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M.S.Shashank
NOVEMBER - 2022 Current Affairs
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M.S.Shashank
1. Polity & Governance ...............................................................................6

1.1. Nikah Halala ............................................................................................................................................ 6
1.2. Article 192 (2) of the Constitution ........................................................................................................... 7
1.3. EC To Change Poll Code........................................................................................................................... 7
1.4. The Mediation Bill, 2021 ......................................................................................................................... 8
1.5. Parliament Committees .......................................................................................................................... 9
1.6. SC Delivers Split Verdict On Hijab Issue................................................................................................. 11
1.7. RTI Pleas Pile Up at Information Commissions ...................................................................................... 13
1.8. ‘Human sacrifice’ & Laws on Witchcraft ............................................................................................... 14
1.9. Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion ....................................................................................................... 16
2. Economy ............................................................................................... 18
2.1. RoDTEP Scheme .................................................................................................................................... 18
2.2. Does India Need a Population Policy? ................................................................................................... 19
2.3. Examining Demonetisation ................................................................................................................... 20
2.4. World Economic Outlook Report: IMF .................................................................................................. 22
2.5. Global Innovation Index 2022 ............................................................................................................... 23
2.6. Global Hunger Index 2022 ..................................................................................................................... 24
2.7. Report by RBI on Big Techs.................................................................................................................... 26
2.8. Vision—Developed India: Opportunities and Expectations of MNCs .................................................... 27
2.9. Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) ...................................................................................... 28
2.10. Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme ............................................................................................................ 29
3. International Relations ......................................................................... 32

3.1. Rediscovering the Bay of Bengal ........................................................................................................... 32
3.2. Group of Four (G4) on UNSC Reform .................................................................................................... 33
3.3. Energising India - Nepal Ties, The Hydropower Way ............................................................................. 35
3.4. EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) .............................................................................................................. 36
3.5. INTERPOL General Assembly - 90th Session.......................................................................................... 38
3.6. UNSC 1267 Committee.......................................................................................................................... 39
3.7. Saudi Crown Prince expected to visit Delhi ........................................................................................... 40
3.8. Political Crisis in the U.K. ....................................................................................................................... 40
3.9. Rishi Sunak: UK's first Indian-origin PM ................................................................................................ 41
4. Science & Technology ........................................................................... 43

4.1. Investing In the Future of Indian Science .............................................................................................. 43
4.2. ISRO's Mangalyaan Mission .................................................................................................................. 45
4.3. Medicinal Fungi ..................................................................................................................................... 46
4.4. Supermassive Black Hole ....................................................................................................................... 46
4.5. IN-SPACe ............................................................................................................................................... 46
M.S.Shashank
4.6. SLBM launched from INS Arihant .......................................................................................................... 49
4.7. Kuafu-1: China’s first space-based solar telescope ............................................................................... 49
5. Social Issues & Justice ........................................................................... 50

5.1. This Hindi - And Hindi Alone - Counsel Is Flawed .................................................................................. 50
5.2. India slams 'methodology' of Global Hunger Index ............................................................................... 51
6. Health ................................................................................................... 53
6.1. Child Mortality ...................................................................................................................................... 53
6.2. India @ 75 Looking at 100 ..................................................................................................................... 54
6.3. One Health Joint Plan of Action ............................................................................................................ 56
7. education.............................................................................................. 57
7.1. False Dichotomies of Education ............................................................................................................ 57
8. Agriculture ............................................................................................ 59
8.1. The Future of Farmer Producer Companies Could Be Brightened ........................................................ 59
8.2. Agricultural Resilience and Food Security ............................................................................................. 61
8.3. Control Stubble Burning ........................................................................................................................ 63
9. Environment ......................................................................................... 65
9.1. National Clean Air Programme .............................................................................................................. 65
9.2. Reverse Desertification of Land Across States ...................................................................................... 65
9.3. Living Planet Report 2022 ..................................................................................................................... 68
9.4. Lead Poisoning Prevalence in India ....................................................................................................... 70
9.5. Health Impact of Climate Change.......................................................................................................... 71
9.6. New Species of Genus Allmania Spotted ............................................................................................... 72
10. Internal Security ................................................................................... 73

10.1. Tri-services Missile Command ............................................................................................................... 73
10.2. Mission DefSpace .................................................................................................................................. 73
10.3. Scorched-Earth Tactics .......................................................................................................................... 75
11. Geography & Disaster Management ..................................................... 75

11.1. Monsoon ends on a high ....................................................................................................................... 75
11.2. Desertification and Land Degradation................................................................................................... 76
11.3. Dvorak Technique ................................................................................................................................. 78
11.4. Avalanche Monitoring Radar ................................................................................................................. 79
11.5. Partial Solar Eclipse ............................................................................................................................... 79
12. History- Art & Culture ........................................................................... 80

12.1. Buddhist caves in MP’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve ............................................................................. 80
12.2. Shyamji Krishna Varma Jayanti ............................................................................................................. 81
12.3. Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti .................................................................................................................... 81
12.4. Chola Dynasty ....................................................................................................................................... 81
12.5. Bhoot khola ........................................................................................................................................... 83
M.S.Shashank
13. Awards.................................................................................................. 83
13.1. Swachh Survekshan 2022 ...................................................................................................................... 83
13.2. Nobel Prize in Medicine ........................................................................................................................ 84
13.3. SASTRA Ramanujan Prize ...................................................................................................................... 85
13.4. GI award ............................................................................................................................................... 85
13.5. World Green City award 2022 ............................................................................................................... 85
13.6. Sakharov Prize ....................................................................................................................................... 86
13.7. 2022 Booker Prize ................................................................................................................................. 86
14. Government Initiatives ......................................................................... 86

14.1. Matdata Junction .................................................................................................................................. 86
14.2. Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors (YUVA) 2.0 ............................................................................ 87
14.3. Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme .................................................................................... 87
14.4. Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0............................................................................................................... 88
15. Persons & Appointments ...................................................................... 88

15.1. Indian Cricketer Smriti Mandhana ........................................................................................................ 88
15.2. Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan .......................................................................................................... 89
15.3. Justice DY Chandrachud ........................................................................................................................ 89
15.4. Dr. Sankarasubramanian K. ................................................................................................................... 89
15.5. Roger Binny ........................................................................................................................................... 89
15.6. Mallikarjun Kharge ................................................................................................................................ 89
15.7. Jyothi Yarraji.......................................................................................................................................... 89
15.8. Kamalpreet Kaur ................................................................................................................................... 89
15.9. Rohit Sharma ......................................................................................................................................... 90
15.10. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss ................................................................................................................... 90
15.11. Anna May Wong.................................................................................................................................... 90
15.12. Dr Dilip Mahalanabis ............................................................................................................................. 91
16. Important Days ..................................................................................... 91

16.1. 2nd October – International Day of Non-Violence ................................................................................ 91
16.2. 2nd October – Gandhi Jayanti ............................................................................................................... 91
16.3. 2nd October – Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti ............................................................................................ 92
16.4. 3rd October – World Nature Day .......................................................................................................... 92
16.5. 4th October – World Habitat Day.......................................................................................................... 92
16.6. 4th October – World Animal Welfare Day............................................................................................. 92
16.7. 5th October – World Teacher’s Day ...................................................................................................... 92
16.8. 8th October – Air Force Day .................................................................................................................. 92
16.9. 9th October – World Postal Day. ........................................................................................................... 92
16.10. 10th October – National Postal Day ...................................................................................................... 92
16.11. 11th October – International Girl Child Day .......................................................................................... 93
16.12. 13th October – UN International Day for National Disaster Reduction ................................................ 93
16.13. 16th October – World Food Day ........................................................................................................... 93
M.S.Shashank
16.14. 17th October – International Day for the eradication of poverty ......................................................... 93
16.15. 24th October – United Nations Day ...................................................................................................... 93
16.16. 31st October – Rastriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day ................................................................... 93
17. Miscellaneous ....................................................................................... 94

17.1. Sukapaika River ..................................................................................................................................... 94
17.2. New rule for UAE visa system ............................................................................................................... 94
17.3. Trade and Development Report 2022: UNCTAD ................................................................................... 94
17.4. Light Combat Helicopter ....................................................................................................................... 94
17.5. Tomistoma ............................................................................................................................................ 95
17.6. Sparsh Initiative .................................................................................................................................... 95
17.7. Yield Curve Control ............................................................................................................................... 96
17.8. PowerEX-2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 96
17.9. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Birth Anniversary .................................................................................................. 97
17.10. Rythu Bharosa Kendras ......................................................................................................................... 97
17.11. ISRO’s Next-Gen Launch Vehicle ........................................................................................................... 98
17.12. Snow Leopard ....................................................................................................................................... 98
17.13. India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime (IBSAMAR) ...................................................................................... 98
17.14. Golden Jubilee of PIN Code ................................................................................................................... 99
17.15. Great Indian Bustards ........................................................................................................................... 99
17.16. Pokkali Rice ........................................................................................................................................... 99
17.17. Nihonshu ............................................................................................................................................. 100
17.18. Asia’s largest Compressed Bio Gas plant ............................................................................................. 100
M.S.Shashank
1. Polity & Governance

1.1. Nikah Halala o However, if he decides to dissolve the
marriage for the third time, he can
only remarry the same woman if she
Why In News? first marries another
man, consummates the marriage, and
• Recently, Public interest litigation (PIL) was only if the man dies or willingly asks
filed seeking the annulment of halala for divorce, can the woman go back to
marriage and polygamy. her first husband and remarry him.
▪ Usually, nikah halala stems
More about the news from instant triple talaq and
ends with it.
• About PIL: • Quranic justification:
o The PIL was regarding the annulment
o Halala, the way the Koran speaks of
of Section 2 of the Muslim Personal it, empowers women to take
Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, to independent decisions.
be declared arbitrary and in violation o It saves women from temperamental
of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the husbands who divorce in a fit of anger,
Constitution. then cancel it, then divorce again,
o The litigant requested the court to
unleashing an endless cycle of
ensure that provisions of the Indian marriage and divorce.
Penal Code, 1860, apply to all Indian • Global scenario:
citizens. o In Saudi Arabia, where divorces are on
▪ She contended that nikah the rise, no cases of halala have been
halala is rape under IPC Section reported.
375. o No case has been reported from the
UAE, Kuwait and Yemen either.
What is Nikah halala?
• Indian Law on Nikah Halala:
• About:
o In India, the Muslim Women’s
o Nikah halala is a law that requires a
Protection of Rights on
woman to marry and sleep with
Marriage, passed after invalidation of
another man in order to return to her
triple talaq by the Supreme Court, is
first husband.
silent on nikah halala.
o In Islam, ‘halala’ is a term that finds its
o The Act made instant triple talaq a
roots in ‘halal’ that translates to
criminal offence but steered clear of
something that is permissible, and
halala which takes place as a
therefore ‘lawful’.
consequence of triple talaq.
▪ In the context of marriage then,
Issues:
it means that a divorced
woman can become ‘halal’ • In modern India, nikah halala has been
(lawful) for her husband again manipulated and misused.
after nikah halala is complete. • Rapes:
• The procedure: o There are cases of rapes on women by
o Islam dictates that a Muslim man has
keens on the name of Halala.
the liberty to divorce and remarry the • Websites offering halala marriage:
same woman twice. o In the midst of this, several websites
and social media pages have emerged
M.S.Shashank
offering halala marriage services to RTI Act unless a final order is passed by
women who’ve been divorced by their the Governor.
first husbands. • Section 9A of the Representation of the
• Blackmailing and extortion: People Act, 1951
o Many women who approach these o Section 9A prohibits elected
services are either blackmailed or representatives from entering into any
taken advantage of. contract with the government for “supply
o Many are asked to pay large sums of of goods” or “execution of any works
money. undertaken” by it.
▪ CM was allegedly misusing his
Way Ahead position to allot a stone-mining
lease to himself last year.
• In patriarchal societies, religious laws have
often been lopsided, favouring men. 1.3. EC To Change Poll Code
• Laws such as triple talaq and nikah halala are
not only archaic, but they are also debilitating
for Muslim women. Why in News?
• The legality of such laws needs to
be challenged and subsequently discarded. • The Election Commission (EC) has recently
proposed to amend the model code amid a
1.2. Article 192 (2) of the Constitution debate on the freebies.
• The amendment will require the political
parties to provide authentic information to
Why In News?
voters on the financial viability of their poll
promises.
• Recently, the Election Commission (EC) has
turned down Jharkhand Chief Minister’s
request to disclose its opinion shared with the What are the changes that the EC has proposed
state Governor in the disqualification matter to the model code?
against him.
• The poll panel has proposed to amend the Model
About Article 192 (2) Code of Conduct to add a proforma to Part VIII
(Guidelines on election manifesto) of the MCC.
• Any communication between the EC and a • It will require political parties to inform voters
Governor is “privileged” under Article 192 (2) about the financial feasibility of promises made
of the Constitution and revealing it before an in their manifestos, the number of beneficiaries
order is passed by the Governor would amount expected to be targeted by the schemes
to “breach of constitutional propriety”. promised, and also whether they are sustainable
• DD Thaisii Vs Election Commission of India within the financial space of the state or the
o It is regarding the EC’s opinion on a Union government
• The proposed proforma will seek details of
complaint seeking disqualification of 12
revenue generation ways (through additional
BJP MLAs from the Manipur Assembly.
tax, if any), rationalizing expenditure (cutting
o In this matter, the EC has said, the apex
some schemes, if so required), impact on
court did not order it to disclose its
committed liabilities and/or raising of further
opinion after the counsel for the poll debt and its impact on Fiscal Responsibility and
panel informed the court that disclosure Budget Management Act (FRBM) limits.
of privileged communication would be • Although the implementation of election
improper. promises can have several ramifications, the
• RTI Act Commission has proposed to confine the
o The EC also said that any document disclosures to only the financial implications of
pertaining to a reference received from the promises in terms of the financial resources
the Governor under Article 192(2) is required.
also exempt from disclosure under the
M.S.Shashank
What is the rationale behind the move? What is the model code of conduct (MCC)?
• Ambiguous and vague declarations by • Election Commission of India's Model Code of

political parties: Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by
o While the existing guidelines under the Election Commission of India for the
MCC require the political parties and conduct of political parties and candidates
candidates to explain the rationale for during elections mainly with respect to
promises made therein as well as the speeches, polling day, polling booths,
possible ways and means to finance portfolios, election manifestos, processions,
such promises, it has been observed and general conduct.
that the declarations are quite routine, • This set of norms has evolved with the
ambiguous and do not provide consensus of political parties who have
adequate information to voters to consented to abide by the principles embodied
exercise informed choice in an election. in the said code in its letter and spirit.
• Hampering of financial sustainability: • The MCC comes into force immediately on the
o The EC is of the view that the empty poll announcement of the election schedule by the
promises have far-reaching commission for the need to ensure free and
ramifications and undesirable impacts fair elections.
on financial sustainability which can't
be overlooked. Objectives of MCC:
• Competitive electoral promises:
o The consequences of inadequate • Its main purpose is to ensure that ruling
disclosures by political parties get parties, at the Centre and in the States, do not
attenuated by the fact that elections misuse their position of advantage to gain an
are held frequently, providing unfair edge.
opportunities for political parties to • The document guides the EC in ensuring a level
indulge in competitive electoral playing field for all political parties and
promises, particularly in multi-phase candidates during elections.
elections, without taking into • It is designed to avert practices that are
consideration the financial implications deemed corrupt under the model code of
more particularly on committed conduct. For example, politicians should not
expenditure. make hate speeches, put one community
• Undermining of free and fair elections: against another, invoke religion or make
o Some of the promises and offers have promises about new projects that may sway a
an undesirable impact on the conduct voter.
of free and fair elections and on • It has no legal backing and is only a voluntary
maintaining a level playing field. understanding between the EC and the
• Standardized disclosure proforma: political parties that comes into play during the
o The electoral reform will not only bring election process.
about a standardized disclosure
proforma for the guidance of political
1.4. The Mediation Bill, 2021
parties and candidates but will also
ensure authentic information to the
voters to assess the financial viability of Why in News?
election promises. • The Mediation Bill, 2021 was introduced in the
• Informed poll choices: Rajya Sabha. The Parliamentary Standing
o Most political parties do not submit to Committee is tasked with a review of the Bill. The
the EC their poll declarations in time committee’s report to the Rajya Sabha was
and with adequate disclosures on the submitted recently.
financial implications of the promises • In its report, the Committee recommends
made, the Indian electorate will be able substantial changes to the Mediation Bill, aimed
to exercise informed poll choices.
M.S.Shashank
at institutionalising mediation and establishing constitutional right which cannot be fettered
the Mediation Council of India. or restricted. Mediation should just be
What is Mediation Bill, 2021? voluntary and making it otherwise would
amount to the denial of justice.
Mediation is a way of resolving conflicts where • Clause 26 of the Bill: According to Clause 26 of
two or more parties decide to reach an agreement the Bill, court-annexed mediation, including
with the support of a third, neutral party that pre-litigation mediation, will be conducted in
guides them through the process. accordance with the directions or rules framed
What are the objectives of the Draft Mediation by the Supreme Court or High Courts.
Bill,2021? • The Bill considers international mediation to
be domestic when it is conducted in India with
• To promote, encourage, and facilitate the settlement being recognised as a judgment
mediation, especially institutional mediation, or decree of a court.
to resolve disputes, commercial and • The Singapore Convention does not apply to
otherwise. settlements that already have the status of
• To bring standalone law on Mediation on judgments or decrees. As a result, conducting
domestic and international mediation issues, cross-border mediation in India will exclude
as India is a signatory to the Singapore the tremendous benefits of worldwide
Convention on Mediation. enforceability.
• To include the international practice of using
the terms ‘conciliation’ and ‘mediation’ Recommendations of the Committee?
interchangeably.
• The Committee recommends substantial
What are the key features of the Bill?
changes to the Mediation Bill, aimed at
• Firstly, the Bill proposes pre-litigation institutionalising mediation and establishing
mediation. At the same time, it safeguards the the Mediation Council of India.
interest of the litigants to approach the • Clause 26 is unconstitutional: The committee
competent adjudicatory forums/courts for stated that Clause 26 went against the spirit of
urgent relief. the Constitution. In countries that follow the
• Secondly, the successful outcome of Common Law system, the absence of statutes,
mediation in the form of a Mediation apex court judgments and decisions carry the
Settlement Agreement(MSA) has been made same weight.
enforceable by law. • The moment a law is passed, then it becomes
• Thirdly, the mediation process protects the guiding force rather than the instructions
the confidentiality of the mediation process or judgments given by the courts. Therefore,
and provides for immunity in certain cases Clause 26 is unconstitutional.
against its disclosure.
• Fourthly, Mediation Settlement Agreement 1.5. Parliament Committees
could be registered with State/District/Taluk
Legal Authorities within 90 days to ensure
maintenance of authenticated records of the Why In News?
settlement so arrived.
• A recent revamp of the Standing Committees
• Fifthly, the bill provides for the establishment
of the Mediation Council of India. of Parliament could potentially worsen the
• Lastly, it provides for community mediation. relations between the government and
opposition parties.
What are the concerns with the Mediation Bill,
Committees of Parliament
2021?
• About:
• The bill proposes mandatory mediation before
o Parliamentary Committees have their
litigation: But, as per Article 21 of the
origins in the British Parliament.
Constitution, access to justice is a
M.S.Shashank
o A Parliamentary Committee is a panel o These committees were constituted in
of MPs that is appointed or elected by 1950.
the House or nominated by the o A Minister is not eligible for election or
Speaker, and which works under nomination to Financial Committees,
the direction of the Speaker. and certain Departmentally Related
o It presents its report to the House or to Committees.
the Speaker. • Departmentally Related Standing
• Derives Authority From: Committees:
o They draw their authority from Article o Aim: to increase Parliamentary
105, which deals with the privileges of scrutiny, and to give members more
MPs, and Article 118, which gives time and a wider role in examining
Parliament authority to make rules to important legislation.
regulate its procedure and conduct of o Seventeen Departmentally Related
business. Standing Committees came into being
• Importance of Heads: in 1993 to examine budgetary
o Preparing the agenda: The heads of proposals and crucial government
the panels schedule their meetings. policies.
They play a clear role in preparing the o The number of Committees was
agenda and the annual report, and can subsequently increased to 24 - there
take decisions in the interest of the are 16 Departmentally Related
efficient management of the Standing Committees for Lok Sabha
Committee. and eight for Rajya Sabha.
o Power to Summon: The chairperson o Important Lok Sabha
presides over the meetings and can Panels: Agriculture; Coal; Defence;
decide who should be summoned External Affairs; Finance;
before the panel. However, the Communications & Information
chairman should have the support of Technology; Labour; Petroleum &
the majority of the members to Natural Gas; and Railways. The
summon a witness. important Rajya Sabha panels include
o Equivalent to a court: An invitation to Commerce; Education; Health & Family
appear before a Parliamentary Welfare; Home Affairs; and
Committee is equivalent to a summons Environment.
from a court: If one cannot come, he or o Composition:
she has to give reasons, which the ▪ Each of these Committees has
panel may or may not accept. 31 members — 21 from Lok
• Concerning Changes: Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
o Of the 22 committees announced ▪ Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
recently, the Congress has the post of panels are headed by members
chairperson in only one, and the of these respective Houses.
second largest opposition party, • Ad hoc Committees:
Trinamool Congress, none. o Appointed for a specific purpose.
o The ruling BJP has the chairmanship of o They cease to exist after they have
the important committees on Home, completed the task assigned to them,
Finance, IT, Defence and External and have submitted a report to the
Affairs. House.
o The principal Ad hoc Committees are
Various Committees of Parliament the Select and Joint Committees on
Bills.
• Financial Committees: o Other Ad hoc Committees: the Railway
o Include the Estimates Committee, Convention Committee, Committee on
Public Accounts Committee, and the Food Management and Security in
Committee on Public Undertakings. Parliament House Complex, etc. also
M.S.Shashank
come under the category of Ad hoc o Engaging with experts and
Committees. stakeholders enables Committee
• Other Parliamentary Standing Committees: members to better understand the
o The Business Advisory Committee and details of complicated issues, and the
the Privileges Committee for Each potential impact of a policy or
House. legislation.
o Parliament can also constitute a Joint o Committees in other countries such as
Parliamentary Committee (JPC) with a the UK, USA, and Canada can retain
special purpose, with members from specialist advisors (such as lawyers,
both Houses, for detailed scrutiny of a economists, and statisticians) to assist
subject or Bill. in specific inquiries.
o Also, either of the two Houses can set • Public Opinions:
up a Select Committee with members o Committees can also invite comments
from that House. from the wider public which can help
o JPCs and Select Committees are usually Committees consider the wider
chaired by ruling party MPs, and are implications of a Bill or policy.
disbanded after they have submitted
their report. 1.6. SC Delivers Split Verdict On Hijab Issue
Issues with Parliamentary Committees Why in News?
• Need Strengthening in Several Areas: All Bills • A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court
are not referred to Committees. They are comprising Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice
thinly staffed. Some Committees may not seek Sudhanshu Dhulia, has been unable to resolve
evidence from experts on important Bills. the conflict between a girl student’s freedom
• Limited Support: Currently, the technical to wear a head-scarf and the state’s interest in
support available to Parliamentary keeping schools a place of equality and
Committees is limited to a secretariat that secularism.
helps with matters such as scheduling
meetings and note taking.
• Participation of Members: Parliamentary
Key Divergences in the verdict:
Committees hold several meetings to conduct
• Justice Dhulia has empasized education as the
an in-depth analysis of various issues through
core issue while Justice Gupta opined that
extensive deliberations among Members. The
religion is not a central issue in this case.
success of the Committee system depends on • While Justice Gupta feels that allowing religious
the participation of Members in these symbols in schools can lead to fragmentation,
meetings which is generally low. Justice Dhulia thinks that it can sensitise students
to diversity and promote tolerance.
Way Ahead • Justice Gupta advocates a strict view of
discipline, without the slightest of the deviation,
• Scrutiny of All Bills: which will ensure a collective uniformity. On the
o Referring all Bills to a Committee would other hand, Justice Dhulia advocates reasonable
ensure that all laws go through a accommodation to balance the individual dignity
minimum level of Parliamentary and privacy. Justice Dhulia says that classrooms
scrutiny. need not have the degree of discipline expected
• Funding: in a military camp or a jail.
o Funds should be secured to assist these
Committees in conducting inquiries, Background:
holding public hearings, and collecting
data. • On December 27, after Muslim students in the
• Expert Support & Specialist Advisors: government-run Pre-Government College in
Karnataka’s Udupi district were prevented from
M.S.Shashank
entering classrooms on account of wearing hijab, appeal to anyone’s reason or sentiment
the issue assumed communal overtones. it would attract the protection of Article
• Hijab bans were imposed in other parts of the 25 if it is genuinely and conscientiously
state. Instead of dousing fires, the state held as part of profession or practice of
government upheld the ban and directed that religion.
colleges ensure that “clothes which disturb, o Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy held in this
equality, integrity and law and order shouldn’t be case, "Our tradition teaches tolerance;
worn”. our philosophy preaches tolerance; our
• The Karnataka HC ratified this order on March 15 Constitution practices tolerance; let us
by invoking the essential practices doctrine. It not dilute it."
held that wearing the hijab is not an essential • Fathima Tasneem v State of Kerala (2018):
religious practice in Islam and is not, therefore, o The case involved two girls who wanted
protected under the right to freedom of religion to wear the headscarf. The school
guaranteed by Article 25. refused to allow the headscarf.
• The High Court bench also upheld the legality of o Kerala HC held that collective rights of an
the Karnataka government’s previous order institution would be given primacy over
prescribing guidelines for uniforms in schools the individual rights of the petitioner
and pre-university colleges under the provisions o However, the court dismissed the appeal
of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. as students were no more in the rolls of
the School.
Constitutional and Legal Provisions: • Ayodhya Case 2019:
o The Supreme Court held that offering
• Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the prayers was an essential practice of
“freedom of conscience and the right freely to Islam, but offering prayers in the mosque
profess, practice and propagate religion”. was not essential practice.
• It is a right that guarantees a negative liberty —
which means that the state shall ensure that Criticism of the Essential Features Test:
there is no interference or obstacle to exercise
this freedom. • A judicial determination of religious practices
• However, like all fundamental rights, the state that are considered as essential, has often been
can restrict the right for grounds of public order, criticized by legal experts as Judicial Overreach.
decency, morality, health and other state • It has been criticized by legal experts as it pushes
interests. the court to delve into theological aspects.
• Over the years, the Supreme Court has evolved a • Legal experts have asked the courts to use the
practical test of sorts to determine what religious test to prohibit religious practices for public
practices can be constitutionally protected and order rather than determine its essentiality in
what can be ignored. religion.
• There are instances in which the court has
Landmark Judgments: applied the test to individual freedoms as well.
For example, in 2016, a three-judge Bench of the
• The Commissioner, Hindu Religious Supreme Court upheld the discharge of a Muslim
Endowments, Madras vs. Shri Lakshmindar airman from the Indian Air Force for keeping a
Tirtha Swamiyar of Shri Shirur Mutt, 1954 beard.
o In this case, the Supreme Court held that o It distinguished the case of a Muslim
the term “religion” would cover all airman from that of Sikhs who are
rituals and practices “integral” to a allowed to keep a beard.
religion. The test to determine what is o The court essentially held that keeping a
integral was termed the “essential beard was not an essential part of Islamic
religious practices” test. practices.
• Bijoe Emmanuel and others vs. State of Kerala Conclusion:

(1986)
o Supreme Court ruled that even if a • It is unfortunate that a clear verdict did not
religious belief or practice does not emerge from the elaborate arguments advanced
M.S.Shashank
before the Court for and against the Karnataka 41 out of 165 posts of Chief Information
government’s bar on the wearing of the hijab. Commissioner and information commissioners
• The split verdict perhaps reflects the division in are vacant as compared to 36 last year in 2021.
the wider society on issues concerning 4. Reluctance to impose penalties: The
secularism and the minorities. commissions did not impose penalties in 95%
• The dissonance on the bench speaks of the of the cases where penalties were potentially
complex questions raised in arguments imposable.
presented before the court — the powers of the 5. Long waiting time for case disposal: In several
state to impose reasonable restrictions on the commissions, there is a long waiting time for
freedom of religion and conscience, the essential disposal of cases on account of a large backlog
practices doctrine, individual choice and
of cases as governments have failed to make
community identity.
appointments of information commissioners in
• When a new SC bench adjudicates on the matter,
a timely manner.
it should keep uppermost the question posed by
Justice Dhulia: “Are we making her life any 6. Lack of transparency: There is an urgent need
better?” for the transparency watchdogs to function in
a more effective and transparent manner.
7. Lack of e-filing facility: Only 11 information
1.7. RTI Pleas Pile Up at Information commissions out of 29 provide e-filing facilities
Commissions for RTI applications or appeals, but only five are
functional.
Why in News?
The Right To Information (RTI) Act 2005:
• Even after 17 years of the passing of the Right
to Information (RTI) Act, the transparency • The RTI Act 2005 sets out the rules and
regime in the country remains merely a dream procedures regarding citizens’ right to
with nearly 3.15 lakh complaints or appeals information.
pending with 26 information commissions • It was enacted in order to consolidate the
across India. fundamental right in the Indian constitution
• Till now, more than 4.2 crore RTIs have been freedom of speech.
filed and 26 lakh second appeals are there • The issues such as corruption and scandals,
before the commissions. international pressure and activism,
modernization and the information society,
Key highlights of the report by the Satark Nagrik etc. caused its enactment in 2005.
Sangathan:
Key provisions of the Act:
1. Increasing backlogs: The backlog of appeals or
complaints is steadily increasing in • The Act provides a definition of Information
commissions every year. The highest number and what constitutes Public Officials for the
of pending cases was in Maharashtra at 99,722 purpose of the Act.
followed by Uttar Pradesh at 44,482, Karnataka • Section 4 requires suo moto disclosure of
at 30,358, the Central Information Commission information by each public authority. This
at 26,724 and Bihar at 21,346. provision is to empower citizens to make
2. Defunct Commissions: Jharkhand and Tripura informed decisions.
have been completely defunct for 29 months • Section 8 (1) mentions exemptions against
and 15 months respectively; Manipur, furnishing information under RTI Act. This is to
Telangana, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh save critical and strategic information from
are without chiefs. going out of context.
3. Pending vacancies: Several information • Section 8 (2) provides for disclosure of
commissions, including the Central information exempted under the Official
Information Commission, are working at Secrets Act, 1923 if a larger public interest is
reduced capacity with less than the stipulated served.
number of members being in office. Currently,
M.S.Shashank
• The Act provides for the appointment of 1.8. ‘Human sacrifice’ & Laws on
Information Commissioners at the Central and Witchcraft
State levels and a designated Public
Information Officer responsible to give Why In News?
information to a person who seeks information
under the RTI Act. • Recently, there was a strong demand for a new
law to curb superstitious practices in Kerala
RTI Amendment Act 2019: following deaths related to witchcraft rituals.
• As per the amendment act, the central Issue of superstitious practices in India
government will notify the term of office for the
CIC and the ICs. • Kerala Issue:
• The salaries, allowances, and other terms and o Two women were allegedly abducted,
conditions of service of the central and state CIC beheaded and buried as part of a
and ICs will also be determined by the central “witchcraft ritual”.
government. • Incidences of witchcraft in India:
o According to the 2021 National Crime
Way forward: Records Bureau report, three states in
India – Chhattisgarh (20), Madhya
• A code of conduct must be evolved for the Pradesh (18) and Telangana (11) –
central and state information commissioners. accounted for 49 out of the 68
• It is imperative for the commissioners to keep a registered cases of witchcraft in the
strict distance from government heads and country.
officialdom. • What do the laws against witchcraft target?
• Key stakeholders seem to be losing their o Apart from curbing superstitious
enthusiasm and it is now up to the public, civil beliefs, such laws have been
society, media, courts and finally the
introduced mainly to protect women,
commissioners themselves to shore up the
who are identified as “witches” by local
sagging morale of the RTI set-up.
people.
• The Act clearly states that the final appeal lies
o Many such incidents have been
with the information commissions, so the
appeals in High Courts which are masked as writs reported, usually after the spread of an
to obtain relief from high courts, must be dealt illness or unusual circumstances in a
with by ICs only. community that spreads panic among
people.
Conclusion:
Legal safeguards against superstitious practices
• Under the RTI law, information commissions are
• In India, there is no common central law that
the final appellate authority and are mandated to
criminalises actions furthering the belief in
safeguard and facilitate people’s fundamental
right to information. witchcraft, but state laws do exist.
o Bihar and Jharkhand:
• An analysis of penalties imposed shows that
proper functioning of information commissions ▪ Bihar became the first state to introduce
is crucial for people to realise their right to a law on the matter in 1999.
information. ▪ The state’s Prevention Of Witch
• The digital RTI portal (website or mobile app) can Practices Act, 1999, says it was intended
deliver more efficient and citizen-friendly to “provide for the effective measures
services, not possible through conventional to prevent the witch practices and
mode. identification of a woman as a witch and
• This will be beneficial for both transparency their oppression mostly prevalent in
seekers and the government. Tribal areas and elsewhere in the State
of Bihar and to eliminate the woman’s
M.S.Shashank
torture, humiliation and killing by the various superstitious activities
society”. prevalent in India.
▪ Along the lines of the Bihar law, the • The Prevention of Witch-hunting Bill, 2016:
newly independent state of Jharkhand o In 2016, The Prevention of Witch-
came up with its own law in 2001. hunting Bill, 2016, was introduced in
o Chhattisgarh: the Lok Sabha.
▪ The Tonahi Pratadna Nivaran o It had sections covering a range of
Adhiniyam came into force in 2005, issues – from the reasons a woman
where ‘Tonahi’ is another word for may be deemed a witch by people to
witch. the rehabilitation and awareness
▪ It was estimated that from 2001 to programmes the government should
2015, in the 1,500 police cases carry out.
reported in the state, over 90 per o However, it did not go through further
cent of the women were either stages of consideration in Parliament.
widows, or women separated from
husbands, or women with no Way Ahead
children.
o Odisha, Rajasthan & Assam: • Violation of fundamental rights:
▪ Similar provisions also exist in states o Allowing the unhindered continuance
like Odisha, Rajasthan & Assam. of such practices violates an
▪ Assam is the state that most recently individual’s fundamental right to
came up with a law against witchcraft equality and right to life under Articles
in 2018. 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution
o Maharashtra and Karnataka: respectively.
▪ Maharashtra and Karnataka have • Unscientific and irrational practices:
Acts related to black magic and o In the absence of measures to tackle
superstition, but they do not mention superstitions, unscientific and
witchcraft in particular. irrational practices such as faith
• Other Safeguards: healing, quackery, and
o Human sacrifice: misinformation regarding medical
▪ Section 302 (punishment for procedures can also balloon up,.
murder) takes cognisance of human o This can have severe detrimental
sacrifice, but only after the murder is effects on public order and health of
committed. citizens.
o Discouragement: • Awareness:
▪ Likewise, Section 295A (Deliberate o However, it is pertinent to remember
and malicious acts, intended to that bringing a legislation to deal with
outrage religious feelings of any class this social issue shall only mean half the
by insulting its religion or religious battle won.
beliefs) works to discourage such o Meaningful reforms will need to
practices. increase awareness among the masses
o Inculcating scientific temper: through information campaigns, and
▪ Furthermore, Article 51A (h) of the by roping in community/religious
Indian Constitution makes it a leaders to debunk the myths
fundamental duty for Indian citizens to surrounding such practices.
develop the scientific temper,
humanism and the spirit of inquiry and
reform.
o Magic drugs and remedies:
▪ Other provisions under the Drugs and
Magic Remedies Act of 1954 also aim
to tackle the debilitating impact of
M.S.Shashank
1.9. Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion • Termination within 20 weeks is allowed where
any pregnancy occurs as a result of -
Why in News? o Failure of any device or method used by
any woman or her partner for the
• The SC has extended the right to safe and legal purpose of limiting the number of
abortion up to 24 weeks to unmarried and children or preventing pregnancy,
single women. o The anguish caused by such pregnancy
• It said that it is the right of every woman to may be presumed to constitute a grave
make reproductive choices without injury to the mental health of the
interference from the state. pregnant woman.
Background Who falls in the category of women allowed to
• The historic judgment of the Supreme Court
terminate pregnancy between 20-24 weeks?
Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
that unmarried women in a consensual • For pregnancies between 20-24 weeks, Section
relationship are also entitled to safe and legal 3B of the Rules under the MTP Act lists seven
abortion. categories of women:
• Judgment came along with its strong emphasis a. Survivors of sexual assault or rape or
on women’s right to bodily autonomy without incest;
the need for authorization from a third-party b. Minors;
to access abortion. c. Change of marital status during the
• It is being welcomed as “progressive” and ongoing pregnancy (widowhood and
a “ray of hope” at a time sexual and divorce);
reproductive rights have come under threat d. Women with physical disabilities
globally. (major disability as per criteria laid
down under the Rights of Persons with
What does the law on abortion say? Disabilities Act, 2016);
e. Mentally ill women including mental
• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act retardation;
allows termination of pregnancy by a medical f. The foetal malformation that has
practitioner in two stages. substantial risk of being incompatible
o After a crucial amendment in 2021, for with life or if the child is born it may
pregnancies up to 20 weeks, suffer from such physical or mental
termination is allowed under the abnormalities to be seriously
opinion of one registered medical handicapped; and
practitioner. g. Women with pregnancy in
o For pregnancies between 20-24 weeks, humanitarian settings or disaster or
the Rules attached to the law prescribe emergency situations as may be
certain criteria in terms of who can declared by the Government.
avail termination. It also requires the
Court’s Interpretation of the Act
opinion of two registered medical
practitioners in this case. • This ruling interprets the provisions of
• For pregnancies within 20 weeks, termination the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act,
can be allowed if: 1971 in a progressive manner and questions
a. The continuance of the pregnancy would the unreasonable classification made by this
involve a risk to the life of the pregnant law.
woman or of grave injury to her physical or • This interpretation is the law of the land and
mental health; or will ensure that single women seeking abortion
b. There is a substantial risk that if the beyond 20 weeks cannot be refused on the
child was born, it would suffer from any grounds of the narrowness of the law.
serious physical or mental abnormality. • The judgment followed a petition seeking
inclusion of unmarried women within the
M.S.Shashank
ambit of Rule 3 B of the Medical Termination of the right to be decided on a case-to-case
of Pregnancy Rules 2003 amended in 2021 for basis.
abortion between 20-24 weeks of gestation • It is not possible for either the legislature or the
period. courts to list each of the potential events which
• The rule defines seven different categories of would qualify as a change of material
women who could access abortion within this circumstances.
gestation period, including survivors of sexual • Suffice it to say that each case must be tested
assault or rape or incest, minors and women against this standard with due regard to the
with change of marital status during an unique facts and circumstances that a
ongoing pregnancy. pregnant woman finds herself in,” the ruling
• Such women have to obtain permission from states.
two doctors, who have to be of the opinion • This means the decision will be in the hands of
that the continuance of the pregnancy could the registered medical practitioners — and if
either risk the life of the woman, or the child. unsatisfied, the woman can approach the
• For an abortion upto 20 weeks, permission court.
from one doctor is sufficient.
A Ray of Hope
Oppositions from Activists
• At a time when sexual and reproductive health
• Activists and advocates often rue that the right and rights are under threat globally, this
to abortion is not an absolute one in India, but progressive judgment stands out as a ray of
conditional, and women have no agency as hope.
they have to seek the permission of a medical • This judgment could be a step towards making
practitioner. our abortion regime more liberal and pro-
• The SC recognized this gap, calling it women.
a “provider-centric” law, and asserted that • The law must recognize abortion as a woman’s
reproductive autonomy “requires that every choice, as is the practice in over 70 countries.
pregnant woman has the intrinsic right to • We need to ensure our laws don’t reflect any
choose to undergo or not to undergo abortion moral judgment on women who choose to
without any consent or authorization from a abort.
third party”. • The Population Foundation of India also
• The court also liberally interpreted Section 3 B recommends increasing the gestation period
and said a variety of changes in “material for all women as medical technology
circumstances” could be grounds for seeking advancements have shown that abortion
abortion between 20-24 weeks. beyond 20 weeks is safe and certain foetal
o For instance, when “a woman loses her abnormalities can only be detected after 20
job or if domestic violence is weeks.
perpetrated against her or if she
suddenly has dependents to support”.
o Or when she is “diagnosed with an
acute or chronic or life-threatening
disease which impacts her decision on
whether to carry the pregnancy to
term.”
What is the effect of the judgment?
• The court’s “purposive interpretation” states

that the common thread in Rule 3B is “a change
in a woman’s material circumstance”.
• While the ruling recognizes the right of
unmarried women, it leaves the enforcement
M.S.Shashank
2. Economy
2.1. RoDTEP Scheme RODTEP Scheme
• It was formed to replace the existing

Why In News? MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme).
• Aim:
• The Commerce and Industry Ministry is expected o The scheme will ensure that
to unveil the new policy soon as the 2015 policy the exporters receive the refunds on the
which is currently in operation is expiring on embedded taxes and duties previously
September 30 after being extended for two and non-recoverable.
a half years. o The scheme was brought about with
• RoDTEP stands for Remission of Duties and the intention to boost exports which
Taxes on Export Products. were relatively poor in volume
previously.
About the changes demanded in the scheme • Features of the RoDTEP Scheme
o Refund of the previously non-refundable
• Reimbursement: duties and taxes
o The industry chamber has urged the ▪ Mandi tax, VAT, Coal cess, Central
government that exporters should be Excise duty on fuel etc. will now be
specifically reimbursed on the basis of refunded under this particular
actual taxes and duties paid by them on scheme.
outbound shipments. ▪ All the items under the MEIS and the
• Export of Taxes: RoSTCL (Rebate of State and Central
o Buying agents and consultants hired by Taxes and Levies) are now under the
foreign buyers are key intermediaries who purview of the RoDTEP Scheme.
facilitate exports of over billion-plus dollars • Automated system of credit
for micro, small and medium enterprises ▪ The refund will be issued in the form
(MSMEs), but their services are being taxed of transferable electronic scripts.
at 18% under the GST Act. These duty credits will be maintained
• Credit costs for smaller players: and tracked through an electronic
o There is an urgent need to restore ledger.
the interest equalisation benefit of 5% to • Quick verification through digitisation
manufacturers in the MSME segment ▪ Through the introduction of the digital
and 3% to all tariff lines as cost of credit is platform, the clearance happens at a
equally adversely impacting all exporters. much faster rate.
o Currently, credit costs for smaller players ▪ Verification of the records of the
are about 10%-11%. exporters will be done with the help
Other issues: of an IT-based risk management
• The scheme was supposed to take care of system to ensure speed and accuracy
various duties and taxes outside GST that of transaction processing.
add to the cost of exports, but is unable to • Multi-sector scheme
do so because of various anomalies, ▪ Under RoDTEP, all sectors, including
restrictions and very low rates. the textiles sector, are covered, so as
to ensure uniformity across all areas.
M.S.Shashank
Need for the RoDTEP Scheme Need for family welfare approach:
• The US had challenged India’s key export • India needs to move from a family planning
subsidy schemes in the WTO claiming them to approach to a family welfare approach.
harm the American workers. • India should focus on empowering men and
o A dispute panel in the WTO ruled women in being able to make informed choices
against India, stating that the export about their fertility, health, and well-being.
subsidy programmes that were provided
by the Government of India violated the Importance of Productivity:
provisions of the trade body’s norms.
• The panel further recommended that the export • It is not about whether the population is large or
subsidy programmes be withdrawn. This led to small; it is about whether it is healthy, skilled, and
the birth of the RoDTEP Scheme, so as to ensure productive.
that India stays WTO-compliant. • India needs to think about how to make our
present population productive.
Eligibility to obtain benefits of the RoDTEP Scheme • Skills are important, but so is economic planning
that ensures good jobs, agricultural productivity,
• All sectors including the textiles sector may etc.
enjoy the benefits of the RoDTEP Scheme.
o Labor-intensive sectors that enjoy Lessons from China:
benefits under the MEIS Scheme will be
given a priority. • The lesson India can take from China is that making
• Manufacturer exporters and merchant sharp changes in public policy to manage the
exporters (traders) are both eligible for the population ended up having unexpected
benefits of this scheme. consequences there.
• There is no particular turnover threshold to • China’s one-child policy led to a sharp reduction in
claim the RoDTEP. the population growth rate. But now the Chinese
• Re-exported products are not eligible under this have a rapidly rising population of the elderly.
scheme. • China also tried to relax these policies and is now
• To be eligible to avail the benefits of this scheme, encouraging people to have two or even three
the exported products need to have the children but men and women are not ready to
country of origin as India. comply. And China’s fertility continues to decline.
• Special Economic Zone Units and Export • So, India should focus not on the fertility
Oriented Units are also eligible to claim the rate, but on creating a situation in which slow
benefits under this scheme. changes in the family size take place in the context
of a growing economy.
• Where goods have been exported via courier
through e-commerce platforms, the RoDTEP
scheme applies to them as well. Demographic dividend:
• As in the World Population Prospects 2022, India

2.2. Does India Need a Population Policy?
will have one of the largest workforces globally,
i.e., in the next 25 years, one in five working-age
Why in News? group persons will be living in India.
• India has the capacity to tap into the potential of
• Earlier this year, the United Nations published data the youth population.
to show that India would surpass China as the • There is a brief window of opportunity, which is
world’s most populous country by 2023. only there for the next few decades.
• According to the 2018-19 Economic Survey, India’s • India needs to invest in adolescent well-being right
demographic dividend will peak around 2041, away if it wants to reap the benefits.
when the share of the working-age population is Otherwise, the demographic dividend could turn
expected to hit 59%. easily into a demographic disaster.
• Constraints:
M.S.Shashank
o India’s labour force is constrained by Addressing the unmet needs of young
the absence of women from the people should become a priority.
workforce; only a fourth of women are • If the country does not address the rights and
employed. well-being of adolescents immediately, it will set it
o The quality of educational attainments is back by many years.
not up to the mark, and the country’s
workforce badly lacks the basic skills Do we need a population policy?
required for the modernised job market.
o Having the largest population with one of • India has a very good population policy, which
the world’s lowest employment rates is was designed in 2000 and States also have their
another enormous hurdle in reaping population policies.
the ‘demographic dividend’. • India just needs to tweak these and add ageing to
our population policy focus.
The gender dimension of the population: • The policy should talk about the poor investments
in family planning or about investments in
• India certainly has the capacity to invest in its population more broadly.
youth population. But it doesn’t recognize the • India needs a policy that supports reproductive
gender dimension of some of these challenges. health for individuals.
• Fertility decline has tremendous gender • India also needs to start focusing on other
implications. What it means is that women have a challenges that go along with enhancing
lower burden on them. But it also has a flip side. reproductive health, which is not just the
• Ageing is also a gender issue as two-thirds of the provision of family planning services.
elderly are women, because women tend to live • Instead of the term population policy and
longer than men do. population control, it may need to be called a
• Unless India recognizes the gender dimension, it policy that enhances the population as a
will be very difficult for it to tap into these resource for India’s development and changes the
changes. mindset to focus on ensuring that the population
• What needs to be done? is happy, healthy, and productive.
o India has done a good job of ensuring
educational opportunities for girls. Conclusion:
o India needs to improve employment
opportunities for young women • Advance investments in the development of
and increase the female employment rate. a robust social, financial and healthcare support
o Elderly women need economic and social system for old people are the need of the hour.
support networks. • The focus of action should be on extensive
investment in human capital, on older adults
What could be the economic implications of living with dignity, and on healthy population
the declining fertility rate? ageing.
• India should be prepared with suitable
• India’s total fertility rate has dropped below the infrastructure, conducive social welfare schemes
replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. and massive investment in quality education and
• The spiral of lower fertility leads to a window of health.
time when the ratio of the working-age • The only form of family planning that must be
population is higher than that of the dependent advocated is the kind that was advocated
age groups. by Margaret Sanger: “wherein couples have
• This high proportion of people in the babies by choice and not by chance.”
workforce boosts income and investment, given
the higher level of saving due to lower 2.3. Examining Demonetisation
dependence.
• Economic policy should be geared towards the
skilling and education of our large adolescent Why In News?
population with a special focus on gender.
• The Supreme Court recently said that it will have
to examine the 2016 demonetisation decision.
M.S.Shashank
More about the news cash for which tax has not been paid to
the state.
• Petitions: ▪ According to RBI data, almost the
o The petitions are challenging the entire chunk of money (more than 99
demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1000 percent) that was invalidated came
currency notes by the government. back into the banking system.
• Government’s stand: ▪ Of the notes worth Rs 15.41 lakh crore
o Centre has taken the stand that in view that were invalidated, notes worth Rs
of the subsequent developments and 15.31 lakh crore returned.
passage of time, it has now become an ▪ Thus, data suggests that
academic issue. demonetisation was a failure in
• Court’s opinion: unearthing black money in the system.
o The court wants to examine the 2016 Meanwhile, instances of black money
demonetisation decision to decide seizures continue.
whether the issue has become a mere o Fake Notes:
"academic" exercise. ▪ RBI’s annual report, submitted that
o The court has asked the Centre and the ₹15.44 lakh crore worth of currency
Reserve Bank of India to submit their was demonetised.
response to the petitions. ▪ The withdrawn money amounted to
o Judicial review: 86.4% of the currency in circulation at
▪ The Supreme Court said that it is the time. Only ?16,000 crore out of
aware of the "Lakshman Rekha'' the ?15.44 lakh crore was not
(limitations) on judicial returned.
review of government policy ▪ Only .0027% fake currency was
decisions. “captured” following demonetisation.
▪ But the manner in which it is done o Digitisation of economy:
and the procedure is something ▪ As per RBI report, demonetisation has
which can be examined. made India a lesser cash-based
economy.
More about demonetization ▪ In the initial days of trouble
conducting business in the face of an
• About: acute cash crunch, more and more
o On 8th November 2016, the Government of entities had to shift to digital to do
India announced the demonetisation of all business.
₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma ▪ After return of the cash, the
Gandhi Series. growth in digital payment had
o It also announced the issuance of new ₹500 been modest.
and ₹2,000 banknotes in exchange for the ▪ Supported in the Pandemic:
demonetised banknotes. ▪ The creation of digital
o There were three main economic objectives infrastructure post-
behind demonetisation: demonetisation helped India in
▪ Fighting black money, coping with the pandemic.
▪ Fake notes and ▪ As the tools for faceless
▪ Creating a cashless economy by transactions were mostly in place,
pushing digital transactions. it became easier to move towards
• Outcomes of the exercise: contact-less transactions.
o Black money: • Major Issues associated with the
▪ Among those targets, the biggest one demonetization exercise:
was tackling black money. o No separate Acts:
▪ Black money refers to cash that is not ▪ Demonetisation in 1946 and 1978 were
accounted for in the banking system or implemented through separate Acts
debated by Parliament.
M.S.Shashank
▪In 2016, it was done through a mere 2.4. World Economic Outlook Report: IMF
notification issued under provisions of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
o Central Bank had rejected key justificantions: Why In News?
▪ Central Board of the RBI gave its approval to
the scheme but also rejected, in writing, • Recently, the International Monetary Fund has
two of the key justifications — black money released its latest edition of World Economic
and counterfeit notes. Outlook Report (WEO) 2022.
o Other: • It is a comprehensive report published twice a
▪ 11 crore people stood in queue to change year by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
their own money.
▪ Farming community was at a loss. It was
Major Highlights of the Report
sowing season.
• The IMF has sharply cut the forecast for global
▪ Wholesale markets shut down. Prices
growth from 6.0 per cent in 2021 to 3.2 per cent
crashed. Retail saw a “calamitous” drop in
in 2022 and 2.7 per cent in 2023.
sales.
o It stated that more than a third of the
▪ Industry halted and 15 crore daily labourers
global economy will contract this year or
were left without work.
next.
▪ Some say demonetisation broke the back of
• Inflation: Global inflation is now expected to
rural economy where cash was dominated
peak at 9.5 per cent in late 2022.
and disrupted supply chains.
o It is expected to remain elevated for
▪ It is estimated that 1.5 million jobs were lost.
longer than previously imagined and is
Way ahead likely to decrease to 4.1 per cent only by
2024.
• Core inflation: that is the inflation rate when
• Debates still rage about whether the note ban
was a prudent step in the Indian economic prices of food and fuel are taken away. Core
context. inflation typically rises and falls more gradually
• Failure at large: than inflation in food and fuel.
o Global core inflation, measured by
o An analysis of the data reveal that
demonetisation has failed to meet its excluding food and energy prices, is
stated goals except in certain areas such expected to be 6.6 per cent on a fourth-
as encouraging more digital transactions quarter-over-fourth-quarter basis,
and more formalisation of the financial reflecting the pass-through of energy
system. prices, supply chain cost pressure, and
• The pain associated with the exercise has far tight labour markets, especially in
outweighed the gains: advanced economies.
o While there certainly has been a • The three largest economies: the United States,
discernible uptick in digital payments, it the European Union, and China will continue to
is doubtful whether the elaborate stall and that increasing price pressures remain
exercise to unearth black money — the the most immediate threat to current and future
stated and primary goal of prosperity by squeezing real incomes and
demonetisation — was worth it. undermining macroeconomic stability.
• High inflation and stalling growth is possibly the
• We as a Nation may not be able to undo
something that has happened, but whether in toughest policy challenge available.
the future such power can be exercised or not o That’s because policy measures to
can be looked into. contain inflation typically drag down
growth even further while measures
taken to boost growth tend to spike
inflation.
• Geopolitical risks: The global economy
continues to face steep challenges, shaped by
M.S.Shashank
the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cost-of-living • India was ranked 46th position in 2021, and 81st
crisis caused by persistent and broadening rank in 2015.
inflation pressures, and the slowdown in China.
• India’s picture: What are the Highlights of the Report?
o India appears better placed.
o India’s GDP growth rate is Ranking of the Countries:
better and inflation is not as high.
▪ But these metrics hide that in Most Innovative Economy:
absolute terms, India is barely
out of the contraction suffered in • Switzerland is the most innovative economy in
2020, that it was home to the the world in 2022 - for the 12th year in a row -
followed by the United States, Sweden, the
most people (5.6 crore, according
United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
to World Bank) pushed below
• China is nearing the top 10 while Türkiye and
abject poverty in 2020 or that
India enter the top 40 for the first time.
crores are unemployed.
• If the RBI cuts its growth rate forecast in
Performance of India:
April (7.2 per cent) by the same measure
as the IMF has (1.4 percent • India is the innovation leader in the lower middle-
points), India’s growth in 2022-23 will be income group.
5.8 per cent. • It continues to lead the world in ICT services
• The threat to India comes from at least exports and holds top rankings in other indicators,
four sources: including venture capital receipt value, finance for
▪ Higher crude oil and fertiliser startups and scaleups, graduates in science and
prices will spike domestic engineering, labor productivity growth and
inflation domestic industry diversification.
▪ Global slowdown will hurt
exports, dragging down domestic Increase in R & D Expenditure:
growth and worsening the trade
deficit • The top global corporate R&D spenders increased
▪ A strong dollar will put pressure their R&D expenditure by almost 10% to over USD
on the rupee’s exchange rate, 900 billion in 2021, higher than in 2019 before the
which will likely result in reducing pandemic.
our forex reserves and reducing
our capacity to import goods Venture Capital (VC) Growth:
when the going gets tougher.
▪ Low demand among most • It exploded by 46%in 2021, recording levels
Indians, the government might comparable to the internet boom years of the late
be forced to spend more towards 1990s. Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa
providing basic relief in the form regions are witnessing the strongest VC growth.
of food and fertiliser subsidies.
What is the Global Innovation Index?
This will worsen the
government’s financial health.
About:
2.5. Global Innovation Index 2022 • The Global Innovation Index, which is published
annually, has been a leading reference for
measuring an economy’s innovation performance.
Why in News?
• A large number of countries use the GII to assess
and improve their innovation ecosystems and use
• Recently, India was ranked 40th position out of 132
the GII as a reference in economic plans and/or
in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 rankings
policies.
released by World Intellectual Property
• The GII has also been recognized by the UN
Organisation (WIPO).
Economic and Social Council in its 2019 resolution
M.S.Shashank
on Science, Technology and Innovation for What is the Global Hunger Index (GHI)?
Development as an authoritative benchmark for
measuring innovation in relation to the • In common parlance, hunger refers to
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). discomfort due to a lack of food. However, the
GHI is not such a simplistic measure “it captures
Indicators of the index: the multidimensional nature of hunger”.
• Parameters for computing the index include There are 4 measures it used by GHI:
'institutions', 'human capital and research',
'infrastructure', 'market sophistication', • Undernourishment: The share of the population
'business sophistication', 'knowledge and whose caloric intake is insufficient.
technology outputs' and 'create outputs'. o This makes up 1/3 of the GHI score.
• Theme for 2022: “What is the future of • Child Stunting: The share of children under the
innovation-driven growth?”. age of 5 who have low height for their age,
• Effects of Two Novel Innovation Waves: The GII reflecting chronic undernutrition.
2022 also outlines the positive effects of two o This makes up 1/6 of the GHI score.
novel innovation waves, although it emphasizes • Child Wasting: The share of children under the
that such effects would take some time to be age of 5 who have low weight for their height,
realized: reflecting acute undernutrition.
• A digital age innovation wave built on o This makes up 1/6 of the GHI score.
supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and • Child Mortality: The share of children who die
automation. Effect: making ample productivity before their 5th birthday, reflecting in part the
impacts across all sectors and fields of scientific fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy
research. environments.
• A Deep Science innovation wave built on o This makes up 1/3 of the GHI score.
breakthroughs in biotechnologies, • The overall score is placed on a 100-point scale
nanotechnologies, new materials, and other and a lower score is better.
sciences. Effect: revolutionizing innovations in • A score between 20 and 34.9 is pegged in the
health, food, environment, and mobility (four “serious” category and this is where India finds
fields of key importance to society). itself with a total score of 29.1. (GHI 22)
2.6. Global Hunger Index 2022 Why has the Indian government criticised GHI
2022?
Why in News? • The Indian government has questioned the
methodology of GHI. There are two major sub-
• India has experienced remarkable economic
parts to the government’s contention:
growth in recent years and remains one of the
• First, that the GHI uses “an erroneous measure
fastest growing economies in the world.
of hunger”, that 3 out of the 4 variables used are
However, hunger and malnutrition are still areas
related to children and cannot be representative
of concern in spite of many strides.
of the entire population.
• While the food security situation is progressively
• Second, that the 4th indicator of GHI, the
improving, access to nutritional and balanced
proportion of undernourished population is
food is problematic for the vulnerable
“based on an opinion poll conducted on a very
population. India has slipped 6 places and
small sample size of 3000”, which is not justified
ranked 107, out of 121 countries, in Global
with a country like India representing one-fifth
Hunger Index (GHI) 2022. In response the Indian
of the world’s population.
government has raised methodological
concerns.
M.S.Shashank
o Micronutrient deficiency (hidden
Hunger Issues in India hunger): India faces a severe crisis in
micronutrient deficiency. Its causes
include poor diet, prevalence of disease
or non-fulfillment of increased
micronutrient needs during pregnancy
and lactation.
• Other Causes:
o Poor access to safe drinking water and
sanitation (especially toilets).
o Low levels of immunization against
communicable diseases.
o Lack of education in women regarding
the importance of a holistic diet.
o Vicious cycle of poverty, hunger and
indebtedness.
• Food and Agriculture Report, 2020 stated that o Post-harvest losses and rotting, wastage
of the 821 million undernourished people in the in warehouses.
world, India houses 195.9 million accounting for o Ineffective market and transport linkage.
approximately 24% of the world’s hungry. o Non-affordability of fruits, nuts, eggs,
• Prevalence of undernourishment in India is meat for poor.
14.8% higher than both the global and Asian
average. Government Interventions
• The National Health Survey reported in
2020 that approximately 19 crore people in the • Eat Right India Movement: An outreach activity
country were compelled to sleep on an empty organized by the Food Safety and Standards
stomach every night. Authority of India (FSSAI) for citizens to nudge
• Under five-hunger and them towards eating right.
malnutrition: Approximately 4500 children die • POSHAN Abhiyan: Launched by the Ministry of
every day under the age of five years in India due Women and Child Development in 2018, it
to hunger and malnutrition. This amounts to targets to reduce stunting, undernutrition,
over three lakh annual deaths owing to hunger anemia (among young children, women and
of children alone. adolescent girls).
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: A
Causes of Hunger and Malnutrition centrally sponsored scheme executed by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development, is a
• Specific Causes: There are multiple dimensions maternity benefit programme being
of malnutrition in India. implemented in all districts of the country with
o Calorific deficiency: Though the effect from 1st January, 2017.
government has surplus of foodgrains, • Food Fortification: Food Fortification or Food
there is calorific deficiency because of Enrichment is the addition of key vitamins and
improper allocation and distribution. minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A & D
Even the yearly allocated budget is not to staple foods such as rice, milk and salt to
fully utilized. improve their nutritional content.
o Protein hunger: Pulses are a major • National Food Security Act, 2013: It legally
panacea to address protein hunger. entitled up to 75% of the rural population and
However, there is a lack of budgetary 50% of the urban population to receive
allocation for inclusion of pulses in PDS. subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public
With Eggs missing from menus of Mid- Distribution System.
day Meals in various States, an easy way • Mission Indradhanush: It targets children under
to improve protein intake is lost. 2 years of age and pregnant women for
M.S.Shashank
immunization against 12 Vaccine-Preventable • Besides the technological advantages, the big
Diseases (VPD). techs typically also have the financial muscle to
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) withstand the competitive pressures.
Scheme: Launched in 1975, the ICDS Scheme
offers a package of six services to children in the Related Steps taken by India:
age group of 0-6 years and pregnant and
lactating mothers • In India, efforts have been made for local storage
of payment data and to bring critical payment
2.7. Report by RBI on Big Techs intermediaries into the formal framework.
• Initiatives are also underway to increase the
payment acceptance infrastructure and create a
Why in News? data protection law.
• According to a new report by Reserve Bank of What are the Risks associated with the Big Tech
India (RBI), large non-financial technology firms, Sector in Financial Services?
referred to as “big techs,” pose challenges to
financial stability owing to their technological Complex Governance Structure:
advantages, large user base, wide-spread use by
financial institutions and network-effects. • The complex governance structure of big techs
limits the scope for effective oversight and
What are the Big Techs? entity-based regulations.
• Due to the adoption of big techs as third-party
About: service providers, they have become the
underlying platform on which a host of services
• Big techs include companies such as Alibaba, are offered.
Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Tencent.
• They usually hold service licenses through Barriers in Creating Level Playing Field:
subsidiaries or Joint Ventures with varying levels
of ownership control and jurisdictional • Big Techs are a barrier in creating a level playing
regulatory advantages. field to promote innovation in the fintech space.
Increasing Role of Big Techs: Data Privacy Issues:
• Big techs, given their pervasive adoption as • There is a lack of transparency in how tech
third-party service providers, generally become companies process user data, which has raised
the underlying platform on which a host of serious and pressing privacy concerns.
services are offered.
• This uniquely positions the big techs to easily What are the Suggestions?
acquire cross-functional databases which can be
exploited for generating innovative product Realign Framework to Facilitate a Level Playing
offerings, making them dominant players in the Field:
market.
• The pervasiveness of big techs provides them • To facilitate fairness in the fintech space,
with a large client base who are entrenched in regulators are realigning their regulatory
using their platforms/ products with access to frameworks while managing the possible risks
multiple facets of customers’ data, generating posed by bigtechs.
strong network effects.
• The entry of big techs into finance also reflects Need to Keep up the Pace with Innovations:
strong complementarities between financial
services and their core non-financial services. • With the increasingly complex inter-linkages
between financial institutions and tech-
companies, the regulatory frameworks need to
M.S.Shashank
keep up the pace with innovations to contain the recipient of FDI in 2019, with 51 billion dollars of
vulnerabilities that may arise from the new risk inflows during the year.
propagation channels. • Large number of MNCs have taken their business
to the next level, positioning India both as a
Mindful of the New Linkages: business hub serving global clients and as a base
for exports. This has created greater employment
• The regulations in EMDEs (Emerging Markets opportunities for the local nationals, sharing of
and Developing Economies) need to be mindful international best practices and more importantly
of the new inter-linkages that bigtechs might supporting the local community via CSR initiatives.
create with the existing financial institutions. • Today, our market has become a priority for
foreign companies looking to get a bigger share of
the international market and they are continuously
2.8. Vision—Developed India: Opportunities adopting strategies to expand their footprint in
and Expectations of MNCs India. This creates a strong base for the country
which is rapidly moving towards strengthening its
Why in News? systems through the initiative of Aatmanirbhar
Bharat.
• According to a report by the Confederation of
Indian Industries (CII) India has potential to ‘Vision—Developed India: Opportunities and
attract $475 billion in FDI in 5 years. Expectations of MNCs’ – Findings of the Report
• The report titled ‘Vision—Developed India:
Opportunities and Expectations of MNCs’, added • The report noted that FDI in India has seen a
that 71% of MNCs working in India consider the consistent rise in the last decade, with FY 2021-22
country an important destination for their global receiving FDI inflow of $84.8 billion despite the
expansion. The optimism is driven by both short- impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical
term as well as long-term prospects. developments on investment sentiment.
• India is seen as an emerging manufacturing hub in
Background global value chains, as a growing consumer market
and as a hub for ongoing digital transformation.
• MNCs have been playing an important role in the • 71% of MNCs working in India consider the country
economic growth and development of the an important destination for their global
country, leveraging on the improving ease of expansion. The optimism is driven by both short-
term as well as long-term prospects.
doing business and liberalised regulatory
• A majority of MNCs feel that the Indian economy
environment.
will perform significantly better in 3-5 years backed
• The Government on its part has consistently
by 96% of respondents being positive about overall
focused on easing the policy and regulatory
India’s potential.
environment for MNCs in India.
• The confidence in India’s potential, stems from
• Among various initiatives, the Government has strong consumption trends, digitisation and a
slashed the corporate tax rates, liberalized growing services sector, along with government’s
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies and strong focus on infrastructure and manufacturing.
norms in a host of sectors and rigorously • Over 60% of MNCs in the report stated
rationalized regulatory compliances burden for improvement in the business environment in the
them. last three years.
• In most sectors, FDI is now under the automatic
route, except for a small negative list, making Challenges in India’s MNCs Sector
India one of the most open large economies in
the world. Risks faced by entrepreneurs and corporations
• The reforms undertaken by the Government have
started bearing fruits for MNCs at the ground level • There are 26,134 imprisonment clauses in India’s
as the country’s attractiveness as a global business laws, according to an Observer Research
investment destination. This is validated by the Foundation report that highlights the risks faced by
UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2020, entrepreneurs and corporations in doing business
according to which India was the 9th largest in India.
M.S.Shashank
Regulations act as Barriers Way forward
• India suffers from ‘regulatory cholesterol’ that is • As continuing improvement in business

