February, 2023

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MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC CSE

 Contents

Polity and Governance 5

y Constitutional Issues / Parliament 9
⚪ Vacant Deputy Speaker Post- Govt not keen to fill up 9
⚪ Parliament Records Expunction and Article 105 9
⚪ Designated Survivor to replace USA President 11
⚪ New Legislation: 11
 AMASR (Amendment) Bill - redefining Ancient Monuments 11
 Draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics Bill 12
y Rights Issues 13
⚪ Child Marriages in Assam 13
⚪ Special Marriage Act 14
⚪ Euthanasia Guidelines by Supreme Court 15
⚪ Menstrual Leave in Spain 16
y Federal Issues 17
⚪ Visakhapatnam as A.P. Capital 17
⚪ Sikkimese-Nepalese as Persons of ‘Foreign Origin’ 18
⚪ Renaming of Central Government Schemes- Ayushman Bharat clinic vs Aam Aadmi clinic 19
⚪ BIMARU States 19
⚪ State Anthem of Maharashtra 20
y Elections 20
⚪ Voter-tracking MoUs by ECI 20
⚪ Symbol of Political Party- Shiv Sena ruling by ECI 21
y Judiciary 22
⚪ HC Additional Judge- controversy against appointment 22
⚪ Mandatory minimum sentencing 23
⚪ AI-Powered Surveillance System 24
y Governance 25
⚪ DGP appointment controversy in Nagaland 25
⚪ Aarogya Setu data deleted 25
⚪ Organ Donor Age limit reforms 25
⚪ Supreme Court AI-Aided Transcript 26
y Media Regulation/ Social Media 27
⚪ Journalist Source disclosure 27

2 Contents
 ⚪ Media Censorship Provisions in India: Ban on BBC Documentary and 200+ Apps, Websites
28
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 29

Economy 32
y Money, Banking, Finance 33
⚪ RBI Monetary Policy Review (2023-Feb) 33
⚪ Licence to new Online Payment Aggregators 34
⚪ QR Code-Based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) 34
⚪ T +1 settlement cycle 35
⚪ UPI goes Global - ties with Singapore’s PayNow 35
⚪ AT1 Bonds of Yes Bank: write-off controversy 36
⚪ G20 tourists can use UPI at Indian airports 37
⚪ Andhra Pradesh’s Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) 37
⚪ Higher Pension option in EPFO 38
y Govt Budgeting, Taxation and GST 39
⚪ GST Appellate Tribunal 39
⚪ Delay in GST compensation bcoz States not submitting docs to Union 39
⚪ Government e-Marketplace (GeM) PORTAL transaction to reach Rs 2L Cr 40
y Balance of Payments and International Trade 40
⚪ (TATA) Air India 470 planes order 40
y Sectors of the Economy, GDP, Inflation 41
⚪ ICAR’s new wheat variety 41
⚪ MIIRA (Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness) 41
y Infrastructure and Energy 43
⚪ Lithium deposits in J&K 43
⚪ Vibrant Villages Programme for Infra Development at Northern border 43
⚪ Jal Jeevan Mission 44
y Budget 2023-24 Summary 45
y Economic Survey Summary 51
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 64

IR and Defence 66
y India and Neighbours 67
⚪ Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan 67
y India and World 68
⚪ India - Egypt Relations 68

Contents 3
 ⚪ Operation Dost: Turkey earthquake relief by India 69
y Security Issues 70
⚪ Chinese High Altitude Balloon shot down by USA 70
y Defence 71
⚪ Indian Field Gun (IFG) 71
⚪ LCA landing on Vikrant 71
⚪ HAL’s new helicopter unit 71
⚪ Sniffing Robot 72
⚪ India-US Exercise Tarkash 72
⚪ Aero India 2023 show at Bengaluru 72
y International Organizations, Conferences, Agreements 73
⚪ Raisina Dialogue 2023 for diplomacy 73
⚪ Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) 74
⚪ India-France-UAE Trilateral Collaboration 74
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 75

Geography and Environment 76

y Geography and Disasters 77
⚪ Earthquake in Turkey and Syria 77
⚪ Earth’s inner core rotating slower: study 79
⚪ Polar Vortex 80
⚪ North Star 81
⚪ Unusual February Heat 81
y Flora and Fauna 82
⚪ Mass mortality of Olive Ridley turtles 82
⚪ Red Sanders 83
⚪ Zoo inside Bharatpur Sanctuary 84
⚪ Poaching of Pangolins 84
y Schemes and Initiatives 85
⚪ Green India Mission progress- RTI 85
⚪ Environment new schemes- MISHTI, PM PRANAM, Amrit Dharohar 87
⚪ Global Climate Resilience Fund- by SEWA 87
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 88

Science and Tech 90

y Healthcare and Biotech 91
⚪ Norovirus 91

4 Contents
 ⚪ Immunity Imprinting 91
⚪ TAWS 16 92
y Information Technology 92
⚪ Bharat OS 92
⚪ Google Bard vs Microsoft’s ChatGPT 93
⚪ MicroLED Display- Apply in-house Mfg 93
⚪ BHASHINI AI for content translation for Farmers 94
y Space / Atomic Technology 94
⚪ Dark Sky Reserve 94
⚪ Subatomic Particles for Studying Structures 95
⚪ ISRO SSLV-D2 launch 95
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 96

History and Culture 98

y Major Events 99
⚪ Aadi Mahotsav tribal handloom fair at Delhi 99
⚪ ICHR’s Prakalp initiative for historical research 99
y Culture 100
⚪ Etikoppaka wooden toy craft 100
⚪ Kashmir’s Pashmina Shawls 100
⚪ Jatar Deul 101
⚪ Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas 101
⚪ Mughal Garden- Amrit Udyan 102
⚪ Pen Monument 102
⚪ Vishwa Bharti University 103
y This day in history 104
y MCQs and Probable Mains Questions 106

Ethics/ Essay 108

y Conduct of officers on Social Media 109
y Cancel Culture- modifying old literature to fit new sensibilities 110

PIN-GK 112
y Places / People in News 113
⚪ Solomon Islands 113
⚪ UP Cow sanctuary 114
⚪ Youtube CEO 114

Contents 5
 ⚪ Smriti Mandhana 114
⚪ Nikki Haley to contest US Prez election 114
⚪ International Mother Language Day 114
⚪ New CEO of NITI Aayog 115
⚪ Parvez Musharraf 115
⚪ Vani Jairam 115
⚪ Prabhakaran and LTTE 115
y Awards 115
⚪ Padma Awards 115
⚪ Kirti Awards 117
⚪ Khelo India winter games 117
⚪ India women U19 T20 world cup 118
⚪ Germany wins hockey WC in Bhubaneshwar 118
⚪ Grammy Awards 118
⚪ Australian Open 2023 118
y MCQs 119

6 Contents
Contents 7
POLITY IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES / PARLIAMENT

RIGHTS ISSUES

FEDERAL ISSUES

ELECTIONS

JUDICIARY

GOVERNANCE

MEDIA REGULATION/ SOCIAL MEDIA

LEARN POLITY FROM THE BEST EDUCATORS

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 1 Polity and Governance

Constitutional Issues / Parliament

Vacant Deputy Speaker Post- Govt not keen to fill up
The Post of Deputy Speaker:
y Article 93: the Lok Sabha shall have a Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Constitutional
y Article 178 creates the same positions for Legislative Assemblies of
Provision
States.
y The Constitution does not lay down a specific time frame.
Election y It is held “on such date as the Speaker may fix”. (Rule 8 of The Rules
of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha).
y To perform duties of the office of the Speaker when it is vacant.
Duties (Article 95)
y The speaker resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker.
y Same as the Speaker when presiding over a sitting of the House.
Powers y Deputy Speaker is not subordinate to the Speaker.
y He is directly responsible to the House.

Why in the news?

The Supreme Court issued notices to the Center and five states for not electing Deputy Speaker
in the Lok Sabha and in their respective legislatures, as it is “against the letter and spirit of the
Constitution”.

Opinion of the Union Government: on the ground of any alleged irregularity of

y There is no “immediate requirement” for a procedure.”
Deputy Speaker as “bills are being passed y However, experts opine that the constitution
and discussions are being held” as usual in does not envisage such a delay, and the
the House. court is right to act.
y A panel of nine members selected from News Source: Indian Express
different parties is also present, and they
act as chairpersons to assist the Speaker Parliament Records Expunction and Article
to run the House. 105
Why in news?
The intervention of the judiciary: Portions of the Congress leader’s speech
y Courts usually don’t intervene in the delivered in Lok Sabha have been expunged
procedural conduct of Parliament. (removed) from the records of Parliament by
y Article 122: “The validity of any proceedings the orders of the Speaker.
in Parliament shall not be called in question

Polity and Governance 9

 Expunging and its rules: houses, but they may have been heard
y Under Article 105(2) of the Constitution, during the live telecast of the proceedings.
MPs can’t be held liable in court for y However, the growth of social media and
speeches during Parliamentary proceedings instant messaging has made it difficult to
but they are subjected to disciplinary rules. enforce expunction orders.
y Rule 380 and Rule 381 (“Expunction”)
of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct More about the news:
of Business in Lok Sabha empower the y Opposition leader wrote a letter to the Vice
Speaker to decide what parts of speech President of India regarding exclusion of
or text are unparliamentary and should be parts of speech from Motion of Thanks to
expunged. President.
y Expunged portions can no longer be found y Certain allegations made in the house by
in the records of Parliament. opposition leaders were removed from the
y They can no longer be reported by media official record.

Key Provisions of Article-105: Judge of the Supreme Court or of a High

y Article 105 is related to the powers and Court”.
privileges of the Houses of Parliament and y The Government of India Act of 1935
of the members and committees. introduced this clause in India.
y This privilege is also available to the y No person shall be so liable in respect of
Attorney General of India or a Minister who the publication by or under the authority
is not a member of the House. of either House of Parliament of any report,
y Article 121 prohibits any discussion in paper, vote, or proceedings.
Parliament regarding the “behaviour of any Source: The Indian Express

10 Polity and Governance

Designated Survivor to replace USA President

Why in news? y It considers the theoretical possibility of

A senior US official Marty Walsh was chosen as a catastrophic disaster at the venue of
“Designated Survivor” to take charge in case the State of the Union Address, which is
any unforeseen disaster comes for the State of attended by nearly every top official and
the Union Address in the USA where almost all judge.
the top leaders of USA are present. y A designated survivor ensures continuity of
government in case of such a disaster.
What is the State of the Union Address? y So basically Designated Survivor can be
As per the US Constitution, the President understood as one person who is selected
informs the Congress about the works and to lead the government of USA if whole
developments in the country, and recommends top leadership is wiped out in any natural
measures which he feels necessary. disaster or attack etc.
News Source: Indian Express
More about the Designated Survivor:

New Legislation
AMASR (Amendment) Bill - redefining Ancient Monuments

Polity and Governance 11

 About the Ancient Monuments and Why in the news?
Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958): The government is set to re-introduce the
y Provides for the preservation of ancient and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites
historical monuments and archaeological and Remains (AMASR) (Amendment) Bill in
sites. Parliament.
y Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) functions
under the provisions of this act. Proposed provisions in the bill:
y Bans construction work in a ‘prohibited y A new definition of ‘monument’ may be
area’ of 100 meters around a monument. introduced.
y Examples of ancient monuments of national y Redefining the phrase ‘national importance’
importance: Ajanta Caves, Taj Mahal, Sanchi of any monument for better clarity.
Stupa, etc. y Proposed changes in 100 year benachmark:

Before After

y Presently, one criterion is that a monument y So, this benchmark may be increased.
has to be at least 100 years old.
y However, most ‘100-year-old monuments’
are from the British era, which are not
actually ‘ancient’.
y Prohibition on construction activity:

Before After

y There is a uniform limit of 100-metre radius y Flexibility may be introduced.

prohibited area around all monuments.
y Instead of a single limit, site-specific limits
y An area up to 200-metre radius beyond may be introduced depending upon needs
the prohibited area is demarcated as a at every monument.
regulated area. y
Year: So, this benchmark may be increased.

Denotification of monuments:
y As of now, the Act provides for the de-notification of a monument if it ceases to be of national
importance.
y The ASI has 3,695 centrally protected monuments under its watch.
y With the above changes, many monuments are likely to lose protection under ASI.
News source: Indian Express

Draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics Bill

12 Polity and Governance

 Need of the Bill:
Geo Heritage
y Despite identifying important sites, there
y Geoheritage sites are defined as sites
are concerns over their preservation.
containing geo-relics and geological
y The sites are increasingly threatened by the
structures including caves, natural rock-
natural causes of decay.
sculptures of national and international
y Population pressure and changing social
interest.
and economic conditions are aggravating
the situation.
What is Geo Relics?
y A geo-relic is defined as any relic or
Criticism of the Bill:
material of geological significance or
y The GSI has been given sweeping powers
interest, like sediments, rocks, minerals,
under the bill for site identification.
meteorites, or fossils.
y When the Union govt tries to do land
y There are 32 geo-heritage sites spread
acquisition it causes problems with the
across 13 states in India.
local community.
y Example: the Volcanogenic bedded
News Source: Indian Express
Barytes of Mangampeta in the Cuddapah
district of Andhra Pradesh, the Akal Fossil
Rights Issues
Wood Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, etc.
Child Marriages in Assam
Why in the news? Why in news?
The Ministry of Mines notified draft Geo- Assam arrested over 3000 people in cases
heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and related to child marriages under the provisions
Maintenance) Bill. of POCSO Act and the Prohibition of Child
Marriage Act.

About the acts:

POCSO Act, 2012 Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006

y It criminalises sexual abuse of children y The Act fixes 18 years as the minimum
under the age of 18. marriage age for women, while for men it
y In case of child marriage, the Posco Act is is 21 years.
triggered if the bride is below the age of 14. y It forbids child marriages in India for all its
y It recognises non-bailable, cognisable citizens.
offence which means that the police can y It has provisions for punishment of 2 years
make an arrest without warrant. or fine up to 1 lakh rupees or both.
y The PCMA Amendment Bill 2021 seeks to
increase the minimum age of marriage of
females to 21 years.

Polity and Governance 13

 Reasons for Child Marriages:

Image Source: Factly.in

y 40% of the world’s child marriages take Special Marriage Act

place in India according to the National
Why in the news?
Family Health Survey.
Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar married
y India has the 14th highest rate of child
recently under the provisions of the Special
marriage in the world, according to the
Marriage Act 1954.
International Center for Research on
Women.
What is the Special Marriage Act?
y It is a law that governs a civil marriage
Concerns associated with such steps:
where the state sanctions the marriage
y It may shift all the activities underground,
rather than religion.
making children more unsafe.
y This enables inter-faith or inter-caste
y Sole breadwinners of their families have
marriages.
been arrested leading to crisis in the family.
y The persons do not have to give up their
y Opposition parties have termed the police
religious identity or undergo conversion.
action as steps to “terrorise people”.
Applicability and conditions:
Steps Taken to reduce Child Marriage in India:
y Extends to all people irrespective of religion.
y Framing laws against child marriages and
y Age limit is 21 years for males and 18 years
strict implementation.
for females.
y Increasing access to girls’ education and
y Parties to the marriage have to give a notice
providing young women with economic
to a ‘Marriage Officer’ in the district.
opportunities.
y At least one of the parties must have
y Enabling NGOs and civil society
resided for at least 30 days immediately
organisations for outreach, education and
preceding the notice in the same district.
last mile connectivity.
y Upon completion of procedures, they will
News Source: Indian Express
be given a certificate of marriage.

14 Polity and Governance

Other notable features: Euthanasia Guidelines by Supreme Court
y Once a person gets married under SMA,
he/she is considered severed from the
family in terms of rights like the right to
inheritance means a person can no longer
claim inheritance in family property etc.
y It forbids polygamy (more than one spouse/
marriage) and declares a marriage null
and void if either party has a living spouse
already.
News source: Indian Express

Definitions:
Euthanasia y Practice where a person deliberately ends their life. It is often done to
get relief from incurable diseases and end pain or suffering.
Active Euthanasia y Use of substances or lethal injections to end life, i.e. an ‘active attempt
to end life’.
Passive Euthanasia y Withdrawal of life support systems that were essential for survival.
Living Will y Written document that specifies the action to be taken in case the
person is unable to take their own decisions in future.

Why in the news? y 1996: SC overturned above decision. Right

The Supreme Court has relaxed certain to Life (Article 21) doesn’t include right to
guidelines for ‘advance medical directive’ die. It also recommended legislation in the
that it earlier gave in 2018 concerning passive matter.
euthanasia. y 2011: SC allowed passive euthanasia for
Aruna Shanbaug on a situational basis.
Developments in India: y 2018: Supreme Court in Common Cause vs.
y 1994: constitutional validity of Section 309 Union of India allowed passive euthanasia
of the IPC (criminalises attempt to suicide) and laid down guidelines, pending legislation
was questioned. The Supreme Court by Parliament.
suggested removing the provision from IPC. y 2023: Earlier guidelines are relaxed due to
cumbersome procedures.
Changes brought by the Supreme Court:

Requirement 2018 guidelines 2023 relaxed guidelines

y Countersign by Judicial y Yes y No; a gazetted officer

Magistrate of First Class can also sign
y Medical boards formed y Two; separate by hospital y Two; both by hospital
and collector
y Experience of Medical Board y Min. 20 yrs y Min. 5 yrs
members
y Time limit for decision by board y Not specified y 48 hrs
y Appeal to High Court by kin y No y Yes

Polity and Governance 15

 A global perspective:

Country Provision

USA y Variation across states; Washington, Oregon, and Montana etc.

allow euthanasia
UK y Euthanasia Illegal, equivalent to manslaughter
Switzerland y Euthanasia banned, but assisted dying in presence of doctor
allowed
Canada y Proposal to allow for mentally ill patients; Decision pending
Netherlands, Luxembourg, y Euthanasia allowed
Belgium
News Source: Indian Express

Menstrual Leave in Spain Initiatives in other countries:

y Japan, Zambia, Taiwan and Indonesia have
Why in the news?
some similar policies.
Spain has become the first European country
y Scotland passed a bill giving legal right to
to introduce paid menstrual leaves.
free access to sanitary products in public
buildings.
More about the policy:
y New Zealand had announced free sanitary
y Women will get monthly paid leaves of three
products for all schoolgirls to address
to five days after showing a doctor’s note.
‘period poverty’.
y The government will pay the bills to
y Many states in India, like Rajasthan and
employers for this leave.
Karnataka are providing free sanitary
y Free menstrual hygiene products would
napkins to women and girls.
be made available in educational centres,
y Jan Aushadhi Suvidha sanitary napkins are
prisons, and social centres, as per the law.
provided by the Union government.

Period poverty concept

y It refers to the lack of access to safe, hygienic and affordable menstrual products.
y As per UNICEF, period poverty can lead to severe physical health problems, stigma and
gender discrimination.
News source: Indian Express

Federal Issues

Visakhapatnam as A.P. Capital

Why in the news?
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh declared that Visakhapatnam would shortly become the
capital city of the state.

