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National Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03 India’s RANK IN
International Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Global Peace Index (GPI) 135th
World Happiness Report 2021 139th
Legal Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Intellectual Property (IP) Index 2021 40th
Appointments/Resignations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Economic Freedom Index 121st
Economy Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Scienti ic Articles Published 3rd
Environment Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 7th

Democracy Index 2020 53rd
Awards & Prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 86th
Science & Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 2020
Innovation Index 50th
Defence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Ease of Doing Business 63rd
Ranking & Indexes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Human Freedom Index 111st
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Human Development Index 131st
Receiving Spam Calls 9th
Conference, Committees & Summits . . . . . . . . . . 142
Global Hunger Index 2020 94th
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Teacher Status Index (GTSI) 6th
Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Asia Power Index 2020 4th
Global Economic Freedom Index 105th
Days & Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Human Capital Index 116th
Books & Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Global Innovation Index 48th
World Risk Index (WRI) 89th
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Budget Transparency Index 53rd
• All right reserved. No part of this issue can be printed in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers.
DISCLAIMER
• The editors and publishers of this magazine do their best to verify the information published, but do not take any responsibility
for the absolute accuracy of the information.
• All disputes subject to Jodhpur jurisdiction only.
02
www.lawpreptutorial.com
National Issues March 2022
resources, timely creation of capacities, and

b. Resolution of issues like disjointed planning,
standardisation & clearances. This project
would help in the improvement of National
Infrastructure by lending them more money
and providing them with more speed.
· It seeks to attract investment from worldwide
to improve the infrastructure in India and will
provide new direction & fresh momentum for
overall infrastructure development in India and
PM Gati Shakti the scheme will also create employment
opportunities for the youth.
Prime Minister urged State governments as well as · The projects under the $1.5 Trillion National
private sector to adopt the Gati Shakti portal to Infrastructure Pipeline would be included
plan infrastructure projects and develop special under PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
economic zones.
· Private players would also get a boost to invest
· Portal would be set up to bring 16 Ministries in National infrastructure as easy clearances
to g e t h e r fo r i n te g ra te d p l a n n i n g a n d and monetary help would be available to them.
implementation of infrastructure connectivity
projects. The portal is expected to be ready by · This project would also provide last-mile
March end. connectivity to economic zones in a de inite
timeframe.
About PM Gati Shakti Yojana 2021
Signi icance of PM Gati Shakti
· PM Gati Shakti Yojana 2021 is a 100 lakh crore
national infrastructure master plan that would · India's projects were earlier a victim of
provide a leap to Atmnirbhar Bharat and interministerial delays, multiple stakeholders
provide multimodal connectivity to boost the and a culture to work in silos. This led to cost
infrastructure development of the country. overruns and hampered decision making, in
turn, delaying the projects and development for
· This Masterplan will bring together 16 good. The Gati Shakti Master Plan would cut
Ministries and seven core infrastructure down such loopholes and consolidate the
sectors, on a single platform in order to infrastructure projects in some speci ic
synergise project planning across stakeholder corridors without getting into various long
ministries for avoiding duplication, plug gaps timed approval processes.
and expedite clearances at the right time.
· There would also be a geographic information
· Gati Shakti Scheme was launched with the aim system (GIS) enabled digital platform under
of achieving three basic goals namely: Gati Shakti that would be useful for gathering
. Seamless multimodal connectivity for r e l e va n t i n f o r m a t i o n o n a ny r e g i o n s
facilitating easy movement of goods & people, topography, satellite images and physical
features. This would help the ministries to save
a. Improved prioritisation, optimal usage of funds and approve projects timely as well.
03
PM GatiShakti is based on six pillars: of coordination in planning and

implementation of the project resulting in
1. Comprehensiveness: It will include all the
delays. PM GatiShakti will help in synchronizing
existing and planned initiatives of various
the activities of each department, as well as of
Ministries and Departments with one
different layers of governance, in a holistic
centralized portal. Each and every Department
manner by ensuring coordination of work
will now have visibility of each other's activities
between them.
providing critical data while planning &
execution of projects in a comprehensive 5. Analytical: The plan will provide the entire data
manner. at one place with GIS based spatial planning and
analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling
2. Prioritization: Through this, different
better visibility to the executing agency.
Departments will be able to prioritize their
projects through cross–sectoral interactions. 6. Dynamic: All Ministries and Departments will
now be able to visualize, review and monitor
3. Optimization: The National Master Plan will
the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through
assist different ministries in planning for
the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will
projects after identi ication of critical gaps. For
give on-ground progress periodically and
the transportation of the goods from one place
progress of the projects will be updated on a
to another, the plan will help in selecting the
regular basis on the portal. It will help in
most optimum route in terms of time and cost.
identifying the vital interventions for
4. Synchronization: Individual Ministries and enhancing and updating the master plan.
Departments often work in silos. There is lack
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04
Manipur on February 28, all insurgent groups

Kuki Insurgency in associated with the Kuki tribes in Manipur said
they will vote for the BJP. This comes days after
Manipur Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that his party
will end the Kuki insurgency problem in ive years,
Just before the Assembly Elections started in if it is voted to power for the second time
Who are the Kukis?
· The Kukis are an ethnic group including · While Churachandpur is their main stronghold,
multiple tribes originally inhabiting the North- they also have a sizable population in Chandel,
Eastern states of India such as Manipur, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Senapati districts.
Mizoram and Assam; parts of Burma (now
· The rest of the population of Manipur is made
Myanmar), and Sylhet district and Chittagong
up mainly of two other ethnic groups — the
hill tracts of Bangladesh.
Meiteis or non-tribal, Vaishnavite Hindus who
· While Kuki is not a term coined by the ethnic live in the valley region of Manipur, and the
group itself, the tribes associated with it came Naga tribes, historically at loggerheads with the
to be generically called Kuki under colonial Kukis, also living in the hilly areas of the State.
rule.
· Of the 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly, 40 are
· In Manipur, the various Kuki tribes, living held by Meiteis and the rest 20 seats are held by
mainly in the hills, currently make up 30% of Kukis and Nagas.
the total 28.5 lakh population of the State.
05
What led to the Kuki insurgencies in Manipur? · The Kuki insurgency in Manipur grew in real
terms in the 1980s and after the Kuki-Naga
· The Kuki insurgent groups have been under
con licts of the 1990s.
Suspension of Operation (SoO) since 2005,
when they signed an agreement for the same · This is when the Kuki National Organisation
with the Indian Army. (KNO) and its armed wing Kuki National Army
(KNA) were formed.
· Later, in 2008, the groups entered a tripartite
agreement with the State government of · The community could not shed internal
Manipur and the UPA led Central government differences between tribes and take a single
under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, line of action.
to temporarily suspend their operations and
o While some militant Kuki out its demanded
give political dialogue a chance.
Kukiland, including parts which are not in
· Manipur, formerly a princely state including India, some demanded Kukiland within India.
parts of Burma, made the accession into India
Present Situation
after Independence, but was only made a full-
ledged State in 1972. · The demand has come to the formulation of an
independent district—Kukiland Territorial
· The resentment over the “forceful” inclusion
Council within the purview of the Indian
into India and delay in granting statehood led to
constitution, modelling the Bodoland
the rise of various insurgent movements.
Territorial Council, which was formed under
· The problem was intensi ied after Manipur was the sixth schedule of the Constitution, after
declared a 'distubed area' in 1980, under the in su rg en t g rou p s in A ssa m sig n ed a n
Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), agreement with their State government.
which gives sweeping powers to the military
· The Kuki-Naga con lict was started over
and has led to excesses.
securing identity and land as some Kuki
Roots of Kuki militancy inhabited areas coincided with Naga inhabited
areas.
· The roots of Kuki militancy lie in con licts of
ethnic identity. · Wanting to dominate trade and cultural
activities in those areas the two communities
o The demand for self-determination solely for
often engaged in violent standoffs, with villages
groups belonging to their ethnic fabric,
being torched, civilians killed and so on.
meaning the dream to form a Kukiland which
includes Kuki inhabited regions of Myanmar, · Even though clashes have reduced in recent
Manipur, Assam and Mizoram. decades, tensions between the two ethnic
groups still exist.
o The inter-community con licts between the
Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur.
06
indigenously developed Automatic Train

Kavach Protection System showcased on South Central
Railway , is earmarked for aggressive rollout on
According the Budget proposal, Kavach, this 2,000 km in 2022-23
What is Kavach?
07
· It is India's very own automatic protection European Train Control System Level-2 in
system in development since 2012, under the future. The current form of Kavach adheres to
name Train Collision Avoidance System the highest level of safety and reliability
(TCAS), which got rechristened to Kavach or standard called Safety Integrity Level 4.
“armour”.
What is the upgrade?
· In other words, it is a set of electronic devices
· India wants to position Kavach as an
and Radio Frequency Identi ication devices
exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the
installed in locomotives, in the signalling
European systems in vogue across the world.
system as well the tracks, that talk to each other
using ultra high radio frequencies to control · While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency,
the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long
based on the logic programmed into them. Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the
product for global markets.
· One of its features is that by continuously
refreshing the movement information of a · Work is on to make the system such that it can
train, it is able to send out triggers when a loco be compatible with other already installed
pilot jumps signal, called Signal Passed at systems globally.
Danger (SPAD), a grave offence in railway
operations with respect to safety, and the key to How far is the rollout?
accidents like collision. · So far, Kavach has been deployed on over 1,098
· The devices also continuously relay the signals km and 65 locomotives in ongoing projects of
ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for the South Central Railway.
loco pilots in low visibility, especially during · In future it will be implemented on 3000 km of
dense fog. the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors
· TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from where the tracks and systems are being
already existing, and tried and tested systems upgraded to host a top speed of 160 kmph.
like the European Train Protection and · Further, over 34,000 km on the High Density
Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Network (HDN) and Highly Utilized Network
Collison Device. (HUN) of on the Golden Quadrilateral have
· It will also carry features of the high-tech been included in its sanctioned plans.
08
National Land
Monetisation
Corporation (NLMC)
The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a
new government-owned irm National Land
Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) for pooling and
monetizing sovereign and public sector land
assets.
What is NLMC?
strategic disinvestment, shall be owned, held,
· The National Land Monetisation Corporation managed, and monetised by NLMC.
(NLMC) would be established with a paid-up
· The closure of CPSEs will be accelerated, and
capital of 150 crore and an initial authorised
the strategic disinvestment of Government-
share capital of 5,000 crore.
owned CPSEs will be smoother, according to
· The government will engage private sector the statement.
experts and appoint a chairman to lead the
· Surplus land asset monetisation will be an
NLMC through a “merit-based selection
agency function for NLMC, and it will assist and
procedure.”
provide technical assistance to the Centre in
· The National Land Management Corporation this regard.
(NLMC) would monetize surplus land and
· The NLMC board would be made up of top
building assets owned by Central Public Sector
government of icials and distinguished
E n te r p r i s e s ( C P S E s ) a n d g ove r n m e n t
experts, with a merit-based selection process
organisations.
for the chairman and non-government
· Around 3,400 acres of land and other non-core directors, according to the announcement.
assets have been referred for monetisation by
· The Corporation will employ a small number of
CPSEs to the Department of Investment and
full-time employees who will be hired on a
Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
contract basis from the market.
· According to the latest statistics in the
Signi icance:
Economic Survey 2021-22, MTNL, BSNL, BPCL,
BEML, and HMT are all in the process of · By monetizing underused and under-utilized
monetizing non-core assets. assets, the government would be able to gain
signi icant cash.
How will it function?
· The new corporation will also assist in the
· Surplus land and building assets of CPSEs
monetization of assets belonging to public-
under closure, as well as surplus non-core land
sector companies that have closed or are in the
assets of Government-owned CPSEs under
process of being sold strategically.
09
Recently, the Union Minister for Power has

First Virtual Smart launched the Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge
Center (Virtual SGKC) and Innovation Park.
Grid Knowledge What is Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center
Centre (Virtual SGKC)?
· The Union government's irst-of-its-kind effort well as building capacity in the power
is the Virtual SGKC, which is housed within the distribution industry.
power grid centre in Manesar (Haryana).
· It will provide for a digital trace of SGKC's
· The initiative will be one of the world's premier physical setup, which was deemed necessary
C e n t e r s o f E xc e l l e n c e fo r s u p p o r t i n g during the Covid-19 pandemic.
innovation, entrepreneurship, and research in
What is a Smart Grid?
smart grid technologies as part of the Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav Programme. · A smart grid is an electrical grid with
automation, communication, and information
· For the demonstration and progress of frontier
technology systems that can monitor power
smart grid technologies, POWERGRID built it
lows from generators to consumers (even
with backing from the Union Ministry of Power
down to the appliance level) and control or
and technical assistance from the US Agency for
curtail the load in real-time or near real-time to
International Development (USAID).
match generation.
Signi icance of this Initiative
· Smart Grids can be built by implementing
· SGKC aspires to be one of the world's top ef icient transmission and distribution
centres of excellence for smart grid technology technologies, as well as system operations,
innovation, entrepreneurship, and research, as customer integration, and renewable energy
10
integration.
· Smart grid solutions aid in the real-time
Pa r Ta p i N a r m a d a
monitoring, measurement, and management of
power lows, which can aid in the detection of
River-Linking Project
losses and, as a result, the implementation of The tribals in Gujarat held a public meeting in
suitable technical and administrative actions to Kaprada in Valsad district to protest against the
mitigate losses. Centre's Par Tapi Narmada (PTN) river-linking
Vision for India: project.
Transform the Indian power sector into a secure, Interlinking of Rivers

adaptive, sustainable and digitally enabled · In 1858, Arthur Cotton (British general and
ecosystem that provides reliable and quality irrigation Engineer) came up with even more
energy for all with active participation of ambitious proposals such as connecting all
stakeholders. major rivers of India, and interlinking of canals
Bene its of Smart Grid Deployments: and rivers. He suggested drought-relief
measures for Odisha.
· Reduction of T&D losses,
· The National River Linking Project (NRLP)
· Peak load management, improved QoS and formally known as the National Perspective
reliability. Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water
'surplus' basins where there is looding, to
· Reduction in power purchase cost.
wa t e r ' d e i c i t ' b a s i n s w h e re t h e re i s
· Better asset management. drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water
transfer projects.
· Increased grid visibility and self-healing grids.
· The interlinking of river project is a Civil
· Renewable integration and accessibility to
Engineering project, which aims to connect
electricity.
Indian rivers through reservoirs and canals.
· Increased options such as ToU tariff, DR
· The farmers will not have to depend on the
programs, net metering.
monsoon for cultivation and also the excess or
· Satis ied customers and inancially sound lack of water can be overcome during lood or
utilities etc. drought.
11
· Since the 1980s, the interlinking project has · Ken-Betwa,

