skills, system, with around 38 million students in 50,000
entrepreneurship mindset, application of academic institutions.
knowledge and skills, etc.
• India aims to double the gross enrolment rates for
• Credit system under NHEQF - A credit is a HEIs from the current 26.3% to 50% by 2035.
unit by which the coursework done by a student
will be measured. • India is the 2nd largest source of international
students (after China) globally.
• To obtain a four-year undergraduate programme,
students will have to earn a minimum of 160 • To know more about higher education in India,
credits, with a minimum of 40 credits each at level click here
4.5, 5, 5.5, and 6 of the NHEQF.
What are the issues in qualification framework in India?
• Multiplicity of frameworks – NHEQF, NCF, and ABC are all focusing on similar qualification framework
making it confusing.
• Vague - The eligibility conditions and pathways through which a student can enter a programme at a particular
level are vague.
• Non- Coverage of certain disciplines – Qualification for awarding in disciplines such as agriculture, law,
medicine, and pharmacy are not covered under NHEQF.
• Traces of colonial past – The NHEQF draws abundantly from the Bologna process that led to the
European Qualifications Framework and the Dublin descriptors.
• Measuring learning outcomes – It may not be measurable by the same yardstick across disciplines. NHEQF
fails to recognize that learning and knowledge must go beyond earning a livelihood.

• Elitist – Those who hold four-year undergraduate degrees with a minimum CGPA of 7.5 are eligible for
admission to PhD programmes.
• Unequal comparison– It places all higher education qualifications on a continuum of 4.5 to 10 and thus
equates postgraduate diplomas with four-year undergraduate programmes.
• Credit system– It mandates that each semester must have a minimum of 20 credits where one credit must
comprise 15 hours of direct and 30 hours of indirect teaching.
What lies ahead?
• Wider and more intense consultations with the States is required as they spend a lot more on education than
the Centre.
• The process of formulating the NHEQF should duly recognize various aspects like the sheer size of the higher
education system and the variations in it.
7. HEALTH
7.1 WHO report on Hypertension
Why in news?
Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) released its first-ever report on global impact of hypertension.
What is Hypertension?
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high (140/90 mmHg or
higher).
o Systolic pressure – The first number represents the pressure in blood vessels when the heart
contracts or beats.
o Diastolic pressure – The second number represents the pressure in the vessels when the heart rests
between beats.
• Modifiable risk factors – It includes unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and being overweight or obese.
• Non-modifiable risk factors – It includes a family history of
hypertension, age over 65 years and co-existing diseases such as
diabetes or kidney disease. According to the Lancet research,
2022, hypertension is the most
• Symptoms - Hypertension is often noted as ‘silent killer’ as it does important risk factor for death
not show any symptoms. and disability in India.
• Complications – Cardiovascular diseases, kidney
damage, Preeclampsia and many other health problems.
• Treatment – Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, quitting tobacco and increasing physical activity.
• Once diagnosed, regular intake of medicines can control it effectively and prevent related complications.
What are the findings of WHO on hypertension?

Rule of Half
• Global Status – The number of people living with
• Only 50% the people with hypertension
hypertension doubled between 1990 and 2019, from 650
get diagnosed in any population.
million to 1.3 billion.
• Only 50% end up in treatment among the
• More than 3/4th of adults with hypertension live in low and
diagnosed people.
middle income countries.
• Only 50% manage to control their blood
• 1 in 3 adults gets affected with hypertension.
pressure among people getting treatment.
• Nearly 50% of people are currently unaware of their
• In India, the outcome is worse than the
condition.
rule of half.
• Only about 1/5th people with hypertension have controlled it.
• 76 million deaths could be averted between 2023 and 2050, if countries scale up their coverage.
• The economic benefits of improved hypertension treatment programmes outweigh the costs by about 18 to 1.

• In India – It relies on 2019 data by which 188 million Indians adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension.
• Of them, only 37% were diagnosed and many do not start their treatments even after diagnosis.
• Only 30% starts treatment and a meagre 15% of people manage to keep their bp under control.
• Women’s status was marginally better than men in having the condition diagnosed, treated and controlled.
• If 50% of people with hypertension manage their bp under control, at least 4.6 million deaths in India can be
averted by 2040.
• More lives can be saved if around 75% of the patients keep their hypertension under control.
What steps were taken to manage hypertension?
• India Hypertension Control Initiative programme (ICHI) - It is a 5-year initiative that was launched
in 2017 under the National Health Mission.
• It is a collaborative initiative of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), state governments and WHO Country Office for India.
• It is being implemented in 138 districts of 23 states.
• It was awarded the 2022 UN Interagency Task Force and the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health
Care Award at a UN General Assembly in 2022.
• 25 by 25 goal - The Government of India has adopted the "25 by 25" goal, which aims to reduce premature
mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025.
• One of the 9 voluntary targets includes reducing the prevalence of high BP
by 25% by 2025. Average daily sodium
intake of Indians is
• Under this initiative, India has committed to reduce salt intake by 30% in the approximately 11
mean population by 2025. (WHO’s Target) grams.
• 75/25 initiative - It is an initiative in which 75 million people with
hypertension and diabetes is put on standard care by 2025 through primary health care centres.
• Food related measures - The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has implemented
the ‘Eat Right India’ movement, which strives to transform the nation’s food system to ensure secure, healthy,
and sustainable nutrition for all citizens.
• In line with this goal, the FSSAI launched a social media campaign called ‘Aaj Se Thoda Kam.’
What lies ahead?
The report underscores the importance of implementing WHO-recommended effective hypertension care, which
include the following 5 components:
• Protocol: Practical dose- and drug-specific treatment protocols can streamline care and improve adherence.
• Medication and equipment supply: regular, uninterrupted access to affordable medication is necessary for
effective hypertension treatment.
• Team-based care: Patient outcomes improve when a team collaborates to adjust and intensify blood pressure
medication regimens.

• Patient-centred services: Free medications and close-to-home follow-up visits provides easy-to-take
medication regimens.
• Information systems: User-centred, simple information systems facilitate rapid recording of patient data
while maintaining or improving the quality of care.
8. BILATERAL ISSUES
8.1 Direct Trade between India and Pakistan
Why in news?
The cessation of India-Pakistan direct trade for a significant period is a result of enduring political tensions and conflicts
between the two.
How about the condition post the bilateral trade suspension?
• Indirect trade- A few
relatively less freight sensitive Bilateral Trade between India & Pakistan
products such as dry dates
began coming via indirect Trade relation
channels to enter each other’s
markets. •As per data trade with Pakistan stood at USD 329.26 million in 2020-21
and USD 830.58 million in 2019-20.
• Indian merchandise
popularity- Products such Issue of Jammu and Kashmir
as fabric, skincare products,
and jewellery freely made •Pakistan banned bilateral trade with India in 2019 when India
their way into Pakistani abolished Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
markets, gaining popularity
among local consumers. Cut in diplomatic relations
• Other countries- The gap
created in the cross-border •Pakistan had stated that it was reducing diplomatic relations with India
trade was filled by Indian and planned to remove India’s high commissioner to Islamabad.
goods entering Pakistan
through Afghanistan, China Issues over tariff
and Dubai.
•In 2012, India announced reduction of 30% in its SAFTA Sensitive List
• Dubai has enabled trade for non-Least Developed Countries of SAFTA [including Pakistan] but
between the two countries by Pakistan continued to follow restrictive trade policy towards India.
acting as a neutral ground for
the respective enterprises to Most Favored Nation
conduct business without
being hampered by political
•India had accorded MFN status to Pakistan in 1996. Pakistan’s MFN
tensions and border designation was removed in the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist
crossings. incident.
• High cost of imports- It
compelled Pakistan to lift the Hike in custom duty
ban on cotton imports from •India imposed 200% tariff on Pakistani imports in 2019. Subsequently,
India as importing cotton and as part of its unilateral measures, Pakistan suspended the bilateral trade
sugar from countries like the with India.
US and Brazil is expensive
and time-consuming.
• Major exports- During the first quarter of fiscal 2022, India’s exports to Pakistan is primarily driven by sugar,
organic compounds and pharmaceutical products.
• COVID-19 - Pakistan permitted import of pharmaceuticals and drugs following the outbreak of the pandemic
in 2020.
• Low volume trade- Jewellery, machinery, medications and chemicals are examples of low-volume, high-value
commodities. Businesses can afford to take a longer route, particularly via Dubai, because the increased cost are
passed directly to consumers.

• Vegetable imports- Pakistan decided to allow vegetable imports from India via Wagah due to destruction of
onion and tomato harvests by torrential rains in 2022.
• Pakistan’s commitment- India’s trade with Pakistan increased dramatically in the June 2022 quarter, due
to Pakistan’s willingness to restore commerce (mostly of necessities), with India.
• Other reasons - Some experts link the surge in direct commerce to Pakistan’s new leadership and the
country’s mounting economic crisis, compounded by high global commodity prices
MFN status means the country which is the recipient of this treatment must nominally receive equal trade
advantages as the "most favored nation" by the country granting such treatment.
What lies ahead?

• Reduce import duty- India can consider reducing its import duties (currently at 200%) on products that can
benefit its industries.
• Foster cooperation- Pakistan’s commitment, though driven by necessity, have sparked hope for additional
measures to improve bilateral relations, including the
o Resumption of sports-related visas by India after a 3 year interval,
o Scheduling of a long-delayed meeting between the Indus Water Commissioners, and
o Establishment of peace at the Line of Control (LoC) following over 5,000 ceasefire violations.
• Resume trade- India and Pakistan trade should resume through the land crossing at Attari (India)-Wagah
(Pakistan), for a win-win situation.
• Better value- Since, wheat flour prices in Pakistan have risen dramatically in recent months, North Indian
farmers can sell it at a better price in Pakistan.
• Enhance direct route- Indirect trade routes like Dubai entail additional intermediaries, increasing
transaction costs. Direct trade could have brought additional benefits like
o Reducing transportation costs,
o Expediting delivery schedules,
o Facilitating interaction among businesses, and
• Establishing direct trade channels that could unlock potential economic cooperation and foster beneficial trade
relationship.
• Engagements- Through direct economic engagements, both countries can promote people-to-people
exchanges, cultural interaction, and business collaborations, paving the way for improved bilateral ties.
8.2 India- South Korea Relations
Why in news?
The historic Camp David Summit held in August 2023 gives India and South Korea a unique opportunity to enhance
their strategic partnership.
What is the history of India-South Korea relations?
• Historical relation- According to the 13th century Korean historical text "SamgukYusa" or “Heritage History
of the Three Kingdoms", Princess Suriratna from Ayodhya (India) came to Korea in the year 48 AD.
• She married King Kim-Suro of the erstwhile Gaya Confederacy in ancient Korea and became Queen Heo Hwang-
ok. Many Koreans trace their ancestry to this lineage.
• Buddhism- Some scholars believe that Buddhism reached Korea via the maritime route with the arrival of
Princess Suriratna and her brother Monk Jangyu.
• Literature- Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed a short but evocative poem titled 'Lamp of the
East’ in 1929 about Korea's glorious past and its promising bright future.
• Political relations- India played an important role in the Korean peninsula after Korea's independence in
1945.
• Former Indian diplomat Shri K P S Menon was the Chairman of the 9-member UN Commission set up in 1947
to hold elections in Korea.

• In 2018, both countries issued a statement outlining a “Vision for People, Prosperity, Peace and our Future”
• Diplomatic relations- Consular relations were established in 1962. Both established diplomatic relations on
1973.
• Economic relations- They both formed a “Strategic Partnership” in 2010, which was elevated to “Special
Strategic Partnership” in 2015.
• Korea plus- This initiative aims to facilitate Korean investments in India.
• Bilateral trade- In 2022, it reached record levels of 27.8 billion dollars.
• India’s import volume stands 18.8 billion dollars, while the export volume is 9 billion dollars.
• Defence- In 2020, India and South Korea signed a Roadmap for Defence Industries Cooperation.
• Cultural relations- In 2011, the Indian Cultural Centre was established in Seoul to showcase India’s rich
cultural heritage and promote cultural exchanges between both countries.
What is the significance of Camp David meet?
• Regional security- It indicates a much-needed repair in South Korea and Japan relations.
• Strengthen US alliance structure- The

summit reflect the multipolar urges of the Camp David Summit
contemporary international system in East
Asia along with groupings such as • Countries- It is held among the leaders of the
o AUKUS- U.S, United Kingdom, o United States,
Australia
o Japan, and the
o Quad -India, Japan, Australia, U.S
o Republic of Korea (ROK)
o CHIP 4 Alliance- U.S., Japan,
• Need- To consult promptly with each other during crises
Taiwan, and South Korea
and to coordinate responses to regional challenges,
• New strategic direction- It has the provocations and threats affecting common interests.
potential to set South Korea on strategic
• Cooperation- It committed to hold trilateral military
direction in Indo-Pacific with
training exercises annually and to share real-time
o Improved relations with Japan information on North Korean missile launches by 2023.
o More synergy with the American view • The countries promised to hold trilateral summits
on China annually as well.
o Enhance the engagement of Indo- • Project- They would launch supply-chain early warning
Pacific system pilot project to expand information-sharing and
• China challenge- It marks a strategic shift in fight economic coercion together.
Seoul’s traditional approach of not offending • Russia-Ukraine War- The leaders agreed to support
China at any cost. Ukraine and to maintain strong, coordinated sanctions
• QUAD grouping- This summit mooted the against Russia, while curbing the dependence on Russian
South Korea’s desire to join the group, it might energy.
apply for a membership in Quad Plus in 2024.
• New foreign policy- The main goal is to make South Korea a “global pivotal state”.
How the summit would strengthen India-Korea relations?
• Natural partner- Korea is a natural partner for India in Indo-Pacific. It is due India currently has
to 2+2 dialogues with the
U.S., Japan, Australia
o South Korea’s location in the Indo-Pacific, close to China. and Russia.
o It is a U.S. ally provides India with a like-minded strategic partner.
o For both, the rise of China and its unilateral attempts at reordering the Asian security architecture are
of great concern.
• Regional partner- For India, Seoul can be an important regional partner at a time when India is closer to the
U.S. and is concerned about Chinese intentions and power.
• It provides a unique opportunity for India and ROK to enhance their strategic partnership in the 50th year of
their diplomatic relationship.

What lies ahead?

• Political cooperation- The two sides should consider establishing an annual summit at the level of Foreign
Ministers Meet & 2+2 format dialogue.
• Foster technology- Both could explore the possibility of negotiating a South Korea-Japan-India-U.S.
initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), along the lines of the recently-concluded India-U.S.
iCET.
• Defence -South Korea’s willingness and ability to cater to India’s defence needs within the ambit of India’s
‘Make in India’ programme must be utilised.
o Example-The K9 Vajra, a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, built by L&T with technology from South
Korea’s Hanwha Defense
o South Korean-built K2 Black Panther tanks could also be co-produced in India for the Indian Army or
third countries.
• Nuclear energy- Given Seoul’s remarkable track record in supplying cheaper and faster nuclear reactors India
could consider purchasing Korean-built reactors so as to expand the share of nuclear energy in the country’s
energy basket.
8.3 India-Canada Tussle
Why in news?
India and Canada are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, after Canadian Prime Minister accused agents
of the Government of India for killing Canadian Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
What is the history of India Canada relations?
• Political relation- India shared diplomatic
relation with Canada in 1947, Canada supported
plebiscite in Kashmir in 1948, which reflects the
diplomatic relation shared by both countries.
• India-Canada Track 1.5 Dialogue was established
involving experts, government officials and business
leaders from both sides to explore the possibility
of future cooperation.
• Economic relations- In 2022, India was Canada’s
o 9th-largest merchandise trading partner in
the Indo-Pacific region,
o 13th-largest merchandise
trading partner globally,
and
o 14th-largest destination for
merchandise export.
• Both the countries formally agreed
to relaunch Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement
(CEPA), a free trade agreement
covering negotiation on the trade in
services and investment, etc.
• Science and Technology- MoUs
were renewed at the 7th India-
Canada Joint Science and
Technology Cooperation Committee
(JSTCC) focussing on quantum
computing, artificial intelligence
(AI), and cyber-physical systems
etc.,
• Agriculture- Canada has agreed to
examine the request for Conformity
Verification Body (CVB) status to

APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) for hassle-free export of
Indian organic products.
• Nuclear cooperation- Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) was signed with Canada in 2010.
• Space relations- ANTRIX, the Commercial arm of ISRO, has launched several nanosatellites from Canada.
• ISRO in its 100th Satellite launched in 2018, flew Canadian 1 st LEO satellite, from Indian spaceport Sriharikota,
Andhra Pradesh.
• Education- Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) is a unique bi-national organization fostering, since 1968,
education and cultural cooperation and collaboration between India and Canada.
• Indian diaspora- Canada hosts one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, numbering 1.6 million (PIOs
and NRIs) which account for more than 4% of its total population.
• Cultural relations- Canada was the Country of Focus at the 48th International Film Festival of India held in
Goa in 2017.
• IC-IMPACTS (India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community
Transformation and Sustainability) is the Centre of Excellence for development of research collaborations
between Canada and India.
What is the issue now? The Five Eyes network is an
• Canada’s allegation- Canadian security agencies have been actively intelligence alliance comprised
pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the of the United States, the United
Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Kingdom, Australia, Canada,
Singh Nijjar. and New Zealand.
• Canada has said that its Five Eyes partners could re-evaluate
intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation with India if Canadian officials uncover definitive proof
of India's involvement in Nijjar's murder.
• India’s reply - India has dismissed the accusations as "absurd" and "motivated."
• Responses - In response to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official related to the case, India has reciprocated
by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat.
• India suspended visa services in Canada. E-visa Khalistan Movement

services were stopped too.
• Evolution- The Khalistan movement is a Sikh
• India has asked Canada to downsize its nationalist movement that desired to create an
diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that independent state for Sikh people inside the North-
there should be parity in strength and rank Western Republic of India.
equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence.
• In early 1980s, the movement had emerged as a major
• Both countries declared that they would pause separatist movement that was fed on arms under the
trade talks with each other. patronage of Pakistan’s ISI.
How the tussle will affect India?
• Bhindranwale- Bhindranwale emerged as the
• Destruction of public image - The extremist voice of Sikhs and declared himself as the
allegations can damage India's public image as protector and arbiter of Sikh rights.
a democratic nation committed to a rules-based
• Operation Blue Star- Operation Blue Star was
order or its perception as a trustworthy ally.
conducted to capture Bhindrawale in Harmandir Sahib
• Haven for separatists- The big issue for Complex, but the operation resulted in a strong anti-
India is the safe haven that Canada has India sentiment.
provided to separatist Khalistani groups.
• Killing of Indira Gandhi- The then PM Indira
• Affect education- Temporary suspension of Gandhi was seen as an enemy of the Sikhs and two Sikh
visas would affect India as Canada is the guards of her killed her in 1984.
2nd most popular destination for Indian
• Her killing was followed by wide-spread riots against the
students, especially from Punjab and Haryana.
Sikhs across India fuelling more anti-India sentiment.
• India Canada standoff- Erosion of trust and
• Khalistan referendum- Recently, many Canadian
confidence which makes it difficult for both
Sikhs took part in an unofficial voting exercise-
countries to engage in key issues.
“Khalistan referendum”. Canada defended this as an
• Disrupt trade relations- It affects the exercise in freedom of speech.
balance of trade which is in India’s favour, and
Canada is among the few countries with which India has a trade surplus.

• The diplomatic tensions led to pause on negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement between them.
• Hospitality sector- Both countries issued travel advisories urging their citizens to ‘exercise utmost caution’
while travelling to some regions in the other country.
• Affects revenue- Canada is one of the top 10 countries to contribute to foreign tourist arrivals in Kerala.
• Strained relationship could affect the revenue.
• Agriculture- Canada is important to India as a supplier of
o Muriate of Potash (MOP) - It is the 3rd most consumed fertiliser in India after urea and di-
ammonium phosphate.
o Red lentil- Canada is the largest source of red lentils for India with the annual import being pegged at
around 4-5 lakh tonnes.
• Geopolitical relationship- The recent standoff with Canada could affect India’s relation with Western
countries and groupings such as QUAD.
• Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy may be hindered without India’s participation.
What lies ahead?
• People to people relation- While the Canada-India dispute is a serious diplomatic matter, the relationship
between their people remains robust.
• Quiet diplomacy- It is a diplomatic approach that focuses on behind the scene negotiations and discussions.
• Canada- It should show respect for India’s interest especially in Khalistan issue, which is a longstanding crisis
between two countries.
• India- It should constructively engage with Canada on the entire gamut of legal processes and practices of both
countries so that all grievances can be satisfactorily addressed.
8.4 India - West Asia Relations
Why in news?
Recently at the G-20 summit in New Delhi, U.S.-backed infrastructure project was unveiled to connect India, West Asia
and Europe with shipping lanes, rail networks, pipelines and data cables.
West Asia Strategy of USA
• Iran rise- West Asia strategy of US is to bring Gulf Arab and Israel closer to meet their common geopolitical
challenges such as Iran’s rise.
• Abraham Accords- It set the stage for the transformation of Israel’s ties with United Arab Emirates.
• I2U2 strategy- It has been called as the “West Asian Quad” and comprises of India, Israel, the U.S., and the UAE.
• India Middle East Europe Corridor- Through this, US hopes to retain its channels of influence in West Asia.
Challenges
• Arab tussle- The true potential of Abraham Accord would not be reached unless there is a deal between Israel
and Saudi Arabia, arguably the most influential Arab country today.
• China factor- It is the biggest trading partner of America’s Gulf Arab allies and a major investor in the region and
has shown a willingness to play a bigger role as peacemaker, which was evident in the Iran-Saudi reconciliation
agreement.
What is India and West Asia relations all about?

• West Asia- It has two distinct regions: Levant and Gulf region.
o Levant region- It includes Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, and some would include
the northern part of Iraq - the area that became part of the Islamic State.
o Gulf region- It comprises the 6 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries namely Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Iraq.

• Historical
ties - India had a
distinct unique
historical
relationship with
Arab, Turkish,
Jewish and Persian
civilisations.
• High profile
diplomatic
dynamism- West
Asia is a region for
India to augment its
power rather than to
display or assert.
• Support Palestine
cause- India has
always supported
the Palestine aspiration for Independent State since Mahatma Gandhi.
• Comprehensive Security Partnership- It is a joint India-UAE initiative to promote security and stability
in West Asia which was signed in 2017.
• Economic cooperation- A Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Republic of India and
GCC was signed in 2004.
• Maritime connectivity- Development of Chabahar port in Iran would help India bypass Pakistan and
increase trade relations with Afghanistan and Iran.
• Huge remittances- The remittances from Gulf States contribute a major chunk in India’s total share.
• Abraham Accords-India’s presence in a grouping of the Abraham Accords countries was seen as a legitimate
recognition of India’s presence in the region.
• India-Middle East-Europe Corridor- Announced at the G-20 Summit, the corridor enhances India’s
standing and also brings India and Europe closer.
• Compete China- US wanted to bring India as a bigger, stable partner to write new rules of economic
engagement and integration, to compete with China and India seems to utilise this opportunity.
• International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)- INSTC is a 7,200-km multi-modal transport
corridor that connects Russia and India via central Asia and Iran.
What lies ahead?
• India’s overall policy towards the region should stay anchored in the idea of multi-engagement — not in
appeasing or containing any great power.
• With or without the U.S., or irrespective of China’s presence in the region, India should strive to play a major
geopolitical role in West Asia, it extended neighbourhood, without upsetting its traditional balance.
9. INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
9.1 Implications of BRICS Expansion
Why in news?
6 countries have become the new members of BRICS.
Region New Members
What is BRICS?
Iran, Saudi Arabia and
• Originally conceived as BRIC by Jim O'Neill, the grouping consisted West Asia
United Arab Emirates
of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• Launch- It was launched by a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Africa Egypt and Ethiopia
Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006.
• BRIC turned into BRICS in 2010, with the entry of South Africa. Latin America Argentina

• Chair- Chaired by member countries in rotational basis.

• South Africa is the chair for
2023.
• First summit- It was held in
Yekaterinburg in 2009.
• New Development Bank
(NDB)- It is established in
2014 by Fortaleza declaration.
It is formed to provide
development assistance. The
NDB has already financed 96
projects valued at 33 billion
dollars
• Contingent Reserve
Arrangement- It is
established to supports
countries facing short-term
balance-of-payments
pressures.
• BRICS Expansion- It was
reported that 40 countries have shown interest in BRICS’ membership, with 22 having submitted formal
applications.
• However, the 5 member grouping had invited 6 new members.
What is the need for BRICS expansion?
• Dominance of West- BRICS is formed with the West-dominated international institutions that had emerged
after the Second World War. It includes
o World Bank, Countries Importance
o International Monetary Fund,
35% of oil production goes to China &
o United Nations and its various bodies, Saudi Arabia
India
particularly the United Nations Security Council,
o World Trade Organization. Increased oil production despite US
Iran
sanction, most of it goes to China
• Future dynamics- At Johannesburg, the UN Secretary
General António Guterres described those institutions as They are an important presence in the
reflecting “yesterday’s world”. The United States has led Egypt and
strategically important Horn of Africa
the western alliance in both the political and economic Ethiopia
and the Red Sea.
areas.
• Against West led world order- BRICS challenges Argentina 2nd largest economy in Latin America
West-led world order. It promotes
Major oil supplier to China and India,
o Intra-BRICS economic,political cooperation Russia
now looking at Brazil as market
o Builds institutions outside western control
o Robustly for wide-ranging reforms to accommodate interests of emerging economies
• Fair international order- The Johannesburg Declaration asserts that the members’ “strategic partnership”
will be directed at achieving a more representative, fairer international order.
• Wider coverage- The proposed BRICS expansion will have 46% of world population, while its share of the
global GDP will go from 31.5% in PPP terms to 37%, far ahead of the GDP of 30.7% of the G-7.
• Global trade- With the proposed BRICS expansion the global exports and global imports will be boosted by
3.7% and 3% respectively.
• Energy sector- The global output will increase from 20% to 42%.
• Geo-strategic value- It will bring considerable geo-strategic value to the grouping.
• Outlook for global affairs- From 2020, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shrugged off the U.S. yoke and
shaped independent foreign policy paths for themselves.

• Diplomatic relations- Saudi Arabia has pursued de-escalation and dialogue, ending the Qatar blockade in
January 2021, engaging with Turkey, and opening interactions with Iran from April 2021.
• These regional engagements culminated in the China-brokered accord with Iran in March this year.
• UAE- Iran -The UAE has also normalised ties with Iran and is focusing on expanding its maritime footprint
across the Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
• Regional cooperation- Iran’s entry into BRICS, besides its role in the energy sector, opens up opportunities
for
o Accelerated regional economic cooperation,
o Revival of the moribund north-south connectivity projects through the Chabahar port with which India
is associated.
To know more about the need for BRICS expansion and common currency, click here
What lies ahead?

• India and other BRICS members insist on asserting their strategic autonomy in a multipolar world order, with
member-nations demanding that their voices be heard and their interests respected.
• A recent media report described the Johannesburg summit as a “turning point in modern history”.
9.2 Key Outcomes of 18th East Asia Summit
Why in news?
Recently, 18th East Asia Summit was held in Jakarta, Indonesia for making it a forum for all in order to strengthen
cooperation.
What is East Asia Summit?
• East Asia Summit - It is the only leader-led forum at which
all key partners meet to discuss political, security and
economic challenges facing Indo-Pacific.
• The members represent 54% of the world’s population and
account for 62% of global GDP.
• Regional forum- The East Asia Summit (EAS) is held
annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian,
Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on
the ASEAN plus Six mechanism.
• Membership was expanded to 18 countries including Russia
and the United States at the 6th EAS in 2011.
• Member countries-

o ASEAN countries- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
o Other countries- India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and
Russia.
• Cooperation- It is an important platform for building the convergence between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-
Pacific (AOIP) and Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative (IPOI).
• Meetings- EAS meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings, and plays an important role in
the regional architecture of Asia-Pacific.
• First summit- Held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2005.
What are the key outcomes of 18th East Asia Summit?
• Statement- The summit adopted the EAS Leaders’ Statement on Maintaining and Promoting the Region as an
Epicentrum of Growth.
• Peace and prosperity- The common interest to
maintain, promote, and sustain peace, stability,
and prosperity in the region, including through
the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance
with international law.
• Bali principles- The summit reaffirmed its
shared commitment to be guided by the
principles for friendly and mutually beneficial
relations as enshrined in the Bali Principles.
• ASEAN connectivity- Increase efforts in
maritime connectivity by supporting the vision
and goals of the
o Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity
(MPAC) 2025
o ASEAN’s development of the Blue Economy
• Technology- To recognise the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapidly changing global and
regional geopolitical and geo-economic landscapes, including the advancement in technology and
the 4th Industrial revolution.
• Education- The summit welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Work Plan on
Education 2021-2025 and its alignment with the 14 priority areas of education cooperation under the Manila
Plan of Action.
• Global health issues- It reaffirmed the role of EAS in mitigating the COVID pandemic impact with ASEAN
initiatives like ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).
• One Health Approach- To bolster regional preparedness and capability in preventing and addressing public
health threat.
• Disaster management- Against emerging challenges and future shocks through cooperation on enhancing
energy security and food security, maintaining financial stability, and strengthening regional health
architecture.
• Strengthen partnership- Potential cross-sectoral collaborations to accelerate efforts in implementing the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Inclusive innovation- Advance women’s and youth’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship,
including through inclusive and equitable innovation, trade, business, human capital development, and
financial inclusion.
• Climate change- Effective implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.
• Regional food security- Maintaining sustainable food production and distribution, strengthening climate-
smart agriculture and enhance sustainable and resilient food supply chain.
• Support- ASEAN’s continuous efforts on the mainstreaming and implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on
the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through the implementation of the East Asia Summit Plan of Action (2024-2028), and
the follow up on the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum:

AOIP is ASEAN’s own initiative which is intended to enhance ASEAN Community building process, as well as
strengthen and complement cooperation with all partners, as reflected in the East Asia Summit Plan of Action
(2024-2028). It is adopted in Ha Noi Declaration 2020.
• Economic cooperation and trade- It reaffirmed its commitment to a rules-based, non-discriminatory,

open, free, inclusive, fair, sustainable, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system with the World
Trade Organization (WTO) at its core.
• South China Sea- It recognised sea as the symbol of peace, friendship, cooperation and stability.
• Ukraine war- It demanded complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russia from Ukraine.
What is the significance of the summit for India?
• ASEAN centrality- India reiterated the importance of the EAS mechanism, its support for ASEAN centrality
and called for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
• Global challenges- India also called for a cooperative approach to address global challenges including
terrorism, climate change, and resilient supply chains for essential items.
• QUAD- There is unison in the vision of India and ASEAN for the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN holds a central position
in the vision of QUAD.
• Myanmar- India's policy in Myanmar takes into account ASEAN's views and reiterated its commitment to the
Peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Climate change- India highlighted sustainable initiatives in the summit.
o International Solar Alliance (ISA) – A joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against
climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy
o Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)
o OSOWOG- One Sun One World One Grid - Laid down at the 1st assembly of the ISA to create an
interconnected green grid that will enable solar energy generation in regions with high potential
9.3 Three Years of Abraham Accords
Why in News?
September 2023 marks an important milestone for West Asia and North Africa - 3 years since the signing of the Abraham
Accords.
What is the background of Israel- Arab relation?
• Arab governments refused to extend diplomatic recognition to Israel after its independence in 1948.
• A series of Arab-Israeli wars took place in the decades that followed which includes the Six-Day War (1967) and
the Yom Kippur War (1973).
• In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to conclude a peace treaty with Israel (Camp David Accords).
• Israel later agreed to a two-state solution with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993, and, as
a result, Jordan concluded a peace
agreement with Israel in 1994.
• However, the two-state solution failed to
materialize within the intended time frame.
• In 2002, the Arab League endorsed a
Saudi proposal (known as the Arab Peace
Initiative) for its member states to
establish normal relations with Israel in
exchange for an independent Palestinian
state.
• Negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority soon dissipated, the
proliferation of Israeli settlements
compounded the challenges of creating a
viable state in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip.