A timeline of events:
2014 y Erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh bifurcated into Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana.

16 Polity and Governance

 2020- 2022 y There was bickering among parties over the issue of single or multiple
capitals.
y The matter went to High Court and ultimately Supreme Court.
2023 y Supreme Court stayed the High Court order for developing Amaravati as the
only capital.
y Andhra Pradesh CM announced intent to go ahead and develop
Visakhapatnam as Capital.
y Home Ministry responded in Parliament that Amaravati is still the capital
of Andhra Pradesh as per the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014, which had been
notified by the State government in 2015.
y It further said that the proposal of multiple capitals has not been consulted
with the Union Government.

Practical problems in this model:

y No guaranteed development: The Assembly meets only after gaps of several months and by
itself does not raise economic activity.
y Logistics challenge: Coordinating between seats of the legislature and executive in separate
cities.
y Huge costs on exchequer: Visakhapatnam is 700 km from Kurnool, and 400 km from Amaravati,
incurring huge movement.

Other examples of multiple/ decentralized capital cities:

In India:
Maharashtra y Mumbai and Nagpur (which holds the winter session of state
assembly)
Himachal Pradesh y Shimla and Dharamshala (the winter capital).
Jammu & Kashmir y Srinagar is the summer capital, whereas Jammu is the winter
capital.

Polity and Governance 17

 Globally:
South Africa y Pretoria (Legislative), Cape Town (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judicial)

Bolivia y Sucre (Legislative), La Paz (Executive)

Benin y Porto Novo (Official Capital), Cotonou (Judicial seat)
Cote D’ Ivory y Yamoussoukro(Official capital), Abidjan (Seat of the executive)
News Source: The Hindu

Sikkimese-Nepalese as Persons of ‘Foreign Origin’

Why in the news?
There have been protests in Sikkim after a recent SC judgement referred to Sikkimese-Nepalis as
people of “foreign origin”.

What was the case?

Before After

y Before this judgement, the tax exemption y The Supreme Court held that the benefit
excluded “old Indian settlers”, who had of tax exemption shall be extended to all
permanently settled in Sikkim before the Sikkimese people. (Association of Old
merger of the state into the Indian union on Settlers of Sikkim vs Union of India).
April 26, 1975.

What did SC do after this?

y The court agreed to delete the portion “persons of foreign origin settled in Sikkim like the
Nepalis” from the verdict.
y However Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta urged the court to delete the entire sentence.

History of Sikkim:
1642-1890 y Sikkim was a Buddhist kingdom under the Namgyal-Chogyal dynasty.
y Sikkim became a British protectorate, and was gradually granted
1890-1947
more sovereignty over the next few decades.
y India became independent and the popular vote in Sikkim rejected
1947-1975 joining the Indian Union.
y So India continued a special protectorate status for Sikkim.
y The Prime Minister of Sikkim appealed to the Indian Parliament for
1975- present Sikkim to become a state of India.
y It became the 22nd state via the 36th Amendment Act 1975.
News Source: Indian Express and sikkim.ch

18 Polity and Governance

Renaming of Central Government Schemes- Ayushman Bharat clinic vs Aam Aadmi clinic
Types of Schemes:

Centrally Sponsored
Scheme Central Sector Schemes State Schemes
Schemes

Funding Union Govt Both Union and State State Govt

Govt;
Ratio- 60:40, 90:10 etc.
Implementation Union Govt State Govt State Govt
Example PM Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, Eg- Jai Bangla
Yojana, etc. PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Pension Scheme.
etc.

Why in the news?

The Union Health Minister in Lok Sabha said BIMARU States

that Centre would be forced to close down
Why in the news?
schemes if state governments continue to
Recently the term BIMARU came in news when
rename the schemes at will.
the PM pointed it out in a rally.

More about the news:

y The Health and Wellness Centre scheme
was launched under the Ayushman Bharat
programme (a centrally sponsored scheme),
running on 60: 40 contribution.
y The Punjab government has reportedly
renamed the scheme as Aam Aadmi Clinics
instead of Ayushman Bharat Health and
Wellness Centres (AB­HWCs).
y Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala are
also not compliant with standard designs
as per MoU between the centre and states.
News Source: Indian Express

Polity and Governance 19

 Key Points: Key point:
y ‘BIMARU’ acronym has been used to refer
Composer y Raja Bade
to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh. Music y Srinivas Khale
y It includes today’s Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh Time Played y After the National
and Uttarakhand. Anthem at all official
y These states have lagged in terms of buildings and schools
economic growth, healthcare and education. Indian States and state songs:
y The term was coined by Ashish Bose, a y Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
demographer. Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Source: Indian Express Manipur, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu,
and Uttarakhand, have their official state
State Anthem of Maharashtra
song.
Why in the News? y Assam was the very first state to announce
y Recently the Maharashtra state cabinet a state song before independence and after
declared ‘Jai Jai Maharashtra Maza’ will be independence, Andhra Pradesh was the
the state’s official song from 19th February very first state to announce its state song.
2023.

Some Facts about National Anthem

y 1911: The ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
y The song’s original composition was in Bengali with many Sanskrit words in it.
y First sung in 1911 during the annual conference of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta.
y Rabindranath Tagore first translated ‘Jana Gana Mana’ into English in 1919 in Madanapalle,
Andhra Pradesh.
y January 24, 1950: the song was embraced in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly of
India and officially declared as the ‘National Anthem of India’.
y The official version of the National Anthem should take 52 seconds by law.
y An abbreviated version of the first and last lines (which takes around 20 seconds) is also
performed occasionally.
Source: The Indian Express

Elections
Voter-tracking MoUs by ECI

20 Polity and Governance

Why in the news? actually vote.
Election Commission of India (ECI) has y A nodal officer had to be appointed to
announced that it will not replicate its initiative ascertain leave availing but non-voting
in the Gujarat elections (December 2022) to employees.
track electoral participation of the workforce, y A special voter awareness drive would be
in the polls in north-eastern states in February. organised for “such non-voting members”.

What was the initiative in Gujarat? What is the criticism of such a move?
y The ECI issued a directive to all government y It was seen as a surveillance drive in the
departments, PSUs, and all corporate name of voter awareness.
entities with more than 500 workers. y Some political outfits termed it as a
y It asked to keep track of how many voters “coercive step towards compulsory voting”.
took leave on election day but didn’t

About Compulsory voting:

y People have the legal right to vote, but voting is not mandatory/
Status in India
compulsory.
y Only a handful of countries like Argentina, Belgium and Brazil have
Global situation
provisions for mandatory voting.
y “Freedom of expression means not only providing voters the right to
Opinion of ECI
vote but also the right to not vote”.
Opinion of Law y The idea of compulsory voting is “expensive, illegitimate and difficult
Commission(2015) to implement” in India.

What is the ECI’s stand?

y The ECI has said that this step was meant to address non-participation of urban voters.
y After protests in Gujarat, now such MoUs/ Agreements will not be signed with individual
organisations.
y Instead of that, existing Voter Awareness Forum initiative (launched in 2019) will be used to
spread awareness in organisations.
News source: Indian Express

Symbol of Political Party- Shivsena ruling by ECI

Polity and Governance 21

 Why in the news? state parties or registered-unrecognised
The Election Commission (EC) of India allotted parties based on Poll performance.
the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the party’s bow and y National party and state party is allotted a
arrow symbol to the group led by Maharashtra symbol exclusively reserved for their use
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. throughout the country and the states
respectively.
How are party symbols allotted?
y The EC is empowered by Election Symbols What did EC say?
(Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 y Uddhav Thackeray faction had referred to
to recognise political parties and allot their party constitution to claim the symbol
symbols. and name.
y The Election Commission registers political y The Election Commission said that the
parties and recognizes them as national / party constitution was “undemocratic”.
News Source: TH

Judiciary
HC Additional Judge- controversy against appointment

Why in the news?

There was a petition in the SC against the appointment of an advocate as an Additional Judge of
the Madras High Court, citing the political background of the advocate.

Permanent Judges Additional Judges Ad-hoc Judges

y They are permanent y They are appointed for y They are retired judges, chosen
appointments in any temporary increase on the basis of their expertise in a
respective high courts. in the business of a High particular field of dispute.
Court or high pendency y Article 224A of the constitution
of work. provides for this.
y The Collegium may y The Chief Justice of a High Court,
also later recommend with the previous consent of the
making him/her a President, requests any retired
permanent judge. judge of the same/different High
Court to sit and act as a judge.

Appointment of Additional Judges:

Article 224 of the Indian Constitution provides for this.

22 Polity and Governance

 Appointment y By the President of India on the recommendation of the SC Collegium.
Duration y Fixed tenure, for a period not exceeding two years.
y The said judge must be under 62 years of age, which is also the age
limit for regular judges of the High Court.
Qualification y Same as a permanent judge of High Courts in India.

Supreme Court’s observations on the petition:

y The Collegium takes the opinion of the candidate judge before an appointment.
y Consultee judges are Supreme Court judges who are originally from the same state High Court.
y The personal political view of a candidate is not a ground for not recommending him or her.

Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

Mandatory minimum sentencing:

y It refers to a sentence/punishment which must be imposed without leaving any discretion
to the court.
y It means that the amount of punishment that cannot be reduced below the fixed period.
y This concept is primarily derived from the Canadian and American legal systems.

Why in the news?

The Supreme Court has decided to examine the constitutional validity of Section 376 DB of the
Indian Penal Code, which prescribes a ‘minimum mandatory sentence’ of life imprisonment or
death.

Mandatory minimum sentencing in India:

y Applicable for certain offences which are considered to be more serious than others.
y Minimum punishment must be given, irrespective of any unique circumstances of the offender/
offence.
y Examples:
⚪ Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act: Minimum 3-5 years jail for sexual
assault against children (Section 8).
⚪ Section 376 DB (IPC) : Imprisonment for rest of their life or a death sentence, for gang rape
of a minor under 12 years.

Polity and Governance 23

 Arguments for this practice: Arguments against it:

y It limits the scope for judicial discretion and y It leads to overcrowding of prisons.
arbitrariness. y It is unfair as not all cases are similar and
y It serves as a deterrent against crime. can have unintended consequences.
y Increased consistency and predictability in y Statistics show that no significant increase
sentencing are possible. in convictions is seen despite an increase
y Reduction in costs associated with lengthy in reported cases.
legal proceedings. y Inflexibility: Mandatory minimum sentences
limit the judge’s ability to reduce a sentence
based on the circumstances or background
of the offender.
News source: Indian Express

AI-Powered Surveillance System

Why in news?
Tihar jail is installing artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CCTV cameras to monitor inmates and fight
crime.

Image Source: The Hindu

More about the news:

y AI-powered CCTV cameras will help detect movements in “dark spots”.
y ‘Dark spots’, according to jail officials are areas where most incidents of assaults and fights take
place, or where prisoners go to access mobile signals and store contraband drugs/weapons.
y The overcrowding of prisons has made monitoring inmates difficult.

Working of AI Camera:
y AI CCTV cameras observe repetitive hand movements, example-movement of assaulting a
person, or action that show a phone call, and automatically trigger alerts to the officers.

24 Polity and Governance

y The cameras will also capture instances of Aarogya Setu Data Deleted
inmates leaving the designated perimeter.
News Source: The Hindu

Governance
DGP appointment controversy in Nagaland
Why in the news?
There is some controversy with appointment of
DGP of Nagaland.

The process of appointing Director General of

Why in the News?
Police(DGP):
In a recent declaration from the Government,
it said that the contact tracing feature of the
y It is done on the basis of the Supreme Court
app has been discontinued and data is deleted.
judgement on police reforms in Prakash
Singh vs Union of India (2006).
More about news:
y UPSC has also made guidelines based on
y Aarogya Setu app uses smartphones’
this judgement.
GPS and Bluetooth functions to detect the
y Steps involved:
infection.
1. The DGP is selected by the State
y It was launched in the year April 2020
Government from three persons
during the first wave of COVID.
recommended by UPSC.
y It aids in detecting whether or not the
2. UPSC recommends these names from
person was in close touch with another
the list of eligible officers sent by the
affected person.
State.
y Concerns: privacy breach and data theft
3. Eligibility criteria: At least 30 years
Source: Business Today
of service, officers’ track record,
performance appraisal, and vigilance Organ Donor Age limit reforms
clearance.
4. This list should be given to UPSC six
months before the incumbent DGP
retires.
5. Empanelment Committee: Headed by
the UPSC chairman, and has the union
home secretary, state chief secretary,
state DGP, and the chief of a central
police organization.
News source: Indian Express Why in news?
The Union Health Ministry has issued new
guidelines that will allow the elderly (above 65)
to register on waiting lists.

Before After

People over 65 age could not receive an organ Age Limit Removed.
from dead donor.

Polity and Governance 25

 More about the news: the Health Ministry has also done away
y NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue with the domicile requirement and fee for
Transplant Organisation): The nodal registration.
agency for issuing guidelines for organ y 2022: In India, organs from deceased donors
and tissue transplant registration in India, accounted for 17.8% of all transplants.
headquartered in Delhi. y Government is working on “One Nation One
y India conducts the third-highest number of Policy” for organ donation.
transplants in the world. News Source: Indian Express
y To increase access to organ transplants,

Supreme Court AI-Aided Transcript

Why in the news?

The apex court created history by using artificial intelligence software to start live transcription of
its hearings.

More about the development:

y The technology was used to translate court arguments into text during live proceedings of the
constitution bench.
y It was developed by a Bangalore-based start-up named TERES.

Before After

Stenographer used to write down proceedings, Using AI, text of the hearing is available by
which took very long time to compile. evening on the same day.

y It helped to release the which earlier used to take much longer.

y It can ensure accountability by ensuring accurate documentation of the statements.
y It will also keep a check on other practices prohibited for judges, like the use of sarcasm.

Steps taken to promote accountability in judiciary:

y E-courts project: It was launched under the National e-Governance Plan for the integration of
ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in Indian judicial functioning.
y Budgetary allocation: Allocation of Rs 7,000 crore in the 2023-24 budget for phase III of the
eCourts Project to enhance judicial institutions and efficiency.
News source: Livemint

26 Polity and Governance

Media Regulation/ Social Media y It is important to safeguard them to avoid
harassment and intimidation.
Disclosing Journalists Sources
y In India. there is no specific legislation that
protects journalists from being asked to
disclose their sources.
y Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees the
right to freedom of speech and expression
to all citizens.
y Investigative agencies can issue notices to
anyone, including journalists, to provide
information.
y Under the Press Council of India (PCI) Act,
of 1978, the Press Council has the powers
of a civil court to deal with complaints
against a newspaper.
⚪ However, the act does not provide PCI
the power to compel any newspaper,
news agency, editor, or journalist to
disclose the source of their news.

Why in news? Recognition by the Supreme Court:

Delhi court ruled that there is no statutory y 2019: In the Rafale case, the SC overruled
exemption for journalists from disclosing their the Centre’s objections to disclose sources.
sources to investigating agencies. y 2021: In the Pegasus case, SC recognized
the protection of sources as one of the
Legal protection for journalistic sources in fundamental conditions for the media to
India: exercise its right to freedom of speech and
y Journalists in their profession derive expression under Article 19.
information from various people.

Note: However, in the absence of a specific law, it is often at the discretion of a court. Courts in
“public interest” asked journalists to disclose their sources.

Position in other countries:

y Contempt of Courts Act protects journalists in certain situations.
United Kingdom y European Court of Human Rights: forcing a journalist to reveal his
source violates his freedom of speech and expression.
y Different levels of protection in different states.
United States y The Supreme Court has held that journalists don’t have a right of
refusal to disclose sources in a federal grand jury proceeding.
y Freedom of the Press Act: protects the rights of journalists.
Sweden y A journalist who reveals his or her source without consent may be
prosecuted on behalf of the source.

Way Forward:
y The Law Commission of India (93rd Report in 1983) recommended to recognize the privilege

Polity and Governance 27

 on the part of a journalist to refuse to disclose the source of information obtained by him in
confidence.
y It suggested to amend the Indian Evidence Act for this, and reiterated this in its 185th report.

Media Censorship Provisions in India: Ban on BBC Documentary and 200+ Apps, Websites

Why in the news?

The government invoked certain emergency provisions from the IT Act and IT Rules 2021:
1. To ban a documentary by the BBC (British Broadcasting Channel). The documentary is based on
the Godhra riots and allegedly portrays the Prime Minister in a poor light.
2. To ban 200 apps involved in online betting and lending activities. These apps had alleged links
to China and provided unauthorised loan services.

Various legal provisions used for censorship in India:

y Section 67A: regulate material that is “grossly offensive or has
menacing character”. Eg.- blocked pornography sites or religious-
hatred content.
y Section 69A: for online content detrimental to public interest,
national security, or public order.
Information y 2020: Chinese mobile apps banned under this provision.
Technology Act, y 2023: Misleading betting and lending apps blocked by Meity; BBC
2000 and Rules documentary banned.
y Rule 16(3) under IT Rules 2021 deals with ‘Blocking of information in
case of emergency’.
y BBC Documentary has been banned under this provision.
y Section 87: allows making rules for intermediaries to monitor and
take down content.
y Section 5: for action against those who publish or transmit messages
Indian Telegraph Act, that are “obscene, defamatory, or menacing in nature”.
1885 y In 2019, government used these provision for objectionable content
related to CAA 2019, and blocked about 200 websites.

28 Polity and Governance

 y Section 144 allows government to prohibit certain content risking the
Code of Criminal security of the state.
Procedure, 1973 y It was used to restrain the screening of banned BBC documentary in
Delhi University.
y The Ministry of Information And Broadcasting issues directions to
Cable Television cable operators to stop transmission of any content violating the
Networks Rules, rules.
1994; Cinematograph y Can also suspend or revoke the licence of any channel violating the
Act, 1952 rules.
y Looks into cases under Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986.

Criticism of these laws: its members, consider the following

y Too broad and vague: making it open to statements?
interpretation. Eg- terms like ‘grossly 1. Article 105 of the Constitution deals with
offensive’, ‘menacing character’ have no the powers and privileges of the Houses
clear definition. of Parliament and their members and
y Stifling freedom of speech and expression: committees.
particularly in political matters. 2. A member of Parliament cannot be
y Targeted use: against media persons, proceeded against in any court in respect
journalists, opposition leaders, etc. of anything said by him in Parliament or
y Overly restrictive: It enables more control any committee thereof.
rather than regulation of social media, as Which of the above statement(s) is/are
per Internet freedom foundation. correct?
(a) 1 only
MCQs and Probable Mains Questions (b) 2 only
1. With reference to the Indian judiciary, (c) Both 1 and 2
consider the following statements: (2021) (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. Any retired judge of the Supreme Court
of India can be called back to sit and 3. With reference to the post of Deputy
act as a Supreme Court judge by the Speaker, which of the following
Chief Justice of India with the prior statements is incorrect?
permission of the President of India. (a) It is mandatory to have a Deputy Speaker
2. A High Court in India has the power under the Constitution.
to review its own judgement as the (b) Deputy Speaker has the same powers
Supreme Court does. as the Speaker when presiding over a
Which of the statements given above is/are sitting of the House.
correct? (c) The Constitution lays down a specific
(a) 1 only time frame for the election of Deputy
(b) 2 only Speaker of the House.
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Once elected, the Deputy Speaker
(d) Neither I nor 2 usually continues in office for the entire
duration of the House.
2. With reference to the Powers, Privileges,
and Immunities of the Parliament and 4. Consider the following statements:
1. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act
2006, says that child marriages are
illegal and void.