been managed by India's National Water
· Damanganga- Pinjal,
Development Agency (NWDA) under the
Ministry of Water Resources. · Par-Tapi-Narmada,
It has been split into three parts as follows: · Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga,
1. A n o r t h e r n H i m a l aya n r ive r i n te rl i n k · Mahanadi-Godavari and
component.
· Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut)
2. A southern peninsular component.
With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre
3. An Intra-State river linking component. has chosen to focus on the Godavari-Cauvery link.
As of now, six ILR projects have been under
examination of the authorities:
Par Tapi Narmada river-linking project
12
· Under the old Union Ministry of Irrigation and Issues with the Project
the Central Water Commission, the PTN link
· The projected reservoirs will drown around
project was envisioned in the 1980 National
6065 hectares of land.
Perspective Plan..
· A total of 61 villages will be impacted, with one
· The project intends to move river water from
entirely drowned and the other 60 partially
the Western Ghats' surplus regions to
underwater.
Saurashtra and Kutch's de iciency areas.
· The overall number of families affected will be
· It proposes to connect three rivers: the Par,
2,509, with 98 families affected as a result of the
which originates in Maharashtra and lows
c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e J h e r i r e s e r v o i r,
through Valsad; the Tapi, which originates in
Maharashtra's only one, which is distributed
Saputara and lows through Maharashtra and
across six villages.
Surat in Gujarat; and the Narmada, which
originates in Madhya Pradesh and lows · When the reservoirs are built, the affected
through Maharashtra and Gujarat's Bharuch families may lose their lands, residences, or
and Narmada districts. both as a result of the submergence.
· Seven dams (Jheri, Mohankavchali, Paikhed, · The tribals who fear displacement are
Chasmandva, Chikkar, Dabdar, and Kelwan), generally in charge of the districts where the
three diversion weirs, and two tunnels were project will be conducted.
built as part of the link.
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13
National
Pharmaceutical
Pricing Authority
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA) could approve a price increase of more
· To deal with all legal matters arising out of the
than 10% in drugs and equipment on the National
decisions of the Authority.
List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
· To render advice to the Central Government on
· The hike in the Wholesale Price Index is driving
changes/revisions in the drug policy.
the increase, which is likely to affect almost 800
drugs and devices (WPI) · To r e n d e r a s s i s t a n c e t o t h e C e n t r a l
Government in the parliamentary matters
About National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority
relating to the drug pricing.
· NPPA is an organization under Department of
How does the Pricing Mechanism work?
Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and
Fertilizers which was set up in 1997 to revise · All drugs covered by the NLEM are subject to
the prices of controlled bulk drugs and price controls. The NLEM comprises routinely
formulations and to enforce prices and u s e d m e d i c i n e s l i ke p a ra c e t a m o l a n d
availability of the medicines in the country, azithromycin, as well as drugs used to treat
under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order fever, infection, heart disease, hypertension,
(DPCO), 1995. and anaemia.
· The prices are now ixed/revised under Drugs o The Health Ministry compiles a list of
(Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013. pharmaceuticals that are eligible for price
restriction, which is then added to Schedule 1 of
· It also monitors the prices of decontrolled
the DPCO by the Department of
drugs in order to keep them at reasonable
Pharmaceuticals.
levels.
o The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
Functions of NPPA:
(NPPA) will examine the list with the help of the
· To implement and enforce the provisions of the Standing Committee on Affordable Medicines
Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), 1995/2013 and Health Products (SCAMHP). The National
in accordance with the powers delegated to it. Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) then
sets the prices for medications in this Schedule.
· To undertake and/or sponsor relevant studies
in respect of pricing of drugs/formulations. · Scheduled pharmaceuticals, which account for
around 15% of the pharma market, are allowed
· To monitor the availability of drugs, identify
a rise by the government based on the WPI
shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps.
(Wholesale Price Index), while the remaining
· To collect/maintain data on production, 85% are allowed an automatic increase of 10%
exports and imports, market share of every year under the Drugs (Prices) Control
individual companies, pro itability of Order 2013.
companies etc. for bulk drugs and
o The annual change in the price of scheduled
formulations.
14
pharmaceuticals is closely monitored and controlled drugs, procedures for ixation of

rarely exceeds 5%. prices of drugs, method of implementation of
prices ixed by Govt ., penalties for
o The Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 classi ies
contravention of provisions etc.
drugs into schedules and establishes rules for
their storage, display, sale, dispensing, dosing, · For the purpose of implementing provisions of
and prescribing. DPCO, powers of Government have been vested
in NPPA.
· Rather than using the WPI, the pharma
industry is now requesting at least a 10% rise
for scheduled pharmaceuticals. New India Literacy
o Input costs have risen sharply in recent years.
One of the causes is that China supplies 60 Programme
percent to 70 percent of the country's medical
needs. Government approved a new scheme “New India
Literacy Programme” for the period FYs 2022-
Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO) 2027 to cover all the aspects of Adult Education to
· The Drugs Prices Control Order, 1995 is an align with National Education Policy 2020 and
order issued by the Government of India under Budget Announcements 2021-22.
Sec. 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to · The National Education Policy 2020 has
regulate the prices of drugs. recommendations for Adult Education and
· The Order inter alia provides the list of price Lifelong Learning.
About New India Literacy Programme
15
· The scheme will cover non-literates of the age holistic adult education courses in arts,
of 15 years and above in all state/UTs in the sciences, technology, culture, sports, and
country. recreation, as well as other topics of interest or
use to local learners, such as more advanced
· The scheme will be implemented through
material on critical life skills).
volunteerism through online mode.
Salient Features of the scheme
· The training, orientation, workshops of
volunteers, may be organized through face-to- · School will be Unit for implementation of the
face mode. scheme.
· All material and resources shall be provided · Schools to be used for conducting survey of
digitally for easy access to registered bene iciaries and Voluntary Teachers (VTs).
volunteers through easily accessible digital
· Different strategies are to be adopted for
modes, viz, TV, radio, cell phone-based
different age cohorts. Flexibility for States/UTs
free/open-source Apps/portals, etc.
will be provided to undertake innovative
· The target for Foundational Literacy and activities.
Numeracy for FYs 2022-27 is 5 ( ive) crore
· Use of Technologies to impart Adult Education
learners @ 1.00 crore per year by using “Online
for wider coverage of the scheme.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment System
(OTLAS)” in collaboration with National · Performance Grading Index (PGI) for State/UT
Informatics Centre, NCERT and NIOS in which a and district level will show the performance of
learner may register him/herself with States and UTs to implement the scheme and
essential information like name, date of birth, achievements on yearly basis by weighing both
gender, Aadhaar number, mobile number etc. the physical and inancial progress through
UDISE portal.
· As a progressive step, it has also been decided
that from now onwards that the term · CSR/Philanthropic Support may be received by
“Education For All” will be used in place of hosting ICT support, providing volunteer
“Adult Education” by the Ministry in view of support, opening facilitation centres for
the fact that the terminology “Adult Education” learners and for providing IT access to
is not incorporating appropriately all non- economically weak learners in the form of cell
literates of 15 years and above age group. phones, etc
Objectives of the scheme · There will be involvement of community,
participation of philanthropic/CSR
· To impart foundational literacy and numeracy
organizations through volunteerism and
· To impart critical life skills (including inancial through Vidyanjali portal.
literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills,
· States/UTs will promote individual/ family/
health care and awareness, child care and
village/ district success stories through
education, and family welfare);
various platforms.
· Vocational skills development (with a view
· It will utilize all types of media – Electronic,
towards obtaining local employment);
Print, Folk & Inter-personal platforms
· Basic education (including preparatory, including social media platforms like
middle, and secondary stage equivalency); Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp,
YouTube, TV channels, radio, etc.
· Continuing education (including engaging
16
Annual Achievement Survey of Learning

·
Outcomes by samples of 500-1000 randomly The Assam-
selected learners from each state/UT and
Outcome-Output Monitoring Framework Meghalaya Boundary
(OOMF).
Need for this scheme
Dispute Resolution
· As per Census 2011, the absolute number of Two months after signing a draft resolution on
non-literates of the country in 15 years and January 29, Assam and Meghalaya partially
above age group is 25.76 crore (Male 9.08 resolved a 50-year-old dispute along their 884.9
crore, Female 16.68 crore). km boundary.
· Even after the Saakshar Bharat programme Details

implemented during 2009-10 to 2017-18, it is · An agreement in this regard, termed historic,
estimated that currently around 18.12 crore was signed between Assam Chief Minister
adults are still non-literate in India. Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya
counterpart Conrad K. Sangma in the presence
of Home Minister Amit Shah.
· The agreement is expected to pave the way for
resolving disputes in the remaining sectors of
the Assam-Meghalaya boundary and similar
areas of difference between Assam and three
About Assam-Meghalaya boundary Dispute:
17
· Meghalaya, carved out of Assam as an · But of icials in Assam said it was better to let go
autonomous State in 1970, became a full- of areas where they did not have any
ledged State in 1972. administrative control rather than “live with an
irritant forever”.
· The creation of the new State was based on the
Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of · However, residents in the other six disputed
1969, which the Meghalaya government sectors — Langpih, Borduar, Nongwah,
refused to accept. Matamur, Deshdemoreah Block I and Block II,
and Khanduli — feel the “give-and-take”
· This was because the Act followed the
template could spell disaster for them.
recommendations of a 1951 committee to
de ine the boundary of Meghalaya. · The fear is more among non-tribal people who
could end up living in a “tribal Meghalaya with
· On that panel's recommendations, areas of the
no rights for us”.
present-day East Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi and West
Khasi Hills districts of Meghalaya were · The apprehension is similar for residents of
transferred to the Karbi Anglong, Kamrup Assam in disputed areas along the border with
(metro) and Kamrup districts of Assam. other States. According to a paper tabled in the
A s s a m A s s e m b ly i n Au g u s t 2 0 1 4 , s i x
· Meghalaya contested these transfers after
neighbouring States control 77,531.71
statehood, claiming that they belonged to its
hectares of Assam land.
tribal chieftains. Assam said the Meghalaya
government could neither provide documents · Apart from Meghalaya, the other States are
nor archival materials to prove its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland,
these areas. Tripura and West Bengal.
· After claims and counter-claims, the dispute Assam's border dispute with Arunachal
was narrowed down to 12 sectors on the basis
· Assam Chief Minister disclosed that the state's
of an of icial claim by Meghalaya in 2011.
boundary dispute with Arunachal Pradesh was
Will the partial settlement impact border disputes at 1,200 places.
elsewhere in the Northeast?
· Arunachal Pradesh shares a 800-km boundary
· According to the partial boundary deal, Assam with Assam and was granted statehood by the
will get 18.51 sq. km of the 36.79 sq. km State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986 in 1987.
disputed area while Meghalaya will get the Clashes were irst reported in 1992 and since
remaining 18.28 sq. km. then, there have been several accusations of
illegal encroachment from both sides, and
· There is no clarity yet on the villages or
intermittent clashes.
uninhabited stretches that would be divided,
but some political parties and community- · Cases pertaining to Assam's boundary dispute
based groups in Meghalaya are unhappy about with Nagaland and Arunachal are pending in
acceding any part of the disputed areas to the Supreme Court.
Assam.
· There was a clear delineation of the boundary
· Reactions are similar in Assam, where the when Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were
opposition Congress and local organisations created as states. However, when Mizoram,
said the agreement boiled down to how much Arunachal, and Nagaland were created, it was
land Assam could save from “aggressor” left to certain situations and the ambiguity
Meghalaya. remained, leading to the disputes.
18
· Miscreants allegedly ired at Assam Forest · The iring coincided with the visit of the
of icials in November 2021 near the Arunachal members of the border committees of Assam
Pradesh border. and Meghalaya to various areas of difference
along the inter-State boundary.
· A few days prior to which a team of Assam
Forest of icials were detained by allegedly · There was a mixed response from the locals the
illegal settlers from Arunachal Pradesh in the committee members met. A majority in some
forest. They were later rescued by the Assam villages wanted to be with Meghalaya while
police. most in some other villages wanted to be with
Assam.
About the Assam – Mizoram Border Dispute · Assam became a constituent state of India in
1950 and lost much of its territory to new
· Mizoram borders Assam's Barak Valley and
states that emerged from within its borders
the boundary between present-day Assam
between the early 1960s and the early 1970s.
and Mizoram is 165 km long. Both states
border Bangladesh. · Mizoram was granted statehood in 1987 by
the State of Mizoram Act, 1986.
· The boundary issue between present-day
Assam and Mizoram dates back to the colonial · The Assam-Mizoram dispute stems from a
era when inner lines were demarcated noti ication of 1875 that differentiated Lushai
according to the administrative needs of Hills (During colonial times, Mizoram was
British Raj. known as Lushai Hills) from the plains of
19
Cachar, and another of 1933 that demarcates a governments of Assam and Mizoram, the
boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur. status quo should be maintained in no man's
land in the border area.
· Mizoram believes the boundary should be
demarcated on the basis of the 1875 · In the Northeast's complex boundary
noti ication, which is derived from the Bengal equations, clashes between Assam and
Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. Mizoram residents are less frequent than they
are between other neighbouring states of
· According to an agreement between the
Assam, like with Nagaland.
Assam-Nagaland: Nagaland shares a 500-km (then North-East Frontier Agency). Violent

boundary with Assam and achieved statehood in clashes and armed con licts, marked by killings,
December 1963 and was formed out of the Naga have occurred on the Assam-Nagaland border
Hills district of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh since 1965.
20
POINTERS
21
22
23
24
25
International Issues March 2022
arrangement”, visiting U.S. Paci ic Fleet

Quad Grouping is a Commander Admiral Samuel J. Paparo said that
strategy always follows policy and the four Navies
Diplomatic have embarked upon an effort to increase the
“total sum of our collaboration at sea with
Arrangement: U.S. particular focus on information sharing, maritime
patrol, undersea domain awareness” and all the
Terming the Quad grouping as a “diplomatic elements a Naval power can bring upon to bear.
Relevance:
· The Quad is an informal strategic forum · The forum is maintained through meetings,
comprising four nations, namely –India, semi-regular summits, information exchanges,
United States of America, Australia and and military drills of all the member countries.
Japan.
· The motive behind the Quad is, to keep the
· One of the primary objectives of the Quad is, to strategic sea routes in the Indo-Paci ic, free of
work for a free, open, prosperous and any military or political in luence.
inclusive Indo-Paci ic region.
· The core objective of the Quad is, to secure a
· The group for the irst time met in 2007 on the ru les- b a sed glob a l order, freedom of
side lines of the Association of Southeast Asian navigation and, a liberal trading system.
Nations (ASEAN).
· The coalition also aims to offer, alternative
· It is considered an alliance of maritime debt inancing for nations in the Indo-Paci ic
democracies. region.
26
Purpose of Quad: Signi icance of Quad:

· Recently the U.S. has clari ied that Quad is not Quad is becoming a powerful mechanism and
a security or military partnership. its signi icance is given below:
· Its purpose is to advance cooperation on key · Helping to vaccinate a big part of the world and
priorities in speci ic sectors that is consistent getting a lot of vaccines out there,
with international law
· Strengthening maritime security to push back
· It promotes shared values of its members and against aggression and coercion in the Indo-
underpins peace and stability in the Indo- Paci ic region,
Paci ic region.
· Working together on emerging technologies
· A U.S. State Department spokesperson said and making sure that they can be used in
that “We work to support the rule of law, positive ways and an increasingly broad and
freedom of navigation and over light, peaceful deep agenda.
resolution of disputes, democratic values, and
· It also supports many activities/platforms as
territorial integrity through open dialogue and
part of its shared approach to the Indo-
information sharing on a diverse set of issue
Paci ic.
areas, including Maritime Security”.
27
defence importer for decades when it came to

both basic and sophisticated weapons
systems.
· In fact, it has provided some of the most
sensitive and important weapons platforms
that India has required from time to time
including nuclear submarines, aircraft
carriers, tanks, guns, ighter jets, and missiles.
· According to several people, the defence trade,
which remains signi icant, is one of the
important causes why India has not taken a
Indian and Russian critical stand openly against Russia.
The legacy of buying weapons from Russia has
Defence Ties ·
made India somewhat dependent on it, and
even though India has tried to expand the base
Context: of countries from which it buys new military
· Even as the most immediate impact of Russia's systems, Russian-origin weapons still have the
invasion of Ukraine on India is the evacuation lion's share.
of thousands of Indian students who are stuck · According to one estimate, the share of
there, it is becoming clear there will be long- Russian-origin weapons and platforms across
term implications too. Indian armed forces is as high as 85 per cent.
o New Delhi has been trying to walk a ine line, What is the value of weapons India has bought
negotiating its relationships with the United from Russia?
States and other Western nations on one side,
and the historically deep and strategic ties · Russia is the second largest arms exporter in
with Russia on the other, even as its stand is the world, following only the United States.
becoming incrementally critical to Russia as its
· In the ive-year period between 2016 and 2020
forces continue to ight in Ukrainian cities.
America's share in the global arms trade was
o However, both the sanctions imposed by the 37 per cent, compared to 20 per cent of
United States and other countries on Russia, Russia's, as per the Stockholm International
and how Russia views Delhi's slowly shifting Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks
stand are going to have a long-term impact, the global arms trade and military
most signi icantly on the decades old defence expenditure.
trade between the two. · For Russia, India is the largest importer, and for
How strong are Indian and Russian defence ties? India, Russia the largest exporter when it
comes to arms transfer.
· India was reliant, almost solely on the British,
and other Western nations for its arms imports · Between 2000 and 2020, Russia accounted for
immediately after Independence. 66.5 per cent of India's arms imports.
· But this dependence weaned, and by the 1970s · Of the $53.85 billion spent by India during the
India was importing several weapons systems period on arms imports, $35.82 billion went to
from the USSR, making it country's largest Russia.
28
· During the same period imports from the US · The deal has been under the threat of
were worth $4.4 billion, and from Israel it was American sanctions, even as the US had not
worth US$ 4.1 billion. decided on it yet.
· According to a SIPRI report on international · But the fresh round of sanctions on Russia
arms transfer trends published in March 2021, could sound alarm bells for it.
between 2016 and 2020 Russia delivered
BrahMos missile
major arms to 45 states. “India remained the
main recipient of Russian arms in 2016–20, · The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet
accounting for 23 per cent of the total, followed supersonic cruise missile that can be launched
by China (18 per cent). from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.
· Russia's share in Indian arms imports was · It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the
down to about 50 per cent between 2016 and world.
2020, but it still remained the largest single
importer.
What are the kinds of weapons Russia has
given India?
At the moment there are two major
defence deals between India and Russia
that might be jeopardised by the current
crisis.
S-400 Triumf air-defence system.
· S-400 Triumf is one of the world's most
advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM)
systems designed by Russia.
· The system is a large complex of radars,
control systems and different types of
missiles, with the capability to
s i m u l t a n e o u s ly t ra c k n u m e r o u s
incoming objects in a radius of a few
hundred kilometres.
· It can employ appropriate missile
systems to launch the counter attack and
to neutralise the objects with the
potential of ensuring a high success rate.
· It is among the most advanced in the
world, and India placed an order for ive
units for around $5 billion in 2018.
· The irst unit was delivered in December
2021, and has been deployed at an
Indian Air Force base in Punjab.
29
· BRAHMOS is a joint venture between the · Brahmos is one of the fastest cruise missiles
Defence Research and Development currently operationally deployed with speed of
Organisation of India (DRDO) and the NPOM of Mach 2.8, which is 3 times more than the speed
Russia. of sound.
· Brahmos is named on the rivers Brahmaputra · Russia has also been one of main exporters of
and Moskva. ighter aircraft to India, including hundreds of
Sukhoi and MiG jets.
· It is a two-stage (solid propellant engine in the
irst stage and liquid ramjet in second) air to
surface missile with a light range of around
300 km.
· However, India's entry into the Missile
Why NATO Isn't
Technology Control Regime (MTCR) has
extended the range of the BRAHMOS missile to
Sending Troops to
reach 450 km-600km, a shade above its current
MTCR capped range of 300 km.
Ukraine
· Brahmos is a multiplatform i.e., it can be Amid Russia's war on Ukraine, the North Atlantic
launched from land, air, and sea and multi Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been rapidly
capability missile with pinpoint accuracy that deploying troops to member countries across
works in both day and night irrespective of the eastern Europe but has clari ied that it has no
weather conditions. plans of sending them to Ukraine itself.
· It operates on the “Fire and Forgets” principle About NATO