How Abraham Accords promote regional ties among the parties?

• Diplomatic ties - It had led to normalising diplomatic ties of Israel with the UAE and two other countries in
the region, marking an important shift in the stance of West Asian countries on Israel.
• Security - Normalization has opened new opportunities for defense and security cooperation, especially among
Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE, which share a common perspective on the security threat posed by Iran.
• People to people connect - – It not only connects governments but also brings people together, despite the
differences in their language, religious beliefs, cultures and more.
• Trade - The scope of trade between Israel and other West Asian countries increased 74% between 2021 and
2022.
• Tourism –Number of visits from Israel to the Abraham Accord
UAE & Bahrain has increased largely.
• Signed in - 2020
• Collaborative projects –The Prosperity
Green & Blue agreement was signed between • Agreement between - UAE, Bahrain, Israel
Israel, the UAE, and Jordan.
• Mediated by – The US
• A solar field in Jordan to supply 600 megawatts
• Objective- To normalise ties between these Arab
of electricity to Israel in return for water from
Gulf states and Israel.
Israel.
• Following the signing of Abraham Accords, 5 Arab
• Programmes for Youth – Youth delegations
states (Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Morocco,
between two nations have been initiated,
Sudan) have established diplomatic ties with Israel.
encouraging bonds between tomorrow’s leaders.
• Educational collaboration – Shared
educational activities and advance student and professor exchange programme were started.
• Foster coexistence and religious tolerance – UAE has incorporated Holocaust education into its school
curriculum as a mandatory subject.
How the Abraham Accords benefits India?
• India holds a significant position among Abraham Accord partners.
• Improved connectivity – Greater convenience of direct flights between the UAE and Israel, as well as
between Israel and Bahrain.
• Indian students – They are enjoying increased ease of travel, gaining improved access to Israeli universities
and the opportunity to explore international study programmes.
• Trade – The normalisation has increased the flow of economic opportunities reaching India.
• Companies from the UAE, Israel, Bahrain, and the U.S., are partnering with the Indian private sector.
• New joint ventures were set in Bahrain, Israel, UAE and India in critical sectors such as clean energy, health,
innovation, technology, agriculture, water, trade, tourism, etc.
• Promoted the I2U2 Group – I2U2 group, which has been called the “West Asian Quad”, comprises of India,
Israel, the U.S., and the UAE.
• Its primary focus will be on joint investments in critical areas such as water, energy, transportation, space,
health, and food security.
What are the shortcomings of the Accord?
• Engaging other countries - Despite some softening in its position on bilateral relations, Saudi Arabia has
held firm in its commitment to the pre-existing Arab Peace Initiative (API).
• For Palestinians – The stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians is still a hindrance to expanding the
circle of normalization.
• None of these deals changed the situation on the ground in the Middle East’s hotspots, particularly in Palestine.
• Israel continues to be engaged in systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
• Public opinion - Despite the normalization efforts, surveys indicate that Arab publics continue to view Israel
in a negative light.

9.4 SDG Summit 2023
Why in news?
In the High-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2023 held in New York, the world leaders endorsed a
resolute political declaration, outlining their shared commitment to create a sustainable and inclusive world by 2030.
What is the SDG Summit about?
• The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs is a global plan of action to drive economic
prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment.
• Countries established the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to boost
efforts to achieve the goals.
• The HLPF meets every year under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, to review progress,
examine obstacles, exchange best practices, and recommend new actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
• Countries agreed that every four years, the HLPF will meet under the auspices of the General Assembly at
the level of Heads of State and Government.
• In 2019, the 1st SDG Summit – the HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly was convened in New
York since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015.
• The 2nd SDG Summit was held in New York and was chaired by the President of the General Assembly.
• It resulted in the adoption of the Political Declaration, “Gearing up for a decade of action and delivery for
sustainable development”.
What are the key highlights of the summit?

• Themes
o Our shared commitment
o Our changed world - Progress and remaining gaps and challenges.
o Call to action – turning our world towards 2030
• Our Shared commitment
Our Shared Commitment
To review progress and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Addis Abba Action Agenda Reaffirmed this agenda as integral part of the 2030 Agenda

Rio Declaration on
Reaffirmed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities
Environment and Development
Global Accelerator on Jobs and Appreciated this initiative which is led by ILO and UNDP that will create at least 400
Social Protection for Just mn jobs, primarily in the green, digital and care economies, and extend social
Transitions protection floors to 4 bn people by 2030.
Our Changed World - Progress and Remaining Gaps and Challenges
There is a need for immediate course correction and acceleration of progress toward achieving the SDGs, due to
COVID pandemic.
The annual SDG funding gap has risen from 2.5 trillion dollar before the pandemic to
Gap in funding
an estimated 4.2 trillion dollars.
Encouraged the progress of the programme in addressing the challenge of landlocked

Vienna Programme of Action
developed countries
Encouraged the progress of Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of

SAMOA Pathway Action (SAMOA) pathway which was the outcome of 3 rd International Conference on
Small Island Developing States.
Committed to the full implementation of the program which is a 10 year strategy to

Doha Programme of Action help world’s 46 most vulnerable countries to achieve SDG for LDCs for the decade
2022-31.
Call to Action – Turning our World towards 2030
The summit committed to take continuous, fundamental, transformative and urgent actions at all levels and by all
stakeholders to overcome the crises and obstacles facing our world.
Look forward to the proposed world social summit in 2025, and emphasize that
World Social Summit - 2025 the summit outcome should give momentum towards the implementation of the
2030 Agenda.
Recognize that early childhood education and care can generate substantial
Education benefits for children and took note of 2022 UN Transforming Education
Summit.
Water related It took note on International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable
Development", 2018- 2028 and the water-related goals and targets of the 2030
issues Agenda, and commended the convening of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
New Urban Committed to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable, through the implementation of this Agenda, to contribute to the
Agenda achievement and localization of the 2030 Agenda
10-Year Framework of Programmes

Recommitted to make fundamental changes in our consumption and production
on Sustainable Consumption and
patterns through the implementation of the 10-Year Framework
Production Patterns
Committed to increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by
Renewable energy
2030.
Recommited to the full implementation of the Sendai Framework to promote a

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
disaster risk-informed approach to sustainable development at the local,
Reduction(2015- 2030)
national, regional and global level
Convention on Biological Diversity Committed to take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
United Nations Convention to Affirmed to combat desertification, land degradation, drought and floods, sand
Combat Desertification and dust storms, and to achieve land degradation neutrality.

UN Convention on the Law of the Emphasised the need to enhance the Convention, which provides the legal
Sea framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources
Intergovernmental Negotiating Supports the work of INC to develop an international legally binding instrument
Committee (INC) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment by 2024.
Urged the developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7% of gross national
Official Development Assistance income
(ODA)
for ODA to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 % of ODA to LDCs.
9.5 South China Sea Dispute
Why in news?
Recently, Philippines coast guard removed the floating barrier placed by China that prevented Filipino fishing boats
from entering a disputed area in South China Sea.
Where is South China Sea?
• It is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian South China Sea and
mainland. East China together
form China Sea.
• It is bordered by Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and
Vietnam.
• It is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
• The major rivers draining into the South China Sea are the tributaries of the Pearl (Zhu) River Delta including
the Xi River, the Red River and the Mekong River.
Significance of South China Sea
• Enriched with fossil fuels – According to United States Energy Information Agency, there are 11 billion
barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposits under the South China Sea.
• The main locations for hydrocarbon production are located north of Borneo, east of the Malay Peninsula, and
northwest of Palawan.
• Major fishing ground – It is home to rich fishing grounds which forms a major source of income for millions
of people across the region.
• Crucial trade route – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates
that over 21% of global trade, amounting to $3.37 trillion, transited through these waters in 2016.
• The main route to and from Pacific and Indian
Ocean ports is through the Strait of Malacca
and the South China Sea.
What is the Scarborough Shoal dispute about?
• Dispute between – China & Philippines
• 9 dash line –In 1947, the nationalist
Kuomintang party of China issued a map with
the so-called “nine-dash line”.
• It runs as far as 2,000 km from the Chinese
mainland and encircles Beijing’s claimed waters
and islands of the South China Sea claiming as
much as 90% of the sea.
• China’s claim - Claiming historic rights as one
of the first people to explore the area, China
claimed the sea feature as part of its territory in
recent decades and started to refer to it
as Huangyan (Yellow Rock) Island.
• In 2012, Beijing seized control of it and forced
Filipino fishermen to travel farther for smaller
catches.

• Developmental activities by China – It includes

o Piling sand onto existing reefs Other Claims of China
o Military outposts in Paracel and Spratly islands • Paracel Island dispute - Between China,
o Deploying fighter jets, cruise missiles, and a Taiwan and Vietnam
radar system • Spratly island dispute - Between China,
o Installation of barriers at the Scarborough Shoal Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia
o Construction of artificial islands in the Spratly • Scarborough Shoal dispute – Between
islands China and the Philippines
• Philippines’ claim - The Philippines continues to • Senkaku or the Daioyu Islands dispute
insist that it has fishing rights over the disputed area – Between China and Japan in East China Sea
because it is part of its EEZ.
What are the reactions of the international commmunity?
• Contradictory to UNCLOS definition - As defined by UNCLOS, Scarborough Shoal is within the EEZ of
Philippines because it is 120 nautical miles (222km) from the Philippine island of Luzon.
• In contrast, Scarborough Shoal is about 594 nautical miles
(1,100km) from China’s Hainan Island. The 1982 UNCLOS, which China ratified
• PCA ruling - The 2016 ruling issued by the Permanent in 1996, defines EEZs as extending 200
Court of Arbitration states that Scarborough Shoal is not nautical miles (370km) from shore, within
an island, but a rock feature, and is not entitled to an EEZ which the coastal state has the exclusive
or a continental shelf. right to explore, exploit, and manage the
living and non-living resources there.
• China did not participate in The Hague case filed by the
Philippines and said it will not recognise the ruling.
• ITOS ruling - In 2016, Philippines took China to an International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), an
independent judicial body established by the UNCLOS, pertaining to the dispute over the Scarborough Shoal.
• While tribunal has largely rejected the nine-dash line claim, China broke the international ruling by further
endangering Philippine ships and damaging the marine environment.
• Although the tribunal’s judgement was binding, there was no enforcement mechanism.
• ASEAN –The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, signed by China and the members
of ASEAN in 2002 disnt yield the desired outcomes.
• India - In an unwavering display of commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, India has
joined the Philippines in reiterating the call for China to abide by a 2016 ruling.
• The United States – The US stated that under 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty, it would invoke mutual defence
commitments over an attack "anywhere in the South China Sea".
What lies ahead?
• Recently held 18th East Asia Summit in 2023 recognised South China Sea as the symbol of peace, friendship,
cooperation and stability.
• The Group of Seven (G7), during their recent summit in Hiroshima, recognized the 2016 ITLOS award as a
useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the two nations.
• There is an urgent need to establish common ownership of the disputed areas whereby all the revenues from
the South China Sea are equitably shared among the littoral countries.
9.6 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
Why in news?
Recently, External Affairs Minister has made a reference to CPEC by stating that
connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Member States and respect international law.
China Pakistan Economic
What is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)? Corridor (CPEC) is the
part of China’s Belt and
• BRI- A giant connectivity initiative speared by China to revive the Road Initiative (BRI)
ancient Silk Road across Eurasia and Africa.

• Project South Asia- The BRI project has 3 major

undertakings
o China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)
o Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional
Connectivity Network (including Nepal-China cross-
border railway)
o China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
• CPEC- The China Pakistan Economic Corridor was
announced in 2013 as a part of BRI.
• Location - Enters Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)
through the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit Baltistan.
• Aim- It is 3000km long which is initiated to
o To circumvent the Straits of Malacca and the South
China Sea
o To improve infrastructure within Pakistan for better trade with China and to further integrate the
countries of South Asia
o To connect the deep-sea Pakistani ports of Gwadar and Karachi to China’s Xinjiang province and
beyond by overland routes.
• CPEC has been compared to the Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of post-World War II Europe in its potential
impact on the region.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
• It is often described as a ‘21st Century Silk Road’ or ‘One Belt One Road (OBOR)’.
• Silk Road is an ancient network of trade routes that connected China to the Mediterranean via Eurasia for centuries.
• Aim - To connect China with Europe by land and rail, and to Africa and Asia by sea.
• The project has expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, significantly broadening China’s economic and
political influence.
• Components - BRI is made up of
o Belt (Land-based ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’) -
Trans-continental passage that links China with Central
and South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe
o Road (Sea-based ‘21st century Maritime Silk
Road’) - Route that connects China to Southeast Asia,
Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
• Completion-The initiative is planned to be completed by
2049, coinciding with the centennial of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
• Membership - Currently 147 countries
• BRI will eventually encompass 100 countries representing 70% of the world’s population, 55% of GDP and 24% of
global trade.
What is the current status of CPEC?

• Investment- The current total investment made is 25 billion dollars, and it was 19 billion dollars five years
ago.
• Big ticket projects- Gwadar port is delayed due to the location in terms of security and logistical terms.
Railway line upgrade known as ML-1 have moved ahead much more slowly than planned.
• Completed projects- Energy (Coal fired power stations) and road projects (Eastbay Expressway) have been
largely completed.
• Special Economic Zone- The number is reduced from originally envisaged SEZs, as Pakistani businesses
were concerned that China would be given special benefits that would disadvantage domestic firms.

• Economic feasibility- There are uncertainties with the economic feasibility of some of the larger projects
such as hydro-electricity dams and railways.
• Slowdown of projects- There has been a backing away from the multi-stage, transformative plan and nothing
significantly new is agreed over the last few years.
• Strained iron clad relationship- China refused to expand cooperation in the areas of energy, water
management, and climate change under CPEC.
• Impact of COVID-19- The economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic also slowed progress on CPEC
projects, exacerbated Pakistan’s economic crisis, and left China hesitant to grant leniency on debt payments.
• Debt trap diplomacy- CPEC initiatives proved to be a significant burden on Pakistan’s already strained
balance of payments.
Debt trap diplomacy is used to describe the China’s policy of providing large loans to developing countries often
with the alleged intention of trapping those countries in a cycle of debt and dependency on China.
What are the major reasons for India to oppose CPEC?

• Infringe sovereignty- India opposes this project
as it passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir,
infringing on India’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity.
• Debt trap- India has also been concerned with the
economic non-viability of many of the BRI projects
that have led to “debt trap” situations in countries
like Sri Lanka.
• Adhere to international norms - India is of
firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be
based on universally recognized international
norms, good governance, rule of law, openness,
transparency, and equality.
• Strategic implication- The development of the
deep-water port of Gwadar, a key component of
CPEC, raises suspicions about potential military
usage by China, which could threaten India's
strategic interests in the Arabian Sea.
• Naval threats- The Gwadar port's proximity to
the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global trade route,
adds to India's apprehensions as it could enable
China to exert control over maritime trade and pose
challenges to Indian naval operations.
• Military collaboration- Potential military
presence along the corridor raises concerns for
India's defence preparedness.
• Regional stability- The lack of transparency regarding the financing raises questions about the long-term
implications of CPEC on regional stability.
G.S PAPER III
10. ECONOMY
10.1 Trade Trust Framework for India Singapore Trade
Why in news?
India and Singapore piloted the first live paperless transaction using the Trade Trust Platform marking another
milestone in the digital connection between two countries.

Bilateral Trade- India and Singapore
• Trade partner-India was Singapore’s 12th largest trade partner, in 2021-22 with a share of 2.3% in Singapore’s
overall trade.
• Singapore is India’s 6th largest trade partner with a share of 2.9% of India’s overall trade (2021-22).
• Bilateral trade- It stood at US$ 30.11 billion in 2021-22.
• Investor- Singapore is the 2nd largest investor in India, with a cumulative FDI inflow of US$ 140,987 million
from April 2000 – September 2022.
• FDI- Singapore is the leading source of FDI, among the largest sources of External Commercial Borrowings and
Foreign Portfolio Investment.
• It is the largest trade partner of India in the ASEAN region.
• Import- Major items that are imported include nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances
etc.,
• Export- Major exported items from India to Singapore include petroleum products (US$ 3,200 million) followed
by ships, boats, and floating struct (US$ 936 million), etc. during April-November 2022.
• Guest country-India invited Singapore to participate as Guest Country in the G20 meetings and summits under
India’s G20 Presidency in 2023.
What is Trade Trust Platform?

• It is a joint initiative to enable
interoperable electronic Bills of
Lading (eBLs) backed Letter of
Credit (LC) transactions between
Singapore and Indian banks and
companies.
• It is a framework that comprises
globally-accepted standards and
enables trusted interoperability of
electronic trade documents among
governments and businesses across
digital platforms.
• Components- There are 4 key
components in trade trust.
• eBLs - They are digital versions of
the traditional paper Bill of Lading.
(A bill of lading is a contract issued by
a transport company to a shipper that
spells out the quantity, type, and destination of the goods being
shipped).
o It is a document that
o Serves as a receipt for goods that have been shipped
o Serves as a contract between the shipper and the carrier.
What are the advantages of eBLs?
• Improves efficiency- eBLs can be exchanged electronically, thus
eliminating the need for paper documents to be physically transported.
• Cost effective-It helps to save time and money, and it can also reduce the risk of errors.
• Authenticity- eBLs are stored in a secure database which makes them less vulnerable to fraud and tampering.
• It is a legally valid performance obligation transfer.
• Transparency- All parties involved in a trade transaction can access the same information about the eBL, thus
reduces the risk of disputes.
• Genuine source- The platform has genuine creators of documents like Carriers, Govt authorities.

What does trade trust platform offer both countries?

• Real time transaction- It is based on distributed ledger technology, which allows for the secure and
transparent recording of transactions.
• This makes it possible to track the progress of a trade transaction in real time, and to ensure that all parties
involved have access to the same information.
• Improves efficiency-It will help to reduce fraud and errors and improve the speed and efficiency of trade
transactions.
• Trade facilitator- The framework is also interoperable with other trade finance platforms, which will facilitate
trade between Singapore and India.
• Economic growth- It is expected to boost trade between Singapore and India’s small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs), hence they are key drivers of economic growth
• Secure- In the past, trade between Singapore and India was often hampered by the lack of trust and
transparency.
• This was due to the use of paper-based documents, which were often lost or misfiled.
• Standard framework-It is expected to be further adopted by more businesses in the coming years, as it
becomes standard for trade finance in the region.
• Interoperability- The proposed innovative framework is interoperable with other trade finance platforms.
• This means that it can be used to connect businesses in Singapore and India with businesses in other countries
as well.
• Decentralization- Key benefits of such a decentralized verifiable architecture-
o Remove the need for expensive data exchange infrastructure to be put in place in between exchanging
parties.
o Remove tight coupling and inter-dependencies between exchanging systems.
o This means exchanging parties can proceed to upgrade and make changes to their IT systems at their
own pace according to their own priority.
10.2 India’s FDI Flows
Why in news?
In FY23, India received lower Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows than FY22 which raises the situation to
analyse India’s FDI status.
What is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?
Status of India’s FDI
• FDI - It is a type of cross-border
investment in which an investor from one • Total FDI - In terms of market value, the FDI amounted
country establishes a lasting interest in an to Rs 50 lakh crore in FY23.
enterprise in another country.
• Inward FDI – The USA was the largest source of inward
• FDI remains vital for bolstering domestic FDI followed by Mauritius, the UK and Singapore which
industry, stimulating growth, and enhancing collectively accounted for 60% of the inward FDI in the
global competitiveness. country.
• Investments under the Automatic • Outward FDI - Singapore was the largest beneficiary of
route outward direct investment (ODI) by Indian firms.
o It require no prior permission, • Sector wise - The manufacturing sector continued to
resulting in minimal monitoring. attract the largest share of FDI equity, both at market
value as well as at face value.
o It only require the investor to inform
the Reserve Bank of India • Services - Among services, information &
(RBI) after the investment is made. communication and financial & insurance
activities were the major FDI recipient sectors.
o FDI up to 100%, under the automatic
route is permitted for agriculture, • Ratio of inward to outward DI - In terms of market
manufacturing, airports, e- value, ODI growth outpaced the growth in FDI and, as a
commerce, pharmaceuticals, and result, the ratio of inward to outward DI stood at 5.5 times
railway infrastructure. in March 2023.

• Investments under the Government route

o Prior to investment, approval from the Government of India is required.
o It is permitted in sectors like defense & telecom (beyond 49%), mining (100%) and print media (26%).
• Security clearances
o It apply only to specific areas such as broadcasting, defense, private security, civil aviation, and mining.
o Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) overseeing scrutiny and
security clearance.
What are the contemporary issues in FDI inflow?
• Decline in FDI inflows – It is due to
o Spill over of the COVID-19 pandemic
o Global headwinds such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and global recessionary pressures
• Regional disparities in FDI - The skewed distribution of FDI over the years hamper the development and
competitiveness of States.
• The Southern and Western States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka boast more favourable
investment environments compared to their northern counterparts.
• Lack of clarity- FDI Policy 2020 required government approval when the beneficial owner investing in India
belonged to any of the 7 neighbouring countries.
• However, a clear definition of a ‘beneficial owner’ is missing in the FDI Policy and causes ambiguity to both
domestic firms as well as foreign investors.
• Lesser FDI in Greenfield projects – Higher FDI in brownfield projects doesn’t substantially boost
employment or capacity as compared to Greenfield enterprises.
• Transfer of ownership – FDI at times leads to ownership transfer from Indian companies to foreign entities.
• Reverse repatriations and outflows – They are also quite sizable.
• Risk of exploitation – Dependence on foreign solutions increases the risk of exploitation underscoring the
need for proactive security measures.
Can India rebound its investment potential?
According to the 2023 Economic Survey, a rebound in incoming FDI is expected due to various factors like
• Sectoral production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes
• Growth prospects in tier-2 and tier-3 cities
• New investment facilitation measures like the National Single-Window System (NSWS)
• High-tech industrial development
• Higher market size owing to larger population
• Advancements in the digital and technology ecosystem
• Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP), 2017 - It replaced Foreign Investment Promotion Board
(FIPB) for faster processing via approval route.
• Consolidated FDI Policy 2020 - Amendment to this policy aimed to prevent opportunistic takeovers of
weakened domestic companies by foreign firms during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It stated that countries sharing land borders with India could no longer invest under the automatic route and
must seek approval for proposed investments.
India’s neighbouring countries are China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.
What lies ahead?

• Focus on Greenfield activities – Increase FDI in high-tech Greenfield activities which helps in capacity
building, managerial improvement and skill development in India.
• Transparent regulatory framework – An impartial, uniform screening mechanism for investment
promotion and investment protection need to be developed.

• Independent body for monitoring investments – It will recognise risk parameters and nation’s long-
term interest while monitoring FDI inflows.
• Holistic economic approach – It is needed to balance the nation’s domestic potential and resilience with
economic interests without explicitly hampering the interest of the foreign investors.
10.3 India’s Supply Chain Opportunity
Why in News?
The announcement at the G20 Leaders’ Summit on the landmark India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
has the potential to make India an Asian hub in global supply chains.
To know about IMEC, click here

Status of global supply chains
Why are global supply chains moving
from China?
• China and Hong Kong together
• Supply chains refer to represent 20% of world exports
the geographical location of stages of intermediate goods.
of production (such as design,
• However, even before the Covid-
production, assembly, marketing,
19 pandemic, Western firms had
and service activities) in a cost-
begun to reduce their reliance on
effective manner.
China.
• The global supply chains are
• Some production stages in
moving from China because of
Chinese supply chains,
o Rising wages in China particularly the labour-intensive
ones, were moving to lower-cost
o Supply chain bottlenecks locations.
within China
• India was the
o Investor concerns about
world’s 6th largest intermediate
tighter regulation of
goods exporter in Quarter 4 of
foreign firms
2022.
o China’s trade war with the
US
o Profitability of relocating production away from China
Why is India being considered an attractive supply chain hub?
• Cheap wages with more labours – India surpassed China as most populous country in 2023 and also peaks
in demographic dividend.
• Fiscal incentives - Production Linked Scheme (PLI) was launched to provide incentives on incremental sales
from products manufactured in domestic units.
• Improved logistics- PM Gati Shakti, a national master plan synchronises connectivity infrastructure projects
across modes of transport.
• National Logistics Policy 2022 was launched to achieve quick last mile delivery and end transport related
challenges.
• Promoting Multimodal Logistics Park by laying foundation stone for country’s first at Jogighopa in Assam.
• High-end Technology in India- India has ramped-up manufacturing of iPhones in the country.
• Foxconn Technology Group is developing a chip-making fabrication plant in Gujarat.
• Investment promotion- India’s attractiveness to foreign investors is also linked to geopolitical and economic
factors.
• Improvement in trade - The World Trade Organisation (WTO)
lists India as the 6th largest importer of intermediate goods in last India, Japan & Australia
quarter of 2022. launched Supply Chain Resilience
Initiative (SCRI) in 2021 to attain
• India could in the future, double its current 1.5% share of world strong, sustainable, balanced and
exports of intermediate goods. inclusive growth in the Indo-
• Sectoral advantage pacific region.

o Manufacturing sector- Automotives, pharmaceuticals and electronics assembly

o Service sector- Information and communications technology, back-office work, financial and
professional services, and transport and logistics.
• Improved bilateral ties- The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement entered into
force in May 2022.
• An Australia-India free trade agreement (FTA), talks are ongoing to conclude the full FTA by the end of 2023.
• Negotiations for a UK-India and EU-India FTA are in process.
What must India do go forward?
• Encourage investments - Facilitate investment at a high level, with competitive fiscal incentives.
• Promote export-oriented foreign direct investment (FDI) to participate in supply chains through trade
liberalisation
• Promote Ease of Doing Business - Reduce business hassles through digitalisation of tax, customs, and
business administration, and high-quality free trade deals is essential.
• Creation of modern special economic zones as public-private partnerships.
• Strategize businesses - Small and mid-sized enterprises should work as industrial suppliers and
subcontractors to large exporters.
• Conglomerates can cross-subsidise investments and other costs among business units.
• Improve quality standards- Invest in domestic technological capabilities to achieve international standards
of price, quality, and delivery.
10.4 India’s GDP Controversy
Why in News?
Recently, an allegation has been made on the government that it is overstating its GDP growth rate after the release of
quarterly data of GDP value.
What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
Real GDP growth rate =
• GDP is defined as total market value of all final goods and services in an Nominal rate – Inflation
economy. It is used to assess the size of economy. (GDP Deflator)
• The performance of the country can be measured both from one year to
another as well as among other countries.
• Growth of GDP – It can be either due to increase in actual production or due to GDP Deflator =
increase in prices of goods and services or combination of both the above two factors. Nominal GDP /
Real GDP
• Nominal GDP – It is the value of GDP at the current prevailing prices.
• Real GDP – It is the value of GDP at some constant set of prices.
• It is calculated by removing the effects of price inflation from the nominal GDP using GDP or price deflator.
• Since these prices remain fixed, if the real GDP changes, it is ascertained that the volume of production is
undergoing changes.
• The GDP deflator – It is the ratio of
nominal to real GDP.
• It gives us an idea of how the prices have
moved from the base year (the year
whose prices are being used to calculate
the real GDP) to the current year.
How is GDP calculated?
• Generally, GDP is calculated by
o Income method
o Expenditure method
o Production method

• In India, it is calculated through income and expenditure method.

• The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI) releases the economic growth data.
• The base year for GDP calculation is 2011-12.
Why is India’s GDP facing controversy?
• Issue of overstating GDP – The released GDP growth rate is 7.8% which implies that inflation was around
0.2% in the three months.
• But in the said quarter, retail inflation was around 4% in all 3 months, while wholesale inflation was negative.
• If one was to “deflate” nominal GDP using consumer price inflation, the real GDP would fall to less than 4%.
• But then if one goes by wholesale inflation, the real GDP will actually be much higher than 8%.
• Issue of GDP discrepancy – The GDP data obtained from the two methods vary due to issues such as lack of
availability of data on time, etc.
• The difference between the GDP estimates from production method and income method is called “discrepancy”.
• The NSO in its latest report treats income as the right one and assumes that expenditure must be identical to
income earned which is an obvious violation of international best practice.
• Issue with WPI – In recent times WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and CPI (Consumer Price Index) are not
moving together suggesting that one of the indices is not reflecting the real price.
• It is unrepresentative of economy as it does not include services whose share in consumption basket is large
and increasing.
• Calculation of WPI by Department of Commerce and Industry is based on Index of Industrial Production
(IIP) which itself is in criticism.
• It does not provide information on rural and urban as well as the state level estimates, which are all relevant
for public policy.
What lies ahead?
• More attention has to be given to India’s macroeconomic data.
• India’s inflation indices need to be updated periodically.
• Wholesale price index (WPI) must be discarded and has to be altered with a new Producer Price Index which is
a measure of the change in prices that domestic producers receive for their goods and services.
Wholesale Price Index Consumer Price Index
A WPI measures and tracks the The CPI examines the weighted average of prices of a
changes in the price of goods before basket of consumer goods and services, such as
Definition they reach consumers. transportation, food, and medical care.
WPI tracks inflation at the producer CPI captures changes in prices levels at the consumer
level. level.
CPI for Industrial Workers (IW)

Manufactured products - 64.2%
Components/ CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL)
Primary articles - 22.6%
Types CPI for Rural Labourer (RL)
Fuel and power - 13.1%
CPI (Rural/Urban/ Combined)
Base Year 2011-12 2012
CPI –IW, AL and RL are compiled by the Labour

Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Published By
of Commerce and Industry The National Statistical Office (NSO) releases the
CPI-Rural, Urban, and Combined.