getting in the way of doing business. The environment, way ahead for MNCs would be
legislations, rules and regulations enacted by the enhanced effectiveness of the national single
union and state governments have over time window for approval / clearances; greater tax
created barriers to the smooth flow of ideas, certainty, and stronger contract enforcement
organisation, money, entrepreneurship and mechanism, among other measures.
through them the creation of jobs, wealth and • Stability in tariff structure is very important to
GDP. allow MNCs to integrate India in global value
chains. Similarly, many laws vary by state and they
Tariff Barriers need to play a proactive role to attract MNCs.
• To ensure the upward growth trajectory in terms
• Companies across the globe find India hard to of attracting foreign investment and effective
ignore due to its vast population and huge market capitalization of global geopolitical phenomenon
potential, but doing business here has not been like the ‘Plus one’ strategy, it is crucial to
easy for many. India is one of the highest tariff consistently work towards enhancing the
nation in the world. efficiency of business processes, improving ease of
doing business further, promoting transparency,
Regulatory flip-flops increasing stakeholders’ engagement, bringing in
consistency and predictably in policy
• Regulatory flip-flops have also driven companies developments, adopting international best
out of India. India's struggle has been its inability practices and technological innovation.
to simplify regulations. Complex framework causes • There is a robust and transformational shift in
confusion and proves to be tedious for investors. economic globalization and investments and MNCs
However, simplification leads to exploitation and can play an even stronger role in supporting the
tax leakage. India needs to find a healthy balance Government in realizing its objective of
that will be attractive to MNCs. Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Tax issues 2.9. Global Multidimensional Poverty

• Retrospective taxation (such as in Vodafone's case)
Index (MPI)
prohibits entry.
Why In News?
Low per capita income
• Recently, the Global Multidimensional Poverty
• Indian market, in general, is very price sensitive Index (MPI) was released.
since the majority of the people in India have low
per capita income. Price, product and positioning Report highlights
are very important for sustainable growth in the
Indian market. For India:
Lack of planning and understanding Improvements:
• As many as 41.5 crore people exited poverty in

• There is definitely a lack of planning or
India during the 15-year period between 2005-06
understanding of the Indian markets among MNCs
and 2019-21.
that have failed. The competition is also very high
and most foreign companies struggle to meet • Out of these, two-thirds exited in the first 10 years,
customer expectations. Cultivating brand loyalty in and one-third in the next five years, according to
the Indian market is also very difficult, especially the report.
when companies succumb to product • It shows that the incidence of poverty fell from
modifications i.e., making cheaper substitutes, 55.1% in 2005/06 to 16.4% in 2019/21 in the
country.
M.S.Shashank
• Deprivations in all 10 MPI indicators saw significant Challenges for India
reductions as a result of which the MPI value and
incidence of poverty more than halved. • Levels of nutrition:
o While poverty levels have not worsened,
Global significance of poverty reducion in India: levels of under-nutrition are still very
high.
• Improvement in MPI for India has significantly o There is no marked acceleration in rate of
contributed to the decline in poverty in South Asia. improvement between NFHS-3 and
• It is for the first time that it is not the region with NFHS-4 and NFHS-4 and NFHS-5.
the highest number of poor people, at 38.5 crore, o And the MPI mainly captures the pre-
compared with 57.9 crore in Sub-Saharan Africa. COVID situation because 71% of the
NFHS-5 interviews were pre-COVID.
State-wise data: • Recent World Bank estimates:
o According to the World Bank’s recently
• Bihar, the poorest State in 2015/2016, saw the
released report on global poverty, India
fastest reduction in MPI value in absolute terms.
is the country with the highest number of
• Of the 10 poorest States in 2015/2016, only one
poor people.
(West Bengal) was not among the 10 poorest in
o Report stated that “economic upheavals
2019/2021.
brought on by Covid-19 and later the war
• The rest— Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Madhya
in Ukraine” had produced “an outright
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha,
Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan —remain among the reversal” in poverty reduction across the
10 poorest. planet.
Challenges: Way Ahead
• The report notes that the ongoing task of ending • India faces three rather acute and growing
poverty remains daunting. problems:
• India has by far the largest number of poor people o Widespread unemployment,
worldwide at 22.8 crore, followed by Nigeria at 9.6 o Widening inequalities and
crore. o Deepening poverty
• Two-thirds of these people live in a household in • None of these will be resolved by electoral
which at least one person is deprived in nutrition. victories. They require actual policy
• There were also 9.7 crore poor children in India in solutions. Without the right policies, India’s
2019/2021- more than the total number of poor demographic dividend is looking more like a
people, children and adults combined, in any other demographic bomb.
country covered by the global MPI.
2.10. Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme
Globally:
• Globally, of the total 610 crore people across 111 Why in News?
developing countries, 19.1% or 120 crore live in
multidimensional poverty. Nearly half of them live • An enabling policy regime, proactive government
in severe poverty. initiatives and supportive regulatory
administration allowed the private and public
Report Shortcomings: sector entities in the financial sector to overcome
longstanding challenges of exclusion of a large part
• The report doesn’t fully assess the effects of the of the population.
COVID-19 pandemic on poverty in India as 71% of
the data from the National Family Health Survey-5 Context:
(2019-2021) relied upon for MPI were collected
before the pandemic. • Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
lauded India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
Scheme as a “logistical marvel” that has reached
M.S.Shashank
hundreds of millions of people and specifically Types of Schemes Covered in Direct Benefit
benefitted women, the elderly and farmers.
• Earlier this month, David Malpass, President of the Transfer:
World Bank Group, had also urged other nations to
• Cash Transfer
adopt India’s move of targeted cash transfer
o Under the cash transfer scheme of Direct
instead of broad subsidies noting that “India
managed to provide food or cash support to a Benefit Transfer, the Government directly
remarkable 85 per cent of rural households and 69 transfers the money to the individual
per cent of urban households”. beneficiaries.
• In-Kind benefit transfer
o In-kind benefit transfer is a scheme of
Direct Benefit Transfer
Direct Benefit Transfer where the
• In January 2013, The Government of India, Government offers benefits to the
introduced the Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT beneficiaries in kind either directly or
scheme to streamline the transfer of government- through their implementing agencies.
o Here, the Government incurs the expense
provided subsidies in India.
of procuring a subsidy or benefit. For
• The Government introduced the scheme with the
instance, the Government will buy a
objective of improving the delivery system and
particular product, say food grains and
redesigning the existing procedures in welfare
offer it for public distribution.
schemes.
• Other transfers
• DBT aims to transfer subsidy benefits from various
o Other than cash and kind transfers, the
Indian welfare schemes directly into the
Direct Benefits Transfer scheme also
beneficiaries' bank accounts.
transfers funds and subsidies to several
• To avail of the DBT benefits, beneficiaries must
non -governmental functionaries that help
ensure they link their bank account to their
implement government policies until the
Aadhaar number.
very end. This includes community
• Since the inception of the DBT scheme, the
workers, NGOs, teachers in aided schools,
Government has launched 450 projects and
etc. They are not beneficiaries but
reached over 900 million people.
are given training, wages, and incentives
to serve the beneficiaries.
Advantages of Direct Benefit Transfer
How Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has
• DBT transfers help expedite the flow of funds and
information securely while reducing the possibility transformed social welfare in India?
of fraud.
• It eliminates the need for intermediaries, • It evolved the Public Finance Management
including government officers, in transferring the System and created the Aadhaar Payment
subsidy amount directly into the beneficiary Bridge to enable instant money transfers from the
accounts. government to people’s bank accounts.
• It brings about transparency and reduces • The Aadhaar-enabled Payment System and Unified
instances of pilferage from the distribution of Payment Interface further expanded
Central Government-sponsored funds. interoperability and private-sector participation.
• DBT ensures accurate targeting of beneficiaries. This approach not only allowed all rural and urban
• Beneficiaries can link only one bank by seeding the households to be uniquely linked under varied
fund deposits to their Aadhaar details to avoid government schemes for receiving subsidies
duplication of subsidies. directly into their bank accounts but also
• It enables the Government to simultaneously reach transferred money with ease.
out to both citizens and beneficiaries of the • By 2022, more than 135 crore Aadhaars have been
scheme. generated, there are 47 crore beneficiaries under
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 6.5 lakh Bank
Mitras delivering branchless banking services and
mobile subscribers number more than 120 crore.
• Riding on this network, the DBT programme has
reached commanding heights towards achieving
M.S.Shashank
the government’s vision of “sabka vikas”. • However, digital and financial literacy, robust
Becoming the major plank of the government’s grievance redressal, enhancing awareness and an
agenda of inclusive growth, it has 318 schemes of empowering innovation system are some of the
53 central ministries spanning across sectors, aspects that would require continued focus. This
welfare goals and the vast geography of the would play a vital role for India in meeting the
country. diverse needs of its population and ensuring
• The DBT scheme that began as a pilot in 2013-14 balanced, equitable and inclusive growth.
could not have achieved the size and scale it has
today without the government’s financial
inclusion programme, which helped plug leakages
in welfare schemes, weed out fake or ghost
beneficiaries and transfer funds to genuine
beneficiaries. This ensured significant savings to
the exchequer and enabled efficient utilisation of
government funds.
• In rural Bharat, DBT has allowed the government
to provide financial assistance effectively and
transparently to farmers with lower transaction
costs – be it for fertilisers or any of the other
schemes including the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM
Fasal Bima Yojana, and PM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana —
thus becoming the backbone for supporting the
growth of the agricultural economy.
• In urban India, the PM Awas Yojana and LPG Pahal
scheme successfully use DBT to transfer funds to
eligible beneficiaries.
• Various scholarship schemes and the National
Social Assistance Programme use the DBT
architecture to provide social security.
• DBT under rehabilitation programmes such as
the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of
Manual Scavengers opens new frontiers that
enable social mobility of all sections of society.
• The efficacy and robustness of the DBT
network were witnessed during the pandemic. It
aided the government to reach the last mile and
support the most deprived in bearing the brunt of
the lockdown.
• From free rations to nearly 80 crore people under
the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, fund
transfers to all women Jan Dhan account holders
and support to small vendors under PM-SVANidhi,
DBT helped the vulnerable to withstand the shock
of the pandemic.
Way Forward:
• Going forward, the DBT approach is expected to

expand further in size and structure as it continues
to be the major tool of the government for a more
nuanced and targeted intervention towards
improving the ease of living.
M.S.Shashank
3. International Relations
3.1. Rediscovering the Bay of Bengal and are crucial to the energy security that
powers the economies of many countries in
the region.
Why in News? • The Bay also provides an opportunity for
greater regional cooperation in the
• The Bay of Bengal is experiencing an increase environmentally friendly exploration of
in geo-economic, geopolitical, and geo- marine and energy resources.
cultural activity and poised to play a key role in • The Bay has a biodiverse marine
shaping the maritime order in Asia. environment and is home to many rare and
• At the fourth BIMSTEC summit, the Prime endangered marine species and mangroves,
Minister of India announced the opening of which are essential to the survival of the
the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies (CBS) at ecology and the fishing sector.
Nalanda University which demonstrates • It is a partially enclosed sea and receives water
India’s commitment to advancing constructive from some of the world’s largest rivers which
works and forging deep connections with have helped in creating unique geographical
neighbouring states. landscapes.
Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies (CBS): Why is the disorder at the Bay?
Rethinking the Bay
• The region’s maritime environment has
• The CBS will offer collaborations in areas such changed as a result of major powers expanding
as their economic and geopolitical influence.
o Geo-economics and geopolitics • The Bay’s ecosystem is going through an
o Trade and connectivity unprecedented crisis brought on by
o Ecology and maritime security widespread environmental exploitation and
o Foster maritime laws and cultural geopolitical unrest.
heritage. • Species extinction is a result of careless
o Blue economy to generate exploitation of the maritime environment,
opportunities for the bay region. which has severe consequences on
• This will strengthen India’s overall framework biodiversity.
for maritime engagement, which aims to • Further, non-traditional dangers including
advance sustainable economic growth for all terrorism and climate change have become
by fostering closer nautical ties. more prevalent.
Significance of the Bay The prevailing issues and challenges
• The Bay has long been a major commerce hub • Many anthropogenic problems are damaging
for the Indian Ocean and created a conduit the environment of the bay which include
between the East and the West in terms of o High population growth
trade and culture. o Altered land use and excessive
• An Indo-Pacific orientation and the resource exploitation,
realignment of global economic and military o Salinization and sea level rise aided by
power towards Asia have had a considerable climate change
impact on the Bay region. o Operational discharge from small and
• The key sea lanes of communication in this medium feeder ships
area are lifelines for global economic security
M.S.Shashank
o Shipping collisions and unintentional oil that nautical neighbours develop a partnership
spills and cooperate with each other.
• Industrial waste, pollution, and • Therefore Countries in the region will need to
the accumulation of non-biodegradable mobilize incentives and investments, manage
plastic litter are all contributing to the oceanic affairs more effectively, and support
deterioration of the Bay. people as they switch to alternative lifestyles.
• A dead zone has formed as a result, and o Because working together is in the
the mangrove trees that protect the shore larger good due to shared nautical
from the fury of nature are under more threat concerns and the complexity of the
than ever. marine environment.
• Also, Standardizing and harmonizing data
reporting remains a major challenge. 3.2. Group of Four (G4) on UNSC Reform
Way Forward
Why In News?
• More focused and interdisciplinary study is
required on these issues to overcome • India’s External Affairs Minister met with his
challenges, and development of better counterparts from Germany, Brazil and Japan
strategies for the sustainable development of under The Group of Four (G4) banner.
the region.
More about the news
o The CBS as an interdisciplinary research
centre devoted to Bay-focused
teaching, research, and capacity
building is the right step.
• G4 met on the sidelines of the 77th Session of
o Many scholars from many countries
the United Nations General Assembly to
and academic streams are already
discuss issues related to the reform of the
participating in CBS’s first certificate
United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
programme on the Bay
• The group is primarily focused on
• There is an imminent need to boost mutual
o U.N. Security Council (UNSC) reform,
cooperation among states through
and
o Expanding cooperation in maritime
o Permanent membership of the body
safety and security, enhancing
for G4 members.
cooperation on maritime connectivity
and the ease of maritime transit. • Meeting highlights:
o Boosting investment possibilities in the
o Pushing forward for Reforms:
maritime connectivity sector. ▪ In the recent meeting, the group
• Addressing non-traditional threats and reiterated their commitment
fostering group efforts to reduce illicit, to pushing forward reform.
unreported, and unregulated fishing should be ▪ They also expressed dissatisfaction at
prioritized the lack of progress in this regard.
• The Littoral governments need to support and o Complex Global issues and need of
promote skill-building, research, and training. reforms:
▪ The G4 felt that the U.N. decision-
making bodies needed to be urgently
Conclusion reformed as global issues were
increasingly complex and
• The maritime domain’s interrelated and
interconnected.
interdependent nature, transnational
o No meaningful progress & lack of
character, and cross-jurisdictional engagement transparency:
of various governments and diverse ▪ G4 ministers expressed concern that
organizations and enterprises make it essential the 76 th Session of the U.N. General
M.S.Shashank
Assembly (i.e., the year-long session o Advantages in General Assembly:
that just concluded) did not make ▪ As a permanent member, India
“meaningful progress” in the Inter- could take benefits of the type
Governmental Negotiations (IGN). of majority required to pass a
▪ This session, according to the G4, was resolution, requirement of
constrained by a lack of transparency. approval of the United Nations
o African representation: Security Council etc.
▪ They also batted for the Common • Challenges:
African Position (CAP) and o Lack of Political Will:
emphasized that African nations need ▪ Although there is a general
representation in both the agreement towards change in
permanent and non-permanent the system, different countries
categories of membership of have different perceptions of
a reformed and expanded Security the requirement for change.
Council. o Coffee Club:
▪ G4 also called for dialogue with all ▪ It is an informal group
pro-reform Member States. comprising 40-odd member
o Text-based negotiations: states, mostly middle-sized
▪ The G4 Ministers welcomed the states who oppose bigger
recommendation of the President of regional powers grabbing
the 76 th General Assembly to permanent seats, has been
“gradually move the process towards instrumental in holding back
text-based negotiations”. reforms to the United Nations
▪ The group hoped this principle would Security Council over the past
be followed in the 77th General six years.
Assembly Session. o Chinese Opposition:
▪ China being a permanent
Permanent membership: member blocks the growth of
India becoming a Permanent
• Reason for demanding Permanent Member Member.
Status
o Veto Power: Need for UN Reforms
▪ Veto power has been the
exclusive domain of P5 • Equitable World Order:
members. o There is a need for a more equitable
▪ India could use veto power to world in order to uphold the principles
defend its interests, say against of democracy at the global level.
Pakistan (just like Russia did last • Inclusivity:
year over the civil war in o Developing countries like the African
Ukraine). countries, need to be made
o Prestige Associated: stakeholders in the multilateral
▪ The sheer prestige associated institutions and involved in the
with permanent membership decision-making process.
of a multilateral forum. • Mitigation of New Threats:
▪ India’s elevation will also be an o With rising protectionism, increased
acknowledgment of its rise as a incidents of terrorism and the threat of
global power, ready to play a climate change, the multilateral system
key role in the council’s must become more resilient and
objectives of international responsive.
peace and security.
M.S.Shashank
Way Ahead • In 2011 Nepal revoked the license of the West
Seti Hydropower Company Limited in which
• India has been the most elected member of SMEC had a majority stake, and handed it over
the UNSC outside the P5. This position can be to China.
leveraged to show India’s eagerness and • In an MoU in 2012, China’s Three Gorges
maturity to be recognised as a responsible International Corporation was assigned to
global power. develop the project, but it withdrew in 2018,
• To play a significant and meaningful role, India citing resettlement and rehabilitation issues.
needs to have a permanent seat at the • Subsequently, Nepal tried to develop the
institution that was built to uphold global project by mobilizing internal
peace, security, and order. resources. However, increased costs resulted
in further delays.
3.3. Energising India - Nepal Ties, The • Meanwhile, the project was remodelled as the
Hydropower Way West Seti and Seti River (SR6) joint storage
project (1,200 MW).
Why in News?
Benefits for India:
• The Investment Board Nepal has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with • Hydropower cooperation:
India’s National Hydroelectric Power o The decision to involve India is a sign that
Corporation (NHPC) Limited to develop the Nepal is reposing its faith in India to
West Seti and Seti River (SR6) projects - a total complete the project.
of 1,200 MW. o If completed, it is expected to provide
India the much-needed leverage in
Many hurdles (Background): future hydropower cooperation.
o The NHPC has initiated a preliminary
• Historically, the 750MW West Seti engagement of the site with an investment
Hydroelectric Project was thought of in of over ₹18,000 crores.
o It has also signed an MoU with Power
the early 1980s as a 37 MW run-of-the-river
scheme. Trading Corporation Limited, India for
• Nepal issued the developing license to France’s the sale of power.
Sogreah, which prepared a pre-feasibility study o India is already involved in the Mahakali
in 1987 proposing the scheme without building Treaty (6,480 MW), the Upper Karnali
a dam. Project (900 MW), and the Arun Three
• With the project failing to see the light of the projects (900 MW) in western and eastern
day, Australia’s Snowy Mountains Engineering Nepal, respectively.
Corporation (SMEC) acquired a majority stake • Minimize Chinese influence:
o This project will also help India minimize
in the early 1990s.
• Between 1997-2011, attempts to make the geopolitical influence of
progress were affected due to investment and China and firm its presence in
environmental concerns. Nepal, considering that the West Seti
• Consequently, the China National Machinery Hydroelectric Project was a major Chinese
and Equipment Import and Export venture under the Belt and Road
Corporation stepped in in 2009, with SMEC Initiative.
holding a majority stake. o The project has the potential to enhance
• However, China National Machinery, and cross-border power exchanges between
Equipment Import and Export the two countries.
Corporation withdrew citing a poor • Nepal’s hydropower potential:
investment environment. o Ironically, despite its huge hydropower
potential, Nepal experiences power
M.S.Shashank
shortages during peak times, increasing its modalities, including Section 6.1’ to
dependence on India to bridge the make it commercially viable (Section
shortfall. 6.2).
o With an estimated potential of 83,000 o Further, to address domestic
MW, Nepal’s electricity exports to India demand, the MoU allows Nepal to
are expected to increase foreign exchange request the NHPC to sell the power
and address the power shortage. generated from the projects to the
o It is estimated that if the hydropower domestic market before selling whole
potential is fully harnessed, Nepal or part to the export market (Section
can generate revenue to the tune of ₹310 8.2).
billion in 2030 and ₹1,069 billion per year • Extension of projects to regional partners:
in 2045 by exporting electricity to India. o The project can also be extended
• Alternative to India’s power deficit: to other regional partners under
o Similarly, India’s severe deficit in coal- the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal
based thermal power plants in recent (BBIN) framework for cross-border
years, which meet 70% of India’s electricity energy cooperation.
demand, has compelled the Government o For example, if the combined
to arrange supplies through coal estimated hydropower potential in
imports, accelerating the search for better Nepal and Bhutan, along with the
alternatives. potential of Northeast India, is
o Given the growing energy effectively harnessed, a cross-border
demand, the West Seti Hydroelectric energy market can be created and
Project can provide an added alternative optimally operationalized. It will be
and viable way to address power deficits. a win-win at the bilateral and regional
levels.
Steps to take:
Conclusion:
• Conducive investment environment:
o The revised cost of the construction • The success of the project is expected
process has increased to $2.04 billion. to restore India’s image in Nepal and give
o Since investment-related it weightage in future considerations for
constraints have delayed the project, hydropower projects when competition is
there needs to be a careful study of bound to be tough.
investment scenarios, particularly • West Seti, therefore, has the potential to be a
a conducive investment environment, defining model for Nepal and India’s power
distribution and transmission relations in the future.
network, and cost of resettlement and • This will also help Nepal shed its image of a
rehabilitation, at the preliminary stage. “buffer” between India and China and replace
• Electricity rates: it with a more credible identity of a crucial
o Nepal is concerned that the electricity supplier of hydroelectric power.
rates and supply from
India are inadequate to meet the 3.4. EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA)
rising demands.
o To address these concerns, the new
MoU has already revised the Why In News?
percentage share of energy that
Nepal will receive free of cost from the • Recently, the European Union (EU) has given
generation projects to 21.9% from 10% final approval to online safety focused
(Section 6.1) and provides for legislation which is an overhaul of the region’s
discussion ‘in good faith for further social media and e-commerce rules.
M.S.Shashank
o Online platforms must ensure that
users can easily identify
Key features of the Digital Services Act advertisements and understand who
presents or pays for the
• Faster removal of content: advertisement.
o As part of the overhaul, social media o They must not display personalised
companies will have to add “new advertising directed towards minors or
procedures for faster removal” of based on sensitive personal data.
content deemed illegal or harmful.
o They will also have to explain to users Significance of the move
how their content takedown policy
works. • The law tightly regulates the way
o The DSA also allows users to challenge intermediaries, especially large platforms such
takedown decisions taken by platforms as Google, Meta, Twitter, and YouTube,
and seek out-of-court settlements. function in terms of moderating user content.
• Bigger platforms have greater responsibility: • It will give better protection to users and to
o One of the most crucial features of the fundamental rights online, establish a
legislation is that it avoids a one-size powerful transparency and accountability
fits all approach and places increased framework for online platforms and provide a
accountability on the Big Tech single, uniform framework across the EU.
companies.
o Under the DSA, ‘Very Large Online Comparison of EU’s DSA with India’s Online Laws
Platforms’ (VLOPs) and ‘Very Large
Online Search Engines’ (VLOSEs), that is • India had notified extensive changes to its
platforms, having more than 45 million social media regulations in the form of
users in the EU, will have more the Information Technology Rules, 2021 (IT
stringent requirements. Rules) which placed significant due diligence
• Direct supervision by European Commission: requirements on large social media platforms
o These requirements and their such as Meta and Twitter.
enforcement will be centrally o These included appointing key personnel
supervised by the European to handle law enforcement requests
Commission itself, a key way to ensure and user grievances.
that companies do not sidestep the o Enabling identification of the first
legislation at the member-state level. originator of the information on its
• More transparency on how algorithms work: platform under certain conditions.
o VLOPs and VLOSEs will face • One of the reasons that the platform
transparency measures and scrutiny of may be required to trace the originator
how their algorithms work, and will be is if a user has shared child sexual
required to conduct systemic risk abuse material on its platform.
analysis and reduction to drive • WhatsApp has alleged that the
accountability about the society requirement will dilute the encryption
impacts of their products. security on its platform and could
o VLOPs must allow regulators to access compromise personal messages of
their data to assess compliance and let millions of Indians.
researchers access their data to • Deploying technology-based measures
identify systemic risks of illegal or on a best-effort basis to identify certain
harmful content. types of content.
• Clearer identifiers for ads and who’s paying • One of the most contentious proposals
for them is the creation of government-backed
grievance appellate committees which
M.S.Shashank
would have the authority to review and ▪ Regional maritime security
revoke content moderation decisions accords and
taken by platforms. ▪ Efficient anti-money laundering
system were also essential.
Way Forward • Good and bad terrorism:
o Describing terrorism as the worst form
• India is also working on a complete overhaul of human rights violation, the Home
of its technology policies and is expected to Minister said a general
soon come out with a replacement of its IT Act consensus would have to be
2000, which is expected to look at ensuring developed on the definitions of
net neutrality and algorithmic “terrorism” and “terrorist”.
accountability of social media platforms, o The narratives of “good” and “bad”
among other things. terrorism and “small” and “big”
terrorism would weaken the fight
3.5. INTERPOL General Assembly - 90th against the threat which was high on
Session Interpol’s priority list.
• Plan of Action:
o Shah also suggested that
Why In News?
Interpol prepare a plan for the next 50
• The Union Home minister recently addressed years on the basis of its experience and
the concluding session of the 90th INTERPOL achievements of the past 100 years.
General Assembly.
• India’s efforts in combating crimes:
o This session was hosted by India in New
o Establishment of National Forensic
Delhi.
Science University; an inter-operable
India’s recommendations for INTERPOL criminal justice system; and linking of
e-courts, e-prisons, e-forensics and e-
• Setting up of permanent platforms: prosecution with the Crime and
o India recommended to Interpol that Criminal Tracking Network and
setting up permanent counter- Systems.
terrorism and anti-narcotics real-time o The Indian government has also
information exchange platforms. decided to create a national database
▪ These platforms would further on crimes such as terrorism, narcotics
strengthen the coordination and economic offences.
and sustained action by the o India has established the Indian Cyber
member countries against the Crime Coordination Centre, I4C, to
global menaces. combat cyber-crime in a
▪ For a united response, comprehensive manner.
▪ India is also committed to
extending all possible technical Terrorism
and manpower assistance to
• An offence to intimidate a population or to
the global police organisation in
this regard. compel a government or an international
o A similar approach was required to organisation to do or abstain from doing any
ensure effective action against act, which causes:
the international drug trafficking
networks, for which o Death or serious bodily injury to any
▪ Deeper cooperation among person.
the countries, o Serious damage to public or private
▪ Intelligence-based operations,
property, including a place of public use, a
M.S.Shashank
State or government facility, a public Taiba (LeT) top leaders at the United Nations
transportation system, an infrastructure Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 list of terrorists
facility or the environment. affiliated to Al Qaeda and ISIS.
o Damage to property, places, facilities, or
systems resulting in or likely to result in a What is the UNSC 1267 Committee?
major economic loss.
o It encompasses a range of complex threats • It was first set up in 1999 (updated in 2011 and
like organized terrorism in conflict zones, 2015), and strengthened after the September,
foreign terrorist fighters, radicalised ‘lone 2001 attacks.
wolves’, etc. • It is now known as the Da’esh and Al Qaeda
Sanctions Committee.
• Factors Responsible for Growth of Terrorism: • It comprises all permanent and non-
o State-sponsorship and safe havens. permanent members of the United Nations
o State-of-the-art communication Security Council (UNSC).
systems. • The 1267 list of terrorists is a global list, with a
o Access to advanced technology. UNSC stamp. It is full of Pakistani nationals and
o Networking of terrorist groups with the residents.
criminal underworld. • It is one of the most important and active UN
• Pakistan’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists: subsidiary bodies working on efforts to combat
o Pakistan’s stand: terrorism, particularly in relation to Al Qaeda
▪ Pakistan’s Army General in one and the Islamic State group.
of his speeches stated that as • It discusses UN efforts to limit the movement
far as his country, army and ISI of terrorists, especially those related to travel
are concerned, there are clearly bans, the freezing of assets and arms
‘good and bad’ terrorists. embargoes for terrorism.
▪ He stated that Pakistan was a
victim of ‘bad terrorists’, What is the Procedure of Listing?
implying terrorism emanating
from Afghanistan. • Any member state can submit a proposal for
▪ Without naming India, he listing an individual, group, or entity.
added that Islamabad supports • The proposal must include acts or activities
‘good terrorism’ if it is against indicating the proposed
any country it considers individual/group/entity had participated “in
oppressive. the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing,
▪ In his opinion, India is an or perpetrating of acts or activities” linked to
oppressive force in Kashmir. “ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate,
Thus, he officially admitted that splinter group or derivative thereof”.
Pakistan does support terror • Decisions on listing and de-listing are adopted
groups operating against India. by consensus. The proposal is sent to all the
o Realistically for Pakistan, the more it members, and if no member objects within
attempts to follow good versus bad five working days, the proposal is adopted.
terror, the more it would face • An “objection” means curtains for the
destabilisation. proposal.
• Any member of the Committee may also put a
3.6. UNSC 1267 Committee “technical hold” on the proposal and ask for
more information from the proposing member
state. During this time, other members may
Why in News?
also place their own holds.
• The matter remains on the “pending” list of
• Recently, China placed a “hold” on two joint
the Committee until such time as the member
India-US proposals, to designate Lashkar-e-
M.S.Shashank
state that has placed the hold decides to turn number of projects and Memorandums of
its decision into an “objection”, or until all Understanding (MoUs). These will also be
those who have placed holds remove them reviewed.
within a timeframe laid down by the • The discussion will also focus on the agenda for
Committee. the G-20 which will be hosted by India in
• Pending issues must be resolved in six months, September 2023.
but the member state that has placed the hold
Implications of the Visit:
may ask for an additional three months. At the
end of this period, if an objection is not placed,
• The high-profile visit of Mr. Salman may cause
the matter is considered approved.
Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Modi to skip the
ASEAN-India summit and East Asia
3.7. Saudi Crown Prince expected to visit Summit which is scheduled to be held in
Delhi Phnom Penh from November 10-13, 2022.
• It should be noted that this is an important
Why in News? year for the ASEAN-India partnership as it
marks the 30th year of ties between India and
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the the Southeast Asian nations grouping.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will visit India on
• A special “commemorative summit” is also
November 14.
planned to be held in this context.
More Details: • India and ASEAN are in talks to upgrade the
relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic
• The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Partnership(CSP).
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin
• China and Australia were upgraded to CSPs in
Salman (MbS) can visit India on November 14,
2021. The relationship of the U.S. and India
2022.
with ASEAN is likely to be upgraded this year.
• The visit will last only for a few hours and the
leaders of both countries will depart to attend
3.8. Political Crisis in the U.K.
the G-20 summit in Bali, on November 15 and
16, 2022.
• The leaders of both countries (India and Saudi Why in News?
Arabia) will exchange views on the current Liz Truss resigns as UK Prime Minister amid
energy security scenario due to the Russian- political crisis.
Ukraine war. The discussion on the western
coalition sanctions is also expected. It should Introduction:
be noted that neither India nor the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia has joined the western sanctions. • Britain’s Prime minister Liz Truss is resigning as
prime minister after being in office for just 44
• The visit is geopolitically significant because of
days, making her the shortest-serving prime
U.S.-Saudi tensions on the issue of oil
minister in British history.
production cuts by the OPEC+ grouping that
consists of Russia. The U.S. President had • Truss’ resignation came after a meeting with
warned Saudi Arabia regarding the same. the Chairman of the 1922 Committee — the
group of Conservative MPs without ministerial
• Moreover, both leaders will review bilateral
positions who can submit letters of no
projects in Delhi. The progress on Mr. Salman’s
confidence in the prime minister.
2019 promise of $100 billion investment in
India, especially in oil reserves, and green The 1922 Committee meets twice weekly
energy projects will also be reviewed. when the House of Commons is in session and
whose support is crucial for the Prime Minister.
• Indian Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited Saudi
Arabia in 2016 and 2019 and announced a
M.S.Shashank
The current government also saw several deeply divisive contest for leadership of the
high-profile resignations in recent days including governing Conservative Party.
former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, and Home
Secretary Suella Braverman.
Background:
3.9. Rishi Sunak: UK's first Indian-origin PM
• The data from the Office for National Statistics
(ONS) shows that the U.K’s GDP fell by 0.3% in
the three months till August 2022. Why In News?
• U.K. inflation accelerated to 10.1% in
• Recently, the Indian-origin and country's
September, a 40-year high.
former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been
• The Bank of England had previously said that it elected as the next Prime Minister in the UK.
expects the UK to fall into a recession by the • He is also the UK's first prime
end of the year 2022. minister of Indian origin.
o It blames the UK’s economic problems
on very sharp increases in prices, About the current crisis in UK
especially for energy.
• Britain is facing a triple whammy of:
• Prime Minister Liz Truss took office in
• Slowing growth
September 2022 promising to reenergize the
British economy and put the nation on a path • High inflation triggered by spiralling
to “long-term success.” energy prices in the wake of the Ukraine
war
o Instead, her tenure has been marred by
• Budget shortfall that has eroded its
turmoil as mortgage rates soared, the financial credibility internationally.
pound fell to record lows and chaos in
bond markets threatened the country’s India-UK ties
financial stability.
• Truss’s decision to announce 105 billion • Political
pounds of tax cuts and spending increases in a • UK-India relationship is rooted in
mini-budget without providing details on how India’s colonial history with the British.
the administration would pay for it spooked • The UK supports India’s proposal for
markets concerned about soaring public debt. permanent membership of the UNSC
It was heavily criticised by experts and the and is also an important interlocutor
markets. for India on global platforms.
o The first policy was a plan to abolish • Geopolitics
the 45% top rate of income tax for • The Indo-UK Free Trade Agreement will
people on incomes of £1,50,000 or remain on course, and the deepening
higher. of the bilateral defense cooperation
will continue to meet the challenges of
o A second policy was the proposal to
a rising China.
scrap a planned increase in corporate
• Defence
tax from 19% to 25% starting April
• Ajeya Warrior (army-to-army biennial
2023. Together, the two measures
exercise), the Konakan (joint navy-to-
amounted to £45 billion in unfunded
navy annual exercise) and
tax cuts.
the Indradhanush (joint air-to-air
• That undermined confidence in the exercise) happen between India and
government’s ability to pay its bills and raised UK.
questions about the economic credentials of • Free trade agreement
the new prime minister who took office after a
M.S.Shashank
• Both countries formally launched talks • India's exports stood at USD 10.5 billion
for a free trade agreement. It has in 2021-22, while imports were USD 7
been delayed due to issues such as billion.
migration. • Indian Diaspora
• In such pacts, two countries • As far as Indian-origin people in the UK
either eliminate or significantly are concerned, numbering 1.4 million,
reduce customs duties on the they account for 2.5 percent of the
maximum number of goods overall British population.
traded between them, besides
easing norms for promoting Importance of India-UK Relation
investments and services
trade. • Regional balance:
• The countries have missed the Diwali • Britain is tilting to the Indo-Pacific, where
deadline for concluding the India is a natural ally. India, which is
negotiations because of political looking at a neighbourhood that has been
developments in the UK. transformed by the rise of China, needs as
• Political stability in the UK now wide a coalition as possible to restore
would help fast-track the regional balance.
negotiations for the pact, which • Trade, Investment & Jobs:
would give a boost to the • India-UK trade was worth £23 billion in
bilateral trade and investments 2019, and both countries want to double
between the countries. the figure by 2030. Almost half a million
• Bilateral Trade and foreign direct investment jobs are supported across India and the
• The UK is also a key investor in India. UK through investments in each other’s
India attracted foreign direct economies.
investment of USD 1.64 billion in 2021- • Market for British goods:
22. The figure was about USD 32 billion • A free trade deal of the UK with India - the
between April 2000 and March 2022. world’s largest democracy, fifth biggest
• India's main exports to the UK include economy, a nation of 1.4 billion people
ready-made garments and textiles, will create a huge market for British goods
gems and jewellery, engineering like whisky, cars and services.
goods, petroleum and petrochemical • Benefits for Businesses:
products, transport equipment and • A trade deal with India will break down
parts, spices, metal products, barriers and make it easier for British
machinery and instruments, pharma businesses to secure more investments,
and marine items. higher wages and lower prices in Britain.
• Major imports include precious and • Better productivity:
semi-precious stones, ores and metal • The FTA with the UK is expected to
scraps, engineering goods, professional provide certainty, predictability and
instruments, non-ferrous metals, transparency and will create a more
chemicals and machinery. liberal, facilitative and competitive
• Service Sector services regime.
• Services make up around 70 per cent of • Export:
annual trade between our countries. • FTA negotiations with the UK are
• In the services sector, the UK is one of expected to increase our exports in
the largest markets in Europe for Leather, Textile, and Jewellery and
Indian IT services. processed Agri products.
• The bilateral trade increased to USD • India is also expected to register a
17.5 billion in 2021-22 compared to quantum jump in the export of Marine
USD 13.2 billion in 2020-21.
M.S.Shashank
Products through the recognition of 56 •
While there is no way of fully separating
marine units of India. South Asian and British domestic politics,
• Skilled Labour Access: India’s problems have been accentuated by
• India will be looking for concessions on the British Labour Party’s growing political
Indian skilled labour accessing UK negativity towards India.
markets. • WTO related issues:
• Defence Strengths: • Interim FTA that do not convert into full
• Britain could also contribute to the FTAs can also face challenges from other
strengthening of India’s domestic defence countries at the World Trade
industrial base. The two sides could also Organisation(WTO) because the latter only
expand India’s regional reach through permits for the preferential treatment
sharing of logistical facilities. between countries which have bilateral
• Democracy and diaspora: agreements between them.
• Both India and the UK are vibrant • Domestic Politics:
democracies, with a partnership built on • The large South Asian diaspora in the UK
shared history and rich culture. transmits the internal and intra-regional
• The diverse Indian diaspora in the UK, conflicts in the subcontinent into Britain’s
who act as a “Living Bridge”, adds further domestic politics.
dynamism to the relations between the • Engagement with EU:
two countries. • The UK needs to sort out its own
internal deliberations on the future
Concerns in India-UK Relation of its trajectory with the EU.
• Bitter Past: Way forward