Polity and Governance 29

 2. Jaya Jaitly Committee submitted a (a) 1 only
report stating that the marriageable age (b) 2 only
for women should be increased from 18 (c) Both 1 and 2
to 21 years of age. (d) Neither 1 or 2
Which of the above statements are
incorrect? 7. Which of the following is not correct about
(a) Only 1 the appointment of State Police Chiefs
(b) Only 2 (Director General of Police)?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (a) Appointments of DGPs are on the basis
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 of the Supreme Court judgement on
police reforms in Prakash Singh vs Union
5. Consider the following statements: of India.
1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State (b) The consent of an officer is required for
Assembly, the winning candidate must his/her posting as DGPs.
get at least 50 percent of the votes (c) Centre has the power to not relieve an
polled, to be declared elected. officer for posting as DGP in the state.
2. According to the provisions laid down in (d) States are supposed to draw up and
the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, send to the UPSC a list of eligible
the Speaker’s post goes to the majority officers under certain conditions.
party and the Deputy Speaker’s to the
Opposition. Questions:
Which of the statements given above is/are 1. “India ails from the problem of overcrowding
correct? of prisons and lack of surveillance.” In
(a) 1 only the light of the statement discuss how
(b) 2 only technology can help bring out prison
(c) Both 1 and 2 reforms in India?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. What are constitutional provisions regarding
the National Commission for ST? How has
6. In the context of Child Marriage, which NCST ensured protection of Tribal Rights in
was in news recently, consider the modern times?
following statements: 3. What do you mean by a “National Party”?
1. Men who marry girls below the age of 14 What role does the Election Commission
can be arrested under the Protection of play in recognition and dispute settlement
Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) among political parties in India?
Act. 4. “Protection of journalists’ sources is
2. As per Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, important for free and fair media.” Critically
2006, child marriage is illegal but not analyse.
void. 5. What are the provisions for appointment
Which of the statements given above is/are of Judges of High Courts? Discuss reforms
correct? needed in judicial appointments for speedy
justice delivery.

1. (C) 2. (C) 3. (C) 4. (A) 5. (D) 6. (C) 7. (B)

30 Polity and Governance

ECONOMY IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

MONEY, BANKING, FINANCE

GOVT BUDGETING, TAXATION AND GST

BALANCE OF PAYMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY, GDP, INFLATION

INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY

BUDGET 2023-24 SUMMARY

ECONOMIC SURVEY SUMMARY

LEARN ECONOMY FROM THE BEST EDUCATORS

Scan QR Code JOIN NOW

2 Economy

Money, Banking, Finance

RBI Monetary Policy Review (2023-Feb)
Why in the news?
Repo has been increased to 6.50% from 6.25% by the RBI in its bi-monthly monetary policy review,
to combat inflation.

About the monetary policy review:

y RBI is required to keep inflation controlled within 2-6% CPI (All India).
y To combat inflation, repo increased from 6.25% to 6.50%.
y This decision is taken by the Monetary Policy Committee, a 12-member body set up in 2016
under RBI Act, 1934.
For more details, refer to Mrunal’s free lecture series Win23: https://unacademy.com/class/
win23-economy-pill1ab-rbi-monetary-policydigital-payment/T53HOK3S

Chart credit: Mrunal.org

News Source: Indian Express

Economy 33
 License to new Online Payment Aggregators
Why in news?
y The Reserve Bank of India allowed 32 entities, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google Pay, Amazon.com
Inc.’s Amazon Pay, Reliance Payment Solutions Ltd., etc., to act as online payment aggregators.
y Approval has been given under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act).

What are Online Payment Aggregators? QR Code-Based Coin Vending Machine

y A payment aggregator (also known as a (QCVM)
merchant aggregator) is a third-party service
provider that allows merchants/businesses
to accept payment from customers by
integrating it into their websites or apps.
y It bridges the gap between merchants and
acquirers (Customers).
y They can accept payments after getting a
licence from the RBI.
News Source: Indian Express

34 Economy
Why in the news?
The Reserve Bank of India has announced a pilot project on QR code-based coin vending machines.

Before After

Insert paper note to get coin. Scan QR code → transfer money from bank
account via UPI → Get coins from machine.
News Source: Indian Express

T +1 Settlement Cycle

Why in the news?

India will become the second country after China to implement the one-day cycle (T +1 Settlement
Cycle).

What is T+1 Settlement?

y The T+1 settlement cycle means that trade-related settlements must be done within a day, or
24 hours, of the completion of a transaction.
⚪ Eg: If a customer bought shares on Wednesday, they would be credited to the customer’s
demat account on Thursday.

Benefits of T+1?
y It will bring operational efficiency, faster fund remittances, share delivery, and ease for stock
market participants.
y According to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), it reduces and frees up capital
required for collateral.

Concerns Regarding T+1 Settlement:

y Foreign investors are concerned about operational issues like time zone differences, information
flow processes, and foreign exchange problems.

UPI goes Global - ties with Singapore’s PayNow

Economy 35
 Why in news? to the faster and more cost-efficient
India started its first cross-border real-time transfer of cross-border remittances.
payments systems connectivity with the y People in both the countries will be able to
linkage of India’s Unified Payments Interface send money real-time via QR-code based or
(UPI) and Singapore’s PayNow for money simply by entering mobile numbers linked
transfers from both sides of the country. to the bank account.
y Reserve Bank of India Remittance Survey,
More about news: 2021: Remittances from Singapore stood at
y The idea of the linkage was first conceived 5.7 percent of total remittances to India.
in 2018. News Source: IE
y It would enable residents of both countries

AT1 Bonds of Yes Bank: write-off controversy

What is a Write Off?

A write-off is a decision by a company or government to accept that they will not be able to
recover a debt or an amount of money that has been spent on something and can be removed
from the account book.

Why in news?
The Bombay High Court quashed the write-off of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds worth Rs 8,400 crore
issued by Yes Bank Ltd.
Chart credit Mrunal.org

What triggered the write-off?

y RBI had put restrictions on Yes Bank in 2020.
y The RBI allowed a write-off of Rs 8,400 crore on AT1 bonds issued by Yes Bank after it was
rescued by the State Bank of India.
News Source: Indian Express

36 Economy
G20 tourists can use UPI at Indian airports
Why in the News?
y In a recent circular RBI allowed inbound travellers from G-20 group countries and NRIs to
access UPI for their merchant payment at select airports.

Chart Credit: Mrunal.org

Key Points:

Before After

Indians with UPI apps can use and pay using Visitors from G20 countries with NRE/NRO
the app. accounts can avail UPI payment using UPI apps.

y The PPIs (Prepaid Payment Instruments) About the Scheme:

can be issued in the form of wallets linked y The new Pension system is being called
to UPI, like Google Pay and PhonePe — and a ‘Contributory Pension Scheme’ and it is
can be used for merchant payments (P2M) meant to replace NPS.
only.
y The RBI has granted access to Unified
Payment Interface (UPI) payments to all
G-20 travellers including non-resident
Indians.
Source: The Indian Express

Andhra Pradesh’s Guaranteed Pension

Scheme (GPS)
Why in the News?
The hybrid scheme called the “Guaranteed
Pension Scheme” was recently announced by
the Andhra Pradesh Government.

Economy 37
 Opposition to the Scheme:
y Employees of the state opposed this scheme and demanded a similar 50% guaranteed pension
recommended by the Thakkar Committee during the previous TDP government.
Source: Business Standard

Higher Pension in EPFO

Why in news?
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued guidelines to allow some members
to opt for a higher pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS).

Old Guidelines New Guidelines

y Both employees and employers y The EPFO has allowed for the option of a
contribution of 12% of the employee’s basic higher contribution by:
salary, dearness allowance, and retaining y Employees whose Basic/DA was up to
allowance. Rs15,000 a month or who had been a
y The Government of India contributes 1.16% member of EPS as on September 1, 2014.
to an employee’s pension. y those who did not exercise the joint option
y The EPS provides employees with a pension (by employer and employee) while being
after the age of 58, if they have rendered members of Employees’ Pension Scheme
at least 10 years of service and retired at (EPS 95).
age 58. If a member leaves employment
between ages 50 and 57, they can avail early
(reduced) pension.
News Source: IE

38 Economy
Govt Budgeting, Taxation and GST y The jurisdiction extends to all cases where
an appeal has been filed against an order of
GST Appellate Tribunal
lower authority under the GST laws.
About the GST Council:
y Constitutional body set up under Article Power and jurisdiction of GST Appellate
279A of the Constitution. Tribunal:
y It is a joint forum of the Union and State y It is first common forum of dispute
governments. resolution between Centre and States
y Members: Union Finance Minister related to GST.
(Chairperson), Union Minister of State for y It is the forum of second appeal in GST laws.
Finance, State ministers of taxation or For example, for any dissatisfactory order
finance as nominated by States. passed by the First Appellate Authorities,
y It makes recommendations to the Union an application for revision of the same can
and the states on important issues be raised to the National Appellate Tribunal.
related to GST. y The Tribunal has the power to hear and
y It also decides on various rate slabs of resolve disputes related to the assessment
GST. of taxes, determination of liability, imposition
of penalties, and other matters related to
the implementation and interpretation of
Why in the news?
the GST laws.
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council approved
y Its order can be challenged in the High
a long-pending proposal for an appellate
Court and later in the Supreme Court.
tribunal for the GST. It is likely to be included
in the Finance Bill 2023.
Issues with the present litigation mechanism:
y Compliance issues: The new GST regime
What is the GST Appellate Tribunal?
since 2017 is continuously evolving and
y A quasi-judicial body proposed to be
facing issues.
established to resolve GST-related disputes.
y Complex adjudication hierarchy: The
y It will function as an independent body to
number of disputes has been rising and
hear appeals.
burdening appellate authorities and courts.
y It will have a national bench and various
y Time-consuming process: It has led to
regional benches.
challenges in ease of doing business.
y It will help to reduce the burden on the
News Source: The Hindu
judiciary.

Delay in GST compensation because States not submitting documents to Union

Why in news?
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pointed out that GST dues were delayed for some
states due to the non-availability of the Accountant General’s authentication certificate.

Economy 39
 More about news:
y Kerala has not sent even a single AG
certification since 2017-18, leading to the
delay in GST compensation.
News Source: Indian Express

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) PORTAL

transaction to reach Rs 2 LCr
About GeM Portal:
It is a single-window public procurement portal
for the government, its departments, agencies,
and PSUs to procure goods and services.

Launched in 2016
Nodal Ministry Ministry of Commerce and Industry
y Completely cashless, paperless, and system-driven e-marketplace.
y Includes tools for e-bidding and reverse e-auction.
Key features
y Integration with PFMS (Public Financial Management System) and
State Bank Multi Option System (SBMOPS).
y Over 66,000 government buyer organizations, and 60 lakh sellers are
present on this portal.
Rising usage
y It has become the third-largest such platform in the world after
South Korea’s KONEPS and Singapore’s GeBIZ.

Balance of Payments and

Why in the news? International Trade
The government’s procurement of goods and
(TATA) Air India 470 planes order
services through the GeM portal is expected
to reach Rs 2 lakh crore during this fiscal year Why in the news?
(2022-23). Air India, which is now privately owned by Tata
Sons, announced major purchase deals with
Benefits of this portal and Way forward: manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.
y Higher transparency and reduced corruption.
Reduced time for procurement.
y Savings for the government through
efficient procurement.
y Utilising the huge potential in states and
public sector undertakings to increase the
buying from the platform.
News source: Financial Express

Image source: Indian Express

40 Economy
Significance of the order: Sectors of the Economy, GDP, Inflation
y This is the largest order placed by an airline
at a time anywhere in the world and will ICAR’s new wheat variety
make India the third-largest player in the
aviation sector. Why in the news?
y Modernise Air India’s fleet and expand The Indian Council of Agriculture Institute
India’s aviation network. developed a new variety of wheat called HD-
y Generate new jobs and promotion of India’s 3385.
‘Make in India-Make for the World’ vision.
y Promote Soft power for India, as Presidents
of USA and France and UK Prime Minister
have lauded this deal, that will improve
their local economies.

Steps taken to promote civil aviation in India:

y National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016.
y UDAN (‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’) Scheme
-Regional air connectivity and affordability.
y NABH Nirman (Nextgen airports for Bharat)-
for Airport development.
y DigiYatra- facial recognition technology for More about the variety:
smoother travel. y This new variety will cope with the
y National Monetization Pipeline - for asset challenges of changing weather patterns
monetization of Airports. and heat waves.
News source: Indian Express y Benefit of this variety:

BEFORE AFTER

Wheat is grown in Rabi season: planted in This new variety is can be sowed early and thus
month of October, and harvested in April. harvested before March, escaping the adverse
heat.
Sometimes rising heat from February and
March adversely impacts wheat harvest.

MIIRA (Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness)

What are millets?

y A group of small-seeded grasses that are a staple food, mainly in Africa and Asia.
y Highly nutritious, having low glycemic index (GI)- ideal for various dietary and health problems.
y Examples: sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), foxtail millet (kangni),
little millet (kutki), kodo millet, etc.
y Climatic conditions: require very less water, mainly grown in rainfed areas with moderate
temperature and adequate sunlight.
y They are also called “Shree Anna” in budget.

Why in the news?

In light of its G20 Presidency and the International Year of Millets, India is planning the launch of

Economy 41
 a global initiative called “MIIRA” or the Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness.

Image Source: Indian Express

More about the initiative:
y Aimed at coordinating millet research programs at the international level.
y Aligned with the plan to make India a global hub for millet.
y It will connect millet research organisations globally and support research on millet.
y MIIRA secretariat will be in Delhi and budgetary contribution is expected from G20 countries.

42 Economy
 Millets: an approach for sustainable agriculture and healthy world

Food Security Nutritional Security Safety from diseases Economic security

y Sustainable for y Rich in y Gluten free: a y Climate resilient

combating hunger micronutrients like y substitute for wheat crop
in a changing calcium, iron, zinc, y in celiac diseases y S u s t a i n a b l e
climate. iodine etc. y Low GI: good for income
y Resistant to y Rich in bioactive diabetic persons y source for
climatic compounds y Combat cardio- farmers
y stress, pests and y Better amino acid vascular y Low investment
y diseases. y profile y diseases, anaemia, y needed
lack of calcium,etc. y Value addition
can
y lead to economic
y gains

Steps taken to promote millets in India:

Lithium
y Indian Institute of Millet Research,
y Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and
Hyderabad is being supported as a Centre
element of group 1 in the periodic table
of Excellence.
and it is a part alkali metal.
y Government declares a Minimum Support
y It constitutes about 0.002 % of the earth’s
Price (MSP) for jowar, bajra, and ragi, to
crust.
promote their cultivation.
More about News:
y Agriculture ministry declared millets as
y The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has
‘Nutri Cereals’ for their “high nutritive value”.
“inferred” lithium resources of 5.9 million
News Source: Indian Express
tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi
Infrastructure and Energy District of Jammu and Kashmir.
y It is a part of “Reasi Sersandu-Kherikot-
Lithium deposits in J&K Rahotkot-Darabi” mineral block.
y The “inferred” mineral resources are
estimated only with a low level of confidence
and also of lower reliability.
y Hybrid electric vehicles use lithium-ion
batteries.
Source: The Economic Times

Vibrant Villages Programme for Infra

Why in the News? Development at Northern border
Lithium deposit Inferred in J&K.
Why in the news?
The Cabinet has approved the “Vibrant Villages
Programme” (VVP) for the financial years 2022-
23 to 2025-26 under the Ministry of Home
Affairs.

Economy 43
 Details of the scheme:
Objective All-round development of villages of blocks along the northern border.
Coverage Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Nature of Scheme Centrally Sponsored Scheme
y Provide funds for the development of essential infrastructure.
y Vibrant Village Action Plans will be created by the district
administration.
Other details
y Ensuring 100 % utilisation and coverage under existing central and
state schemes.
y Concept of “One Village-One product” to be promoted.

Importance of the scheme:

y Border Security: Improve surveillance and preparedness along the border with China.
y Checking Out-migration: To stop people from leaving due to poor connectivity, lack of
development, and challenging living conditions.
y Public Participation: develop sustainable agricultural, dairy, and fishery cooperatives in each
village.
y Economic growth: Develop small enterprises, trade, and other necessities.
y Encourage Tourism: It will help in making the places self-reliant and prosperous.
News Source: PIB

Jal Jeevan Mission

About Jal Jeevan mission:

Jal Jeevan mission(rural) Jal Jeevan mission(Urban)

Nodal Ministry Ministry of Jal Shakti Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Mission launched 2019 2021
Goal Providing Functional y provide universal water supply
Household Tap Connections coverage to all urban households
(FHTC) to every rural in accordance with Sustainable
household by 2024 (Har Ghar Development Goal-6,
Nal Se Jal) y Rejuvenate urban water bodies
y Create a circular economy of water
Funding y 90:10 for Himalayan and y Central funding:
North-Eastern States, y Union Territories: 100%
y 50:50 for other states, and y North Eastern and Hill States: 90%
y 100% for Union Territories y Cities will less than 1 lakh population:
50%
y Cities with 1 lakh to 10 lakh population:
33%
y Cities with million plus population:
25%

44 Economy
Why in the news? y It will enable centralised handling of various
The mission achieved a milestone of providing forms filed with field offices under the
tap-water connections to 11 crore rural Companies Act.
households. Reclaiming of shares and dividends
y Government intends to make it easy for
Present status: investors to reclaim unpaid shares and
y 100% coverage in States- Goa, Telangana, dividends from the Investor Education and
Gujarat, and Haryana and 3 Union Territories Protection Fund Authority.
of Puducherry, Daman & Diu and Dadra
Investor Education and Protection Fund
& Nagar Haveli and Andaman & Nicobar
Authority
Islands.
The Investor Education and Protection Fund
y Aspirational districts: Out of 112 Aspirational
Authority is entrusted with the responsibility
districts, 8 districts have provided 100%
of administration of the Investor Education
(Dec 2022)
Protection Fund (IEPF), making refunds
y Quality Monitoring and Surveillance: Total
of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured
of 2,074 water testing laboratories promoted
deposits/debentures etc. to investors and to
in the country, under this mission.
promote awareness among investors.
Established on 7th September, 2016 under the
Budget 2023-24 Summary
provisions of section 125 of the Companies
Act, 2013 and comes under the Ministry of
Pillar 1: Money, Banking, Finance & Insurance Corporate Affairs (MCA).
National Financial Information Registry y An integrated IT portal will be set up for
y To be set up as a central repository of this.
financial and ancillary information, to
ensure efficient flow of credit, financial Mahila Samman Bachat Patra
inclusion, and financial stability. y A one-time new small savings scheme,
y It will be designed in consultation with the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate, will be
RBI. open for a two-year window up to March
Capacity Building in Securities Market 2025.
y SEBI will be empowered to: y It will allow deposits upto INR 2 lakh in the
Make norms for better education in the National name of women or girls for a tenure of 2
Institute of Securities Markets. years at a fixed interest rate of 7.5% with
recognize the award of degrees, diplomas and partial withdrawal option.
certificates.
y This will help to build the capacity of Benefits for Senior Citizens
functionaries and professionals. y Maximum deposit limit for the Senior
Citizen Savings Scheme has been raised.
National Institute of Securities Markets
(NISM) is a public trust established by SEBI
Financial Inclusion
in 2006.
y Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation
It has six schools of excellence located at
(EPFO) membership has more than doubled
Patalganga, Maharashtra.
to 27 Crore.
Central Data Processing Centre
y 7,400 crore digital payments worth INR 126
y It will be set up for faster response to
lakh crore through UPI took place in 2022.
companies from the government.