i.e., it does not require further guidance after
· The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
launch.
is an international organisation for collective
30
security by the United States, Canada, and that underpin the Alliance, namely democracy,
several Western European nations to provide individual liberty and the rule of law.
collective security against the Soviet Union in
· NATO has an integrated military command
1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty
structure but very few forces or assets are
signed in Washington.
exclusively its own. Most forces remain under
· NATO's Headquarters are located in Evere, full national command and control until
Brussels, Belgium. member countries agree to undertake NATO-
related tasks.
· Since its founding, the admission of new
member states has increased the alliance from Why has Article 5 not been invoked this time?
the original 12 countries to 30 member states
· Ukraine is a partner of the Western defence
with North Macedonia being the most recent
alliance but not a NATO member.
member state to be added to NATO in March
2020. · As a result, Article 5, or the Collective Defense
Pledge, does not apply.
· An additional 20 countries participate in
NATO's Partnership for Peace program, with 15 What may prompt NATO to invoke Article 5?
other countries involved in institutionalized
dialogue programs. · NATO will invoke Article 5 only if Russia
launches a full-blown attack on one of its allies.
Major pointers regarding NATO
· Some top US of icials have warned of the impact
· A key provision of the treaty, the so-called of some of Russia's cyberattacks being felt in
Article 5, states that if one member of the NATO countries.
alliance is attacked in Europe or North America,
it is to be considered an attack on all members. What is NATO's problem with Russia?
That effectively put Western Europe under the · Russia has long been opposed to Ukraine's
“nuclear umbrella” of the US. growing closeness with European institutions,
· From a political perspective: NATO promotes particularly NATO.
democratic values and enables members to · The former Soviet republic shares borders with
consult and cooperate on defence and security- Russia on one side, and the European Union on
related issues to solve problems, build trust the other.
and, in the long run, prevent con lict.
· After Moscow launched its attack, the US and its
· The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the body allies were quick to respond, imposing
which has effective governance authority and sanctions on Russia's central bank and
powers of decision in NATO, consisting of sovereign wealth funds.
member states' permanent representatives or
representatives at higher level (ministers of · US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said in
foreign affairs or defence, or heads of state or a statement, “The unprecedented action we are
government). taking today will signi icantly limit Russia's
ability to use assets to inance its destabilizing
· All 30 allies have an equal say, the Alliance's activities, and target the funds Putin and his
decisions must be unanimous and consensual, inner circle depend on to enable his invasion of
and its members must respect the basic values Ukraine.”
31
FATF Greylists
· FATF greylist is of icially referred to as
Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring.
· FATF grey list represent a much higher risk of
money laundering and terrorism inancing but
have formally committed to working with the
FATF to develop action plans that will address
Financial Action Task their AML/CFT de iciencies.
· The countries on the grey list are subject to
Force (FATF) increased monitoring by the FATF, which either
assesses them directly or uses FATF-style
The global money laundering and terrorist regional bodies (FSRBs) to report on the
inancing watchdog Financial Action Task Force progress they are making towards their
(FATF) has retained Pakistan on its terrorism AML/CFT goals.
inancing “grey list”.
· While grey-list classi ication is not as negative
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the blacklist, countries on the list may still
· The Financial Action Task Force (on Money face economic sanctions from institutions like
Laundering) (FATF) is an intergovernmental the IMF and the World Bank and experience
organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative adverse effects on trade.
of the G7 to develop policies to combat money · Unlike the next level “blacklist”, greylisting
laundering. carries no legal sanctions, but it attracts
· In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include economic strictures and restricts a country's
terrorism inancing. access to international loans
· FATF is a “policy-making body” that works to FATF Blacklists

generate the necessary political will to bring · FATF Blacklists is Of icially known as High-Risk
about national legislative and regulatory Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action.
reforms in these areas.
· FATF blacklist sets out the countries that are
· FATF monitors progress in implementing its considered de icient in their anti-money
Recommendations through “peer reviews” laundering and counter- inancing of terrorism
(“mutual evaluations”) of member countries. regulatory regimes.
· Since 2000, FATF has maintained the FATF · The list is intended to serve not only as a way of
blacklist (formally called the “Call for action”) negatively highlighting these countries on the
and the FATF greylist (formally called the world stage, but as a warning of the high money
“Other monitored jurisdictions”). laundering and terror inancing risk that they
· The objectives of FATF are to set standards and present.
promote effective implementation of legal, · It is extremely likely that blacklisted countries
regulatory and operational measures for will be subject to economic sanctions and other
combating money laundering, terrorist prohibitive measures by FATF member states
inancing and other related threats to the and other international organizations.
integrity of the international inancial system.
32
Effects of FATF Blacklisting situations of human rights violations and make

recommendations on them.
· The effect of the FATF Blacklist has been
signi icant, and arguably has proven more · It has the ability to discuss all thematic human
important in international efforts against rights issues and situations that require its
m o n ey l a u n d e r i n g t h a n h a s t h e FAT F attention throughout the year.
Recommendations.
· It meets at the UN Of ice at Geneva.
· While, under international law, the FATF
Membership
Blacklist carried with it no formal sanction, in
reality, a jurisdiction placed on the FATF · The Council is made of 47 Member States,
Blacklist often found itself under intense which are elected by the majority of members
inancial pressure. of the General Assembly of the United Nations
through direct and secret ballot.
· FATF makes sure funds are not easily accessible
by terror organisations that are causing crimes · The General Assembly takes into account the
against humanity. c a n d i d a te S t a te s ' c o n t r i b u t i o n to t h e
promotion and protection of human rights, as
· FATF has helped to ight against corruption by
well as their voluntary pledges and
'grey-listing' countries that do not meet
commitments in this regard.
Recommended Criteria and this helps to cripple
economies and states that are aiding terrorist The Council's Membership is based on
and corrupted organisations. equitable geographical distribution. Seats
are distributed as follows:
· African States: 13 seats
India Abstains at · Asia-Paci ic States: 13 seats

Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats
UNHRC ·
· Western European and other States: 7 seats

Recently, India abstained on a vote at the UN
· Eastern European States: 6 seats
Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Council
moved the resolution to set up an international Members of the Council serve for a period of three
commission of enquiry into Russia's actions in years and are not eligible for immediate re-
Ukraine. election after serving two consecutive terms.
· India has also abstained from similar

resolutions in the United Nations
General Assembly and United
Nations Security Council.
About UN Human Rights Council:
· The Human Rights Council is an
inter-governmental body within the
United Nations system responsible
for strengthening the promotion and
protection of human rights around
t h e gl o b e a n d fo r a d d re s s i n g
33
Issues:
· A key concern for some critics has been the
Motor Vehicles
composition of Council membership, which
s o m e t i m e s i n c l u d e s c o u n t r i e s w i d e ly
Agreement
perceived as human rights abusers. With Bhutan continuing to sit out the Motor
· China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Venezuela, all Vehicles Agreement (MVA) of the sub-regional
of which have been accused of human rights Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN)
abuses. grouping, a meeting of the other three countries
was held to discuss the next steps in
· US pulled out of the Agency in 2018 due to its operationalizing the agreement for the free low of
disproportionate focus on Israel, which has goods and people between them.
received by far the largest number of critical
council resolutions against any country.
· The US has joined the organization again.
What is Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA)? · The act will make it easier to transport people
and things across borders in a seamless
· India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh signed an
manner for the bene it and integration of the
MVA for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal,
region's economic development.
and Cargo Vehicular Traf ic between the four
South Asian neighbours. Key terms of the Agreement
· It was signed in Thimpu, Bhutan, on June 15, · Products trans-shipment: Cargo vehicles will
2015, at the BBIN transport ministers meeting. be allowed to enter any of the four countries
34
without the need for goods to be trans-shipped countries in Eastern South Asia, a sub-region of
from one truck to another at the border. South Asia.
· Free transportation: The agreement would · T h e g ro u p m e e t s t h ro u gh t h e o f i c i a l
allow member states to use their vehicles to representation of member states to formulate,
move cargo and passengers in each other's implement and review quadrilateral
territory, including third-country transit and agreements across areas such as water
personal automobiles. resources management, connectivity of power,
transport, and infrastructure.
· Electronic permission: Under the agreement,
each vehicle will be required to obtain an
electronic permit before entering another
country's territory, and border security
Looming Oil Crisis
arrangements between countries' borders will Recently, United States President announced a ban
be maintained. on all crude oil and natural gas imports from
· Ultra-security: Every time the container door Russia into the US even as the Ukraine con lict
is opened, an electronic seal on the vehicle intensi ied, while the UK announced that it would
warns regulators. phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the
year.
Implementation status of the agreement
· These moves will further increase crude oil
· Bangladesh, India, and Nepal have all rati ied prices, which in turn will stoke in lation across
the pact, and it will enter into force once all four the world — particularly in the US and its allied
member nations have done so. nations in Europe, which are already reeling
from in lation rates that are at their highest in
· The deal was rati ied by the lower house of the
decades.
Bhutanese parliament in early 2016, but it was
rejected by the upper house in November 2016. Why were oil prices rising even before the Ukraine
crisis?
· Bhutan has asked for a limit on the number of
vehicles that can enter its country. · Crude oil prices have luctuated quite sharply
over the last two years.
What next?
· From $60 a barrel at the start of 2020, they fell
· While India remains “optimistic” that Bhutan
to less than $20 in April 2020 owing to a supply
will alter its mind about the project, a meeting
in November 2021 opted to move forward for
the time being, despite no new signals from
Thimphu.
· Despite multiple trial runs for passenger buses
and cargo trucks along the Bangladesh-India-
Nepal road route, progress on the seven-year-
old project has been slow.
· The inal protocols are still being held up by
some agreements.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN)
· BBIN Initiative is a sub-regional architecture of
35
glut in the wake of the pandemic. · There are three large players in the global oil
market.
· Since then, however, they have been steadily
rising even before the Ukraine con lict caused · At 18%-19%, the US has the highest share in
them to skyrocket. global output followed closely by Russia and
Saudi Arabia, each with a 12% share.
On the supply side, there were many factors
further contributing to this gap, These · Within OPEC, it is Saudi Arabia that dictates.
included:
· Together, these three control almost 45% of all
· Russia has been holding back from providing oil.
additional supplies of natural gas to Europe. As
· Russia's share in global exports is around 12%
the price of gas shot up, so did the price of oil as
and is the world's second-largest producer of
consumers shifted from gas to oil and coal.
oil as well as the second-largest exporter.
· Continued underinvestment in oil and gas
· Russia supplies close to 5 million barrels a day
exploration because of the “public and
to the global market and that is not an
regulatory aversion” to fossil fuels.
insigni icant amount and a ban will
· There is very limited “spare capacity” within immediately tighten the market further
the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum
Can strategic reserves not help meet the gap?
Exporting Countries).
· Strategic reserves are good enough for
· Only Saudi Arabia and UAE have spare capacity
emergencies. The top three countries in terms
and they are refusing to play along.
of such reserves are the US, China and Japan.
How big a player is Russia in the global oil market?
· Between them, they have 1500 million barrels.
36
Oil includes crude, all other petroleum liquids, o Germany, which is not just the most-
biofuels. Source: International Energy Statistics industrialised economy but also the biggest
via US Energy Information Administration, as of decision-maker in the EU.
December 2021
o While Russia accounts for 12% of all global
Can't there be increased supplies from countries exports of oil, in Germany it is a much bigger
such as Venezuela and Iran? player, accounting for over 40% of that
country's oil needs.
Venezuela:
o Similarly, Germany is also hugely dependent on
· Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves
Russian natural gas.
but producing oil requires more than just
reserves. o Unlike India, which gets most of its energy from
coal (75%) and oil (10%) and very little from
· The country's oil-producing apparatus is in
natural gas, Germany gets 25% from natural
disrepair partly due to the government's
gas — again hugely imported from Russia.
mismanagement but also because of harsh US
sanctions. o Even if other countries were to come to
Germany's rescue by providing LNG, there will
· Oil-producing companies are in debt and most
be a problem since Germany has no LNG
don't even have good quality drilling
terminals; it is completely dependent on
equipment.
natural gas pipelines from Russia.
Iran
· Iran will not increase output unless it gets the
nuclear deal with the US.
Most Favoured Nation
· Production can be scaled up but it will take The United States, the European Union, Britain,
time, money and effort. Canada and Japan were due to move jointly to
revoke Russia's “most favoured nation” (MFN)
· Moreover, since individual production levels status over its invasion of Ukraine.
are quite low, several countries will have to
come together and still they may not come What is 'most favoured nation' status?
anywhere close to matching the levels that · The World Trade Organization's 164 members
Russia produces. commit to treating other members equally so
Is there a difference in the dependence of the US they can all bene it from each other's lowest
and its European allies on Russian energy tariffs, highest import quotas and fewest trade
imports? barriers for goods and services.
· There is a big difference and that is what · This principle of non-discrimination is known
explains why the reactions of the US, the UK and as most favoured nation (MFN) treatment.
the EU vary. · There are some exceptions, such as when
· The US imports less than 10% of its energy members strike bilateral trade agreements or
requirement from Russia but European when members offer developing countries
countries are much more heavily dependent on special access to their markets.
Russia. · For countries outside the WTO, such as Iran,
· For example: North Korea, Syria or Russian ally Belarus,
WTO members can impose whatever trade
37
measures they wish without louting global change conditions for trade.
trading rules.
· It does formally allow the Western allies to
Removal of MFN status increase import tariffs or impose quotas on
Russian goods, or even ban them, and to restrict
· There is no formal procedure for suspending
services out of the country.
MFN treatment and it is not clear whether
members are obliged to inform the WTO if they · They could also overlook Russian intellectual
do so. property rights.
· India suspended Pakistan's MFN status in 2019 · The European Union has already banned about
after a suicide attack by a Pakistan-based 70% of all imports, such as tobacco, potash and
Islamist group killed 40 police. products made of wood or steel, from non-WTO
member Belarus.
· Pakistan never applied MFN status to India.
· However, it is waiting for formal adoption of
What does losing MFN status mean?
MFN suspension before taking similar action
· Revoking Russia's MFN status sends a strong against Russia.
signal that the United States and its Western
· Imports from Russia include mineral fuels,
allies do not consider Russia a economic
precious metals and stones, iron and steel,
partner in any way, but it does not in itself
fertilizers and inorganic chemicals.
38
· Both India and Sri Lanka are republics within

the Commonwealth of Nations.
· In recent years, the relationship has been
marked by close contacts at all levels. Trade and
i nve s t m e n t h ave g r o w n a n d t h e r e i s
cooperation in the ields of infrastructure
development, education, culture and defence.
· In recent years, signi icant progress in
implementation of developmental assistance
India – Sri Lanka projects has further cemented the bonds of

friendship between the two countries.
Relations · The nearly three-decade long armed con lict

between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE
India extended a $1 billion credit facility to Sri came to an end in 2009. During the course of
Lanka to assist the island nation through its worst the con lict, India supported the right of the Sri
foreign exchange crisis and enable it to procure Lankan Government to act against terrorist
food, medicines and essential items. forces.
India – Sri Lanka Relations · India's consistent position has been in favour of
a negotiated political settlement, which is
· India and Sri Lanka share a maritime border
acceptable to all communities within the
and India is the only neighbour of Sri Lanka,
framework of a united Sri Lanka and is
separated by the Palk Strait.
consistent with democracy, pluralism and
· Both nations occupy a strategic position in respect for human rights.
South Asia and have sought to build a common
security umbrella in the Indian Ocean.
39
History of India-Sri Lanka relations accord because they opposed a candidate.