WPI does not capture changes in the

Services CPI capture changes in the prices of services
prices of services
The dearness allowance of Central government

It is a marker for price movements in employees is calculated on the basis of movement in
Uses this index.
the purchase of bulk inputs by traders.
Inflation rate will be based on the final combined CPI.
Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
• It is a composite indicator measuring changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products over a
period of time.
• It measures the growth rate of industry groups classified under,
o Broad sectors - Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity
o Use-based sectors - Basic Goods, Capital Goods and Intermediate Goods
• Base year - 2004-05
• It is compiled and published on a monthly basis by the CSO (now known as National Statistics Office (NSO)) with
a time lag of 6 weeks from the reference month.
10.5 Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
Why in news?
A crypto gambling platform dappGambl, concluded that most of the researched NFT collections were worth close to
nothing.
What is Non Fungible Tokens?
• Block chain is a distributed ledger where all transactions are recorded. It is like a bank passbook, except all the
transactions are transparent and can be
seen by anyone and cannot be changed or
modified once recorded.
• Non-fungible tokens - NFTs
are blockchain-based tokens that each
represent a unique asset like a piece of art,
digital content, or media.
• Essentially, NFTs are like physical
collector’s items, only digital.
• They can represent individual’s identities,
property rights and more.
• Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are designed
to be
o cryptographically verifiable
o unique or scarce and
o easily transferable
• Creation of NFTs - NFTs are created
through a process called minting, in
which the information of the NFT is
recorded on a blockchain.
What Are NFTs Used For?
• Reduction in fraud -Turning files into NFTs helps secure them via blockchain to make buying, selling and
trading efficient, reducing fraud considerably.
• Ownership rights- They provide exclusive ownership rights.

• Non-fungible tokens are also excellent for identity management.

• Monetize artists - Blockchain technology and NFTs afford artists and content creators a unique opportunity
to monetize their wares.
• Artists can sell the art
directly to the consumer
as an NFT, which also
lets them keep more of
the profits.
• Artists can program in
royalties so they’ll
receive a percentage of
sales whenever their art
is sold to a new owner.
• Democratise
investing - NFTs can
also democratise
investing by
fractionalising physical
assets like real estate. It
is much easier to divide a
digital real estate asset
among multiple owners
than a physical one.
• By enabling digital representations of physical assets, NFTs are a step forward in the reinvention of this
infrastructure.
Fractional NFTs (F-NFTs)

• F-NFTs are a new type of NFT that allows multiple people to own a piece of the same asset by dividing the NFT
into smaller fractions, each of which can be purchased individually.
• Benefits of F-NFTs
• Accessibility- F-NFTs make it possible for more people to invest in NFTs, as they can be purchased for a
fraction of the price of a whole NFT.
• Liquidity- F-NFTs are more liquid than traditional NFTs, as they can be traded more easily.
• Price discovery- F-NFTs help to improve price discovery in the NFT market because they provide a more
accurate reflection of the value of an NFT, as they are based on the collective opinion of multiple buyers
and sellers.
What are the criticisms against NFTs?

• High volatility- Due to its high volatility in the market, the investors are not protected in case of a loss or legal
action against the founders.
• Unregulated assets- Financial regulators have warned that NFTs are unregulated assets which are part of a
highly volatile market.
• Piracy- Artists have complained that many of the NFTs being sold on centralised marketplaces are actually
pirated versions of their own paintings.
• Irregularities- Some artists had to plead with NFT marketplaces or Google to take down stolen works, while
others decided to stop posting their art online for safety reasons.
• Environmental cost- Ethereum blockchain is the high
demand NFTs with greater power consumption and carbon World Wildlife Fund tried to mint NFTs
footprint. to raise funds using the eco-friendlier
• Worthless NFTs- dappGambl’s report found most of the blockchain Polygon. However, Polygon
NFTs are worthless and more than 1600 of the top NFTs were is still linked to Ethereum and so WWF
dead. was criticized for its NFT debut.
• Price drop- The prices of crypto assets change wildly based

on real world occurrences and technical factors across borders, so it is almost impossible to pinpoint a single
reason for the NFT crash.

o Terra cryptocurrency collapsed in 2022 despite its top 10 market cap, it destroyed billions of dollars in
value and triggered a liquidity crunch across crypto exchanges.
• Lack of incentive- Due to NFT crash, there is not much incentive to play in crypto metaverses which depend
on NFTs and their accompanying tokens also fell.
Will the NFT market recover in the future?
• Volatile economy- The crypto economy is extremely volatile so it is difficult to predict whether the NFT sector
will recover.
• Rise in cryptocurrency- While rising Bitcoin and Ether prices could give NFTs an opportunity, the two
cryptocurrencies are also maintaining price ranges far below their 2021 record highs.
11. AGRICULTURE
11.1 Curbs on Rice Exports
Why in news?
Recently, government has levied certain restrictions on rice export to check the domestic rise in prices and to ensure
domestic food security.
What is the status of rice production in India?
• Production – Globally, the top rice-producing country is China, followed by India.
• As per Second Advance Estimates, the
estimated production of Rice for 2022-
23 is 1308.37 Lakh Tonnes.
• West Bengal is the largest rice
producer in India.
• Rabi season- According to the
3rd Advanced Estimate of the
Department of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare,
o 2021-2022: Rice production
was 184.71 lakh tonnes
o 2022-23: Rice production was
13.8% less, at 158.95 lakh
tonnes
• Kharif sowing data- As on August 25, rice is sown on 384.05 lakh hectares this year.
• Delayed sowing- In States such as Tamil Nadu where the Samba crop sowing starts usually in August in the
Cauvery delta area, there will be delayed sowing due to a shortfall in the south west monsoon.
• Price rise- During 2022, the paddy prices were ₹27 per kg, but now it stands at ₹33 a kg.
• Export status- India is the largest rice exporter globally with a 45% share in the world rice market.
What are the restrictions on rice export?

Item Year/Period Status
• Categories of Rice export-
o Basmati rice 21.1% higher compared with
Overall rice
April-May 2023 same period last financial
o Parboiled non-basmati rice export
year.
o Raw white rice
10.86% higher than exports
o Broken non-basmati rice Basmati rice May 2023
in May 2022
• The Government has prohibited the
export of white rice and broken rice. Export is 7.5% more despite
Non- Basmati 20% export duty on white
• It levied a 20% duty on Parboiled non- 2022-23
rice rice and prohibition of
basmati rice till October 15. broken rice export

• It permitted the export of Basmati rice for contracts with value of 1,200 dollars a tonne or above.
• Rice is the 3rd major agricultural commodity in India to face restrictions on overseas sales in 2022-23.
How the restrictions will benefit farmers?
• Increase in MSP- The government has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rice.
• Increase in price- Paddy procurement by rice millers are at a price higher than the MSP.
• Check in price rise- The prices will not decline for farmers, restrictions on exports will ensure that there is
no steep climb in rice prices in the market.
• Benchmark price- If the bench mark price set by the government is high, the farmers will realise better prices.
• Domestic consumers- Though there is a slight increase in rice prices at present, in the long run, availability
is secured and prices are not expected to spiral.
How the restrictions will affect the world economy?
• Global food crisis- India’s move could trigger a global food crisis as India is the world’s top rice exporter,
accounting around 40% of the global trade in the cereal.
• Africa countries- India has banned 100% of broken rice which few poor countries import for human
consumption, though the variety is mainly used for feed purposes.
• Food inflation- Rice is the staple food for half of the population, with Asia producing and consuming about
90% of the global supply.
• This will further pressure on countries that are struggling with drought, heat waves and Russia invasion of
Ukraine.
• Ban on broken rice- It is mainly used for animal feed, prices have jumped this year on increasing export
demand.
• Top buyers including China uses it for livestock feed, some African countries import it for food. It accounts for
almost 20% of the shipments abroad.
• Shift to other countries- With 20% duty Indian rice shipments may become uncompetitive in the market
and buyers could shift to Vietnam and Thailand.
• Exemption- India has granted Singapore an exemption on rice export, stating that the country is its close
strategic partner.
What is the opinion of the exporters?
• High International demand- The prices of Indian par-boiled rice in the international market is competitive
even with the levy of a 20% duty.
• Countries such as Indonesia, which are rice exporters, are looking at raw rice imports now.
• Issues with classification- The government should look at classifying rice as common rice and speciality rice
for export policy decisions rather than classifying as Basmati and non-Basmati.
• Include GI recognition- As many as 12 varieties of rice have Geographical Indication (GI) recognition and
these should be insulated from general market interventions.
• Basmati rice- The government should have permitted exports to continue or fixed the minimum value for
exports at $900 a tonne.
• Affect farmers- Exporters will not buy paddy if there is no demand. This will only affect the farmers.
• No need of restrictions- Export demand raised as Indian rice quality and the consistency in supply is good.
• Basmati is a specialty rice and new crop arrivals will start soon and there is no need for restrictions.
11.2 India’s Falling Cotton Production
Why in news?
The pink bollworm has taken a toll on the fibre crop, even as new “mating disruption” technologies to control the pest
are showing promise.
What is Cotton?
• Cotton is a fiber and cash crop of India.

• Origin - India is believed to be the home of cotton because the art of making cloth from cotton was first
developed in India.
• Cultivated Species – There are 4 cultivated species of cotton
India is the only country in the world
o Old World Cottons (or) Asiatic cottons -
where all the 4 cultivated species are
Gossypium arboreum, G.herbaceum,
grown on commercial scale.
o New World Cottons - G.hirsutum (American Upland
cotton), G.barbadense (Egyptian cotton)
• G.hirsutum represents 94% of the hybrid cotton production in India and all the current Bt cotton hybrids are G.
hirsutum.
Status of Cotton Production & Consumption
• Climate & Soil- Cotton is a semi-xerophyte
that is grown in tropical & sub tropical
conditions. • India is having 1st place in the world in cotton
production.
• It is grown on a variety of soils ranging from
well drained deep alluvial soils to black clayey • Gujarat is the largest producer of cotton in India followed
soils. by Punjab and Maharashtra.
• Cotton is a Kharif crop in the major parts of • India is also the 2nd largest consumer of cotton in the
the country and also monsoon based in world.
southern zone. • India stands 1st in the world in cotton acreage.
What is the significance of cotton? • India is the 3rd largest exporter of Cotton.
• Cotton has a roughly two-thirds share in • Around 67% of India’s cotton is grown on rain-fed areas
India’s total textile fibre consumption. and 33% on irrigated area.
• It plays a major role in sustaining the • In terms of productivity, India is on 38th rank with yield
livelihood of an estimated 6 million cotton of 510 kg/ha.
farmers and 40-50 million people engaged in
related activity such as cotton processing &
trade.
• Cottonseed is the country’s 3rd largest
domestically-produced vegetable oil (after
mustard and soyabean)
• Cotton seedcake, a protein-rich feed
ingredient for livestock and poultry, is the
2nd biggest feed cake/meal (after soyabean).
• Due to its economic importance in India,
cotton is also termed as “White-Gold.
What is the present issue with Cotton
production?
• Between 2000-01 and 2013-14, India’s cotton
production, in terms of lint, almost tripled
from 140 lakh to 398 lakh bales of 170 kg each due to Bt technology.
• However, the Pectinophora gossypiella or pink bollworm (PBW) have developed resistance Bt toxins over time
and to fall in yields.
• This is because PBW is a monophagous pest that feeds mainly on cotton unlike American bollworm that is
polyphagous, with alternative hosts.
• The PBW population that became resistant
from continuously feeding on Bt hybrids, therefore, Ginning is the process of separating
gradually overtook and replaced the ones that were susceptible.
the fibres from the seed. The raw un-
• The pest’s short life cycle (25-35 days) was conducive for it ginned cotton harvested by farmers is
to complete at least 3-4 generations in a single crop season of called kapas which has the white fluffy
180-270 days, further accelerating the resistance breakdown fibre or lint (36%) and seed (62%).
process.
Reasons for India’s Falling Cotton Production
• Large infestation of Pink Bollworm (PBW) feed on the cotton bolls affecting lint quality and yields.

• Uneven rainfall and agricultural shrinkage in some of the key growing states.
• Rising cost of cultivation.
• Climate induced change in pest dynamics. Bt cotton is the only GM crop that is
allowed in India. Bt cotton has been
• Rampant sale of unauthorised seeds and unchecked pesticides genetically modified by the insertion of
sprays. Reduced local prices and declining demand from China. one or more genes from a common soil
• US embargo on cotton products from China's Xinjiang province. bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis.
• Impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict.

How to control the bollworm infestation?
Steps taken to promote Cotton Production
• Spraying insecticides – Such as
profenofos, chlorpyrifos, indoxacarb,
• Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) – It is a Centrally
and cypermethrin.
Sponsored Scheme launched during 2000 to increase the
• Mating disruption – It involves production & productivity of cotton.
deploying Gossyplure, a pheromone
• National Food Security Mission- Commercial Crops
signalling chemical which attracts the
(Cotton) Programme - Cotton Development Programme is
male adult moths into lures and prevent
being implemented under National Food Security Mission -
from mating with females.
Commercial Crops (NFSM-CC) from 2014-15 for enhancing
• The Central Insecticides Board & production and productivity.
Registration Committee under the
• Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana (RKVY)- There is no
Agriculture Ministry has approved two
earmarked allocation of funds for cotton under RKVY.
mating disruption products.
However, the States can undertake cotton programme under
o PBKnot – It is a dispenser RKVY.
having a 20-cm hollow
polyethylene pipe, into which • Minimum Support Price (MSP)- MSP, a guarantee price
Gossyplure is impregnated and for the produce is provided for cotton by the Government.
gets released from over 90 days • Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. (CCI) – CCI, a central
and reducing the scope for public sector undertaking was established in 1070 under the
infestation. Ministry of Textiles to engage in diverse activities related to
o SPLAT-PBW - A flowable trade, procurement, and export of cotton.
emulsion formulation • CICR - ICAR has established the ICAR-Central Institute for
technology for delivering Cotton Research at Nagpur in 1976.
Gossyplure.
12. ENVIRONMENT
12.1 Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) Report
Why in news?
According to the University of Chicago report, the air pollution has major impact on the life expectancy.
What is the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report about?
• Prepared by- University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (UCEPI)
• Purpose- To quantify the causal relationship between long-term human exposure to air pollution and life
expectancy.
• Data- The latest report analysed particulate matter data from 2021 to determine its impact on life expectancy.
• The index then combines this research with hyper-localised, satellite measurements of global particulate matter
(PM2.5), yielding unprecedented insight into the true cost of pollution.
• Policies- It illustrates how air pollution policies can increase life expectancy if pollution levels were reduced to
o World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe guideline
o Existing national air quality standards, or
o By user-selected % reductions.

• Better decision making- This information can help to inform local communities and policymakers about the
benefits of air pollution policies in very concrete terms.
What are the key findings of the report?
According to the WHO, annual
• South Asia - Air pollution is a major threat to South Asians especially
average concentrations of PM
for those living in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3.
• Its impact on life expectancy in each of these countries is far greater than
other prominent health threats.
• Impact on life expectancy - The South Asian nation stands to lose 6.8 years of life on average per person.
• If the pollution levels in 2000 remained constant over time, the residents in these countries would be on track
to lose 3.3 years of life expectancy and not the 5.2 years that they stand to lose in 2021.
• The average person living in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan is exposed to particulate pollution levels
that are 51.3% higher than at the turn of the century.
o Bangladesh remains the most polluted country in the world.
• Against WHO- Although it witnessed a drop of 2.1% in particulate pollution in 2021 compared to 2020 levels,
pollution in the country was about 14 to 15 times the WHO guideline for the past decade.
How about the situation in India?
A 2022 Lancet study reveals air pollution caused more than 16.7 lakh premature deaths in India in 2019. Out of the
total deaths, 9.8 lakh were caused by PM2.5 pollution, and another 6.1 lakh by household air pollution.
• India is the 2nd most polluted nation. From 2013-2021, 59.1% of the world’s increase in pollution has come from
India.
• Particulate pollution- All 1.3 billion people live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level
surpasses the WHO guideline.
• Between 2020 and 2021, PM2.5 level in India increased 10 times more than the WHO guideline.
• Reduce life expectancy- Air pollution shortens the average Indian life expectancy by 6.3 years, relative to
what it would be if the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline was met
• From 1998 to 2021, average annual particulate pollution increased by 67.7%, further reducing average life
expectancy by 2.3 years.
• Most polluted- The world’s 50 most polluted regions belong to the Northern Plains of India.
• Delhi, the national capital, has the highest level of pollution in the country, with pollution 14 times greater than
the WHO guideline.
What are the reasons behind the spike in air pollution?
• Industrialisation- Release of toxic pollutants from industries without proper safety guidelines.
• Economic development- People undermining conservation over development results in degradation of the
planet health.
• Population
growth- It has
increased the
energy demand
and fossil fuel use
across the region
• Increase in
vehicles- In India
and Pakistan, the
number of vehicles
on the road has
increased about
four-fold since the
early 2000s.
• Electricity production- It is produced predominantly using fossil fuels which had tripled between 1998 and
2017 in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan combined.

• Increase in Pollution- Although high energy use has contributed to better living standards and economic
output in these countries, the consequent increase in particulate pollution has had their own consequences.
What are the impacts of Particulate Matter?
• Impact on health- PM 2.5 can easily enter the circulatory system of humans through the nose and throat.
• It can cause chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
• Life expectancy- PM 2.5 has close link between exposure to fine particles and premature death from heart
and lung disease.
• Birth defect- Several reports establish an association between mothers’ exposure to fine particles and birth
defects.
Steps taken by Government to Curb Air Pollution
• Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981- It was inspired from the decisions made during
Stockholm conference.
• National Clean Air Program- It was launched in 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to
tackle the air pollution problem across the country.
• The Government of India revamped its NCAP (National Clean Air Programme) goal in 2022 which aims to
achieve a 40% reduction in particulate pollution levels by 2026 in 131 non-attainment cities.
• Monitor- ‘National Air Monitoring Program’ (NAMP), was launched in 2009 which aims to cover a larger extent
of states and cities in India.
• National Air Quality Index- It was launched in 2014 for effective dissemination of air quality information to
the people.
• Infrastructure- Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Western Peripheral Expressway has been operationalized to
divert non destined traffic from Delhi.
• Ban- 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old vehicles in Delhi NCR has been banned.
• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME Scheme) - Promotes the use of electric
vehicles.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) - It is a framework for plastic packaging, battery waste, tyre waste
and e-waste.
• Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) - It was launched in 2017, for prevention, control and abatement of
air pollution in NCR.
• SAMEER app- Air quality information is available to public along with provision for registering complaints
against air polluting activities.
12.2 Ecocide - A Crime
Why in news?
Recently, the Tribunal for the Rights of Nature said Mexico’s Maya train project has caused “crimes of ecocide and
ethnocide”.
What is ecocide?
• Ecocide is defined as “extensive loss, damage or destruction of ecosystems such that the peaceful enjoyment by
the inhabitants has been or will be severely diminished.”
• “Inhabitants” here applies to all living creatures, not limiting crime to an anthropogenic legal view.
• Destruction- It destroys environment which include
o Port expansion projects that destroy fragile marine life and local
Ecocide, derived from Greek
livelihoods
and Latin, translates to
o Deforestation ‘killing one’s home’ or
‘environment’
o Illegal sand mining
o Polluting rivers with untreated sewage etc.,

• Crime- In 1970, Biologist Arthur Galston is credited be the first to link environmental destruction with
genocide, which is recognised as an international crime.
• It referred to the use of U.S. military’s use of Agent Orange (a herbicide) during the Vietnam War.
• 1972- Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, used the term in a speech at the United Nations, warning that
unchecked industrialisation could cause irreversible damage to the environment.
• 2010- British lawyer Polly Higgins urged the United Nations’ International Criminal Court (ICC) to recognise
ecocide as an international crime.
• ICC- At present Rome Statute of the ICC deals with 4
atrocities.
• War crime provision is the only statute that can
hold a perpetrator responsible for environmental
damage.
• Stop Ecocide Foundation- It proposed ecocide as
unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge
that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and
either widespread or long-term damage to the
environmental being caused by those acts.
How is ecocide associated with Climate Change?
• Species loss- Over one-third of the Earth’s animal and plant species could be extinct by 2050.
• Increase in temperature- Unprecedented heat waves have broken records globally.
• Flood- Changing monsoon patterns and anthropogenic causes have made floods the norm in States like Assam.
• IPCC- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reiterated that global climate action is “insufficient”.
• Catalyst- The amendment in the Rome Statute could have a ‘catalysing’ impact across nations to formulate
their own laws.
Ecocide as a crime
• Past events- As per Stop
Ecocide International,
deforestation of the International regulatory landscape
Amazon, deep-sea trawling
or even the catastrophic •Ecocide is a crime in 11 countries, with 27 other nations
1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy considering laws around criminalising environmental damage.
could have been avoided
with ecocide laws in place.
European Parliament
• Accountability- Laws will
hold individuals and •It voted unanimously this year to enshrine ecocide in law.
corporations accountable, it •Ukraine
provides boundaries and •It penalises mass destruction of flora and fauna, poisoning of air
sanctions for investment. or water resources, and also any other actions that may cause an
environmental disaster.
• Analysis- 2019 report
found that the 20 fossil fuel
companies were responsible Georgia
for a third of carbon
emissions despite being •It penalises and defines ecocide as contamination of the
aware of the industry’s atmosphere, soil, water resources, mass destruction of fauna or
hazardous impact. flora, or any other act that could have led to an ecological disaster.
It also penalises ecocide during armed conflict.
• Climate justice- Small
nation-states like Vanuatu
and Barbuda are lobbying Role of ICC
for the ICC to declare crimes
against the environment as •The ICC and Ukraine’s public prosecutor are investigating
violations of international Russia’s role in the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka
law. dam, which unleashed a catastrophic flood drowning 40 regions,
and caused oil spillage and toxic leakage into the Black Sea.
• India- Some Indian
judgments have affirmed the
legal personhood of nature by recognising rivers as legal entities with the right to maintain their spirit, identity
and integrity.

What are the limitations in defining ecocide?

• Varied arguments- Regarding the need for a separate law and the definition of ‘ecocide’.
• Ambiguous definition- Words like “long-term” or “widespread damage” are abstract and leave room for
misinterpretation.
• Complexity- This constructs a development-versus-environment narrative, with the implication that it is okay
to destroy the environment as long as it benefits humans.
o Great Nicobar Project is criticised for endangering indigenous communities and biodiversity. But the
government claims the Project is in service of holistic development.
• Threshold- In 1940 genocide requires proof on two accounts
o Mens rea (an intention to kill) and
o Actus reus (a guilty act) — to prove a crime was committed.
• It creates confusion as some argue that environmental disasters are not caused intentionally or deliberately.
• Limited power to ICC- ICC has a low track record when it comes to converting prosecutions into convictions.
• The court’s power is limited to “natural persons,” and without any changes, ICC would be unable to hold
corporate entities criminally liable.
• Jurisdiction- Crimes are transnational in nature, corporations have private or state owned corporations in
other countries, making the definition of ecocide difficult.
o For example, Coca-Cola was accused of poisoning the land in India with waste sludge and pushing
thousands of farmers out of work by draining the water that feeds their wells.
What is India’s position with respect to ecocide?
• T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India & Ors Case- The Supreme Court argued that
“environmental justice could be achieved only if we drift away from the principle of anthropocentric to
ecocentric.”
• Single code- India’s environmental regime includes the Environmental (Protection) Act of 1986, Wildlife
(Protection) Act of 1972, and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (CAMPA) as well as separate rules to
prevent air and water pollution.
• These separate laws have to be consolidated into a code, and institutions need to be streamlined.
• Widen the ambit of NGT- National Green Tribunal, India’s apex environmental regulatory body, does not
hold jurisdiction to hear matters relating to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and
other State-enacted laws.
• Loss of forest areas- Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Biodiversity (Amendment) Bill, 2023,
can dilute current legal protections and will lead to the loss of 20%-25% of forest area in the country.
• Liability- Critical challenge is to tackle problems of liability and compensation. The survivors of Bhopal gas
tragedy are still fighting for compensation.
What lies ahead?
• India needs to first bring its environmental laws in tune with ecocide idea before the ecocide laws come up
internationally.
• An ecocide law should be a part of the broader process of changing public consciousness, recognising that we
are dependent for our well-being on the wellbeing of the environment.
12.3 National Disaster Status
Why in news?
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister has requested Prime Minister to declare the destruction caused by heavy rains in the
State as a national disaster.
How are states assisted during natural disaster?
• Disaster Management Act 2005- It defines a “disaster” as “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave
occurrence in any area, arising from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or negligence which results in
substantial loss of life, property or damage to environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond
the coping capacity of the community of the affected area”.

• Disaster Management- India

envisions the development of an Institutional
Authority Head
ethos of Prevention, Mitigation, Mechanism
Preparedness and Response.
National Disaster
• National Disaster Response
Management Authority Prime Minister
Force- It has several battalions or
(NDMA)
teams, which are responsible for
on-ground relief and rescue work
in several states. State Disaster Management Respective Chief
Authority (SDMA) Ministers
What is Disaster Response Fund?
• Fund mechanism- The funds District Disaster Either District
for the NDRF and SDRFs are Management Authority Magistrate or
allocated by the Government as a (DDMA) District Collector
part of budgetary allocations.
o NDRF- National Disaster Response Fund is mentioned in the Disaster Management Act 2005.
o SDRFs- State Disaster Response Fund are the primary funds available to State governments to be
used only for providing immediate relief to the victims of notified calamities.
• Role of Finance Commission- Funds for immediate relief are recommended by the Finance
Commission (FC).
o The 15th FC adopted a new methodology for
state-wise allocations, based on factors like Himachal Pradesh Rain
past expenditure, risk exposure hazard and
vulnerability of states. Causes Impacts
• Fund contribution- The Central Government
• Flash flood in Mandi • The state had suffered
contributes 75% to the SDRF in general States
and landslide in Shimla. losses of Rs 10,000
and 90% in North Eastern and Himalayan States.
• Cyclonic disturbances crore due to rain-
• Annually, it is released in 2 equal instalments. related incidents this
in the northern states,
• Primary responsibility- The State government is including Uttarakhand monsoon.
primarily responsible for undertaking rescue, relief and parts of Uttar • According to state
and rehabilitation measures in the event of a Pradesh. emergency operation
disaster. centre, 418 people
• Excessive tourist flow
• Severe calamity- If the fund requirement for relief has destabilized roads have died, 39 are
operation is beyond the funds available in SDRF and land, due to which missing since the onset
account, additional central assistance is provided landslides occurred. of monsoon.
from NDRF.
What is a severe calamity?
• A calamity is declared to be of “rare severity”/”severe nature” based on undefined criteria, but factors such as
the intensity and magnitude of the calamity, level of assistance needed, etc. are looked at.
• Classification- The State government needs to submit a memorandum indicating the sector-wise damage
caused by a disaster and its requirement of funds.
• An inter-ministerial central team will assess the damage and
requirement of funds and submit its report.
• A high level committee must approve the quantum of immediate
relief to be released from NDRF.
• The Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Home
Affairs will then provide support and monitor the utilisation of
funds.
• Benefits of such a declaration-
o Calamity Relief Fund (CRF)- The CRF is set up, with
the corpus shared 3:1 between Centre and state.
o National Calamity Contingency Fund
(NCCF)- When resources in the CRF are inadequate,

additional assistance is considered from this fund, funded 100% by the Centre.
o Cocessional loans- The relief in repayment of loans or for grant of fresh loans to the persons affected
on concessional terms, too, are considered once a calamity is declared “severe”.
12.4 Challenges in Biofuel Sustainability
Why in news?
India has launched the Global Biofuel Alliance in G20 summit 2023, demonstrating its commitment to climate action
with global cooperation.
To know about the key outcomes of G20 summit click here
What is Biofuel?
• Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from renewable biological sources, including plants and algae.
Generation Source Example
First generation (1G) Conventional source or food sources - Sugarcane, corn etc., Bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas
Second generation Non-food sources and the waste left from the food
Cellulose ethanol, biodiesel
(2G) resources- Municipal solid waste, wood chips etc.,
Third generation Algae- It consists of 40% of lipids which can be converted to

Butanol, Gasoline, Jet fuel
(3G) biodiesel or synthetic petroleum.
Fourth generation
Produced from genetically engineered bio algae
(4G)
What is the significance of Biofuel?

• Eco-friendly- It is alternative to the fossil fuel which is a non-renewable source.
• Reduce emission- Reports say that ethanol reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) up to 65% and can
meet net zero carbon emission targets.
• Reduce import bill- It help in reducing energy imports, on which the country depends for a large part of its
oil and natural gas requirements.
• Fuel economy- Vehicles that run on biodiesel get 30% better fuel economy than gasoline-powered vehicles.
• Economic development- International Food Policy Institute (IFPI) has said that ethanol made from a shrub
called cassava can help reduce poverty in that West African nation where 80% of the labour force is farmers.
• Sustainable biofuel- They are produced from crop residues and other wastes, with low water and GHG
footprint
What are the challenges faced by India?
• Dependence on 1G- The policy target in India of achieving 20% ethanol blending with petrol (E20) by 2025-
26 is expected to be met almost entirely by 1G ethanol made from sugar cane and food grains.
• Supply chain bottlenecks- 2G is unlikely to contribute much to achieving E20 target due to several
challenges related to feedstock supply chain and scaling up
• Food security- India’s crop yields have already stagnated, and global warming is expected to reduce yields,
India’s strategy to meet blending targets cannot depend on surplus crop production.
• Groundwater depletion- Recent study led by the University of Michigan projected that the rates of
groundwater depletion could triple during 2040-81 compared with the current rate.
• Increase in GHG emissions- Increasing GHG emission from the agriculture for fuel production is not
sustainable option.
• Reliance on sugarcane- It is a remunerative crop that has more to do with government intervention than
anything else.
• Economies of scale- Balancing economies of scale with the energy needs and costs of biomass collection and
transportation across large distances is major challenge.

Steps taken by India to promote Biofuel Production
• E5 program- It was India’s pilot project of 5% ethanol blending.

• National Biodiesel Mission- It was formulated in 2003 to achieve 20% biodiesel blend by 2011-12.
• National Policy on Biofuel- It was launched in 2009, proposed a non-mandatory target of 20% blending of
both biodiesel and bioethanol by 2017.
• The policy is revised in 2018 to achieve 20% bioethanol blending and 5% biodiesel blending by 2030.
• GST- Goods & Service Tax (GST) on ethanol meant for EBP Programme has been reduced from 18% to 5%.
• SATAT scheme- Sustainable Alternative towards Affordable Transportation Initiative (SATAT) encourages
entrepreneurs to set up CBG plants, produce & supply CBG to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for sale as
automotive & industrial fuels.
• PM JI-VAN Yojana- It was launched in 2018 to provide Viable Gap Funding for 2G bioethanol.
What lies ahead?