Economy 45
 Pillar 2: Budget, Taxation & GST
New vs Old Income Tax Slab

Image Source: The Economic Times

Highlights: ⚪ Deliberate tempering of material

y New Tax Regime will become the default evidence.
option now, but taxpayers will also have the ⚪ Failure to supply the information.
option to choose the Old Regime.
y The old Regime has some exemptions on Fifty-year interest free loan to States
insurance premium, mutual funds and other y The provision will continue for one more
such investments , which are not there in year.
the New Regime. y The entire loan to states has to be spent on
y The rebate limit has been increased to ₹ capital expenditure within 2023-24.
7 lakh in the New tax regime. Those with y Most of this will be at the discretion of
income up to ₹ 7 lakh do not need to pay states.
any income tax. y Parts of the outlay will also be linked to
following purposes:
Changes in GST regime ⚪ Scrapping old government vehicles,
y Minimum threshold of tax amount for ⚪ Urban planning reforms and actions,
launching prosecution under GST raised ⚪ Financing reforms in urban local
from one crore to two crore rupees. bodies to make them creditworthy for
y Above does not apply to the offence of municipal bonds,
issuance of invoices without supply of ⚪ Housing for police personnel above or
goods or services or both. as part of police stations,
y Decriminalising certain offences as ⚪ Constructing Unity Malls,
recommended by the GST Council: ⚪ Children and adolescents’ libraries and
⚪ Obstruction or preventing any officer in digital infrastructure,
discharge of his duties. ⚪ State share of capital expenditure of
central schemes.

46 Economy
State Support Mission(SSM) of NITI Aayog
y Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD)
y It will be continued for three years for
method - seed is kept in sealed chamber
collective efforts towards national priorities.
with carbon-rich gas. On heating, the
y Under this, NITI Aayog helps state
gas sticks on seed and makes diamond
governments to set up similar bodies, by
bigger.
replacing their planning boards to ensure
y Budget encourages indigenous production
faster and more inclusive growth.
of LGD seeds and machines to reduce
import dependency.
Result-Based Financing
y A research and development grant will be
y Financing of select schemes will be
provided to one of the IITs for five years.
changed, on a pilot basis, from ‘input-
y Budget proposes to reduce basic customs
based’ to ‘result-based’.
duty on seeds used in their manufacture.
y It will help address issues of inefficiencies
in spreading while making more effective
GIFT IFSC (International Financial Services
use of resources.
Centre)
Pillar 3: Balance of Payment & International y Delegating powers under the SEZ Act to
Trade IFSCA to avoid dual regulation.
y Setting up a single window IT system for
Unity Mall registration and approval from IFSCA, SEZ
y States will be encouraged to set up a Unity authorities, GSTN, RBI, SEBI and IRDAI.
Mall in their state capital or most prominent y Permitting acquisition financing by IFSC
tourism centre or the financial capital. Banking Units of foreign banks.
y It will promote and sell their own ODOPs y For countries looking for digital continuity
(one district, one product), GI products solutions, India will facilitate setting up of
and other handicraft products, and provide their Data Embassies in GIFT IFSC.
space for such products of all other States. ⚪ Data Embassy: It is a set of servers that
store one country’s data and remain
Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD) under that country’s jurisdiction but
y India is a global leader in cutting and located in another country, through
polishing natural diamonds, contributing diplomatic agreements.
about three-fourths of the global turnover.
y Deposits of natural diamonds are decreasing Pillar 4: Sectors of Economy, GDP, Inflation
and therefore, the industry is moving
y Since 2014 The per capita income has more
towards Lab Grown Diamonds (LGDs).
than doubled to Rs. 1.97 lakh pa.
y LGDs are environment-friendly y The Indian economy has increased in size
alternatives to natural diamonds. from being 10th to 5th largest in the world.
y They have the same optical and chemical
properties as natural diamonds. Agriculture
y Manufacturing is done through two y PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for
processes- Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and
y Both these methods begin with a seed - Amelioration of Mother Earth):
that is a slice of another diamond. ⚪ Launched to incentivize States and
y High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) Union Territories to promote alternative
method - the seed along with pure fertilisers and balanced use of chemical
graphite is exposed to HPHT, and forms fertilisers.
diamond. y Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource
Centres :

Economy 47
 ⚪ It will facilitate 1 crore farmers to adopt adopting a ‘risk-based’ instead of ‘one
natural farming. size fits all’ approach.
⚪ 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres will y E-Courts :
be set-up. ⚪ Phase-3 of the outlay E-Courts project
⚪ Creating a national-level distributed will be of Rs:7,000 crore.
micro-fertilizer and pesticide y Unified Filing Process:
manufacturing network. ⚪ For obviating the need for separate
y Agriculture Accelerator Fund for young submission of same information to
entrepreneurs in rural areas. different government agencies, a system
y Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program to boost of ‘Unified Filing Process’ will be set-up.
availability of disease-free, quality planting ⚪ It will be shared on a common portal
material for high value horticultural crops with other agencies as per filer’s choice.
like kiwi, avocado etc. y Vivad se Vishwas I – Relief for MSMEs:
y Shree Anna: ⚪ In cases of failure by MSMEs to execute
⚪ Millets such as jowar, ragi, bajra, kuttu, contracts during the Covid period, 95
ramdana, kangni, kutki, kodo, cheena, per cent of the forfeited amount relating
and sama. to bid or performance security will be
⚪ India a global hub for ‘Shree Anna’ with returned to them by government and
R&D from the Indian Institute of Millet government undertakings.
Research, Hyderabad. ⚪ This will provide relief to MSMEs.
y Agriculture credit target will be increased y Vivad se Vishwas II – Settling Contractual
to ` 20 lakh crore with focus on animal Disputes:
husbandry, dairy and fisheries. ⚪ To settle contractual disputes
of government and government
Ease of Doing Business and MSME undertakings, wherein arbitral award is
y Mission Karmayogi: under challenge in a court.
⚪ Centre, States and Union Territories are ⚪ It is a voluntary settlement scheme with
implementing capacity-building plans standardised terms.
for civil servants. y One stop solution for identity and address
⚪ Integrated online training platform, updating :
iGOT Karmayogi, to provide continuous ⚪ A one stop solution for reconciliation
learning opportunities for lakhs of and updating of identity and address
government employees. of individuals maintained by various
⚪ Upgradation of their skills and facilitating government agencies.
a people-centric approach. ⚪ Using DigiLocker service and Aadhaar as
y More than 39,000 compliances have foundational identity.
been reduced and more than 3,400 legal y Common Business Identifier :
provisions have been decriminalised. ⚪ For the business establishments
y Centres of Excellence for Artificial required to have a Permanent Account
Intelligence: Number (PAN), the PAN will be used
⚪ Three centres will be set-up in top as the common identifier for all digital
educational institutions systems of specified government
⚪ It will provide solutions in the areas agencies.
of agriculture, health, and sustainable ⚪ It will bring ease of doing business.
cities. ⚪ It will be facilitated through a legal
y Simplification of Know Your Customer mandate.
(KYC) process : y Credit Guarantee for MSMEs :
⚪ The process will be simplified by ⚪ From 1st April 2023 through infusion of

48 Economy
 9,000 crore in the corpus. ⚪ Cities will be incentivized to improve
⚪ This will enable additional collateral- their creditworthiness for municipal
free guaranteed credit of 2 lakh crore. bonds.
⚪ Further, the cost of the credit will be y Urban Infrastructure Development Fund :
reduced by about 1 percent. ⚪ Like the RIDF, an Urban Infrastructure
Development Fund (UIDF) will be
Pilar 5: Infrastructure established through use of priority
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: sector lending shortfalls.
y Establishment of Infrastructure Finance ⚪ It will be managed by the National
Secretariat: Housing Bank.
⚪ Assist all stakeholders for more private ⚪ It will be used by public agencies to
investment in infrastructure, including create urban infrastructure in Tier 2 and
railways, roads, urban infrastructure Tier 3 cities.
and power. y Urban Sanitation :
y Transport: ⚪ 100 percent mechanical desludging of
⚪ One hundred critical transport septic tanks and sewers to transition
infrastructure projects, for last and from manhole to machine-hole mode.
first mile connectivity of coal, steel, y Fintech Services :
fertiliser, and food grains sectors have ⚪ Developing and increasing our digital
been identified. public infrastructure including Aadhaar,
⚪ Taken up on priority with investment PM Jan Dhan Yojana, Video KYC, India
of 75,000 crore, including 15,000 crore Stack and UPI.
from private sources. ⚪ Scope of documents available in
⚪ Fifty additional airports, heliports, water DigiLocker for individuals will be
aerodromes for improving regional air expanded.
connectivity. y Entity DigiLocker:
y Tourism: ⚪ An Entity DigiLocker will be set up
⚪ ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative: Launched for use by MSMEs, large business and
as an appeal by the Prime Minister to charitable trusts
the middle class to prefer domestic ⚪ Storing and sharing documents online
tourism over international tourism. securely, whenever needed, with various
⚪ Theme-based tourist circuits, the authorities, regulators, banks and other
‘Swadesh Darshan Scheme’ was also business entities.
launched. y 5G Services :
⚪ Vibrant Villages Programme, tourism ⚪ One hundred labs for developing
infrastructure and amenities will also applications using 5G services
be facilitated in border villages. ⚪ Applications such as smart classrooms,
⚪ Bharat Shared Repository of precision farming, intelligent transport
Inscriptions (Bharat SHRI) : It will be systems, and health care applications.
set up in a digital epigraphy museum,
with digitization of one lakh ancient Green Energy:
inscriptions in the first stage. y “LiFE” or Lifestyle for Environment:
⚪ It aims to spur a movement of
Urban development: environmentally conscious lifestyle.
y Making Cities ready for Municipal Bonds: ⚪ Helps to achieve net-zero carbon
⚪ Through property tax governance emission by 2070 to usher in green
reforms and ring-fencing user charges industrial and economic transition.
on urban infrastructure. y Battery Energy Storage Systems with

Economy 49
 capacity of 4,000 MWH will be supported y Eklavya Model Residential Schools:
through viability Gap Funding. ⚪ recruit 38,800 teachers and support
y Green Credit Programme will be notified staff for the 740 Eklavya Model
under the Environment (Protection) Act. Residential Schools
y GOBARdhan scheme : ⚪ Aimed to serve 3.5 lakh tribal students.
⚪ It aims to create 500 new ‘waste to
wealth’ plants under GOBARdhan Skill Development:
(Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources y Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0:
Dhan) scheme. ⚪ Skill up for youth within the next three
⚪ Promotes circular economy by including years.
200 compressed biogas (CBG) plants. ⚪ On-job training, industry partnership,
⚪ A 5 per cent CBG mandate will be and alignment of courses.
introduced for all organisations ⚪ new age courses for Industry 4.0 like
marketing natural and biogas. coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT,
3D printing, drones, and soft skills.
Pillar 6 : Human Resource Development ⚪ To skill youth for international
Healthcare and wellness: opportunities, 30 Skill India International
y Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: Centres will be set up across different
⚪ A Mission to eliminate Sickle Cell States.
Anaemia by 2047 will be launched. y National Apprenticeship Promotion
⚪ It will entail awareness creation, and Scheme :
universal screening of 7 crore people in ⚪ Stipend support to 47 lakh youth in
the age group of 0-40 years in affected three years.
tribal areas. ⚪ Done through Direct Benefit Transfer in
y One hundred and fifty-seven new nursing youth accounts.
colleges. y PM VIshwakarma KAushal Samman (PM
y Medical Research: Facilities in ICMR Labs VIKAS):
will be made available for research by ⚪ Focus on traditional artisans and
public and private medical college faculty craftspeople.
and private sector R&D teams. ⚪ This will greatly benefit the Scheduled
y Dedicated multidisciplinary courses for Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, women
medical devices will be supported in existing and people belonging to the weaker
institutions to ensure availability of skilled sections.
manpower for futuristic medical technologies, y For poor persons who are in prisons and
high-end manufacturing and research. unable to afford the penalty or the bail
amount, required financial support will be
Education: provided.
y National Digital Library for children and
adolescents: Environment and Inclusion:
⚪ set-up for facilitating availability of y MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline
quality books across geographies, Habitats and Tangible Incomes)
languages, genres and levels, and device ⚪ It will be taken up for mangrove
agnostic accessibility. plantation along the coastline and on
⚪ States will be encouraged to set salt pan lands through convergence
up physical libraries for them at between MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and
panchayat and ward levels and provide other sources.
infrastructure y Amrit Dharohar:
Ramsar Sites increased to 75 in our country.

50 Economy
 What are Ramsar Sites?
A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance recognised under the Ramsar Convention,
an intergovernmental treaty established by UNESCO in 1971, and named after the city of Ramsar
in Iran.
There are about 2400 Ramsar Sites in the world.
⚪ The government will promote their unique conservation through the Amrit Dharohar Scheme.
⚪ It will be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, and
enhance biodiversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for
local communities.
y Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission:
⚪ To improve socio-economic conditions of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs),
Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission will be launched.
⚪ PVTGs include Jarawas, Onges, Sentinelese of Andaman Islands; Dongria-Khond and Juangs
in Odisha, etc.
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)
Some tribal groups have some specific features such as dependency on hunting, gathering for
food, having pre-agriculture level of technology, zero or negative growth of population and
extremely low level of literacy. These groups are called Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
A total of 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes, spread over 17 states and one Union Territory
(UT), in the country (2011 census).

It will provide for basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved
access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood
opportunities.

Economic Survey Summary

CHAPTER 1: State of the Economy 2022-23
Three shocks to global economy since 2020:
y Covid-19 Pandemic
y Russia-Ukraine War
y Synchronised Policy Rate hikes by Developed Countries

Performance of India in this time:

y By March 2023, the nominal GDP of India will be around US$ 3.5 trillion.
India became the fifth-largest economy measured in current dollars.
y India’s exports surged in FY22, and the momentum lasted until the first half of FY23.
y Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) shows that the urban unemployment rate is at a four-year
low.
y Agencies worldwide continue to project India as the fastest-growing major economy at 6.5-7.0
% in FY23.

Economy 51
 CHAPTER 2: India’s Medium-Term Growth (IBC) and Real Estate(Regulation and
Outlook Development) Act (RERA).
b. Decriminalisation of minor economic
It discusses product and capital market
offences under the Companies Act of
reforms undertaken in 1991 due to earlier
2013.
macroeconomic imbalances, and the impact of
3. Promoting the private sector
these reforms.
a. Privatisation of Air India, and various
schemes under the Atmanirbhar Bharat
Reforms for New India-Sabka Saath Sabka
Abhiyaan, like PLI Scheme.
Vikaas
b. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee
The pillars are:
Scheme (ECLGS) has benefited 1.14
1. Creating Public Goods
crore MSMEs.
a. Includes road connectivity (Bharatmala),
4. Enhancing productivity in agriculture
port infrastructure (Sagarmala),
a. Agriculture sector grew at an average
electrification, railways upgradation,
annual growth rate of 4.6% during the
and operationalising new airports/ air
last six years.
routes (UDAN).
b. Reforms include Soil Health Cards, the
b. ₹111 lakh crore National Infrastructure
Micro irrigation Fund, promotion of
Pipeline and National Monetization
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs),
Pipeline.
National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
c. Public digital infrastructure based on
extension Platform, the Agriculture
the pillars of JAM Trinity
Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and Cluster
d. Open Network for Digital Commerce
Development Programme (CDP).
(ONDC) and Account Aggregator
framework
Growth Magnets in this Decade (2023-2030)
e. Portals like JanSamarth, eShram, PM
The following advantages will act as growth
GatiShakti.
magnets in the medium term for India:
2. Trust-Based Governance
y Digitalisation reforms: efficiency gains,
a. Simplifying regulation through the
greater formalisation, higher financial
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
inclusion

52 Economy
y Improvements in banking sector: Better- of 1.7% of GDP (FY09 to FY20) to 2.5% of
capitalised banks, credit ratings. GDP in FY22.
y Favourable geopolitical situation: y Total liabilities of the Union Government
diversification of global supply chains and moderated from 59.2% of GDP in FY21 to
moving out of China. 56.7% in FY22.

CHAPTER 3: Fiscal Developments: Revenue

Relish
y Fiscal deficit has moderated to 6.7 per cent
of GDP in FY22 and is further budgeted to
reach 6.4 per cent of GDP in FY23.
y Average monthly gross GST collection has
increased from ₹0.90 lakh crore in FY18 to
₹1.49 lakh crore in FY23.
y Number of GST taxpayers increased from
nearly 70 lakh in 2017 to more than 1.4 crore
in 2022.
y Centre’s Capital Expenditure (Capex) has
steadily increased from a long-term average

Economy 53
 CHAPTER 4: Monetary Management and y Insurance density in India has increased
financial intermediation from US$ 11.1 in 2001 to US$ 91 in 2021.
y Expansion in Pension is led by government
y Monetary Policy Committee indicated a
measures like integration of electronic
change in stance from ‘Accommodative’
Pension Payment Order (e-PPO) with
to ‘Accommodative and focused on the
DigiLocker, and relaxation in the timeline
withdrawal of accommodation while
for submitting Digital Life Certificate.
supporting growth’ signalling the start of
y GIFT IFSC is Emerging as a Preferred
the monetary tightening cycle.
Jurisdiction for International Financial
y Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) ratio
Services.
of SCBs has fallen to a seven-year low of
⚪ Bilateral and multilateral MoUs are
5.0.
being signed.
y Capital-to-Risk Weighted Assets Ratio
⚪ FinTech bridge is being established with
(CRAR) is at 16.0 (well above the regulatory
Singapore.
requirement of 11.5).
⚪ Cooperation agreement between India
y Insurance penetration in India increased
INX at IFSC and Luxembourg Stock
steadily from 2.7% around the turn of the
Exchange.
millennium to 4.2% in 2021.