• The bitter legacies of the Partition, anti-
colonial resentment and Britain’s • He might raise tax rates and make spending
prejudices and its perceived tilt to Pakistan cuts that will be unpopular and may have
have long complicated the engagement unforeseen political consequences.
between India and the UK. • It now appears increasingly likely that the FTA
• Political Negativity: will be signed only sometime in 2023.
4. Science & Technology

4.1. Investing In the Future of Indian • According to the World Bank, India’s research
and development (R&D) expenditure as a
Science
percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in
2018 was 0.66 percent of its GDP as compared
Why in News? to 2.14 percent in China and 3 percent in the
United States.
• To be a global leader, India must channel its • In the past 20 years, Chinese spending on
growing economic strength into a vital yet research has skyrocketed in line with its
perennially neglected pillar of national power economic growth, while Indian spending has
i.e., science and technology. declined as the broader economy has grown.
Key Highlights: Need for Scientific and technological progress:

• The efforts to support scientific innovation are • Scientific and technological progress is the
invariably lacking in India. most crucial driver of long-term development
M.S.Shashank
and India has the potential to become a • India and Denmark agreed to a five-year plan
scientific power. to implement a green strategic
• The development of an indigenous COVID-19 partnership for enhancing collaboration in
vaccine is just one of many signs of this various areas including science and
potential. technology.
• India can benefit from not only geopolitical • AmritGrand Challenge Programme called
trends as supply chains diversify away from ‘JANCARE’was launched to identify 75 start-
China, but also scientific trends as emerging ups in several sectors such as telemedicine,
technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), digital health with Big Data, AI, blockchain and
biotechnology, and renewable energy mature other technologies.
at breakneck speed.
• Science, today, is at a stage of compounding What should be done to boost the scientific
innovation where advances in one field spur innovation ecosystem in India?
advance in others.
• Google’s AlphaFold AI model designed to study 1. Boosting gross expenditure on research and
proteins is one such example. development (GERD):
• In just one year, AlphaFold has predicted o India must start by increasing its GERD
structures for nearly all proteins known to to 1 percent of GDP.
science and has already become an o It is vital that GERD increase at least in
indispensable tool for biotechnology line with India’s economy.
researchers. 2. National Research Foundation (NRF):
• Such disruptive discoveries are increasingly o The 2020 New Education Policy
common on the frontier of science, and India recommended setting up the National
must take advantage of these to jump start its Research Foundation (NRF) to fund
scientific ambitions. large-scale research projects in
universities with Rs 50,000 crore over
Some of the recent initiatives taken by the five years.
o India should implement the
Government of India: recommendation and this could be
modelled on the US’s National Science
• The Women Science program of DST has
Foundation, which has played a key
started a new initiative to support women PG
role in transforming America’s
colleges under the CURIE (Consolidation of
universities into research
University Research for Innovation and
powerhouses.
Excellence in Women Universities)
3. Incentivising R&D spending in the private
Programme.
sector:
• Synergistic Training Program Utilizing the
o While initially, most research spending
Scientific and Technological Infrastructure
must come from the Centre, the long-
(STUTI), a new initiative, was recently unveiled
term target must be to incentivise R&D
with the goal of enhancing human resource
spending in the private sector.
development and capacity building through
o The 2021 Economic Survey pointed out,
nationwide open access to science and
in scientifically dominant countries like
technology infrastructure.
the US and China more than 80 percent
• In October 2021, the government announced
of GERD spending is from the private
plans to establish 75 science technology &
sector, which explains breakthroughs
innovation hubs in India for scheduled castes
like Google’s AlphaFold.
(SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) and empower
o By contrast, the Indian private sector
them to contribute to the socio-economic
contributes only 37 percent of research
improvement of the country.
funding.
• The government has launched the Indian
o In this respect, the NRF’s goal of
Space Association (ISpA) to accelerate
increasing links between academia and
technology advancements and strengthen the
industry will be invaluable.
space sector in the country.
M.S.Shashank
4. Cultivation of human capital: • For India to become a developed country by its

o At its heart, science needs human centenary, it needs not just ‘made in India’ but
talent, and India’s science strategy also ‘invented in India’.
must be keenly focused on cultivating • Today’s unique combination of economic
human capital. growth, geopolitical opportunity, and
o A significant share of any increased scientific innovation are perfect to kickstart
spending must be used to augment PhD India’s push to become a research
and postdoctoral stipends to attract the powerhouse.
best students to basic research. • Making this commitment to innovation today
o Initiatives such as the Prime Minister is one of the most consequential decisions
Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral which can be taken toward India’s future
Research are a great start, but they prosperity.
must be expanded.
5. Scientific exchange programmes with global 4.2. ISRO's Mangalyaan Mission
partners:
o India should encourage scientific
exchange programmes with developed Why In News?
countries like the US.
o The Quad Fellowship programme • Recently, the ISRO confirmed that the Mars
which funds 100 students from all four Orbiter craft has lost communication with
Quad countries to pursue graduate ground station, it's non-recoverable and with
degrees in science and technology in this the Mangalyaan mission has attained end-
American universities is a good of-life.
initiative but is too small in scope.
o India must consider other talent About Mangalyaan Mission
exchange programmes with its partners
whose awards should be conditioned • Background
on public service obligation. o The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or
o This could be on the lines of Singapore’s Mangalyaan is a space probe launched by
Presidential Scholarships, with the aim the Indian Space Research Organization
in 2013.
of bringing students back to India after
• Features
graduation to develop an indigenous
o Mangalyaan was India's first interplanetary
research ecosystem.
mission.
o An example of such an obligation could
o The indigenously-built space probe has
be doing a few years of research at a
been in Martian orbit since 2014.
national lab after graduation. o The mission made India the first Asian
6. Lessons from China in becoming a scientific country and the fourth in the world after
power: Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space
o One idea worth examining is China’s Agency, to get to the planet.
Thousand Talents Plan which brings • Objective of Mangalyaan
leading Chinese scientists living abroad o India's Mangalyaan mission is aimed at
to China through incentives like high studying Martian atmosphere.
salaries, extra research funding, and o Its objective is to explore Martian surface
other perks like accommodation features, mineralogy, morphology and
subsidies. atmosphere using indigenous scientific
o India should consider such a scheme instruments.
with its own considerable diaspora to o A crucial objective of MOM was to develop
bring back talent which, in turn, can technologies required in planning, designing,
train the next generation of Indian management and operations of an
scientists. interplanetary mission.
• Rocket used
Conclusion:
M.S.Shashank
o MOM was launched aboard PSLV C-25 (an 4.4. Supermassive Black Hole
XL version of the PSLV).
• Cost of Mangalyaan Why In News?
o ISRO spent $75 million to launch the
mission, making it the least-expensive • Recently, Indian researchers spotted a rare
Mars mission to date. supermassive black hole.
About
4.3. Medicinal Fungi
Why in News? • The monster black hole is about one billion
light years away from the Earth.
• Recently, an analytical study of medicinal fungi o The black hole in question was
carried out by researchers from the Institute of captured, spewing a jet of radiation
Mathematical Sciences, Chennai (IMSc), shows and particles in one direction, unlike
that some chemicals they secrete may find use others that fire jets in opposite
as novel drugs. directions.
• Supermassive black holes create powerful
About jets of radiation and particles. They are
located at the center of galaxies.
• They used a database, MeFSAT (Medicinal • The supermassive black hole occupies the
Fungi Secondary Metabolites And center of the RAD 12 galaxy, which is
Therapeutics), which compiles information on elliptical or egg-shaped.
184 medicinal fungi, including o RAD 12 is in the process of merging
mushrooms. with another galaxy, RAD 12b, in
• Medicinal fungi belong to two taxonomic the next one billion years.
divisions namely, basidiomycota and ▪ RAD 12b, which is also
ascomycota. elliptical, is bigger and
o Mushrooms belong to the brighter than RAD 12.
basidiomycota division.
o An example is Agaricus bisporus, the Implications
button mushroom, which can be
consumed. • This discovery may help scientists study
• Fungi belonging to the ascomycota division are why star formation does not occur in
generally not mushrooms. elliptical galaxies.
o Among these are Isaria cicadae and o Star formation requires extremely
Shiraia bambusicola which are used in cooled gas, usually forged in a
traditional Chinese medicine. cloud of interstellar gas and dust.
Significance • It opens new avenues for star formation

research
• Secondary metabolites are chemical • Researchers speculate that jets fired by
compounds that fungi produce when they are supermassive black holes will likely
stressed. suppress future star formation.
• These are not strictly essential and hence the
name ‘secondary’. 4.5. IN-SPACe
• They enhance the fungus’ ability to survive.
• The work has been published in the preprint
server BioRXiv. Why in News?
• Cordycepin, a secondary metabolite produced
by Cordyceps species of fungus, is known to • IN-SPACe, the government body for dealing
have anti-tumour properties. with the private sector space industry, has
received 125 proposals from start-ups since
last June.
M.S.Shashank
Space industry in India: sharing of technical facilities and expertise

from ISRO”.
• India’s space programme is one of the most • In-SPACe had signed MoUs with 13 such start-
well-developed in the world and is driven by a ups and would soon sign with four more. In-
state-owned agency—the Indian Space Research SPACe planned to open incubation centers in
Organisation (ISRO). India, which would help start-ups access funds
• The global space industry in 2021 was valued at and legal advice.
$469 billion, (set to grow to $1 trillion by 2040),
but India’s share was only 2 per cent ($10 billion).
• Currently, India constitutes 2-3% of the global Private startups in Indian space industry:
space economy and is expected to enhance its
• Indian Space Association (ISpA), an association
share to >10% by 2030 at a CAGR of 48%.
• In the global space market, rocket and satellite of Indian space companies, said that there
launch services—an area in which ISRO were 102 space start-ups in India.
specialises—amount to only 5% share. This • Several Indian startups have started their
segment requires robust infrastructure and operations. Some of the startups include:
heavy investments. Satellite-based services and o Digantara: It is an Indian private
ground-based systems account for the remaining company working to secure long-term
95%. space flight safety by developing space
• At present, the government drives a certain level debris tracking and monitoring
of participation by the Indian private sector, services.
primarily in the rocket and satellite launch o Bellatrix Aerospace: Headquartered in
services segment. However, enhanced private Bangalore, it is an Indian private
sector participation will be necessary to aerospace manufacturer and small
penetrate satellite-based services and ground- satellite company.
based system segments. o Tathya Earth: The company leverages
deep learning algorithms for satellite
IN–SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and imagery and maritime data to identify
Authorisation Centre): important real-time trends in the global
economy.
• To facilitate private sector participation, the o Skyroot, another startup founded by
government has created the Indian National two former ISRO scientists. The
Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN- company is building “Vikram” rockets
SPACe), in June 2020, as a single-window, from scratch, which are the first brand
independent, nodal agency which functions as of rockets made by the private sector in
an autonomous agency in Department of India.
Space (DOS). o Agnikul Cosmos, a startup founded by
• Established as a single window agency for two 21-year-old college students
all space sector activities of private entities, became the world's first company to
IN-SPACe plays an important role in boosting successfully test a 3D-sprinted rocket
the private space sector economy in India. engine, which is a new and upcoming
• IN-SPACe, is responsible to promote, enable tech in the space industry and is
authorize and supervise various space predicted to replace conventional
activities of the NGEs (Non-Governmental assembly models.
Entities) that include, among others, the • For the Indian space industry to grow and have
building of launch vehicles & satellites and many SpaceX-like companies, it has to meet
providing space-based services; sharing of only a key challenge — an assured market. All
space infrastructure and premises under the along the Indian space industry had two
control of DOS/ISRO; and establishment of players — the government as a provider of
new space infrastructure and facilities. demand and ISRO as the supplier of space
• It is meant to act as “the agency to promote, services— but now, with the private sector
handhold and authorise private sector getting into both demand and supply, the
activities in the sector, besides enabling market is uncertain.
M.S.Shashank
What is the significance of private player • Draft National Space Policy 2020:
involvement in space sector? o The Draft National Space Policy 2020
was thus unveiled with the aim to
• Their involvement will allow ISRO to focus increase public-private partnerships in
more on new technologies, exploration space research and exploration
missions and human spaceflight programme. activities. Instead of only partnering on
Like NASA. the manufacturing and logistical side of
• Private sector participation will open a new operations earlier, private players were
pool of resources and talent. now given access to ISRO's
• Some of the planetary exploration missions will infrastructure, technical resources and
also be opened up to the private sector data to grow.
through an ‘announcement of opportunity’ • Humans in Space Policy 2021:
mechanism. o Recently, India's space agency unveiled
• Allowing industries and others like students, a draft "Humans in Space Policy 2021"
researchers or academic bodies greater access that would look at facilitating
to space assets would lead to a much better participation of non-traditional
utilisation of India space resources. players in undertaking space activities.
• It will enable Indian Industry to be an • Indian Space Association (ISpA):
important player in the global space o In October 2021, Indian Prime Minister
economy. With this, there is an opportunity for launched the ISpA. This association
large-scale employment in the technology will help private players carry out
sector and India becoming a Global technology independent space activities, facilitate
powerhouse. services and technology developed by
• Restricting space activities to ISRO, limits ISRO to be utilised in the private sector,
proper utilisation of talent all over the provide regulatory and policy inputs
country. With demographic dividend, private and support start-ups, MSMEs and
sector participation can exploit the talent academia.
across the nation contributing a lot to space o ISpA will support the government’s
explorations in India. vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar India’ (self-
reliant India) and ‘Make in India’ to
Government step to inclusion of private player in become a leader in the global space
space industry: industry. It would act as a single-
Several steps have been initiated towards window agency and open the Indian
opening the space sector for private entities in a space sector to private enterprises and
phased manner. like: start-ups.
• New Space India Limited: Way Forward:

o New Space India Limited (NSIL),
incorporated on 6 March 2019 (under • Over the past two decades, private enterprises
the Companies Act, 2013) is a such as Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Blue Origin
wholly owned Government of India and Arianespace have revolutionised the
company, under the administrative space sector by reducing costs and turnaround
control of Department of Space (DOS). time in other spacefaring countries. However,
o NSIL is the commercial arm of Indian in India, private enterprises have been limited
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to being merely suppliers to the government’s
with the primary responsibility of space programme.
enabling Indian industries to take up • Now, the Government of India strongly
high technology space related activities believes that optimal utilisation of space
and is also responsible for promotion technology will revolutionise the delivery of
and commercial exploitation of the governance services and enhance
products and services emanating from developmental efforts. The Indian space
the Indian space programme. sector can potentially inspire the young
M.S.Shashank
populace with scientific curiosity and 4.7. Kuafu-1: China’s first space-based
encourage them to pursue a career in STEM. solar telescope
Above all, the Indian space sector has an
opportunity to create a vibrant ecosystem for Why in News?
start-ups and private enterprises.
• Being one of the few spacefaring countries, • The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory
India is increasingly encouraging private sector (ASO-S) – China’s first space-based solar
participation through various reforms that are telescope – was launched recently.
expected to help India achieve a market share
of more than 10% in the global space sector by More Details:
2030.
• The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory
4.6. SLBM launched from INS Arihant (ASO-S) was launched aboard the Long March-
2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite
Launch Center in northwestern part of China.
Why in News? • It is nicknamed Kuafu-1, after a mythical giant
that sought to capture and tame the sun.
• On October 14 , 2022, INS Arihant has • The solar mission, which is expected to last for 4
successfully launched a nuclear-capable years, will enable scientists to capture and study
Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in the previously unprecedented images of the Sun
Bay of Bengal. during the “solar maximum” (when sun has the
highest number of sun spots). The solar
More Details: maximum is expected to occur around the year
2025.
• The Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile • The ASO-S is China’s first full-scale satellite
(SLBM) was tested from India’s first indigenous dedicated to researching the Sun. It is the
Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine INS world’s first solar telescope capable of
Arihant. simultaneously monitoring both solar flares and
• The recent missile test is an important element coronal mass ejections.
of India’s nuclear ballistic submarine (SSBN) • It will study the Sun from an orbit 720 km above
programme, which is playing an important role the surface of the Earth.
in ensuring India’s nuclear deterrence • The mission is capable of simultaneous
capability. observation of the entire Sun’s vector magnetic
field, imaging spectroscopy at high energies of
• The ability to launch nuclear weapons from
solar flares, and studying the formation and
submarines is critical for achieving nuclear
evolution of solar flares and coronal mass
triad – the three-pronged military force
ejections on the disk and in the inner corona.
structure having the capability to launch
• This will improve the understanding of the
nuclear missiles from land, aircraft and physics of solar eruptions and further the
submarines. forecasting capability of solar weather.
• Nuclear weapons submarine platforms • The solar satellite will send 500 GB data
significantly boosts India’s second strike concerning the Sun’s magnetic field, solar flares
capability, which is critical for the “No First and coronal mass ejections each day to ground
Use” policy adopted by the Central stations in Sanya, Kashgar and Beijing.
Government • During the solar eruptions, the satellite can send
• This capability strengthens nuclear deterrence pictures to ground stations every second.
since these submarines can survive the first • From the ground stations, the data is transferred
nuclear strike and launch retaliatory strikes. in packages to a 2,048-core computer in Purple
This creates “Credible Nuclear Deterrence” for Mountain Observatory.
India. • This mission is similar to NASA’s Parker Solar
• This is important, especially with Pakistan and Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter.
China being nuclear weapon states. • India is planning to launch a similar solar mission
in 2023 called Aditya-L1 to research the solar
atmosphere.
M.S.Shashank
5. Social Issues & Justice

5.1. This Hindi - And Hindi Alone - Counsel Official language committee:
Is Flawed
• The official language committee is a statutory
Why in News? committee constituted in 1976 under Section 4
of the Official Language Act, 1963.
• The 11th volume of the Report of the Official • The Official Language Committee, headed by
Language Committee was recently submitted the Union Home Minister, was set up to
to the President of India review the progress made in the use of Hindi
for the official purposes of the Union as
Background: mandated by Article 351 of the Indian
Constitution and submit a report to the
• Article 343 of the Constitution declares President.
that Hindi in Devanagari script shall be • The Committee consists of 30 members out of
the official language of the Union. which 20 members are from Lok Sabha and 10
• The Constituent Assembly had witnessed are from Rajya Sabha.
extensive debate on the question of official • The Act makes it obligatory for the President
language. to issue directions “in accordance with the
• Finally, Hindi was declared the official language whole or any part of the report” (Section
of the Union and it was also provided that the 4(4)).
English language will continue for 15 years • Thus, it must be ensured that the committee’s
from the commencement of the Constitution. recommendations are acted upon.
• Furthermore, the Parliament may provide by
law for the continuation of English even after Issues with the recommendations of the
the period of 15 years. committee:
• Accordingly, Parliament enacted the Official
Languages Act in 1963, providing for the • As per the recommendations of the Official
continuance of English indefinitely as official Language Committee, Hindi should totally
language along with Hindi for the official replace English as medium of instruction in
purposes of the Union and for transaction of central universities, IIMs, IITs, etc. although
business in Parliament. the committee does not have any authority to
recommend the medium of instruction in
Key recommendations of the Official Language universities and professional institutions.
Committee: • A statutory committee constituted under an
act has no mandate to recommend the
• Hindi should replace English as the language of discontinuation of English whose continuance
examinations for recruitment to the along with Hindi has been declared by the
government. Parliament by a law.
• Hindi should be the only medium of instruction • India has earlier seen great emotional upsurge,
in all technical and non technical institutions violent protests and immolations etc. in the
like Kendriya Vidyalayas, Indian Institutes of country’s southern parts in the 1960s against
Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of the attempts of excluding English and replacing
Management (IIMs) and the central it with Hindi.
universities; • The language used in the examination for
• It must be constitutionally binding on State recruitment to the All India services will be
governments to propagate Hindi. Hindi alone and in this case, the candidates
from the non-Hindi States, the south in
particular, will face a great disadvantage when
M.S.Shashank
compared to those whose mother tongue is • Therefore, all efforts should be made to ensure
Hindi. their natural development to be able to meet
• This would lead to a gradual elimination of the requirements of modern science and
candidates from the non-Hindi region from the technology.
central services like the All India Services.
5.2. India slams 'methodology' of Global
Arguments in favour of continuation of English
Hunger Index
language:
Why In News?
• India has two major groups of languages - the
Indo-European language group and the
Recently ,India rejected the Global Hunger Index
Dravidian language group.
2022 ranking, saying the index suffers from serious
• Hindi belongs to the former and Tamil, Telugu,
methodological issues.
Malayalam and Kannada belong to the latter.
• However, the union of North and South has
• It ranked India 107 out of 121 countries
been made possible only through the medium
of English by bridging the gap between the About Global Hunger Index
northern and southern regions since, North
and South are two different parts so far as • It is a tool for comprehensively measuring and
language is concerned and this linguistic tracking hunger at global, regional, and
relationship will cease to exist in the absence national levels.
of English • GHI scores are based on the values of four
• In a country where there are two major component indicators -
language groups, the idea of one official o Undernourishment
language may not go far in fostering the unity o Child stunting
of the people and in the long run, it may give o Child wasting
rise to serious imbalances in regional o Child mortality.
representation in the all India services as well
as the personnel structure of the Union • The GHI score is calculated on a 100-point
government. scale reflecting the severity of hunger, where
• English is crucial for the interaction of Indians zero is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is
with the world and in acquiring knowledge in the worst.
science and technology as well as in other o India’s score of 29.1 places it in the
fields of human activity. ‘serious’ category.
Government’s Responses and Rationale behind
Conclusion: them
• The massive public opinion in the south favours • The Ministry of Women and Child
the continuation of English as one of the Development referred to the index as “an
official languages. erroneous measure of hunger”.
• Today, the Union has Hindi and English as two • Three out of the four indicators used for
official languages — as in Canada which has calculation of the index are related to the
English and French as its official languages. health of Children and cannot be
• In these circumstances, the policymakers representative of the entire population.
should seriously think of making the provision • The fourth indicator, estimate of Proportion of
constitutionally that Hindi and English should Undernourished (PoU), population is based on
be the official languages of the Union. an opinion poll conducted on a very small
• People love Hindi and all other Indian sample size of 3000 based on “Food Insecurity
languages. Experience Scale (FIES)” Survey Module of
Food and Agriculture Organisation
M.S.Shashank
• The report is not only disconnected
from ground reality but also chooses
to deliberately ignore the food security
efforts of the Central government especially
during the pandemic. Conclusion and Way Forward
o The Union Cabinet through the
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann • To ensure transparency, it is essential
Yojna (PM-GKAY), provisioned an that international agencies only use data that
additional five kg ration per person are freely available in the public
each month in addition to their normal domain along with key characteristics such
quota of foodgrains as per the National as education, residence and age of the
Food Security Act. It was recently respondents.
extended to December 2022. o In this case, the uncritical use of
• It exaggerates the measure of hunger, lacks questions is particularly problematic
statistical vigour, has a problem of multiple because FAO has not released standard
counts, and gives higher representation to errors for their estimates, making it
under-five children." difficult for us to evaluate whether the
• it has the potential to both influence growth in the proportion of households
government action and generate aggressive experiencing hunger in India,.
pushback..
• There is a need to evaluate the
Response of GHI representativeness of the sample.
o Unfortunately, we cannot easily do this
• The GHI says on its website that it doesn’t use because the underlying data are
FIES, but only uses prevalence of located behind a paywall.
undernourishment indicator which is • The government would be well-advised to
assessed by FAO using the Food Balance Sheet, bolster its information repositories that can
which is based primarily on data officially help it address malnutrition effectively
reported by member countries including • We also need to continue our effort to reduce
India. child mortality and find ways of reducing
o These show the trends in the overall stunting and wasting.
national food supply, disclose changes
that may have taken place in the types
of food consumed, i.e. the pattern of
the diet, and reveal the extent to which
the food supply of the country, as a
whole, is adequate in relation to
nutritional requirements.
• The GHI uses three children-related indicators
out of the total four to assess hunger levels for
an entire country to ensure “that both
the food supply situation of the population as
a whole and the effects of inadequate
nutrition within a particularly vulnerable
subset of the population are captured.”
M.S.Shashank
6. Health
Malnutrition (SAM) are
6.1. Child Mortality admitted.
o ICDS:
▪ The Integrated Child
Why in News? Development Services (ICDS)
scheme is one of the flagship
• India has achieved significant landmarks in programs of the Government of
the reduction of Child Mortality as per India.
the Sample Registration System Statistical ▪ The beneficiaries under the
Report 2020. Scheme are children in the age
group of 0-6 years, pregnant
Report highlights women and lactating mothers.
▪ Ministry of Women and Child
• Since 2014, the country has been witnessing Development is the
a progressive reduction in implementing agency
o Infant Mortality Rate, o Poshan Abhiyan:
o Neonatal Mortality Rate, and ▪ It is intended to reduce stunting
o Under-five Mortality Rate in identified districts of the
o Infant Mortality Rate country with the highest
▪ Infant Mortality Rate has malnutrition burden by
registered a two-point decline improving utilization of
to 28 per one thousand live key Anganwadi Services and
births in 2020 from 30 per one improving the quality of
thousand live births in 2019. Anganwadi services delivery.
o Under five Mortality Rate: o Better feeding practices:
▪ Under five Mortality Rate for ▪ Under infant and young child
the country has also shown a feeding practices, guidelines
significant decline of three are there to improve cognitive
points from 32 in 2020 to 35 per development, enhance weight
one thousand live births in gain and prevent malnutrition
2019. among children.
o The neonatal Mortality Rate: o Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC):
▪ The neonatal Mortality Rate ▪ KMCs have been found to be
has also declined by two points very effective for stable
from 22 in 2019 to 20 per one newborns in providing
thousand live births in 2020. adequate thermal care,
reducing nosocomial infections,
Government initiatives for reduction of improving exclusive
mortalities: breastfeeding and weight gain,
besides fostering greater
• India has taken up a number of innovative maternal and family
initiatives to reduce the mortalities due to involvement in care.
malnutrition. • Protecting mothers:
o Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC): o Research suggests that the process of a
▪ At the Nutrition Rehabilitation baby’s brain development begins
Centre (NRC) children during pregnancy and is influenced by
with Severe Acute
M.S.Shashank
a pregnant woman’s health, nutrition Way Ahead
and environment.
o Hence, we need to understand that • With these measures in place, we can expect
child survival cannot be addressed in some more concrete and positive health
isolation as it is intricately linked to the related changes in the days to come.
health of the mother. • India is poised to meet 2030 Sustainable
▪ ‘Paalan 1000 – Journey of the First Development Goals targets of child mortality
1000 Days’, focuses more on the with focused interventions, strong Centre-
cognitive developments of children State partnership, and dedication of all health
in the first 2 years of its life. workers.
▪ On the other hand, PAALAN
1000 parenting app provides 6.2. India @ 75 Looking at 100
caregivers with practical advice
on what they can do in their
everyday routine and helps Context:
resolve the various doubts of
• We are marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and
parents and directs our efforts
in the development of a child. have entered into Amrit Kaal, the 25-year-long
lead up to India @ 100.
▪ Matritva Sahyog Yojana
• It is time to revisit our journey so far and delve
▪ It is a Conditional Maternity
deep into the opportunities ahead.
Benefit (CMB) Scheme
launched in 2010.
▪ The scheme is being Background
implemented by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development • Few decades back, India was suffering from
as the centrally sponsored high infant and maternal mortality rates where
scheme. the pediatric ward was filled with children
▪ It was launched for pregnant suffering from tuberculous meningitis, polio,
and lactating women to severe malnutrition and diarrhea.
improve their health and • Today the scenario has vastly changed. The
nutrition status to better- past 10 years especially, have seen rapid
enable the environment by progress.
providing cash incentives to • We are now blessed with a growing economy
pregnant and nursing mothers. and a huge, young population that is relatively
▪ National Nutrition Mission: healthy.
▪ It is the government’s flagship • The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the world
programme to improve our capability to handle mega problems.
nutritional outcomes for children, • With good leadership and active community
pregnant women and lactating participation we became self-sufficient in
mothers. terms of PPE, ventilators and vaccines.
▪ Aim: To reduce stunting and
wasting by 2 percent per year Now, new challenges await us
(total 6 per cent until 2022)
among children and anaemia by 3 • These include climate change, the rising
percent per year (total 9 per cent aspirations of people, inequitable access to
until 2022) among children, resources and the biggest challenge of
adolescent girls and pregnant all: Health.
women and lactating mothers. • India is predicted to be the capital of non-
▪ The Ministry of Women and Child communicable diseases, cancers and deaths
Development is the nodal due to trauma.
ministry for implementation. • The challenges are humongous due to the huge
population of 1.4 billion, juxtaposed against a
M.S.Shashank
relatively inadequate public health system and • This will improve the quality of care and also
the deep crevice separating the haves and meet the aspirations of the students.
have-nots. Simultaneously, this will enhance the faculty pool
• For India @ 100 to address all these woes with universities training additional adjunct
humanely, efficiently and adequately, the need faculty.
of the day is a revolution to make India a world • Learning management systems (LMS) under
leader in health. various universities can provide equitable
• With the motto of “Country First and opportunities to students across the country.
• Students will have access to knowledge at their
Always”, this is the opportunity of a lifetime
for every Indian to give back to the nation. own time and pace. Collaborations with
international universities for twinning, joint
degree or dual degree programmes is a big
Big opportunities ahead opportunity that is available today.
• India with its huge and young population can
• Provided we act now, the next 25 years will become a provider of healthcare personnel to
witness a big change in the health indices. For the world.
this, we need to collaborate and work together
as a society and as a polity. Blurring of the line between engineering and
• The silos of medical education in colleges, life medicine
science research in laboratories and public health • Engineering and science institutions are setting
in government hospitals will need to be up medical colleges which take longer to nurture.
integrated. • Medical universities can effectively utilize data
• It will need to work in close collaboration, with science, computing tools and inputs from design
appropriate linkages through the opportunities schools to improve on innovations and bring
lent by NEP 2020, National Digital Health problems from bedside to bench in a shorter
Mission and most importantly, in time to find solutions.
synchronization with the central and state • Thus, India @ 100 may provide multiple degrees
governments. under one roof. Research will slowly move out of
• India @ 100 will then see a smoothly oiled the laboratories to the bedside.
machine where public health drives education • We may need to follow a policy of reserving most
and research. of the available funds for life science research
towards finding solutions for the health
Challenges in Medical Education problems of the country for a while till we reach
our goals as envisaged by National Missions.
• Medical education today faces numerous • With good infrastructure and capacity building,
challenges. The most critical of these are the India @ 100 will have Nobel Prize-winning
mushrooming of medical, nursing and AYUSH scientists.
colleges, and non-availability of dedicated
faculty. Expected outcome of our actions
• We can overcome these drawbacks by
using digital technology to reach the unreached • Most clinical, preventive and primary care will
students quickly and effectively. be taken over by technology-based solutions and
• We can also align medical education to India’s paramedical personnel.
healthcare needs through integrated courses and • Clinicians will need to be trained to provide
creating a bigger and better pool of paramedical secondary and tertiary care or carry out research
and nursing personnel on priority. to aid policy changes.
• It is also important to absorb the trained human • India @ 100 will ensure equitable and the best
resources into the workforce by providing healthcare to every citizen of the world.
adequate compensation. • People will not need to spend out of pocket or
• The aspirations of students need to be met with travel long distances on foot to receive
innovative solutions e.g. the district residency healthcare.
programme can be expanded to provide • Ambulatory care (care at home) will be the order
district PG programmes with adjunct faculty of the day and point of care devices will ensure
from the public hospitals. redundancy of big laboratories for medical tests.
M.S.Shashank
• People will be empowered to make their own • The plan is valid from 2022-2026 and is aimed at
decisions. This will reduce medical litigation. mitigating the health challenges at global,
Healthcare will see no geographical borders. regional, and country levels.
• Doctors will be friends who help people make
decisions with empathy and the Indian systems Focus Areas of the Action Plan:
of medicine will be globally lauded.
• One Health capacity for health systems
Conclusion • Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics
• Endemic zoonotic
• Only then we will wake up to a pleasant dream • Neglected tropical and vector-borne diseases
of India @ 100: • Antimicrobial resistance and the environment
• Food safety risks
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held
high Why has the One Health Concept become more
Important?
Where health education is freely available
• Human Expansion: Human populations are
growing and expanding into new geographic
Where healing has not been broken up into ’pathys
areas due to which close contact with animals
and their environments provides more
Where health research springs from the depth of opportunities for diseases to pass between
truth animals and people.
• Of the contagious diseases affecting humans,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards more than 65% are of zoonotic or animal to man
perfection.” origin.
• Environmental Disruptions: Disruptions in
environmental conditions and habitats can
6.3. One Health Joint Plan of Action
provide new opportunities for diseases to pass
to animals.
Why in News? • International Travel & Trade: The movement of
people, animals, and animal products has
• Recently, a new One Health Joint Plan of Action increased from international travel and trade
was launched by the Quadripartite-the Food and due to which diseases can spread quickly across
Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United borders and around the globe.
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the • Viruses in Wildlife: Scientists have observed that
World Health Organization (WHO), and the there are more than 1.7 million viruses
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, circulating in wildlife, and many of them are
founded as OIE). likely to be zoonotic.
• In April 2022 a pilot project in the state of • This implies that unless there is timely detection,
Uttarakhand was launched to implement the India risks facing many more pandemics in times
One Health Framework by One Health Support to come.
Unit.
Way Forward
What is One Health Joint Plan of Action?
• The Covid-19 pandemic showed the relevance of
About: 'One Health' principles in the governance of
infectious diseases, especially efforts to prevent
• The Action plan developed through a and contain zoonotic diseases throughout the
participatory process, provided a set of activities world.
that aim to strengthen collaboration, • India needs to scale up such a model across the
communication, capacity building and country and to establish meaningful research
coordination equally across all sectors collaborations across the world.
responsible for addressing health concerns at • There is a need to develop best-practice
the human-animal-plant-environment interface. guidelines for informal market and
M.S.Shashank
slaughterhouse operation (e.g., inspections, • Awareness generation, and increased
disease prevalence assessments), and creating investments toward meeting ‘One Health’
mechanisms to operationalise ‘One Health’ at targets is the need of the hour.
every stage down to the village level.
7. education
7.1. False Dichotomies of Education o We know that both freedom and discipline
are equally important. Not only in
education, but in life.
Why in News? o But channeling freedom and discipline
together towards learning is a constant
• When we ask whether education should struggle for educators. And so, educators
develop children’s capacity to question things often choose between the two.
in society or their capacity to contribute o It is easier to handle students with one
constructively, it is almost certain that most rather than both. This is educationally
will say education must do both. ineffective, and potentially creates lifelong
• But in the practice of education, one of these problems for students.
objectives often gets far more important. 2. Memorization versus understanding:
o Rote is not useful, while we know that
Background understanding is very important.
o But understanding and memorization are
• There are those educators and institutions not in conflict. Neither are practice and
that, in practice, are far too focused on creativity.
the capacity to question, while there are o In fact, memory plays an important role in
others, perhaps a larger proportion, that don’t developing conceptual understanding, as
think about it at all. does practice in creativity.
• Young people who have only learnt to question o An educational approach that relies on one
and not contribute are dysfunctional. On the alone cannot achieve its goals. The two
other hand, those who are educated to be must operate together.
unquestioning contributors can hardly improve 3. Knowledge versus skills:
the world. o Children are heavily burdened by the
• These are two extremes that emphasize that requirement to acquire knowledge in their
education must do both in theory and in subjects.
practice. There are many such complementary o Yet, precious little is done to develop their
matters which are too often perceived to be skills and capacities to process and use that
dichotomies. knowledge.
• Good education must account for all these o For instance, the development of an ability
matters, and not make choices between them to communicate, or think critically, takes a
because these are false choices. back seat to soaking knowledge and content
in courses.
Examples of some false dichotomies of education o This has fueled the other extreme where
skill development attempts to compensate
1. Freedom versus discipline: for the inadequacies of education systems.
o Too often, in the reality of school o However, just as education that doesn’t
cultures, discipline and freedom are seen develop skills is not useful, development of
as opposites; either children are disciplined skills without content is inadequate and
or they are free. usually impossible.
4. Education for employability and employment
versus a liberal education:
M.S.Shashank
o Education that does not emphasize general 7. Love and affection for students versus a
capacities of critical thinking, analysis and distanced professional approach:
development of character undermines o Education is at its core a matter of
citizenship. relationships, particularly between teachers
o At the same time, education that ignores and students.
economic goals of productive livelihood too o Devoid of nurturing and affection, this
undermines the individual. The two have cannot be the kind of relationship that can
been unnecessarily seen as dichotomous. help a child develop in all her dimensions.
o It is a challenge to the education system and o At the same time, the teacher must have
educators how to have liberal education the distance to be able to play her role on
which also equally develops capacities such the basis of what is required for the child’s
that students can find gainful employment. education. Good parenting is not very
5. Collaboration versus competition: different.
o Not so much the formal structures of
curriculum but the practices and cultures of Issues in Education sector in India
our institutions, particularly of exams and
entrance tests, present these as • Over the years the Indian government and
dichotomous. institutions have been working to reform the
o From life experience we know that existing education model and have been
competition of various sorts is a reality, and successful on many counts yet there are
without collaboration, human beings can’t several issues.
function. • Inadequate government Funding: India
o Thus, institutions must be able to foster an spends close to 3% of its total GDP on
environment of both collaboration and education according to the Economic Survey
competition together, much like life. which is very less as compared to developed
6. The common-size-fits all versus the nations.
contextual: • Lack of infrastructure: Schools in India are
o In any education system, some matters lacking basic infrastructures such as drinking
have to be common across the system, water facilities, a functional common toilet and
while some must be entirely contextual. separate toilets for girls.
o This is a basic feature of any education • Low faculty-student ratio: Very few Indian
system that serves any society. For that universities are featured in the top rankings of
society to function as one unit there are the world primarily due to low faculty-student
common things that must be learnt. ratio and lack of research capacity.
o But equally clearly, there are contextual • No coherence between education and
matters specific to areas, places, cultures demand of Industry: Industries end up
and more. spending large amounts on providing training
o It is this balance between the common and for employees because of this.
the contextual that education policies must • Inadequate teachers and their
achieve, rather than serving any extreme. training: The 24:1 ratio in India is way lower
o A related matter is that of empowerment than Britain's 16:1.
and instruction. The nature of education is • Quality of Education: The ASER reports
such that empowering institutions and present a very dismal picture of learning
educators make it most effective. outcomes in India.
o However, this autonomy has to be within a
common set of principles across that Way Forward
education system.
o Complete autonomy on everything is as • Good education requires not dichotomies, but
dysfunctional for societies and communities a consistent endeavor to balance and achieve
as a deeply hierarchical, tightly prescriptive complementary ends, both in theory and in
approach. practice.
M.S.Shashank
• National Education Policy 2020 is sweeping in • It acknowledges the 21st century need for
its vision and seeks to address the entire gamut mobility, flexibility, alternate pathways to
of education. learning, and self-actualization and can prove
to be a game changer for India.
8. Agriculture
• But unlike older models, FPCs are meant to
8.1. The Future of Farmer Producer prioritize business and are assessed by the
profits they earn.
Companies Could Be Brightened
Why in News? What are the benefits of FPC?
• While FPCs may not appear lucrative in the

• Indian government has reaffirmed its
commitment to reduce rural distress among short-term, they offer a chance to own a piece
nearly 93 million farming households through of business led by a professional team that
efforts to double farmers’ income. constantly mentors its farmers on good
• The emergence of farmer producer companies cropping practices, creates market
(FPCs) as a viable way of supporting this opportunities through e-commerce platforms
approach is remarkable. and client networks, offers support for product
branding and ensures transparency of profit
distribution.
Key Highlights: • This promise of a profit-oriented agri-
business maximizing value for its small and
• Covid has increased the economic risk borne by
marginal farmer shareholders has gained
farmers.
immense popularity.
• Nearly 70% of farming households in India are
small and marginal.
• An average farmer in India earns a little more Measures by the government to promote the
than ₹10,000 per month and nearly half of all FPCs:
farmers are estimated to be in debt.
• Most farms are rain-fed and exposed to • By March 2019, 7,374 FPCs had been formed
climate risks. with a total paid-up capital (PUC) of ₹860.18
• Small and marginal farmers operate with big crores.
disadvantages in terms of scale, diversification • In 2021, the ministry of agriculture and farmers
of crops, potential price risks, and bargaining welfare launched a central scheme to
power. promote 10,000 farmer producer
organizations with an allocation of ₹6,865
Farmer producer companies as viable ‘new age’ crores.
options to address farmers' distress: • Additional funding opportunities have been
provided by the Small Farmers Agribusiness
• FPCs, introduced in 2000, to address the Consortium (SFAC), National Bank for
challenges faced by the farmers while Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),
maintaining India’s present welfare and flagship schemes like Agriculture
equilibrium. Investment Fund (AIF).
• FPCs function under the Companies Act of
2013 operating on the long-standing welfare Systemic challenges faced by the FPCs:
model of ‘collectivization’, wherein
shareholding farmers pool resources for better 1. Raising funds within local communities:
market linkages. o Mobilizing farmers and raising share
capital from members is a critical
M.S.Shashank
activity for an FPC to sustain its knowledge exchange visits, or

operations during the initial phase residential training.
marked by high capital investment.
o While high agricultural income and
landholding states like Haryana and
Punjab offer a better likelihood of
raising funds within local communities,
states like Odisha and Jharkhand, with What are the possible options to strengthen this
much lower disposable household movement?
incomes, do not see much action in the
• Policy platform enabling inter-agency
FPC space for a long time.
o Even states like Maharashtra, convergence:
o The FPC ecosystem today has several
accounting for numerous FPCs, are
struggling with this challenge. direct and indirect government
o Research has pointed out that nearly stakeholders, each aiming for a certain
65% of active FPCs in India are positive change, but it is missing a
operating on a meagre share capital policy platform, like Poshan Abhiyaan,
which needs to be changed. which can enable inter-agency
2. Lack of engagement of FPCs with service convergence.
o Such a platform could take quick and
providers:
o The national policy highlights the role well considered actions to address
of business development service various input, marketing and credit
providers, knowledge partners and challenges.
• Strengthening the capacity to absorb public
technical institutions in helping nurture
and foster FPCs. funds:
o Although initiatives like AIF create a
o However, a small-sized entity’s ability
to engage with these service providers pipeline of resources, however, the
on fair terms is less discussed. capacity of FPCs to absorb public funds
o Smaller FPCs also struggle in hiring full- should be further strengthened.
• Mentoring and supporting FPCs:
time staff for operations, making it
o Special hand-holding can be extended
difficult to focus on brand building,
marketing and consumer outreach, or for farmers to prepare small-budget
navigating e-commerce platforms like proposals or business plans.
o Government officials at district and
e-National Agriculture Market. .
3. FPCs continue to be a male-led model: state levels are critical stakeholders in
o Historically, group farming models tend mentoring and supporting FPCs.
o Furthermore, cluster-level federations
to embed women in their traditional
roles and positions. set up under the One District One
o Hence, women’s membership in Product can mentor FPCs by engaging
cooperatives and collectives is also on outreach workers.
o The role of women in FPCs needs equal
unequal terms and the dynamic has
hardly changed under FPCs. prioritization.
• Enabling access to entitlements under
o Barriers to participation start very early
and women farmers receive benefits government schemes:
• FPCs must enable farmer access to
last and least.
o Women farmers are often unable to entitlements under PM Fasal Bima Yojana, PM-
pay share capital for FPCs and are Kisan, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana,
represented by men as their proxy Soil Health Card, Kisan Credit Card and other
owners. schemes.
o Social mobility and norms inhibit the
participation of women in FPC Conclusion:
meetings, farmer gatherings,
M.S.Shashank
• FPOs have the potential to be change agents in • Climate-related risks

India's rural economy. o Prolonged heat waves and an
• To reach that aim, they will need early aid in increased frequency of extreme
acquiring managerial abilities, as well as easy weather events such as floods,
access to operational capital. droughts and cyclones are also
• In addition to promoting sustainable practices, resulting in increased quantum
these organizations advocate for the rights of damage-related expenses.
farmers. Additionally, they are creating • Wastages and Losses
networks of farmers to share knowledge and o 5-7 percent of India’s food grain
resources. Their efforts have a positive effect production is wasted due to
on farmers' lives and the future of agriculture. procedural inefficiencies, this number
• The effects of the FPOs are far-reaching and is higher for fresh produce with an
are sure to have a positive impact on the future estimate of losses amounting to about
of farming. 11 percent.
• Overall, FPOs, can be one of the numerous • Inadequate storage facilities
jigsaw pieces that must fall into place in order o Inadequate and improper storage
to reform Indian agriculture and better the facilities for grains, which are often
plight of Indian farmers. stored outside under tarps that provide
little protection from humidity and
8.2. Agricultural Resilience and Food pests.
o Hot and humid conditions in India
Security also exacerbate the maintenance costs
of cold storage facilities.
Why in News? • Lack of Awareness
o Lack of education and training on new
• Agriculture needs key interventions that will techniques, technologies and
propel the agricultural sector’s resilience to agricultural products. Traditional
shocks and extreme climate events. farming methods are slightly more time
consuming and delay the production of
Context: food grains, etc.
• Deteriorating Soil Health
• Food security is key in an age of uncertainties. o A key element of food production
Growing climate-related risks, geopolitical is healthy soil because nearly 95% of
tensions, and macroeconomic shocks make global food production depends on
imports costlier than ever before—in both soil.
tangible and intangible terms. o Soil degradation due to excessive or
• Today, there are still 795 million inappropriate use of agrochemicals,
undernourished and hungry people in the deforestation and natural calamities is
world, which means just over one in nine a significant challenge to sustainable
people do not get enough food to lead healthy, food production. About one-third of
active lives. the earth’s soil is already degraded
• Due to the growing world population, it is
estimated that global food production will Reforms to ensure food security:
need to increase by 60 percent to feed over
9.5 billion people by 2050. • Water-conserving irrigation:
• India’s agriculture sector’s GDP stands at US$ o The practice of flood irrigation is largely
262 billion, demonstrating a low dependence prevalent even today and it has a
on imports. Achieving self-reliance and reinforcing impact on the depleting
sustainability in agriculture has led to a critical levels of groundwater, which, in turn,
policy switch. aggravate drought conditions.
o Moving to micro-irrigation will
Challenges with Food Security: optimise costs on water and electricity
M.S.Shashank
inputs for farmers in the long term, o Due to changes in consumption

freeing up financial resources for patterns, demand for fruits,
investment in post-harvest vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, and
technologies. fishery products has been increasing.
• o There is a need to increase crop
• Storage infrastructure: diversification and improve allied
o Cold storage infrastructure and supply activities to produce such crops and
chains are an example of foundational produces in which we are deficient.
interventions that can propel food • Tackling climate change:
processing industries, whilst o Food security in India can be achieved
simultaneously enhancing the by paying higher attention to issues
diversification of crops with farmers such as climate change, limiting global
being able to lengthen the shelf life of warming, including the promotion of
fresh produce. climate-smart agricultural production
o Recognising the potential systems and land use policies at a scale
for developing the cold-chain industry to help adapt and mitigate ill effects of
in India, especially for its role in limiting climate change.
wastage of post-harvest agricultural
produce. Food Security Programs in India:
• Expanding access to finance:
o Global finance pledges and the • Mega Food Parks
architecture of financial flows be o This scheme, launched by the
changed to allow an increased flow of government in 2008, provides financial
funds to the Global South. assistance up to 50 crores to set up
o At a domestic stage, medium to long- modern infrastructure facilities for
term debt financing facilities for food processing called Mega Food
investment in viable projects for post- Parks.
harvest management infrastructure o It establishes a mechanism to bring
and community farming assets, like the together farmers, processors and
new Agriculture Infrastructure retailers and link agriculture
Fund(AIF) must be developed to production to the market to ensure
accelerate change in this direction. maximization of value addition,
o The operationalisation of resilience minimization of wastage and improving
bonds can be quickened to finance farmers’ income.
activities that build municipal • PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana
resilience and contribute to climate o It is a comprehensive package aiming
change adaptation such as addressing to create modern infrastructure with
loss and damage. efficient supply chain management
o Lower-risk instruments such as this from farm gate to retail outlet.
help diversify and distribute the o The scheme boosts the growth of
impact of damage amongst investors, the food processing sector in the
while at the same time financing country and helps in providing better
investments that improve farming returns to farmers as well.
practices, spur innovation in agri-tech, • Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
and enable resilient physical o It is a Central Sector Scheme approved
infrastructure building. by the Union Cabinet in 2020.
• Crop diversification: o It aims to provide a medium - long term
o Food availability is a debt financing facility for investment
necessary condition for food in viable projects for post-harvest
security. India is more or less self- management Infrastructure and
sufficient in cereals but has deficit in community farming assets.
pulses and oilseeds.
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o The duration of the Scheme shall be to burning of crop residues in Punjab and
from FY2020 to FY2032. Haryana, among other factors.
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yoiana
o PMKSY is a Centrally Sponsored What is Stubble Burning?
Scheme (Core Scheme) launched in
2015. • Stubble (parali) burning is a method
o Its objectives are: of removing paddy crop residues from the
▪ Convergence of investments in field to sow wheat from the last week of
irrigation at the field level, September to November. Stubble burning is a
▪ To expand the cultivable area process of setting on fire the straw stubble, left
under assured irrigation (Har after the harvesting of grains, like paddy,
Khet ko Pani), wheat, etc. It is usually required in areas that
▪ To improve on-farm water use use the combined harvesting method which
efficiency to reduce wastage of leaves crop residue behind.
water, • The process of burning farm residue is one of
▪ To enhance the adoption of the major causes of air pollution in parts of
precision-irrigation and other north India, deteriorating the air quality.
water saving technologies. • Along with vehicular emissions, it affects the
Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital
Way Forward: and NCR. Stubble burning by farmers in
Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in
• So, we need a thorough upgradation of north India is considered a major cause of air
storage facilities (especially in rural areas) that pollution in Delhi and its adjoining regions.
can minimise losses in power, water and post- • Paddy stubble burning is practised mainly in
harvest losses, by expanding access to finance the Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana,
for climate resilient technology adoption. and UP to clear the fields for rabi crop sowing.
• We need to smoothen access points for
private sector innovations that can share the Reasons for Stubble Burning
burden of improving agricultural resilience and
complement public sector actions. • The main problem behind crop burning is the
• It is time we acknowledge the role of modern rotational cropping system of rice and wheat.
solutions in overcoming food Farmers burn stubble as they have to quickly
insecurity, enhancing access to nutrition and clear the fields for the next crop.
ensuring long-term food sector sustainability. • Once combined harvesters came into the
scene in Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar
8.3. Control Stubble Burning Pradesh, manual harvesting decreased, and
the stubble problem increased. The new agri-
harvesters cannot cut the straw deep
Why in News?
enough into the ground. So, after the harvests,
straw stubbles stood firm, sticking out of the
• Centre asks Punjab to create detailed plan to
earth inches or even a foot high. It requires
control stubble burning.
an additional cost to get the field cleared
manually or through other machines. Burning
Context: the straw is much easier.
• The higher straw management
• The Centre has asked the Punjab government machines require 60HP-plus tractors, which
to prepare a comprehensive action plan at the are rare in the countryside. If the farmers want
micro level for effective control of stubble a super seeder, they will need to buy a new
burning as paddy harvesting has begun. higher power tractor. For this reason, only
• The high level of air pollution in the national large and wealthy farmers can afford this
capital region of Delhi during winter has makeover.
become an annual feature, which is partly due
M.S.Shashank
• The stubble burning problem increases each shows and radio telecast, in informing
year because of bad policy. Policymakers are farmers about the alternative usage of
not listening to the farmers and what they crop residue.
want. Instead, they are trying to impose their o Subsidy on Agri-implements:
‘solutions’ on them, which we have seen ▪ The state governments, in collaboration
repeatedly, fail to catch farmers’ attention. with the Centre, has rolled out schemes
for providing subsidy on mechanical
Government Interventions to reduce crop implements that help tillage of soil, so
that the crop residue can be retained in
residue burning:
the soil, adding to its fertility, or
alternately, collection of crop residue
• In terms of efforts being made to reduce crop
for putting it to commercial usage..
residue burning, the following approaches
o Crop Diversification:
have been used by various state and central
▪ There are various ongoing, long-term
administrations and regulatory bodies so far:
efforts at diversification of cropping
o Banning Crop Residue Burning:
techniques, such that crop residue
▪ Crop residue burning was notified as
burning can be effectively prevented.
an offence under the Air Act of 1981,
This is being attempted through
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
cultivation of alternate crops (apart
and various appropriate Acts.
from rice/paddy and wheat) that
▪ In addition, a penalty is being imposed
produce less crop residue and have
on any offending farmer. Village and
greater gap periods between cropping
block-level administrative officials are
cycles.
being used for enforcement.
o Pusa Decomposer
o Establishment of a Marketplace for Crop
▪ Pusa Decomposer, a microbial
Residue:
consortium of fungal species (both in
▪ Efforts are being made to increase the
liquid and capsule forms) developed by
avenues for the alternate usage of
ICAR, has been found effective for rapid
paddy straw and other crop residue.
in-situ decomposition of paddy straw.
For instance, paddy straw has a
▪ The decomposers are in the form of
considerable calorific value, making it
capsules made by extracting fungi
suitable for use as a fuel in biomass
strains that help the paddy straw to
based power plants.
decompose at a much faster rate than
▪ Similarly, it can be utilised for
usual.
the preparation of bio-fuels, organic
▪ It involves making a liquid formulation
fertilisers and in paper and cardboard
using decomposer capsules and
making industries. The strategy,
fermenting it over 8-10 days and then
broadly, is to assign a real economic
spraying the mixture on fields with crop
and commercial value to the
stubble to ensure speedy bio-
agricultural residue and making
decomposition of the stubble.
burning it an economic loss to the
▪ It takes around 20 days for the
farmer.
degradation process to be completed.
o Public Awareness Campaigns:
▪ It does not give enough time for
▪ There are ongoing efforts to highlight
farmers to prepare fields for the wheat
the health effects of crop residue
crop on time.
burning. It produces extremely high
o Crop Residue Management
levels of toxic particulates, which affect
▪ The Centre introduced the Crop
the health of the people in the direct
Residue Management (CRM) scheme in
vicinity of the burning.
2018-19, under which financial
▪ In addition, efforts are also being made
assistance @50 per cent is provided to
through kisan camps, trainings and
the farmers for purchase of CRM
workshops, apart from campaigns
machinery and @ 80 per cent to
through various print media, televised
M.S.Shashank
Cooperative Societies, FPOs and a complementary mode with CRM machines,

Panchayats for establishment of CHCs. promote ex-situ utilisation of straw by way of
▪ The scheme promotes usage of mapping demand from adjoining industries,
machines such as Super Straw including biomass-based power plants and bio-
Management Systems, Happy Seeder, ethanol plants.
Super Seeder, Smart Seeder, zero till • States government should took
seed-cum-fertiliser drill, Mulcher, Paddy up Information, Education and
Straw Chopper, hydraulically reversible Communication (IEC) activities for mass
mould board plough, crop reapers and awareness among farmers through intensive
reaper binders. campaigns in the electronic/ print media, social
media as well as through Kisan Melas.
Way Forward: • The only long-term feasible solution to straw-
stubble burning is for the state to support low
• Despite these efforts, the stubble cost and low tech machinery that manages the
burning problem increases each year because straw at the village level and helps farmers
of bad policy. Policymakers are not listening to towards growing crops suited to their Agro-
the farmers and what they want. climatic zones. A DBT policy linked to paddy
• So, States (including Haryana and Uttar procurement is also needed to ensure all
Pradesh) should establish a mechanism to farmers supplying to the government
ensure effective utilisation of system are not burning stubble and in return
machines, promote use of bio-decomposer in are getting price support for straw
management.
9. Environment
• The present target is to achieve targets of 20
9.1. National Clean Air Programme to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter
concentration by 2024.
• The government has set a new target of a
Why in News?
• The Government of India has set a new target

of a 40% reduction in particulate matter
concentration in cities covered under the
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by 2026.
National Clean Air Programme(NCAP)
• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was

launched by the Ministry of Environment
Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in 2019.
• Purpose: It is a long-term, time-bound,
national-level strategy making determined
efforts to deal with the air pollution problem
across the country in a comprehensive 40% reduction in particulate matter
manner. concentration in cities covered under the
• Cities covered: NCAP is implemented in 132 NCAP by 2026.
cities in the country.
Target under NCAP: 9.2. Reverse Desertification of Land Across

States
M.S.Shashank
Why in News? • In 2019, the government raised its target of

restoration of degraded land from 21 million
• With limited funds to deal with the extensive hectares to 26 million hectares by 2030
task of restoring degraded land and reversing following a commitment made during the UN
desertification in the country, the government Convention to Combat Desertification(COP14).
is planning to bring convergence between the • However, even after three years, the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment government is nowhere near this target.
Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the • Though the Ministry has been making efforts
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana to contribute towards meeting the
(PMKSY). international commitment, the constraints
posed on the economy by the pandemic
Key Highlights: restricted the target to 4.95 million hectares by
2025-26.
• According to the Desertification and Land • Therefore, there is a compelling reason to
Degradation Atlas published by the explore alternative opportunities to fulfill the
Environment Ministry in 2021, at least 30% of commitment.
India’s total geographical area is under the
category of “degraded land”. What is desertification?
• Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Goa
have more than 50% of land area undergoing • As per UNCCD, ‘Desertification is the
desertification or degradation, while States degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry
with less than 10% land degradation are sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by
Kerala, Assam, Mizoram, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar human activities and climatic variations.’
Pradesh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh.
Various Causes of Desertification:
How will the convergence of the two schemes
help in tackling soil degradation? • Overgrazing: Overgrazing makes it difficult for
the plants to grow back, which hurts the biome
• The activities such as ridge area treatment, and makes it lose its former green glory which
drainage line treatment, soil and moisture results in the formation of desert biomes.
conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery • Green Revolution: Practices that were the core
raising, afforestation, horticulture and pasture of green revolution, such as chemical
development will be done under the proposed fertilizers, mechanized tillage, excessive
plan. irrigation and intense monoculture have
• These activities would be undertaken using altered the structure of the soil, leading to its
MGNREGS funds, which go towards both salinization and subsequent degradation.
material and wage components. • Overdrafting of groundwater: Over drafting is
• The government will scale up the land area to the process in which groundwater is extracted
be restored by making use of the MGNREGS in excess of the equilibrium yield of the aquifer
fund, which for the financial year 2022-23 has that is pumping or the excessive pulling up of
a budget of ₹73,000 crores. groundwater from underground aquifers
• A convergence with the MGNREGS can help causing desertification.
take up treatment of about 30% more land • Urbanization and Other Types of Land
than feasible with the current scheme size Development: Clearing of forests and green
since, as of now, there is a Central allocation of cover for urbanization and developmental
₹8,134 crores only for developing 4.95 million activities aggravates the effect of natural
hectares. elements of erosion on the soil. For eg: The
degradation of Aravalli hills, due to the clearing
Government commitments related to combat of natural vegetation for real estate.
desertification? • Climate Change: Climate change plays a huge
role in desertification. As the days get warmer
and periods of drought become more
M.S.Shashank
frequent, desertification becomes more and • The LDN Fund is a first-of-its-kind investment
more imminent. vehicle leveraging public money to raise
• Stripping the Land of Resources: Mining of private capital for sustainable land
resources from the land usually strips the soil management and landscape restoration
of nutrients, which in turn kills the plant life, activities worldwide that contribute to the
and eventually leads to the process of achievement of land degradation neutrality.
becoming a desert biome as time goes on.
• Natural Disasters: There are some cases where Steps taken by the Indian Govt to Prevent Land
the land gets damaged because of natural Degradation:
disasters, including drought. In those cases,
there isn’t a lot that people can do except help 1) Desert Development Program:
rehabilitate the land after it has already been • It was launched in 1977-78 to minimize the
damaged by nature. adverse effect of drought and control
• Soil Pollution: Soil pollution is a significant desertification through rejuvenation of natural
cause of desertification. When soil becomes resources of the identified desert areas.
polluted due to various human activities, the • It was launched to achieve ecological balance,
respective area of land may suffer from promote overall economic development and
desertification in the long run. The higher the improve the socio-economic conditions of
level of pollution more will be the degradation such areas.
of soil over time.
• Overpopulation and excessive consumption: 2) Integrated Watershed Management
As the world population is continuously Program:
growing, the demand for food and material • It was launched in 2009-10 and implemented
goods is also increasing at an alarming rate by the Department of Land Resources of the
leading to exhaustion above the carrying Ministry of Rural Development to restore
capacity of the land. ecological balance by conserving natural
resources such as water, soil, and vegetative
International Efforts to combat desertification: cover.
• After 2015, this scheme became a part of the
United Nations Convention to Combat umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Desertification (UNCCD): Sinchai Yojana under NITI Aayog.
• It is the sole legally binding international 3) National Afforestation Program:

agreement linking environment and • It was launched in 2000-01 under the Ministry
development to sustainable land management of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
which was established in 1994. (MoEFCC) for the ecological restoration of
• India is a signatory to the UNCCD and is degraded forests areas and to develop the
committed to achieve a land degradation forest resources with the participation of
neutral status by 2030. people, with a focus on improvement in
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and livelihoods of the forest communities.
Climate Change (MoEFCC) is the Nodal
Ministry to oversee the implementation of the 4) National Mission for Green India:
Convention in the country. • It was launched in 2014 with the objective of
protecting biological resources against the
The Bonn Challenge: adverse effect of climate change and
recognizing the vital impact of forests on
• It aims to bring 150 million hectares of the ecological sustainability, biodiversity
world’s deforested and degraded land into conservation, and livelihood security.
restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares • It aims to protect, restore and enhance India’s
by 2030. diminishing forest cover within 10 years.
Land Degradation Neutrality(LDN) fund: 5) Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP):
M.S.Shashank
• It was the earliest area development program amphibians, reptiles and fish, across the globe in
launched by the Government of India in 1973- the last 50 years.
74 with the basic objective of minimizing the • Latin America shows the greatest regional
adverse effects of drought on the production decline in average population abundance (94%).
of crops, livestock, and productivity of land • Africa recorded a 66 per cent fall in its wildlife
which ultimately leads to drought-proof areas. populations from 1970-2018 and the Asia Pacific
6) Sustainable Land and Ecosystem 55 per cent.
• WWF identified six key threats to biodiversity
Management Program:
— agriculture, hunting, logging, pollution,
• It is a joint initiative of the Government of India
invasive species and climate change — to
and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
highlight ‘threat hotspots' for terrestrial
• It aims to contribute to poverty alleviation in vertebrates.
India by effective use of natural resources, by
improving the productivity of land and
ecosystem, and by protecting from extreme
weather events, such as climate change.
• One of its objectives is to control land
degradation by restoration of degraded lands
and biomass cover and make sustainable use
of natural resources.
9.3. Living Planet Report 2022
Why in News?
• In just over 50 years, there has been a 69%

drop in the wildlife population globally, the
Living Planet Report 2022 has flagged, with • The Living Planet Report has found that
Latin America and the Caribbean being the o Agriculture is the most prevalent
worst hit (94% loss since 1970) threat to amphibians (animals that live
both on land and in water),
o Hunting and trapping are most likely to
Living Planet Report 2022: threaten birds and mammals.
o Geographically, Southeast Asia is the
• The Living Planet Report is a comprehensive region where species are most likely to
study of trends in global biodiversity and the face threats at a significant level,
health of the planet. o While the Polar regions and the east
• The Living Planet Report is published every 2 coast of Australia and South
years by the World Wide Fund for Nature since Africa showed the highest impact
1998. It is based on the Living Planet Index and probabilities for climate change, driven in
ecological footprint calculations. particular by impact on birds.
• The Living Planet Report 2022 is the 14th edition • Decreasing freshwater species
of the report and provides the scientific evidence o Freshwater species populations globally
to back what nature has been demonstrating reduced by 83 per cent, confirming that
repeatedly: unsustainable human activity is the planet is experiencing a “biodiversity
pushing the planet’s natural systems that and climate crisis”, the organisation
support life on the Earth to the edge. found.
o Habitat loss and barriers to migration
Key highlights of the Report: routes were responsible for about half of
the threats to monitored migratory fish
• There has been a 69 per cent decline in the species.
wildlife populations of mammals, birds, • Disappearing oceanic sharks and rays
M.S.Shashank
o The global abundance of 18 of 31 oceanic o The overexploitation of plants and

sharks has declined by 71% over the last animals, for example through hunting or
50 years. poaching, is another reason we are
o This collapse in their abundance reflects losing biodiversity. Overfishing is
an increase in extinction risk for most happening at such a large scale, nearly a
species. third of all monitored global fish stocks
o By 1980, nine of the 31 oceanic sharks are now overfished. If we continue, this
were threatened. By 2020, three- would spell disaster for marine
quarters (77%, 24 species) were ecosystems as well as the more than
threatened with an elevated risk of three billion people globally who rely on
extinction. For example, the oceanic fish for their primary source of protein.
Whitetip Shark has declined by • Climate change
95%globally over three generation o Climate change is having a dramatic
lengths, and has consequently moved impact on our natural
from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered environment. Some species are dying
on the IUCN Red List. out while others are having to move
• Mangroves-loss where they live due to changes in air
o Mangroves continue to be lost temperature, weather patterns, and sea
to aquaculture, agriculture and coastal levels. As well as being a direct driver of
development at a rate of 0.13 percent biodiversity loss, climate change also
per year. worsens the other drivers.
o Around 137 square kilometres of the • Pollution
Sundarbans mangrove forest in India and o Pollution has reached all types of
Bangladesh has been eroded since 1985, ecosystems, even those in remote areas.
reducing land and ecosystem services for Pollution comes in many forms - from
many of the 10 million people who live nitrogen and ammonia, caused by
there. intense agriculture, to micro
• Corals plastics found in the deepest parts of the
o About 50% of warm water corals have ocean. Pollution hotspots are most
already been lost and a warming of 1.5 prominent in Europe where they pose a
degrees Celsius will lead to a loss of 70- threat to terrestrial amphibians,
90% of warm water corals. mammals and birds.
• Invasive non-native species
Why are we losing biodiversity? o Invasive non-native species are those
that arrive in places where they
Biodiversity is essential for our health, well- historically didn’t live, and out-compete
being and economic success. It is essential to local biodiversity for resources such as
understand why nature is in decline in order to alter sunlight and water. This causes the
this path. Five key drivers of biodiversity loss have native species to die out, causing a shift
been identified by the Intergovernmental Science- in the make-up of the natural ecosystem.
Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES). They are: Way Forward:
• Changing use of sea and land • Research shows the world could start to stabilize
o The biggest driver of biodiversity loss is and reverse the loss of nature by embracing
the way in which people use the land bolder, more ambitious conservation efforts as
and sea. How we grow food, harvest well as making transformational changes in the
materials such as wood or minerals from way food is produced and consumed, such as
the ocean floor, and build our towns and making food production and trade more
cities all have an impact on the natural efficient, reducing waste, and favouring healthier
environment and the biodiversity that and more sustainable diets.
lives there. • World leaders have a vitally important
• Direct exploitation of organisms opportunity to reverse nature loss and secure a
nature-positive world that will benefit people
M.S.Shashank
and the planet. In December 2022 at the UN Lead Poisoning

biodiversity conference (COP 15), key decision-
makers will determine global efforts for • About:
biodiversity for the coming decade. WWF is oLead is a highly toxic metal and a very
urging countries to step up ambition and deliver strong poison.
a comprehensive and science-based plan for o Lead poisoning is a serious and
nature that is ready to be put into practice sometimes fatal condition. It occurs
immediately. when lead builds up in the body.
• Common Sources of Lead Exposure:
9.4. Lead Poisoning Prevalence in India
o Lead in water from the use of leaded
pipes;
Why In News? o Lead from active industry, such as mining
and the unsound recycling of used lead-
• A report by Niti Aayog and the Council of
acid batteries (ULABs);
Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has
o Lead-based paint and pigments;
found that India bears the world’s highest
o Leaded gasoline (which has declined
health and economic burden due to lead
considerably in recent decades, but was a
poisoning.
major historical source);
o Lead solder in food cans; and
Key Highlights of the Report
o Lead in spices, cosmetics, ayurvedic
medicines, toys and other consumer
• Global Findings:
products.
o Around 1 in 3 children – up to
o Children are also exposed to lead in-utero
approximately 800 million globally –
through exposure of their mothers, with
have blood lead levels (BLL) at or
adverse impacts on neurobehavioural
above 5 micrograms per decilitre
development.
(µg/dL)
o Children around the world are being
• Impact:
poisoned by lead on a massive and
o Lead poisoning can cause severe
previously unrecognized scale.
mental and physical impairment.
o The impact of lead on adults is so large
Young children are most vulnerable.
that over 900,000 premature deaths
o Exposure to high levels of lead may
per year are attributed to lead
cause anemia, weakness, and kidney
exposure.
and brain damage.
o Many countries lack sufficient formal
o Lead is more harmful to children
recycling infrastructure and
because their brains and nervous
capacity to handle the quantity of used
systems are still developing.
lead-acid batteries flooding their
• Treatment: Lead poisoning can be treated, but
markets.
any damage caused cannot be reversed.
• Findings about India:
o It had found India to be home to
Way Ahead
a major chunk of
children (275,561,163 of the 800 • There is a desperate need for policy changes at
million) poisoned by lead globally. the national and state levels given the severe
o Most affected states: Bihar, Uttar health implications.
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, • These include identifying at-risk
Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. populations through BLL monitoring,
o Deaths due to lead poisoning have investigating sources of elevated BLLs and
continued to rise in India even though healthcare workforce training to sensitise them
lead use in petrol — a key source — to monitor, detect and treat lead poisoning.
was phased out by 2000 in the • India needs to devise implementable strategies
country. on a state level, through regional bureaucracy,
M.S.Shashank
local press and vernacular language to have a ▪ With this high reliance on these
tangible impact. fuels, average household
• There is a need to undertake targeted research concentrations of particulate
and intervention studies to identify potential matter exceeded the World
newer sources which policy makers and the Health Organisation (WHO)
scientific community can address head on. recommendation by 27-fold
• Childhood lead poisoning should command nationally and 35-fold in rural
an urgent international response. homes.
• Urban Centres:
9.5. Health Impact of Climate Change o In India, 45% of urban centres are
classified as moderately green or
above.
Why in News?
• Economic Loss:
o In 2021, Indians lost 16,720 crore
• Recent Lancet Report stated that over
potential labour hours due to heat
3,30,000 people died in India due to exposure
exposure with income losses
to particulate matter from fossil fuel
equivalent to about 5.4% of national
combustion in 2020.
GDP.
• Health Impacts:
Key Findings
o Dengue:
▪ For India, from 1951-1960 to 2012-2021,
• About:
the number of months suitable for
o The Report is named Countdown on
dengue transmission by Aedes Aegypti
health and climate change: health at
rose by 1.69%, reaching 5.6 months each
the mercy of fossil fuels
year.
o It is the seventh annual global report.
o Heatwave:
• Effect on Temperature:
▪ From 2012-2021, infants under one year
o From 2000-2004 to 2017-2021, heat-
old experienced a higher number of
related deaths increased by 55% in
heatwave days.
India.
▪ For the same period, adults over 65
• Problematic actions of Government and
experienced 301 million more person-
Companies:
days.
o They continue to follow strategies that
▪ This means that, on average, from
increasingly threaten the health and
2012-2021, each infant experienced
survival of all people alive today, and of
an additional 0.9 heatwave days per
future generations.
year while adults over 65
o Subsidy:
experienced an additional 3.7 per
▪ In 2019, India had a net
person, compared to 1986-2021.
negative carbon price,
▪ From 2000-2004 to 2017-2021, heat-
indicating that the government
related deaths increased by 55% in India.
was effectively subsidising
• Agriculture:
fossil fuels.
o The duration of the growth season for
▪ India allocated a net 34 billion
maize has decreased by 2%, compared
USD [around ?2,80,000 crore]
to a 1981-2010 baseline.
to this in 2019 alone, equivalent
o Rice and winter wheat have each
to 37.5% of the
decreased by 1%.
country’s national health
• Negative exposure:
spending that year.
o Households are exposed to energy
o Biomass and fossil fuels:
poverty, and dangerous levels of air
▪ Accounted for 61% of
pollution
household energy in 2019,
while fossil fuels accounted for
What is Particulate Matter (PM?
another 20%.
M.S.Shashank
• Particulate matter (PM) are inhalable and Why in News?

respirable particles composed of sulphate,
nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black • Recently, a plant spotted in Palakkad is the
carbon, mineral dust and water. second species of the genus Allmania.
• PM2.5: • It is an annual herb that grows to a height of
o PM2.5, particulate matter consisting about 60 cm.
of fine aerosol particles measuring 2.5
microns or smaller in diameter, is one • Background:
of six routinely measured criteria air o The first species, Allmania nodiflora,
pollutants. was originally published under the
o It is commonly accepted as the most genus Celosia as Celosia nodiflora in
harmful to human health due to its 1753.
prevalence in the environment and the o Specimens found in Ceylon (Sri
broad range of health effects. Lanka) were first described as Allmania
o It is generated from many sources and nodiflora in 1834.
can vary in chemical composition and • Location:
physical characteristics. o The plant is spotted on the granite
o Common chemical constituents of hillocks of Palakkad.
PM2.5 include sulphates, nitrates, • Scientific name:
black carbon, and ammonium. o Allmania multiflora.
o The most common human-made • Characteristics:
sources include internal combustion o It is found at heights ranging between
engines, power generation, industrial 1,000 to 1,250 metres.
processes, agricultural processes, o It is an annual herb, erect, with
construction, and residential wood and branches arising from the base.
coal burning. The most common o The stem is red to violet at the base
natural sources for PM2.5 are dust and green above.
storms, sandstorms, and wildfires. o Flowering and fruiting occurs
from May to September.
Way Ahead o It has been so named for having
a higher number of florets within an
• Urban redesign that puts health first can inflorescence.
provide increased green space that reduces • IUCN Status:
urban heat, improves air quality, and benefits o Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List
physical and mental health. criteria.
• Improvement in air quality will help to prevent • Threats:
deaths resulting from exposure to fossil fuel- o Its population is quite small.
derived particulate matter. o It could be accidentally exploited by
• States should start adapting and implementing local people as a vegetable along with
heat action plans in each city. For instance, the amaranths.
Ahmedabad heat action plan that has shown • Significance
mortality can be reduced, should be adapted o The species is quite special from both
everywhere. the botanical and conservation points
• The burning of dirty fuels needs to be of view.
minimised as soon as possible to reduce the o The discovery has come 188
accompanying health impacts. years after the genus and the first
• Global warming and climate change is species were described by botanists.
intricately related to human health and India
needs to do something seriously in this space.
9.6. New Species of Genus Allmania

Spotted
M.S.Shashank
10. Internal Security

10.1. Tri-services Missile Command More about the news
Why in News?
• About:
• The government is considering setting up of a o “Mission DocSpace” is launched for
tri-services missile/rocket command on the developing innovative solutions for the
lines of the space and the cyber command as Armed Forces.
the first steps toward military theatre o The Prime Minister also released
commands. the fourth defence indigenisation
list which bars the import of 101 items
Tri-services Missile Command after certain timelines.
• The proposed missile command will be
responsible for the deployment of missile and • Significance of Space diplomacy:
rocket regiments against any hostile adversary. o Space technology is shaping new
For instance, conventional missiles like BrahMos definitions of India’s generous space
and Akash as well as Pinaka rockets will be diplomacy, giving rise to new
placed under one command for rapid possibilities.
deployment against any adversary. o There are more than 60 developing
countries with whom India is sharing its
• The missile command will be on similar lines as
space science. The South Asia
the tri-services cyber command and the space
satellite is an effective example of this.
command. This is because future wars will hardly
o By next year, 10 Association of
have any contact between troops unless used for
capturing enemy territory. SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
countries will also get real-time
• Headed by: commanders of the three services in access to India’s satellite data.
rotation. o Even developed countries like Europe
• Need: The proposal to set up a missile command and America are using our satellite
has been moved in the aftermath of the May data.
2020 East Ladakh stand-off with the PLA and the • Fourth defence indigenisation list:
use of rockets and missiles in the Ukraine theatre o As part of efforts to boost the domestic
by the Red Army. defence industry and promote defence
exports, the Defence Ministry
The PLA has deployed rocket regiments in the promulgated Positive Indigenisation
depth areas of occupied Aksai Chin with missiles in Lists.
the hinter in Tibet and Sinkiang region.
o It lays special focus on
equipment/systems, which are being
10.2. Mission DefSpace developed and likely to translate into
firm orders in the next five to 10 years.
Why In News?
▪ The Defence Ministry had
earlier promulgated the first,
• Indian Prime Minister recently launched
second and third Positive
“Mission DefSpace” at DefExpo22.
M.S.Shashank
Indigenisation Lists, comprising o Other prominent categories include

310 items. spacecraft and equipment
o The items on the lists cannot be manufacturing.
imported by the Services and should • Benefits to other sectors:
be sourced from within the country. o The space avenue is an integration of
the aerospace, IT
hardware and telecom sectors.
o It is thus argued that investment in this
Significance of the Space industry arena would foster positive carryover
effects to other sectors as well.
• Assessing & recording weather information:
o Satellites provide more accurate Potential of India’s space sector
information on weather forecasts.
o It can also assess (and record) long- • Recently, a joint report was prepared
term trends in the climate and by EY and the Indian Space Association (ISpA).
habitability of a region. o Report highlights:
▪ For example, by monitoring the ▪ Indian space economy:
long-term impact of climate ▪ The Indian space economy is set to
change at regional, territorial, and reach $13 billion by 2025,
national scales, governments according to this joint report.
would be able to devise more ▪ Space launch segment:
pragmatic and combative plans of ▪ The report also said the space
action for farmers and dependent launch segment would grow fastest
industries. at a CAGR of 13% spurred by
• Real-time tracking: growing private participation,
o Satellites can serve as real-time latest technology adoption and low
monitoring and early-warning cost of launch services.
solutions against natural disasters such ▪ Satellite services and application
as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, segment:
wildfires, mining etc. ▪ This segment would form the
o Real-time tracking can also serve largest share of the space economy
multiple purposes in defence. accounting for 36% of the space
• Communication and connectivity: economy by 2025, as per the study.
o As for connectivity, satellite ▪ On the country’s satellite
communication can reach more manufacturing opportunity, it said
remote areas where conventional in 2020 it was $2.1 billion and this
networks would require heavy would reach $3.2 billion by 2025.
complimenting infrastructure. ▪ Also, by 2025, satellite
o Additionally, as to the reliability, manufacturing would be the
the World Economic second fastest-growing segment in
Forum(WEF) stated that satellite the Indian space economy.
communication can help connect 49% ▪ Space tech start-ups:
of the world’s unconnected ▪ There are over 100 space tech
population. start-ups in the country and
o In this light, it must be noted that investments in space tech start-ups
satellite communications, which are increased 196% y-o-y in 2021, the
used to facilitate telecommunication survey said.
services, are among the major ▪ Space parks:
categories for investment in the space ▪ Space parks that are coming up
technology sector. across the country would give a
fillip to companies operating across
M.S.Shashank
the space value chain, especially Historical Linkages

manufacturing, found the study.
• Across the globe
10.3. Scorched-Earth Tactics o Scorched earth policy has been part of
warfare since ancient times, with
the nomad Scythians using the tactics in
Why In News? their war against the Persian Achaemenid
Empire led by King Darius the Great (who
• The German Chancellor said Russian President ruled 522 BCE to 486 BCE).
Vladimir Putin was using “energy and ▪ The nomadic herders Scythians would
hunger” as weapons but his “scorched earth hide in the steppes after destroying
tactics” would not help Russia win the war food supplies and poisoning wells.
over Ukraine. o During the American civil war in 1864,
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman
What are Scorched Earth Tactics? and his soldiers burnt everything in sight as
they marched through Confederate areas.
• Scorched earth tactics form part of a military o In 1915, the Imperial Russian Army, when
strategy which seeks to destroy anything that retreating from the Imperial German Army,
could be of use to the enemy, including energy destroyed anything that could serve the
supplies, bridges, provision stores, agricultural invaders for more than 600 miles, including
fields, road and railway links, etc. crops, railway lines, and dwellings.
• The destruction could be carried out by the
enemy, or by the retreating army of a country • During the Second World War, in 1941, the
which does not want invaders to use its Russian army again destroyed telegraph
resources. networks and electrical and industrial
o Harming civilians as part of this resources when invaded by Germany
strategy has been banned under the
1977 Geneva Convention. • In India
o In India, the armies of Maratha leader
• According to the Oxford Reference, the “term Chhatrapati Shivaji were known for
was first used in English in 1937 in a report of their scorched earth tactics.
the Sino-Japanese conflict, and is apparently a o Some historians have said that while
translation of Chinese ji?ot?.” the Maratha leaders looted and burnt
• The strategy seeks to deplete the enemy’s enemy towns, they were under orders
resources to sustain warfare, and also break to not harm civilians or desecrate
their morale by inflicting heavy hardships on religious sites.
combatants and non-combatants alike
11. Geography & Disaster Management

11.1. Monsoon ends on a high Rainfall statistics
• The IMD predicted rainfall to be normal or range

Why in News? between 96 and 104% of the LPA.
• The rainfall during the past four months
• The Southwest monsoon in India ended with remained either normal or above in 30 states or
rainfall recorded at marginally above normal. UTs.
• The quantum of rainfall across the country • It was 1% above normal over northwest India,
during this season was 925 mm or 106% above 19% over central India and 22% south peninsular
the Long Period Average (LPA). India.
M.S.Shashank
• In terms of geographical area, nearly 43% of the constraints posed on the economy by
country's total area this season received normal the pandemic restricted the target to
rain and another 40% excess rain. 4.95 million hectares by 2025-26.
• UP, Jharkhand, Bihar, Manipur Mizoram and o Therefore, there is a compelling reason
Nagaland -six driest states-accounted for 17% of for the Ministry to explore alternative
rain deficient areas. opportunities to fulfill the
commitment.
11.2. Desertification and Land

Degradation • Suggestion for Convergence: Using MGNREGS
Why In News? Funds
o Presently, activities such as ridge area
• The government is planning to bring treatment, drainage line treatment,
convergence between the Mahatma Gandhi soil and moisture conservation,
National Rural Employment Guarantee rainwater harvesting, nursery raising,
Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Pradhan Mantri afforestation, horticulture and pasture
Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) to restore development are done under the
degraded land and reverse desertification in Department of Land Resources, the
India. Ministry of Rural Development.
o The Union government now wants the
Key Points States to undertake these
activities using MGNREGS funds,
• Increasing Degraded Land: which go towards both material and
o According to the Desertification and wage components.
Land Degradation Atlas 2021, at o As of now, there is Central allocation of
least 30% of India’s total geographical ₹8,134 crore for developing 4.95
area is under the category of million hectares.
“degraded land”. o The Rural Development Ministry is now
• Statewise Data: hoping that by making use of the
o Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat MGNREGS, which for the financial year
and Goa have more than 50% of land 2022-23 has a budget of ₹73,000 crore,
area undergoing desertification or the government can scale up the area
degradation. to be covered.
o Kerala, Assam, Mizoram, Haryana, o By the Ministry’s own estimate, a
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and convergence with the MGNREGS could
Arunachal Pradesh are states with less help take up treatment of about 30%
than 10% land degradation. more land than feasible with the
• Concerns: current scheme size.
o In 2019, the government raised its
target of restoration of degraded land Land degradation
from 21 million hectares to 26 million
hectares by 2030 following a • It is a temporary or permanent degeneration
commitment made during the UN of productivity of land due to physical,
Convention to Combat Desertification chemical or biological factors.
(COP14). • Causes:
o Nearly three years on, the government o Land degradation is caused by multiple
is nowhere near this target. forces, including extreme weather
o Though the Ministry of Rural conditions, particularly drought.
Development has been making efforts o It is also caused by human activities
to contribute towards meeting the that pollute or degrade the quality of
international commitment, the soils and land utility.
M.S.Shashank
Desertification o the spread of infectious diseases as

populations migrate.
• Desertification is a form of land degradation
by which fertile land becomes desert. Global Efforts to Combating Land
• It leads to the advancement of sand from the Degradation
desert to the adjoining regions.
• The sand covers fertile soil and affects • United Nations Convention on Combating
its fertility. Desertification (UNCCD):
• This problem is particularly serious in areas o Established in 1994
adjoining the Thar desert in Rajasthan. o Aim: To protect and restore our land
and ensure a safer, just, and more
Impact of Land degradation sustainable future.
o The UNCCD is the only legally binding
• Environmental Impact: framework set up to address
o Land degradation results in problems desertification and the effects of
like soil erosion, loss of natural drought.
nutrients, water-logging and salinity o There are 197 Parties to the
and contamination of ground and Convention, including 196 country
surface water. Parties and the European Union.
o Loss of Fertility due to the use of o The Convention is based on the
various scientific inputs like irrigation, principles of participation, partnership
fertilizers, pesticides etc. Unscientific and decentralization.
cropping practices are also causing • Bonn Challenge:
harm. o It is a global goal to bring 150 million
o Soil Erosion is the process by which the hectares of degraded and
topsoil is detached from land and deforested landscapes into restoration
either washed away by water, ice or by 2020 and 350 million hectares by
sea waves or blown away by the wind. 2030.
o Salinity/Alkalinity occurs in areas of o Launched by the Government of
temporary water surplus and high Germany and IUCN in 2011, the
temperatures due to over-irrigation or Challenge surpassed the 150-million-
high rainfall. The salt layer plays havoc hectare milestone for pledges in 2017.
with the fertility of topsoil and renders • Great Green Wall Initiative:
vast stretches of useful land infertile. o Launched in 2007 by the African Union,
o Waterlogging happens when the water being implemented across 22 African
table gets saturated for various countries
reasons—over-irrigation, seepage o Aim: To restore the continent’s
from canals, inadequate drainage etc. degraded landscapes and transform
• Potential Impacts on Human Health: millions of lives in the Sahel.
o It negatively affects food production, o Objective: To restore 100 million
livelihoods, and the production and hectares of currently degraded land;
provision of other ecosystem goods sequester 250 million tons of carbon
and services. and create 10 million green jobs by
o higher threats of malnutrition from 2030.
reduced food and water supplies;
o more water- and food-borne diseases Indian Initiatives
that result from poor hygiene and a
lack of clean water; • National level land degradation mapping:
o respiratory diseases caused by o It is taken up by ISRO along with
atmospheric dust from wind erosion partner institutions, under the Natural
and other air pollutants; Resources Census (NRC) mission of
DOS/ISRO, towards generating
M.S.Shashank
information on land degradation at o The government of India has adopted a

1:50,000 scale, using 23m resolution collective approach for making
(multi-temporal & multi-spectral) IRS progress towards achieving the
data. national commitments related to land
• Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of restoration.
India:
o Published by: Space Application
Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad.
o Content:
o Provides a state wise area of degraded
lands for the time frame 2018-19. Way Ahead
o Provides the change analysis for the
duration of 15 years, from 2003-05 to • Combating desertification and land
2018-19. degradation and mitigating the effects of
• United Nations Convention on Combating drought will secure long-term socio-economic
Desertification (UNCCD) benefits for people living in the drylands and
o India is a signatory to the UNCCD. reduce their vulnerability to climate change.
o India hosted the 14th session of • Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)—with
Conference of Parties (COP 14) of conservation, sustainable use, and restoration
United Nations Convention to Combat as its three pillars—provides an effective
Desertification (UNCCD) in September framework.
2019. • Creating an enabling environment for LDN
o India is striving towards achieving the can help policymakers and planners to
national commitments of Land navigate social, economic, and environmental
Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and trade offs so food security, energy needs, land
restoration of 26 Million ha of tenure, gender equality, access to clean water,
degraded land by 2030 which focus on and biodiversity are considered—and
sustainable and optimum utilisation of addressed—together.
land resources.
o Nodal Ministry for the 11.3. Dvorak Technique
Implementation: Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEF&CC) Why In News?
• Joined Bonn Challenge:
o At the United Nations Framework • The American meteorologist Vernon Dvorak
Convention on Climate Change passed away at the age of 100.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 2015 in o He was best credited for developing
Paris, India joined the voluntary Bonn the Dvorak (read as Do-rak) technique
Challenge and pledged to bring into in the early 1970s.
restoration 13 million hectares of
degraded and deforested land by 2020, Dvorak Technique
and an additional 8 million hectares by
• About:
2030.
• Flagship Schemes: o A statistical method for estimating the
o The government sees schemes are
intensity of tropical cyclones
formulated as tools to tackle the (TCs) (hurricanes, cyclones and
problem of land degradation namely typhoons) from interpretation of
▪ Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
satellite imagery.
Yojana o It uses regular Infrared and Visible
▪ Soil Health Card Scheme
imagery. It is based on
▪ Pradhan Mantri Krishi a “measurement” of the cyclone’s
Synchayee Yojana etc
M.S.Shashank
convective cloud pattern and a set of of avalanche hazards faced by the Indian
rules. Army in the Himalayan region.
• Benefits: • Capability
o It helps forecasters to do pattern o This radar has the capability to detect
recognition from the observed avalanches within three seconds of their
structure of the storm, locate its eye triggering and will assist in saving
and estimate the intensity of the valuable life of troops and civilians as
storm, also vehicles in super high altitude areas.
o It is the Dvorak technique which gives o It can scan the targeted slope for
the best estimates of the cyclone avalanche release and track its path and
intensity — a vital component while its size in case it is triggered.
issuing weather warnings. o It can see through snow, fog as well as in
• Advancements: the night, making it an all weather
o The Dvorak technique, said to be one solution and covers an area of two sq/km
of the greatest meteorological o The radar is also linked to an alarm
innovations, has undergone several system enabling automatic control and
advancements since its inception. warning measures in case an avalanche is
o The technique has been upgraded triggered.
multiple times since then, and after a • Working mechanism
recent software update, it has been o The radar uses a series of short
named the Advanced Dvorak microwave pulses which are scattered at
Technique (ADT), coined by the the target and can detect an avalanche in
National Hurricane Centre of the less than three seconds.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Significance of the radar
o The updated technique would improve
the tropical storm forecasts by many • It will help in saving the lives of troops and
folds as they would have access to reducing damage to property.
sharper and detailed images than ever • Detecting landslides: Besides being used for
before. detection of avalanches, this radar can also be
employed to detect landslides.
11.4. Avalanche Monitoring Radar • It obviates the requirement to place
additional instruments in dangerous
avalanche prone areas.
Why In News? • Images and videos of the event are
automatically recorded for future analysis by
• Recently, the Indian Army and the Defence the experts.
Geoinformatics and Research Establishment
(DGRE) have jointly installed the Avalanche 11.5. Partial Solar Eclipse
Monitoring Radar, first of its kind in India,
in north Sikkim.
o The radar was inaugurated by Tri Shakti Why In News?
Corps commander.
• Recently, for the first time in over a decade, a
About the radar partial solar eclipse was visible in several parts
of India on October 25.
• DGRE • It also marks the last solar eclipse of the year.
o The avalanche radar was made operational
by Defence Research and Development About Solar eclipse
Organisation's wing DGRE, which
is involved in forecasting and mitigation • What is a solar eclipse?
• During a solar eclipse, the Moon
passes between the Sun and the Earth,
M.S.Shashank
stopping some of the Sun’s light from • The third phase is when the
reaching our planet. moon starts moving away from
• An eclipse never comes alone. the moon, unblocking the
Typically, a solar eclipse happens sunlight.
around two weeks before or after a • The unique feature of the
lunar eclipse. Partial Solar Eclipse is that it
• Visibility of the recent Partial solar eclipse happens only on a new moon.
• The eclipse was visible from parts • What makes the recent event rare?
of Europe, Northern Africa and large • The partial solar eclipse was last seen
parts of western and central Asia. in India in 2007 and that makes this
• It was visible for most of India apart event rare since it will only be seen in
from some parts in the Northeast. India on November 3, 2032.
• Kinds of solar eclipses • In 2025, there will be another partial
• Total solar eclipse: During a total solar eclipse but India won't be able to
eclipse, the Moon will completely witness it.
cover the Sun.
• Annular eclipse: During an annular How often do partial solar eclipses occur?
solar eclipse, the Moon will not fully
cover the Sun but will leave an edge • Partial eclipses occur about twice a
visible. year somewhere in the world. The number of
• Partial solar eclipse: A partial solar partial eclipses each year can vary.
eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, • Sometimes they occur in conjunction with a
and earth are not exactly aligned and total solar eclipse, in which the partial eclipse
the sun appears to have a dark shadow is visible before and after totality, but
on a small part of its surface. sometimes they occur on their own.
• There are three phases of a
partial solar eclipse, which Concerns
include a beginning, a
maximum, and an end. • It is not recommended to see an eclipse with
• The initial phase involves the the naked eye, even for a brief period.
moon beginning to move over Although the Moon blocks most of the Sun, it
the sun's disk, followed by it will still damage the eyes permanently and
reaching a maximum when the result in blindness.
maximum part of the sun's disk • Although the eclipse may be visible to the
is covered. naked eye, the ultraviolet rays can cause
damage to the retina.
12. History- Art & Culture

• Besides the caves (2nd-5th century BCE), other
12.1. Buddhist caves in MP’s Bandhavgarh archaeological remains of the Mahayana sect
Tiger Reserve of Buddhism were also reported.
Why in News? Findings

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
recently reported 26 Buddhist caves in MP’s • The 26 caves found are associated with the
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
M.S.Shashank
• Date back to the same time as the Ajanta caves o His father was a school teacher who
in Aurangabad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. died when Lal Bahadur Shastri was only
• The remains of 26 temples, two mathas, two a year and half old.
stupas, 46 idols and sculptures, 26 fragments • Freedom Struggle : He became more and
and 19 water bodies were also found. more interested in the country’s struggle for
freedom from foreign yoke.
o He was greatly impressed by Mahatma
Gandhi’s denunciation of Indian
Princes for their support of British rule
12.2. Shyamji Krishna Varma Jayanti in India.
o He joined the Kashi VidyaPeeth in
Varanasi, one of the many national
Why In News? institutions set up in defiance of British
rule.
• Recently, the Prime Minister has paid tributes o He participated in the freedom
to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti. movement since 1930
• Post independence : He was minister in UP
About Shyamji Krishna Varma cabinet and Minister in Union Cabinet from
1951 to 1956 when he resigned taking
• He was born on 4th October, 1857 in Mandvi responsibility for the railway accident
town of Kachchh district of Gujarat. o He was known for his simplicity and his
• He was one of the foremost freedom commitment to principles.
fighters in the history of the freedom • He coined the famous slogan ‘Jai Jawan-Jai
movement of India with a high sense of Kisan’
patriotism and selfless service for the nation. • He was awarded the Bharat Ratna India's
• He had organised a revolutionary centre highest civilian award posthumously in 1966.
in “India House” at London and propagated
the cause of India’s independence through his
12.4. Chola Dynasty
writings in his publication journal
called ``TheIndian Sociologist”.
• He inspired Veer Savarkar who was a member Why In News?
of India House in London.
• He became the first President of Bombay Arya • A recently released film has focused on a
Samaj, was an admirer of Dayanand Saraswati fictional account of the 10th-century Chola
• Verma also served as the Divan of a number of dynasty.
states in India. o Cholas are known for their
progressiveness, the architectural
12.3. Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti marvels and temples, the social setup
of the time, and how cities were named
after women.
Why In News?
The era of the Cholas
• The Prime Minister paid tributes to former
Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji on his • Region of power:
Jayanti. o The Chola kingdom stretched
across present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
About Lal Bahadur Shastri and parts of Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka.
• He was born on October 2, 1904 at ▪ It is one of the longest-ruling dynasties
Mughalsarai in Uttar Pradesh. in world history.
M.S.Shashank
▪ Geographical extent: ▪ The Chalukyas of the Andhra
▪ The heartland of the Cholas Pradesh region whom the
was the fertile valley of the Cholas frequently battled.
Kaveri River.
▪ They unified peninsular India, • Society under the Cholas:
south of the Tungabhadra, and o Agriculture & canals:
held it as one state for three ▪ There was tremendous agrarian
centuries. expansion during the rule of the
▪ The Chola territories stretched imperial Chola Dynasty all over Tamil
from the Maldives in the south Nadu and particularly in the Kaveri
to the banks of the Godavari Basin.
River in Andhra Pradesh as the ▪ Most of the canals of the Kaveri River
northern limit. belong to this period.
▪ Capital and important centres: o Trade:
▪ Their early capital was at ▪ While the extent of this domination is
Thanjavur and later on at disputed, the Cholas had strong ties
Gangaikonda Cholapuram. with merchant groups and this
▪ Kanchipuram and allowed them to undertake
Madurai were considered impressive naval expeditions.
to be regional capitals in o A strong army and navy:
which occasional courts ▪ One of the biggest achievements of
were held. the Chola dynasty was its naval
• Foundation of the dynasty: power, allowing them to go as far
o The dynasty was founded by as Malaysia and the Sumatra islands
king Vijaylaya, described as a of Indonesia in their conquests.
“feudatory” of the Pallavas. o The domination was such that
o Despite being a relatively minor player the Bay of Bengal was
in the region among giants, Vijaylaya converted into a “Chola lake” for
laid the foundation for a dynasty that some time.
would rule a major part of southern o The dynasty became a military,
India. economic and cultural powerhouse
o Under Rajaraja I and his in South Asia and South-East Asia.
successors Rajendra I, Rajadhiraja I, o Maintaining a strong army and
Rajendra II, Virarajendra, and naval resources made sense for the
Kulothunga Chola I, the dynasty Cholas, because, The period from
became a military, economic and 9th to 10th century was a violent
cultural powerhouse. time, where kingdoms would go to
• Contemporaries: war with each other frequently.
o As one of the Three Crowned Kings of • Art & Culture:
Tamilakam, along with the Chera and o Temple architecture:
Pandya, the dynasty continued to ▪ The Cholas built their temples in the
govern over varying territories until traditional way of the Pallava dynasty,
the 13th century CE. who were themselves influenced by the
o During the period of the Cholas Amaravati school of architecture.
(around the 9th to 12th century AD), ▪ The maturity and grandeur to which the
other powerful dynasties of the region Chola architecture had evolved found
would also come and go, such as expression in the two magnificent
▪ The Rashtrakutas of the temples of Thanjavur and
Deccan who defeated the Gangaikondacholapuram.
Cholas, and ▪ Brihadeeswara temple:
M.S.Shashank
The grand Brihadeeswara temple of
▪ In Context
Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, was the • The folk art of Bhoota Kola recently depicted in
largest building in India in that period. a famous Kannada movie; Kantara has come
▪ This temple carries on its walls the under controversy.
engraved evidence of the elaborate
administrative and financial procedures About
concerning the day-to-day administration
of the temple. • Bhota Khola also referred to as daiva khola or
▪ Airavateswara temple: nema, is an animistic ritual dance
▪ The Airavateswara temple at performance prevalent among Hindus of Tulu
Darasuram near Thanjavur built during Nadu and parts of Malenadu of Karnataka and
the reign of Rajaraja II is a magnificent Kasargod in northern Kerala, India.
structure typical of the stage of • The dance is highly stylized and held in honor
architectural development reached in of the local deities worshiped by the Tulu
the 12th century CE. speaking population.
o Sculptures: • Bhoota khola is closely related to Theyyam of
▪ The Chola period is also remarkable for its neighbouring Malayalam-speaking
sculptures and bronzes. populations.
▪ Artworks and sculptures were commissioned • It is typically an annual ritual performance
by Chola kings and queens, including the where local spirits or deities (bhotas, daivas)
famous bronze Nataraja idols. are being channelised by ritual specialists from
▪ Chola period bronzes were created using the certain scheduled castes such as the Nalike,
lost wax technique. Pambada, or Parawa communities.
▪ [Earlier, the Rashtrakutas had built the • Bhotas and daivas are not worshiped on a daily
Kailasanatha temple in Maharashtra’s basis like mainstream Hindu gods.
Aurangabad — the largest monolith • Their worship is restricted to annual ritual
structure (carved from a single rock) of festivals, though daily pojas may be conducted
its time.] for the ritual objects, ornaments, and other
• Blots in the Chola history: paraphernalia of the bhota.
o The Chola rulers sacked and plundered • Unlike with the better-known Hindu gods of
Chalukyan cities including Kalyani and the puranic variety, bhota worship is
massacred the people, including congregational.
Brahmans and children. • This performer is feared and respected in the
o They destroyed Anuradhapura, the community and is believed to give answers to
ancient capital of the rulers of Sri people’s problems on behalf of the spirit.
Lanka. • Bhootada Kola is said to have some influence
from Yakshagana, a more popular and widely
12.5. Bhoot khola performed folk dance in coastal Karnataka.
• Some of the Bhootada Kola rituals also involve
walking on a bed of hot coal.
13. Awards
13.1. Swachh Survekshan 2022 • The Swachh Survekshan 2022 rankings have
been released. This year’s edition covered
4,354 cities across India.
Why in News?
M.S.Shashank
More Details: About:
• The Swachh Survekshan is a list of India’s • Awarded by: The Royal Swedish Academy of
cleanest cities released by the Ministry of Sciences in Stockholm.
Housing and Urban Affairs. • Awarded for: Dr. Svante Pääbo’s discoveries in
• This initiative was started in 2016 to encourage developing new and innovative methodologies
urban sanitation. It is the largest urban to extract clean DNA from thousands of years
cleanliness and sanitation survey in the world. old fossils and reading genetic
• The cities are assessed based on 3 parameters- information contained in it.
service level progress (worth 3,000 marks), • Relevance: It will help in understanding the
certification (worth 2,250 marks) and citizens’ influence of archaic gene sequences from
voice (worth another 2,250 marks). This adds extinct human ancestors over the physiology
to a total of 7,500 marks. of present-day humans. For example-
• The 2022 edition listed Indore as the cleanest
city (with more than 1 lakh population)- • Denisovans gene EPAS1 confers an advantage
marking the 6th time the city of lakes and for survival at high altitudes which is common
palaces topped the Swachh Survekshan list. among present-day Tibetans.
Following Indore, Surat (2nd spot for • Neanderthal genes affect our immune
2nd consecutive year) and Navi Mumbai were response to different types of infections.
named as the 2nd and 3rd cleanest cities
respectively. Genome Sequencing
• Indore has become India’s 1st 7 star Garbage
Free city. The title of 5 star Garbage Free city • Meaning:
was conferred to Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, o It refers to sequencing the entire
Vishakhapatnam, Navi Mumbai and Tirupati. genome of an organism (DNA/RNA
• Among cities with less than 1 lakh population, based) with the help of many high
the list was topped by Panchgani in throughput sequencing and data
Maharashtra, followed by Patan (NP) in handling technologies.
Chhattisgarh and Karhad in Maharashtra. • Major genome sequencing methods:
• Among the Ganga towns with more than 1 lakh
population, Haridwar in Uttarakhand was • The clone-by-clone method: The "clone-by-
named the cleanest city, followed by Varanasi clone" approach involves first breaking the
and Rishikesh. genome up into relatively large chunks, called
• Among Ganga towns with less than 1 lakh clones, about 150,000 base pairs (bp) long.
population, Bijnor was listed as the cleanest, Scientists use genome mapping techniques to
followed by Kannauj and Garhmukhteshwar. figure out where in the genome each clone
• Apart from this, Tirupati was given the best city belongs.
award in the Safai Mitra Suraksha. Shivamogga • Whole genome sequencing (WGS): It does not
in Karnataka got the fast mover city award. require a genome map and is a faster method
• Among the states, Madhya Pradesh was of sequencing.
named as the top performer, followed by • It is not suitable for larger genomes like
Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. eukaryotic genomes as they have a
• Among states having less than 100 ULBs (urban number of repetitive DNA sequences in
local bodies), the list was topped by Tripura. which the assembling process is
challenging.
13.2. Nobel Prize in Medicine • Utility of both: To speed up the genome
sequencing process, advantages of both
methods are used.
Why in News?
• Svante Paabo was conferred the Nobel Prize in Dr. Svante Paabo’s research Overview
Medicine
M.S.Shashank
• Discovery of Denisovans: Denisova were a • The award, instituted by the Shanmugha Arts,
previously unknown hominin. He concluded Science, Technology & Research Academy
that gene transfer occurred from Denisovans (SASTRA) in 2005 with a cash prize of $10,000, is
to Homo sapiens after they migrated out of presented annually to individuals aged 32 and
Africa around 70,000 years ago. below, who made outstanding contributions in
• The genome sequencing of Neanderthal: the field of mathematics, influenced by Srinivasa
Extinction of Neanderthals around 30,000 Ramanjuan in a broad sense.
years ago was concluded after his sequencing
of mitochondrial DNA from a 40,000-year-old 13.4. GI award
bone and comparison with contemporary
humans and chimpanzees.
• Telangana’s Hyderabadi Haleem has won the
• Neanderthals are the closest relatives of the
‘Most Popular GI’ award after beating other
present-day human species. They lived in
food items including Rasgulla, Bikaneri
Europe and West Asia – as far as southern
Bhujiya, and Ratlami Sev.
Siberia and Middle East
• In a rigid competition with more than 15 food
• Publishing of 1st Neanderthal genome
items across the country with Geographical
sequence in 2010: Neanderthal DNA
Indication (GI) status, the famous Hyderabadi
sequences exhibit closer similarity with the
Haleem has bagged the ‘Most Popular GI’
DNA of contemporary humans originating
award.
from Europe or Asia than to contemporary
• GI tag is given to products to ensure that
humans originating from Africa. It suggests
authorised users can only use the popular
interbreeding and co-existence between
product name. For the first time, GI status was
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
accorded to Hyderabadi Haleem in 2010. It
• Divergence of DNA sequence: He found
expired in December 2019. However, later, the
greater divergence of the Neanderthal
registrar of Geographical Indicator renewed
genome to the human reference genome as
the tag for the dish for 10 years.
compared to any of the 5 present-day human
genomes. These are-
o San from Southern Africa 13.5. World Green City award 2022
o Yoruba from West Africa
o Papua New Guinean • The city of Hyderabad, Telangana, has been
o Han Chinese honoured as the Grand winner of the AIPH
o French from Western Europe (International Association of Horticultural
Producers) World Green City Awards 2022, the
13.3. SASTRA Ramanujan Prize most prestigious award of the Inaugural AIPH
World Green City awards (2022 edition), for its
initiative titled “Green Garland to the State of
Why In News?
Telangana”.
• Hyderabad also won the award under the
The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for 2022 will be
‘Living Green for Economic Recovery and
awarded to Yunqing Tang, Assistant Professor with
Inclusive Growth’ category.
the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.
• Hyderabad has been awarded for its initiatives
relying on greater use of plants and nature to
• Ms. Yunqing’s works “display a remarkable
create better city environments and helps fulfil
combination of sophisticated techniques, in
local aspirations for improved economic, social
which the arithmetic and geometry of modular
and environmental resilience.
curves and of Shimura varieties play a central
role, and her results and methods are bound • The award acknowledged Telangana’s
to have major impact on future research in this programme of ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haram’s
area.” largescale tree planting program taken up
from 2015--2016.
About SASTRA Ramanujan Prize
M.S.Shashank
• The program aims to increase the tree cover of • Last year, the Sakharov prize was conferred to
the state from 24% to 33% of total area of the the imprisoned Russian opposition leader
state. Alexei Navalny.
• Others who won the award in the past include
former South African president Nelson
Mandela, Pakistani education activist Malala
Yousafzai and the democratic opposition of
Belarus.
13.6. Sakharov Prize 13.7. 2022 Booker Prize
Why in News? Why in News?
• The 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of • Shehan Karunatilaka recently received the
Thought was conferred to the Ukrainian 2022 Booker Prize for his novel “The Seven
people. Moons of Maali Almeida”.
More Details: What is Booker Prize?
• The 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of • The Booker Prize is the world’s leading literary
Thought was bestowed to the people of award for a single work of fiction.
Ukraine, represented by their president, • Founded in the UK in 1969, it was initially
elected leaders, and civil society. awarded to Commonwealth writers and now
• It recognizes the bravery of Ukrainians who spans the globe, and it is open to anyone
have been affected by the Russian invasion regardless of origin.
and their role in defending freedom, • Each year, the Booker Prize is awarded to what
democracy, rule of law, and European values is, in the opinion of our judges, the best
on the battlefields. sustained work of fiction written in English and
• The award will be conferred on December 14 published in the UK and Ireland.
in Strasbourg. • The winning book is a work that not only
• The Sakharov Prize involves prize money of speaks to our current times, but also one that
50,000 euros. It will be distributed to the will endure and join the pantheon of great
representatives of Ukrainian civil society. literature.
• This is the second time that this award was
used by EU lawmakers to send a message to
Russia.
14. Government Initiatives

• Matdata Junction is a year-long voter
14.1. Matdata Junction awareness programme launched jointly by the
Election Commission of India (ECI) and the All
India Radio (AIR).
Why in News? • This radio series has a total of 52 episodes.
• It was produced by the ECI in collaboration
• The Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv with the AIR.
Kumar launched the radio series “Matdata • This programme is a mixture of information
Junction”. and entertainment.
• It aims to address the apathy of urban
More Details: population towards voting and create
M.S.Shashank
awareness about the importance elections in to understand and appreciate India’s
the safety of democracy. democracy.
• The programme will provide insights about • The National Book Trust (NBT), India, under
how the elections are conducted in inclusive, the Ministry of Education as the Implementing
accessible, transparent, free, fair and Agency will ensure phase-wise execution of
inducement-free manner. the Scheme under well-defined stages of
• It would last for 15 minutes and will be aired mentorship.
every Friday during 7 to 9 PM slot on the All • It aims to promote reading, writing, and book
India Radio network. culture in the country.
• It will be broadcasted in 23 languages, • Significance : It will help to develop a stream
including Hindi, English and other regional of writers who can write on a spectrum of
languages. subjects to promote the Indian heritage,
• The programme will focus on various aspects culture, and knowledge system.
of the election and related processes from the o It will also provide a window to the
perspective of voters. aspiring youth to articulate themselves
• The episodes will be theme-based, like voter and present a comprehensive outlook
registration, EVMs, informed and ethical of Indian Democratic values at
voting, value of vote, inclusive and accessible domestic as well as international
elections, stories of election officials, model platforms.
code of conduct, IT applications etc.
• The programme has interactive messaging 14.3. Technology Development Fund
feature that encourages eligible as well as first (TTDF) Scheme
time voters to vote and make informed
decisions during the elections. Why in News?
• It will cover drama, storytelling, experts’
interview, quiz as well as songs produced by • Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
the SVEEP (Systemic Voters’ Education and officially launched the Telecom Technology
Electoral Participation) division of the ECI. Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme.
• It also has Citizen’s Corner that enables
citizens to make query and provide About Telecom Technology Development Fund
suggestions to improve the election process to (TTDF) Scheme
make it more participative and inclusive.
• The theme for the first episode is “Voter • Telecom Technology Development Fund
Registration”. It will be aired on 7th of October (TTDF) aims to fund R&D in rural-specific
this year. communication technology applications and
form synergies among academia, start-ups,
14.2. Young, Upcoming and Versatile research institutes, and the industry to build
Authors (YUVA) 2.0 and develop the telecom ecosystem.
• Additionally, the Scheme aims to promote
Why In News? technology ownership and indigenous
manufacturing, create a culture of technology
• The Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export
Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 was launched . opportunities and creation of Intellectual
Property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also targeting to
About Young, Upcoming and Versatile
develop standards to meet countrywide
Authors(YUVA) 2.0
requirements and create the ecosystem for
research, design, prototyping, use cases,
• The launch of YUVA 2.0 is in tune with the
pilots, and proof of concept testing, among
Prime Minister’s vision to encourage the youth
others.
M.S.Shashank
What is USOF? Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0?
• With the mantra of ‘vocal for local’, the
• About: revamped scheme namely Swadesh Darshan
o The Universal Service Obligation Fund 2.0 seeks to attain “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” by
(USOF) was formed by an Act of realizing India’s full potential as a tourism
Parliament, and was established in destination.
April 2002 under the Indian Telegraph • Swadesh Darshan 2.0 is not an incremental
(Amendment) Act 2003. change but a generational shift to evolve the
o It aims to provide financial support for Swadesh Darshan Scheme as a holistic mission
the provision of telecom services in to develop sustainable and responsible
commercially unviable rural and tourism destinations.
remote areas of the country. • It will help develop sustainable and
o It is an attached office of the responsible destinations with a tourist and
Department of Telecom, and is headed destination centric approach.
by the administrator, who is appointed • It will encourage the development of
by the central government. benchmarks and standards for generic and
• Funding Pattern: theme-specific development of tourism
o USOF is a non-lapsable Fund. destinations and the States will follow the
o The Levy amount is credited to benchmarks and standards while planning and
the Consolidated Fund of India. developing the projects.
o The fund is made available to USOF • The following major themes have been
after due appropriation by the identified for tourism under the Scheme:
Parliament. o Culture and Heritage
o Adventure Tourism
14.4. Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0 o Eco-Tourism
o Wellness Tourism
o MICE Tourism
Why in News?
o Rural Tourism
o Beach Tourism
• Recently, as part of the first phase of the
o Cruises – Ocean & Inland
‘Swadesh Darshan 2’ (beginning from January
2023), the government has identified 15 States
Significance:
across the country to be promoted as part of
• The revamped scheme seeks to enhance the
India’s new domestic tourism policy.
contribution of tourism to local economies.
• This policy moves away from theme-based
tourist circuits and focuses on reviving up • It aims to create jobs including self-
employment for local communities, to
destination tourism.
enhance the skills of local youth in tourism and
• Some of the prominent places identified are
hospitality, to increase private sector
Jhansi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gwalior,
investment in tourism and hospitality and to
Chitrakoot and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh
preserve and enhance local cultural and
and Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra.
natural resources.
15. Persons & Appointments

• Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana has signed
15.1. Indian Cricketer Smriti Mandhana on as a brand ambassador of lubricant
manufacturer Gulf Oil India.
M.S.Shashank
• India women’s vice-captain joins current several capacities. Currently, he is heading the
men’s cricket ace Hardik Pandya and former Space Astronomy Group (SAG) of URSC. SAG is
captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as an involved in developing scientific payloads for
ambassador for the company. the upcoming missions of Aditya-L1, XPoSat,
• Through the partnership, Gulf Oil stated that it and science payload onboard the
aims to ‘celebrate women power’ and ‘inspire Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module.
female audience in the country’, while also
honouring the achievements of Indian women 15.5. Roger Binny
cricketers.
• With this association, Gulf Oil claims to have
become the first company in the lubricant • India’s 1983 World Cup hero, Roger Binny is set
space to appoint a woman cricketer as to become the new BCCI president, replacing
ambassador to represent the organisation and Sourav Ganguly.
its ethos. • Jay Shah will continue as BCCI secretary, the
most influential position in the board. Rajiv
Shukla will also stay on as the board’s vice
15.2. Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan
president.
• Former banker Ananth Narayan 15.6. Mallikarjun Kharge

Gopalakrishnan took charge as the fourth
whole time member (WTM) in the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). • Veteran Karnataka leader Mallikarjun Kharge
• Narayan, who has been a member of various defeated his rival Shashi Tharoor to become
advisory committees of Sebi and RBI, has been the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24
appointed for an initial period of three years. years, and the first Scheduled Caste chief of
the grand old organization in four decades.
15.3. Justice DY Chandrachud • Kharge polled 7897 of the 9385 votes cast
while Tharoor garnered a meagre 1072.
Sources said 416 votes were invalid.
• Chief Justice of India, Uday Umesh Lalit has • He is the first non-Gandhi to head the Congress
named Justice DY Chandrachud as his in 24 years, after Sitaram Kesri was
successor. unceremoniously ousted in 1988 through a
• He handed over a letter to Justice DY Congress Working Committee resolution that
Chandrachud, designating him as the next CJI. invited Sonia Gandhi to become the party
The letter was handed over in the presence of chief. Sonia had become a primary member of
the other judges of the Supreme Court. the Congress only a year ago at the AICC
• The law ministry – as per protocol – writes to Kolkata plenary in 1997.
the CJI around a month before the due date of
retirement to seek the successor’s name. 15.7. Jyothi Yarraji
15.4. Dr. Sankarasubramanian K.

• Jyothi Yarraji, an Indian Sprinter made history
in the women’s 100m hurdles as the became
• The Indian Space Research Organisation has
the first Indian woman to run a sub-13s time to
designated Dr. Sankarasubramanian K as the
win the gold medal at the Nation Games 2022.
Principal Scientist of the Aditya-L1 mission.
• Jyothi Yarraji broke her national record
• Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-
representing Andhra Pradesh by running the
based solar mission from India.
final in 12.79s.
Sankarasubramanian has contributed to
• Earlier, Jyothi Yarraji won the women’s 100m
AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2
gold, leaving behind Sprinters lime Dutee
missions of ISRO in several capacities.
Chand and Hima Das.
• He has contributed to AstroSat, Chandrayaan-
1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions of ISRO in
15.8. Kamalpreet Kaur
M.S.Shashank
increased borrowing and the possibility of the

• Indian discus thrower, Kamalpreet Kaur has government not being able to repay the
been banned from competition for three incurred debts.
years, starting March 29, 2022, due to a doping • Thus, the investors started selling all possible
violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) UK assets and the pound sterling fell to historic
announced on October 12. lows against the US dollar, worsening the
• The AIU, which is the independent body imported inflation further.
created by World Athletics that manages all • Similarly, investors were unwilling to lend
integrity issues – including doping and age money to the UK government and started
fraud, had provisionally suspended selling government bonds (gilts), leading to the
Kamalpreet in May this year for testing price of gilts decreasing and their yields (the
positive for the banned substance stanozolol, interest rate charged by the market for lending
an anabolic steroid that is on the list of banned money) spiking.
substances as per the World Athletics. • The falling gilt value adversely affected the
pension funds.
15.9. Rohit Sharma • The sharp increase in market interest rates
means that those with home loans have to
either refinance or risk losing their homes and
• Indian Skipper, Rohit Sharma has achieved yet
the new loans were costlier.
another milestone in his T20 career and has
• This occurred amidst the cost of living crisis in
become the first-ever Indian to play 400 T20s.
the UK and the high energy prices.
• The India captain has achieved the milestone
• The Bank of England was forced to intervene
in the 2nd T20I of the series against South
to stop the financial collapse.
Africa in Guwahati.
• This caused Truss to reverse many of her
• The first Indian to hit a century in T20 cricket,
economic decisions and sack her chancellor
Rohit had made his shortest format debut for
Kwasi Kwarteng.
Mumbai against Baroda in April 2007.
• The new chancellor Jeremy Hunt removed
• Among Indians, Rohit is followed by Dinesh
everything that remained in Truss’ agenda,
Karthik, who has played 368 T20s. MS Dhoni
causing uncertainty in leadership in the
sits at the 3rd spot with 361 caps. Virat Kohli is
government.
playing his 354th T20.
• These issues caused many of her party
members to call for her resignation.
15.10. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss
15.11. Anna May Wong
• UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned just 45
days after taking office.
• Anna May Wong, a Chinese-American movie
• With the recent resignation, Liz Truss becomes
star in Hollywood, is set to become the first
the shortest-serving British Prime Minister.
Asian-American to feature in US currency.
• This record was earlier held by George
Canning, who served for 119 days in 1827 until • Wong Liu Tsong (1905 – 1961), was known
he died of tuberculosis. professionally as Anna May Wong. She was
• Truss is the fourth Tory PM to resign before the born in Los Angeles to second-generation
end of the term. Others are David Cameron, Chinese-American parents.
Theresa May, and Boris Johnson. • She was an American actress, considered the
• One of the major reasons for Truss’s first Chinese-American movie star in
resignation is the infamous mini-budget, which Hollywood.
sought to reduce income taxes for the highest • She acted in silent film, sound film, television,
earners and cut down some other taxes while stage, and radio.
increasing government spending. • She started her film career at the age of 14
• Amid the historically high inflation, the mini- years.
budget caused market turmoil because of
M.S.Shashank
• She became a fashion icon and achieved o Clean drinking water and sanitation
international stardom in 1924. were problems at these refugee camps,
• Discouraged by the stereotypical supporting and cholera and diarrhoea broke out
roles in Hollywood, Wong left for Europe in among people anyway exhausted and
1928, where she starred in several notable dehydrated.
o Dr Mahalanabis and his team were
plays and films.
working in one such camp at Bongaon.
• During World War II, she devoted her time and • In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, he was a
money to helping the Chinese cause against
medical officer in the Diarrheal Disease
Japan.
Control Programme of the WHO.
• She died in 1961, at the age of 56, from a heart • Later in the 1990s, he served as the Director of
attack Clinical Research at the International Centre
for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR,B),
15.12. Dr Dilip Mahalanabis Bangladesh.
• In 1994, he was elected a foreign member of
the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
In News
• In 2002, Dr. Mahalanabis was awarded
the first Pollin Prize in Pediatric Research for
• Recently, Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis, who was an
their contributions to the discovery and
Indian pediatrician known for pioneering the
implementation of oral rehydration therapy.
use of oral rehydration therapy to treat
• In 2006, he was awarded the Prince Mahidol
diarrheal diseases, passed away.
Prize, for his role in the development and
application of oral rehydration therapy
About Dr. Mahalanabis
Oral Rehydration Therapy
• Born on November 12, 1934 in West Bengal, he
studied in Kolkata and London and later joined
• It is an alternative to intravenous rehydration
the Johns Hopkins University International
therapy for preventing and treating
Centre for Medical Research and Training in
dehydration from diarrhea when intravenous
Kolkata in the 1960s, where he carried out
therapy is not available or feasible.
research in oral rehydration therapy.
• Oral rehydration therapy is calculated by the
• When the 1971 war broke out, millions of
World Health Organization to have saved the
people from then East Pakistan took refuge in
lives of over 60 million persons.
India.
16. Important Days

• He strongly believed in non-violence when
16.1. 2nd October – International Day of freedom fighters were struggling to free India
Non-Violence from slavery by Britishers.
• The International Day of Non- Violence is
celebrated every year globally on 2 October. 16.2. 2nd October – Gandhi Jayanti
International Day of Non-violence is
• Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on 2nd October
celebrated to commemorate the birth
every year to mark the birth anniversary of
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, father of
Mahatma Gandhi. He was born on 2nd
India and the leader of the Indian
October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. He is an
Independence movement.
inspiration in the lives of famous world leaders
and our lives also.
M.S.Shashank
• Every year, several species go extinct due to
excessive hunting, and forests are cut off to
build concrete jungles. The day is celebrated to
raise awareness about the protection and
16.3. 2nd October – Lal Bahadur Shastri prevention of cruelty towards animals.
Jayanti
16.7. 5th October – World Teacher’s Day
• Shastri was born to Sharada Prasad Srivastava
and Ramdulari Devi in Mughalsarai on 2 • World Teacher’s Day celebrated
October 1904, sharing his birthday with internationally on 5 October every year.
Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on 2nd UNESCO proclaimed 5 October as World
October, 1869. He was posthumously awarded Teacher’s Day in 1994.
the Bharat Ratna. • This day is celebrated to appreciate the work
and efforts of teachers globally. Teachers
16.4. 3rd October – World Nature Day shape the minds of the younger generation for
a better future to work for the goodwill of
nation and the world as well.
• World Nature Day is celebrated globally every
year on 3 October.
16.8. 8th October – Air Force Day
• The purpose of the celebration is to raise
awareness towards preserving the balance of
nature. We must be grateful to nature for • Air Force Day is observed on 8 October every
providing us with natural resources and pledge year in India. Indian Air Force (IAF) was
to protect the ecosystem. established on 8 October 1932 by the British
crown as the Royal Indian Air Force.
16.5. 4th October – World Habitat Day • The name was changed from Royal Indian Air
Force to Indian Air Force in 1950. Indian Air
Force is celebrating its 89th anniversary on 8th
• World Habitat Day is celebrated every year on
October.
the first Monday of October. This year, it falls
on 4 October. The theme of World Habitat Day
16.9. 9th October – World Postal Day.
is “Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free
world”.
• World habitat day was declared by the UN • World Post Day is celebrated internationally
resolution in 1985 and first celebrated in 1986. on 9 October every year.
The objective is to minimize the presence of • This day is celebrated every year to raise
carbon footprints present in our environment. awareness about the role of the postal sector
for people and businesses every day.
16.6. 4th October – World Animal Welfare
Day 16.10. 10th October – National Postal Day
• National Post Day is observed every year on 10
• World Animal Welfare Day is observed globally
October in India. It is the extension of World
on 4 October every year. The theme of World
Post Day. The National Post Day is celebrated
Animal Day is “Forests and Livelihoods:
every year in India to recognize the
Sustaining People and Planet”.
M.S.Shashank
contribution of the Indian Postal Department • International Day for the Eradication of
to postal services. Poverty is observed every year on 17 October.
• Indian Postal Department has been connecting • The day is celebrated to raise the willingness of
several people through their postal services. poor people to use their expertise and
When it comes to employment, several contribute to the eradication of poverty.
recruitment companies still promote postal • This can be done by providing health services,
services to provide employment for the employment opportunities, and training them
younger generation. to become financially independent.
16.11. 11th October – International Girl 16.15. 24th October – United Nations Day
Child Day
• United Nations Day is celebrated every year on
• The International girl child day is celebrated
24 October. International United Nations Day
globally on 11 October.
marks the anniversary of the entry of the UN
• The day is celebrated to raise voices about the
Charter into force in 1945. UN Day has been
rights of girls and empower them through
celebrated since 1948. The year 2022 will mark
education. The objective is to protect them
the 77th anniversary of the United Nations and
from illegal abortion practices, physical abuse
its founding Charter.
at home and fight the battle against human
trafficking.
16.16. 31st October – Rastriya Ekta Diwas
or National Unity Day
16.12. 13th October – UN International Day
• National Unity Day is celebrated every year on
for National Disaster Reduction
31 October, since 2014 in India. This day is
• UN International Day for National Disaster
observed in the memory of Sardar Vallabh Bhai
Reduction is observed every year on 13
Patel, also known as the Iron man of India.
October.
• He had played an important role in unifying the
• This day is declared by United Nations General
country. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel played
Assembly to spread awareness about disaster
important role in the unifying of India and
risk reduction caused by natural calamities and
made it EK BHARAT (Unity in Diversity).
human beings as well.
16.13. 16th October – World Food Day

• World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16
October.
• The theme of World Food Day is “Our actions
are our future- Better production, better
nutrition, a better environment, and a better
life”. The day aims to raise awareness about a
healthy and wholesome diet for every human
being.
16.14. 17th October – International Day for

the eradication of poverty
M.S.Shashank
17. Miscellaneous
17.1. Sukapaika River professionals under the Green Visa and an
expanded 10-year Golden Visa scheme.
• A five-year, flexible multi-entry tourist visa was
Why in News? also introduced that allows them to stay in the
UAE for up to 90 days in a row.
• Recently, the NGT has directed the state • Holders will also receive an extended flexible
government of Odisha to revive Sukapaika River grace period of up to six months if their
within 6 months. residence permit is cancelled or has expired.
About Sukapaika River

17.3. Trade and Development Report
• Sukapaika is one of the several distributaries of 2022: UNCTAD
the mighty Mahanadi river in Odisha.
• It branches away from the Mahanadi at Ayatpur Why In News?
village in Cuttack district and flows for about 40
kilometers (km) before rejoining its parent river • Recently, according to the forecast by
at Tarapur in the same district. the UNCTAD, India's economic growth is
• It covers three blocks such as Cuttack Sadar, expected to decline to 5.7 per cent this year
Raghunathpur and Nichintakoili of Cuttack. from 8.2 per cent in 2021.
• Sukapaika river is an important system of the
Mahanadi to control floodwater and maintain Major Highlights of the report
the flow in the river as well as the Bay of Bengal.
• The country’s growth will further drop to 4.7%
17.2. New rule for UAE visa system in 2023.
• Reasons being higher financing
cost and weaker public expenditures.
Why In News? • India experienced an expansion of 8.2 per cent
in 2021, the strongest among G20 countries.
• Recently, UAE’s visa rules were changed • As supply chain disruptions eased, rising
that will now allow visitors to legally enter and domestic demand turned the current account
stay in the UAE for 60 days, an increase from surplus into a deficit and growth decelerated.
the previous 30 days.
o Also, the job exploration visa, which Forecast by other agencies
seeks to easily allow talented
professionals find employment in the • Moody’s forecast is 7.7% for the calendar year
UAE, will not require a sponsor or host. 2022.
• Various other agencies have projected India’s
About growth to be in the range of 6.7% to 7.4% in
FY23.
• The new visa rules — aimed at reforming • The RBI’s real growth forecast for FY23 is 7%.
the country’s immigration and residency
policies — include changes such as longer visas
for tourists, extended residency for 17.4. Light Combat Helicopter
M.S.Shashank
Why In News?
Why In News?
The Indian Air Force (IAF) inducted its first batch of • Recently, a study suggests that attacks on humans
indigenously-developed Light Combat Helicopter in Indonesia by Tomistoma may be increasing due
(LCH) in a major boost to its combat prowess. to increasing intrusion in their habitat.
• The tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a shy and
• The helicopter will be called ‘Prachand’, which reclusive species that typically retreats from areas
means fierce. with a high degree of human activity.
About Light Combat Helicopter About Tomistoma
• Native:
• LCH has been developed by Hindustan
o The tomistoma is a large, slender-
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
o The first prototype of the helicopter took
snouted crocodilian species native
first flight on March 29, 2010 and has to Southeast Asia.
• Distribution:
since undergone extensive testing and
evaluation. o Across part of Borneo (divided between
• It is a state-of-the-art modern combat helicopter, Indonesia, Malaysia and
primarily designed for deployment in high- Brunei), peninsular Malaysia and
altitude regions. Sumatra.
• It is the only attack helicopter in the world which • Tomistoma shares its habitat with two other
can land and take-off at an altitude of 5,000 m types of crocodilians; The saltwater crocodile and
with a considerable load of weapons and fuel. the Siamese crocodile.
• It has a range of 550 km and an operational ceiling • Characteristics:
o They are noted for their long narrow
of 6500 m.
• It is armed with air-to-air and air-to-ground snouts used to catch fish, similar to
missiles, 70 mm rockets and a 20 mm gun. the gharial.
• Features: It is powered by two Shakti o It is a freshwater species and is
engines and is equipped with stealth features, all- frequently associated with peat swamp
weather combat capability, armour protection, forest.
o It was long believed to be
night attack capability, and crash-worthy landing
gear. primarily piscivorous (fish eating) due to
o The narrow fuselage with tandem cockpit its slender snout, in recent decades it has
configuration makes LCH extremely been found that the species has a much
manoeuvrable and agile. broader diet and is likely more of
o Stealth features like low radar cross an opportunistic predator.
section and minimal infrared signature • IUCN Status:
allow it to go behind enemy lines o It is currently listed as Endangered on the
undetected and attack with precision. International Union for the Conservation
o It boasts of a full glass cockpit, Electronic of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
• Steps to be taken to reduce Human-animal
Warfare suite and helmet-mounted
display for the flying crew. conflict
o It can perform a range of roles, including o The study urged cooperation with local
combat search and rescue, destruction of communities
o The creation of crocodile exclusion
enemy air defence and counter-
insurgency operations in the jungle and enclosures
urban environments. o Further investigation into the causes of
• Significance : The induction of LCH in the Indian human-tomistoma conflict.
Air Force is expected to provide further impetus
to Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. 17.6. Sparsh Initiative
17.5. Tomistoma
Why In News?
M.S.Shashank
• The Defence Accounts Department signed a • Yield curve control is another way of interest-
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank rate setting that involves buying as much U.S.
of Baroda and HDFC Bank, to onboard them as Treasurys and government-backed debt as
Service Centres under the System for Pension necessary to keep yields below a certain level.
Administration (Raksha) (SPARSH) initiative, • Under yield curve control: the Fed would set a
across more than 14,000 branches throughout specific long-term interest rate target and buy
India. as many bonds as necessary to achieve it.
o YCC would set a specific price for the
About SPARSH bonds in terms of their yield.
• It tracks yields on government bonds of
• It is a web-based system for processing the varying durations, starting with the one-month
pension claims and crediting the pension Treasury and ending with the 30-year.
directly into the bank accounts of defence o That curve is typically upward-sloping,
pensioners without any external intermediary. meaning investors demand a higher
• It has been designed to give Defence interest rate in compensation for
Pensioners a transparent view of their pension locking their money up for a longer
account, through an online portal which period.
captures and maintains a complete history of
events and entitlements of the pensioner – Impact
right from the date of commencement of
pension to the date of cessation of pension due • Yield curve control would provide households
to the last eligible beneficiary. and businesses with additional
• This system is administered by the Defence accommodation by keeping interest rates not
Accounts Department through the Principal typically set by the Fed low.
Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), • It is more stimulative because it could
Prayagraj and caters to all the three Services potentially become an unlimited source of
and allied organisations. demand at certain levels of interest rates.
• The system on roll-out is initially catering to the • It would also make government spending
new retirees and subsequently is being cheaper to finance and be a way for the Fed to
extended to cover the existing defence put its low-rate promises into practice.
pensioners • Lower interest rates would weigh on savings
• Achievements: Providing impetus to Digital yields and instead incentivize borrowing and
India initiative, SPARSH has grown spending because it reduces borrowing
exponentially with more than Rs 11,600 Crores costs making it a more attractive time to buy
disbursed in the Financial Year 2021-22, from assets like a home or a car.
just about Rs 57 crores in FY 2020-21.
o The total number of pensioners
17.8. PowerEX-2022
onboard SPARSH has crossed over one
million mark with 11 lakh beneficiaries, Why In News?
which is about 33% of the total defence
pensioners in India. • Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-In) in collaboration with Power-CSIRTs
17.7. Yield Curve Control (Computer Security Incident Response Teams in
Power sector), successfully designed &
conducted the Cyber Security Exercise
Why In News? “PowerEX”
• Recently, the Bank of Japan has stuck to its About PowerEX-2022

policy of yield curve control which is triggering
another decline in the country's currency. • Exercise “PowerEX” was hosted by CERT-In on
its exercise simulation platform.
About Yield Curve Control
M.S.Shashank
o Around 350+ officials from various • It was in July 1980, that India's SLV-III
Power Sector Utilities participated in the successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in
event. near-Earth orbit leading to the country
• The Objective of the exercise was to becoming a member of the exclusive Space
“Recognize, Analyse & Respond to Cyber Club.
Incidents in IT & OT Systems”.
• Theme: “Defending Cyber induced disruption in • He also headed the projects Devil and
IT & OT infrastructure” Valiant which had the aim of developing
• Exercise “PowerEX” was successful in meeting ballistic missiles using the technology behind
its objectives and helped the participants to the successful SLV program.
learn, practice and respond to cyber security • He played a major role in heading the Pokhran-
incidents. II nuclear testing, leading to him being known
as the best nuclear scientist in the country at
17.9. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Birth Anniversary that time.
Why In News? o The nuclear testing under the supervision of

Kalam during the period of July 1992 to
December 1999 made India a nuclear-armed
• The Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to
state.
Ex-President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his 91st
• He developed a cost-effective coronary stent
birth anniversary.
'Kalam-Raju Stent' which helped in making
healthcare accessible to all.
About Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
• Awards to honour him: For his work in the
• He was one of India's leading scientists and He stream of science and politics, the 11th
was India's president between 2002-07. President was also awarded India's highest
• He was also called the "People's President" as civilian honour or the Bharat Ratna.
the demands of the highest office did not dim • Death: He breathed his last on July 27, 2015,
his zeal to meet with people, especially while delivering a lecture at the Indian
students Institute of Management Shillong when he
• Contribution: He contributed to the collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest.
development of the country in different • Legacy: His contributions are still
spheres. remembered as some of the best scientific
o He worked with India's two major space and technological developments in the
research organisations - Defence country.
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space 17.10. Rythu Bharosa Kendras
Research Organisation (ISRO).
o His work in the development and
operationalisation of Indigenous guided Why In News?
missiles - AGNI and PRITHVI - earned
him the title of the 'Missile Man of An Ethiopian delegation is in Andhra Pradesh (AP) to
India. study the first-of-its kind Rythu Bharosa Kendras
o He directed the project to develop
(RBKs), which have been set up by the Y S Jagan
Mohan Reddy government.
India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle
(SLV).
About Rythu Bharosa Kendras
▪ Dr Kalam's over 10-year-long
hard work as the project director
• They are set up for the first time in the country
for the development of the
and they are unique seeds-to-sales, single-
indigenous Satellite Launch window service centres for farmers that have
Vehicle at ISRO led to the been set up across the state.
ground-breaking scientific • They are a one-stop solution to all farmers’ needs
development. and grievances.
M.S.Shashank
• The Centre has recently nominated the RBK • Potential uses will be in the areas of launching
concept for the Food and Agriculture communication satellites, deep space missions,
Organisation’s “Champion’’ award. future human spaceflight and cargo missions.
• Features : They sell pre-tested quality seeds,
certified fertilisers and animal feed.
17.12. Snow Leopard
o Farmers can purchase or hire farm
equipment, and even sell their produce at
the prevailing MSP in the RBKs. Why In News?
o They also provide services like soil testing • Recently ,it has been observed that the Snow
and make recommendations — on which leopard has never been spotted nor recorded in
crops to sow, and quantity and type of the Namdapha National Park and Tiger
fertiliser to be used. Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang
o They also assist in selling their produce at district.
MSPs, through supporting systems of e- About Snow Leopard
cropping, geo-tagging, and the CM App
through which payments are made to • Scientific Name : Panthera uncia
farmers. • The snow leopard has a beautiful, spotted coat,
• Benefits : They facilitate interaction between thick enough to insulate them from the cold.
farmers, agriculture scientists, and agriculture • Snow leopards are solitary creatures, and skillful
extension officers right at the village level. Apart predators, able to kill prey up to three times their
from providing services and items for sale, RBK own weight in challenging terrain
officials demonstrate new farm equipment and • Distribution :They are sparsely distributed across
provide training to farmers. 12 countries in central Asia, from southern Russia
o The RBKs have been responsible for down to the Tibetan plateau, including Mongolia,
elimination of spurious seeds and China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal.
uncertified and dangerous fertilisers, • Threats: the loss of natural prey species,
which can cause crop damage and retaliatory killing due to conflict with humans and
failures. illegal trade of its fur and bones.
• Conservation : Classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the
17.11. ISRO’s Next-Gen Launch Vehicle International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) Red list and listed in Schedule-I species of
the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Why In News?
17.13. India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is
developing a Next-Gen Launch Vehicle (NGLV). (IBSAMAR)
About Next-Gen Launch Vehicle Why In News?
• In NGLV, ISRO is understood to be looking at a • Recently, the 7th edition of India-Brazil-South

cost-efficient, three-stage to orbit, reusable Africa Maritime (IBSAMAR) was held at Port
heavy-lift vehicle with a payload capability of Gqeberha (also known as Port Elizabeth) in South
ten tonnes to Geostationary Transfer Orbit Africa.
(GTO).
IBSAMAR
• NGLV will feature semi-cryogenic propulsion
(refined kerosene as fuel with liquid oxygen
• About:
(LOX) as oxidiser) for the booster stages which
o It is a joint Multinational Maritime Exercise
is cheaper and efficient
between the Indian, Brazilian and South
• NGLV will feature a simple, robust design which
African Navies currently being held in South
allows bulk manufacturing, modularity in Africa.
systems, sub-systems and stages and minimal o The first trilateral naval drill of IBSA was
turnaround time. initiated in 2006.
M.S.Shashank
o The Sixth edition of IBSAMAR was conducted • But, the country was growing rapidly and the
off Simons Town, South Africa in 2018. postal network had to keep pace.
• Objective: • The PIN code was meant to ease the process of
o The objectives of the exercise included mail sorting and delivery in a country where
strengthening maritime relations, promoting different places, often, have the same or similar
joint operational military training, combating names, and letters are written in a wide variety of
maritime crimes, securing Sea Lines of languages.
Communication and enhancing • Postal zones: There are nine postal zones in India,
interoperability to pursue common including eight regional zones and one functional
evolutions at sea. zone (for the Indian Army).
• Indian representation
o The Indian Navy was represented in it by the 17.15. Great Indian Bustards
guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash, a Chetak
helicopter and MARCOS Special Forces.
Why In News?
Importance of the drill
The recent sighting of three Great Indian Bustards
• China Factor: In view of China’s growing presence (GIBs) deep in Pakistan’s Cholistan desert has given
across the global waters, naval cooperation and rise to speculation that it might have flown across the
maritime security have been identified by the international border from India’s Desert National Park
IBSA as important sectors to further deepen the (DNP).
cooperation.
• Strategic relationship: Such multinational drills About Great Indian Bustards
exemplify the long term strategic relationship
between three vibrant democracies, and strong • Science Name: Ardeotis nigriceps
economies. • It is one of the rarest birds in the world and is the
State bird of Rajasthan
17.14. Golden Jubilee of PIN Code • Its population of about 150 in Rajasthan accounts
for 95% of its total world population.
• Habitat: It inhabits arid and semi-arid
In Context grasslands with scattered short scrub, bushes and
low intensity cultivation in flat or gently
• Commemorative Postage Stamp was released on undulating terrain.
the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of PIN Code. o Birds congregate in traditional less
disturbed grassland patches to breed
About during mid-summer and monsoon.
• Conservation Efforts: It is listed as Critically
• PIN code or a Postal Index Number in India is a six- Endangered because it has an extremely small
digit numeric code in the Indian Postal system. population that has undergone an extremely
• It was introduced on 15 August 1972 by the then rapid decline owing to a multitude of threats
Additional Secretary in the Ministry of including habitat loss and degradation, hunting
Communications, Shriram Bhikaji. and direct disturbance.
o It is listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972, thereby, according
to its highest degree of legal protection
from hunting.
17.16. Pokkali Rice

Why was the PIN code introduced?
About
• According to the Department of Posts, there were
23,344 post offices in India at the time of • Pokkali is an heritage heirloom rice
Independence. crop cultivated in the coastal regions of Kerala,
M.S.Shashank
including Ezhikkara, Ernakulam, and supported • It is made using an alcoholic fermentation method
by Palliyakal Cooperative Service Bank (PCSB). called parallel multiple fermentation.
• Pokkali is an ancient farming practice where one • Other tasks involved in its creation include koji
season of rice farming is alternated with another making, starter culture-making, mash-making,
season of prawn culture. pressing, heat sterilization, and bottling.
o The prawn seedlings, which swim in from • It is consumed mainly during special occasions like
the sea and the backwaters after the rice festivals, weddings, or funerals, besides being
harvest, feed on the leftovers of the used for daily consumption.
harvested crop. • This alcoholic beverage is an integral part of
• The rice crop, which gets no other fertiliser or Japanese culture and lifestyle.
manure, draws nutrients from the prawns’
excrement and other remnants. 17.18. Asia’s largest Compressed Bio Gas plant
• Rice farming and prawn farming are mutually
complementary.
• Pokkali has an excellent gene pool which is very Why in News?
useful for salinity tolerance. • Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Hardeep Singh Puri recently inaugurated Asia’s
History largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in
• The story of Pokkali begins with a great flood that Lehragaga, Punjab.
washed the seeds of this prolific grain from the
Western Ghats to the low lying saline plains. More Details:
• There she evolved as a strong contender against • The compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga
the ravages of nature, to nurture the communities was constructed at the cost of Rs.230 crore over
that lived harmoniously with the farming of 20 acres of land.
Pokkali. • The project was commissioned with a foreign
• Pokkali is the oldest variety of rice in Kerala which direct investment (FDI) of Verbio AG – one of the
has a tradition of at least 3000 years in rice leading bio-energy companies in Germany.
cultivation. • The CBG plant is currently capable of processing 6
• It is also among the oldest known crops tonnes of paddy straw each day. This capacity will
cultivated by organic farming methodologies in later be expanded to 300 tonnes of paddy straw
the world. per day to produce 33 TPD of compressed biogas
using eight digesters of 10,000 cubic meters.
17.17. Nihonshu • It will address the issue of stubble burning in the
state.
• The CBG plant will consume 100,000 tonnes of
Why in News? paddy straw, which will be procured from 6 to 8
• The Embassy of Japan applied for a GI tag for satellite locations within a 10 km radius of the
nihonshu, also known as Japanese sake. plant.
• It will produce 600-650 Tons of FOM (fermented
More Details: organic manure) each day. The manure will be
used for organic farming.
• Recently, Japan sought a Geographical Indication • The plant will provide direct employment to 390
(GI) tag for the first time in India. people and indirect employment to 585 people.
• The Japanese Embassy in New Delhi applied for a • This project will increase the income of farmers in
GI tag for nihonshu (Japanese sake) at the the Sangrur district.
Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai. • It will prevent stubble burning on 40,000 – 45,000
• Japanese sake is a valuable beverage made from acres of land. This will cut down 150,000 tons of
the fermentation of rice. carbon dioxide emissions each year.
• It is made using three main raw materials – rice, a • The new CBG plant is a step towards achieving the
type of fungal spore known as koji-kin, and water. goals of the Sustainable Alternative Towards
• The rice and Koji used in the beverage must Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme.
originate from Japan.

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CURRE

NOVEMBER - 2022 Current Affairs

1. Polity & Governance ...............................................................................6

3. International Relations ......................................................................... 32

4. Science & Technology ........................................................................... 43

5. Social Issues & Justice ........................................................................... 50

10. Internal Security ................................................................................... 73

11. Geography & Disaster Management ..................................................... 75

12. History- Art & Culture ........................................................................... 80

14. Government Initiatives ......................................................................... 86

15. Persons & Appointments ...................................................................... 88

16. Important Days ..................................................................................... 91

17. Miscellaneous ....................................................................................... 94

1. Polity & Governance

• Ambiguous and vague declarations by • Election Commission of India's Model Code of

• Bijoe Emmanuel and others vs. State of Kerala Conclusion:

• The court’s “purposive interpretation” states

• It was formed to replace the existing

• As in the World Population Prospects 2022, India

Increasing Role of Big Techs: Data Privacy Issues:

• India suffers from ‘regulatory cholesterol’ that is • As continuing improvement in business

Tax issues 2.9. Global Multidimensional Poverty

Lack of planning and understanding Improvements:

• As many as 41.5 crore people exited poverty in

Challenges: Way Ahead

• Going forward, the DBT approach is expected to

Significance of the Bay The prevailing issues and challenges

• Bitter Past: Way forward

4. Science & Technology

Key Highlights: Need for Scientific and technological progress:

4. Cultivation of human capital: • For India to become a developed country by its

Significance • It opens new avenues for star formation

Space industry in India: sharing of technical facilities and expertise

• New Space India Limited: Way Forward:

5. Social Issues & Justice

Why in News? What are the benefits of FPC?

• While FPCs may not appear lucrative in the

activity for an FPC to sustain its knowledge exchange visits, or

• FPOs have the potential to be change agents in • Climate-related risks

inputs for farmers in the long term, o Due to changes in consumption

Cooperative Societies, FPOs and a complementary mode with CRM machines,

• The Government of India has set a new target

National Clean Air Programme(NCAP)

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was

Target under NCAP: 9.2. Reverse Desertification of Land Across

Why in News? • In 2019, the government raised its target of

• It is the sole legally binding international 3) National Afforestation Program:

Land Degradation Neutrality(LDN) fund: 5) Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP):

9.3. Living Planet Report 2022

• In just over 50 years, there has been a 69%

o The global abundance of 18 of 31 oceanic o The overexploitation of plants and

and the planet. In December 2022 at the UN Lead Poisoning

• Particulate matter (PM) are inhalable and Why in News?

9.6. New Species of Genus Allmania

10. Internal Security

Indigenisation Lists, comprising o Other prominent categories include

the space value chain, especially Historical Linkages

11. Geography & Disaster Management

• The IMD predicted rainfall to be normal or range