• Prioritise Biomass- The Energy Transitions Commission, in its report recommended that biomass should be
prioritised for use in sectors where there are limited low-carbon alternatives.
• Net zero emission- According to e International Energy Agency, to achieve net-zero emissions by
2050 globally, sustainable biofuel production needs to triple by 2030.
• Sustainable fuel- Although 1G ethanol is unlikely to fit the bill, 2G ethanol could be counted as a sustainable
fuel, especially if the production is decentralized.
• Innovation- The Global Biofuels Alliance could help drive innovation and technology development in
establishing an efficient biomass supply chain and smaller-scale decentralised biofuel production units.
12.5 New Community Forest Resource Guidelines
Why in news?
Ministry of Tribal Affairs has released new guidelines for conservation, management and sustainable use of community
forest resource (CFR) but it is criticized as a move that disempowers Gram Sabhas.
What is community forest resource (CFR)?
• CFR is the common forest land that has been traditionally protected and conserved for sustainable use by a
particular community.
• Each CFR area has a customary boundary with identifiable landmarks recognised by the community and its
neighboring villages.
• It may include forest of any category such as revenue forest, classified & unclassified forest, deemed forest,
reserve forest, protected forest, sanctuary and national parks etc.,
What are Community Forest Resource Rights?
• Forest Rights Act, 2006- It provides for recognition of the right to “protect, regenerate or conserve or
manage” the community forest resource.
• Section 5- These rights allow the community to formulate rules for forest use by itself and others and thereby
discharge its responsibilities
• Community rights- It is provided under FRA which include nistar rights and rights over non-timber forest
products.
• Significance- Both CFR and community rights ensure sustainable livelihoods of the community.
• These rights give the authority to Gram Sabha to adopt local traditional practices of forest conservation and
management within the community forest resource boundary.
What are the new CFR guidelines about?
• Need- To improve coordination at the field level and to ensure implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

• Features- The guidelines has provided for the formation of District Level Committee (DLC) that entrusts Gram
Sabhas or the community about who has rights over forest resources.
Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006
• FRA is also known as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights)
Act, 2006.
• Objectives-
o To undo the historical injustice occurred to the forest dwelling communities
o To ensure land tenure, livelihood and food security of the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other
traditional forest dwellers
o To strengthen the conservation regime of the forests by including the responsibilities and authority on Forest
Rights holders for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological balance.
• Individual rights- Self-cultivation and Habitation
• Community Rights- Grazing, Fishing and access to Water bodies in forests, Intellectual property and
traditional knowledge
• Habitat Rights- It is provided for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs),
o Traditional seasonal resource access of nomadic and pastoral community,
o Access to biodiversity,
o Recognition of traditional customary rights
• Sustainable use- The right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource for
sustainable use.
• Development purpose- It also provides rights to allocation of forest land for developmental purposes to fulfil
basic infrastructural needs of the community.
• Rehabilitation- It is in conjunction with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land
Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement Act, 2013
• Gram Sabha- It is the highly empowered body under the Act, enabling the tribal population to have a decisive
say in the determination of local policies and schemes impacting them.
Issues with the new guidelines
• Lack of clarity - There is a lack of clarity regarding multiple functionaries, authorities and departments that
are involved in entrusting these rights under Section 3 and Section 5 of FRA.
• Transit permit- Currently, the transit permit regime is controlled by the forest department.
• This violates Rules under FRA, which states that the transit permit regime in relation to transportation of Minor
Forest Produce (MFP) shall be modified and given by
the Committee constituted under Rule 4 or the person Committees related to CFR Guidelines
authorised by the Gram Sabha.
• Disenfranchise Gram Sabha- The new guidelines • Saxena committee- It was formed in 2019
have clearly not incorporated the suggestions made by the to prepare a draft for the CFR guidelines but,
Saxena committee. the draft of the guidelines were never
accepted.
• Governance issues- The guidelines is unclear about the
district level committee members. • Environment ministry
committee- Another committee was set up
• Government driven- The new guidelines seemed
by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest
‘government-driven’ rather than the community holding
and Climate Change. But the suggestions of
the ultimate rights.
the committee were never revealed.
What lies ahead?
• There are about 700 tribal communities which function in their unique way and work closely towards forest
conservation.
o Sacred groves are a unique example of how communities relate forests with their culture
• Rather than forming new guidelines, there is a need to draft committees to evaluate the progress of CFR.

12.6 Child Rights and Environment
Why in news?
For the first time, the United Nations has recognized and affirmed children’s rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable
environment in a new guidance on children’s rights and the environment.
What is UN guidance on children’s rights and environment?
• The UN guidance, formally known as General Comment No. 26, was adopted in 2023.
• It provides a legal framework to address the adverse effects of environmental degradation and climate change
on the enjoyment of children’s rights.
• It is to ensure a clean, healthy, and sustainable
world now and to preserve it for future generation
• It encompasses their rights to information and
participation.
• It allows access to justice to protect and receive
remedies for the harms caused by environmental
degradation and climate change.
• It details member states’ obligations under
the Child Rights Convention (UNCRC) to
address environmental harms and guarantee that
children are able to exercise their rights.
What about the UNCRC?
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC) was approved by the United
Nation General Assembly (UNGA) in 1989.
• It outlined children’s rights, which include the
right to life, health, clean drinking water and
survival and development.
• It has been ratified by 196 countries including India.
Status of Child Marriages
• Global level - Every year, 12 million girls get married before adulthood.
• COVID-19 as well as poverty have spurred child marriages in India.
• The Global Slavery Index 2023 has said that climate change, along with other environmental factors, has
exacerbated modern slavery in Africa.
• India - In the last five years, it declined to 23.3% in 2020-21, according to the latest National Family Health
Survey-5 data.
• Among the bigger States, West Bengal and Bihar have the highest prevalence of girl child marriage.
What are the impacts of climate change on children?

• Children, including adolescents under the age of 18, are often more vulnerable than the general population to
the health impacts of climate change.
• Displacement of children – According to UNICEF report, extreme weather reports around the world lead
to 12 million displacements of children in 2022.
• Increases child mortality – According to a study, Heat-related child mortality due to high emissions is
projected to double in the continent by 2049, compared with 2005–2014.
• Separation from family – Climate change induced migration makes children highly vulnerable as they may
get separated from their families or caregivers.
• Increases child labour – Climate change related industries like agriculture and mining contribute to child
labour which can expose children to exploitation and violence.

• Accelerates hidden hunger – Infants will bear the increased burden of malnutrition as the temperature
increases.
• Increases disease Burden – Children will suffer more from the rise of infectious diseases.
• Human development – Climate affected children are denied access to education and healthcare.
What is the relationship between extreme weather events and child marriage?
• Extreme weather events intensifies elements of structural oppression such as gender inequality and poverty.
• Gender-based violence and inequities have adverse impacts on girls’ resilience leading to higher incidences of
child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) in low and middle-income countries.
• Reasons for child marriages - economic vulnerability and food insecurity.

o In Bangladesh, daughters were married early
after Cyclone Aila in 2009. International Conventions addressing
Child Marriage
• Parents resorted to child marriages to protect daughters
from sexual violence and avoid family dishonour. • The Convention on the Elimination of All
o Rates of sexual assault often escalate during times Forms of Discrimination against Women
of crisis, particularly in evacuation camps or • The Convention on Consent to Marriage,
temporary shelters. Minimum Age for Marriage and
• Linkage with bride price/dowry - Girls in sub-Saharan Registration of Marriages
Africa or Vietnam have a local custom of bride price which
had increased probability of CEFM during extreme events.
• However, in regions where dowry is common such as India, girls were less likely to get married during a
drought year, because the bride’s family could not afford dowry payment.
Bride price - Material or money entitlement that the groom’s family is paying to the bride’s family during marriage.
Dowry is the material or money entitlement that the bride’s family is paying to the groom’s family during marriage.
• Other findings- Education and financial control are key to empowering women and girls and allowing them
to take their own decisions.
• Educational attainment and CEFM were inversely associated for girls in India and Malawi. In addition, the
incidence of CEFM decreased as parental education increased was observed in India and Vietnam.
12.7 Breach of Planetary Boundaries
Why in news?
The study, ‘Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries’, by a group of scientists has found that out of the 9 planetary
boundaries, humans have breached 6.
What are the planetary boundaries?
• Planetary boundaries- They are the thresholds within which humanity can survive, develop and thrive for
generations to come.
• It sets limits on how much humans can be allowed to impact not only the climate but also other global processes
that are essential for maintaining conditions on the planet to support modern civilisations.
• Planetary boundaries framework – It was developed in 2009, and includes nine planet boundaries that
scientists believe capture all of the processes critical for maintaining the Earth’s system state.
• For each boundary, control variables are chosen to capture the most important anthropogenic influence at the
planetary level of the boundary in focus.
Planetary
Control variables
boundaries
Biosphere • The health of ecosystems

integrity • Rate of extinction of species

• Atmospheric CO2 concentration

Climate change • Change in radiative forcing — a measure of the balance of energy from sunlight that hits Earth,
in comparison with thermal energy the planet loses.
• Levels of plastic, concrete, synthetic chemicals, gene-modified organisms, etc. that would not be
Novel entities
found on Earth if we humans were not here.
Stratospheric
• The anthropogenic release of manufactured chemicals that destroy ozone molecules
ozone depletion
• Human-induced impact on
Freshwater
• Blue water (found in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs)
change
• Green water (available in the soil for plants and soil microorganisms)
• Tracking various particles from anthropogenic emissions that affect

Atmospheric
o Cloud formation
aerosol loading
o Global and regional atmospheric circulation
Ocean
• Reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time
acidification
Land system
• Changes in land use, especially the conversion of tropical forests to farmland
change
Biogeochemical • Alteration in the natural flows and the forms of nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, which are
flow essential elements for plant growth
What does the study reveal?

• Planetary boundaries- 6 out of 9 planetary boundaries, have been transgressed because of human-induced
pollution and destruction of the natural world.
• Other planetary boundaries- Atmospheric
aerosol loading and ozone depletion remain
within the constraints while ocean acidification is
close to being breached.
• Biogeochemical flow boundary- It refers to
the phosphorus and nitrogen cycles.
• The widespread use of nitrogen and phosphorus
as crop fertilisers is wreaking havoc by,
o Triggering algal blooms- It can cause
entire fish populations to leave an area or
even die
o Ocean dead zones- A reduced level of oxygen in the water.
• Biosphere integrity boundary- It was violated in the last 19th century when
o Land use-acceleration in land use caused a strong impact on numerous species.
• Freshwater- The boundary was breached last century, between 1905 and 1929.
• Novel entities- There is rising levels of novel entities in the environment.
o Humans have been releasing unprecedented amounts of synthetic chemicals like pesticides and plastic,
without adequate safety testing for decades.
• Land system change- Land-use conversion, fires and deforestation of the Amazon tropical forest, etc. has
increased such that it has now transgressed the planetary boundary.

• Climate change- The analysis notes that both the atmospheric CO2 concentration and radiative forcing are
steadily increasing.
o CO2 concentration currently stands at 417 parts per
million (ppm), whereas it was just 280 ppm before the Holocene period started with the
Industrial Revolution. Its safe boundary limit is 350 ppm, end of the last ice age and the start
which was breached in the 1980s. of the Industrial Revolution. It is
• Exhausted life support systems- The broken boundaries characterized by relatively stable
show Earth’s life-support systems have been driven far away from and warm planetary conditions.
the safe operating space for humanity that existed during the
Holocene period.
• Stratospheric ozone depletion boundary – It is one of the improving and recovering boundary, owing to
the combined international efforts initiated by the Montreal Protocol in 1987.
What lies ahead?
• Earth can heal if the planetary boundaries aren’t like tipping points.
• If humans do away with fossil fuel burning and end destructive farming, the transgressed boundaries can be
brought back into “space operating space.
12.8 Challenges in Tripling Global Renewable Energy Capacity
Why in News?
G20 countries have committed to work towards tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030 but there are several
challenges in achieving the target.
What are the climate actions taken in G20 meet 2023?
The G20 nations
• Delhi Declaration on Climate Action (G20 2023) - The only new and collectively contribute to
clear deliverable is tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030. approximately 80% of
global emissions.
• It recognised the need to accelerate efforts towards phase down of unabated
coal power in line with national circumstances.
• For the 1st time, G20 nations agreed on requirements of $5.9 trillion funds by 2030 to meet their climate goals.
o According to IAEA, this could prevent 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
• UK PM Rishi Sunak has announced $2 billion to Green Climate The GCF, established by 194 countries
Fund (GCF) to tackle climate change at G20 Meet. (Copenhagen Accord at COP15) is the
• Issues unaddressed – The Summit avoided most of the largest global fund dedicated to
contentious issues like greater emission cuts, phase-out of fossil supporting developing countries to reduce
fuels, and massive mobilisation of financial resources. global emissions and helping communities
adapt to the effects of climate change.
• It also did not provide any plan to amend existing policies and
targets in order to achieve the target of ramping of renewables.
Status of Renewable Energy Production
• Global status - The current global installed

capacity of renewable energy is just short
of 3,400 GW.
• Annual capacity additions of renewable energy is
growing by around 10% every year.
• India and China together account for more than
50% of global capacity additions in each of the
last five years.
• India’s status - India is the 3rd largest energy
consuming country in the world.
• As per Renewables 2022 Global Status Report,
India stands

o 4th globally in renewable energy installed capacity

o 4th in wind power capacity
o 4th in solar power capacity
• India has already achieved its target of 40% installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuels.
• India’s installed non-fossil fuel capacity stands at more than 179.322 Giga Watts (including large Hydro and
nuclear), about 43% of the country’s total capacity (as of July 2023).
• Up to 100% FDI is allowed under the automatic route for renewable energy generation and distribution projects.
What are the challenges in tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030?

• Capacity additions - Annual capacity additions have more than doubled from 2015 to 2022, rising by about
11% per year on average.
• But, higher annual growth rate is required to put renewables on track to meet the 2030 capacity target.
o To triple the total capacity by 2030, nearly 1,000 GW of new capacity every year need to be added.
• Policy push - A higher annual growth rate would require much stronger policy push from governments.
• Availability of financial resources - According to an IRENA outlook,
investments of about 5.3 trillion USD would be required per year, till 2050,
Solar energy constitutes
for energy transition to limit the global rise in temperatures to within 1.5
more than 50% of new
degree Celsius from pre-industrial times.
renewable energy capacity
• target alone would not be sufficient for the 1.5 degree Celsius goal. additions every year
• Renewable energy, if tripled, would be able to avoid only 7 billion tonnes of
CO2 equivalent, or less than one third of what is required.
Role of ISA in Tripling Renewable Energy capacity
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) – It was a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against
climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions.
• It was conceptualized in COP21 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
• Currently, all member states of the United Nations are eligible to join the ISA.
• At present, 116 countries are signatories to the ISA Framework Agreement and 94 countries have ratified.
• Role of ISA - The ISA was created specifically for the purpose of rapidly scaling up solar energy across the world.
• ISA has launched the Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre to produce, transport and use low and zero-carbon
hydrogen.
• It provides guarantees in crowding-in private sector investment into solar mini-grids in Africa.
• ISA is strengthening 20 solar startups in Africa which is to be expanded in other regions.
13. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
13.1 Sequencing the Y Chromosome
Why in news?
Scientists have fully sequenced the Y chromosome for the first time, uncovering information that could have implications
for the study of male infertility and other health problems.
What is Y chromosome?
DNA is a molecule that
• In the nucleus of a human cell, each DNA molecule is packaged into a long carries genetic information
thread like structure called chromosome. for the development and
• Most human cells contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. One half of each pair functioning of an organism.
of chromosomes from one parent, while other half comes from other parent.

• The 23rd pair are X and Y chromosomes, often called as sex chromosomes. The other 22 pairs called
as autosomes.
• Females have a pair of X chromosomes, whereas males have X and Y
chromosome. The Y is the last human
• The Y chromosome is male-determining because it bears a gene chromosome to have been
called SRY, which directs the development of a ridge of cells into a testis in sequenced end-to-end, or
the embryo. telomere to telomere (T2T)
• The embryonic testes make male hormones, and these hormones direct the
development of male features in a baby boy.
What is the difficulty in sequencing Y chromosome?
• Repetition - The Y
chromosome was a
particularly hard nut to
crack because it is
unusually repetitive.
• While all human
chromosomes contain
repeats, more than 30
million letters of the Y
chromosome — out of 62.5
million — are repetitive
sequences, sometimes
called satellite DNA or
junk DNA.
• Repetitive DNA
complicates the
assembling of data from
genetic sequencing.
• Palindromes - The Y
chromosome also contains
palindromes — sequences
of letters that are the same
backward and forward,
like radar.
• Degeneration of Proto-
Y- The proto-Y is
degenerating at a faster pace, losing about 10 active genes per million years, reducing the number from its
original 1,000 to just 27.
• There has been great debate about whether this degradation continues, because at this rate the whole human Y
would disappear in a few million years
How the scientists unraveled the complex Y chromosome?
• Sequencing - Advanced "long-read" sequencing technology and computational methods enabled researchers
to achieve a complete reading of the Y chromosome.
• This accomplishment added over 30 million repetitive base pairs to the human reference genome.
• The new technology has allowed sequencing of bases along individual long DNA molecules, producing long-
reads of thousands of bases.
• It effectively dealt with repetitive sequences and transformed raw sequencing data into a usable resource.
• These longer reads are easier to distinguish and can therefore be assembled more easily.
• Findings- Overall, the combined research determined that the Y chromosome has 106 protein-coding genes.
• 42 were found that were new, but many still appear to be repeats.
What is the importance of the study?
• Advanced diagnostics- The study empowers future sequencing endeavours to explore into health and disease
aspects through comprehensive Y chromosome inclusion.

• To study whether loss of Y chromosome is a biomarker of biological aging or has a direct effect on the health of
men.
• Infertility- It will help to study conditions and disorders linked to the chromosome, such as lack of sperm
production that leads to infertility.
• Health- Genes have been identified on the Y chromosomes that have been shown to be required for the
prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
• Dark matter- It represents the ‘dark matter’ of the genome. This analysis will allow us to better understand
the regions of the Y chromosome that have regulatory functions and may encode mRNA and proteins.
• Human evolution- Assembling complete sequences of Y chromosomes across space and time not only helps
to investigate sex chromosome evolution but also human evolution.
• Gene therapy- It will open up avenues to treat diseases that may linked to Y chromosomes.
• Future studies- The findings provide a solid base to explore how genes for sex and sperm work, how the Y
chromosome evolved, and whether as predicted will disappear in a few million years.
13.2 Space Junk in Moon
Why in news?
There is going to be a lot of space junk on lunar surface and in Earth’s orbit as countries around the globe traveling to
the Moon.
What is a space junk?
• Space debris is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space.
• Dead satellites can refer to big objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of
their mission.
• It can also refer to smaller things, like bits of debris or paint flecks that have fallen off a rocket.
• Some human-made junk has been left on the Moon.
Data on Space Debris
• Space debris - While there are about 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are also 3,000
dead ones littering space.
• There are around 34,000 pieces of space junk bigger than 10 centimetres in size and millions of smaller pieces.
• In 2022, over 2,160 objects were launched into space, about 300 more than 2021 and 900 more than 2020.
• Private players- The surging number of rocket launches and the increasing number of payloads carried in
recent years have made the space junk problem acute.
• It is especially after private companies such as SpaceX launched thousands of satellites to provide Internet access.
• Country wise - Around 13,953 debris are orbiting Earth and the countries responsible for them.
• Close to 35% originated from the Soviet Union/Russia, 31% from the U.S., and 29% from China.
• China- Over 2,700 pieces of debris from a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007, marked as the single worst
contamination of space in history, are still in orbit.
• India- Its contribution is 0.5%. India added to the problem in 2019 by testing an ASAT missile which targeted a
live satellite in Low Earth Orbit.
• The country has 103 active or defunct spacecraft and 114 objects categorised as 'space debris' in orbit and it has
embarked on research to reduce such fragments from outer space
Why is the space crowded?

• Moon exploration- As many as 100 lunar missions are planned over the next decade by governments and
private companies.
• Space congestion- Near-Earth orbit is even more congested than the space between Earth and the Moon.
• It’s from 100 to 500 miles straight up, compared with 240,000 miles to the Moon.

• Utility-Many of these satellites will be used to deliver internet to developing countries or to monitor agriculture
and climate on Earth.
• Low cost-Companies like SpaceX have dramatically lowered launch costs, driving this wave of activity.
How space junk is created?

• Launch- Space junk is the result of us launching objects from Earth, and it remains in orbit until it re-enters
the atmosphere.
• High altitude- Some objects in lower orbits of a few hundred kilometres often re-enter the atmosphere after a
few years and, for the most part, they'll burn up, so they don't reach the ground.
• But debris or satellites left at higher altitudes of 36,000 kilometres where communications and weather
satellites are often placed in geostationary orbits, continue to circle Earth for hundreds of years.
• Anti-satellite test- Some space junk results from collisions or anti-satellite tests in orbit. When two satellites
collide, they can smash apart into pieces, creating lots of new debris.
To know more about space junk click here
What are the risks posed by space junk?
• Collision- These satellites have to move out of the way of all this incoming space junk to make sure they don't
get hit and potentially damaged or destroyed.
• Creation of debris- It creates hazards and debris. Humans have left a lot of junk on the Moon.
• Lack of responsibility- No one owns the Moon, hence no one is responsible for keeping it clean and tidy.
• Speed of debris- Tiny pieces of junk might not seem like a big issue, but that debris is moving at 15,000 mph
(24,140 kph), 10 times faster than a bullet.
• At that speed, even a fleck of paint can puncture a spacesuit or destroy a sensitive piece of electronics.
• Kessler syndrome- This is an idea proposed by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978.
• If there was too much space junk in orbit, it could result in a chain reaction where more and more objects collide
and create new space junk, to the point where Earth's orbit became unusable.
Why there is lack of responsibility of space junk in moon?
• Outer space treaty 1967- It says that no country can “own” the Moon or any part of it, and that celestial
bodies should only be used for peaceful purposes. It is established by United Nations (UN)
o The treaty is silent about companies and individuals, and it says nothing about how space resources can
and can’t be used.
• UN Moon Agreement of 1979 - It held that the Moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of
humanity.
o United States, Russia and China didn’t sign the agreement.
• Artemis Accords- It is created by NASA which is a nonbinding principles for cooperating peacefully in space.
o They have been signed by 28 countries, but the list does not include China or Russia and private players.
• Poor regulation- Because of its lack of regulation, space junk is an example of a “tragedy of the commons”.
What lies ahead?
• Hundreds of collision avoidance manoeuvres are performed every year, including the International Space
Station (ISS), where astronauts live.
• Scientists argue that to avoid a tragedy of the commons, the orbital space environment should be seen as a global
commons worthy of protection by the United Nations.
13.3 Synthetic Human Embryo
Why in news?
Recently, Israeli scientists have successfully grown a “human embryo” in the lab without using an egg or sperm.
What is an embryo?
• An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism.

• Sexual reproduction- In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life
cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell and the male sperm cell.
• Embryo can be defined as an organism in the early stages of development. It undergoes multiple stages of
development to develop into a new organism.
• Embryonic development is called embryogenesis.
• Foetus- It is the development of a single-cell (zygote) to a multicellular organism (foetus) characterised by the
processes of cell division and cellular differentiation of the embryo that occurs during the early stages of
development.
How was the embryo model created?
• Stem cell mix- They used a mix of stem cells (early cells that have the ability to differentiate into other type of
cells).
• Foetus formation- They used a mix of stem cells and chemicals, a small portion which was able to
spontaneously assemble to form different types of cells that form the foetus.
o Cells that provide nutrient to the
foetus.
o Cells that lay out the plan for
development of the body, and
o Cells that create structures like
placenta and umbilical cord to
support the foetus.
• The naive-state stem cells were
programmed to become certain types of
body tissue, including
o Epiblast cells - It become the
foetus
o Trophoblast cells- It become
the placenta
o Hypoblast cells- It supports
the yolk sac
o Extraembryonic mesoderm- It contributes to the overall embryo development
• Early embryo- This was able to spontaneously assemble into embryo like structure, mimicking molecular
characteristics of an early embryo.
• Complete model- The scientists have called it one of the most complete models of a 14-day-old human
embryo.
• None of them fully replicate the processes that happen during the early stages of embryo development, but all
of them add to their understanding.
• Issue faced- Only 1% of this mixture actually assembled spontaneously, making the process not very efficient.
Why are embryo models important?
• Aim- To provide an ethical way of understanding the earliest moments of our lives.
• Diagnostic accuracy- The research is crucial because the initial days of embryo development is when the
majority of miscarriages and birth defects occur.
• Studying the initial stages may help understand genetic and inherited diseases better.
• Improve IVF- Study of normal embryo development, proper genetic code retainment, and the proper
implantation in the womb may help in improving success rates of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
• Embryonic research- It is important because currently developing alternative models in the lab is the only
way to study the early embryo process.
• Effect on embryo- It allows scientists to understand the genetic, epigenetic and environmental effects on a
developing embryo.
• Genetic medicines- It brings us closer to understand how futuristic genetic medicines can be implemented
for the treatment of certain conditions.

• Error in DNA duplication- These models have helped scientists understand why error arise when the DNA
is duplicated.
• The model has shown that errors occurred much earlier before the separation of daughter cells, when DNA
duplication is ongoing.
• Chromosomal disorder- It also helps to study why one of the daughter cells receives too many or too few
chromosomes.
• Role of genes- It allows to manipulate genes and to understand their developmental roles in a model system.
• Functional specifications- This model will let us test the function of specific factors, which is difficult to do
in the natural embryo.
• Synthetic embryology- It made a significant milestone by developing the first ever synthetic human embryos.
Can lab-grown embryos be used to get pregnant?
• Regulation- It is legally supported in most countries that these embryo models will be destroyed after studying
the first 14 days. Attempts to implant are not allowed.
• Genetic modification- Researchers would also ensure that any
model embryo created for donor tissue purposes would be genetically These models are meant to study
modified to prevent the development of a brain or nervous system. the early stages of development
of a foetus. They cannot be used
• Mimics the properties- Although they mimic several aspects of to get pregnant.
development, they are not surrogates of actual embryos.
Why is there a 14-day limit on embryo research?
• The limit was first proposed by a committee in the UK in 1979 after the birth of the first test tube baby.
• The 14-day period is equivalent to when embryos naturally finish implantation.
• It is also when cells start becoming an “individual”, and breaking off into a twin is not possible.
• The ethical considerations become different when it is a clump of cells and when it becomes an individual, often
referred to as the Primitive Streak.
• While the models are not human embryos, they come very close to it.
Primitive Streak is a linear structure that appears in the embryo that marks its transition from having a radial
symmetry (like an egg) to the bilateral symmetry of our bodies (marked by left and right hands and legs).
13.4 Overhauling Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Why in news?
It is necessary to focus the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that performs research activity
for the Armed Forces.
What is DRDO?
• Ministry - Department of Defence Research and Development, Ministry of Defence
• Role- Military's research and development
• Headquarters- New Delhi, India
The Integrated Guided Missile
• 1958- It was formed by the merger of the Development Programme
o Technical Development Establishment (IGMDP) under A P J Abdul
Kalam is the most prominent
o Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the success of DRDO
Indian Ordnance Factories
o Defence Science Organisation
• 1979- Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS) was constituted in 1979.
• Motto- “Balasya Mulam Vigyanam” – “The source of strength is science”
Why are the issues in DRDO?
• Performance- Its performance has been low over the years causing much disappointment in the armed forces.

• Organisational issues - DRDO has done excellent work in flashes but this has been more due to individual
brilliance and not because of organisational effectiveness.
• Time constraints- Electronic Warfare systems versions have also been successful, but the procedure to adopt
have been slow.
• Product realisation timelines have been excessive and end products are often dated by the time they are fielded.
• Long term trials- The trials go on for years with little assurance that the desired end state will be reached.
This situation needs correction.
Why DRDO needs ISRO overhaul?
• Conflict of interest- Once a prototype is successfully developed, there are production agencies and users that
have separate responsibilities for serial production, trials and acceptance.
• The user groups change frequently during the development of a product by the DRDO, leading to a slowdown
of projects.
What needs to be done?
• Audit- A thorough audit of all our DRDO laboratories, encompassing processes, organisation and workforce
should be undertaken.
• Review research- The degree to which DRDO conducts fundamental research also needs review.
• Proper examination- Skewed teeth-to-tail ratios and the top-heavy nature of the organisation must be
examined.
o The tooth-to-tail ratio refers to the amount of military personnel ("tail") it takes to supply and support
each combat soldier ("tooth").
• Critical assessment- DRDO laboratories’ contribution towards enhancing the combat-readiness of our
armed forces must be critically assessed.
• Infrastructure regulation- Laboratories which not serving their envisaged purpose should be wound up.
• Productive agencies- The performance of production agencies as also the involvement and value-addition by
user groups must be evaluated and made more productive.
• Widen the disciplines- The armed forces must define niche disciplines in which DRDO should expend its
efforts.
• Technology share- ISRO and DRDO About ISRO DRDO
must share technologies that overlap
between space and defence domains. Sharp Focus- Space
Expanded scope-
applications technologies
o Kalam’s long association with Limited Underwater, surface and
ISRO and the continuity he such as propulsion, material
focus air, results in dilution of
provided to the IGMDP would science, control, navigation,
focus.
have been two big reasons for imaging and tracking.
the success of the programme.
DRDO is only the
• Indigenization- Self-reliance in the ISRO is being the developer, developer thus causing a
defence industry will enhance India’s Capability launcher and controller all in serious of cohesion and
strategic independence and promote one, ready their product. persistence from design
development in the country’s domestic to realisation
defence and aerospace industry.
13.5 Digital Public Infrastructure
Why in news?
Recently held G20 meet adopted New Delhi Declaration, which recognised safe and trusted deployment of Digital Public
Infrastructure (DPI) for enabling service delivery and innovation.
To know about G20 summit 2023, click here
What is DPI?
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a set of technology building blocks that drive innovation, inclusion, and
competition at scale, operating under open, transparent and participatory governance.
o Examples – Internet, powered by common protocols like HTTP, HTML, and SMTP.

o Telecom, with standards like GSM, SMS, CDMA, and IEEE 802.11.
• Digital system can be developed either as all government or all private.
• Interoperability, security, maintaining registries and continuous Over 45% of global real-time
updates are its vital aspects. payments happen in India and
• A strong DPI has 3 foundational systems—identity, payments, and over 10 billion transactions
data exchange. happen on UPI each month.
Why DPI is crucial for India’s digital future?
• Higher growth potential – India is the 2nd largest online market in the world, providing cheapest data rates
and has the fastest growing fintech landscape.
• Digital storage and verification - Products like the Digital Locker, electronic KYC (eKYC) and digital
signature on demand (e-Sign) simplifies data
storage and authorisation. State of India’s Digital Economy Report 2023
• Digital Inclusion - UPI123Pay of RBI gives
feature phone owners an app that enables them with • It is released by ICRIER-Prosus Centre for Internet
most UPI features. and Digital Economy (IPCIDE).
• Financial Inclusion – The World Bank estimates • Mobile Broadband Subscription – From 2014 to
that Aadhaar has facilitated financial inclusion. 2021, the rate of increase was over 40% annually.
o The RBI has even enabled cardless cash • Disparity in digital tools usage – Its adoption is
withdrawals at ATMs through the UPI app. more prevalent among larger businesses.
• Interoperable electronic payment • Usage of 3G mobile broadband - Despite the
system – Unified Payments Interface like BHIM availability to 99% of Indians, not everyone is
app has empowered for convenient transfer money utilizing it.
from one bank account to another bank account
digitally and in real-time. • Rural-Urban divide - The number of active
internet users in rural is only about half that in
• Integration of global payments systems - By urban areas
early 2023, UPI was connected with Singapore’s
PayNow system and also with the United Arab • Gender divide- Only 29% of rural women use the
Emirates, through Mashreq Bank’s NEOPAY system internet while it is 40% for men.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) – The Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile trinity has played a pivotal role in DBT
of welfare subsidies thus reducing the leakages of money from government treasury.
• Eliminates black markets - DBT has eliminated the black marketing of commodities, with LPG cylinders
being the most visible examples.
• Economic Growth – Digital economy dominates market factors and thereby driving India’s economic growth.
o The Economic Survey of 2023 suggested that India’s DPI can add around 60-100 basis points to the
country’s potential GDP growth rate.
What are the challenges associated with digital transformation?
• Lack of social infrastructure – Usage gap is driven by poor levels of literacy, affordability and lack of digital
skills.
• Lack of physical infrastructure – Deprived power supply impacts the quality of internet access.
• Exclusion error – Systemic lacunae in Aadhaar-based digitisation of social security programmes like
biometric mismatches or non-possession of Aadhaar can result in denial of benefits.
• Cyber-crimes and financial frauds – This is due to weakness in the India DPI.
What are the initiatives taken by India in digital sphere?
• Aadhaar – Launched in 2009, Aadhaar is a 12 digit unique-identity number issued to all Indian residents based
on the biometric and demographic data, and acts as a proof of residence.
• Digital India initiative – In 2015, the ‘Digital India’ initiative was launched to improve online infrastructure
and increase internet accessibility among citizens.
• PM-WANI – It was launched in 2020 to provide ubiquitous and affordable internet connectivity.
• Unified Payments Interface – UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile
application, merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.