CHAPTER 5: Prices and Inflation

RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee increased the repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility
(LAF) by 225 basis points from 4.0 per cent to 6.25 per cent between May and December 2022.

Fiscal measures by the government:

y Reduction in import duties and cess on pulses and rationalisation of tariffs.

54 Economy
y Reduction in excise duty on petrol and CHAPTER 6: Social Infrastructure and
diesel. Employment
y Prohibition of the export of wheat products.
Focus on long-term goals of human
y Imposition of stock limits on edible oils and
development and “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas”
oilseeds, aimed at avoiding hoarding.
have assumed salience.
y Maintenance of buffer stock for onion and
pulses.
Poverty and Unemployment:
y Rationalisation of import duties on raw
y More than 41 crore people exited poverty
materials used in the manufactured
between 2005-06 and 2019-21 according to
products, for example on naphtha and vinyl
the UN Multi-dimensional Poverty Index.
chloride used in the plastic industry.
y Rise in Rural Female Labour Force
Participation Rate (FLFPR) from 19.7% in
Additional reading: Box V.3: How is the Current
2018-19 to 27.7 % in 2020-21.
Inflation Different from the 1970s? (Page 138 of
the Survey)
Health:
y Ayushman Bharat programme, with nearly
22 crore beneficiaries, is being further tech-
enabled through digital health IDs ‘ABHA’
and telemedicine through e-Sanjeevani.

y Share of government health expenditure in total health expenditure has increased from 28.6%
in FY14 to 40.6% in FY19.
y Decline in out-of-pocket expenditure as a percentage of total health expenditure from 64.2%
in FY14 to 48.2% in FY19.

Economy 55
56 Economy
Growth of aspirational districts Kerala, Jeevika in Bihar, Mahila Arthik Vikas
y Two programmes have been conceptualised Mahila Mandal in Maharashtra, and recently,
along the lines of ADP: ‘Mission Utkarsh’ Looms of Ladakh.
and ‘Aspirational Blocks Programme’ (ABP).
Additional reading:
Self-Help Groups: y Box VI.10: Co-WIN: A successful digital story
y India has around 1.2 crore SHGs, 88 per of vaccination to tell. (Page 198 of Survey)
cent being all-women SHGs. y Box VI.11: Achievements under MGNREGA
y Success stories include Kudumbashree in (page 205 of Survey)

CHAPTER 7: Climate Change and Environment

y India is one of the most vulnerable regions despite having contributed only about 4 per cent in
the cumulative global emissions (for the period 1850-2019).
y India now has 75 Ramsar sites for wetlands.
y National Hydrogen Mission and Green Hydrogen Policy have been introduced.
y India’s Long Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) was announced at COP-27.
⚪ It seeks a practical implementation of India’s call for “climate justice.”
⚪ It is driven by the vision of Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) launched by Inda.
y Critical Minerals are key to Green Transition.
⚪ These include Lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite -crucial to battery
performance.
⚪ A multi-dimensional mineral policy is suggested.
y Ministry of Mines has created KABIL - a Joint Venture Company to identify and acquire overseas
mineral assets of critical and strategic nature.

Economy 57
 Progress in India’s Climate Action:

International Initiatives: y A Green Finance working committee has

y ISA (International Solar Alliance). also been set up.
y CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient y Regulatory Framework laid out by RBI and
Infrastructure). SEBI for Issuance of Green Debt Securities.
y Leadership Group for Industry Transition y SEBI requires mandatory ESG-related
(LeadIT) led by India and Sweden, supported disclosures for the top 100 listed entities.
by WEF.
Domestic Initiatives:
Finance for Sustainable Development: y Project Cheetah - an intercontinental large
y India has scaled up efforts for greater wild carnivore translocation project.
mobilisation of private capital in climate y 17 Tiger Reserves in the country have CA|TS
finance. international accreditation, and two have
y With growing focus on the environmental received International Tx2 Award.
sustainability of projects, green bonds have y Plastic Waste Management and Elimination
become widely accepted. of Identified Single-Use Plastics.
y Union Budget 2022-23 announced the issue y Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 and
of Sovereign Green Bonds. E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 have
been notified.

58 Economy
CHAPTER 8: Agriculture and Food Management
There has been an increasing trend in Year-on-Year (YoY) food grain production.

The Government has been increasing the MSP y Bhartiya Prakratik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP),
for all 22 Kharif, Rabi and other commercial a sub-scheme of PKVY, was launched to
crops with a margin of at least 50% over the adopt traditional practices and promote
cost of production. ZBNF (Zero Budget Natural Farming).

Improvement in Agricultural credit: Cooperative sector:

y Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) issued to 3.89 y Ministry of Cooperation was established in
crore eligible farmers. 2021 for greater focus on the cooperative
y Modified Interest Subvention Scheme sector.
(MISS) and Prompt Repayment Incentive y There are 8.5 lakh registered cooperatives
also given. in the country.
y 98% of villages are covered by Primary
Promoting Organic and Natural Farming: Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS).
y Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
(PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain CHAPTER 9: Industry
Development for North Eastern Region Industry contributes about 30% of the total
(MOVCDNER) have been implemented. gross value added in the country.

Economy 59
 Eight core industries: coal, fertilisers, cement, steel, electricity, refinery products, crude oil, and
natural gas are critical in meeting the demand for inputs across industries.

Annual FDI equity inflows in the manufacturing sector have been steadily increasing over
the last few years.

Contribution of the MSME sector to overall GVA rose from 29.3% in FY18 to 30.5% in FY20.
It fell to 26.8% in FY21 due to the impact of pandemic.

60 Economy
 the world.
Steps taken for MSMEs: y Iron and Steel exports are higher by 20%
y Modification of the definition of MSMEs. than pre-pandemic levels of FY20.
y Launching of a paperless, zero-cost Udyam
registration portal. Textiles:
y Samadhaan Portal, set up under the Micro, Setting up of seven PM Mega Integrated
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks
(MSMED) Act. to develop integrated large-scale and modern
y CHAMPIONS, the single-window grievance industrial infrastructure facilities.
redressal portal for MSMEs.
y ‘Raising and Accelerating MSME Pharma:
Performance’ scheme (RAMP) supported by y India is ranked 3rd worldwide in the
World Bank. production of pharma products by volume
and 14th by value.
y India is the largest provider of generic
Electronics industry: medicines globally, occupying a 20 per cent
y India aims to reach US$300 billion worth share in global supply by volume.
of electronics manufacturing and US$ 120
billion in Automobiles:
exports by FY26. y In December 2022, India became the 3rd
largest automobile market, surpassing
Coal production: Japan and Germany in terms of sales.
y Expected to grow at 6-7% annually to reach y Domestic electric vehicles (EV) market is
a production level of 1 billion tonnes by expected to grow at a compound annual
FY26 and about 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030. growth rate (CAGR) of 49% between 2022
and 2030.
Steel:
y India is now a global force in steel production Additional Reading:
and the 2nd largest crude steel producer in Box XI.5: ‘Flipping and Reverse Flipping: the

Economy 61
 recent developments in Start-ups’ (Page 287 of y Introduction of CBDC (Central Bank Digital
Survey) Currency) in both the Wholesale and Retail
segments.
CHAPTER 10: Services y Neo-banking segment has also risen
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Services: consistently. They operate entirely online,
y World Investment Report 2022 (UNCTAD): with no physical presence apart from office
India is the seventh largest recipient of FDI space in the offline world.
in the top 20 host countries in 2021. y Framework for Account Aggregators (AA)
y Government has permitted 100% foreign (Non-Banking Financial Company engaged
participation in telecom, including all in the business of providing the service of
services and infrastructure providers, retrieving or collecting financial information
through the automatic route. pertaining to the customer).
y The FDI ceiling in insurance companies was
CHAPTER 11: External Sector
raised from 49% to 74%, under automatic
route. Merchandise Trade:
y Government allowed 20% foreign y Trade as a percentage of GDP for India was
investment in Life Insurance Corporation in the range of 12-15% in the 1980s; 16-25%
(LIC) under the automatic route. in the 1990s and 25-50% in the 2000s.
y India achieved an all-time high annual
Recent initiatives to promote tourism: merchandise export of US$ 422.0 billion in
y National Integrated Database of Hospitality FY22.
Industry (NIDHI). y USA remained the top export destination in
y Ayush visa for medical treatment. April-November, 2022 followed by UAE
y Launch of the National Strategy for y and the Netherlands which occupied 3rd
Sustainable Tourism & Responsible Traveller spot displacing China.
Campaign. y Countries such as China, UAE, USA, Russia,
y Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme, and Heal in and Saudi Arabia have a joint share of 40%
India initiative. of the total imports of India.
y Loan Guarantee Scheme for Covid Affected
Tourism Service Sector (LGSCATSS). Services Trade:
y India’s services exports rose by 23.5%
E-commerce: whereas imports rose by 25.1% in FY22 over
y Global Payments Report (Worldpay FIS): FY21.
India’s e-commerce market is projected to
grow at 18% annually through 2025. Steps taken to promote trade:
y Initiatives taken by the Government: Digital y Interest Equalisation Scheme
India program, Unified Payment Interface y Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported
(UPI), GeM, etc. Products (RoDTEP) scheme
y TRIFED has onboarded tribal artisans with y Export Credit Guarantee by the Export
their products for online sales, Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC)
y ONDC - Open Network for Digital y Krishi Udan Scheme
Commerce is an initiative to democratize y Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme
the e-commerce space. y One District One Product Initiative

Digital Financial Services Foreign Exchange:

y A strong foundation provided by Jan Dhan- y India’s foreign exchange reserves stood
Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, UPI, and other at US$ 532.7 billion as of end-September
regulatory frameworks. 2022.

62 Economy
y India’s external debt as a ratio to GDP fell y India signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
to 19.2% as of end-September 2022 from with UAE and with Australia.
20.3% a year ago. y Computer Software and Hardware attracted
y RBI issued a circular for International Trade the highest share of FDI equity inflow.
Settlement in Indian Rupees.
y The framework can reduce the net demand CHAPTER 12: Physical and Digital
for US dollars. Infrastructure
y National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and
Other developments: National Monetisation Pipeline, Gati Shakti
y Remittances are 2nd largest source of and National Logistics Policy (NLP) have
external financing after service export, been announced to promote infrastructure
y India has the largest emigrant population growth.
and is the top remittance recipient country y National Bank for Financing Infrastructure
with remittances anticipated to reach a and Development (NaBFID) set up as a
milestone of US$100 billion in 2022, as per development financial institution.
World Bank.

y ‘India Infrastructure Project Development deployment of telegraph infrastructure to

Fund Scheme’ (IIPDF) - notified in November enable speedy 5G rollout.
2022. y National Frequency Allocation Plan 2022
⚪ It provides financial support for project (NFAP): for broad regulatory framework and
development expenses of PPP Projects identifying available frequency bands for
various purposes.
Developments in Digital Infrastructure y National Language Translation Mission
y Total telephone subscriber base: 117 crore called Bhashini launched in July 2022,
(November 2022). aiming at nurturing Indian language
y Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) technologies and solutions as a public good.
Rules, 2022: facilitate faster and easier

Economy 63
 y Between FY19-22 growth in UPI-based 1. Graphite is commonly used as the seeds
transactions in value and volume terms used in its manufacture.
have been 121% and 115%, respectively. 2. Due to not being environment friendly,
its manufacture has been banned in
MCQs and Probable Mains Questions some countries.
1. With reference to the Economic Survey 3. Chemical vapour deposition and
presented recently, consider the following high-pressure high-temperature lab-
statements: grown diamonds are the methods of
1. It is prepared by the Department of manufacturing.
Economics, Department of Economic Which of the statements given above is/are
Affairs (DEA) under the guidance of the correct?
Chief Economic Adviser. (a) 1 only 
2. The first Economic Survey in India was (b) 1 and 2 only
presented in the year 1950-51. (c) 1 and 3 only
3. The Economy is expected to grow (d) 1, 2 and 3
between 6% to 6.8% in the coming
financial year 2023-24. 3. With reference to glycaemic index,
Which of the statements given above is/are consider the following statements:
correct? 1. It is a rating system for foods containing
(a) 1 only protein.
(b) 1 and 2 only 2. Millets have a higher glycaemic index
(c) 2 and 3 only than rice or wheat.
(d) 1, 2 and 3 Which of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only 1
2. With reference to the ‘Lab Grown (b) Only 2
Diamonds’, consider the following (c) Both 1 and 2
statements? (d) Neither 1 nor 2

64 Economy
4. In the context of the ‘Coin Vending (a) 1 and 2 only
Machine’ which is in news recently, (b) 1 and 3 only
consider the following? (c) 2 and 3 only
1. India’s think tank NITI Aayog has (d) 1, 2 and 3
announced the launch of a QR code-
based coin vending machine. Questions:
2. Its objective is to ease the availability of 1. Critically examine the performance of the
coins in the country. Jal Jeevan Mission in providing access to
Which of the statements given above is/are adequate and safe drinking water.
correct? 2. The nutritional and food security benefits
(a) 1 only of millets provide ample reason to push for
(b) 2 only their higher adoption and overcome initial
(c) Both 1 and 2 challenges. Discuss.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 3. The recent increase in monthly GST
revenues is a good sign, but it must be
5. According to Union Budget 2023-24, accompanied by faster dispute resolution
consider the following statements: and solving persistent issues. In this light,
1. India is a leader in cutting and polishing discuss steps taken by the government to
natural diamonds globally. streamline the GST regime.
2. India is contributing about 75% of the 4. Do you agree with the view that steady GDP
global turnover by value of diamonds. growth and low inflation have left the Indian
3. It is proposed to reduce customs duty economy in good shape? Give reasons to
on seeds used in the natural diamond support your answer. Also, briefly discuss
manufacture. the role of the Monetary Policy Committee
Choose the correct option using the codes in achieving the above targets.
below:

1. (D) 2. (C) 3. (D) 4. (B) 5. (A)

Economy 65
IR IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

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3 IR and Defence

India and Neighbours

Indus Water Treaty
More about Indus Water Treaty:
y 1960: Signed between India and Pakistan and brokered by the World Bank.

The treaty gave the waters of the

Western rivers The Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—to Pakistan

Eastern rivers The Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—to India.

y India can use certain parts of water from Why in news?

western rivers by means of runoff projects. India has issued a notice to Pakistan seeking
y The treaty also made provisions for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
the Permanent Indus Commission to
communicate and resolve disputes. More About Indus River System:
y The Indus River rises in the southwestern
Tibet Autonomous Region of China and
flows through the Kashmir region and then
into Pakistan to drain into the Arabian Sea.
y It is joined by numerous tributaries, notably
those of the eastern Punjab Plain—the
Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej
rivers.
y The Indus River system has been used for
irrigation since time immemorial.

Reasons for Disputes:

y India said that Pakistan’s continued
“intransigence” (refusal to change one’s
views or to agree about something) in
implementing the treaty, has hampered the
construction of hydel projects on the Indian
side.
y In 2015 and 2016 unilaterally proposed that
a Court of Arbitration should be set up for
objections.

Developments on the Indian Side:

y 2016: India established a high-level task
force to exploit the full potential of the
Indus Waters Treaty.
y Also working to start several big and small
Image Source: Indian Express hydroelectric projects that had either been
stalled or were in the planning stages.

IR and Defence 67
 Other Water Treatise in India:
y India-Bangladesh Agreement on Ganga 1977, 1996
India-Bangladesh Treaty y Teesta Draft Treaty
y Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade
y Kosi Treaty, 1975, 1966
India-Nepal Treaty y Mahakali Treaty, 1996
y Gandak Treaty, 1975, 1959
y Joint Experts Team (JET) reviews the progress in the
India-Bhutan Cooperation catchments of rivers Puthimari, Pagladiya, Sunkosh, Manas,
Raidak, Torsa, Aie and Jaldhaka.
y Indo China MOU on Brahmaputra, 2008.
India-China Cooperation
y Indo China MOU on Sutlej, 2013.

India and World

India - Egypt Relations

Why in news?
Egyptian President Abdel Fateh el-Sisi is the
first Egyptian leader to be invited as the chief
guest for the Republic Day Parade.
We elevated the India-Egypt bilateral
relationship to a “Strategic Partnership”.

Image Source: Indian Express

More about news:

y A military contingent from Egypt participated in the parade on Republic Day.
y During the visit, both sides signed several MoUs on defense, trade, agriculture and renewable
energy.

India Egypt through History:

Ancient Links Medieval Links After Independence (Start of

y India exported silk, y Regular diplomatic Modern Links)
medicines, incense e x c h a n g e s y Egypt became independent
sticks, pepper etc. between India - in 1922 and India in
y Led to Egypt. established diplomatic
establishment y Common struggle relations in 1947 itself.
of ancient Spice against British. y Bilateral visits continued
Route. and NAM became a common
ground.
y This paved the way for
current ties between Egypt
and India

68 IR and Defence
Various Fronts of Current Relationship: at $15 billion, double that of India’s $7.26
y Egypt, the most populous country in West billion in 2021-22.
Asia, occupies a crucial geo-strategic y Egypt’s attempt to woo Chinese investments.
location - 12% of global trade passes
through the Suez Canal. Way Forward:
y It is a major market for India and can act as y India and Egypt were co-founders of the
a gateway to both Europe and Africa. Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) in 1961
y Friendly voice for India in West Asia along with Yugoslavia, Indonesia and Ghana.
(especially among Muslim nations) and y Countries have an opportunity to forge a
Africa. new path ahead, for strategic and economic
interests.
Concerns in relationship: y Be the voice of the Global South.
y China’s bilateral trade with Egypt is currently

Operation Dost: Turkey earthquake relief by India

Why in news?
India successfully completed aid work under “Operation Dost” in earthquake-hit region of Turkey
and Syria.

Other similar operations:

Operation Ganga Bringing back Indian citizens from Ukraine (2021).
Operation Devi Shakti Evacuation of Indians and foreign nationals from Afghanistan
(2021).
Operation Vande Bharat Bringing back Indian citizens from various countries during COVID
lockdown (2020).
Operation Raahat Evacuation of Indians from Yemen (2015).

IR and Defence 69
 Security Issues
Chinese High Altitude Balloon shot down by USA

About High Altitude Balloons:

y They are crewed or uncrewed balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen.
y Also called Stratostats, as they are released into the stratosphere.
y They can go up to 40-50 km from the ground.
y Baskets attached to them can carry instruments or human beings.
y They have the ability to carry a few thousand kilograms of payloads, for various purposes.
y Balloons fly much above aeroplanes (around 10-12 km) and far below the nearest orbits(
about 200 km) where satellites are placed.
y Karman Line- imaginary boundary, commonly considered at 100 km above the surface,
roughly marking the end of Earth’s atmosphere and the start of outer space.

Image source: World View

Why in the news?

China and the USA have accused each other of flying high-altitude balloons over their respective
airspaces without permission.