· India-Sri Lanka relations date back to over · The result was that the LTTE now found itself
2,500 years, with the Kingdoms in Sri Lanka engaged in military con lict with the Indian
engaging in continuous wars with occupying Army.
South Indian Kingdoms.
· The government of India then decided that the
· According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles IPKF should disarm the LTTE by force, and the
(such as the Dipavamsa), Buddhism was Indian Army launched a number of assaults on
introduced into Sri Lanka in the 4th century the LTTE, including a month-long campaign
BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of Indian dubbed Operation Pawan to wrest control of the
Emperor Ashoka. Sri Lanka has the longest Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE.
continuous history of Buddhism of any
· The Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, which had been
Buddhist nation.
unpopular amongst Sri Lankans for giving India
· Tamils in Sri Lanka, had established Hinduism a major in luence, now became a source of
and Tamil language links with South India. nationalist anger and resentment as the IPKF
was drawn fully into the con lict.
Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war
Geopolitical Signi icance of Sri Lanka
· In the 1970s–1980s, private entities and
elements in the Research and Analysis Wing · Sri Lanka's location in the Indian Ocean region
(RAW) and the state government of Tamil Nadu as an island State has been of strategic
were believed to be encouraging the funding geopolitical relevance to several major powers.
and training for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
· Some examples that highlight Western interests
Eelam, a separatist insurgent force.
in Sri Lanka's strategic location are the British
· In 1987, faced with growing anger amongst its Defence and External Affairs Agreement of
own Tamils, and a lood of refugees, India 1948, and the Maritime Agreement with USSR
intervened directly in the con lict for the irst of 1962.
time.
· Even during the J.R Jayewardene (1978-1989)
· After subsequent negotiations, India and Sri and Ranasinghe Premadasa (1989-1993)
Lanka entered into an agreement (13th tenures, Sri Lanka was chosen to build the Voice
amendment.) of America transmitting station (suspected of
being used for intelligence gathering purposes
· The peace accord assigned a certain degree of
and electronic surveillance of the Indian
regional autonomy in the Tamil areas with
Ocean).
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
(EPRLF) controlling the regional council and · It was the massive Chinese involvement during
called for the Tamil militant groups to lay down the Rajapaksa tenure that garnered the deepest
their arms. controversy in recent years.
· Further India was to send a peacekeeping force, · China is building state of the art gigantic
named the IPKF to Sri Lanka to enforce the modern ports all along the Indian Ocean to the
disarmament and to watch over the regional south of it, in Gwadar (Pakistan), Chittagong
council. (Bangladesh, Kyauk Phru (Myanmar) and
Hambantota (Sri Lanka).
· Most Tamil militant groups accepted this
agreement, however, the LTTE rejected the · China's string of pearl's strategy is aimed at
40
encircling India to establish dominance in the

Indian Ocean.
· Post 2015, Sri Lanka still relies heavily on China
for Port city project and for continuation of
Chinese funded infrastructure projects in Sri
Lanka.
· Although the Hambantota harbour is
reportedly making losses, it too has potential
for development due to its strategic location.
· Sri Lanka has a list of highly strategic ports
located among busiest sea lanes of
communication.
Sri Lanka's
· Sri Lanka's Colombo Port is the 25th busiest Aggravating
container port in the world and the natural
deep-water harbor at Trincomalee is the ifth
Economic Crisis
largest natural harbour in the world.
Sri Lanka's economic crisis is aggravating rapidly,
· Port city of Trincomalee was the main base for putting citizens through enormous hardship. Over
Eastern Fleet and British Royal Navy during the the weekend, at least two senior citizens died
Second World War. while waiting in long queues to buy fuel; the price
of cooking gas spiked to LKR 4,199 (roughly
· Sri Lanka's location can thus serve both ₹1,150), the price of the widely used milk powder
commercial and industrial purposes and be shot up by LKR 600 a kg, and authorities were
used as a military base. forced to cancel school examinations for millions
of students, due to a shortage of paper.
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41
Reason for Economic Crisis: this month, has fallen to nearly 265 against the
U.S. dollar. Consumer Price in lation is at 16.8%
· Sri Lanka is in the grips of one of its worst
and foreign reserves stood at $2.31 billion at the
economic meltdowns in history.
end of February.
· The irst wave of the pandemic in 2020 offered
· Sri Lanka must repay foreign debt totalling
early and sure signs of the distress —
nearly $7 billion this year and continue
o Thousands of Sri Lankan labourers were left importing essentials from its dwindling dollar
stranded in West Asian countries and returned account.
jobless.
· In a recent address to the country, President
o Garment factories and tea estates were forced said Sri Lanka will incur an import bill of $22
to close as diseases spread in clusters. The billion this year, resulting in a trade de icit of
tourism industry has taken a signi icant hit. $10 billion.
o Thousands of young people in cities have lost o For citizens, this means long waits in queues for
their jobs as businesses have abruptly ired or fuel, a shortage of cooking gas, contending with
shut down. prolonged power cuts in many localities and
struggles to ind medicines for patients.
o All signi icant foreign exchange generating
industries, including exports and remittances, o In families of working people, the crisis is
as well as tourism, were severely harmed as a translating to cutting down on milk for children,
result of the currency fall. eating fewer meals, or going to bed hungry.
Policy Failure of Sri lankan Government: How is India helping?
· The lack of a comprehensive strategy to · India supports Sri Lanka as part of its irst-
respond to the crisis then, coupled with certain neighbourhood policy.
policy decisions last year — including the
· For the provision of essential commodities, a $1
government's abrupt switch to organic farming
billion credit line was inked. India's help
—widely deemed “ill-advised”, further
package includes a key component.
aggravated the problem.
· India has provided $ 2.4 billion in assistance
· T h e g ove r n m e n t d e c l a re d e m e r g e n c y
since January 2022, including a $400 million
regulations for the distribution of essential food
RBI currency swap and a $500 million loan
items, amid wide import restrictions to save
deferment.
dollars which in turn led to consequent market
irregularities, and reported hoarding. China:
· Fears of a sovereign default rose by the end of China is considering Sri Lanka's recent request for
2021, with the country's foreign reserves further $2.5 billion assistance, in addition to the
plummeting to $1.6 billion, and deadlines for $2.8 billion Beijing has extended since the
repaying external loans looming. outbreak of the pandemic
What is happening on the ground? How is India's assistance being viewed in Sri
Lanka?
· At the macro-economic level, all indicators are
worrisome. · The leadership has thanked India for the timely
assistance, but there is growing scepticism in
· The Sri Lankan rupee, that authorities loated
Sri Lankan media and some sections, over
42
Indian assistance “being tied” to New Delhi What is Bucharest Nine?

inking key infrastructure projects in the island
· It is a group of nine NATO countries in Eastern
nation in the recent past — mainly
Europe that became part of the US-led military
o the strategic Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm alliance after the end of the Cold War.
project;
· It was founded on November 4, 2015, and takes
o the National Thermal Power Corporation's its name from Bucharest, the capital of
recent agreement with Ceylon Electricity Board Romania.
to set up a solar power plant in Sampur, in Sri
Composition
Lanka's eastern Trincomalee district;
· The B9 are Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria,
o two renewable energy projects in northern Sri
the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia,
Lanka, with investment from India's Adani
and Lithuania.
Group.
· All members of the B9 are part of the European
· New Delhi is accused of using “diplomatic
Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty
blackmail” by the Sri Lankan media. The
Organisation (NATO).
political opposition has accused the Adani
Group of entering Sri Lanka through the “back Functions of B9
door”, avoiding competitive bids and due
· Deepening the dialogue and consultation
process.
among the participant allied states.
· Total compliance with the principles of
solidarity and indivisibility of the security of the
Bucharest Nine (B9) NATO Member States.
Countries
The envoys to India of nine Eastern European
countries called Bucharest Nine jointly wrote to
India seeks closer
Indian public about the Russian invasion in
Ukraine.
BIMSTEC partnership
Addressing the ministerial of the BIMSTEC (Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi–Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation), EAM S. Jaishankar urged
closer cooperation and connectivity among the
members.
What is BIMSTEC?
· The BIMSTEC formed in 1997 is an
international organisation of seven South Asian
and Southeast Asian nations, housing 1.73
billion people and having a combined gross
domestic product of $3.8 trillion (2021).
· The BIMSTEC member states – Bangladesh,
43
· The BIMSTEC FTA has been signed by all

member nations to stimulate trade and
investment in the parties, and attract outsiders
to trade with and invest in the BIMSTEC
countries at a higher level.
· S u b s e q u e n t ly, t h e “ Tra d e N e g o t i a t i n g
Committee” (TNC) was set up, with Thailand as
the permanent chair, to negotiate in areas of
trade in goods and services, investment,
economic co-operation, trade facilitations and
Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and technical assistance for LDCs.
Thailand – are among the countries dependent
on the Bay of Bengal. · Once negotiation on trade in goods is
completed, the TNC would then proceed with
· Leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of n e g o t i a t i o n o n t ra d e i n s e r v i c e s a n d
country names. The permanent secretariat is in investment.
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement draft
· A BIMSTEC free trade agreement is under
negotiation (c. 2018), also referred to as the · It was discussed on 1 December 2017 in New
mini SAARC. Delhi, to facilitate coastal shipping within 20
nautical miles of the coastline in the region to
Objectives of BIMSTEC boost trade between the member countries.
There are 14 main sectors of BIMSTEC along · Compared to the deep sea shipping, coastal ship
technological and economic cooperation among require smaller vessels with lesser draft and
South Asian and Southeast Asian countries along involve lower costs.
the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
· Once the agreement becomes operational after
1. Trade & Investment it is rati ied, a lot of cargo movement between
2. Transport & Communication the member countries can be done through the
3. Energy cost effective, environment friendly and faster
coastal shipping routes.
4. Tourism
5. Technology BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity
6. Fisheries · The BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport
7. Agriculture C o n n e c t iv i t y, i n a l i z e d u n d e r I n d i a' s
chairmanship of the expert group last year,
8. Public Health
envisages a seamless multimodal transport
9. Poverty Alleviation system across the region.
10. Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime
· This will stimulate intra-regional trade and
11. Environment & Disaster Management investment in the region.
12. People-to-People Contact
· It identi ies 264 projects requiring an
13. Cultural Cooperation investment of $ 126 billion over a ten year
14. Climate Change horizon from 2018–2028.
About the proposed BIMSTEC FTA Framework
44
In terms of GDP, China occupies the second

BRICS Media Forum ·
position; India the ifth; Brazil the ninth; Russia
the 11th; and South Africa the 35th.
Recently, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa) launched a three- · In terms of growth rates, China grew at 6%;
month-long training programme for journalists. India at 4.5%, Russia 1.7%, Brazil 1.2% and
The programme was an initiative of the BRICS South Africa 0.1%.
Media Forum.
· BRICS does not exist in form of organization, but
What is BRICS Media Forum? it is an annual summit between the supreme
leaders of ive nations.
· The Forum was founded in 2015 by media
organisations from ive nations, including The · The Chairmanship of the forum is rotated
Hindu (India), CMA Group (Brazil), Sputnik annually among the members, in accordance
(Russia), Xinhua (China), and Independent with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
Media (South Africa).
· The BRICS seeks to deepen, broaden and
· Through exchange and pragmatic cooperation, intensify cooperation within the grouping and
the forum intends to establish an ef icient among the individual countries for more
coordination mechanism among BRICS media, sustainable, equitable and mutually bene icial
accelerate innovation-driven media growth, development.
and collect stronger impetus for BRICS
· BRICS takes into consideration each member's
countries' development.
growth, development and poverty objectives to
What is BRICS? ensure relations are built on the respective
country's economic strengths and to avoid
· BRICS is the international grouping of Brazil, competition where possible.
Russia, India, China and South Africa.
· BRICS is emerging as a new and promising
· This was set up as a move towards greater political-diplomatic entity with diverse
multipolarity; hence the spread across three objectives, far beyond the original objective of
continents and both hemispheres. reforming global inancial institutions.
45
POINTERS
46
47
Legal Issues March 2022
Hague, Netherlands, in February 1922.

· After World War II, the League of Nations and
PCIJ were replaced by the United Nations and
ICJ respectively. The PCIJ was formally
dissolved in April 1946, and its last president,
Judge José Gustavo Guerrero of El Salvador,
became the irst president of the ICJ.
· The irst case, which was brought by the UK
against Albania and concerned incidents in the
Corfu channel — the narrow strait of the
International Court of Ionian Sea between the Greek island of Corfu
and Albania on the European mainland — was
Justice submitted in May 1947.
Seat and role of ICJ
Ukraine has iled an application before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ), instituting · Like the PCIJ, the ICJ is based at the Peace
proceedings against the Russian Federation Palace in The Hague.
concerning “a dispute relating to the
· It is the only one of the six principal organs of
interpretation, application and ful ilment of the
the UN that is not located in New York City.
1948 Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” (the o (The other ive organs are the General
“Genocide Convention”). Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic
and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council,
· Ukraine has accused Russia of falsely claiming
and the Secretariat.)
that “acts of genocide have occurred in the
Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine”, and · According to the ICJ's own description, its role
of using that as a pretext to recognise the is “to settle, in accordance with international
independence of these regions and of going to law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and
war against Ukraine. to give advisory opinions on legal questions
referred to it by authorized United Nations
About International Court of Justice
organs and specialized agencies”. The court “as
· The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the a whole must represent the main forms of
United Nations (UN). civilization and the principal legal systems of
the world”.
· The judges of the court are assisted by a
· It was established in June 1945 by the Charter
Registry, the administrative organ of the ICJ.
of the United Nations and began work in April
1946. · English and French are the ICJ's of icial
languages.
· The court is the successor to the Permanent
Court of International Justice (PCIJ), which · All members of the UN are automatically
was brought into being through, and by, the parties to the ICJ statute, but this does not
League of Nations, and which held its automatically give the ICJ jurisdiction over
inaugural sitting at the Peace Palace in The disputes involving them.
48
· The ICJ gets jurisdiction only if both parties the following year.
consent to it.
· The president and vice-president of the court
· The judgment of the ICJ is inal and technically are elected for three-year terms by secret
binding on the parties to a case. ballot. Judges are eligible for re-election.
· There is no provision of appeal; it can at the · Four Indians have been members of the ICJ so
most, be subject to interpretation or, upon the far.
discovery of a new fact, revision.
India at the ICJ
· However, the ICJ has no way to ensure
India has been a party to a case at the ICJ on six
compliance of its orders, and its authority is
occasions, four of which have involved Pakistan.
derived from the willingness of countries to
abide by them. They are:
Judges of the court · Right of Passage over Indian Territory
(Portugal v. India, culminated 1960);
· The ICJ has 15 judges who are elected to nine-
year terms by the UN General Assembly and · Appeal Relating to the Jurisdiction of the ICAO
Security Council, which vote simultaneously Council (India v. Pakistan, culminated 1972);
but separately.
· Trial of Pakistani Prisoners of War (Pakistan v.
· To be elected, a candidate must receive a India, culminated 1973);
majority of the votes in both bodies, a
requirement that sometimes necessitates · Aerial Incident of 10 August 1999 (Pakistan v.
multiple rounds of voting. India, culminated 2000);
· Elections are held at the UNHQ in New York · Obligations concerning Negotiations relating
during the annual UNGA meeting. to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms Race and to
Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands v.
· A third of the court is elected every three years. India, culminated 2016);
· The judges elected at the triennial election · (Kulbhushan) Jadhav (India v. Pakistan,
commence their term of of ice on February 6 of culminated 2019).
49
Wearing Hijab Is Not Essential Part of