• CoWin – CoWIN is a cloud-based IT solution for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of
Covid-19 vaccination in India.
• Network to villages – The government has set a target to provide 4G network to all uncovered villages by
2024.
• Bhashini – The government is building Bhashini, an AI powered language translation platform which will
support digital inclusion in India's diverse languages.
• India Stacks – It is an online global public digital goods depository to ensure no one is left behind.
• Sanchar Saathi portal - It is an initiative of Department of Telecommunications to empower mobile
subscribers and increase awareness about citizen centric Government initiatives.
• Future prospects – Sector specific DPIs such as account aggregators, Open Network for Digital
Commerce, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and Agristack.
India plans to build and maintain a Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository (GDPIR), a virtual
repository of DPI for use by other G20 members and beyond.
India proposed the One Future Alliance (OFA), a voluntary initiative aimed to build capacity, and provide
technical assistance and funding support for implementing DPI in low and middle income countries.
What lies ahead?

• Scale up local DPI initiatives by accelerating knowledge and resource sharing to ensure that no one is left behind.
• Prioritise user-centric design to reduce the risks arising from the use of technology.
• Foster equitable growth by monitoring the impact of DPIs on vulnerable consumers
13.6 Legal Framework for Space Missions
Why in news?
In the wake of the unprecedented space race, there comes a need to look at the international laws and domestic
regulations that govern ventures into space.
What are the international laws that govern space ventures?
• Treaties - 5 United Nations treaties are generally thought to form the bedrock of international space law. It
includes
1. The Outer Space Treaty
2. The Rescue Agreement
3. The Liability Convention
4. The Registration Convention
5. The Moon Agreement
• Declarations - There are 5 declarations pertaining to space activities.
1. Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer
Space - 1963
2. Declaration governing the use of satellites for television broadcasting
3. Declaration regarding remote sensing from outer space
4. Declaration regarding the use of nuclear power sources in outer space
5. Declaration on international cooperation in space exploration for the benefit of all states, particularly
developing countries
• UNGA resolutions - There are UN General Assembly resolutions, which, though non-binding, help guide
international action on the issue and may shape consensus in the space community.
• Res communis— It is the concept of ownership in common by mankind of certain natural resources.
o Example - The resources of the high seas (governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea), or airspace above the Arctic.

• The UN policy brief – It recently recommended the development of a new treaty to ensure peace, security,
and the prevention of an arms race in outer space.
• A UN Summit of the Future – It is scheduled for 2024 in New York, with advancement of the peaceful and
sustainable use of outer space a potential area of work.
UNCLOS (United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea), 1982 lays down rules governing all uses of the world’s
oceans and their resources.
Salvage Convention of 1989, incorporated the "'no cure, no pay" principle under which a salvor is only rewarded
for services if the operation is successful.
UN Treaties on Space Ventures

The Outer Space Treaty –1967
Of the 5 UN Treaties on
• It is often called the magna carta of space law. Space Venture, India has
• Governs the exploration and use of Outer Space only for peaceful purpose. ratified 1st four and signed
Moon Agreement without
• Prohibits the weaponisation of space ratifying it.
• No claim of sovereignty over any bodies in space
• Liability on countries for damage caused by any objects launched into space from their territory
• Countries must help astronauts who are in distress
• Space installations and vehicles of one nation are to be open to other nations on a reciprocal basis
• Binding on its signatories
The Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects
Launched into Outer Space (ARRA) –1968
• Obligation of nations towards astronauts in distress and emergency situations, and return of space objects and
astronauts.
• It includes cost of rescue and operations as covered in UNCLOS and Salvage Convention.
The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects –1972
• Liable to compensate for any damages incurred on the earth’s surface or to aircraft or in outer space.
• A process to seek settlements regarding claims for the damage.
• No provision for damage caused by a rocket crashing back down to earth.
The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space – 1976
• Register and maintain records about every object launched into space and furnish those information to the
U.N.
The Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies –1984
• Using space only for peaceful purposes.
• Non-disruption of space environments.
• Countries should also inform UN of the location and aim of any station established on such a body.
• Moon and its natural resources as Common heritage of mankind.
Section 10(2) - Signatories affirm that the extraction of space resources does not inherently constitute national
appropriation
Section 11 - Signatories will support the development of ‘safety zones’ to ensure that states do not come into conflict
with one another.
What are the challenges associated with space ventures?

• India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission highlights the legal gray zone for lunar mining.
• Loopholes in Space laws – Non-appropriation clause of Outer Space treaty does not explicitly prohibit
owning and using resources once they are extracted.

• Domestic laws – Countries like the U.S., Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates, and Japan permitted companies
to claim exclusive ownership over extracted resources.
o In 2015, the U.S. government introduced the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, 2015,
recognising the property rights of private entities over space resources, allowing U.S. citizens to claim
such rights.
• Issues with Artemis Accord - Section 10(2) India’s Space Policy 2023
of Artemis Accord violates the principle of non-
appropriation principle of Outer Space Treaty. • It stipulates that any NGE (Non-Governmental
• Section 11 of Artemis Accord regarding Entities) shall be entitled to possess, own, transport,
development of ‘safety zones’ can result in de facto use, and sell any such asteroid resource or space
appropriation of lunar areas and the alienation of resource obtained in accordance with applicable
other states, thus affecting the freedom of law, including India’s international obligations.
exploration and use. • The ISRO will move out of manufacturing space
• The provisions of the Accords are also in conflict systems, and instead focus only on advancing space
with the Moon Agreement which prevents R&D and contributing to areas of space exploration
commercial entities from taking possession of lunar that are of national interest.
natural resources. • Manufacturing and operations will be handled
• Commercialisation of space mining- In 2020, by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) — a public
NASA allowed four companies to extract small sector unit set up in 2019 under the Department of
amounts of lunar regolith by 2024. Space as the commercial arm of ISRO.
• Issue of Space Debris - The Kessler Syndrome is • The Indian National Space Promotion &
when the total amount of space debris will grow, Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is expected to
spurred by a chain reaction as collisions lead to create a ‘stable and predictable regulatory
more space debris. framework’ that will ensure a level playing field for
the NGEs.
What about the domestic space law of India?
• Space Policy- ISRO released the Indian Space Policy 2023 with the vision to enable, encourage and develop
a flourishing commercial presence in space.
• Other policies - The Indian space industry is also subject to As of date, the UN Office for Outer
the Satellite Communications Policy, 2000 and the revised Remote Space Affairs lists 43 nations that
Sensing Data Policy, 2011. have domestic space laws, based
on submissions by nations.
• Legislation - A draft Space Activities Bill was introduced in 2017.
However, it lapsed in 2019 with the outgoing Lok Sabha.
• With increasing inter-planetary missions like Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1, it is imperative to have exclusive
domestic space laws
o To serve as a foundation for capacity-building efforts
o To guide in the development of relevant skills and knowledge
o To attract investment and promote the growth of a domestic space industry
o For effective utilization of space resources for societal benefit in various sectors
13.7 Geospatial Intelligence
Why in news?
In recent times, geospatial intelligence has shown enormous potential from disaster management and environmental
monitoring to military applications.
What is GEOINT?
• Geospatial
intelligence –It is
the collection and
integration of
data from a network of
technologies,
including satellites,
mobile sensors,

ground-control stations and aerial images.

• The data is used to produce real-time maps and simulations to help identify when, where and to what extent a
threat is likely to emerge.
• Geospatial technology – It is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the
geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies.
• It can be used to create intelligent maps and models which help to collect geographically referenced data.
Status of Geospatial Technology in India
• India's geospatial economy is expected to cross Rs 63,000 crore by 2025 at a growth rate of 12.8%.
• There are around 250 Geospatial Start-ups in India.
• Ministry of Science and Technology have
launched National Geospatial Policy, 2022, a citizen-
centric policy that seeks to strengthen the Geospatial
sector to support national development, economic
prosperity and a thriving information economy. India
have also unveiled a Geospatial Incubator.
• Second United Nations World Geospatial Information
Congress (UN-WGIC) 2022 was organised in Hyderabad.
• A new geospatial data guideline was released in 2021.
• National organizations implementing GIS based projects are Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National
Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and National
Informatics Centre.
Why Geospatial technology is important for India?

• Employment – It is expected to provide employment to more than 10 lakh people mainly through Geospatial
Start-ups.
• Promote innovation – Democratization of Indian geospatial ecosystem will spur domestic innovation.
• Global competition – It will enable Indian companies to compete in the global mapping ecosystem by
leveraging modern geospatial technologies.
• Self-reliance – It helps in realising the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Backup Indian land reforms – Rural Development Ministry has mapped over 45 lakh km of rural roads and
have digitised water bodies, green areas, plots, and other structures essential for administrative purposes.
SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) is piloted by the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2020 to digitise land records.
What are the applications of Geospatial Intelligence?

• Military applications – Aids from regular surveillance to long-term situational awareness.
• Creates 3D models for all combat systems & operations and provide in-depth understanding positions of troops
and equipment.
• Helps in maintaining decision superiority and sovereignty by analysing enemy vulnerability.
• Helps to plan future targeting action to minimise civilian damages.
o In Russian-Ukraine war, a commercial satellite imagery company, was the 1 st to report the 40-mile-
long convoy of Russian ground forces heading toward Kyiv in 2022.
• Disaster Management – GEOINT contributes to emergency preparedness and response thus helping
officials to distribute resources and personnel, as well as issue storm warnings and evacuation orders.
o The National Hurricane Centre actively monitors the location, formation and trajectory of tropical
cyclones.
• It provides valuable guidance for search-and-rescue and recovery efforts following a disaster.

o During the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, maps and aerial images quickly identified the extent
of damage and helped first responders locate access points.
• Environmental Monitoring – It monitors temperature, precipitation, snowpack and polar ice thus helping
to anticipate and prepare for potential disturbances.
o For instance, understanding temperature profiles across time provides information on when, where and
to what extent is the threat.
• Logistics and global supply chains – The global economy runs on GPS, which provides detailed
information on the time, location and destination of ships and cargo which leads to more consistent and reliable
operations.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based radio-navigation system consisting of a constellation of
satellites (currently 31) broadcasting navigation signals and a network of ground stations and satellite control
stations used for monitoring and control.
• Transportation – It helps in the rollout of autonomous vehicles.

• Using high-resolution imagery, city planners and engineers are able to detect markings and features on the
ground such as bicycle lanes and traffic direction.
• Digital twins – It is contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of digital twins which
replicate real systems in digital world in real-time.
• Digital twins have been highly effective in conflict settings by simulating weather and terrain to help militaries
and peacekeepers develop and enact strategies.
• Health Sector – Geo-enabled technology can be used for establishing telemedicine facilities, analysing
infrastructure availability, etc.
• During Covid-19 pandemic, Arogya Setu app helped in identifying containment zones, monitoring citizen
movement, administrating vaccines and ensuring social distancing.
PRELIM BITS
14. HISTORY, ART & CULTURE
Chausath Yogini Temple

The old parliament building is said to be inspired from the Chausath Yogini temple in Mitaoli, Madhya Pradesh.
The Old Parliament building
• Designed by - British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
The old parliament building is
• It was designed when the British decided to move their capital to New renamed to Samvidhan Sadan
Delhi. and the new parliament building
• The building first housed the Imperial Legislative Council (From is named as the Sansad Bhavan.
January 18, 1927 to August 15, 1947).
• After Independence, it served as the Constituent Assembly of India, and once the Constitution was adopted, it
became the Parliament of India, housing the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• The building is believed to be inspired from the Chausath yogini temple.
Chausath Yogini Temple
• It is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh (also known as Ekattarso
Mahadeva Temple)
• Built by – Kachchhapaghata king Devapala, belonged to the Pala dynasty.
• The temple was the venue of providing education in astrology and mathematics based on the transit of the Sun.
• The Mitaoli temple has 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis.
Nuakhai Juhar Festival

Prime Minister greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai.

• About – Nuakhai is an agrarian festival originated during the Vedic period where the sages or Rishis used to
talk about Panchyajna.
• One among them was Pralambana yajna, which means the
Some other festivals in India that
cutting of new crops and offering them to mother goddess.
celebrate the harvest include Onam,
• Regions – The festival is mostly celebrated by the people of Makar Sankranti, Baisakhi, Lohri,
Western Odisha and Southern Chhattisgarh. Ladakh Harvest festival, Pongal,
Ugadi, Bihu among several others.
• It is known as Navakhai Parv in Chhattisgarh.
• Observed on – It is observed in the month of Bhadrapada or
Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
• In Odisha, on the occasion, the new rice is offered as Bhog to Goddess Laxmi.
Nadi Utsav
The fourth 'Nadi Utsav' on Riverine Culture will commence at IGNCA New Delhi.
• ‘Nadi Utsav’ is an attempt to document riverine Utsav Held in

culture, its tradition, rituals and water wisdom.
• Aim - To create awareness and sensitize people Nashik (Maharashtra) on the banks of River
1st Utsav
about their ecology and environment. Godavari.
• Founder - This noble initiative was conceived by Dr. Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) on the banks
Sachchidanand Joshi. 2nd Utsav
of River Krishna.
• The 'Nadi Utsav' was first celebrated in the year
2018. 3rd Utsav Munger (Bihar) on the banks of River Ganga.
• Fourth Nadi Utsav is organized by the National 4th Utsav Delhi, on the banks of River Yamuna
Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) of Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the
Janapada Sampada Division.
IGNCA is an institution dedicated to art and culture, under the Ministry of Culture.
Statue of Oneness
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister unveiled the 108-foot-tall Statue of Oneness of Adi
Shankaracharya at Omkareshwar.
Statue of Oneness
• It depicts Adi Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old child, the age he was when he is said to
have visited Omkareshwar.
• Location - It is a multi-metal statue installed atop Mandhata Parvat hill at Omkareshwar,
Madhya Pradesh.
• At the base of the statue is the Shankar Stambh, depicting 32 stories related to
Shankaracharya.
Other such statues in India
• Statue of Unity – It is a statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, regarded as the Iron Man of India.
• The statue is the world’s tallest statue, located near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, in the banks of the Narmada River.
• Statue of Equality - The Statue of Equality is the statue of Sri Ramanujacharya.
• Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic philosopher and social
reformer.
• It is the second-tallest statue in the world.
• Statue of Equality (US) - It is the tallest statue of Dr BR Ambedkar outside India inaugurated in Maryland,
USA.

Adi Shankaracharya
• Period - He was born in Kerela’s Kaladi and is believed to have lived between 788 and 820 AD.
• Guru - He studied under his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada and soon became a proponent of Advaita
Vedanta at Omkareshwar.
• He challenged the prevailing philosophical traditions including Buddhism and Jainism.
• Places visited - He visited spiritual centres such as Kanchi to Kamrup (Assam), and Kashmir, Kedar and Badri
dhams, as well as Sringeri, Ujjain, Kashi, Puri, and Joshimath.
• Works - The most notable work are the commentaries on the 10 Upanishads, the Brahmasutra and the Gita.
Naganathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology is set to take up restoration of
the 1,000-year-old Chola-era Temple at Manambadi in Thanjavur district. Dravidian vimanas can be
• Also known as - Kailasamudaiyar Temple. classified as one-story (called
ekatala), two-story (dvi-tala),
• Built by - Rajendra Chola I (1012-1044CE). three-story (tri-tala), and so on.
• Dedicated to - Lord Shiva
The temple has been declared as a protected monument in 2014 under the Tamil Nadu Ancient and Historical
Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1966.
• Features - It has exquisite stone sculptures, distinctive makara thoranas (ceremonial arches) and important
inscriptions.
• It consists of an ekatala vimana and a mukha mandapa. Koothu, also known as
Therukoothu (theatre of
• Inscriptions – 9 interesting and informative inscriptions during Rajendra the street) refers to the
Chola I and Kulothunga I (1070-1120 CE) have been recorded from this temple. folk theatre art form in
Tamil Nadu.
• Inscription of Rajendra Chola I - It refers to a grant of land free of taxes by
the nagaratthar of Ilaichikkudi for raising a flower garden named after the king
for the use of the temple.
• Inscriptions of Kulotthunga I – It is called as Tamizh Koothu and refers to a grant of land called
as “Koothu kaani”.
Matangini Hazra
A staunch Gandhian from Tamluk, Bengal, Matangini Hazra fell to British bullets on September 29, 1942, while
leading a Quit India Movement march.
• About – Hazra, born in Hogla, West Bengal in 1869, was a revolutionary leader who played a significant role
in India's struggle for independence.
• Following her husband’s death, she began devoting herself to social causes.
• Role in freedom struggle - She was influenced by Gandhiji’s beliefs, that she earned the name Gandhi Buri
(the old Gandhian woman).
• In 1905, she became actively involved in the Indian independence struggle and was arrested for taking part in
the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
• She participated in the Non-Cooperation movement in 1932 and was arrested for her role in the Salt Satyagraha
movement.
• She was arrested again and imprisoned in Baharampur for six months for his persistence with the demand of
Salt Tax be repealed.
• In 1933, she was hurt in a police baton charge after attending a sub divisional Congress convention in
Serampore.
• Matangini Hazra led a march during the Quit India movement of 1942, to take over the Tamluk police station
from British authorities and fell to the British bullets at the age of 73.
• She was the first woman revolutionary to have her statue erected in the Kolkata Maidan in 1977.

15. GEOGRAPHY
Erg Chech 002

In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea.
• Erg Chech - It is a sandy region of the Sahara in western Algeria
and northern Mali.
• It consists largely of shifting dunes.
• Erg Chech 002 - On close inspection of the rocks containing
distinctive greenish crystals, it turned out to be from outer space, left
over from the dawn of the Solar System.
• They were all pieces of a meteorite known as Erg Chech 002, which is
the oldest volcanic rock ever found.
• Erg Chech 002 is an “ungrouped achondrite” (its parent body and
family relationship is unknown.)
• Achondrites are rocks formed from melted planetesimals, which is
what we call solid lumps in the cloud of gas and debris that formed
the Solar System. Ex – Angrites, Erg Chech 002.
• Erg Chech 002 contains abundant lead-206 and lead-207, as well

as undecayed uranium-238 and uranium-235.
Aluminium-26 decays relatively quickly
• Findings - By analyzing it, it was found that it is some 4.56556 (after around 705,000 years). It is
billion years old (around 120,000 years). useful for determining the relative ages
of different objects, but not their
• It was also found that the Aluminium-26 was distributed quite absolute age in years.
unevenly throughout the cloud of dust and gas which formed the
solar system.
Pir Panjal Range

The recent killing of 2 Army officers and a J&K police officer spotlights the areas south of the Pir Panjal range, which
have seen more focus of counter-terror operations in the valley.
• The Pir Panjal Range is a group of mountains in the inner Himalayan region, the largest in the lower group
of the majestic Himalayas.
• The Pir Panjal range is also called Pir Ki Gali.
• Extension - Pir Panjal Range extends from the Nilam River in
Pakistan administered Kashmir, running southeast through Jammu
& Kashmir to the upper Beas River in the north-western part of
Himachal Pradesh.
• The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and
Pir Panjal ranges.
• Direction - It runs from the west-northwest direction to east-
southeast direction.
• Peaks - Deo Tibba and Indrasan are the tallest peaks in the Pir Panjal
Range.
• Passes - Pir panjal, Banihal, Sinthan, Rohtang La.
• Significance - The Pir Panjal Range serves as an effective climatic barrier and blocks the monsoon winds to
reach the higher Himalayan slopes and the main valley of Kashmir.
Earthquake in Morocco
An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck Morocco claiming the death toll at over 600.
• Earthquakes - They are caused by a sudden release of stress along faults in the earth's crust.
• Reason for Moroccan earthquake - The US Geological Survey attributed that the reason might be oblique-
reverse faulting at shallow depth within the Moroccan High Atlas Mountain range.

• Shallow quake - The epicentre was roughly 11 to 18.5

Oblique-reverse faulting
km below the Earth’s surface, thus being a fairly shallow
quake.
• A fault that shows the characteristics of
• Shallow quakes are generally more dangerous as they carry both dip-slip and strike-slip motion caused
more energy than when they emerge to the surface, when by a combination of shearing and
compared to quakes that occur deeper underneath the surface. compressional forces.
• Rare in North Africa – Earthquakes are not very common • It forms when hanging wall slides over the
in North Africa, with seismicity rates comparatively low along footwall due to compressional forces
the northern margin of the African continent. bringing the sides together.
Libya Floods
More than 5,000 people were killed, and several were displaced in Libya after torrential rains caused flooding.
• The flooding has occurred in Libya’s eastern region, city of Al-Bayda &
Derna. Wadis are a valley or
• Reason - Cyclone Daniel, formed in Greece, is responsible for causing passage in the Middle East
floods and deaths in Spain, Turkey and Bulgaria earlier this month. and North Africa that is dry
except when it rains.
• Before reaching Libya, the storm Daniel transitioned into a ‘medicane’.
• Medicane is a tropical-like cyclone that occasionally forms over the Mediterranean Sea and are known to be
weak storms.
• However, higher sea surface temperatures help them become stronger
and last longer when storms travel across hot oceans.
• They gather more water vapor and heat, resulting in more powerful
winds, heavier rainfall and more flooding when they reach the land.
Libya
• Libya is a North African Country with its capital, Tripoli and is the
4th largest country in the continent.
• Border countries - It is bordered by 5 countries - Egypt, Sudan,
Chad, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia.
• The country also has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
• The Mediterranean coast and the Sahara Desert are Libya's most
prominent natural features.
• There are no permanent rivers in Libya and there are numerous wadis.
Cyclone genesis & WACE pattern

After 1990s the cyclone formation is said to be affected by anthropogenic trends.
Cyclone-genesis or cyclogenesis
• Cyclogenesis is initiated by a disturbance
occurring along a stationary or very slow-
moving front between cold and warm air.
• It is an indicator that denotes the chance
of a cyclone forming.
• This disturbance distorts the front into
the wavelike configuration.
• As the atmospheric pressure within the
disturbance continues to decrease, it
assumes the appearance of a cyclone and
forces poleward and equatorward
movements of warm and cold air,
respectively.
• Parameters
1. The sea surface temperature

2. The ocean heat content

3. Change in winds from the surface into the upper atmosphere (or the vertical shear)
4. Rotation of winds near the surface
• If the conditions are supportive, it may lead to cyclone formation.
• All these factors except for wind rotation have seemingly favoured a higher cyclone formation potential since
the 1990s.
• The rapid increase in the cyclogenesis potential over the Arabian Sea coincides with a shift in the Warm
Arctic, Cold Eurasian, or WACE, pattern.
Warm Arctic Cold Eurasian (WACE) pattern
• WACE is a pattern of warm surface temperatures over the Arctic and a large blob of cold surface temperatures
over Eurasia.
• This pattern is associated with upper air circulation changes that reach into Upper air circulation
the Indian Ocean sector. refers to streams of air that
• The warm Arctic–cold Eurasia pattern is accompanied by an anomalous flow at the higher altitudes
high pressure and anticyclonic circulation over the Eurasian continent. of the atmosphere.
• The warm, moist air mass is advected to the Arctic by the anomalous
atmospheric circulations, and the increased downward turbulent heat flux also explains sea ice melt in the
Barents and Kara seas.
• In other words, the sea ice loss in the Barents and Kara seas and the cooling of the Eurasian continent can both
be traced to anomalous atmospheric circulations.
Android Earthquake Alert System

Google India introduced its Android Earthquake Alerts System, based on smartphone accelerometer data to provide
early warning alerts to users.
• Working mechanism – Android smartphones’ accelerometers can act as mini seismometers which can
detect the beginning of a quake when the phone is plugged in and charging.
• When a phone is connected and charging, it has the capability to detect the initial tremors of an earthquake.
• When many phones pick up the tremors, the company’s server collects the data and process it to confirm the
earthquake and send alerts to other phones nearby.
• Early alerts - Internet signals travel at the speed of light, much faster than the propagation of earthquake
shaking through the ground.
• So, the alerts often reach phones several seconds before severe shaking does.
• Two Alerts
o Be Aware Alert – When users experience MMI 3 & 4 shaking with a magnitude 4.5 or greater.
o Take Action Alert – When users experience MMI 5+ shaking with a magnitude 4.5 or greater.
• Collaborative Institutions - It was launched in collaboration with the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) and the National Seismology Centre (NSC).
• Mobile Compatibility - Android 5 and above.
• Language alerts – Indian languages which are already supported by Android.
The Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) estimates the shaking intensity from an earthquake at a specific location by
considering its effects on people, objects, and buildings.
Sycamore Tree
A 300-year-old tree in England that was famous for its beauty and unique location was cut down by a teenage boy.
Sycamore
• Sycamore trees can become extremely tall as they mature reaching a height of up to 35 metres.
• They are commonly found in the UK and have leaves similar to that of a maple tree.

• Native to central, eastern and southern Europe, it can live for as long as 400 years.
• As its wood is considered strong and hard, amenable to carving, it is also used to make decoratively carved
wooden spoons in Wales.
• The ‘love spoons’ are named so as they are given as a romantic gesture.
• The Sycamore tree landmark is beside the Hadrian's Wall.
The Hadrian Wall
• The Hadrian Wall is part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage Site called the ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’
and is found in the UK and Germany.
• The Roman Empire, in its territorial extent, was one of the greatest empires histories has known.
• It was protected by a network of frontiers stretching from the Atlantic Coast in the west to the Black Sea in the
east, from central Scotland in the north to the northern fringes of the Sahara Desert in the south
16. POLITY
Cauvery Water Management Authority

• Origin - In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act,
1956, Cauvery Water Management Scheme is introduced on 1st June, 2018.
• The ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ (CWMA) is constituted under this scheme.
• Ministry - Ministry of Jalshakti.
• Composition
o Chairman (5 years or till 65 years of age whichever is earlier).
o 2 whole time members (3 years extendable upto 5 years)
o 2 part time members from centre’s side,
o 4 part time members from party states.
• Functions - The Authority shall exercise such power and shall discharge such duty as modified by the Hon’ble
Supreme Court vide Order in relation to storage, appointment, regulation and control of Cauvery river.
• It also envisages the planning, construction and maintenance of the projects will be carried out by each State or
Union territory administration through its own agencies.
• It will also prepare an annual report covering the activities of the authority for the preceding year.
Status of NCERT
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the deemed-to-be-university
status by the Ministry of Higher Education recently.
• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organization.
• Origin - It was set up in 1961 by the Government of India.
• Aim - To assist and advise the Central and State Governments Jadui Pitara is a play-based
on policies and programs for qualitative improvement in school learning-teaching material tailored by
education. NCERT for children between the age
group of 3 and 8 years and it has been
• Deemed-to-be-university Status – It is a recognition to developing educational material in all
higher education institutions that excel in specific areas of study. 22 languages with the help of software
like Anuvadini and Bhashini.
• Advantages of the status – It will now be able to award its
own graduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees.
• It also can decide their own fees structure for their courses instead of following the structure or approach given
by the Government.
• It has established a formidable presence in research, actively shaped school education, teacher training and
adult literacy.

Central Empowered Committee (CEC)

The Supreme Court recently hands over its green watchdog committee, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to
the Environment Ministry.
• Setup - It was set up in 2002, and reconstituted in 2008 by the
The current CEC is chaired by
Supreme Court.
retired IAS officer and includes
• It served as a watchdog for issues pertaining to environmental retired Forest service officers
conservation and compliance. and lawyer and naturalist.
• Recent notification - Instead of an ad hoc body, CEC should be
instituted as a permanent statutory body on environmental issues under the administrative control of the
Environmental ministry.
• The notification completely removes non-governmental members from the committee.
• In the revised structure all (chairperson, a member secretary and three expert members) will now be civil
servants appointed by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The chairperson
o A minimum of 25 years of experience in environmental, forestry, or wildlife fields or substantial
administrative expertise in government.
o Term - 3 years.
• The member secretary
o He must hold a rank not lower than deputy inspector general or director in the government and
o Possess at least 12 years of experience in environmental, forestry, or wildlife matters.
• The three expert members - One each from the environment, forest, and wildlife sectors, should have a
minimum of 20 years of expertise.
Vidya Samiksha Kendras

The Ministry of Education is pushing States to open Vidya Samiksha Kendras (VSKs) under the National Digital
Education Architecture (NDEAR) recently.
• Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) is a data repository which will have data from all schemes run by the Ministry of
Education (MoE).
• VSK control rooms will collect data to track key performance indicators as well as analyse data collated from
govt schemes ‘using AI & machine-learning’.
• The operations of VSK centres are managed by an open-source platform run on C-Qube software.
• Advisory role – By EkStep Foundation (non-profit organisation co-founded by former Chairman of Unique
Identification Authority of India, Nandan Nilekani)
• Funding - The Centre has allocated funds ranging from Rs.2 to Rs.5 crore to each State for adopting and
establishing VSK.
• Features – The repository will include regularly updated data from The 1st VSK was
o PM-POSHAN mid-day meal programmes; inaugurated in 2021 in
Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.
o Teacher training data from National Initiative for School Heads’ and
Teachers’ Holistic Advancement portal;
o Textbook content from Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA);
o School dropout and attendance-related data on Unified District Information System for
Education (UDISE+);
o Students’ learning outcomes from National Achievement Survey;
o Performance Grading Index which evaluates school education system at the State/U.T. level.
• Function- Multiple platforms at Centre, State and district levels can communicate with each other using
requests and responses to seamlessly integrate data at all levels on the platforms.
• This is in line with the National Education Policy, 2020 talking about developing operational standards
for making data open source.