Uses of these balloons:

E.g. wind speed and direction measurement, aerosol
Scientific research
concentration, collection of images from near space.
They can hover over an area for a long time, without being
Surveillance/ Espionage
detected.
Longer flight experiences for just a fraction of the cost of rocket
Tourism
rides.
Applications such as communications relays and space-based
Telecommunication
internet.
News Source: Indian Express

70 IR and Defence
Defence LCA Landing on Vikrant

Indian Field Gun (IFG) Why in the News?

y Recently a naval variant of the indigenous
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) undertook its
maiden landing onboard the country’s first
Indigenous Aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant.

Why in the News?

y The DRDO’s Armament Research and
Development Establishment has designed
and developed an indigenous gun system.
y It will help to make all equipment at
Republic Day parade indigenous, breaking Key Points:
colonial-era legacy. y It is an important part of the Aatmanirbhar
Source: The Indian Express Bharat, as India is designed, developed, and
constructed IAC along with LCA.
Source: The Hindu

HAL’s new helicopter unit

Why in the News?
y The PM has recently inaugurated a new helicopter building plant in Tumakuru Karnataka.

Key Points:
y It is a greenfield plant for helicopter manufacturing.
y It is India’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility and will initially produce Light Utility
Helicopters (LUHs).
Source: Business Standard

IR and Defence 71
 Sniffing Robot
Why in the news?
Researchers in Israel have developed a robot that can smell, opening up numerous possibilities in
various fields.

Image source: Reuters

Potential benefits of this robot:

y Advanced disease diagnosis.
y Improved security checks ( more sensitive than existing electronic sniffers).
y Checking zoonotic diseases: by studying how some animals detect disease by smell.
y Various applications in the food safety industry,eg. checking adulteration.
News Source: The Hindu

India-US Exercise Tarkash

Exercise Partner Countries Objective

TARKASH India, USA Simulated response to Chemical,

Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear
(CBRN) terror attacks.
Source: The Indian Express.

Aero India 2023 show at Bengaluru

Why in the news?
The five-day Aero India show began at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru.

72 IR and Defence
 y A biennial show (once in two years), to display India’s growth in
About
aerospace and defence capabilities.
y 1996: First Aero India was held.
Timeline y 2023: 14th Edition organized by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),
on behalf of the Department of Defence Production.
y Theme: ‘The runway to a billion opportunities’
y Participation: 98 countries, Defence Ministers of 32 countries, Air
2023 edition details Chiefs of 29 countries and 73 CEOs of global and Indian defence
manufacturers.
y SMEs and start-ups in the field are also invited.
News source: Indian Express

International Organizations, Conferences, Agreements

Raisina Dialogue 2023 for diplomacy

About Raisina Dialogue:

y An annual conference on geopolitical issues facing the global community.
y Organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF, a global think-tank) in partnership with
the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
y 2016: First Raisina dialogue held.
y 2023: 8th edition. Theme: “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse In The Tempest?”
y Involves the participation of heads of state, ministers, journalists, academics and researchers.
Thus it is also known as Track1.5 Diplomacy which means diplomacy involving both offical
(ambassadors, leaders etc) and non official (NGOs, businessmen, private organisations etc)
channels.

Why in the news?

Iran’s Foreign Minister cancelled his visit to the Raisina Dialogue in India, reportedly due to the
mention of Iranian women protestors in a video clip posted by the organisers of the Raisina Dialogue.

IR and Defence 73
 About ‘Raisina Hills’
y It is a slightly elevated territory in New Delhi housing India’s most important government
buildings, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
News source: Indian Express

Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)

Why in news?
India and the United States have launched the iCET initiative.

What is Critical Tech?

y It can be defined as essential technologies which help in the development and promote the
long-term national security or economic prosperity of the country.
y The iCET involves a range of areas like quantum computing, semiconductors, 5G and 6G wireless
infrastructure, and civilian space projects etc.

More about iCET initiative:

y Bilateral Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies could lend a new strategic depth to
India-US engagement.
y India is also looking to reduce its over dependence on Russian weapons and military technology
thus iCET can be a way forward.
News Source: ToI and IE

India-France-UAE Trilateral Collaboration

Why in news?
A new trilateral initiative has been announced between India, France and the United Arab Emirates.

74 IR and Defence
More about news: 3. With reference to Initiative on Critical and
y The initiative will serve as a forum to design Emerging Technology or iCET, consider
and execute cooperation projects. the following statements:
y Fields of interest: solar and nuclear energy, 1. India and the United States have
climate change, protection of biodiversity, launched the initiative on Critical and
particularly in the Indian Ocean region, Emerging Technology or iCET.
defense preparedness and countering 2. Critical Technology is defined as essential
infectious diseases. technology for the development and
y Further discussions will be held at G20 long-term national security or economic
India and COP28 in UAE in 2023. prosperity of the country.
y Other such trilateral initiatives include: 3. The iCET process, which will be
⚪ JAI - Japan, America(USA) and India - for monitored from the Meity in Delhi and
‘free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific’. the White House in Washington.
⚪ AUKUS- Australia, UK and USA for How many of the above statement (s) is/are
submarine technology. correct?
News Source: The Hindu (a) 1 statement only
(b) 2 statements only
MCQs and Probable Mains Questions (c) All 3 statements
1. ‘Operation Dost’, which was recently in (d) None of these
the news, is related to: 1. (D) 2. (A) 3. (B)
(a) An initiative by NITI Aayog to improve
social relations.
Questions:
(b) Mediation initiative between Israel and
1. How have India and Egypt relations
Palestine by the United Nations.
diversified over time? Discuss the
(c) Initiative by India to help Ukrainian
possibilities and challenges in India-Egypt
refugees.
relations in modern times.
(d) Initiative by India to provide assistance
2. Rivers play an important role in Indian
to Turkey after earthquake.
diplomacy and relations with neighbours.
Discuss.
2. TARKASH is a Joint War-Exercise
3. What is Track 1.5 diplomacy? What is
organized between which two countries?
the role played by “Raisina Dialogue” in
(a) India-US
strengthening Indian image in global fora?
(b) India-UK
4. What do you mean by “high altitude
(c) India-Russia
balloons”? Analyse the security threat
(d) India-France
posed by these balloons? Suggest some
steps to tackle these threats.

IR and Defence 75
GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

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4 Geography and Environment

Geography and Disasters Mechanism of the Earthquake:

1. Tectonic plates of the earth’s crust
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
continually collide, push and grate against
y An earthquake simply implies the shaking each other.
of the earth. 2. The meeting points of these plates are
y Earthquakes can be detected using made up of a series of ‘faults.’
tools called seismographs which record 3. Along these faultlines, energy is often
the movement of the ground during an released when pressure imbalance causes
earthquake. rocks to re-adjust.
y There are different scales used to measure 4. This energy travels as waves and causes
earthquakes, such as the Richter scale or the ground to shake.
the Moment Magnitude scale.

Why in the news?

Two large earthquakes of magnitudes 7.8 and 7.6 (Richter scale) hit south-eastern Turkey, claiming
more than 30,000 lives in Turkey and Syria, and causing more than 200 aftershocks.

Image source: The Geological Society of London and BBC

Geography and Environment 77

 Reasons for the vulnerability of Turkey:
y Turkey and Syria lie at the confluence of three plates: the Arabian Plate, the Anatolian Plate and
the Eurasian Plate.
y The bulk of Turkey sits on the Anatolian Plate between two major faults: the North Anatolian
Fault and the East Anatolian Fault, which had built up stress over centuries.
y Lack of enforcement of building codes in Turkey and the timing of the earthquake (early morning)
made it more devastating.

Measurement of Earthquakes:

Richter Scale Mercalli Scale

Developed by Charles Richter in 1935. Developed by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902.

Measures magnitude. Measures intensity.
Strictly valid only for certain frequency and Gives more accurate measure of destruction
distance ranges. and actual impact.
It measures from a magnitude of 1 (smallest) to It has 12 levels that range from imperceptible
a magnitude of 10 (largest) shaking to catastrophic destruction.

y Moment scale is related to the total energy released in the earthquake, and is a more accurate
measure at higher scales.
y Both Richter and Moment scales are logarithmic.
y Now a days, Intensity scales, like the Modified Mercalli Scale and the Rossi-Forel scale, provide
better detail on amount of shaking at a particular location.

Damage caused by Earthquake:

y Damage caused by an earthquake depends on several factors:
⚪ magnitude of the earthquake
⚪ distance from the epicentre
⚪ depth of the earthquake
⚪ type of soil and geological conditions at the surface

y Shallow earthquakes (depth of less than about 70 km) are more

devastating as they carry greater energy when they reach the surface.
Impact of depth
y Deep-focus earthquakes lose energy while travelling a greater
distance, causing less damage.
y Magnitude is a measure of how big the waves are, while strength
refers to the energy it carries.
Impact of magnitude y Eg.: waves produced by a magnitude 6 earthquake have 10 times
and strength higher amplitude than a magnitude 5 earthquake.
y The energy differential is even higher: 32 times high for every change
of 1 in magnitude.

78 Geography and Environment

Lessons from best practices:
y Chile, a country with a long history of devastating earthquakes, has minimized the damage by
strictly enforcing building codes.
y Japan is also known for its experience in earthquake-proofing structures.
⚪ The 2011 earthquake in Fukushima caused a radiation leak but didn’t damage the stability
of the structure.
News Source: The Hindu

Earth’s inner core rotating

slower: study
Why in news?
Recently research suggested
Earth’s inner core has stopped
spinning faster than the planet’s
surface.

About Earth’s Layer:

y Crust:
⚪ The crust is the outer
layer where we live. The
thickness is around 0-60
km. It’s a solid rock layer
divided into two types:
Continental crust and,
Source: USGS
Oceanic crust.

Geography and Environment 79

 y Mantle: More about news:
⚪ Mantle is the widest section of the y Rotation of inner core rotates is a matter of
Earth. Its thickness is approximately debate and is not yet settled.
2,900 km. y Scientists believe that the inner core
⚪ It is mainly made up of semi-molten rotates, relative to the Earth’s surface, back
rock known as magma. and forth, like a swing and one cycle is
y Outer Core: about seven decades.
⚪ Earth’s core is the very hot, very dense y The inner core started rotating slightly
centre of our planet.. faster than the rest of the planet in the
⚪ Outer core is very hot, between 4,500° early 1970s but it had been slowing down
and 5,500° Celsius. before and syncing with Earth’s rotation
⚪ It is composed of metals such as iron around 2009.
and nickel.
⚪ Earth’s magnetic field is created in the Polar Vortex
swirling outer core. Magnetism in the What is Polar Vortex?
outer core is about 50 times stronger y It is a mass of cold, low-pressure air that
than it is on the surface. consistently hovers over the Arctic region.
y Inner Core: y It is denoted by the word “vortex” because
⚪ It is the centre and the hottest layer of it spins counter-clockwise, just like a
the Earth composed mostly of Iron. hurricane does.
⚪ Temperature in the inner core is about
5,200° Celsius.

Image Source: www.noaa.gov

Why in news?
Recently, the arctic region has been rapidly warming. This has been linked to extreme cold weather
in the US. These are a result of the expansion of the Polar Vortex.

80 Geography and Environment

Reasons for expansion of Polar Vortex:
y Usually, the polar vortex remains strong
and compact like the mass of frigid air that
stays at the North Pole.
y But sometimes it weakens and expands to
influence the jet stream.
y Once the jet stream is impacted, the cold
polar air finds its way toward the mid-
latitude regions.
y Researchers found that the expansion of
the polar vortex has been occurring more
frequently due to the rapidly warming
Arctic.
Image Source: Indian Express
North Star
Why in news? About North Star/Polaris/Pole Star:
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said y Since Polaris is almost in direct line with
Parliament is the “North Star” of democracy, the Earth’s rotational axis, it appears to sit
while Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud motionless in the northern sky, with all the
had described the basic structure of the other stars appearing to rotate around it.
Constitution,as the “North Star” because y Its position and brightness have allowed
North Star appears to be stationary in the sky. humans to use it for navigation.
News Source: Indian Express

Unusual February Heat

Why in news?
Temperatures in some parts of the country are touching 40 degrees Celsius in February, raising
concerns about a very hot summer and extended heat waves this year.

More about news:

y Average maximum temperature is about 28 degrees C while
Between 1981-2010 average minimum temperature is about 15 degrees C which is
taken as “normal”.
y Maximum temperatures have been 5-11 degrees C higher than
February 2023
normal in most parts of northern and western India.

Geography and Environment 81

 What is a heatwave?
If temperatures in the plains exceed 40 degrees Celsius, these areas are said to be experiencing
a heatwave.
For the mountains, this is 30 degrees C, and for the coastal areas, 37 degrees C.

Reasons for the Temp Rise in February:

y Hot weather is due to a combination of factors like the absence of western disturbance activity
in February.
y A weaker sea breeze along the Konkan coast has also aggravated the temperature.

Global Scenario: It is a hotter season because of the expected end of the strongest-ever La Niña
event.
La Niña: cooler than normal surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which influences
global weather.
News Source: IE

Flora and Fauna

Mass mortality of Olive Ridley
About Olive Ridley:

IUCN Vulnerable

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Schedule 1

CITES Appendix 1
Habitat y Found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
y The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, Odisha is the world’s
largest nesting ground.
y Rushikulya river mouth is another mass nesting site in
Odisha’s Ganjam district.
Breeding Season y Third week of February to the first week of March .
y Arribada (nesting) is a unique phenomenon where the Olive
Ridley turtles try to increase the chances of survival of their
offspring.

Why in news?
y The breeding grounds Sakhinetipalli, Malikipuram, Mamidikuduru and Allavaram (Godavari
Region Andhra Pradesh) have been witnessing the mass mortality of the Olive Ridley Turtles
(Lepidochelys olivacea) over the past few weeks.

82 Geography and Environment

Reasons for mass mortality:
y Wastewater being discharged through pipelines by the ONGC facilities.

Red Sanders
About Red Sanders:
Scientific Name Pterocarpus santalinus
Common Name Red sanders, red saunders, Red Sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, etc.
IUCN Status Endangered
y Eastern Ghats especially state of Andhra Pradesh.
Regions Found y Usually grow in rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red soil
and hot and dry climate.
It is a very slow-growing tree species that attains maturity in natural
forests after 25-40 years.
Uses:
y It is used to make furniture and handicrafts.
Other facts and uses
y The red dye obtained from the wood is used as a colouring agent
in textiles.
y It also has medicinal properties and is valued in many international
markets.

Why in news?
According to CITES databases,
there is a heavy underreporting of
Red Sanders smuggling in India.

Steps taken in India to protect

Red Sanders:
y Andhra Pradesh Forest Act
was amended in 2016 to give
special protection to Red
Sanders.
y Enforcement agencies such
as the Forest Departments,
Customs, Railways, Police,
DRI (Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence), and Coast
Guards are coordinating
efforts to curb trafficking.

Geography and Environment 83

 Red Sanders Sandalwood

Highly valued in China, Japan and middle east It is mostly renowned for its aromatic and
countries for traditional medicine. cosmetic value.
Costs between Rs. 1500-2000 per Kg. Second costliest wood after African Blackwood.
Costs about Rs.10,000 per kg.
Illegal to possess and sell it. Individuals can grow, but it is illegal to cut,
harvest and sell in the open market.
News source: The Hindu

Zoo inside Bharatpur Sanctuary y Recognised in 1981 It is one of the first

Ramsar sites, along with Chilika Lake.
Why in news?
y Important rivers: Gambhir and Banganga.
The Rajasthan state Forest Department has
proposed to construct a zoo inside Keoladeo
Concerns Raised:
National Park to display species like rhinos,
y Questions have been raised about the zoo
water buffaloes, crocs, dolphins etc.
coming up in a globally significant habitat
for migratory birds.
News Source: Indian Express

Poaching of Pangolins
Why in the news?
A report released jointly by WWF India and
TRAFFIC revealed that over 1,200 pangolins
were trafficked and poached in India between
More about news: 2018-22.
y Zoo will be called Wetland ex-situ
Conservation Establishment (WESCE).
y Several facilities are planned inside
Keoladeo national park which include
⚪ a breeding and reintroduction centre for
locally extinct species, such as otters,
fishing cats, blackbucks, hog deer, etc

About Keoladeo National Park:

y It is an important UNESCO World Heritage
Site and is famous for migratory birds. Image credit: Indian Express

About Pangolins:
y Globally 8 species, four each in Africa and Asia.
Species found
y India has two of them- Indian and Chinese Pangolin.
y Meat, which is a delicacy and also has medicinal property.
Poached for
y Scales, made of keratin, which have medicinal value.

84 Geography and Environment

 y They are called ‘ecosystem engineers’.
Importance y By building burrows, improve soil aeration, circulation of organic
matter and affect plant community succession.
y Indian Pangolin - Endangered
IUCN Status
y Chinese Pangolin - Critically Endangered
y Listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
Protection
y Listed in Appendix I of CITES - prohibiting commercial trade.
News source: Indian Express

Schemes and Initiatives

Green India Mission

National Action Plan on Climate Change(NAPCC) and its eight missions:

y The NAPCC was announced in 2008.
y It was designed to address climate change in India and initiated by the Ministry of Environment
and Forests.
y It seeks to help India meet its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.

About Green India Mission:

y National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is one of the eight missions under NAPCC.
y It aims at protecting, restoring, and enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to climate
change.

National Mission Targets and Goals

National Mission on y Assess India’s vulnerability to climate change and develop strategies
Strategic Knowledge for adaptation and mitigation
for Climate Change y Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology
National Mission for y Ensure food and nutritional security, increasing agricultural
Sustainable Agriculture productivity, shift towards climate-resilient agriculture
y It is led by Ministry of Agriculture
National Mission for a y Increase forest cover from 21% to 33% of the geographical area of
Green India the country by 2020
y Improve the quality of forest cover and preserve biodiversity
National Mission y Protect Himalayan ecosystem from anthropogenic pressures
for Sustaining the y Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology
Himalayan Ecosystem
National Water Mission y Ensure year round availability of water for agriculture and drinking
purposes and efficient use of water
y Led by Ministry of Jal Shakti
National Mission on y Encourage green buildings, promote sustainable and inclusive
Sustainable Habitat urbanisation
y comes under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Geography and Environment 85

 National Mission on y Reduce energy intensity of the Indian economy by 20-25% by 2020
Enhanced Energy y Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is a component, and is
Efficiency led by Ministry of Power
Naional Solar Mission y Generate 20 GW of solar power by 2022. (later revised to 100GW)
y Reduce the cost of generation and establish India as a global leader
y Led by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Why in the news?

India is lagging behind in the targets to increase the number and quality of tree- and forest-cover
under the Green India Mission, according to RTI data.

India State of Forest Report-2021 data:

y 17 States and Union Territories have more than 33% of their area under forest cover.
y Forest cover area by state: Madhya Pradesh>Arunachal Pradesh> Chhattisgarh> Odisha>
Maharashtra.
y Forest cover percentage by state: Mizoram (84.53%)> Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%)> Meghalaya
(76%)> Manipur (74.34%)> Nagaland (73.90%).