Religion: Karnataka HC
The Karnataka High Court upheld the ban on the wearing of hijab (head scarf) by students in schools and
colleges in the State.
1. Key takeaways from HC Judgement: · The Bench also upheld the legality of the order
prescribing guidelines for uniforms in schools
2. How is religious freedom protected under the
and pre-university colleges under the
Constitution?
provisions of the Karnataka Education Act,
3. How have courts ruled so far on the issue of a 1983.
hijab?
· The court stated that if hijab is permitted, the
Key takeaways from HC Judgement: school uniform will no longer be a uniform.
· The judgment was delivered by a three-judge How is religious freedom protected under the
bench, while rejecting all the petitions iled by Constitution?
nine Muslim girl students of two government
· Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the
pre-university colleges in Udupi district.
“freedom of conscience and the right freely to
· It held that wearing the hijab is not an essential profess, practise and propagate religion”.
religious practice in Islam and is not, therefore,
· It is a right that guarantees a negative liberty —
protected under by the right to freedom of
which means that the state shall ensure that
religion guaranteed by Article 25 of the
there is no interference or obstacle to exercise
Constitution.
this freedom.
· The court said it was a reasonable restriction
· However, like all fundamental rights, the state
that was constitutionally permissible.
50
can restrict the right for grounds of public a hijab constitutes an essential religious
order, decency, morality, health and other state practice but did not quash the CBSE rule.
interests.
· The court once again allowed for the
· Over the years, the Supreme Court has evolved “additional measures” and safeguards put in
a practical test of sorts to determine what place the previous year.
religious practices can be constitutionally
· But both these cases involve restrictions placed
protected and what can be ignored.
on the freedom of religion for a speci ic purpose
· In 1954, the Supreme Court held in the Shirur — to ensure a fair examination process — and
Mutt case that the term “religion” will cover all the CBSE had cited a resource crunch to check
rituals and practices “integral” to a religion. every candidate if they allowed autonomy in
choosing their dress.
How have courts ruled so far on the issue of a
hijab? Fathima Tasneem v State of Kerala (2018)
· In 2015, at least two petitions were iled before · A single Bench of the Kerala HC held that
the Kerala High Court challenging the collective rights of an institution would be
prescription of dress code for All India Pre- given primacy over individual rights of the
Medical Entrance which prescribed wearing petitioner.
“light clothes with half sleeves not having big
· The case involved two girls, aged 12 and 8,
buttons, brooch/badge, lower, etc. with
represented by their father who wanted his
Salwar/Trouser” and “slippers and not shoes”.
daughters to wear the headscarf as well as a
· Admitting the argument of the Central Board of full-sleeved shirt.
School Education (CBSE) that the rule was only
· The school that refused to allow the headscarf
to ensure that candidates would not use unfair
is owned and managed by the Congregation of
methods by concealing objects within clothes,
the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI)
the Kerala HC directed the CBSE to put in place
under CMI St Joseph Province.
additional measures for checking students who
“intend to wear a dress according to their · The father appealed before a division Bench of
religious custom, but contrary to the dress the High Court. The division Bench headed by
code”. Justice Vinod Chandran dismissed the appeals
as it was “submitted that the appellants-
· “If the Invigilator requires the head scarf or the
petitioners are not now attending the School
full sleeve garments to be removed and
and are no more in the rolls of the respondent-
examined, then the petitioners shall also
School.”
subject themselves to that, by the authorised
person. It is also desirable that the C.B.S.E issue Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment)
general instructions to its Invigilators to ensure Bill, 2022
that religious sentiments be not hurt and at the
same time discipline be not compromised,” The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment)
Justice Vinod Chandran ruled. Bill, 2022 was tabled in Lok Sabha.
Amna Bint Basheer v Central Board of What is the MCD Amendment Bill?
Secondary Education (2016), · The Bill seeks to amend The Delhi Municipal
· The Kerala HC examined the issue more closely. Corporation Act, 1957
Justice P B Suresh Kumar, who allowed the plea · Under the 2011 Act, the erstwhile Municipal
by the student, held that the practice of wearing
51
Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was divided into · Bureaucratization: Appointing a Special

separate North, South, and East Delhi Of icer means that until the elections are
Municipal Corporations. concluded, the Centre will likely appoint an
of icer to run the corporation.
Key features of the Bill
· Central hegemony: The other signi icant
· The Bill replaces the three municipal
change is the replacement of the word
c o r p o ra t i o n s u n d e r t h e Ac t w i t h o n e
“government” with “Central government”
Corporation named the Municipal Corporation
which takes away the powers of the Delhi
of Delhi
Government.
· The Bill instead empowers the central
government to decide all the matters which
were previously being decided by the Delhi
Government. Criminal Procedure
· The Bill states that the total number of seats in
the new Corporation should not be more than (Identi ication) Bill,
250.
· The Bill omits the provision for a Director of
2022
Local Bodies. The bill that would allow the police and prison
· The Bill provides that the central government authorities to collect, store and analyse physical
may appoint a Special Of icer to exercise and biological samples, including retina and iris
powers of the Corporation until the irst scans, was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
meeting of the Corporation is held after the Criminal Procedure (Identi ication) Bill
commencement of the Bill.
· It authorises law enforcement agencies to
· The Bill adds that obligatory functions of the collect, store and analyse physical and
new Corporation will include establishing an e- biological samples of convicts and other
governance system for citizen services on persons for the purposes of identi ication and
a n y t i m e - a n y w h e r e b a s i s f o r b e t t e r, investigation in criminal matters.
accountable, and transparent administration.
· It seeks to repeal the Identi ication of Prisoners
· The Bill seeks to omit the provision that a Act 1920
sweeper employed for doing house scavenging
of a building would be required to give a · Provides access to a limitedcategory of
reasonable cause or a 14
day notice before
discontinuing his service.
Issues with the Amendment
Bill
· New delimitation
exercise: Reducing the
number of seats means a
new delimitation exercise
will have to be conducted
which would be time taking
52
persons whose body measurements can be · The record of these measurements will be
taken. retained in digital or electronic form for a
period of seventy- ive years from the date of
· Any state government OR Union Territory
collection.
administration may notify an appropriate
agency to collect, preserve and share the · The court or Magistrate, for reasons to be
measurements of a person of interest in their recorded in writing, can direct agencies to
respective jurisdictions. maintain the records.
Key features of the Bill · The records are to be destroyed in the case of
any person who has not been previously
· De ine “measurements”: To include inger
convicted of an offence punishable under any
impressions, palm-print and foot-print
law with imprisonment for any term.
impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan,
physical, biological samples and their analysis, Issues with the Bill
etc.;
· Un-constitutionality: will be debated against
· Empower the National Crime Records Article 20(3) of the Constitution, which is a
Bureau (NCRB): To collect, store and preserve fundamental right that guarantees the right
the record of measurements and for sharing, against self-incrimination.
dissemination, destruction and disposal of
· Violation of Article 21: seeks to apply these
records;
provisions to persons held under any
· Empower a Magistrate: To direct any person preventive detention law.
to give measurements; a Magistrate can also
· Legislative competence of Centre: beyond
direct law enforcement of icials to collect
the legislative competence of Parliament as it
ingerprints, footprint impressions and
violated fundamental rights of citizens,
photographs in the case of a speci ied category
including the right to privacy.
of convicted and non-convicted persons;
· Contentious provisions: proposes to collect
· Empower police or prison of icers: To take
samples even from protesters engaged in
measurements of any person who resists or
political protests.
refuses to give measurements
· Lack of clarity: Several provisions are not
· Authorises police to record signatures,
de ined in the Bill itself. For instance, the
h a n d w r i t i n g o r o t h e r b e h av i o u r a l
statement of objects says it provides for
attributes: Referred to in section 53 or section
collection of measurements for “convicts and
53A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973,
other persons” but the expression “other
for the purposes of analysis.
persons” is not de ined.
Notable feature: Maintenance of Record
· Other: While the jurisprudence around the
· The National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) right to be forgotten is still in an early stage in
will be the repository of physical and biological India, the Puttaswamy judgment discusses it as
samples, signature and handwriting data that a facet of the fundamental right to privacy.
can be preserved for at least 75 years.
53
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Economy Issues March 2022
government.
· Members from the RBI are the Governor who is
the chairman of the MPC, a Deputy Governor
and one of icer of the RBI.
· The government members are appointed by the
Centre on the recommendations of a search-
cum-selection committee which is to be headed
by the Cabinet Secretary.
Objectives of the MPC
Monetary Policy Monetary Policy was implemented with an
Committee initiative to provide reasonable price stability,
high employment, and a faster economic
A dissident member of the Reserve Bank of India's growth rate.
(RBI's) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has The major four objectives of the Monetary
said that the central bank's accommodative policy Policy are mentioned below:
stance “carries with it the risk of falling behind the
curve in future because the stance limits the MPC's · To stabilize the business cycle.
freedom of action in ensuing meetings”.
· To provide reasonable price stability.
· The MPC ixes the benchmark interest rate — or
· To provide faster economic growth.
the base or reference rate that is used to set
other interest rates — in India. · Exchange Rate Stability.
· An accommodative stance indicates a Repo rate

willingness on the part of the central bank to
· The central bank has retained the repo rate –
expand money supply and cut interest rates.
the rate at which the RBI lends funds to
About Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) banks – at 4 per cent to boost growth.
· The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the · This means banks won't hike lending and
body of the RBI, headed by the Governor, deposit rates and EMIs on loans will remain
responsible for taking the important monetary unchanged.
policy decisions about setting the repo rate.
o The RBI has reduced key policy repo rate by 115
· Repo rate is 'the policy instrument' in monetary bps to 4.0 per cent and reverse repo rates by
policy that helps to realize the set in lation 155 bps to 3.35 per cent since February 2020.
target by the RBI (at present 4%).
· Banks had since then reduced their interest
Membership of the MPC rates (both deposits and lending) signi icantly.
· The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is · The large size of the FY23 market borrowings,
formed under the RBI with six members. and with no progress on the inclusion of Indian
debt market in the global bond indices, might
· Three of the members are from the RBI while
have prompted the RBI to delay the liquidity
the other three members are appointed by the
normalisation in an effort to keep the cost of
57
large borrowings programme under control,

said an analyst.
· It also retained the marginal standing facility
(MSF) rate, and kept the Bank Rate unchanged
at 4.25 per cent.
Reverse repo rate
· Contrary to expectations of a hike, the RBI has
retained the reverse repo rate – the rate at
which the RBI borrows money from banks –
at 3.35 per cent.
· Bond yields had spiked after the government
· This is likely to impact the IPO market and LIC's
announced higher market borrowing of Rs
plan for listing this iscal and push up the
14.95 lakh crore in the next iscal.
current account de icit (CAD).
Factors responsible for the pressure on rupee
Three channels are harming the Indian rupee,
Rupee Under bonds, and stocks as a result of the Russia-
Ukraine con lict:
Pressure as FPIs Rush 1. Oil prices
to the Exit Door 2. The US dollar index
Since October last year, the continuous sell-off by 3. Global share prices
foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) has resulted in a Analysts believe that if things worsen in Europe or
withdrawal of approximately Rs 2,00,000 crore if a new front opens up in Asia, there might be
from the domestic stock markets. The Russia- another transitory shock.
Ukraine war has heightened FPIs' concerns, which
are already anticipating interest rate hikes from How is India bracing up?
the US Federal Reserve. Despite strong RBI · While the rupee is likely to stay under pressure,
intervention, the rupee has been hurt by the FPI the RBI's $631 billion forex fund will be
withdrawal, with its exchange rate versus the suf icient to keep the currency from falling too
dollar sliding below 76 to 76.16. far.
Prospects in the near future · Even the domestic institutional investors
Analysts believe the rupee would cross the 77 level (DIIs), led by LIC, mutual funds and insurance
against the dollar in the coming days if the companies, have been stepping up their
situation in Ukraine worsens and FPI sales purchases, absorbing most of the FPI sales.
continue. What is FPI?
· Although banks have been buying dollars to The FPI system, which is regulated by SEBI,
ease FPI withdrawals, the RBI has been selling provides a conduit for foreign investment in
dollars from its forex reserves to save the rupee. India. The Foreign Institutional Investor ('FII')
and Quali ied Foreign Investor ('QFI') regimes
58
were merged into the FPI regime as a

standardised path for foreign investment in Will Soaring Oil
India.
Regulations
Prices Cause
· Permitted Instruments: Shares of listed Indian 'Stag lation' in India?
companies, non-convertible debt, units of
domestic mutual funds, government securities, Crude oil prices have reached $140 per barrel.
derivatives. While oil prices have been progressively rising —
they were less than $70 per barrel in December
· A single FPI's investment must be less than 2021— the most immediate cause of the increase
10% of the Indian investee company's post- is the possibility that the US may impose a ban on
issue paid-up share capital, and a collective the purchase of Russian oil in retaliation to the
investment must be less than 24%. invasion of Ukraine. Russia is the world's second-
· An FPI's (including linked FPIs) investment in a largest oil producer, and if its oil is kept out of the
corporate bond issue must be less than 50%. market due to sanctions, prices would not only
spike, but will also stay that way for a long time.
· Minimum residual maturity of more than one
year for corporate bonds, subject to the Impact on India
condition that short-term corporate bond Although India is not directly involved in the
investments (less than one year residual con lict, it will be negatively impacted if oil prices
maturity) do not exceed 20% of that FPI's total continue to rise.
corporate bond investment.
· More than 84 percent of India's entire oil needs
What are the categories of FPIs? is imported.
Cat I: Government and government related · India's economy would grind to a standstill
foreign investors such as Central Banks, Sovereign without these imports, both symbolically and
Wealth Funds. literally.
Cat II: Funds, which are broad based and (i) · Indian consumers have been insulated from the
appropriately regulated, or (ii) whose investment spike in petrol costs since December due to the
manager is appropriately regulated. Includes compulsions of electoral politics following the
mutual funds ('MF'), investment trusts, insurance Assembly elections.
/ reinsurance companies. Also includes banks,
Asset Management Companies, investment · The most recent increases could indicate a
managers / advisors, portfolio managers, broker major increase in domestic oil prices, assuming
dealers and swap dealers, University funds, and that the governments — both federal and state
Pension funds. — do not cut taxes. Higher oil prices will raise
in lation and the general price level even more.
Cat III: Endowments, Charitable societies,
Corporate bodies, Trusts, Family of ices, What will happen to in lation?
Individuals** A 10% increase in crude oil prices results in a 9%
** Non-resident Indians (NRIs) are not permitted increase in wholesale in lation and a 5% increase
to register as FPIs, however they can invest in FPIs, in retail in lation. To put things in perspective,
subject to conditions between February 24 and March 3, crude oil prices
increased by more than 20%.
59
· Increased in lation would deprive Indians of · In most cases, growing in lation occurs when an
their purchasing power, lowering overall economy is booming: people are earning a lot of
demand. The sluggish consumer demand is the money, demanding a lot of products and
largest problem in India's GDP growth story. services, and prices continue to rise as a result.
India's largest growth engine is private Prices tend to stall when demand is low and the
consumer demand. The monetary sum of economy is in the doldrums, according to the
household personal purchases makes for more contrary reasoning (or even fall).
than 55 percent of India's overall GDP.
· Stag lation, on the other hand, is a scenario in
· Increased prices will limit demand, which is which an economy has the worst of both
already battling to return to pre-Covid levels. As worlds: growth is mainly stagnate (along with
a result of fewer goods and services being rising unemployment), and in lation is not only
demanded, businesses will be less likely to high, but consistently so.
invest in new capacity, which would, in turn,
Why does this unusual thing happen?
reduce demand turn, will exacerbate the
unemployment crisis and lead to even lower The most well-known instance of stag lation
incomes. occurred in the early and mid-1970s. The OPEC
(Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Estimates were not encouraging either
had resolved to reduce crude oil supply. Oil prices
Even before the Ukraine crisis, India's GDP growth shot up by about 70% around the world as a result
had begun to show symptoms of slowing. of this.
· The economy grew by only 5.4 percent in Q3 · This unexpected increase in oil prices not only
(October to December) GDP statistics, increased in lation worldwide, particularly in
indicating that the economy grew by only 5.4 Western economies, but also hampered their
percent in a period that usually sees a boost due ability to produce, sti ling their economic
to higher demand due to multiple festivals progress. Stag lation was caused by high
(such as Diwali). in lation and stopped growth (along with the
consequent unemployment).
· Furthermore, Covid instances were at their
lowest point in the quarter. A growth rate of less Recent instances in India
than 6% did not bode well. Particularly because
This subject has gotten a lot of attention recently,
Q4 (which is currently underway) is expected
especially since late 2019, when retail in lation
to be signi icantly poorer — both as a result of
soared due to unseasonal rainfall, which caused
the Omicron impact and the ongoing Ukraine
a spike in food in lation.
situation.
· In December 2019, the administration found it
Analysts have been downgrading their growth and
increasingly dif icult to deny that India's
in lation estimates for India, which is
growth rate was slowing over time. India's GDP
unsurprising. These are some of the milder effects.
growth rate had slowed from over 8% in 2016-
One major concern is that such a signi icant
17 to just 3.7 percent in 2019-20.
increase in oil costs could force a relatively weak
country like India into stag lation. · However, the government denied 'stag lation'
on the grounds that India's GDP was still
What is Stag lation?
increasing in absolute terms, albeit at a slower
Stag lation is a term that combines slow growth pace. The government was con ident at the time
and rising in lation. that things will improve after a lull of 2-3 years.
60
Also high in lation at the time was seen to be economy failing to achieve the trend. So how can
transitory — only caused by unseasonal rains. one talk about stag lation if the trend growth rate
Stag lation requires in lation to be not just high has shifted as a result of Covid.
but also persistent over a long period.
Risk of stag lation
· Then, in late 2020, this subject arose again,
If oil prices remain high for an extended period of
because by October of that year, it had become
time, the in lation situation will deteriorate
evident that India's GDP would decrease as a
signi icantly. Crude oil prices could reach $185 by
result of the Covid epidemic. India had entered
the end of the year, according to some sources.
what is known as a technical recession. The fact
Even if they do not rise to that level, average costs
that in lation had not abated only made
will likely remain above $100. Because oil is such a
problems worse. On the contrary, everyone,
basic cost in our economy, this increase will almost
including the RBI, was taken aback by the price
certainly result in substantial in lation for Indians,
increase that persisted despite signi icant
especially because it comes after two years of
demand destruction.
already higher prices and lower incomes.
· Since December 2021, numerous prominent
The other criterion is that growth must come to a
voices have claimed that India is experiencing
halt. The unemployment rate (or, in India's case,
stag lation. In FY23, there is a growing
the employment rate) is a good indicator of
consensus about a signi icant gap in output
whether present growth levels are adequate. India
compared to pre-covid pre-shadow banking
is experiencing the worst unemployment crisis it
crisis trend output. Despite this, core in lation
has faced in the last ive decades, according to
is running at above 5% net of base effects. The
government igures. Any broad-based recovery in
RBI's ultra-dovish stance appears to be a source
demand will almost certainly be hampered by high
of concern.
in lation.
Why others do not believe that stag lation
So, as implausible as it may seem, if crude oil
exists?
continues to rise and stay high for an extended
The Covid outage was a jolt to India's economy's period of time as India's GDP growth slows, we
trend growth. Because all of the factors are may be in for a shock and would be looking at
measured with relation to a particular trend, the stag lation in the near future.
entire hypothesis (of stag lation) is based on the
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one of the most used digital payments