Operation Polo
Operation Polo, the military action launched by the Indian Army on September 13, 1948 commemorated 75th
anniversary recently.
Background
• Sardar Vallabai Patel the then States department secretary in 1947, approached the princely states to accede to
the Indian Union in 3 subjects, namely foreign relations, defense and communications.
• All states except Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Junagarh had signed an ‘instrument of accession’ with
the Indian government.
Hyderabad’s stand
• The Nizam of Hyderabad state, Mir Osman Ali Shah, had the intention Instrument of accession is an
of keeping his state as an independent entity and did not join India or agreement by which the ruler
Pakistan after Independence. of the princely states agreed to
the accession of his kingdom
• The Nizam signed a standstill agreement with India in November 1947. to independent India.
• This means that status quo should be maintained between Indian
dominion and Hyderabad.
• The agreement was signed for a period of 1-year, Indian government could not exercise any authority over
Hyderabad.
Operation Polo
• Operation Polo was the code name for the police action against the Princely State of Hyderabad in September
1948 by the newly Independent republic of India.
• The landlocked state had a majority Hindu population with the state administration almost entirely run by its
Muslim rulers.
• The Nizam’s administration in Hyderabad had taken advantage of the standstill agreement & it increased the
number of its irregular force called Razakars.
• The Indian Army marched into Hyderabad following the outbreak of hostilities, overwhelming the Hyderabadi
military and annexed Hyderabad into the Indian Union.
• The Nizam of Hyderabad and Razakars surrendered to the Indian army in September 13, 1948.
• Thus, the princely state of Hyderabad was attached to the Indian dominion.
Munshi-Ayyangar formula
September 14 is observed as Hindi Diwas, or Hindi Day, to commemorate the Constituent Assembly of India making
Hindi the official language of the Union government.
The Munshi-Ayyangar formula
• The Munshi-Ayyangar formula is named after Drafting Committee members K M Munshi and N Gopalaswamy
Ayyangar.
• The Munshi-Ayyangar Formula was proposed in 1950, which recommended Hindi in Devanagari Script to be
the Official Language in India along with English for a period of 15 years.
• This formula faced opposition from non-Hindi speaking states, who demanded the use of their respective
regional languages.
• As part of the Munshi-Ayyangar formula, Article 343 of the Constitution was adopted in 1950.
Article 343
• The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. English, alongside Hindi, is one
of the two official languages of
• The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union the central government, but it is
shall be the international form of Indian numerals. not among the 22 languages in
• For a period of 15 years from the commencement of this Constitution, the 8th Schedule.
the English language shall continue to be used for all the official
purposes of the Union.
• When the 15-year period came to an end, protests broke out over the fear of imposition of Hindi in large parts
of non-Hindi-speaking India, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

The outcome
• The resistance resulted in the Centre passing the Official Languages Act, which stated that English would
continue to be upheld as an official language along with Hindi.
• Hence there is no national language for India.
National Medical Commission (NMC)

National Medical Commission achieved prestigious WFME Recognition Status for 10 Years.
• It is India's premier regulatory body overseeing medical education and practice.
• It has been constituted by an act of Parliament known as National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
• Status - The National Medical Commission (NMC), India achieves the status of World Federation for Medical
Education (WFME) Recognition for a tenure of 10 years.
• Recognized Entities - As part of this recognition, all the existing medical colleges and the new medical
colleges in India will become WFME accredited.
• Significance - The recognition will further enhance the quality and standards of medical education in India by
aligning them with the global best practices and benchmarks.
• Eligibility - It enables Indian medical graduates to pursue postgraduate training and practice in other
countries that require WFME recognition.
• With NMC being WFME accredited all the Indian students become eligible to apply for Education Commission
on Foreign Medical Education and United States Medical Licensing Examination.
World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)
• It is a global organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of medical education worldwide.
• WFME's accreditation program plays a pivotal role in ensuring that medical institutes meet and uphold the
highest international standards of education and training.
Extension of AFSPA
Recently, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) was extended for another 6 months in parts of Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.
• Aim - Enacted in 1958 to grant History of AFSPA
certain special powers to the
members of the armed forces in • The Act in its original form was promulgated by the British in
disturbed areas. response to the Quit India movement in 1942.
• Powers –To the army and the • After Independence, India notified it as an Act in 1958.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
• AFSPA for NE was initially implemented in Assam & Manipur.
o to kill anyone acting in
contravention of the law; • After amendment in 1972, it was also implemented in Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
o to arrest people and search
of any premises without a • Punjab was the first state from where it was repealed, followed by
warrant; Tripura and Meghalaya in 2015 and 2018 respectively.
o to prohibit a gathering of • It still remains in force in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, J&K, and
five or more persons in an Arunachal Pradesh.
area • However, the Ladakh region, which is now a separate Union
• Notification - Under Section 3 of territory and Mizoram has never been kept under AFSPA.
the AFSPA, Central Government, or
the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or
Union Territory as a disturbed area.
• Disturbed Area – An area that are disturbed or in dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of
the civil power is necessary.
• An area can be disturbed due to differences or disputes between members of different religious, racial, language
or regional groups or castes or communities.
• State Governments - The Ministry of Home Affairs would usually enforce this Act but there have been
exceptions where the Centre decided to forego its power and leave the decision to the State governments.

17. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS & SCHEMES
Project TAMARA
Technology Development Board (TDB) of Ministry of Science & Technology supports the Waterbody Management
Project "TAMARA" with 89 Lakhs out of 150 lakhs.
• Project Title - Development and Commercialization of Intelligent Water Body Management System (IWMS)-
TAMARA.
• It is a smart aeration system enhanced with sensors and IoT-based technology to manage water quality.
• This modern approach not only improves existing methods of treating water and wastewater but also ensures
that water bodies and aquaculture ponds stay clean and healthy for everyone.
• Agency - M/s Bariflo Labs Private Limited, Odisha.
• This project is in line with other successful initiatives of the Govt. like Namami Gange and Jal Shakti Abhiyan
that focus on revitalizing and protecting India's waterbodies.
AMRUT 2.0 mission
• It is a step towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat with aim of making the cities 'water secure' and providing functional
water tap connections to all households.
• This Mission will be run as people’s program i.e. Jan Aandolan.
• Mission also targets to provide 100% sewage/ septage management in 500 AMRUT cities.
• The Mission will co-opt women and youth for concurrent feedbacks about its progress to ensure community
participation
• Mission will be paperless and monitored on a robust technology-based monitoring & evaluation platform.
GRIHA Norms
The Indian Army’s new Thal Sena Bhawan (TSB), coming up with GRIHA-IV (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat
Assessment) norms.
• Acronym - Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. GRIHA is a Sanskrit word meaning – ‘Abode’.
• GRIHA is a national rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over
its entire life cycle.
• Aim - To minimize a building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological impact to within
certain nationally acceptable limits / benchmarks.
• Developed by - TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute)
• This tool has been adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• Stages for Evaluation
o Pre-construction stage
o Building planning and construction stages
o Building operation and maintenance stage
• Criteria - GRIHA assesses a building out of 34 criteria and awards points on a scale of 100. In order to qualify
for GRIHA certification, a project must achieve at least 50 points. Certain criteria / sub-criteria
are mandatory .
• Project scoring - 50-60 points is certified is a 1 star GRIHA rated building while 91-100 is a 5 star GRIHA
rated building
• The guidelines/criteria and appraisal norms is revised every 3 years or sooner.
• SVA GRIHA (Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA) has been developed by ADaRSH in collaboration with TERI
and is currently under pilot stage to simplify, and make the greening of small buildings (less than 2500 sqm
built-up area) affordable.

Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA)

The National eGovernance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Education, is set to integrate Personalised Adaptive Learning
(PAL) into its existing Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform.
• It comes under Ministry of Education.
• DIKSHA is a static content repository that provides e-content for schools via an online portal and a mobile
application.
• It also has embedded assistive technologies for learners with visual or hearing impairments.
• DIKSHA features digitised National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks used
national and State Boards.
Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL)
• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has sought the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology’s expertise in facilitating PAL for DIKSHA.
• Example – If a student of Class 9 is learning the Pythagoras theorem and makes a calculation mistake, the AI
learning system flags it and loops the student back to a basic video of how to make the calculation.
Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana

PM-DAKSH Yojana empowers millions from India's marginalized communities.
• Aim - To enhance competency level of the target groups to make them employable both in self- employment
and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
• Agency - Central Sector Scheme
• Launched by - Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• Implemented by - Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
• Launch - 2020-21
• Target Groups - SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs Safai Karamcharis including waste pickers etc.
• Age criterion - 18-45 years.
• Income criteria
o No income limit for SCs, SafaiKaramcharis Including wastepicker and DNT.
o The annual family income should be below Rs.3 lakh for OBCs and
o Annual family income should be below Rs.1 lakh for EBCs (Economically Backward Classes).
• The cost of training is as per common norms issued by Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and
it varies as per duration of the course.
‘Mera Bill, Mera Adhikar’ scheme

Mera Bill, Mera Adhikar’, was launched recently in Gurugram by Haryana deputy chief minister along with union
revenue secretary.
• Mera Bill, Mera Adhikar is an invoice promotion scheme.
• Aim - To encourage the culture of customers asking for bills for all purchases.
• Introduced by - Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
• Pilot project in – Assam, Gujarat and Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
• A few invoices would be identified by a draw of lots, for cash rewards, ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 crore,
through monthly and quarterly draws.
Malaviya Mission
Union Minister for Education has recently launched the Malaviya Mission in New Delhi.
• Malaviya Mission - It envisages Capacity-building training for the faculty and staff across higher
educational institutions, in the light of NEP 2020, within 2 years through multiple training centers.

• It aims to provide tailored training programme for teachers and to improve the quality of teachers’ training,
build leadership skills in teachers and help realize the goals of NEP.
• The Mission restructures the existing Scheme of capacity building of teachers in Higher Education such as
UGC-HRDCs and PMMMNMTT centers.
• UGC-HRDC - The University Grants Commission's (UGC) Human Resource Development Centres (HRDCs)
cater to the teachers working in India’s non-technical Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
• Under the Malaviya Mission, the HRDCs will now be known as Madan Mohan Malaviya Teachers' Training
Centres.
• PMMMNMTT - Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT)
is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2014.
SC's recent stand against corruption
The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that its 2014 verdict, which had struck down a provision of the Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act, which provided immunity from arrest for officers, will have retrospective operation.
Background of the issue
• The SC declared that the provision under Section 6A The 2014 verdict
of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act
(DSPE), is void from its inception. • The SC had declared Section 6A(1) of the Act
invalid.
• CBI no longer needs to seek prior permission from
the government to investigate or prosecute cases • The section required the approval of the Centre to
filed before 2014, the date when the provision was conduct any inquiry or investigation into any
declared unconstitutional by the SC. offense alleged to have been committed under the
Prevention of Corruption Act.
• The central issue before the top court now was
whether the 2014 verdict in the Subramanian • Such an allegation relates to employees of the
Swamy case would have a retrospective effect. central government at the level of joint secretary
and above.
• This verdict is likely to have a significant impact on
corruption and other criminal cases initiated against government servants between 2003 and 2018. This was
the period when the provision of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act came into force.
Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act
• Police Establishment shall not conduct any inquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed
under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
• However, this can be done except with the previous approval of Central Government where such allegation relates to
1. The employees of the Central Government of the level of Joint Secretary and above
2. Such officers as are appointed by Central Government in corporations established by or under any Central Act
3. Government companies, societies and local authorities owned or controlled by that Government
Ayushman Bhav Campaign

Recently the President of India virtually launched the Ayushman Bhav campaign & Ayushman Bhava portal in
Gandhinagar.
• Aim - To deliver healthcare services to the last mile and consolidate access and affordability for underserved
populations, a leap towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and ensuring healthcare for all.
• Ministry - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Components of Ayushman Bhav - Ayushman - Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness
Centres (HWCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs), Ayushman Sabhas.
1. Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0 – To provide Ayushman cards to remaining eligible beneficiaries
enrolled under the PM-JAY scheme.
2. Ayushman Melas at HWCs and CHCs – It will facilitate the creation of ABHA IDs (Health IDs)
and issuance of Ayushman Bharat Cards.

3. Ayushman Sabhas - These gatherings in every village and Panchayat play a vital role in distributing
Ayushman cards, generating ABHA IDs, raising awareness about vital health schemes.
• It also discusses disease conditions, such as non-communicable diseases, tuberculosis (Nikshay Mitra), sickle
cell disease, as well as blood donation and organ donation drives.
• This campaign is aligned with the vision of creating 'Healthy Villages' and 'Healthy Gram Panchayats,' laying
the foundation for achieving Universal Health Coverage in the country.
• Panchayats that successfully saturate the health schemes will earn the prestigious title of 'Ayushman Gram
Panchayat' or 'Ayushman Urban Ward,'.
• The campaign, will be implemented during the 'Seva Pakhwada' initiative which strives to ensure that every
individual receives essential health services and assisting government to attain the SDGs.
National Judicial Data Grid platform

Supreme Court to soon come under National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) platform.
• About - It is an online repository of data related to the backlog of cases and the pace at which courts at various
levels, from taluka to the national level, process and resolve these cases.
• It is established as part of the “eCourts Project” in 2020.

Elastic search is a distributed search
• Developed by - National Informatics Centre (NIC) and in house and analytics engine built on Apache
team of Supreme Court. Lucene, which is commonly used for
log analytics, full-text search, security
• Ministry - It gets its data from Ministry of law and justice. intelligence, business analytics, and
operational intelligence use cases.
• Updation - Until now, the platform has been collecting data only
up to the level of high courts, and now the top court will be uploading cases to the platform in real-time.
• Technology - The platform allows litigants to access case status information for a vast number of cases by
utilising elastic search technology.
• NJDG provides case data for both civil and criminal cases. World Bank praised the National
Judicial Data Grid in the Ease of
• Functions - Operates as a monitoring tool with the primary Doing Business report for 2018, that
functions of identifying, managing, and reducing case backlog. it made possible to generate case
• In the context of land disputes, NJDG has integrated Land Records management reports, thereby
data from 26 States to track related cases. making it easier to enforce contracts.
Arogya Manthan 2023

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is organising Arogya Manthan to celebrate 5 years of Ayushman Bharat
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and 2 years of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• Aim - To have insightful discussions and deliberations on challenges, trends, and best practices related to the
PM JAY and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• Hosted by - National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• Both the flagship healthcare schemes aim to provide accessible, available, affordable and scalable healthcare to
achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in India.
National Health Authority (NHA)
• It is the apex body responsible for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• It has been entrusted with the role of designing strategy, building technological infrastructure and
implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to create a National Digital Health Eco-system.
• National Health Authority is the successor of the National Health Agency.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)
Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
• Aim – It is a progression towards promotive, • Launched - 2021.

preventive, curative, palliative and
rehabilitative aspects of Universal Healthcare. • Aim - To develop the backbone necessary to support the
integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme having • It will bridge the existing gap amongst different
central sector component under Ayushman stakeholders of Healthcare ecosystem through digital
Bharat Mission. highways.
• Ministry - Ministry of Health and Family • The ABDM aims to provide Unique Digital Health IDs
Welfare (MoHFW). It was launched to achieve (UHID) for all Indian citizens to help hospitals, insurance
the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). firms, and citizens access health records electronically
when required.
• It consists of two components
• National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of
1. Health and wellness Centres and
Health and Family Welfare will be the implementing
2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana Agency.
(PM-JAY)
The Draft Patents (Amendment), Rules, 2023

The draft patent amendment rules were released recently.
• Released by - Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade for stakeholder.
• Fee - The rules have introduced a variable fee for filing pre-grant oppositions.
• Pre-grant opposition is an important public health safeguard against patent ever greening and unmerited
monopolies.
• Powers - Any person can file a pre-grant opposition but the
maintainability of the petitioners will not be automatic and will be Patent ever greening -
determined by the Controller. Continuing extension of patent
rights, by obtaining many
• Time limit - The applicant is required to keep the Controller informed patents for the same item.
for the patent filed in any country apart from India, is reduced from 6
months to 2 months from the date of issuance.
• If the Controller sought information regarding any objection for novelty or patentability the same has to be
furnished by the applicant within 6 months.
The Patents Rules, 2003 The Patents Act, 1970
• They came into force on the date on which the Patents (Amendment) Act, • This act is for patenting system in
2002 comes into force. India came into force in the year
1972.
• Features - No patent shall be granted before the expiry of a period of 6
months from the date of publication of the application. • It replaced the Indian Patents and
Designs Act 1911.
• The Controller shall consider such representation only when a request
for examination of the application has been filed.
e - Cabinet System
Tripura has launched an e-cabinet system to promote digital infrastructure development and digitisation of
government services and information.
• E - Cabinet - A software portal for state governments to conduct Cabinet meetings electronically.
• Developed by - National Information Centre (NIC), Ministry of
Electronics & IT (MeitY). Tripura has become the 4th state
• Unique Features- - and 2nd in the Northeast - after
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
o Automate work flow activities before, during and after and Arunachal Pradesh, to have
Meetings. introduced an e-cabinet system.
o Enhanced level of Security, with Push & Pull features.
o Build institutional memory & knowledge repository, enabling quick search & retrieval.
Compulsory Retirement
Recently, the IAS officer who got transferred for allegedly misusing the facilities at the stadium in Delhi, now
compulsorily retired by Government.

• Fundamental Rules – Union Government has the power to retire any government officials prematurely on
the ground of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness and in public interest.
• Power to retire – The power has been conferred under Fundamental Rules 56(j) and rule 48 of Central Civil
Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972.
• FR 56 (j) – Appropriate authority have absolute right to retire any government servant by giving him notice of
not less than 3 months in writing or 3 months’ pay and allowances in lieu of such notice.
• Rule 48 – Retirement on completion of 30 years qualifying service either voluntarily or by an order of
appropriate authority.
• Issuing authority – By Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT), as it is the cadre controlling
authority for IAS officers in general.
• However, the power to retire is vested with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for officers from the Arunachal
Pradesh, Goa, and Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre.
• Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972 – It was 1st drafted in 1972 and have been amended 47
times.
• It regulates the pension and gratuity of the employees retiring from Central Government Departments.
18. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

Italy was planning to leave China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as it believes that BRI is more beneficial for China
and wants to maintain a balanced international relationships with U.S. and China
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
• Also known as the New Silk Road, BRI is the infrastructure and connectivity project both by land and sea.
• The two-pronged plan includes
o The overland Silk Road Economic Belt Italy is the only G7
country to sign up
o Maritime Silk Road for the BRI.
• The two were collectively referred as the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative but
eventually became the Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI).
• Announced in 2013.
• Aim - To connect China with Europe by land and
rail, and to Africa and Asia by sea.
• The project has expanded to Africa, Oceania, and
Latin America, significantly broadening China’s
economic and political influence.
• Under the initiative, China has built or financed
bridges, roads, ports, and even laid down digital
connectivity networks in partner countries.
• Membership - Currently 147 countries
• BRI will eventually encompass 100 countries representing 70% of the world’s population, 55% of GDP and 24%
of global trade.
• Other alternatives - European Union and United States have their own development schemes known as
"Globally Connected Europe" and "Build Back Better".
• India’s Stand - India does not support the BRI as it passes through Indian territory illegally held by Pakistan.
Beijing convention on the judicial sale of ships

15 countries join UN convention to promote legal certainty in judicial sale of ships.
• Developed by - The Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships, as it is now known, was developed by the
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

• Aim - It addresses the problem of new owners and those financing the purchase of vessels who, for instance,
find themselves dealing with previous creditors laying claim to the ship as security for a loan.
• The UN General Assembly has called on all states wishing to
strengthen the international legal framework for shipping and UNCITRAL is a subsidiary body
navigation to consider becoming a party to the convention. of the U.N. General Assembly
• IMO - The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) was responsible for helping to
supporting the establishment of the convention by acting as the facilitate international trade
repository for these notices and certificates of judicial sale. and investment.
• GISIS - Information on pending and completed judicial sales of ships

will be accessible online on IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) platform.
• Article 21 - Article 21 of the convention provides that it will enter into force 180 days after the date of deposit
of the third instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
• As of now, 15 States signed the Convention recently.
15 countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Switzerland, signed the UN Convention on the
International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships and the convention is not signed by India yet.
Transnational Grid Interconnections under OSOWOG

As part of One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Singapore are in
advanced stages of creating a mega grid infrastructure.
One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)
• Objective – This mega grid infrastructure enables trade in renewable energy from South East Asia to Europe
via Middle East.
• Background – The initiative was put
forth at 1st assembly of International Solar
Alliance (ISA) in 2018 by Indian Prime
Minister.
• Launched by – Prime Minister of India
and UK at COP26 Climate Meet
in Glasgow.
• Implementation - OSOWOG is divided
into 3 main phases.
o 1st Phase - The Indian grid would
be connected to the grids of Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia to develop a common grid.
o 2nd phase – It would connect the functional first phase to the pool of renewable resources in Africa.
o 3rd phase – It would look at achieving true global interconnection and integrate as many countries as
possible to create a single power grid of renewable energy.
Greenwashing
The European Union (EU) finalised a new draft rule banning advertisements that mislead customers with false
sustainability promises.
• Greenwashing refers to a range of activities that companies or even countries indulge in to present misleading
or dubious claims about their climate action.
• Also known as, green sheen, greenwashing is an attempt to capitalize on the growing demand for
environmentally sound products.
• It helps in boosting the image of the entity and help them garner benefits for things they do nothing against
climate change.
Greenwashing in EU
• The EU finalised a new draft rule banning advertisements that mislead customers with false sustainability
promises and will be rolled out in 2026.
• In order to ensure consumers obtain trustworthy and verifiable information for making sustainable decisions,
a mandate was issued in 2019 as part of the EU Green Deal.

The Green Deal

• It is a set of legislative proposals that attempts to put the EU on a green transitional path with the objective of
achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
• The new regulations contribute towards the EU’s larger goals to attain net zero emissions by 2050.
Liptako-Gourma Charter
The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Quick Facts
Niger has recently signed a mutual defence pact,
Liptako-Gourma Charter in Mali's capital Bamako.
• G5 SAHEL Alliance - Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger
• AES - The Charter established the Alliance of were the members of the G5 Sahel alliance, supported
Sahel States (AES). by France, with Chad and Mauritania.
• Aim - To establish an architecture of collective • It was launched in 2017 to tackle armed groups linked
defence and mutual assistance. to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) groups.
• Binding - The charter binds the signatories to • MINUSMA - United Nations Multidimensional
assist one another — including militarily — in the Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
event of an attack on any one of them. was instituted in 2013 by the UNSC Resolution 2100
to perform security-related tasks and support political
• It also binds the 3 countries to work to prevent or processes in Mali.
settle armed rebellions.
• ECOWAS - The Economic Community of West
Liptako-Gourma Region African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of 15
• The region is the meeting point of the borders of countries founded in 1975 through Lagos Treaty.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Climate Ambition Summit (CAS) 2023

China, U.S. and India absent at U.N.’s Climate Ambition Summit that was held in New York, as part of the United
Nations General Assembly.
• The summit took place to display leaders who are movers and doers China, United States and India
and have credible actions, policies and plans to keep the 1.5°C degree collectively account for about
goal of the Paris Agreement alive. 42% of Global Green House Gas
• Venue – UN Headquarters, New York. (GGHG) emissions and are the
top three emitters of GGHG.
• 3 tracks - Ambition, Credibility and Implementation.
• Credibility - Leaders of businesses, cities, regions and financial institutions are expected to present transition
plans aligned with the UN-backed Integrity Matters report.
• Implementation – All entities come together by addressing challenges and opportunities related to
accelerating the decarburization of high-emitting sectors or delivering climate justice.
World Coffee Conference (WCC 2023)

The fifth edition of the World Coffee Conference to be held in Bengaluru.
• WCC is a property of the London-based International Coffee Organization (ICO), a body set up in 1963 under
the auspices of the United Nations to boost the economic importance of coffee globally.
• The earlier editions of WCC were held in London (2001), Brazil (2005), Guatemala (2010), and Ethiopia (2016).
5th WCC
India, the 7th largest producer
• It is the first time India is hosting the conference. of coffee, is the 5th largest
exporter with its main
• Aim - To significantly increase India’s access and acceptance in the global destinations being European
coffee markets. countries such as Italy and
• Organized by - The Coffee Board, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Germany and also Russia.
and International Coffee Organization.
• Theme of the Conference - Sustainability through circular economy and regenerative agriculture.
• Brand ambassador - Coffee Board inducted tennis player, Arjuna awardee, and coffee planter Rohan
Bopanna.

• The event will feature engaging sessions, coffee tastings, competitions, panel discussions, and an exhibition
showcasing cutting-edge coffee products and services.
• Significance of Bengaluru – It is the coffee capital of India State, solely accounting for over 70% of the
country’s total coffee production.
The Coffee Board of India
• It is an organisation managed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India to promote
coffee production in India.
• Headquarters – Bengaluru.
International Coffee Organization (IOC)
• ICO is the main intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing
Governments to tackle the challenges in the coffee sector.
• Members - Its Member Governments represent 98% of world coffee production and 67% of world
consumption and India is one among them.
India-UN Capacity Building Initiative

India and UN Join Forces to Empower Global South with Capacity Building Initiative.
• Event - The announcement of this initiative took place during a special event titled India-UN for the Global
South-Delivering for Development.
• Aim - To share India’s development experiences, best practices The Global South comprises countries in
and expertise with partner countries in the ‘Global South’ the regions of Africa, Latin America and
through capacity building and training programs. the Caribbean, Asia (excluding Israel,
Japan, and South Korea), and Oceania
• It complements the India-UN partnership through the India- (excluding Australia and New Zealand).
UN Development Partnership Fund.
• This initiative will witness a collaboration between the UN India team and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
leveraging India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation platform.
Global Security Initiative (GSI)

Nepal rejected calls from China to join Global Security Initiative (GSI).
• It is a China-led framework to restore stability and security in Asia and to counter-narrative to U.S. leadership.
• Aim - To eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, encourage
joint international efforts and promote durable peace and development in the world.
• Major Pillars– Mutual respect, Openness and inclusion, Multilateralism, Mutual benefit, Holistic approach.
• Principles
1. Stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, The Global Development Initiative,
cooperative and sustainable security. Global Security Initiative and
2. Stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial Global Civilization Initiative (GCI)
integrity of all countries. are 3 key new initiatives of China’s
foreign policy.
3. Stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the
UN Charter.
4. Stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously.
5. Stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and
consultation.
6. Stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains.
China - Nepal Ties
• The flagship cross-border railway from Lhasa to Kathmandu which was once dismissed is now agreed
between the two countries to strengthen connectivity.
• Both countries agreed to build the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.
• They welcomed the opening of the Lizi-Nechung port and the reopening of the Zhangmu-Khasa port.

Investor-State-Dispute Settlement (ISDS)

The recently concluded G-20 Declaration, among its many commitments, reiterated the need to pursue reform of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) to improve all its functions and conduct proactive discussions.
WTO Dispute Settlement system
• WTO’s dispute settlement system (DSS) is a two-tiered system where the appellate body is the second tier.
• The appellate body hears appeals from WTO panels.
• The appellate body, from 1995-2019, has upheld the international rule of law by holding powerful countries
accountable for international law breaches.
• Other areas of international law witnessing the formative stages for an appellate process is:
1. International investment law through investor-state-dispute settlement (ISDS).
2. A ubiquitous component of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs).
Investor-State-Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
• The ISDS mechanism permits companies to drag governments to international arbitration without exhausting
the local remedies.
• It allows them to claim huge amounts as compensation citing losses they suffered.
• The contentious ISDS mechanism already has been incorporated by investment pact by the EU and Canada.
• The ISDS today is the principal means to settle international investment law disputes.
• India has had a chequered history with ISDS, with 5 adverse awards: 4 in favour, and several pending claims.
• BITs - A bilateral investment treaty (BIT) is an agreement between two countries regarding promotion and
protection of investments made by investors from respective countries in each other's territory.
19. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Gujarat Declaration
World Health Organization (WHO) has recently released the outcome document of first WHO Traditional Medicine
Global Summit 2023 in form of “Gujarat Declaration”.
Traditional Medicine summit
• Organized by - World Health Organization (WHO).
• Co-hosted by - Ministry of AYUSH.
• Venue - Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• India is the host of WHO-GCTM (Global Centre for Traditional Medicine) as India holds the presidency of the
G20 in 2023.
Gujarat declaration
• Aim - It reaffirms global commitment and harness potential of traditional medicine to achieve health and well-
being for all.
• Gujarat declaration talks about scaling up efforts to further implement:
o Evidence-based TCIM (Traditional complimentary integrative medicine) interventions,
o Approaches in support of the goal of universal health coverage (UHC) and
o All health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Horizon Europe
Britain recently said it would rejoin the European Union's Horizon science research program and its Copernicus earth
observation program, but not the Euratom nuclear research initiative.
• UK researchers had been frozen out of the scheme by the EU for 2 years, amid disagreements over Brexit.
• Horizon is the European Union's key funding programme for scientific research and innovation with a budget
of 95.5 billion euros ($102.3 billion).

• This programme is a successor to the Horizon 2020 program (2014-2020).

• Aim - It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s
competitiveness and growth.
• Duration - It is a 7-year programme runs until 2027.
• It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness
and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.
• Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.
Programs Purpose
• It is previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security).

• It is the Earth observation component of the EU'S Space programme.
Copernicus
• It gathers data from satellites and other measurement systems to examine the changing climate,
shifts in land use, information on oceans and atmospheric conditions such as air quality.
• It is a complementary funding programme to Horizon Europe covering nuclear research and

Euratom
innovation, using the same instruments and participation rules.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Small island nations seek protection from ocean pollution, climate change and appeal to the United Nations maritime
tribunal recently.
• Established by - It is an independent judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• Aim - To look after and resolve the disputes arising among the nations on the following matters.
• Subject matters - Delimitation of maritime zones, navigation, conservation and management of the living
resources of the sea, protection and preservation of the marine environment and marine scientific research.
• Members - This tribunal consists of 21 independent members elected by secret ballot by the state parties to
the convention.
• They are elected from among the members who have immense knowledge and ability to resolve matters related
to the law of the sea.
• Jurisdiction - The tribunal has jurisdiction over any dispute that requires concern over or interpretation of
any rule laid down by the UNCLOS. Its function is to work in sync with the Convention.
• The tribunal has power over the states and international organisations that are already members of the
convention. It also has a hold over the parties who are not its members, like inter-governmental organisations
and private entities.
International Organization of Legal Metrology

India can now issue the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) Certificates.
• It is an Intergovernmental organization established in 1955. It
1. Develops model regulations, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities
and industry.
2. Provides mutual recognition systems which reduce trade barriers and costs in a global market.
3. Promotes and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and competencies within the legal metrology
community worldwide,
4. Cooperates with other metrology bodies to raise awareness of the contribution that a sound legal
metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy.
• Headquarters – Paris, France.
• It is international standard-setting body in the sense of the World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to
Trade (TBT) Agreement.
• Members - It has 63 Member States and 64 Corresponding Members. India became the member in 1956.