Image source: India times

Major challenges:
y Increase in green cover was almost entirely via commercial plantations and not natural forests.
y In an ecological sense, it doesn’t compensate for natural forests and biodiversity.
y Monoculture plantation systems are more susceptible to pest attacks.

86 Geography and Environment

Environment new schemes- Amrit Dharohar, PM PRANAM, MISHTI
Why in the news?
The Finance Minister in Budget 2023-24 announced a “green push” with three new schemes
focused on the environment and climate change.

About the three schemes:

y Aim: To facilitate mangrove plantation along India’s coastline
MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative
and on saltpan lands.
for Shoreline Habitats &
y The programme will operate through convergence between
Tangible Incomes)
MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and other sources.
y Aim: to encourage states and UTs to reduce chemical fertilizer
PM PRANAM (Prime Minister use by farmers.
Programme for Restoration, y Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource Centres:
Awareness, Nourishment ⚪ 10,000 such centres to be set up to reduce the use of
and Amelioration of Mother chemical fertilisers.
Earth) ⚪ It will create a national-level distributed micro-fertiliser
and pesticide manufacturing network.
y Aim: wetlands conservation through enhanced biodiversity,
carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income
Amrit Dharohar Scheme
generation for local communities
y It is inclusive of local communities and recognizes them as
caretakers of the ecosystem.
News Source: Indian Express

Global Climate Resilience Fund- by SEWA

Why in the News?
y Hillary Clinton and Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) announced this Fund to fight
the menace of climate change.
y Hillary Clinton is the former United States secretary of state.

Key Points:
y SEWA was founded by Late Ela Bhatt and works in 18 states.
y This partnership is under the ‘Clinton Global Initiative’s (CGI) commitment to providing critical
support for climate resilience in the region. 

Geography and Environment 87

 y The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), 4. With reference to Polar Vortex, consider
Rockefeller Resilience Centre, Desai the following statements:
Foundation, the AI Gore Foundation, Council 1. It is a mass of cold, low-pressure air
for Inclusive Capitalism, and the American that consistently hovers over the Arctic
India Foundation will work with SEWA. region.
Source: The Indian Express 2. They have no effect on the extreme cold
weather experienced in The US recently.
MCQs and Probable Mains Questions Which of the statements given above is/are
1. With reference to Red Sanders, consider correct?
the following statements: (a) 1 only
1. The IUCN status of this species is (b) 2 only
‘Endangered’. (c) Both 1 and 2
2. It has been placed in Schedule IV of the (d) Neither 1, nor 2
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Which of the above statement (s) is/are 5. The plateau of Anatolia, which was in
correct? news recently, is situated between which
(a) Only 1 two water bodies?
(b) Only 2 (a) Black Sea and Azov Sea
(c) Both 1 and 2 (b) Mediterranean Sea and Azov Sea
(d) None of these (c) Black Sea and Caspian Sea
(d) Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea
2. With reference to the Mangroves,
consider the following statements: 6. With reference to shallow earthquakes,
1. Mangroves are salt-tolerant plant consider the following statements:
communities found in only subtropical 1. It is an earthquake that originates far
intertidal regions. away from the surface.
2. They are located in the intermediate 2. They are often more deadly than deeper
zone between the land and the sea and earthquakes.
represent one of the best examples of Which of the statements given above is/are
ecotone. correct?
3. West Bengal has the largest mangrove (a) 1 only
forest area in India. (b) 2 only
Which of the above statements are correct? (c) Both 1 and 2
(a) 1 and 2 only (d) Neither 1, nor 2
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only 7. With reference to “Skyglow”, consider the
(d) 1, 2 and 3 following statements:
1. Skyglow is the light in the night sky
3. With what is the term ‘Aftershocks’ and which is a commonly noticed aspect of
‘Foreshocks’ which were in the news light pollution.
recently? 2. It is made of artificial lighting only.
(a) El Nino and La Nina Which of the statements given above is/are
(b) Coral Bleaching correct?
(c) Seismic Activity (a) 1 only
(d) Solar Storm (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1, nor 2

88 Geography and Environment

Questions: 2. Discuss the major schemes introduced
1. Discuss the vulnerability of India to in budget 2023-24 for preservation of the
earthquake related hazards. Give examples environment.
including the salient features of major 3. What role is played by civil society and NGOs
disasters caused by earthquakes in different in fighting Climate change and upliftment of
parts of India during the last three decades. vulnerable societies from climate change?
(UPSC 2021)

1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (C) 4. (A) 5. (D) 6. (B) 7. (A)

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Geography and Environment 89

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5 Science and Tech

Healthcare and Biotech system of humans.

y It is not a new virus but it has been
Norovirus
circulating in humans for the last 50 years.
Why in the News? y It can be fatal, especially to those under 5
Recently it was reported that 2 school children and above 65 years age.
from Kerala got infected with Norovirus. y It is also referred to as ‘winter vomiting
disease’ as outbreaks tend to be common
About the Norovirus: in winter or colder regions.
y It is a disease affecting the gastrointestinal

y Through direct contact

Spreading y Through contaminated food/ water
y Through contaminated surfaces and putting those hands in the mouth.
Symptoms Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Nausea, Stomach pain.
There’s no specific treatment for norovirus infection and recovery depends
Treatment
on person’s immunity system.
Washing hands and hygiene practices, homestay (isolation), keeping the
Prevention
body hydrating, consuming fruits, etc.
Source: The Indian Express

Immunity Imprinting

Why in the news?

Study shows that immune imprinting
might be making bivalent booster
doses less effective.

About Immune Imprinting:

y It is a tendency of the body to
repeat it’s immune response base
don the first variant it encountered.
y It acts as a database for the human
immune system.
y 1947: It was first observed against
flu.
y Earlier it was termed as ‘original
antigenic sin’ but now it is
commonly called imprinting.
y The body produces memory B
cells, that produce the antibodies
whenever the same strain of the
virus infects again.
y Alien virus in vody activates

Science and Tech 91

 memory B cells, which produce antibodies that bind to both the old and new strains, known
as ‘cross-reactive antibodies’.
Source: The Indian Express

TAWS
Why in the News?
The leading national mental health institute NIMHANS developed a stress measuring tool called
“Tool To Assess and Classify Work-Related Stress” (TAWS).

About the Tool:

y TAWS-16 helps to map mental health condition that could trigger chronic heart disease and
diabetes.
y The employees get a color-coded score after assessment- green, yellow and red.

About NIMHANS:
y It is the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences, located in Bengaluru.
y It comes under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Source: The Indian Express

Information Technology
Bharat Operating System (OS)
Why in news?
IIT-Madras has developed a new operating system called BharOS, which is indigenous private
mobile operating system. Some of the other important OS are Windows, macOS, Linux etc.

Image Source: IE

92 Science and Tech

Google Bard vs Microsoft’s ChatGPT
Why in news?

ChatGPT Bard

y ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained y IT is a natural language processing model

Transformer) is an AI-based processing developed by Google.
model that is pre-trained on a large corpus y Bard is trained using supervised learning
of text developed by Microsoft-backed algorithms.
OpenAI. y It is better suited for tasks such as machine
y It is designed to generate human-like text translation and text summarization.
and can be used to respond to questions.
y GPT is trained using unsupervised learning
algorithms.

Concern with AI-based platforms:

y These can be extremely prone to inaccuracies.
y The ability to generate content such as hate speech and racial and gender biases and
stereotyping, could lead to problems.
y There is also an issue of plagiarism, cheating, and threat to online safety with sophisticated AI
chatbots.
News Source: Indian Express

MicroLED Display- Apply in-house Mfg

Why in the news?
Tech-giant Apple is currently developing its own microLED display technology and plans to
implement the same in its future devices.

What is microLED display technology?

y MicroLEDs are self-illuminating
diodes(semiconductors).
y These displays are based on sapphires,
which are substances that can shine forever
on their own.
y These microLEDs are gathered into
modules, which are then assembled to
make screens.
y MicroLED dimensions are less than
100µm (micrometres), much smaller than
conventional LED.
Image Source: The Hindu

Science and Tech 93

 Benefits of microLED over OLED

microLED (micro Light emitting Diode) OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)

It is made of inorganic compounds thus more Organic compounds make it more prone to
stable and lighter. decay.
No need for colour filters, thus it is thinner. Need for additional layers makes it thicker.
microLED has brighter colour reproduction. Less brighter colour reproduction.

Other benefits of this technology: Key Points:

y It has unlimited scalability, as it is y BHASHINI- BHASa-INterface for India.
resolution-free, bezel-free and ratio-free. y It provides easy access to digital services
y There is the possibility to resize the screen in Indian languages, voice-based access,
in any form for new devices. and content in Indian languages.
y It does not need backlighting or colour y Bhasha Daan will generate databases
filters and can produce red, blue, and for Indian languages, and AI models for
green colours individually, thus, color developing products and services .
reproduction is better. y WhatsApp to be used to facilitate search
News Source: The Hindu on key government schemes, powered by
the ChatGPT.
BHASHINI AI for content translation for Source: PIB
Farmers
Space / Atomic Technology
Dark Sky Reserve
What is Dark Sky Reserve?
y A “dark-sky reserve” – an area whose skies
were free of light pollution. The designation
meant that the reserve had a responsibility
to keep the skies dark, particularly for the
astronomical observatories located in the
area.
y Eg : In 2022, the district administration of
Why in the News? Ladakh designated six hamlets within the
y The Ministry of Electronics and IT launched, Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary a “dark-sky
BHASHINI, National Language Translation reserve”.
Mission.

94 Science and Tech

Light Pollution and Situation globally: negative charge but are 207 times heavier.
y The night is actually becoming brighter Therefore, they are sometimes called “fat
in almost the rest of the world due to electrons”.
‘skyglow’.
Why are “Muons” used?
What is Skyglow?
y Muons are heavy so they can travel through
y Skyglow is the light in the night sky, apart
hundreds of metres of rock or other matter
from light sources such as the Moon and
and then get absorbed or decay into
visible individual stars. It is a commonly
electrons and neutrinos.
noticed aspect of light pollution.
y The drawback of this technique is that they
y While usually it is artificial lighting,
are highly unstable and exist for just 2.2
skyglow may also involve any scattered
microseconds.
light seen at night, including natural ones
like starlight, zodiacal light, and airglow.
How does muography work?
y Non-natural light has increased the skyglow,
y Muography is conceptually similar to X-ray
by 9.2-10% every year between 2011 and
but is capable of scanning much larger and
2022.
wider structures.
y The technique was first used in the late
Consequences of Light Pollution:
1960s by Nobel Laureate physicist Luis
y Sea turtles are unable to come ashore to
Alvarez.
nest.
News Source: Indian Express
y Skyglow keeps trees from sensing seasonal
variations. ISRO SSLV-D2 launch
y Young burrow-nesting seabirds don’t take
flight unless the nesting site becomes dark, Why in the News?
hence its natural cycle is disturbed. To exploit the international satellite launch
y Clownfish eggs don’t hatch when exposed to market, ISRO launched the SSLV-D2 rocket.
artificial light at night, killing the offspring.
y Artificial light at night can hamper the
Key points:
production of melatonin, an influential
y It was the second launch
hormone in the human body with effects
of Small Satellite Launch
on sleep, moods and cognition.
Vehicle (SSLV-D2).
Subatomic Particles for Studying Structures y It seeks to capture the
commercial market
Why in news? for small and micro
Researchers are examining the fortress wall of satellites, including on-
Xi’an, an ancient city in China, by using “muons”. demand launches.
y It will place following
What are Muons? satellites:
y Muons are subatomic particles which y ISRO’s earth observation
are created when the particles in Earth’s satellite EOS-07
atmosphere collide with cosmic rays ( i.e.
clusters of high-energy particles) that move
y Janus-1 (US based Antaris and India’s
through space at the speed little less than
XDLinks and Ananth Technologies)
that of light.
y AzaadiSat2 (built by 750 girl students from
y These particles are similar to electrons with
across India)
Source: ISRO

Science and Tech 95

 MCQs and Probable Mains Questions Which of the statements given above are
correct?
1. With reference to Muons, which was
(a) 1 and 2 only
recently in news, consider the following
(b) 2 and 3 only
statements:
(c) 1 and 3 only
1. These are subatomic particles raining
(d) 1, 2 and 3
down from space. They are created
4. With reference to ‘Inferred Lithium Deposit
when these particles in the Earth’s
in J&K’, which was in news recently,
atmosphere collide with cosmic rays.
consider the following statements?
2. These cosmic rays are groups of high-
1. Lithium is a type of ferrous metal widely
energy particles that move through
used in battery making of hybrid electric
space at almost the speed of light.
Vehicles.
3. These particles are similar to electrons
2. “Inferred” mineral sources are
but are 207 times more massive.
estimated with high level of confidence
Which of the above statement are correct?
and reliability.
(a) 1 and 2 only
3. Which of the above statement(s) is/are
(b) 2 and 3 only
correct?
(c) 1 and 3 only
Which of the above statement(s) is/are
(d) 1, 2 and 3
correct?
(a) 1 only
2. With reference to ‘Small Satellite Launch
(b) 2 only
Vehicle-D2’, which was in news recently,
(c) Both 1 and 2
consider the following statements?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. It can place satellites up to 500 kg in
low earth orbit on a ‘launch-on-demand’
5. With reference to Norovirus, consider the
basis.
following statements:
2. ISRO has successfully sent three Indian
1. It is thought to be one of the primary
satellites into space with this launch
causes of gastroenteritis.
vehicle.
2. The virus is not capable of surviving low
Which of the above statement(s) is/are
temperatures.
correct?
Which of the above statements are correct?
(a) 1 only
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(b) Both 1 and 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) 2 only

3. With reference to “North Star” consider

Questions:
the following statements:
1. What is Artificial Intelligence? How can AI
1. It is also known as Pole Star.
help in doubling farmer’s income?
2. It is part of the constellation Ursa Major.
2. What is a LED? Discuss the new
3. North Star position and brightness have
advancements in the field of MicroLED.
made humans to use it for navigation.
3. What are subatomic particles? Discuss
various uses of these subatomic particles.

1. (D) 2. (A) 3. (C) 4. (D) 5. (A)

96 Science and Tech

UPSC Unstoppables - A channel to help
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to earth, core subjects like International
Relations, Economy, Polity, Science &
Technology, Environment, and others.
HISTORY IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

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5 History and Culture

Major Events
Aadi Mahotsav tribal handloom fair at Delhi

About Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation Limited (TRIFED):

Formed in 1987; under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984.
Nodal Ministry Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Objective Socio-economic development of tribal people in the country through the
marketing development of tribal products.
Initiatives y Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) by Tribals.
y Coordinating Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY).
y Village and Digital Connect Initiative.
y Tech For Tribals Program.
y TRIFOOD Scheme for value addition to MFP.
News source: The Hindu

ICHR’s Prakalp initiative for historical research

History and Culture 99

 Why in the News?
y The Government of India launched the PRAKALP project under ICHR to fill gaps in historical
research.

Key points:
y This project aims to update and publish 12-13 volumes of history.
y ICHR - The Indian Council of Historical Research is a body under the Union Ministry of Education,
and was established in 1972 for promoting scientific historical research.
Source: The Indian Express

Culture

Etikoppaka wooden toy craft

Why in The News?
y On the eve of Republic day, the Government of India honored Etilkoppaka toy craft with India’s
4th highest civilian award Padma Shri.

Key Points:
y Etikopakka is a village on the banks of Varaha river in Vishakhapatnam.
y Toys are lacquer-colored and created in the region and traditionally called Etikopakka Bommalu.
y Natural dyes derived from seeds, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves are used on these toys.
y Recently CV Raju, a craftsman of Etikopakka has been given Padma Shri.
y In 2017 It got the GI tag in the handicraft category.
y These toys depict rural life including women, bullocks, carts, wells, birds, etc.
Source: The Hindu

Kashmir’s Pashmina Shawls

Why in the News?
A French artist Maximilien Pellet used the Pashmina shawl for making canvas for the contemporary
art form in a Persian exhibition.

100 History and Culture

About the Pashina Shwal:
y The word Pashmina is taken from the Persian word Pashm, meaning waivable fibre precise wool.
y It originated in the Kashmir region of India and it has got GI tag.
y The wool for the shawl is obtained from the Changthangi goat, a local goat of Ladakh.
Source: The Hindu

Jatar Deul
Why in news?
Sea winds are eroding 11th-century terracotta temple in West Bengal’s Sundarbans.

More about Jatar Deul:

y Located at Raidighi in South 24 Parganas, a few kilometres from
Location
the sea.
y Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) states that Jatar Deul is
Ancient Connection traditionally connected to an inscription by Raja Jayantachandra
issued in 975 AD.
y Early brick temples have been completely destroyed because of
Impact of climate hostile climate.
change y Increase in air salinity, Amphan (the tropical cyclone), etc have
gradually eroded the outer wall of Jatar Deul.
News Source: The Hindu

Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas
Why in the news?
A political controversy arose in Bihar related to the interpretation of some verses from
Ramcharitmanas.

History and Culture 101

 y Other important works: Vinaya Patrika,
Kavitavali, and Janaki Mangal.

Amrit Udyan
Why in The News?
In keeping with the theme of the Aazadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav, the Union government has
renamed the Mughal Garden as ‘Amrit Udyan’.

About Ramcharitmanas:
y It is a retelling of the events of the Ramayana,
in the regional language of Awadhi.
y It is divided into seven chapters (‘Kand’)
that tell the story of Lord Ram from birth to About the Garden:
his becoming King of Ayodhya. y Location: within the Rashtrapati Bhawan
y It influenced many forms of Indian art, complex, New Delhi.
including music, theatre and dance forms y It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and
like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi. influenced by the Persian Charbagh style of
architecture.
About Tulsidas (Bhakti saint): Source: The Indian Express
y Estimated to live between 1532-1623, and
thus a contemporary of Akbar. Pen Monument
y He was a Brahmin whose original name was Why in news ?
Ram Bola Dubey. Tamil Nadu proposed to construct a 134-feet
y He is said to have composed the high ‘Pen Monument’ in the memory of former
Ramcharitmanas on the bank of the Ganga Chief Minister and DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi
in Varanasi. at the Bay of Bengal in Chennai.

More about Pen Monument:

y According to an official document shape of a pen represents Karunanidhi’s many contributions
to Iyal (poetry and literature), Isai (music), and Naadagam (theatre), the three fundamental
pillars of Thamizh, or Tamil.

Criticism And Concerns about the move:

y Damages the ecosystem and marine life along the coast of Marina beach and would adversely
impact the livelihood of fishermen.

102 History and Culture

Vishwa Bharti University
Why in the News?
y The Central University of India, Vishwa Bharti, is set to get world’s first living heritage university
tag by UNESCO.

What is a living heritage site?

y The existing practice of giving heritage site tags to dead or non-living sites but Vishwa Bharti
is a functioning university so it will get a living heritage tag.