UPI123Pay: Payment platforms in the country.
Solution For Feature · The volume of UPI transactions has already

reached ₹76 lakh crore in the current year,
Phone Users compared to ₹41 lakh crore in FY21 ,
· Advantages of UPI Includes – Immediate money
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India launched a transfer through mobile device round the clock
new Uni ied Payments Interface (UPI) payments 24*7 and 365 days.
solution for feature phone users dubbed
'UPI123Pay'. · UPI Enables Single mobile application for
accessing different bank accounts with Single
What is Uni ied Payments Interface (UPI)? Click 2 Factor Authentication – Aligned with the
· Uni ied Payments Interface (UPI) is a system Regulatory guidelines yet provides for a very
that powers multiple bank accounts into a strong feature of seamless single click payment.
single mobile application (of any participating · It also features Virtual address of the customer
bank), merging several banking features, for Pull & Push providing for incremental
seamless fund routing & merchant payments security with the customer not required to
into one hood. enter the details such as Card no, Account
· UPI, which was introduced in 2016, has become number; IFSC etc.
62
How does the new solution work? · Using the IVR option, users would be required
to initiate a secured call from their feature
· The new UPI-based service is designed to bring
phones to a predetermined IVR number and
the digital payments platform closer to a
complete UPI on-boarding formalities to be
signi icant number of feature phone mobile
able to start making inancial transactions like
subscribers in the country, which is estimated
money transfer, mobile recharge, EMI
to be more than 40 crore.
repayment, balance check, among others.
· UPI123Pay will materially improve the options
· The missed call facility will allow users to
for such users to access UPI, who could earlier
access their bank account and perform routine
access the digital transactions platform
transactions such as receiving, transferring
through the USSD-based process, using the
funds, regular purchases, bill payments, etc., by
short code of *99#, which according to RBI is
giving a missed call on the number displayed at
not popular.
the merchant outlet. The customer will receive
· The USSD-based process is considered an incoming call to authenticate the transaction
cumbersome, with users required to send by entering UPI PIN.
multiple messages and charged for the same,
· They could also install an app on their feature
and not supported by all mobile service
phone through which several UPI functions,
providers.
available on smartphones, will be available on
· With the UPI123Pay, feature phone users will their feature phone, except scan and pay
be required to go through an onboarding feature which is currently not available.
process where they have to link their bank
· Finally, they could utilise the proximity sound-
account to their feature phone and then set a
based payments option, which uses sound
UPI PIN using their debit card for
waves to enable contactless, of line, and
authenticating transactions.
proximity data communication on any device.
· Once they have completed this initial process,
Do other countries have something similar?
users will be able to use the new UPI facility for
person-to-person as well as merchant · Mobile payment systems that do not rely on
transactions, among others, through one of the internet connectivity like the ones based on
four distinct payment options that don't USSD or SMS technology were introduced many
require an internet connection. years ago and are still being used in some
developing countries.
How will users make payments without internet?
· In fact, one of the major mobile payment
· The new UPI payments system offers users four
systems globally was introduced by Vodafone's
options to make payments without internet
Kenyan associate, Safaricom in 2007.
connectivity:
· M-PESA, which is Africa's leading mobile
o Interactive Voice Response (IVR),
money service, operates across the Democratic
o App-based functionality, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya,
Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, with 51
o Missed call facility million customers making over $314 billion in
o Proximity sound-based payments. transactions per year through the service,
according to Vodafone.
63
referred to as the trade balance. Trade Balance

Current Account is a part of 'Current Account Balance'.
De icit · According to an earlier report of 2021, High Oil

Imports, High Gold Imports are the major
Recently, an American inancial services company driving force, widening the CAD.
Morgan Stanley has predicted that the Current What is Balance of Payments?
Account De icit will widen to a 10-year high of 3%
of GDP in FY23. · BoP of a country can be de ined as a systematic
statement of all economic transactions of a
Details: country with the rest of the world during a
· As a result of prolonged geopolitical tensions, speci ic period, usually one year.
the rise in oil prices is likely to persist, resulting · Purposes of Calculation of BoP:
in a worsening of the current account de icit
due to increasing oil import bills. o Provides information about a country's
inancial and economic situation.
· Because capital lows are projected to be lower
than the current account de icit, the Balance of o Can be used to evaluate whether the value of a
Payments (BoP) will be in de icit of about 0.5-1 country's currency is appreciating or
percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). depreciating.
· The substantial currency reserves, which o Assists the government in making budgetary
currently stand at USD 681 billion, will help to and trade policy decisions.
mitigate the extent of the country's exposure to
o Provides crucial data for analysing and
funding threats.
comprehending the economic dealings of a
· With a reverse repo rate hike in April 2022, the country with other countries.
business aims to complete the policy
Components of the Balance of payments (BOP)
normalisation process. However, delaying the
RBI's normalisation process increases the · Current account: It includes the inancial
potential of policy rate hikes that are transactions dealing with the export and
disruptive. import of goods, services, unilateral transfers,
investment income etc.
· Given the high de icit and debt levels, there is
less room for iscal policy stimulus to promote · Capital account: It includes the inancial
growth – a modest fuel tax decrease is viewed transactions dealing with assets such as foreign
as a possibility, as is dependence on the direct investment , foreign portfolio
national rural employment programme as an investment, foreign loans etc.
automatic stabiliser.
· Of icial reserve transactions: It conducted by
What is the Current Account De icit? the central bank in case of the BOP de icit or
BOP surplus.
· A current account de icit occurs when the total
value of goods and services a country imports · Errors and omissions: It is the element of BOP
exceeds the total value of goods and services it (other than the current account and the capital
exports. account) which refers to the balancing items
re lecting the inability to record all the
· The balance of exports and imports of goods is
international inancial transactions.
64
consumers expect that prices will keep going

Retail In lation Climbs up. That boosts demand. Consumers buy now
to beat higher future prices. That's how mild
to 6.07% in lation drives economic expansion.
India's retail in lation inched up to an eight-month II. Walking In lation

high of 6.07% in February from 6.01% in January, · When prices rise by more than 3% but less than
with rural India experiencing a sharper price rise 10% per annum (i.e., between 3% and 10% per
at 6.38%. For urban consumers, the in lation rate, annum), it is called as Walking In lation.
in fact, fell from 5.91% in January to 5.75% in
February. · It is harmful to the economy because it heats-up
economic growth too fast.
What is In lation?
· People start to buy more than they need to
· In lation refers to the consistent rise in the avoid tomorrow's much higher prices. This
prices of most goods and services of daily or increased buying drives demand even further
common use, such as food, clothing, housing, so that suppliers can't keep up and neither can
recreation, transport, consumer staples, etc. the wages. As a result, common goods and
In lation measures the average price change in services are priced out of the reach of most
a basket of commodities and services over time. people.
· A moderate level of in lation is required in the III. Galloping In lation
economy to ensure that production is
promoted. Excess In lation is indicative of the · When in lation rises to 10% or more (i.e., prices
decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a rise by double- or triple-digit in lation rates like
country's currency. This could ultimately lead 30% or 400% or 999% per annum), it wreaks
to a deceleration in economic growth. absolute havoc on the economy. It is also
referred as jumping in lation.
· In India, in lation is primarily measured by two
main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price Index) · Money loses value so fast that business and
and CPI (Consumer Price Index) which employee income can't keep up with costs and
measure wholesale and retail-level price prices.
changes, respectively.
Types of In lation based on rate of Increase
There are four main types of in lation,
categorized by their speed. They are
creeping, walking, galloping, and
hyperin lation.
I. Creeping In lation
· Creeping or mild in lation is when prices
rise 3% a year or less. According to the
Federal Reserve, when prices increase
2% or less, it bene its economic growth.
· This kind of mild in lation makes
65
· Foreign investors avoid the country, depriving clubbed together are called Moderate In lation.
it of needed capital. The economy becomes
· When prices rise by less than 10% per annum
unstable, and government leaders lose
(single digit in lation rate), it is known as
credibility.
Moderate In lation.
IV. Hyperin lation
· It is a stable in lation and not a serious
· Hyperin lation refers to a situation where the economic problem.
prices rise at an alarming high rate – i.e., more
VII. Running In lation
than 50% a month.
· A rapid acceleration in the rate of rising prices
· The prices rise so fast that it becomes very
is referred as Running In lation.
dif icult to measure its magnitude. However, in
quantitative terms, when prices rise above · When prices rise by more than 10% per annum,
1000% per annum (quadruple or four-digit running in lation occurs.
in lation rate), it is termed as Hyperin lation.
· Though economists have not suggested a ixed
· Most examples of hyperin lation occur when range for measuring running in lation, we may
governments print money to pay for wars. consider price rise between 10% to 20% per
annum (double digit in lation rate) as a running
· Examples of hyperin lation include Germany in
in lation.
the 1920s, Zimbabwe in the 2000s, and
Venezuela in the 2010s. What is Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
· During a worst-case scenario of hyperin lation, · Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures price
value of national currency (money) of an changes from the perspective of a retail buyer.
affected country reduces almost to zero. Paper
money becomes worthless and people start · CPI is released by the National Statistical Of ice
trading either in gold and silver or sometimes (NSO).
even use the old barter system of commerce. · Base Year for CPI is 2012 and the Monetary
V. Chronic In lation Policy Committee (MPC) uses CPI data to
control in lation.
· If creeping in lation persist (continues to
increase) for a longer period of time then it is · The CPI calculates the difference in the price of
often called as Chronic or Secular In lation. commodities and services such as food,
medical care, education, electronics etc, which
· Chronic Creeping In lation can be either Indian consumers buy for use.
Continuous (which remains consistent without
any downward movement) or Intermittent · The CPI has several sub-groups including food
(which occurs at regular intervals). and beverages, fuel and light, housing and
clothing, bedding and footwear.
· It is called chronic because if an in lation rate
continues to grow for a longer period without · Four types of CPI are as follows:
any downturn, then it possibly leads to . CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).
Hyperin lation.
a. CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL).
VI. Moderate In lation
b. CPI for Rural Labourer (RL).
· Concept of Creeping and Walking in lation
66
c. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined). · CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined) is compiled by

the National Statistical Of ice (NSO) in the
· Of these, CPI for Industrial Workers (IW), CPI
Ministry of Statistics and Programme
for Agricultural Labourer (AL) and CPI for
Implementation.
Rural Labourer (RL) are compiled by the
Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and
Employment.
About the Latest in lation data
· Food prices saw an upward trajectory, with · Food and beverages in lation hit a 15-month
in lation measured by the Consumer Food high, and the rising prices of edible oils are
Price Index rising to 5.85% in February from likely to pose a challenge in coming months,
5.43% in January. ICRA chief economist Aditi Nayar pointed out.
· This trend was divergent for rural and urban · The RBI has projected an average retail
India, with the latter seeing a slight moderation in lation of 4.5% for the coming year.
in food in lation, while rural food in lation shot
up by 0.7 percentage points to 5.87%.
67
Environment Issues March 2022
reports have been produced with the irst one

IPCC's Sixth being released in 1990. The ifth assessment
report had come out in 2014 in the run up to
Assessment Report the climate change conference in Paris.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change · The Assessment Reports are prepared by three
(IPCC) released the second part of its sixth working groups of scientists:
assessment report. The irst part was released in o Working Group-I – Deals with the scienti ic
2021. basis for climate change.
About the IPCC o Working Group-II – Looks at the likely impacts,
· The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate vulnerabilities and adaptation issues.
Change (IPCC) is the international body for
o Working Group-III – Deals with actions that can
assessing the science related to climate change
be taken to combat climate change.
s e t u p b y t h e Wo r l d M e t e o r o l o g i c a l
Organization (WMO) and United Nations Highlights of the recent report
Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1988.
· According to a report by the
· IPCC was created to provide policymakers with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
regular assessments of the scienti ic basis of (IPCC) ,The world faces unavoidable multiple
climate change, its impacts and future risks, climate hazards over the next two decades
and options for adaptation and mitigation. with global warming of 1.5°C and even
temporarily exceeding this warming level
· IPCC assessments provide a scienti ic basis for
would mean additional, severe impacts, some
governments at all levels to develop climate
of which will be irreversible,
related policies, and they underlie negotiations
at the UN Climate Conference – the United · The latest report has, for the irst time, made an
Nations Framework Convention on Climate assessment of regional and sectoral impacts of
Change (UNFCCC). climate change. It has included risks to, and
vulnerabilities of, mega-cities around the
· IPCC does not carry out original research. It
world.
d o e s n o t m o n i t o r c l i m a t e o r re l a t e d
phenomena itself. However, it conducts a o For example, it has said Mumbai is at high risk
systematic review of published literature and o f s e a - l eve l r i s e a n d l o o d i n g , wh i l e
then produces a comprehensive assessment Ahmedabad faces serious danger of heat-
report. waves. Such granular information was not
available in previous assessment reports.
IPCC Assessment Reports
Flooding in Mumbai and heat-waves in
· The IPCC Assessment Reports are published Ahmedabad are common occurrences.
once in about 7 years – and they are the most
· Also for the irst time, the IPCC report has
comprehensive scienti ic evaluations of the
looked at the health impacts of climate change.
state of Earth's climate. The 6th such
It has found that climate change is increasing
assessment report was published in 2021.
vector-borne and water-borne diseases such
· Prior to the AR6 in 2021, ive assessment as malaria or dengue, particularly in sub-
tropical regions of Asia.
68
· It has also said deaths related to circulatory, · The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has
respiratory, diabetic and infectious diseases, as been eliminated, mainly by over-hunting in
well as infant mortality, are likely to increase India in historical times.
with a rise in temperature.
· the ministry will be translocating around 8-12
· Increasing frequency of extreme weather cheetahs from South Africa, Namibia and
events like heatwaves, looding and drought, Botswana with help from the Wildlife Institute
and even air pollution was contributing to of India and the Wildlife Trust of India, .
under-nutrition, allergic diseases and even
· The big cats will live at Kuno Palpur National
mental disorders.
Park (Madhya Pradesh) owing to its suitable
· The report has said that while strong actions to habitat and adequate prey base.
reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near
Reasons for the Extinction:
term, in the next 20 years, would substantially
reduce the threats, and the projected damages, · Hunting
they would not eliminate them all.
· Diminishing habitat and non-availability of
o If the temperature rise crossed the threshold of enough prey
1.5°C from pre-industrial times, then many
· Climate change
changes could be irreversible.
· growing human populations have only made
· The report has stressed the need to take
these problems worse.
adaptation measures.
About the National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA)
The National Tiger Conservation Authority
Action Plan For ·
(NTCA) was established in December 2005
following a recommendation of the Tiger Task
Reintroduction of Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of
India for reorganised management of Project
Cheetah in India Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.
India's plan to reintroduce cheetahs has chances · The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was
of success, but uncertainties remain amended in 2006 to provide for constituting
the National Tiger Conservation Authority
· The action plan was launched at the 19th responsible for implementation of the Project
meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Tiger plan to protect endangered tigers.
Authority (NTCA).
· The National Tiger Conservation Authority is
About Reintroduction Action Plan: set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister
· Reintroduction' of a species means releasing it for Environment and Forests.
in an area where it is capable of surviving. · The Authority will have eight experts or
· Reintroductions of large carnivores have professionals having quali ications and
increasingly been recognised as a strategy to experience in wildlife conservation and
conserve threatened species and restore welfare of people including tribals, apart from
ecosystem functions. three Members of Parliament of whom two will
be elected by the House of the People and one
69
by the Council of States. adjoining areas consistent with the Central and
state laws.
· The Authority, interalia, would lay down
normative standards, guidelines for tiger · The Tiger Conservation Authority would be
conservation in the Tiger Reserves, apart from required to prepare an Annual Report, which
National Parks and Sanctuaries. would be laid in the Parliament along with the
Audit Report.
· It would provide information on protection
measures including future conservation plan, · Every 4 years the National Tiger Conservation
tiger estimation, disease surveillance, Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census
mortality survey, patrolling, report on across India.
untoward happenings and such other
About Cheetah:
management aspects as it may deem it,
including future plan for conservation. · The cheetah is one of the oldest of the big cat
species, with ancestors that can be traced back
· The Authority would also facilitate and
more than ive million years to the Miocene era.
support tiger reserve management in the
States through eco-development and people's · The cheetah is also the world's fastest land
participation as per approved management mammal that lives in Africa and Asia.
plans, and support similar initiatives in
African Cheetah Asian Cheetah