India and the OIML

• The OIML-Certificate System is a system for issuing, registering and using
OIML certificates, and their associated OIML type evaluation/test reports. To sell a weight or measure
in the International market
• India joins as 13th authority for issuing OIML certificate for selling weights & an OIML Pattern Approval
measures anywhere in the world and Department of Consumer Affairs can certificate is mandatory.
issue the certificate now.
London’s India Club

London’s India Club, a rest stop for Indians in the United Kingdom during the Indian independence movement, is set
to close down permanently after decades of operations.
• The club is located in the Strand Continental Hotel in London. India League is a British organization
that started out as an advocate for
• It was started in 1951 by the India League. Indian independence and self-rule
and included members of the elite
• The India Club became a base for groups like the league, which were
in British society.
serving the Asian community.
• The Indian Journalist Association, Indian Workers Association and Indian Socialist Group of Britain were some
of the groups that used the India Club for their events and activities.
• The building was also a base for the new wings of the India League which ran a free legal advice bureau and a
research and study unit.
Five Eyes
Hardeep Nijjar killing: US envoy confirms Canada got ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence against India.
• It refers to an intelligence-sharing alliance of United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New
Zealand.
• Working - The Five Eyes members use communications SIGINT is intelligence derived from electronic
methods, including signals intelligence (SIGINT), to signals and systems used by foreign targets,
monitor the citizens of other member countries. such as communications systems, radars, and
weapons systems that provides a vital window
• In 2016, the Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review for our nation into foreign adversaries'
Council came into being. capabilities, actions, and intentions.
• Recent issue – The intelligence shared among Five Eyes
partners had prompted Canadian Prime Minister’s allegations against India.
20. ECONOMY
One-Hour Trade Settlement System

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to implement one-hour settlement of trades system.
• The current cycle of T+1 means trade-related settlements happen within 24 hours of the actual transactions.
Trade Settlement One-hour trade settlement

system
• Settlement is a two-way process which involves the transfer of funds and • Under the current T+1 settlement
securities on the settlement date. cycle, if an investor sells securities,
the money gets credited into the
• A trade settlement is said to be complete once purchased securities of a person’s account the next day.
listed company are delivered to the buyer and the seller gets the money.
• In one-hour settlement, if an
• The current cycle of T+1 means trade-related settlements happen within investor sells a share, the money
a day, or 24 hours of the actual transactions. will be credited to their account in
• The migration to the T+1 cycle came into effect in January this year. an hour, and the buyer will get the
shares in their demat account
• India became the second country in the world to start the T+1 within an hour.
settlement cycle in top-listed securities after China.

BRSR Framework
IICA and UNICEF jointly organize workshop to provide a comprehensive understanding of the BRSR framework.
• BRSR - Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting.
• Launched by- SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) in 2021.
• Predecessor – Business Responsibility Report (BRR), launched in 2012
• Aim - To encourage listed companies to adopt sustainable business practices and disclose information related
to their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
• Features – It mandates the top 1,000 listed entities (by market capitalisation) to file BRSR as part of the
Annual Report with SEBI.
• Principle - These listed entities report on their performance against the 9 principles as per ‘National
Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct’ (NGBRCs).
VGF Scheme for BESS

The Union Cabinet approves the Scheme for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for development of Battery Energy Storage
Systems (BESS).
• Mission - The scheme envisages development of 4,000 MWh of BESS projects by 2030-31.
• BESS – These are devices that enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then
released when the power is needed most.
• Financial support - Up to 40% of the capital cost will be supported in the form of Viability Gap Funding.
• The entire viability gap funding (VGF) of 3,760 crore will be borne by the Central Government.
• The VGF shall be disbursed in 5 tranches linked with the various stages of implementation of BESS projects.
• Aim - To bring down the cost of battery storage systems increasing their viability to provide clean, reliable,
and affordable electricity to the consumers and distribution companies.
• To ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the consumers, a
minimum of 85% of the BESS project capacity will be made The solar energy has increased from
available to Distribution Companies (Discoms). 2.6 GW in 2014 to 71 GW at present
while wind energy has increased
• The scheme is in sync with India's ambition to meet its 50% of from 21 GW (in 2014) to 40 GW.
energy requirements through renewable energy and non-fossil
energy sources by 2030 and also help reduce carbon emission.
Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)

The investments of SWFs in India have seen a steady rise over the past few years.
• It is a state-owned investment fund comprised of money generated by the government, often derived from a
country's surplus reserves.
• An SWF is used to invest in capital assets such as real estate, metals, stocks, and bonds.
• SWFs also invest in alternative investments such as
private equity funds and hedge funds.
• The main objective of the SWFs is to allocate funds for
the betterment of the country’s economy.
• India’s 1st SWF - National Infrastructure and
Investment Fund (NIIF)
• Funding Sources
o Balance of payments surpluses
o Official foreign currency operations
o The proceeds of privatizations
o Governmental transfer payments
o Fiscal surpluses
o Receipts resulting from resource exports

• The Singapore government was the largest SWF followed by Norway’s Norges and Kuwait Investment Authority.
• India has also overtaken China as the most attractive emerging market for investing in emerging market debt.
• Since 2020, SWFs have been granted tax exemptions under Indian tax laws when they invest in specified
infrastructure companies directly.
Willful Defaulters
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed that lenders should classify a borrower as a wilful defaulter within 6
months of their account being declared a non-performing asset (NPA).
• A willful defaulter is an entity or a person that has not paid the loan back despite the ability to repay it.
• A fraudster is one who intentionally cheats the bank with false information and misappropriates the money.
• As per the RBI regulations, willful default covers several broad areas:
1. Deliberate non-payment of the dues despite adequate cash flow and good net worth,
2. Tapping off of funds to the detriment of the defaulting unit,
3. Assets and proceeds have been misutilised;
4. Misrepresentation / falsification of records;
5. Disposal / removal of securities without bank’s knowledge;
6. Fraudulent transactions by the borrower.
• The amount of wilful default must be of at least Rs. 25 lakhs as per the Central Vigilance Commission.
• Restrictions for wilful defaulters -
1. Barred from participating in the capital market.
2. Barred from availing of banking facilities for 5 years to start a new venture.
3. Lenders are free to initiate the process of recovery with full ferocity and ay initiate criminal proceedings.
4. Lending institutions do not allow any wilful defaulter to become a board member of any company.
5. Barred from making an open offer.
The recent changes of RBI
• Applicable to – RBI expands the scope for regulated entities which can classify borrowers as wilful defaulters.
• These include, banks, Non-banking financial companies and all-India financial institutions and the National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Time Limit - RBI said lenders need to complete classifying and declaring a borrower as a wilful defaulter
within 6 months of the loan being classified as non-performing.
• NPA - Banks classify loans as bad or non-performing when repayments are delayed for over 90 days.
• Committee - The evidence of wilful default needs to be examined by an Identification Committee, to be set up
by lenders.
• Limitations - The RBI also proposed that no additional credit facility be granted to a wilful defaulter or any
entity by any lender with which a wilful defaulter is associated.
• The additional credit facility should be barred up to a year after the name of wilful defaulter has been removed
from the List of Wilful Defaulters (LWD) by the lender.
• Settlement - The borrower has to settle the full amount if the lender has entered into a compromise
settlement and the account included in LWD will be removed from the list.
• The lender should complete the investigation from a wilful default angle in every case before transferring the
credit facility to other lenders or asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).
Change in Angel Tax Rules

The government has eased some of the provisions of the angel tax introduced in this year’s Budget by non-resident
investors.
• Angel taxes are taxes funds raised by startups if they exceed the fair market value of the company.
• It is a 30% tax that is levied on the funding received by startups from an external investor.

• Section 56(2) VII B of the Income Tax Act colloquially known as the angel tax was first introduced in 2012.
• Aim - To discourage laundering of unaccounted money via unlisted firms disguised as capital investments.
• The tax covers investment in any private business entity and startups.
• Exemptions - The only classes of investors whose investments are An angel investor is usually
exempted from angel tax are a high-net-worth individual
1. SEBI-registered CAT I and II AIFs (alternate investment fund) who funds start-ups at the
early stages, often with
2. IFSCA-registered CAT I and II AIFs (under the IFSCA FME their own money.
Regulations, 2022)
Changes
• The changes to the Angel tax were notified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Ministry of Finance.
• Amendment – Rule 11UA under the Income Tax Act.
• The rules outlines the valuation methods for non-resident and resident investors under the new angel tax
mechanism in the Finance Act 2023.
CCPS is a type of Preferred Share/Stock
• Earlier, it was imposed only on investments made by a resident that gives holders the Option to Convert
investor. their Preference Shares into a Fixed
• The notification has introduced an additional sub-clause Number of Equity Shares of the issuing
addressing Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares company after a specified date/ event.
(CCPS).
• It has introduced 5 different valuation methods for shares and offered a 10% tolerance for deviations from the
accepted share valuations.
• 5 different methods – Comparable company multiple method, probability weighted expected return method,
option pricing method, milestone analysis method and replacement cost methods.
21. AGRICULTURE
Minor Irrigation Census (MIC)

A recent study by the Minor Irrigation Census found that Three-fourths of India’s irrigation sources run on electricity
• Minor Irrigation schemes – Irrigation schemes using either ground water or surface water and having a
Culturable Command Area upto 2000 hectare individually are categorized as Minor Irrigation Schemes.
• The schemes have been categorized broadly into 6 major types; (1) Dugwell (2) Shallow tubewell (3) Medium
Tubewell (4) Deep tubewell (5) Surface flow schemes and (6) Surface lift schemes.
• Uttar Pradesh had the largest number of MI schemes in the country (17.2%) followed by Maharashtra (15.4%),
Madhya Pradesh (9.9%) and Tamil Nadu (9.1%).
• Leading States in GW schemes are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Out of all MI schemes, 21.93
million (94.8%) were for
• Highest share in SW schemes are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, groundwater (GW) and 1.21
Odisha and Jharkhand. million (5.2%) for surface-
• The number of MI schemes increased by about 1.42 million between the water (SW) extraction.
5th and 6th editions.
• Most of the schemes (96.6%) were privately owned and small and marginal farmers, having less than 2 hectares
of land, owned the majority of MI schemes.
Minor Irrigation Census (MIC)
• Released by – Ministry of JalShakti.
• The recent census finds that electricity is the dominant source of power to extract water, over diesel, windmills,
and solar pumps.
• The 6th MI Census has been conducted with reference year 2017-18 in all States and Union Territories except
Delhi, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.

UPAg Portal
The Centre launched the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics (UPAg) to address the complex governance
challenges India’s farm sector is facing now.
• It is a platform designed to generate crop estimates and is integrated with other systems generating agriculture
statistics such as price, trade, procurement, stock.
• It is a crucial component of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture.
• Initiative by - Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Objective – To streamline and enhance data management in the agricultural domain.
• Key Features
o Data Standardization – It consolidates data from various sources into a standardized format for
easier access and understanding.
o Data Analysis – It offers insights such as production trends and consumption patterns for making
informed decisions.
o Granular Production Estimates – It improves the government's ability to respond to agricultural
crises swiftly.
o Commodity Profile Reports – The reports will be produced using algorithms, and provides users
with comprehensive insights.
o Plug and Play – Users will have the flexibility to use the portal's data to prepare their own reports,
promoting data-driven decision-making.
Yak
Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has established a first-of-its-kind parlour for yak milk in
Nyukmadung village of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Scientific name - Poephagus grunniens
• Lifeline - Yak is the lifeline of ethnic communities of Himalayan and trans-Himalayan regions.
• Multipurpose - It helps the highlanders by yielding milk, meat, fibre, hide, and dung apart from being used
for transportation.
• Significance of Yak Milk - It is creamy white, thick, sweetish, fragrant, and richer in protein, fat, lactose,
minerals, and total solids than cow milk.
• It is enriched with a higher nutrient density and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants,
vitamins and minerals.
• It is processed into various traditional products like chhurpi (wet soft cheese), churkham (hard cheese) and mar
(butter).
• Butter Tea - A small portion of the raw milk is had in the form of butter tea for the communities’ own
consumption.
Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS)

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao inaugurated the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme at
Narlapur in Nagarkurnool district.
• About - The scheme envisages lifting water from the Srisailam reservoir to the K P Laxmidevipally
reservoir district with 5 stage lifting and then utilizing water by gravity.
• It is built on River Krishna at a cost of Rs 35,000 crore in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana.
• Purpose – The project aims to provide irrigation and water for both industrial and drinking purpose.
• Execution - The project was planned to be executed in 2 phases.
The Kaleshwaram Lift
o Phase – I – Provides drinking water to 1226 villages in 70 Irrigation Project is the
blocks world's largest multi-stage
o Phase – II - Addresses irrigation requirements lift irrigation project.
• As part of Phase I, 6 balancing reservoirs, including Anjanagiri,
Veeranjaneya, Venkatadri, Kurumurthyraya, Udandapur and KP Lakshmidevipally were constructed.

Lift Irrigation Schemes State Built Upon
Polavaram Project Andhra Pradesh Godavari
Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) Telangana Godavari
Kisan Rin Portal (KRP) & KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan

Union Finance Minister & Union Agriculture Minister jointly unveiled the KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, Kisan Rin Portal
and Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) manual.
Kisan Rin Portal (KRP)
• Aim – The KRP portal serves as an integrated hub, offering a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan
disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and scheme utilization progress.
• Developed by
1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW)
2. Department of Financial Services (DFS)
3. Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAH&D)
4. Department of Fisheries (DoF)
5. RBI
6. NABARD
• It will assist farmers in availing subsidized agri credit through Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS).
• This portal is integrated with banks to foster seamless connectivity.
KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan The KCC scheme was
introduced in 1998 for issue of
• Aim – It is a door-to-door Kisan Credit Card (KCC) campaign, aimed Kisan Credit Cards to farmers
towards helping farmers avail subsidised loans. on the basis of their holdings.
• Duration – 1st October 2023 to 31st December 2023.
• To extend the benefits of KCC, the door-to-door campaign will reach non-KCC holders of beneficiaries of the
central scheme PM-KISAN.
• Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) – It will serve as a one-stop online platform for
all information related to agricultural meteorology.
22. ENVIRONMENT
Climate Change effect in Polar Bears

Scientists for the first time are able to directly quantify the impact of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from
specific sources on polar bear cub survival.
Polar bears
• Habitat - They occur in 19 subpopulations throughout the Arctic
• Food - Ringed seals and Bearded seals and also scavenge carcasses or settle for small mammals, birds, eggs and
vegetation.
• They are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals.
• Polar bears can swim for long distances and steadily for many hours to get from one piece of ice to another.
• Threats - The oil and gas industry in arctic comes with the potential risks of habitat destruction of polar bears
from oil exploration work.
• Polar bears can also be exposed to toxic chemicals such as pesticides through their prey, which can affect a bear's
biological functioning and ability to reproduce.

Sea weed Park

Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has recently laid down the foundation stone for the establishment
of Multi-Purpose Seaweed Park recently in Tamil Nadu.
• Introduced – India’s 1st Fisheries Aquapark in form of ‘Multipurpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu’ was
announced in the Union Budget 2021.
• Objective - To promote the cultivation and conservation of seaweed.
• It is envisioned as a research and development centre for seaweed cultivation for scientists and researchers to
study different species of seaweed and their potential applications.
• The sea weed park will also serve as a training centre for local communities to create awareness.
• The seaweed park will promote the sea weed cultivation in 136 coastal fishing villages in 6 coastal districts of
Tamil Nadu.
• The park will also focus on the conservation of marine ecosystems and will house an aquarium highlighting
various marine species that rely on seaweed for survival.
Montreal Protocol
Ozone Day 2023 celebrates the success of the Montreal Protocol, which has helped put the ozone layer on track to being
intact again.
• Montreal Protocol - It is an international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by
regulating the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS).
• Signed - It was originally signed in 1987 and enacted in 1989 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992.
• The parties to the protocol meet annually to make a decision and review the execution of its operations to date.
• The Parties are assisted by the Ozone Secretariat, which is based at UN Environment Programme
headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Equal but differentiated responsibilities - The Protocol phases down the ODS in a step-wise manner, with
different timetables for developed and developing countries.
• Kigali Amendment - It seeks to eliminate 80-90% of the HFCs currently in use by the year 2050.
• India - India became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1992.
• India is an Article 5 country and is entitled to assistance from the Multilateral Fund in its efforts to phase out
ODSs and switch over to non-ODS technologies.
• Multilateral Fund - It was established in 1991 for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol under Article
10 of the treaty.
• The Fund's objective is to provide financial and technical assistance to developing country parties to the
Montreal Protocol whose annual per capita consumption and production of ODS is less than 0.3 kg to comply
with the control measures of the Protocol.
• The Fund’s activities are implemented by UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO and the World Bank.
Black Summer
A new report from the New South Wales (NSW) authorities in Australia said that they are facing worst bushfire risk
since ‘Black Summer’
• The bushfire season of 2019-20 in Australia is known as Black Summer.
• Black Summer fire season was the most severe ever recorded in NSW.
• Impacts – It burnt 5.5 million hectares of land across NSW and displaced 3 billion vertebrate animals across
southeast Australia.
• Factors that led to black summer – Dryness of the fuel and its availability to burn, weather conducive to
fire spread (high temperatures, low humidity and wind) and ignition sources.
• The suspected, immediate cause of ignition was lightning, often in remote, rugged and/or inaccessible terrain
• Other causes – Ember spotting, power lines, deliberate or accidental human activity, machinery and arson.

Ember attack is also called fire spotting and occurs predominantly with distinct spatial patters, Short distance
spotting, where the concentration of spot fires decreases with increasing distance from the ember source.
Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030

FAO announced the launch of a CPF Call to Action for Forests towards 2030 in the recently held Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2023.
• Aim – To highlight the need for increased action and political commitment to implement forest solutions in
pursuit of the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• Launched by – The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
• Chaired by – Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The UNECOSOC established the
International Arrangement on
Collaborative Partnership on Forests Forests and the UN Forum on
Forests (UNFF).
• It is an innovative voluntary interagency partnership on forests that
was established in April 2001.
• It was established in response to an invitation issued by the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC).
• The Partnership is currently comprised of 15 international organizations, institutions and secretariats that have
substantial programs on forests.
• Aim – To enhance the contributions of forests to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Forest Goals
and other international commitments.
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• The 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.
Artificial Reef (AR)

Department of Fisheries is promoting Artificial Reef (AR) under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
for rejuvenating coastal fisheries.
• An artificial reef is a manmade structure that may mimic some of the characteristics of a natural reef.
• Aim - To restore coral reefs around the globe.
• Made of - They are made from a variety of natural or synthetic Pradhan Mantri Matsya
materials, and come in an infinite number of shapes and styles. Sampada Yojana promotes blue
revolution through sustainable
• Goal - To provide a stable growing area for corals, and habitat for and responsible development of
fishes and all the other organisms that would find on a natural reef. fisheries sector.
• Initiative - Department of Fisheries has sanctioned 732 artificial reef
units for 10 coastal states as a sub-activity under Integrated Modern Coastal Fishing Villages of the PMMSY.
• Funding - 60% funding from the Centre and 40% from the State governments.
• Implemented by - Fishery Survey of India (FSI) and ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
(CMFRI).
• Advantages
1. Reduce wave damage on coasts and Helps regeneration of marine ecosystem and act as a carbon sink.
2. Increase in catch rates and efficiency.
3. Restrict bottom trawling in the near shore areas.
Kole Wetlands
Kole wetlands of Kerala face threat of alien plants recently.
• It is an internationally important Ramsar site of high value biodiversity situated in Kerala.
• The wetland gets its name from its high productivity Kole literally translates to bumper crop in Malayalam.

• It contributes to 40% of rice production in the state.

• It is one of the largest brackish, humid tropical wetland ecosystem on the southwest coast of India.
• The wetlands are fed by 10 rivers and is a typical large estuarine systems on the western coast.
• One of the specialties of this wetland cultivation is its dewatering scheme, the process of removing groundwater
and superficial water from a construction site.
• Each year, before the season starts, all farming clusters, known as padasekharams, have to follow dewater
their land before sowing.
• This collaborative ritual or kootaima reeti is what protects Kole as a wetland.
Cabomba furcuta
• Cabomba furcuta is a species of aquatic plant in the water and is popularly called as Pink Bloom.
• Family - Cabombaceae.
• Habitat - Central and South America.
• The submerged perennial aquatic plant grows in stagnant to slow-flowing freshwater.
• Due its massive flowering, has been a new threat to the kole fields, in addition to water hyacinth and Salvinia
molesta.
• Cabomba, which requires a large quantity of oxygen for its growth will choke water bodies and drainage canals.
• It causes decline in diversity of native plants and causes economic losses by affecting yield of freshwater fishes.
Scarborough Shoal
Philippine officials have vowed to remove a floating barrier placed by China’s coast guard from entering a disputed
lagoon at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
• About - Scarborough is the largest atoll in the South
China Sea.
• Location - It is situated approximately 120 nautical
miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon.
• The standoff - The shoal is located inside
the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines.
• It was seized by China in 2012 as Huangyan Island and
forced Filipino fishermen to travel farther for smaller
catches.
Recent developments
• According to 2016 arbitration decision set up under the
1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea Philippines have exclusive
rights to fish and other resources. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral
reef, island, or series of islets.
• China refused to participate in the arbitration sought by the Philippines An atoll surrounds a body of
in 2013, a year after a tense standoff between Chinese and Philippine water called a lagoon.
ships at Scarborough.
• China refused to recognize the 2016 arbitration ruling and
continues to defy it. An exclusive economic zone is an area of the
ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles
• Recently, the Chinese barrier denied Filipinos access to beyond a nation's territorial sea, within
the rich fishing lagoon surrounded by underwater coral which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over
outcrops. both living and nonliving resources.
• The Philippines said it was weighing legal options over
what it called China's destruction of coral in its EEZ, which could be another arbitration case.
Green Hydrogen Bus

Union Minister flags-off 1st green hydrogen fuel cell bus from New Delhi recently.
• Unveiled by – Indian Oil.
• Fuel - Hydrogen and air to generate electricity to power the bus and the only by-product from the bus is water.

• Advantages - It is the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation compared to conventional buses.
• The energy density is 3 times higher and the absence of harmful emissions, hydrogen shines as a cleaner, more
efficient choice to meet the energy requirements.
Green Hydrogen Mission
• Aim - To make India a global hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
• The expected outcomes by 2030, are as follows:
1. India’s Green Hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach 5 MMT per annum, contributing to
reduction in dependence on import of fossil fuels.
2. Achievement of Mission targets is expected to reduce a cumulative Rs. 1 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel
imports by 2030.
• Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted through production and use of the
targeted quantum of Green Hydrogen.
Conocarpus Plant
The Gujarat government has banned the planting of ornamental Conocarpus trees in “forest or non-forest areas”
citing adverse impacts.
• Characteristics - Conocarpus is a fast-growing exotic mangrove species.
• Native - It is native to tropical regions, mostly in parts of North & South Earlier, Telangana had
America as well as Africa. banned the plantation of
• Usage in India - For landscaping of road medians and in public gardens. Conocarpus plants
• Effect on Humans - It flowers in winter and spread pollen in nearby

areas, thus causing diseases like cold, cough, asthma, allergy etc.
• Effect on Infrastructure - Roots of this species go deep inside the soil and damages telecommunication lines
and drainage lines.
• Effect on Environment - Damages the freshwater systems and unpalatable to plant-eating animals.
Other banned Species
• It was brought in by the British during 1930s.

• Significance – It grows fast even in arid conditions and quickly increases the green cover, and
can also be used as firewood.
Vilayati Kikar
• Impact– It destroys the native trees like acacia, dhak, kadamb, amaltas, flame-of-the-forest, etc.
(Prosopis
juliflora) • Birds, butterflies, leopards, porcupines and jackals were also disappeared along with the trees.
in New Delhi • It also depletes the water table of the area it is planted in.
• Actions taken - In 2018, the Delhi government agreed to clear it.
• In 2016, the Madras High Court too passed an interim order to remove this species.
• British introduced the Eucalyptus tree in Munnar, Kerala.

• Importance – Eucalyptus wood was used as fuel in tea plantation boilers.
Acacia &
Eucalyptus • Impact- The foreign invasive plants had reduced the availability of fodder in forests, forcing
in Kerala animals to foray into settlements resulting in man-animal conflict.
• Actions taken - The Kerala state forest department stopped the cultivation of acacia and
eucalyptus in forest tracts in 2018.
23. SPECIES IN NEWS
Tharosaurus indicus
A recent study published by the scientists from IIT Roorkee have characterized Sauropod dinosaur fossils from the
Middle Jurassic period, found in the Thar desert, Rajasthan by the Geological Survey of India.

• Findings - The remains of Tharosaurus indicus were recovered from the Jaisalmer Formation near Jethwai
village, the Indian state of Rajasthan.
• It is a plant-eating dinosaur and 167 million years old.
• These fossils are the first dicraeosaurid sauropods to have been found in India and oldest known diplodocoid
(superfamily of sauropod dinosaurs) fossils in the world.
• Researchers found that this Sauropod dinosaur has the same clade as the long-necked herbivores in Jurassic
Park.
• Family - Dicraeosauridae; Superfamily – Diplodocoidea. India has also been home
• History - Jurassic period (200 million years ago) to the Cretaceous period to primitive sauropods,
(65 million years ago) and have been the most dominant clades of dinosaurs. like Kotasaurus and
Barapasaurus.
• Uniqueness - Sauropods can grow more than a 100 feet however members
of the Dicraeosauridae family of sauropods were smaller and had shorter
necks and tails.
Apis Mellifera
A recent study has found that Apis mellifera can be an effective biomonitor for determining the spread of antimicrobial
resistance (AMR) in urban neighbourhoods.
Apis Mellifera
• About - The western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most common of the 7–12 species
of honey bees worldwide.
• Geographical Range - It is native to Europe, western Asia, and Africa.
• Now it can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
• Diet - Adult bees eat pollen and nectar as well as concentrated nectar called honey.
• Young larval bees eat honey, nectar and the bodily secretions from worker bees called "worker jelly" or
"royal jelly".
• Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) - It is the ability of microorganisms to persist or grow in the presence of
drugs designed to inhibit or kill them.
• Biomonitoring – It is a tool for measuring biodiversity and pollution through the analysis of pollen collected
by bees, which act as natural drones and bioindicators.
Mithuns
Northeast’s Mithun gets ‘food animal’ tag recently.
• It is a semi-domesticated ruminant (large group of herbivores with a 4- ‘Soulung’ festival is observed
chambered stomach) species found in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, annually by the Adi tribes of
Manipur and Mizoram. Arunachal Pradesh to
• Scientific name - Bos frontalis. Family – Bovidae. commensurate the birth and
arrival of mithun on this earth.
• State Animal - Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
• Since the soil in these parts is acidic and low in salt content, mithuns have an affinity for salt.
• Recognized by - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recognised the bovine as a
‘food animal’ to help tribal communities benefit commercially from the sale and processing of mithun meat.
• Food animals are those that are raised and used for food production or consumption by humans.
• Other animals having food animal tag - Himalayan yak.
Manis Mysteria More than one million pangolins

Scientists discovered a new pangolin species named Manis Mysteria. are thought to have been poached
in the wild between 2004 and
• Previously it was believed that there are 8 species of pangolin (4 Asian 2014, but all international trade in
and 4 African varieties). the animal was banned in 2016.

• Manis Mysteria - This species bears similarities to the Asian branch of the pangolin family, known as Manis.
• Origin - Most of the Asian pangolins are thought to have originated in South-East Asia.
Pangolins
• They are also called as scaly anteater.
• The name pangolin, means rolling over, and refers to the animal’s habit of curling into a ball when threatened.
• Pangolins are nocturnal and have the ability to swim.
• Pangolins feed mainly on termites but also eat ants and other insects.
• Threats - All pangolin species have been hunted for their meat, and the organs,
skin, scales, and other parts of the body are valued for their use in traditional
medicine.
• All 8 species have fallen to the point that they became threatened with
extinction during the early 21st century.
• IUCN status
o Critically Endangered - Philippine Pangolin, Sunda Pangolin, Chinese Pangolin.
o Vulnerable - Temminck's Pangolin.
o Endangered - Indian Pangolin, White-bellied Pangolin.
• Indian Pangolin - Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and as Endangered on IUCN Red List.
Pink Bollworm
Recently, the Rajasthan government declared relief for farmers whose cotton crops have been affected due to pink
bollworm infestations.
• Pink Ball worm - Pectinophora gossypiella
• It is a major pest of cotton that feeds on the seeds and destroy the fibers of
cotton, reducing quality and crop yield.
• Challenges - Bt cotton which are toxic to the American bollworm has lost its
efficacy against PBW.
• This is because PBW is a monophagous pest that feeds mainly on cotton unlike
American bollworm that is polyphagous, with alternative hosts.
Control measures
• Spraying insecticides – Such as profenofos, chlorpyrifos, indoxacarb, and cypermethrin.
• Mating disruption – It involves deploying Gossyplure, a pheromone signalling chemical which attracts the
male adult moths into lures and prevent from mating with females.
• The Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee under the Agriculture Ministry has approved
o PBKnot – It is a dispenser having a 20-cm hollow polyethylene pipe, into which Gossyplure is
impregnated and gets released from over 90 days and reducing the scope for infestation.
o SPLAT-PBW - A flowable emulsion formulation technology for delivering Gossyplure.
• Refuge crop - To plant non-Bt cotton as a refuge crop on the sides of the Bt cotton field.
• This will delay the process of the PBW developing resistance and prolonged the life of Bt cotton.
Armageddon reedtail
Damselfly species found in Western Ghats named after climate impact on insects.
• They are a group of predatory, aerial insects that are in the order Odonata.
• Damselflies are found mainly near shallow, freshwater habitats and are graceful fliers with slender bodies and
long, filmy, net-veined wings.
• Damselflies are generally smaller, more delicate, and fly weakly in comparison with dragonflies.
• Damselflies can usually be distinguished from dragonflies by their thinner, needlelike abdomens and by the way
they hold their wings when at rest.