About Vishwa-Bharti:
y 1951: This institution got a central university tag.
y It is based on an open-air education system that is still carried out and for excellence in
cultural studies, including arts, language, humanities, fine arts, and music.
Major Initiatives of UNESCO (United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization):
y World Heritage Programme.
y Network of Creative Cities.
y Man and Biosphere Programme.
y Global Geopark Network.
Source: The Indian Express

History and Culture 103

 This day in history

Date Significance Description

26th Jan Republic Day y This day commemorates and celebrates adoption
of the Constitution of India.
y On this day in 1930 IN Lahore INC declared ‘Poorna
Swaraj’ and hoisted the Triocolor.
y The Preamble to the Indian Constitution went into
effect on this day.
y India became a Sovereign Democratic Republic on
this day.
30th Jan Martyr’s Day or Shaheed y Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram
Diwas is celebrated in Godse in the Birla House during his evening prayers
the memory of Mahatma on January 30, 1948.
Gandhi y The International Day of Nonviolence is held on
October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
y Books written by him include: The Story of My
Experiments with Truth (1927), Hind Swaraj
(1909), India of my dreams (1947), Satyagraha in
South Africa (1928).
31st Jan On the orders of Queen y The English East India Company was incorporated
Elizabeth I of Britain, the by royal charter on December 31, 1600.
first East India Company y In 1651, the East India Company started its trading
was established in India. in Bengal after an agreement of returning an annual
payment of 3,000 rupees instead of all duties.
y At Hooghly(1651), an East Indian company was
started. In Kasimbazar, Patna and Rajmahal, the
British started the factories.
2nd Feb World Wetlands Day y Adoption of the Convention on Wetlands was done
on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar
y “Revive and restore degraded wetlands” is the
theme for 2023.
y India has a total of 75 Ramsar sites so far covering
an area of 13,26,677 ha. 
3rd Feb Battle of Diu y It was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in
the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India.
y Fought between the Portuguese Empire and a joint
fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji
Sultanate of Egypt, and the Zamorin of Calicut.
y The Portuguese victory was critical.
y It eased controlling the Indian Ocean to route
trade down the Cape of Good Hope.
y The Portuguese did not take over Diu immediately.

104 History and Culture

 4th Feb Chauri Chaura Incident y It is situated in the Gorakhpur district of the
United Province, (modern Uttar Pradesh).
y A large group of protesters, participating in the
Non-cooperation movement, clashed with police,
who opened fire.
y The incident led to the deaths of three civilians
and 23 policemen.
6th Feb Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan y He was also popularly known as Frontier Gandhi. 
Birth Anniversary y a die-hard opponent of the two-nation theory and
the idea of Pakistan.
y He enjoyed the same stature in the North West
Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) as
Gandhi had in India.
9th Feb Treaty of Alinagar y It was signed between Robert Clive of the British
East India Company and Mirza Muhammad Siraj
Ud Daula, the Nawab of Bengal.
y One of the reasons leading up to the famous Battle
of Plassey.
10th Feb Battle of Sobraon y On February 10, 1846, Battle of Sobraon was fought.
y fought between the British forces and the Sikh
Khalsa army.
y Sir Hugh Gough, the main Commander of the
Bengali army, oversaw the British.
y Sardar Tej Singh, Sardar Lal Singh, and Sardar
Sham Singh Attariwala were the Sikh side’s
Commanders.
y The Battle of Sobraon was the fourth battle of
First Anglo-Sikh war after Battle of Firozpur, Battle
of Baddowal and Battle of Aliwal.
14th Feb Coronation of Akbar y On February 14, 1556, the Coronation ceremony of
Akbar took place at Kalanaur, Punjab.
y Akbar defeated Hemu in the second battle of
Panipat and established control over Delhi.

18th Feb Chaitanya Mahaprabhu y Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Nabadwip on

Birth Anniversary February 18, 1486.
y He taught Vaishnavism in Bengal and Odisha.
y Popularised the “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” chant.

History and Culture 105

 19th Feb Gopal Krishna Gokhale y He was born on 9th May 1866 in Ratnagiri district,
Death Anniversary in Maharashtra.
y He died on 19th February 1915.
y Was influenced by Justice Mahadev Govind
Ranade,
y He was often called the ‛Protege Son’ (Manas
Putra) of Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade.
y Gokhale was a moderate who was elected president
of the INC in the Banaras session in 1905.
22ndFeb Kasturba Gandhi Death y Kasturbai Gandhi was a political activist and was
Anniversary married to Mahatma Gandhi.
y She educated women about hygiene, discipline,
and health in Champaran, Bihar.
y Kasturba was an active participant in the Borsad
Satyagraha and the Bardoli Satyagraha.
y In the year 2013, the Government declared
April 11 as the National Safe Motherhood Day
to be celebrated every year to mark the birth
anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi.
y She was arrested in 1942, along with Gandhiji and
other freedom fighters, for taking part in the Quit
India movement.

MCQs and Probable Mains Questions (a) 1 only

(b) 2 only
1. In the context of Jatar Deul Temple,
(c) Both 1 and 2
which was in news recently, consider the
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
following?
1. This temple is situated on the banks of
3. Recently seen in news “Charaideo
the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh.
moidams – royal burial sites” are related
2. It is a famous Hindu temple dedicated
to the state of:
to Lord Shiva.
(a) Tripura
Which of the statements given above is/are
(b) Mizoram
correct?
(c) Assam
(a) 1 only
(d) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
4.
With reference to Visva-Bharati
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
University, which was recently in news,
consider the following statements:
2. With reference to the Etikoppaka toy,
1. It will be the world’s first living heritage
consider the following statements:
university.
1. This toy craft is mainly related to the
2. It is located in Shantiniketan of West
state of Odisha.
Bengal.
2. Etikoppaka Toys was granted
Which of the above statement(s) is/are not
Geographical Indication in the year 2017.
correct?
Which of the above statement is/are not
correct?

106 History and Culture

 (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. (B) 2. (A) 3. (C) 4. (D)

History and Culture 107

ETHICS AND ESSAY IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

CONDUCT OF OFFICERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

CANCEL CULTURE- MODIFYING OLD LITERATURE TO FIT NEW

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6 Ethics/ Essay

Conduct of Officers on Social Media Other recent instances:

y An IAS Officer from UP was relieved by the
ECI from Gujarat Election Duty for sharing
pictures during official work.
y An IAS officer from Mumbai made
controversial remarks related to Nathuram
Godse and insulting Mahatma Gandhi.
y Public remarks by an officer from Madhya
Why in the news?
Pradesh put a bad light on the ongoing
There was a war of words on social media
Swachh Bharat Mission.
between an IAS and an IPS officer in Karnataka,
resulting in them being transferred without a
posting.

Social media use by civil servants:

Benefits Concerns

Better accessibility and public outreach. Self-promotion and the lure of glamour.
Feedback on government initiatives. Counter to the principle of anonymity.
Emergency response, e.g., during COVID-19. Blurs the line between personal and official
views.
Improved public perception by showcasing Partisan politics: civil servants are often drawn
works. into politics on social media.
Increased transparency by regular information Time management: It may hamper official
sharing. duties.

Conduct Rules for Civil Servants: 2nd ARC Recommendations:

y The Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, y Apex level: Having a clear statement of
1964 lay down the norms for civil servants. values and ethical standards for civil
y Similar rules exist for officers of the All servants, including political impartiality and
India Services and State Governments. accountability.
y The Conduct Rules include the following ⚪ Examples: commitment to uphold the
norms: Constitution, protect citizens’ rights,
⚪ Maintaining integrity and absolute and promote the public good.
devotion to duty. y Second level: Outlining broad principles
⚪ Not engaging in “behaviour inappropriate that govern a civil servant’s behaviour,
for a government employee.” which constitute the Code of Ethics.
⚪ The code of conduct lists certain acts ⚪ Examples: the importance of integrity,
that are judged inappropriate for public honesty, impartiality, confidentiality,
officials. For example- taking dowry, and avoiding conflicts of interest.
speaking to the Press against the y Third level: Creating a specific Code of
government, etc. Conduct that clearly states acceptable and

Ethics/ Essay 109

 unacceptable behaviour and actions with Why in the news?
specified consequences. Recently, some changes have been made by
⚪ Examples: prohibition of accepting Puffin Books to children’s books by British
gifts, nepotism, discrimination, or author Roald Dahl to make them more in line
harassment. to modern sensibilities.
y Statutory backing: Values and Code of Roald Dahl’s books contains words like
Ethics should be given legal backing by “enormously fat,” “enormous” for children
including them in the proposed Civil which are used for body shamming.
Services Bill.
Major cases of cancel culture:
Cancel Culture- modifying old y 2021-The Cancellation of Dr. Seuss: Several
literature to fit new sensibilities Dr. Seuss books were removed from
circulation due to their offensive imagery
What is Cancel Culture? and content.
It refers to criticising and boycotting public y Mark Twain: critics argue that his works
figures or celebrities who have done contain language that is racially insensitive,
something that is considered offensive or sexist, and offensive to African-American.
controversial in today’s society, often leading
to the withdrawal of public support.

Effects of Cancel Culture:

Pros Cons

1. Useful tools for holding people accountable 1. Often leads to mob mentality, where
for their words, actions, and beliefs. people rush to make judgments without
2. Used to bring awareness to issues that are considering all the facts or context.
often ignored or not talked about. 2. Used to silence dissenting opinions and
3. This can encourage people to think before can lead to an environment of fear where
they speak and act, which can lead to a people are afraid to speak up or express
more informed and tolerant society. their opinions.
3. Cancel culture can lead to an environment
where people are afraid to take risks or be
creative for fear of being judged or cancelled.
4. White washing literature is not right way as
people will not be able to know the state of
mind and the state of the society.
News Source: IE

110 History and Culture

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History and Culture 111

CURRENT AFFAIRS IN NEWS: 2023 - FEBRUARY

PLACES / PEOPLE IN NEWS

AWARDS

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Scan QR Code JOIN NOW

6 PIN-GK

Places / People in News

Solomon Islands
Why in the News?
y The US recently opened its embassy in the Solomon Islands to counter Chinese influence in
the Pacific Ocean.

Image Source: Britannica

About Solomon Island:

y It is a Melanesia island country, with 900 plus islands and its capital is Honiara, which is
located on the island of Guadalcanal.
⚪ Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific region.
y It is a member of the Commonwealth, as it was once a colony of the British government and
it has a Constitutional monarchy government.
Source: The Guardian

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 UP Cow sanctuary cattle as well as related issues such as road
accidents.
Why in the news?
y It will have an electric crematorium that
y The first cow sanctuary of Uttar Pradesh
will solve the problem of disposal of dead
is proposed in Chandan village of Purkaji
cattle.
block in Muzaffarnagar.
y Also, have a biogas plant inside the
sanctuary that will run on cattle waste to
Significance:
generate important gas and organic manure.
y It will host more than 5000 stray cattle
Source: Hindustan Times
and will help in solving the issues of stray

PIN/ GK Description

Neal Mohan y He is selected new CEO of Youtube and was born in Lucknow.
y Other important Indian personalities: such as Sattya Nadela
(CEO of Microsoft), Shantanu Narayen (CEO of Adobe), Sundar
Pichai (CEO of Alphabet).

Smriti Mandhana y Cricketer Smriti Mandhana won the highest amount at T20
WPL (Women’s Premier League) auctions.
y She was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
y Earlier in 2022, she won the ICC women’s cricketer of the year
award.

Nikkey Haley y She was the former South Carolina Governor.

y She declared her candidature for the 2024 US Presidential
election nomination from the Republican party.

International Mother y 1999: UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother

Language Day Language Day.
y 2019: UNGA had declared it as International Year of Indigenous
Languages.
y Theme: this year’s theme is ‘Multilingual Education- A
Necessity to Transform Education.

114 PIN-GK
 New CEO of NITI Aayog y Cabinet Committee on Appointments selected former
Commerce Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam as the new CEO of
the NITI Aayog.
y The CEO has a fixed tenure of 2 years and the rank of Secretary.

Parvez Musharraf y Key Point:

⚪ Recently Ex-Pakistani President and military ruler died in
UAE.
⚪ He was the President until 2008 and was part of the 1965
and 1971 wars between the 2 countries.
⚪ Musharraf was a leading strategist behind the Kargil Conflict
(1999)
y About Amyloid:
⚪ Amyloid can start depositing on organs like the heart, brain,
kidney, spleen, and other parts of the body.
⚪ A person may have amyloidosis in one organ or several..
Vani Jairam y She was a veteran Indian singer who had songs in many Indian
languages.
y Birth Place: Vellore (TN) in 1945.
y Awards:Padma Bhushan(2023)
y Famous For:Carnatic singer and Hindustani musician

Prabhakaran and LTTE y V.Prabhakaran was the founder of the Liberation Tiger of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and is rumoured to be still alive.
y LTTE was a militant organisation that aimed to create a separate
state from Sri Lanka’s north and east parts.
y In 2009 Srilankan army declared that Prabhakaran was dead
and the civil war came to an end.

Awards y The latter had three classes namely Pahela

Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg. These were
Padma Awards 2023
subsequently renamed Padma Vibhushan,
Why in the News? Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri through
On 26th January 2023, the Government of India Presidential Notification issued on January
announced Padma Awardees. 8, 1955.
⚪ Padma Vibhushan: Exceptional and
History and Relevance: distinguished service.
y 1954: The Government of India instituted ⚪ Padma Bhushan: Distinguished service
two civilian awards-Bharat Ratna & Padma of higher service.
Vibhushan. ⚪ Padma Shri: Distinguished service.

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 Eligibility:
y Government servants including those
working with PSUs, except doctors and
scientists, are not eligible for these Awards.

Conditions:
y The total number of awards given in a year
should not be more than 120.
y Selection Process: It is done by a committee
constituted every year by the PM. It is
Headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Awardees of 2023:
Padma Vibhushan

Name Field State

Balkrishna Doshi (Posthumous) Architecture Gujarat

Zakir Hussain Art Maharashtra

S M Krishna Public Affairs Karnataka

Dilip Mahalanabis (Posthumous) Medicine West Bengal

Srinivas Varadhan Science & Engineering USA

Mulayam Singh Yadav (Posthumous) Public Affairs Uttar Pradesh

Padma Bhushan

Name Field State

S L Bhyrappa Literature & Education Karnataka

Kumar Mangalam Birla Trade & Industry Maharashtra

Shri Deepak Dhar Science & Engineering Maharashtra

Vani Jairam Art Tamil Nadu

Swami Chinna Jeeyar Others - Spiritualism Telangana

Suman Kalyanpur Art Maharashtra

Kapil Kapoor Literature & Education Delhi

Sudha Murty Social Work Karnataka

Kamlesh D Patel Others - Spiritualism Telangana

Source: The Indian Express

116 PIN-GK
Kirti Awards (Gallantry Awards)
Why in the News?
On the 74th Republic Day, the President of India awarded the Gallantry awards, given to defense
personnel.

Peace Time Gallantry Awards War Time Gallantry Awards

Ashok Chakra Param Vir Chakra

Shaurya Chakra Maha Vir Chakra
Kirti Chakra Vir Chakra

2023 Recipient of Kirti Chakra:

y A total of 6 Kirti Chakra are awarded and 2
of them are awarded posthumously.
y Major Shubhang and Naik Jitendra Singh
from the Army got the Kirti Chakra for their
role in counter-terror operations in J&K.
Source: The Indian Express

Image: Kirti Chakra to Major Shubhang

Khelo India Winter Games

Why in news?
The first-ever Khelo India Winter Games were held at Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

About:
y The event’s objective is to promote Indian winter sports.
y The Open Ice Hockey Championship, Figure Skating, and Speed Skating are the three winter
sports competitions taking place during the Ladakh phase of the Khelo India Winter Games.

PIN-GK 117
 Women U-19 T20 World Cup
Why in The News?
y The ICC’s prestigious first-ever T20 women’s
world cup was concluded in South Africa.

About the tournament:

y ‘Olly’, the Olive Ridley Turtle is the goodwill
ambassador for the tournament.
y The final match was played at Kalinga
Stadium, Bhubaneshwar, where Germany
beat Belgium.
y India won the hockey world cup only once,
y A total of 16 teams participated and India
in 1975.
beat England in the finals.
Source: The Hindu
y Indian team was led by Shefali Verma and
Titas Sadhu of India became Player of the
Grammy Awards
Match.
y The final match was played at Potchefstroom, Why in the News?
South Africa. y The prestigious 65th Grammy awards 2023
have been announced. They are given by the
Germany wins hockey WC in Bhubaneshwar Recording Academy of the United States to
recognize spectacular work in the music
Why in the News?
industry.
y The 15th edition of the FIH Hockey world
y American singer Beyonce got 9 nominations
cup concluded recently.
in various areas, the highest for an artist
this year.

Category Winners

Best Immersive Audio Album category Rickey Kej (India) (Divine Tides’ album)

Best Dance/Electronic Recording Beyonce (Break My Soul)

Source: The Indian Express

Australian Open Grand Slam 2023

118 PIN-GK
 y It was started in 1905 on grass courts but later on, it has been played
About the on hard courts.
Tournament: y It is one of the 4 grand slams held every year and the season’s first
grand slam of every year.
y Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles event.
Winners in 2023
y Aryna Sabalenka won the women’s singles event.
y Sania Mirza announced her retirement after being the runner-up in
Indian Player:
the Australian Open 2023 in mixed doubles.
Source: The Indian Express

MCQs
Q3. With reference to “Living Will” consider
1. With reference to Padma Awards,
the following statements:
consider the following statements
1. A Living Will is a document in which
1. Government servants including those
an individual discloses his/her health
working with PSUs, except doctors and
insurance schemes to the government
scientists, are not eligible for these
for availing cheaper healthcare services.
awards.
2. An adult with a sound and healthy mind
2. The first ever non-Indian Padma
can make a living will.
Vibhushan awardee was Jigme Dorji
3. A Living Will is a part of National Health
Wangchuk.
Record which can be accessed by Indian
3. President of India can annul/cancel
hospitals.
someone’s Padma award in case of any
Which of the statement given above are
egregious misconduct committed by the
correct?
recipient.
(a) 1 and 2 only
Which of the statements given above are
(b) 2 and 3 only
correct?
(c) 1 and 3 only
(a) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
4. Arrange the following in the correct
(d) All of the above
geographical order, North to South:
1. Solomon Islands
2. With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra
2. Hawaii Islands
Pradesh, which one of the following
3. New Zealand
statements is correct?
Choose the correct option:
(a) Pingali Venkayya designed the tricolour
(a) 3-1-2
Indian National Flag here.
(b) 3-2-1
(b) Pattabhi Sitaramaiah led the Quit India
(c) 2-1-3
Movement of Andhra region from here.
(d) 1-2-3
(c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the
National Anthem from Bengali to English
here. 1. (D) 2. (C) 3. (B) 4. (C)
(d) Madame Blavastsky and Colonel Olcott
set up headquarters of Theosophical
Society first here.

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