· IUCN status – Vulnerable · IUCN Status – Critically Endangered.
· CITES status – Appendix-I of the List. This List · CITES – Appendix 1 of the list
comprises of migratory species that have been · Habitat – 40-50 found only in Iran.
assessed as being in danger of extinction
throughout all or a signi icant portion of their · Physical Characteristics – Smaller and paler
range. than the African cheetah. Has more fur, a
smaller head and a longer neck. Usually have
· Habitat – Around 6,500-7,000 African cheetahs red eyes and they have a more cat-like
present in the wild. appearance.
· Physical Characteristics – Bigger in size as
compared to Asiatic Cheetah.
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Awards & Prizes March 2022
Ÿ Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain

94th Oscars Awards (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
2022 Ÿ Best Picture: CODA Best International Feature

Film: Drive My Car
Full list of winners The 94th Academy Awards Ÿ Documentary Short Subject: The Queen of
returned to the Dolby Theater in Hollywood as the top Basketball
films from the last year were honoured by the
Ÿ Best Directing: Jane Campion (The Power of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Dog)
Sciences. The show was hosted by Regina
Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, the Ÿ Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose
first time the award ceremony has had (West Side Story)'
multiple hosts since Anne Hathaway
Ÿ Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Troy Kotsur
and James Franco co-hosted the
(CODA)
83rd instalment in 2011.
Ÿ Best Makeup & Hairstyling: The Eyes of
Key points:
Tammy Faye
The 94th Academy Awards are
Ÿ Best Cinematography: Dune
honouring the films released
between January 1 and December 31, Ÿ Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer (Dune)
2021. The nominations were
Ÿ Best Visual Effects: Dune
announced on February 8, by actors
Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan. Ÿ Best Animated Feature Film: Encanto
Netflix's The Power of the Dog leads the
race with 12 nominations followed by Ÿ Best Animated Short Film: The Windshield
sci-fi epic Dune, with 10 nods. Indian Wiper
documentary Writing With Fire is also Ÿ Best Costume Design: Cruella
nominated for Best Documentary
(Feature). Ÿ Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh
(Belfast)
Awards will be presented across 23
categories, which are determined based Ÿ Best Adapted Screenplay: Sian Heder (Coda)
on voting by members of the Academy. Ÿ Best Live Action Short Film: The Long Goodbye
This time, there are two new categories- Ÿ Best Sound: Dune
Oscars Fan Favorite Award and
Oscars Cheer Moment, which Ÿ Best Documentary Feature: “Summer of
will be decided by fan voting, Soul (…Or, When the Revolution
which was done online Could Not Be Televised)” Best
between February 14 and Original Song: “No Time To Die” from
March 3, 2022. Check out the “No Time to Die,” music and lyric by
full list of winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Ÿ Best Actor in a Ÿ Best Production Design: Dune
Leading Role: Will
Ÿ Best Film Editing: Dune
Smith, “King
Richard”
73
75th BAFTA Award 2022

The 75th edition of the British Academy Film Awards, also
known as the BAFTA Award, was held at the Royal Albert
Hall in London. The awards, presented by the British
Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), honours the
best national and foreign films of 2021. The ceremony was
hosted by actress and comedian Rebel Wilson. The film that
received maximum nominations was Dune, with 11
nominations. The film that received the maximum number of
awards was Dune as well with 5 awards.
History of the awards: annually to recognize the outstanding work in British

Television. It is being given annually since 1955. It is
British Academy Television Awards are presented
mainly given to British programs.
74
Hurun Global Rich

List 2022: Elon Musk
Tops
SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk has bagged the
top position on the 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich
List, with a total net worth of $205 billion. The 2022
M3M Hurun Global Rich List is published by
research and luxury publishing group Hurun India in
association with realty firm M3M.
Other persons in the list:
Miss World 2021: Ÿ Amazon.com Inc executive chairman Jeff Bezos
ranked second with $188 billion in net worth.
Poland's Karolina Ÿ With a net worth of $153 billion, Bernard Arnault,
the chief executive of LVMH Moët Hennessy –
Bielawska crowned Louis Vuitton SE, the world's largest luxury-goods
company, ranked third.
Karolina Bielawska from Poland has won the title of Ÿ From India, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)
Miss World 2021. She was crowned by 2019 Miss Chairman Mukesh Ambani was the only Indian to
World Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica. She beat the USA, feature in the top 10 list of 2022 Hurun Global
Rich List' to emerge as India's as well as Asia's
Indonesia, Mexico, Northern Ireland and Cote
richest man. Ambani occupied the ninth rank
d'Ivoire to clinch the coveted title. Indian-American globally with a net worth of $103 billion.
Shree Saini from the United States bagged the first
Ÿ A key finding of 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich
runner-up title, followed by Olivia Yace from Cote List
d'Ivoire. The 70th edition of the Miss World
Ÿ Overall 3,381 billionaires from 2,557 companies
international beauty pageant was held in San Juan, and 69 countries were ranked in 2022 M3M Hurun
Puerto Rico. Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh Global Rich List.
performed 'The Prayer' during the 70th Miss World Ÿ 215 billionaires were from India, which included
pageant to express solidarity with Ukraine amid the 58 new additions.
Russia-Ukraine crisis. Indian Contender Femina Ÿ India emerged as the third-largest billionaire
Miss India World 2020 Manasa Varanasi represented producing nation in the world.
India at the Miss World 2021. Manasa Varanasi
reached the Top 13 contestants but could not make it
to the Top 6 finalists.
75
TOP 10 Billionaires:
Ÿ For the south zone, it was Thiruvananthapuram

(Kerala) and Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh);
Ÿ For the east zone, East Champaran (Bihar) and
Godda (Jharkhand) won the award;
Ÿ Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Vadodara (Gujarat)
and Banswara (Rajasthan) won the awards in the
west zone.
Ÿ Goalpara (Assam) and Siang (Arunachal Pradesh)
won the awards for the northeast zone.
Ÿ In the “Best Village Panchayat” Category North
President Kovind Zone

Ÿ Dhaspad, Almora, Uttarakhand
Confers National Ÿ Jamola, Rajouri, J&K
Water Awards 2022 Ÿ Balua, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh South Zone
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has Ÿ Yelerampura Panchayat, Tumakuru District,
presented the 3rd National Water Awards in New Karnataka
Delhi. National Water Awards is given for exemplary Ÿ Vellaputhur Panchayat, Chengalpattu District,
work in the field of water resource management. The Tamil Nadu
first National Water Award was launched in 2018, by
the Jal Shakti Ministry. A total of 57 National Water Ÿ Elappully Grama Panchayat, Palakkad District,
Awards for 2022 have been conferred to states, Kerala East Zone
organizations and others in 11 different categories.
Ÿ Telari Panchayat, Gaya District, Bihar Chhindiya
In the Best State category: Panchayat, Surajpur District, Chhattisgarh
Ÿ Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize, Ÿ Guni Panchayat, Khunti District, Jharkhand West
followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In the Best Zone
District category:
Ÿ Takhatgadh, Sabarkantha, Gujarat Kankapar,
Ÿ The 'Best District' awards for the north zone was Kachchh, Gujarat
bagged by Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) and
Ÿ Surdi, Solapur, Maharashtra North-East Zone
Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Punjab);
76
Ÿ Sialsir, Sirchip, Mizoram Ÿ IIT Gandhinagar, Gujarat Indian Oil Corporation

Limited Faridabad In the “Best Industry”
Ÿ Aminda Simsanggre , West Garo Hills, Meghalaya
Category Trident (Textile) Ltd., Punjab
Ÿ Chambagre, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya
Ÿ Steel Authority of India Ltd., New Delhi In the
Ÿ In the “Best Urban Local Body” Category “Best NGO” Category
Ÿ Vapi Urban Local Body, Gujarat Ÿ Gramvikas Sanstha, Aurangabad
Ÿ Dapoli Nagar Panchayat, Maharashtra Ÿ Vivekananda Research and Training Institute,
Bhavnagar In the “Best Water User Association”
Ÿ Madurai Municipal Corporation, Tamil Nadu
Category Panchgachiya MDTW WUA, Hooghly,
Ÿ In the “Best Media (Print & Electronic)” Category West Bengal
Ÿ Agrowon, Sakal Media Pvt. Ltd. (Adinath Ÿ Hatinada Champa Purulia, West Bengal
Dattatray Chavan) Ÿ Amtore Mini River Lift Irrigation WUA, Purulia,
Ÿ Sandesh Daily Bhuj Edition In the “Best School” West Bengal In the “Best Industry for Corporate
Category social responsibility (CSR) activities” Category
Ÿ Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Ÿ HAL, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Kaveripattinam in Tamil Nadu, Amalorpavam Ÿ Dharampal Satyapal Ltd., Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Lourds Academy, Thiruvallur, Puducherry and Apart from this President Kovind launched the Jal
Amity International School, Noida, Uttar Pradesh Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign 2022,
won the awards in the Best School category. which is an expansion of the water campaign
Ÿ In the “Best Institution/RWA/Religious launched in 2021 March, to underline the
organization for Campus usage” Category importance of water in our daily life and on the
planet Earth. The 2022 'Catch the Rain' campaign
Ÿ Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu will be implemented till November 30, 2022
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Science & Technology March 2022
· A supercomputer can perform high-level

processing at a faster rate when compared to a
normal computer.
· Supercomputers are made up of hundreds or
thousands of powerful machines which use
better arti icial intelligence (AI) models to
improve operations that process huge
amounts of data in less time than normal
computers.
· They work together to perform complex
operations that are not possible with normal
computing systems.
PARAM Ganga · Supercomputers require high-speed and
specialised chip architectures.
The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has
deployed PARAM Ganga-a High-Performance · Supercomputers are generally intended for
Computational (HPC) facility at IIT Roorkee, with usage in businesses and organisations that
a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Peta lops. demand a signi icant amount of processing
power.
About PARAM Ganga
· Weather forecasting, scienti ic research,
· Under the direction of NSM, the Centre for intelligence collecting and analysis, data
Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) mining, and so on are examples.
established it.
· China has the most supercomputers in the
· The underlying idea behind creating a world and continues to be the leader, followed
Petascale Supercomputer with components by the United States, Japan, France, Germany,
made in India is to pave the way for the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United
Aatmanirbhar Bharat while also accelerating Kingdom.
p r o b l e m - s o lv i n g c a p a c i t y i n d ive r s e
disciplines. · PARAM 8000 was India's irst supercomputer.
· It will assist scholars in resolving complicated What is a Peta lop?

challenges of national and international · A peta lop is a measure of a computer's
interest. processing speed and can be expressed as a
· I t w i l l s e r ve a s a c r i t i c a l c o m p u t i n g thousand trillion Floating-Point Operations
environment for modern-day study, both Per Second (FLOPS).
theoretically and experimentally. · 103 = kilo, 106 = mega, 109 = giga, 1012 = tera,
· The goal is to give computational power to the 1015 = peta, 1018 = exa, 1021 = zetta and 1024
IIT Roorkee and neighbouring academic = yotta.
institutions' user communities. · In computing, loating-point operations per
What are supercomputers? second is a measure of computer performance,
80
useful in ields of scienti ic computations that problems and designing solutions addressing
require loating-point calculations. various country speci ic requirements for
scienti ic, strategic and societal applications.
· For such cases, it is a more accurate measure
than measuring instructions per second. · The Mission envisages empowering our
national academic and R&D institutions
· There is no general direct translation between
spread over the country by installing a vast
processor clock rate (expressed as Hertz –
supercomputing grid comprising of more than
usually MHz or GHz) and number of loating
70 high-performance computing facilities.
point operations per second (FLOPS).
· These supercomputers will also be networked
What is National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)?
on the National Supercomputing grid over
· The mission was set up to provide the country the National Knowledge Network (NKN).
with supercomputing infrastructure to
o The NKN is a central government initiative
meet the increasing computational demands
which connects academic institutions and
of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups
R&D labs over a high-speed network.
by creating the capability design,
manufacturing, of supercomputers · Under NSM, the long-term plan is to build a
indigenously in India. strong base of 20,000 skilled persons.
· The mission will nationally coordinate · The mission will be implemented by the
collaborative programme involving Department of Science and Technology
developers and users of supercomputing (Ministry of Science and Technology) and
systems as well as academic and research Ministry of Electronics and Information
institutions. Technology (MeitY), through the Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
· It looks to facilitate effective governance
and Indian Institute of Science (IISc),
and monitoring mechanisms to build culture
Bengaluru.
of supercomputing for solving complex R&D
81
What is NASA's
Artemis I Mission?
On March 17, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) rolled out its Artemis I
moon mission to the launchpad for testing at the
Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States.
What is the Artemis I Mission?
· Touted as the next generation of lunar
Abel Prize awarded to exploration
Artemis is the goddess of the moon.
American ·
· Artemis I is the irst of NASA's deep space

Mathematician exploration systems.
· It is an uncrewed space mission where the
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
spacecraft will launch on SLS — the most
has awarded the Abel prize for the year 2022 to
powerful rocket in the world.
American Mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan
for his contributions to topology. · The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in
space without docking to a space station,
Abel Prize
longer than any ship for astronauts has ever
· Awarded annually by the King of Norway to done before.
one or more outstanding mathematicians.
· The SLS rocket has been designed for space
· Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels missions beyond the low-earth orbit and can
Henrik Abel (1802–1829) and directly carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond.
modeled after the Nobel Prizes.
Key objectives of the mission
· Its establishment was proposed by the
· With the Artemis Mission, NASA aims to land
Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie.
humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans
· The laureates are selected by the Abel to land the irst woman and irst person of
Committee, the members of which are colour on the moon.
appointed by the Norwegian Academy of
Science and Letters.
· R. Srinivasa Varadhan, an Indian-American
citizen won the Abel Prize in the year 2007 for
his valuable contribution in “probability
theory and in particular for creating a uni ied
theory of large deviation”.
82
With this mission, NASA aims to contribute to

·
scienti ic discovery and economic bene its and Project Netra
inspire a new generation of explorers.
With space junk posing increasing threat to Indian
· NASA will establish an Artemis Base Camp on assets in space, the Indian Space Research
the surface and a gateway in the lunar orbit to Organisation (ISRO) is building up its orbital
aid exploration by robots and astronauts. debris tracking capability by deploying new
radars and optical telescopes under the Network
· The gateway is a critical component of NASA's
for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA)
sustainable lunar operations and will serve as
project.
a multi-purpose outpost orbiting the moon.
· Space Agencies of Canada, Europe and Japan
are also involved.
GS III- Science and Technology · Under the project, the ISRO plans to put up
many observational facilities: connected
Dimensions of the Article:
radars, telescopes; data processing units and a
1. What is Project NETRA (Network for space control centre.
object Tracking and Analysis)?
· They can, among others, spot, track and
2. Signi icance of the project catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a
range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of
3. What is Space Debris? around 2,000 km.
What is Project NETRA (Network for space object Signi icance of the project:
Tracking and Analysis)?
· The project will give India its own capability in
83
space situational awareness (SSA) like the objects in Earth's orbit, whether man-made or
other space powers — which is used to natural.
'predict' threats from debris to Indian
· Natural Debris is made up of natural bodies
satellites.
that orbit the sun, such as meteors and
· NETRA's eventual goal is to capture the GEO, asteroids.
or geostationary orbit, scene at 36,000 km
· Arti icial Debris is made up of man-made
where communication satellites operate.
(generally non-functional) objects that orbit
· The effort would make India a part of the Earth. (As a result, it is usually referred to
international efforts towards tracking, as Orbital Debris.)
warning about and mitigating space debris.
· Dead satellites, spent rocket motors, nuts and
What is Space Debris? bolts, and other space debris are described in
the Report of the Second United Nations
· There is no universally acknowledged legal
Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses
de inition of the term “space debris.” It's a
of Outer Space, published in 1982.
term that refers to a collection of undesired
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Defence March 2022
Man-Portable Air-
Defence Systems
Recently, United States President approved a
$200-million arms package for Ukraine, which
would include U.S. made Stinger Missiles, which
are a type of shoulder- ired Man-Portable Air-
Defence Systems (MANPADS).
Ex Vayu Shakti What are MANPADS?