Armageddon reedtail
• It is the new damselfly species that has been discovered in Kerala’s southern Western Ghats.
• It has a captivating dark brown to black body with vibrant greenish-blue eyes, and half of its eight abdominal
segments are marked with delicate pale blue markings.
• Its only habitat is primary montane streams, where it thrives beneath dense
canopy cover.
• The term Ecological Armageddon is used to describe the devastating decline
of insect populations around the world.
• This phenomenon, also called insect apocalypse, affects entire ecosystems
because insects pollinate, cycle nutrients and provide food for other animals.
Outcomes of 1st African Climate Summit 2023
The 1st Africa Climate Summit (ACS23) held in Nairobi culminated in the ‘Nairobi Declaration’, giving the continent a
common voice ahead of upcoming key global engagements.
• Theme- Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions Focus areas of the summit
for Africa and the World
Thematic areas
• Location - Nairobi, Republic of Kenya
• Nature Capital
• Co-hosted by - Republic of Kenya, African Union Commission
(AUC) • Climate Finance
• Aim- To position Africa in solidarity with the rest of the world • Renewable Energy and Energy
for global climate action. Transition
• Green Minerals and Manufacturing
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Land Use, Oceans and Water
• Sustainable Infrastructure and
Urbanization
• Adaptation and Resilience
The summit committed to achieve 3
climate finance goals
• More financing
• Targeted financing
• Cheaper higher risk appetite financing
• Nairobi declaration- The summit culminated in the Nairobi Declaration, an eleven-point call to action
proclaiming African States' unified stance on climate action.
• It will form the basis of Africa’s negotiating position at COP28 climate summit in United Arab Emirates.
24. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SPACE
Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere - Langmuir Probe
(RAMBHA-LP)
RAMBHA-LP payload on board Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram has completed the
first in-situ measurements of surface-bound lunar plasma environment recently.
Plasma is often called “the
• About - The RAMBHA Langmuir probe is an instrument that measures 4th state of matter,” along
properties of plasmas, a state of matter. with solid, liquid and gas

• Developed by - Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) at ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• Payload - It is one of the 3 Indian payloads on the Chandrayaan-3 lander (Vikram).
• Features - It is a 5 cm metallic spherical probe mounted on a 1-meter boom attached to the Chandrayaan-3
Lander's upper deck.
• It is named after American chemist and physicist Irving Langmuir, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry.
• Findings of Langmuir Probe - The initial assessment indicates Radio waves are affected by the
that the plasma encompassing the lunar surface is relatively sparse presence of plasma—the denser
(thin). the plasma, the more the radio
• The thinness of lunar plasma is important because it affects the way waves are scattered.
radio waves propagate through space.
• The sparseness of lunar plasma means that radio waves can propagate through space with less attenuation,
which is important for communication between lunar missions.
PSLV-XL variant
Aditya-L1 will be launched with the PSLV-XL Variant (PSLV-C57) Launch Vehicle.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• About - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the 3 rd generation Aditya-L1 aims to study Sun's
launch vehicle of India. Corona, Chromosphere, and
Photosphere and marks 25th
• It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages. flight of PSLV-XL.
• PSLV earned its title 'the workhorse of ISRO' through consistently
delivering various satellites into low earth orbits, particularly the IRS Series of satellites.
• Features - PSLV is a 4-stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternately, with 6
booster motors strapped onto the first stage to provide higher thrust during the initial flight moments.
• Types - ISRO has 5 types of PSLV rockets – Standard, Core Alone (no strap-on motors used), XL, DL, and QL.
• The major difference between them lies in the use of strap-on boosters, which in turn largely depends on the
weight of the satellites to be orbited.
• The strap-ons are powered by the solid rocket propellant Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB).
• PSLV-XL - The PSLV-XL is the ‘full configuration’ PSLV, fitted with 6 strap-on motors, the maximum for this
expendable launch vehicle.
Mission Launch Vehicle (XL) Location Year
Chandrayaan–1 PSLV C-11 First mission to moon 2008
Mangalyaan PSLV- C25 First mission to Mars 2013
India's first dedicated Space

AstroSat PSLV-C30 2015
Astronomy Observatory
EOS-06 satellite, 8 nano-satellites PSLV-C54 To orbit around the earth. 2022
TeLEOS-2 PSLV-C55 To observe Earth 2023
DS-SAR PSLV-C56 To observe Earth 2023
Aditya L1 mission PSLV-C57 First mission to Sun 2023
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)

Japan’s space Agency JAXA has recently launched the SLIM moon lander.
• SLIM – It is a small-scale exploration lander designed for pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface and
investigate into the Moon’s origins.

• The mission was dubbed as the Moon Sniper.

• It will also test technology fundamental to exploration in low-gravity environments, an important requirement
for future scientific investigation of the solar system.
• Agency - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• Launch vehicle - H-IIA rocket.
• This is the first Moon-landing attempt being made by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• If successful,
o Japan would be the 5th country to successfully soft land on the moon.
o SLIM would be the smallest and lightest spacecraft to land on the Moon.
• The chosen landing site for SLIM is near a small crater named Shioli in the equatorial region of the Moon.
• SLIM is set to touch down on the near side of the moon close to Mare Nectaris, a lunar sea that, viewed from
Earth, appears as a dark spot.
• Rover - No lunar rover is loaded on SLIM.
XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission)

A powerful X-ray observatory is launched along with Japan's SLIM mission.
• Aim - To investigate celestial X-ray objects in the Universe with high-throughput imaging and high-resolution
spectroscopy.
• These observations will enable in determining the flows of mass and Hitomi was a high-energy
energy, revealing the composition and evolution of celestial objects. astrophysics space observatory,
developed by the Japan Aerospace
• This mission acts as a semi-replacement for the Hitomi (Astro-H) X-
Exploration Agency (JAXA) in
ray observatory, launched in 2016.
collaboration with institutions in
• Launch Vehicle - The H-IIA rocket that launched Japan, the US, Canada, and Europe.
the SLIM Japan’s moon mission also carried the XRISM.
• Agency - NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency).
Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC)

Aditya-L1 has been successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre in Sriharikota recently
carried the VELC payload.
• The Aditya-L1 mission (first Sun mission from India) carried by the Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C57 rocket is equipped with seven payloads. Coronagraph of
• Among these, the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC) is the primary payload Aditya-L1 will send
that Aditya-L1 will use to focus on the Sun's Corona. 1,440 images of
sun a day
• Landing Point - Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point
1 (L1), which is 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the direction of the Sun.
• Aim – It will create a total solar eclipse continuously since it will be positioned at L1, providing an unobstructed
view of the Sun.
• Built by – Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
• VELC has the capability to capture images of the solar corona closer to the Sun's disc than any other solar space
observatory.
• This allows it to observe the Sun as if it were a solar eclipse, enabling the study of the corona and its
characteristics, including its origin and the source of coronal mass ejections.
Space Launch System (SLS) & Starship

NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX suffered setbacks in SLS (Unaffordable) and Starship (Explosive) programs recently.
• The SLS rocket and Starship play crucial role in NASA’s Artemis program to put humanity back on the Moon.

Space Launch System (SLS) Starship
• Agency – NASA, U.S. • Agency – SpaceX, U.S.

• It is a super heavy-lift rocket that provides • Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket is collectively
the foundation for human exploration referred to as Starship.
beyond Earth orbit.
• It represent a fully reusable transportation system designed
• Stages – Core stage, boosters with 4 RS-25 to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars
engines. and beyond.
• Fuel - Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) & Liquid • Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch
Oxygen (LO2). vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric
tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.
• SLS will be the only rocket with the capability
to carry Orion and astronauts, as well as • Payload capacity - 100 – 150 tonnes (fully reusable).
large cargo to the moon during a single
mission. • Starship - Starship is the fully reusable spacecraft and
2nd stage of the Starship system.
• It is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever
launched. • Super Heavy – It is the first stage, or booster, of the Starship
launch system and is fully reusable and will re-enter Earth’s
• SLS was successfully launched as part of the atmosphere.
Artemis I Mission in 2022.
• Raptor engine – It is a reusable methane-oxygen staged-
combustion engine that powers the Starship system.
Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex)

mission
• NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is set to drop a capsule containing samples from the asteroid Bennu to Earth.
• Aim - It is a spacecraft that traveled to an asteroid named Bennu and collected a sample of rocks and dust from
the surface.
• It is the 1st U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, Bennu.
• When it arrives, the spacecraft will release the capsule containing pieces of Bennu over Earth’s atmosphere.
• This mission will help to investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve the
understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.
Asteroid Bennu
• Named after an Egyptian deity, Bennu is located about 200 million NEOs are comets and asteroids
miles away from the Earth.
nudged by the gravitational
• It was discovered by a NASA-funded Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid attraction of nearby planets
Research team in 1999. into orbits, which allow them to
• It is a B-type asteroid, implying that it contains significant amounts of enter the Earth’s neighborhood.
carbon and various other minerals.
• There is a slight chance that Bennu, a Near Earth Object (NEO), might strike the Earth in the next century,
between 2175 and 2199.
CO2 on Jupiter's moon Europa

Scientists have revealed that carbon dioxide is being detected on Jupiter's moon Europa using the James Webb Space
Telescope.
• Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
• Moons of Jupiter - Jupiter has around 80 to 95 moons.
• Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are 4 of Jupiter’s moon which are relatively large, spherical complex worlds.
Europa
• Europa is Jupiter’s moon with about 90% the size of Earth’s Moon.
• Europa's surface is made of water ice and so it reflects 5.5 times the sunlight than our Moon does.

• Europa orbits Jupiter at about 417,000 miles from the planet, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of roughly
500 million miles or 5.2 astronomical units (AU).
• Because of the distance, sunlight is about 25 times fainter at Jupiter and Europa
than at Earth. One AU is the distance
from Earth to the Sun.
Europa Clipper
• It is a mission by NASA to investigate Jupiter’s moon.
• NASA is also planning to launch a robotic spacecraft named Europa Clipper to the Jovian moons in 2024.
• Europa Clipper would arrive at Jupiter in 2030.
Only 2 other spacecraft
• It aims to study its Europa moon and will make dozens of close flybys of have ever examined Jupiter
Europa. - Voyager 1 & Voyager 2
Recent findings
• There is a huge ocean of saltwater, kilometres below Europa's ice-covered surface, making the moon a prime
candidate for hosting extra-terrestrial life in our solar system.
• The most CO2 was in a 1,800 kilometre-wide area called Tara Region.
CALIPSO Science Mission

CALIPSO satellite which monitors climate, weather and air quality using LIDAR has ended its science mission after
17 years.
• CALIPSO - Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Misison
• Launched in - 2006 by the NASA and France’s CNES (Centre
National d’Etudes Spatiales).
• Orbit - Sun Synchronous Orbit
• Objective - It is a cloud and aerosol observation satellite.
• Mission Type - Earth Observation.
• Significance - Its observations are used to determine the role of
clouds and aerosols in regulating the Earth’s climate.
• Instruments - CALIPSO carries 3 instruments
o Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarisation
(CALIOP)
o Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR)
o Wide Field Camera (WFC)
• Findings - It recorded more than 10 billion LIDAR measurements and helped create thousands of scientific
reports over its 17 years of operation.
• It provided new insight regarding role of clouds and atmospheric aerosols in regulating Earth's weather, climate,
and air quality.
• Over the next 2 years, the project will continue to refine and document its extensive findings.
DEFENCE
Mahendra Giri & Project 17A
The 7th and last stealth frigate of Project 17A, Mahendragiri, was launched into water at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
Limited (MDL) in Mumbai recently.
Mahendragiri
• It is named after a mountain peak in Eastern Ghats located in the state of Odisha.
• Aim - To enhance India’s naval capabilities in security in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific Region.
• Developed by - Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai.
• It is a technologically advanced warship and 7th ship of the Project 17A ‘Shivalik Class’ Frigates.

• Features - These warships are improved with stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors, and platform
management systems.
Project 17A
7 Ships - INS Nilgiri, INS Himgiri,
• Under Project 17A, a total of 7 ships were constructed, 4 at Mazagon INS Udaygiri, INS Dunagiri, INS
Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai and 3 at Garden Reach Ship Builders Taragiri, INS Vindhyagiri and INS
Limited (GRSE), Kolkata. Mahendragiri. The ships are named
• Designed by – Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau after hill ranges in India.
• The project is aligned with 'Aatma Nirbharata' or self-reliance campaign, 75% of the orders for equipment and
systems of Project 17A ships have been ordered from indigenous firms, including MSMEs.
• The previous 5 warships under Project 17A were launched during 2019-22.
Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan (MIPP)

The Minister of State for Defence released the Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan (MIPP) 2023-37 at the
2nd edition of the biennial Naval Commanders Conference recently.
• Aim - To synchronize and enmesh the infrastructure requirements of the Navy through a comprehensive
perspective plan model for the next 15 years.
• The Plan Document is aligned with the Government’s vision on creation of sustainable infrastructure.
• It is also in compliances with broader policy directives on PM Gati Shakti project, disaster resilience, transition
to net zero, etc.
Stitched Ship
The Ministry of Culture has joined hands with the Indian Navy and Goa-based Hodi Innovations to reconstruct an
ancient stitched ship.
• They are ships that sailed the oceans on India’s ancient maritime trade routes around 2,000 years ago.
• These ships are constructed by stitching wooden planks together rather than using nails.
• This offers flexibility and durability, making them less susceptible to damage from shoals and sandbars.
The Project
• Funded by – 100% by the Ministry of Culture.
• The ministries of Shipping and External Affairs will be supporting the project in its execution stage.
• Approved by – The National Implementation Committee,
an inter-agency committee responsible for the coordination of Project Mausam - To reconnect and
Project implementation activities at the national level. re-establish communications between
• Significance - Once the ship is ready, the voyage will be sent countries of the Indian Ocean world,
to Bali in Indonesia, in November 2025. to create an understanding of cultural
values and concerns.
• This initiative is in synergy with the Ministry of
Culture’s Project Mausam.
Bharat Drone Shakti 2023 & C-295 aircraft

First ever drone exhibition cum display ‘Bharat Drone Shakti 2023’, Kamikaze drones
was inaugurated by Raksha Mantri at Hindan Air Force Station. • It is also known as loitering munitions or
• Bharat Drone Shakti 2023 hosted live aerial demonstrations suicide drones are similar to precision
of a variety of drone operations and applications by various missiles and Unmanned Aerial Systems
drone companies. (UASs), but with some distinct differences.
• It features over 75 drone start-up companies from across the • Unlike missiles, a kamikaze drone is
country. capable of occupying an airspace known as
loitering for a relatively long period before
• Organized by - Indian Air Force (IAF) and Drone engaging a target.
Federation of India (DFI).
• Kisan drones - They can be transported using motorbikes across rural terrain to introduce modern
agricultural practices.

• The drones with the capability to carry 50kg-100 kg payload & Kamikaze drone also witnessed.
C-295 MW transport aircraft
• About - It is a robust, reliable and highly versatile tactical transport.
• Payload capacity - Carry up to 9 tonnes of payload or 71 troops with a maximum cruise speed of 260 knots.
• It has the capability of being equipped for the air-to-air refueling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
• It has remarkable short take-off & landing (STOL) performance from unpaved, soft, and sandy/grass airstrips.
• Uses - Carrying troops and cargo, maritime patrol, airborne warning, surveillance, reconnaissance to signals
intelligence, armed close air support, medical evacuation, VIP transport and airborne firefighting.
National Drone Policy
• With this policy flying drones or remotely-piloted aircraft have become legal in India.
• Ministry of Civil Aviation has kick-started the online registration of drones in line with this policy in India
through its Digital Sky portal.
• Categories - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has designed 5 different categories of drones as
Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, and Large.
• Under the new policy, Nano drones which weigh less than 250 grams or equal does not need a registration or
license.
• Digital Sky portal - It is an online platform as part of an enforcement system designated as No Permission
No Takeoff (NPNT).
HEALTH
Pirola
A recent study has noted the rise of Covid-19 infections in multiple countries, driven by a new Coronavirus variant
called BA.2.86, informally being termed as ‘Pirola’.
• Pirola or BA2.86 is one of the lineages of highly-mutated Omicron variant of Covid-19 virus.
• Pirola has around 30 genetic changes (mutations) from its parent

Omicron variant. This gives it the capacity to be immune evasive and
highly transmissible. Mutation - Once a virus enters the
• It is currently in the WHO list of 'variants under monitoring'. human body, its genetic material, RNA
or DNA enters the cells and starts
• Impacted Countries - Isreal, Denmark and U.S., South Africa, making copies of itself which can infect
UK. the other cells.
• Symptoms - Stuff nose, fever, fatigue, cough and sneezing, rashes, Whenever an error occurs during this
eye redness, diarrhea. copying process, it triggers a mutation.
• Pirola might have a higher affinity for infecting individuals who
have either previously contracted COVID-19 or have been
vaccinated against it.
• Vaccine - The previously administered vaccines shows an efficacy eventhough the mutations are high.
• So far, no deaths have been reported among cases, according to the WHO.
Nipah Virus
A recent outbreak of cases of Nipah infection have been found in Kerala again, after two people were confirmed to
have died of the viral disease in Kozhikode district.
• About - It is a zoonotic disease that spreads primarily between animals and humans.
• Transmission - Can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and
can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
• Host- fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family and Pteropous genus, widely found in South and South East Asia.
• Symptoms - Fever, headache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, and vomiting.

• Patients either show no symptoms of the infection (asymptomatic infections), thereby making it difficult to
detect.
• Otherwise, patients develop acute respiratory problems, or
encephalitis that often becomes fatal. The World Health Organization
• Treatment - There is currently no specific treatment available for the (WHO) says the infection has
Nipah virus. been found to be fatal in 40% to
75% of the infected patients.
• Countries - Common in Asia, primarily Bangladesh and India.
Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis

Odisha is reeling from two major disease outbreak, Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis which have killed six people in
the state so far.
Scrub Typhus Leptospirosis
• Scrub typhus – It is also known as Bush • Cause – Bacteris (Leptospira interrogans)

Typhus.
• Transmission - Humans can become infected through
• Cause - Bacteria: Orientia tsutsugamushi. contact with urine (or other body fluids, except saliva) from
infected animals either directly or indirectly through
• Transmission - Spread through bites of contaminated water, soil or food.
infected chiggers (larval mites).
• Person to person transmission is rare.
• Symptoms - Fever, headache, body aches,
and sometimes rash. • Symptoms - High fever, headache, chills, vomiting, red
eyes, abdominal pain, rashes, and diarrhoea.
• Vaccine - Currently there is no vaccine
available. • Some infected persons may have no symptoms at all.
• Treatment - Treated through antibiotic • The illness lasts from a few days to 3 weeks or longer.
doxycycline which can be used in persons of
any age. • Effects - It can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver
failure, respiratory distress, and even death if not treated
• Distribution - Most cases of scrub typhus early.
occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia,
Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern • Treatment - It is treated with antibiotics, such as
Australia. doxycycline or penicillin.
Scheme for promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP)
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Health & Family Welfare launched Scheme for promotion
of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP).
• Aim - To promote industry-academia linkage for R&D in priority areas and to inculcate the culture of quality
research and nurture our pool of scientists.
• Components
o Component A - Strengthening the research infrastructure by establishment of seven Centre of
Excellences at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).
o Component B - Promoting research in Pharma’s 6 priority areas wherein financial assistance will be
provided for both in- house and academic research.
National Policy on Research and Development and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector in India
• Aim - To create an ecosystem of skills and capacities including the Indian pharmaceutical industry
academia and the private sectors and give impetus to new talent among is the 3rd largest pharmaceutical
the youth through start-ups. industry in the world by volume
• The policy aims to address the education and training including high end with current market size of
research & international co-operation and all matters relating to NIPERs. around USD 50 Billions.
• The policy aims to expand the industry’s presence in the innovation space.
• High level Inter- departmental Committee has been constituted to draft and finalize Policy on R&D and
Innovation in 2020.
• It is also proposed to set up an Indian Council of Pharmaceuticals and Med-tech Research and Development.

Dual Disinfection-Solidification System

National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) has recently developed a technology that will
safely and sustainably manage pathogenic biomedical waste.
• About - Dual disinfection-solidification system is a fully-automated machine
• Aim – It instantly disinfect both liquid and solid biomedical waste, including urine, saliva and blood, bacterial
broths, cotton, tissues, swabs, needles, and syringes.
Bio-medical waste can be any
• It converts the degradable wastes into soil additives and lab
solid or liquid waste generated
disposables are prepared for direct recycling.
during the diagnosis, treatment or
• This waste can include urine, saliva and blood, bacterial broths, cotton, during research activities. India
tissues, and swabs. produces more than 770 tonnes of
bio-wastes per day in 2020.
o Significance - It will prevent the uncontrolled spread of infections.
NIIST
• The National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, is a constituent
Laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR).
• Initially established in 1975 as a CSIR Complex, it was named as the Regional Research Laboratory in 1978 and later
renamed as NIIST in 2007.
BIO-TECHNOLOGY
Nasha Roko Committee
A vigilant wave is sweeping through villages in Punjab to tackle the
decade-old drug problem.
• About - It is an informal committee to stop the use and sale of
drugs.
• Against - It act against the drugs Chitta and the prescription-
only pharma drug, pregabalin.
• Campaign - ‘Nasha roko, rozgaar do’ (stop addiction,
provide employment) campaign was started to end the drugs.
Only 250 gm or above of heroin is considered a commercial quantity under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act.
Global Fund
The Global Fund recently announced a deal with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers to slash the price of a cutting-
edge HIV drug.
• Global Fund is a worldwide movement to defeat HIV, TB and Malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, more
equitable future for all.
• Partners- Governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases.
• Year - It was set up in 2002.
• Funding - The Fund pools the world’s resources to invest strategically in programs to end AIDS, TB and
malaria as public health threats.
• The financing is primarily from the public sector, with 92% of total funding coming from donor governments.
• Strategy – To accelerate impact towards the 2030 horizon as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 3.
• Recent Initiative - It envisages to provide the advanced pill known as TLD for under $45 per person per
year.
• TLD - The three-in-one pill bands together the drugs Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, Lamivudine and
Dolutegravir.
• It is recommended by the World Health Organization for first-line treatment of HIV.

• This improved pricing is a 25%

reduction, will allow governments in
resource-limited settings to expand
access to critical HIV services.
Monoclonal antibodies
India reached out to Australia to procure
monoclonal antibody doses to combat the
Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala.
• These are laboratory-made proteins Niels K. Jerne, Georges J.F. Köhler

that mimic the behaviour of antibodies and César Milstein were awarded the
produced by the immune system to medicine Nobel Prize in 1984 for their
protect against diseases and foreign work on the the principle for
substances. production of monoclonal antibodies.
• An antibody attaches itself to an
antigen, a foreign substance, usually a
disease-causing molecule and helps
the immune system to eliminate it
from the body.
• Monoclonal antibodies are specifically
designed to target certain antigens.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG)
A new type of random number generator being developed in Linköping University, Sweden, promises to make digital
information exchange safer, cheaper and more environment-friendly.
QRNG
• They are a special case of True Random Number Generators (TRNG) that generate randomness by measuring
quantum processes, which are, by nature non-deterministic.
• The advantages are:
1. Using quantum indeterminacy
2. Typically faster performances by leveraging photonics
3. The ability to understand and verify the origin of unpredictability
• These are the core assurance for the entire cybersecurity chain.
True random number generators (TRNGs)
• TRNGs are based on measuring a specific (random) physical process to produce random digits.
• Thus, the randomness of such numbers comes from the underlying physical process, which may indeed be
completely unpredictable.
• TRNGs are the baseline for security applications.
• TRNGs are hardware components and sophisticated engineering is required to build them properly.
NPCI's New Payment Products

The NPCI has recently launched a slew of new payment options on popular payments platform UPI.
Products Specifications
• It is a feature for conversational payments on UPI.

Hello! UPI • It will help users make voice-enabled UPI payments via apps, telecom calls, and IoT devices in
Hindi and English.

• It will soon be available in several other regional languages also.
• Through a nationalized number for bill payment across India it enables users to fetch and pay
their bills by sending a 'Hi' on the messaging app across the country.
BillPay
• It has been introduced by the NPCI’s subsidiary Bharat BillPay.
Connect
• Customers without smartphones or immediate mobile data access will be able to pay bills by
giving a missed call as well.
• It also connect offers Voice Assisted Bill Payments facility
Credit Line • To increase access to credit, and promote financial inclusion and innovation through pre-
on UPI sanctioned credit lines from banks via UPI.
• It was launched for offline payments

• It was build based on the UPI Lite feature, which was launched in 2022.
UPI LITE X
• UPI LITE X will be accessible to anyone with a compatible device that supports Near Field
Communication (NFC), offering payments faster than other payment methods.
UPI Tap & • To enhance adoption of QR code and NFC technology, NPCI introduced ‘UPI Tap & Pay’.
Pay • It will allow customers to tap NFC-enabled QR codes to make payments at merchant locations.
Dark Patterns
Department of Consumer Affairs seeks public comments on Draft Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark
Patterns recently.
• Also known as Deceptive Patterns, a dark pattern is a user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users
into doing things, such as buying overpriced insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills.
• Examples - Sponsored video ads scattered between reels and stories in Instagram that users originally opted
to view, pop-ups and thumbnails of other videos in the final seconds of a video in YouTube.
• By using them, digital platforms take away a user’s right to full information about the services they are using,
and reduce their control over their browsing experience.
25. OTHERS
Breakthrough Prize
The 2023 winners of the Breakthrough Prizes were announced recently.
• The Breakthrough Prize is renowned as the Oscars of Science.
• About - It recognizes the world’s top scientists working in the fundamental sciences.
• Created by - Group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs in 2010.
• Founders - Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.
• Prize money - Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and
Mathematics.
• In addition, the New Horizons in Physics and Mathematics Prizes and the Maryam Mirzakhani New
Frontiers Prize are awarded to early-career researchers.
2023 Prizes
• 3 prizes were awarded this year in the life sciences category - mathematics , physics and life sciences.
• Prize in Mathematics - Awarded to Daniel Spielman of Yale for multiple discoveries in theoretical
computer science and mathematics.
Theoretical computer science (TCS) is a subset of general computer science and mathematics that focuses on
mathematical aspects of computer science.

• Prize in Fundamental physics - Shared by Charles Bennett, Gilles Brassard, David Deutsch and Peter Shor
for their work in quantum information.
Quantum information is problem solving and data processing using a quantum system as the information carrier,
rather than binary ‘1’s and ‘0’s used in conventional computation.
• Life sciences prize - Clifford Brangwynne and Anthony Hyman for discovering a new mechanism of
cellular organization.
Cellular Organization refers to the components of the cell and their arrangement inside it.
• The other life sciences prizes - Awarded to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for developing AlphaFold,
which predicts the structure of proteins.
AlphaFold is an artificial intelligence program which performs predictions of protein structure.
• Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa for discovering the causes of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles.
Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP)

The Government of India has come out with a new set of National Awards in the field of Science, Technology and
Innovation known as Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar.
• Aim - To recognize the contribution made by the scientists, technologists, and innovators individually or in
teams in various fields of science, technology and technology led innovation.
• Eligibility
1. Persons - Scientists/ technologists/innovators working in government, private sector organizations or any
individual working outside any organization.
2. Field - Person who have made distinguished contributions in terms of path-breaking research or
innovation or discovery in any field of science, technology, or technology- led innovation.
3. Residence - People of Indian Origin staying abroad with exceptional contributions benefiting the Indian
communities or society shall also be eligible for the awards.
Categories Recognition
Vigyan Ratna (vr) Lifetime achievements & contributions made in any field of science and technology.
Vigyan Shri (vs) Distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology.
Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Recognize & encourage young scientists up to the age of 45 years who made an
Bhatnagar (vy-ssb) exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology.
Team comprising of three or more scientists/researchers/innovators who have made

Vigyan Team (VT) award
an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.
• Selection Committee - Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) to be headed by the Principal Scientific
Adviser (PSA) to Government of India and comprising Secretaries.
• Announcement - These awards shall be announced on 11thMay (National Technology Day) every year.
• Award Ceremony - The Award Ceremony for all categories of awards will be held on 23rd August
(National Space Day), Chandrayaan – 3’s soft landing on moon.
Sanchar Saathi
• It is a citizen-centric initiative of Department of Telecommunications that was launched in 2023.
• Aim- To empower mobile subscribers, strengthen their security and increase awareness about citizen centric
initiatives of the Government. It is an integral part of Digital India vision.
• Functions- It allows citizens to

o Check- The connections registered against their names.

o Block- Mobile phones which are stolen or lost,
o Report- Fraudulent or unrequired connections
o Verify- The genuineness of a device (before a purchase) using the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identity).
• Keep Yourself Aware facility- It provides latest updates and awareness material on different aspects related to
end user security, telecom and information security.
• CEIR module- It facilitates tracing of the lost/stolen mobile devices.
• TAFCOP module- It allows users to check all the mobile numbers registered using Aadhaar card.
• ASTR- It is Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification
that helps to identify fraudulent subscribers.
26. INDEX AND REPORT
India Ageing Report, 2023

According to UNPFA’s India Ageing Report, Indian population aged 80+ years will grow at a rate of around 279%
between 2022 and 2050 with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women.
• Published by – United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India and International Institute for Population
Sciences (IIPS).
• Source of Data - It uses the Longitudinal Ageing Survey in India Population ageing is associated
(LASI), 2017–18, Census of India, Population Projections by the with a rise in the proportion of
Government of India (2011–2036), and World Population Prospects population termed as ‘old’, usually
2022 by the UN DESA. at 60 or 65 years and above.
Highlights of the report
• Prospects of elderly - Persons aged 60 years and above comprises around 10.5% of the country’s population
in 2022 and the share will double to 20.8% by 2050.
• Ageing Index - It measures the number of person aged 60+ years per 100 children population (below 15 years)
and the index score increases as the population ages.
• State differentials - Central and North Eastern regions have the younger group of States.
• Most of the states in the southern region and select northern states such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021.
• Old-age dependency ratio - It is the ratio of number of elderly people per 100 persons (15-59 years). The
higher the ratio, the greater the old age-related dependency.
• It is higher than the national average in the southern region.
• Life expectancy - 60 years
• At 60 years, a person in India may expect to live another 18.3 years, which is higher in case of females at 19 years
as compared to males at 17.5 years.
• Poorest population – More than 40% of the elderly comes under this category.
************

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8.2 India- South Korea Relations ........................... 54

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1. IMPORTANT TOPICS OF THE MONTH

1.1 G20 Summit 2023

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

o Gets to host various meetings and the G20 Leaders’ Summit

India’s G20 Presidency

• India holds the

What are the key outcomes of New Delhi Declaration?

Outcomes Description Significance

• India along with Brazil, Indonesia and

• The 55-member African Union was formally made

• The G20 leaders agreed to pursue tripling

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• A voluntary framework for Systems of Digital

• It aims to help the countries of Global

What are the major misses in the G20 Summit?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What are the Cultural values reflected in G20 summit?

Cultural Heritages Significance

The Gifts Significance

• Sandook is the Hindi word for a treasure chest.

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• Zighrana Ittar is a masterpiece of fragrance from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

• Synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi, khadi is an eco-friendly clothing material most

• Banarasi silk stoles are India's elegant treasures.

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What lies ahead?

1.2 Women Reservation Bill, 2023

Constitutional Provisions for Women empowerment

How about the representation of women in Parliament?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What is the history of women reservation bill?

Bill About Reason for lapse

To reserve not less than 1/3rd of the total number of seats

To provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha, SLAs and

85th Amendment Due to lack of consensus

Proposes 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha, SLAs and

What are the key features of the bill?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• Develop society- Experience of women in family life as Rwanda model

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.3 20th ASEAN India Summit

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• Regional organisation- It comprises of 10 Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What is the significance of ASEAN for India?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• Blue economy- Both 12-point plan proposed by India

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.4 Five Years of Ayushman Bharat

o It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses such as

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• Inclusive treatment –Around 50 packages were designed

1.5 One Year of Project Cheetah

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• Implementation failure – Action Plan for Cheetah Reintroduction in Indian States

2.1 Ashoka, the Great

Why in news? Maurya Empire