Man-Portable Air-Defence Systems
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has chosen to postpone
its irepower demonstration, Exercise Vayu Shakti, · are short-range, lightweight and portable
due to the worsening crisis in Ukraine. surface-to-air missiles that can be ired by
individuals or small groups to destroy aircraft
About Ex Vayu Shakti or helicopters.
· It takes place every three years and includes · They help shield troops from aerial attacks and
ighters, helicopters, force enablers, and are most effective in targeting low- lying
support systems. aircrafts.
· I n d a y, d u s k , a n d n i g h t c a p a b i l i t y
demonstrations, the goal is to detect and
identify targets and neutralise them.
· In this exercise, the Indian Air Force
demonstrates the repowering potential of
indigenously manufactured aircraft as well as
its missile arsenal.
· The exercise features ighter aircraft such as
the Jaguar, Rafale, Sukhoi-30, MIG-29, and light
combat aircraft such as the Tejas, MIG-21 Bison,
Hawk 32, and M200.
86
Defence March 2022
· MANPATs or Man-Portable Anti-Tank Systems in Afghanistan in the 1980s, which the latter
work in a similar manner but are used to used against the Soviet forces.
destroy or incapacitate military tanks.
· Countries such as India, Pakistan, Germany,
· MANPADS can be shoulder- ired, launched U.K., Turkey and Israel have also used
from atop a ground-vehicle, ired from a tripod MANPADS in their defence efforts.
or stand, and from a helicopter or boat.
· As of 2019, 20 countries had developed the
· Weighing anywhere between 10 to 20 wherewithal to manufacture MANPADS and
kilograms and not being longer than 1.8 metres, have together made 1 million such systems for
they are fairly lightweight as compared to other defence and export purposes.
elaborate weapon systems, making them easy
· Over time, non-state actors such as rebel and
to operate by individual soldiers.
terrorist groups have also illicitly acquired
· Operating MANPADS requires substantially MANPADS, using them during civil wars and
less training. other high-intensity con licts.
· According to U.S.-based policy think-tank, the · MANPADs have been used in the Syrian war and
R A N D C o r p o ra t i o n , M A N PA D S h ave a in Libya.
maximum range of 8 kilometres and can engage
· Non-state groups in African countries like
targets at altitudes of 4.5 km.
Sudan, South Sudan, Angola, Somalia and
· Most MANPADS have passive or ' ire and Congo have also acquired and used MANPADs.
forget' guidance systems, meaning that the
· Russia is by far the biggest exporter of
operator is not required to guide the missile to
MANPADs, having sold over 10,000 such
its target, enabling them to run and relocate
systems between 2010 and 2018 to various
immediately after iring.
countries including Iraq, Qatar, Kazakhstan,
· The missile stays locked-on to the targeted Venezuela, and Libya.
object, not requiring active guidance from the
What are the common variants of MANPADs?
soldier.
· The most common make of MANPADs is the
· The missiles are itted with infrared (IR)
U.S.-made Stinger missiles.
seekers that identify and target the airborne
vehicle through heat radiation being emitted by · These weigh about 15 kg, have a range of 4,800
the latter. metres or 4.8 km, and can engage low- lying
aircrafts at an altitude of 3,800 metres.
When were MANPADS used in the past?
· They have a passive guidance system, which
· The irst MANPADS were introduced by the
uses infrared technology.
United States and Soviet Union in the 1960s.
· Stingers have been sent or are currently being
· Russian and U.S. MANPADS were also used
sent to Ukraine by the U.S., Germany, the
during the Vietnam war.
Netherlands and Denmark.
· The U.S. supplied MANPADS to the Mujahideen
87
Defence March 2022
environment and on increasing

interoperability between forces.
Objectives of the Exercise:
· The objective of the joint training exercise is to
build and promote bilateral military relations
in addition to exchanging skills, experiences
and good practices between both the armies.
· The joint military exercise will enhance the
level of defence co-operation between Indian
Exercise LAMITIYE- Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) and
will further manifest in enhancing the bilateral
2022 relations between the two countries.
The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022

between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence
Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles
Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles from 22
DRDO's Corner-Shot
March to 31 March 22.
Weapon System
About Exercise LAMITIYE-2022
A corner-shot weapon system (CSWS), designed
· Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 is a biennial training and developed by the Defence Research and
event which is being conducted in Seychelles Development Organisation (DRDO), is at an
since 2001. advanced stage of being inducted by the Central
· Exercise LAMITIYE with Seychelles is crucial Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and
and signi icant in terms of security challenges Kashmir police.
faced by both the Nations in the backdrop of What is CSWS?
current global situation and growing security
concerns in the Indian Ocean Region. · A special purpose weapon designed by the
Armament Research and Development
· The 10 days long joint exercise will include ield Establishment (ARDE), Pune.
training exercises, combat discussions,
lectures, demonstrations and culminate with a
two days validation exercise.
· Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a
series of well-developed tactical drills for
neutralistion of likely threats that may be
encountered in Semi Urban environment, while
exploiting and showcasing new generation
equipment and technology for conducting joint
operations.
· Due emphasis will be laid on enhancing tactical
skills in combating hostile forces in Semi-Urban
88
Defence March 2022
· can engage targets located around the corners Key features

as the system bends and captures video feed
· Day-night iring capability, colour display,
thus saving soldiers from any surprise counter-
digital zoom, zeroing facility, hot keys, high
attack and is best suited for urban, close
power battery along with status display
quarter situations.
· It is very helpful in Counter Insurgency and
· It is equipped with weapon, camera, laser,
Counter Terror (CI/CT) operations.
infrared illuminator and torch in front portion,
while display, electronics, battery and · This indigenously developed system has many
swivelling mechanism are located at rear superior features compared to its
portion. contemporary international systems.
· The body is made from high-grade aluminium
alloy to make it lighter and durable.
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Ranking & Indexes March 2022
Ÿ India's freedom scores are similar to that of

Bolivia, Hungary and Albania. The countries that
have scored the worst include South Sudan, Syria,
Tibet, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea.
Ÿ Sixty-nine countries are currently not free
worldwide. This makes the situation worse than in
1973 when only 63 countries were not free.
Ÿ Apart from the worst scorers, the list also includes
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey,
Thailand and Qatar. This is an increase from the
last year when only 54 countries were not free.
Ÿ At the same time, there is an increase in free
Freedom of the World countries from 82 to 85, compared to 2021. In this
category, Finland, Sweden and Norway have
2022 report achieved a perfect 100, besides New Zealand,
Canada, Uruguay, Netherlands, Luxembourg,
India ranked 'partly free' For the second consecutive Ireland and Denmark.
year, India has been termed as 'partly free' country in Key points of the reports
terms of democracy and free society, according to the
annual report. The report titled “Freedom in the World Ÿ In 2022, 85 countries were termed as free, 56 as
2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” partly free and 69 as not free.
by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that 'assesses
Ÿ The Freedom in the World 2022 evaluated the state
political rights and civil liberties. India scored 66 out
of freedom in 195 countries and 15 territories
of 100 in 2022. The country had scored 67 in 2021.
during the calendar year 2021.
India was a free country till 2020 when its score was
71. About the report:
In Internet freedom: The report used 25 indicators, grouped into the
categories of political rights and civil liberties to
India scored a mere 49, the same score as that of
determine whether the country or territory has an
Uganda. Here too, the score has come down. The
overall status of Free, Partly Free, or Not Free. The
reasons are – the increasing internet shutdowns by
report is published every year since 1973 to assess the
governments, low internet penetration and poor
political rights and civil liberties of a country through
infrastructure.
a series of surveys and analyses.
ET
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2021 2020
Yash Surabhi
90
Nations' World Happiness Report for the year 2022,

UN World Happiness which ranked 146 countries. In 2021, India's rank was
139. Finland has topped the 2022 World Happiness
Report 2022: Report, for the fifth continuous year. Afghanistan has
been ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, at
India Ranks 136th India has improved its rank by 146th position.
three spots to acquire 136th position in the United
Top 10 countries of the 2022 World Happiness Report:
About the report: Network, since 2012, to rank countries by how happy
their citizens perceive themselves to be.
The 2022 World Happiness Report was released on
March 18, 2022. It is the 10th edition of the report. The Report is based on two key ideas, (1) happiness or
life evaluation measured through opinion surveys and
The World Happiness Report is being published by
(2) identifying key elements that determine well-
United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions
being and life evaluation across
POINTERS
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st
(ST)
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I am thankful to my
mentors at Law Prep Tutorial
for being the guiding light throughout
My Law School admission preparation.
The entire program is very systematically
Yogesh
planned and focuses on Bayadwal
cementing concepts.
93
POINTERS
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Obituaries March 2022
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Conference, Committees
& Summits March 2022
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Conference, Committees & Summits March 2022
All 2021
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Sports March 2022
Xie, and Ling Chiao Nicole Tan.

Ÿ Esha Singh had won the women's 10m air pistol
team event in addition to the silver she had earned
in the women's 10m air pistol individual event,
making this her second gold and third medal of the
World Cup.
Ÿ Saurabh Chaudhary won India's first gold medal in
Cairo last week. In the gold medal match of the
Men's 10m Air Pistol event, the 19-year-old Indian
defeated Michael Schwald of Germany 16-6
India finishes at the top
in 2022 ISSF World Neeraj Chopra wins
Cup Sportsman of the Year
India has taken first place in the medal standings at the award:
ISSF World Cup 2022 in Cairo, organised by the
International Shooting Sport Federation. By winning Sportstar Aces 2022 Tokyo Olympic gold medallist,
a total of seven medals, the Indian team took first Neeraj Chopra claimed the coveted 'Sportstar of the
place in the medals tally, with four gold, two silver, Year (Male)' award at the 2022 Sportstar Aces
and one bronze. Norway took second place in the Awards. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who claimed
medals tally with six medals (three gold, one silver, the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, received the
and two bronze). France came in third place with three 'Sportstar of the Year (Female)' award. The Aces
gold medals out of a total of twenty. Awards celebrate the spirit of excellence in sport and
hope to inspire our athletes and sportspersons to
KEY POINTS:
continue to strive to break new records and reach new
Ÿ On the final day of the ISSF World Cup 2022 in pinnacles of glory.
Cairo, Egypt, Indian shooters took home two
Other awardee's in the list:
medals.
Ÿ Lovlina Borgohain (Sportswoman of the Year,
Ÿ . Rhythm Sangwan and Anish Bhanwala won the
Individual Sports),
25m rapid fire pistol mixed team gold medal match
against Thailand 17-7 in the tournament's final
event.
Ÿ Earlier in the day, India's Gurpreet Singh, Anish
Bhanwala, and Bhavesh Shekhawat were defeated
7-17 by Germany in the gold medal match of the
men's 25m rapid fire pistol team competition.
Ÿ India won their third World Cup gold on Sunday,
defeating Singapore 17-13 in the women's 25m
pistol team event final. In the gold medal match,
Rahi Sarnobat, Esha Singh, and Rhythm Sangwan
defeated the Singaporean trio of Xiu Hong, Shun
99
Sports March 2022
Ÿ Avani Lekhara (Parathlete of the Year, Female), Ÿ Arif Khan wins Special Recognition Award at
Sportstar Aces 2022.
Ÿ Pramod Bhagat (Special Recognition award),
Ÿ Former Indian hockey team captain Ajit Pal Singh
Ÿ Savita (Sportswoman of the Year, Team Sports),
was conferred the 'Lifetime Achievement award.
and Rupinder Pal Singh (Sportsman of the Year,
Ajit was part of two Olympic bronze-winning
Team Sports).
teams, including one at the 1972 Munich Games
POINTERS
100
Sports March 2022
101
Schemes March 2022
102
Schemes March 2022
CLAT 2021
RESULT
All India
TOPPERS
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7AIR
Shreyas Datar
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Days & Dates March 2022
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Hitanshi
107
Books & Authors March 2022
108
Books & Authors March 2022
M2A1 H-CUELTT
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Miscellaneous March 2022
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Miscellaneous March 2022
CLAT 2021
RESULT
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FIGURES TO REMEMBER

March, 2022 REPO RATE

Contents BASE RATE(s)

Environment Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 7th

resources, timely creation of capacities, and

PM GatiShakti is based on six pillars: of coordination in planning and

Manipur on February 28, all insurgent groups

Who are the Kukis?

indigenously developed Automatic Train

Recently, the Union Minister for Power has

Transform the Indian power sector into a secure, Interlinking of Rivers

· Since the 1980s, the interlinking project has · Ken-Betwa,

Par Tapi Narmada river-linking project

Test Your CLAT 2022 Preparation With LPT

pharmaceuticals is closely monitored and controlled drugs, procedures for ixation of

About New India Literacy Programme

Annual Achievement Survey of Learning

· Even after the Saakshar Bharat programme Details

About Assam-Meghalaya boundary Dispute:

Assam-Nagaland: Nagaland shares a 500-km (then North-East Frontier Agency). Violent

arrangement”, visiting U.S. Paci ic Fleet

Purpose of Quad: Signi icance of Quad:

defence importer for decades when it came to

· It operates on the “Fire and Forgets” principle About NATO

· FATF is a “policy-making body” that works to FATF Blacklists

Eﬀects of FATF Blacklisting situations of human rights violations and make

India Abstains at · Asia-Paci ic States: 13 seats

· Western European and other States: 7 seats

· India has also abstained from similar

· Both India and Sri Lanka are republics within

India – Sri Lanka projects has further cemented the bonds of

Relations · The nearly three-decade long armed con lict

History of India-Sri Lanka relations accord because they opposed a candidate.

encircling India to establish dominance in the

Test Your CLAT 2022 Preparation With LPT

Policy Failure of Sri lankan Government: How is India helping?

Indian assistance “being tied” to New Delhi What is Bucharest Nine?

· The BIMSTEC FTA has been signed by all

In terms of GDP, China occupies the second

Hague, Netherlands, in February 1922.

Wearing Hijab Is Not Essential Part of

Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was divided into · Bureaucratization: Appointing a Special

· An accommodative stance indicates a Repo rate

large borrowings programme under control,

were merged into the FPI regime as a

Highest Selections From

one of the most used digital payments

Solution For Feature · The volume of UPI transactions has already

referred to as the trade balance. Trade Balance

De icit · According to an earlier report of 2021, High Oil

consumers expect that prices will keep going

India's retail in lation inched up to an eight-month II. Walking In lation

c. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined). · CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined) is compiled by

About the Latest in lation data

reports have been produced with the irst one

African Cheetah Asian Cheetah

AIR AIR AIR AIR AIR AIR

Shailja Beria Shantanu Gunjan Shubhranshu Vedant Kalpatru

Ÿ Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain