March - 2023

1. Women movement
"When, Woman, who we call abala (weak), become Sabala (strong), all
those who are helpless will become powerful". This clarion call by M.
Gandhi to the 1936 All India Women's Conference was the hallmark of a
nationalist movement that relied on women to serve as its face - Essay
introduction.
Chipko - one of the earliest ecofeminist movements in the world.
1970s - Self Employed Women's Associations - began to unionise women
in the informal sector leading the advocacy for reforms in legal and social
protection for women workers;
2. Women reservation
Constituent assembly - It was assumed that a democracy would accord
representation to all groups.
1947 - Renuka Ray - we always held that when the men who have
fought and struggled for their country's freedom come to power, the
rights and liberties of women too would be guaranteed.
committee of the status of women in India - set up in 1971
commented on the declining political representation of women in
India.
majority - against reservation for women in legislative bodies
supported - reservation in local bodies for women.
national Perspective Plan for Women - 1988 - recommended - reservation
should be provided to women right from the level of the panchayat to that
of Parliament.
73rd and 74th - 1/3rd reservation
Women's Reservation Bill
purpose - to reserve 33% of seats in the LS and State Legislative
Aseembliesfor women.
first introduced - as the 81st amendment bill in 1996 - Deve Gowda -
led United Front Government.
failed to get approval - referred to JPC - report to LS in 1996
bill lapsed with the dissolution of the LS
1998 - NDA - led by vajpayee - 12th LS; failed to get support and
lapsed
1999, 2002, 2003
 2008 - Manmohan singh leg govt - passed in Rajya Sabha (186-1
votes; never taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha and lapsed
with the dissolution of the 15th LS.
opposed parties demanded - 33% reservation for backward
groups within the 33% quota for women.
Arguments for the bill
affirmative action is imperative to better the condition of women since
political parties are inherently patriarchal
reservations will ensure that women form a strong lobby in parliament
to fight for issues that are often ignored.
we need more women in decision-making to address the problems
like high percentage of crimes against women, low participation of
women in the workforces, low nutrition levels and a skewed sex ratio.
arguments against the bill
idea runs counter to the principle of equality enshrined in the
Constitution. Women may not be competing on merit if there is
reservation, which could lower their status in society.
Women are unlike caste, not an homogenous community. Therefore,
the same arguments made for caste-based reservation cannot be
made for women.
women's interests cannot be isolated from other social, economic and
political strata.
Reservation of seats in Parliament would restrict the choice of voters
to women candidates.
3. Temperature - India
Context - this year the month of Feb was the hottest so far since 1901 in
India.
Lancet - with two decades of data (2000-19) - more than five million
people died on average each year worldwide because of extreme
temperatures.
ILO - India is expected to loss 5.8% of working-hours in 2030 due to heat
stress.
strategies to reduce deaths:
survival guides that strategically displayed to survive extreme heat or
heat waves - Athens
white roofs - Los Angeles
Green rooftop - Rotterdam
Self-shading tower blocks - Abu Dhabi
 district-level heat hotspots maps
4. Disqualification
Lily Thomas vs Union of India 2013 - lawmaker stands immediately
disqualified on attracting a sentence of two years or more unless the
conviction is stayed by a higher court
5. Appointment of CEC and ECs
Hon Court - statements
EC requires "honest, independent" commissioners who could
distinguish right from wrong, those who can "ordinarily and
unrelentingly take on the high and mighty and persevere in the
righteous path".
In a substantive democracy, the power to vote is "more potent than
the most powerful gun".
A person who is in a state of obligation or feels indebted to one who
appointed him, fails the nation. Such a person cannot have a place in
the conduct of elections which forms the foundation of democracy.
appealed to Parliament and the Union Government to set up a permanent
secretariat which draws its expenses directly from the consolidated fund of
India and not the government.
6. Women-led digital solutions
data
only a third of all Internet Users in the country are women.
Fact
theme - International Women's day: DigitALL: Innovoation and
Technology for Gender Equality
case study
introduction of digital training and mobile tablets for the cook-cum-
helpers who drive PM POSHAN. 90% of them are women
WFP + Odisha and Rajasthan govt => technology-based training
modules housed in an application, and mobile tablets for
strengthening the capacity of ensuring that proper hygiene and safety
measures are followed so that children reap the full benefits of the
nutrition that these school meals offer => FoSafMDM
The need for inclusive technology and digital education is essential for a
sustainable future
7. India's digital Public Infrastructure - India stack => economic freedom
Aadhar
 card holders can voluntarily use their card for private sector purposes.
For such use no need for special permission required to private entity.
Between government department Aadhaar data can be shared but
with the prior informed consent of the Citizen
banks and other regulated entities can store Aadhaar numbers as long
as they protect it using vault and other similar means.
Aadhaar authenitication - 2.2 billion per month.
DigiYatra
biometric Enabled seamless Travel (BEST) experience based on a
facilal recognition system.
DigiLocker
150 million users; six billion stored documents;.
case study: When Digilocker was used in a Karnataka Police
Recruitment drive to verify the academic credentials of candidates, it
led to the process being cut down by about six months.
UPI - NPCi
Eight billion transactions per month;
8. National curriculum Framework - NCF
Students learning should be planned keeping in mind Indian roots;
proposed five-step learning process => Panchaadi
aditi - introduction of a topic
bodh - conceptual understanding
adhyas - practice
prayog - application
prasar - expansion
9. International courts and climate change
ICJ - Jurisdiction - two types
contentious
refers to resolving legal disputes between consenting states
binding on the parties
advisory
UNGA and UNSC and other specialised bodies of the organisation
can request the ICJ for an opinion on a legal question
non-binding; but normative weight and clarify international law
on a relevant issue.
sept 2021 - Vanuatu - through the UNGA - seek an advisory opinion from
the ICJ to "clarify the legal obligations of all countries to prevent and
redress the adverse effects of climate change".
 draft resolution piloted by Vanuatu - seeks answers to the following
questions
what are the international law obligations of countries towards the
protection of the climate system from anthropogenic emissions of
GHG for the present and future generations?
no-harm principle - states are under an obligation that activities
within their jurisdiction do not damage other countries
Given these international legal obligations, what are the legal
consequences for states that have caused significant harm to the
climate system, the SID states and other people of the present and
future generations?
related: Commission of Small Island States on Climate change and
International law, comprising countries like Antigua and Barbuda and
Tuvalu - sought the advisory opinion of the Hamburg-based International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
10. Foreign lawyers, firms can operate in India - BCI
Bar Council of India rules for Registration of foreign lawyers and foreign
law firms in India,2021
enable foreign lawyers and firms to practice foreign law, diverse
international law and international arbitration matters in India on the
Principle of reciprocity in a well-define, regulated and controlled
manner.
foreign lawyers and firms would not be entitled to practice law in India
without registration with the BCI
exception - fly in and fly out - purpose of giving legal advice to
the client in India.
11. Universal Health Coverage
Health - mental and social well-being + happiness beyond physical fitness
+ absence of disease and disability.
12. J&J patent issue - TB
TB
Bedaquiline - crucial drug - treatment of multi-drug resistant TB
patients
fumarate salt - formulation of salt of Bedaquiline.
Multi-drug resistance - resists treatment by at least two frontline
drugs in TB treatment - isoniazid and rifampicin
Extensively drug resistant TV - resists these two drugs as well as
fluroroquinolones and any second-line injectible drug.
 opposition to J&J application
J&J's method to produce a "solid pharmaceutical composition" of
bedaquline is "obvious, known in the art" and doesn't require an
"inventive step".
Evergreening - a strategy whereby a patent-owner continuously extends
their rights and/or applies multiple patents for the same entity.
13. Hike in Essential medicines prices
Annual hikes in the prices of drugs listed in the National List of Essential
Medicines are based on the WPI
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority - Drugs (Price Control) order,
2013, every year notifies change in the price.
controlled manner;
Related news
All drugs and food for special medical purposes imported for personal
use for treatment of all rare diseases listed under the National Policy
of Rare Diseases, 2012 are now exempted from basic customs duty.
certification from health authorities required for individuals to get
the exemption.
14. Solid waste management
problems
overconsumption
low resource-use efficiency
not handling such waste properly.
waste-to-energy plants
around 100 such plants in India
use non-recyclable dry waste (25% of typically Municipal Solid Waste)
to generate electricity
challenges
low calorific value of mixed waste in India due to improper
segregation.
calorific value of mixed Indian waste - 1,500 kcal/kg
coal's calorific value - 8000 kcal/kg
segregated and dried non-recyclable dry waste - 2,800-3000
kcal/kg.
High cost of energy production - 7-8 rupees/unit; normal cost at
which the States' electricity board buy power from coal and other
sources - 3-4 rupees/unit.
 improper assessments, high expectations, improper
characterisation studies, and other on-ground conditions.
Typically waste-to-energy projects consume 50 TPD of material to
generate 1 MW of power.
15. Sri Lanka
Presidential system
1948 - parliamentary democracy
1972 - adopted republican constitution; parliamentary democracy
continued.
1978 - second republican constitution - presidential form of the
government
13th Amendment to the constitution - outcome of the Indo-Lanka
Accord of 1987
provisions
given legislative power over agriculture, education, health,
housing, local government, planning, road transport and social
services to the provinces.
Sinhalese - legislation is an "Indian imposition", symbolising "too
much power" to the Tamils at the Tamils at the provincial level and a
threat to the central government in Colombo.
Counter: amendment guarantees the same measure of developed
power to all nine provinces, seven of which are in the Sinhala
majority areas of the island nation.
Tamils - legislation, under SL unitary constitution, entails very limited
powers that don't amount to meaningful devolution.
counter: starting point in negotiating a more wholesome and
durable political settlement
IMF clears $3-billion bailout for Sri Lanka
Extended fund Facility
objectives
restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability
safeguarding financial stability
stepping up structural reforms to unlock Sri Lanka's growth
potential.
identified corruption as a key issue;
16. India-Australia
Education
"Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications"
 NEP-2020 - set a target of raising enrollment in higher education and
vocational education to 50% by 2035 - provides a "genuine
opportunity for Australian education providers to do more to
collaborate with India".
Australia's Deakin University will announce an independent foreign
campus in GIFT City, becoming the first international university to set
up an offshore campus in India.
public university in Australia; rank 266 in the QS Global Rankings
2022.
Economy
Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement
More than 85% of Australian goods exported by value to India are
tariff free
96% of import from India to Australia is tariff free
now negotiating to expand economic cooperation and trade
agreement scope for a CECA
cooperation in Critical minerals - minerals used in batteries; Lithium and
cobalt
India - first time - participate in Australia's Talisman Sabre exercise;
for the first time - India and Australia undertook maritime patrol aircraft
deployments to each other's territories.
key words
India - top-tier security partner for Australia
INS Vikrant - Indigenous aircraft carrier
India at the heart of Australia's approach to the Indo-Pacific and
beyond.
free and open access to sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific
17. India-Italy
Elevated bilateral relationship to the level of strategic partnership
establishment of Startup Bridge between countries.
Declaration of Intent on migration and mobility
Italy - decided to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI)
18. India- Bangladesh
context: Inauguration of the India-Bangladesh friendship pipeline
bring diesel from Assam's Numaligarh refinery's marketing depot in
Siliguri to Parbatipur in northern Bangladesh
131.57 km long.
19. Perspectives in Saudi Arabia - Iran deal - Imp for Mains and Interview
 US's prioritization of West Asia - traditional great power in the region has
bigger foreign policy challenges in its hand now such as the Russian war in
Ukraine and China's rise in the Indo-Pacific.
US-Saudi Relation - bedrock - America's security guarantees in return for
Saudi oil
presently - US - one of the largest oil producers
When Saudi oil facilities were attacked in 2019 the US looked away.
While struggling with isolation and sanctions, a deal with Saudi Arabia,
under china's mediation, could open economic lifelines for Iran. And such
as deal could complicate American effort to rally Arab Countries and Israel
against it.
china has economic, regional and strategic interest in playing the role of a
peace broker in West Asia.
Economic
china is the world's larges oil buyer and stability in the energy
market is essential for its continued rise.
Regional
Agreement marks china's arrival as a major power in the West
Asia.
Risk for china: Saudi-Iran rivalry is multilayered - economic, geopolitical
and sectarian. If the peace doesn't hold and old rivals go back to their old
ways, it would raise serious questions about both China's leverage and its
capacity for sustaining its big ticket diplomatic initiatives.
20. Taiwan - Interview
Context: Honduras - formally established diplomatic relations with China;
Only 12 countries - recognise Taiwan - Vatican city, Paraguay etc
Mr Xi - Taiwan remains a red line for China
21. Russia-Belarus
context: Russia plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
Tactical nuclear weapons - small nuclear warheads and delivery systems
meant for use on the battlefield or for limited strikes.
Mr. Putin - decision promoted by UK's decision to supply armour-piercing
rounds containing depleted Uranium to Ukraine;
depleted Uranium - UNEP -Chemically and radiologically toxic heavy
metal.
other steps
helped Belarus upgrade its warplanes so that they can carry nuclear
weapons.
 close relation to Russia
political - dictator
population - Russian speaking
member of Russian-led military alliance - Collective Security Treaty
Organisation and Eurasian Economic Union.
economy - gets subsidised oil and natural gas from Russia
geo-strategic location: between Russia-Ukraine; Russia-Poland
perspective
this step probably meant to dissuade the West from giving more
advanced weapons to Ukraine.
may also give West an opportunity to use this pretext to further
escalate the war.
22. G-20: multilateralism
India
its agenda - inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive.
primary objective - to build global consensus over critical
development and security issues and deliver global goods.
interview - forum presents an excellent opportunity to build an
effective communication with all stakeholders to share best practices,
foster collaborations for advancements, promote PPP.
G-20 idea bank => Think 20
T20 Task Force on 'Towards Reformed Multilateralism' (TF7) aims to
construct a roadmap for 'Multilateralism 2.0'.
Trade and Investment Working group
need for trade finance cooperation among members to help reduce
the widening of trade finance gap.
need to accelerate digitalisation and the adoption of fintech solutions
for improving access to finance.
challenges to be addressed in digitalising trade
international cooperation in harmonising definitions
standards and
data sharing across the borders digitally.
TIWG has an imp role in formulating concrete outcomes for inclusive
growth that drive trade and investment across the Global South and
not among G-20 member countries only.
need for making information and finances easily accessible for
MSMEs.
need for multilateralism
 most of the challenges nations face today are global in nature and
require global solutions
pressing global issues such as conflicts, climate change, migration,
macroeconomic stability, and cyber security can indeed only be solved
collectively.
The merging order seems more multipolar and multi-centred. Such a
situation facilitates the formation of new clubs, concerts and coalitions of
the like-minded, which makes the reform of older institutions and
frameworks more challenging.
23. AUKUS
context
Australia has unveiled plans to buy up to five US nuclear-powered
submarines, then build a new model with US and British technology.
nuclear-powered Virginia class vessels - three
IAEA
UK and US both nuclear-weapons states, have to report to the IAEA
"international transfers of nuclear material" to non-nuclear-weapon
states such as Australia
China
exacerbate arms race
undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime
hurt regional peace and stability
24. UNSC - India's journey
focus
maritime security, terrorism, UN Peacekeeping, reformed
multilateralism and the Global South.
elected chair of three important UNSC committees
Taliban Sanctions committee
Libyan Sanctions Committee
Counter-Terrorism committee
PM - chaired - for the first time - direct reference to UNCLOS as
international law setting out the legal framework in the context of
maritime securities.
Myanmar - India ensured balanced and comprehensive council
pronouncements, which finally culminated in a resolution on Myanmar
(adopted under India's presidency) in December 2022.
Taliban - UNSC Resolution 2593 - laying down benchmarks
stopping cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil
 protecting the rights of women, minorities and children
ensuring an inclusive government
providing humanitarian assistance.
Ukraine conflict
stand: dialogue and peace; spoke against sanctions
enhanced focus on terrorism
Chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee => India
proposal to list Abdul Rehman Makki, Dy chief of the LeT.
UN peacekeeping
India - largest contributor; pioneer in women peacekeeping.
UNITE Aware Technology platform to strengthen real-time protection
of peacekeepers to be noted.
gifted two lakh vaccines to all UN Peacekeepers.
climate change
Dec 2021 - we thwarted a move by the West to wrest climate change
from the UNFCCC-led process and bring it under the ambit of the
UNSC, where the P-5 are also major historical polluters.
religiophobia
put fourth the need to combat rising hate crimes and phobias against
non-Abrahamic religions as well.
25. Internationalisation of Indian rupee
International currency - one that is freely available to non-residents,
essentially to settle cross-border transactions.
In the case of the rupee, this will be achieved by promoting the
currency for import and export, without any limit.
26. Social Stock Exchange
Feb 2022: National Stock Exchange of India received the final approval
from the SEBI to set up SSE
function as a separate segment within the existing stock exchange and
help social enterprises raise funds from the public through its mechanism.
serve as a medium for enterprises to seek finance for their social initiatives,
acquire visibility and provide increased transparency about fund
mobilisation and utilisation.
Retail investors can only invest in securities offered by for-profit social
enterprises under the Main board.
eligibility - NPO or for-profit social enterprises (FPSEs) that establishes the
primacy of social intent would be recognised as a SE; which will make it
eligible to be registered or listed on the SSE.
 corporate foundations, political or religious organisations or activities,
professional or trade associations, infrastructure and housing companies
(except affordable housing) would not be identified as an SE.
The instrument must have specific tenure and can only be issued for a
specific tenure and can only be issued for a specific project or activity that
is to be completed within a specified duration as mentioned in the fund-
raising document.
for-profit enterprises need not register with social stock exchanges before
it raises funds through SSE. However, it must comply with all provisions of
the ICDR Regulations when raising through the SSE.
A social enterprise should submit an annual impact report in a prescribed
format. That must be audited by a social audit firm and has to be
submitted within 90 days from the end of the financial year.
27. Environmental, Social and governance for corporates
CSR
companies with a net worth of 500 crore approximately or a minimum
turnover of 1000 crore or a net profit of 5 crore in any given financial
year spend at least 2% of their net profit over the preceding three
years on CSR activities.
ESG
UK - requires companies with business in the UK and with annual sales
of more than 36 million euros to publish the efforts they have taken to
identify and analyse the risks of human trafficking, child labour and
debt bondage in their supply chain.
Compilance by Indian companies with the ESG regulations of the US, the
UK, the EU and elsewhere will be critical if India is to take full advantage of
the growing decoupling from China and play a more prominent role in
global supply chains and the global marketplace overall.
28. GST Appellate tribunal
finance bill, 2023
provisions
benches of the GST Appellate tribunal would be set up in every State
while there will be a principal bench in Delhi which will hear appeals
related to 'place of supply'.
advantages
reduces the burden on the courts and taxpayers
29. silicon Valley Bank - failure
RBI
 importance of ensuring prudent asset liability management,
robust risk management and sustainable growth in liability and assets
undertaking periodic stress tests and building up critical buffers for
any unanticipated future stress
flagged the real danger that cryptocurrencies or similar assets could
pose to the banks;
Indian banking system is continues to be resilient and stable.
30. Indian logistic system - Improving Rail cargo transportation
Data
Budget 2023 - doubled the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to
States from 5k crore to 10K crore;
transformative approach for economic growth and SD dependent
on the engines of roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport,
waterways and logistics infrastructure.
outlay - 2.4 lakh crore rupees to Indian Railways
India - 65% of freight movement by road
2020-21: coal constituted 44% of the total freight movement of 1.2
billion tonnes.
Target
increasing the share of the railways in freight movement from 27% to
45% and increasing the freight movement from 1.2 billion tonnes to
3.3 billion tonnes, by 2030.
comparable costs of different forms of transportation: freight movement
cost: road sector = 2 * rail route
Railways - infrastructural, operational and connectivity challenges
procedural delays => hamper freight movement by rail
wagon placement
loading and unloading operations
multi-modal handling
infrastructural challenges => lack of neccessary
terminal infra
maintenance of good sheds and warehouses
uncertain supply of wagons
absence of integrated first and last-mile connectivity by rain increases
the chance of damage due to multiple handling and also increases the
inventory holding cost.
Dedicated Freight Corridors + multimodal logistics parks => ease the
oversaturated line capacity constraints and improve the timing of trains.
 adequate policy tools + encourage private participation => efficient
utilisation of resources.
31. World bank loan to support India's health sector
Public Health Systems for Pandemic Preparedness Programme
(PHSPP)
500 million dollars
support the government's efforts to prepare India's surveillance
system to detect and report epidemics of potential international
concern.
Enhanced Health Service Delivery Programme (EHSDP)
500 million dollars
support government's efforts to strengthen service delivery through a
redesigned primary healthcare model - includes improved household
access to PHC facilities, stronger links between each household and its
PHC through regular household visits and risk assessment of NCDs
32. PM MITRA
PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and apparel Scheme
context: Centre - selected sites in - TN, KN, TS, MH, Guj, MP, UP
provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textile sector, attract
investment of crores and create lakhs of jobs.
Parks will be set by 2026-27.
outlay - 4,445 crore.
5F - Farm to fibre to factory to Fashion to Foreign
Make in India and Make for the World.
function as centres of opportunity to create an integrated textiles value
chain;
cluster-based approach => solve the problems of wastage and logistical
cost;
potential to attract cutting edge technology and boost FDI.
SPV owned by Centre (49%) and State govt (51%) = set up for each park
=> oversee the implementation of the project.
cooperative federalism
impact on MSMEs
MSMEs - almost control 80% of the textiles and apparels currently
made in India.
orders are recently transitioning to suppliers who are highly price
competitive and have sustainable production processes.
 mfg with vertically integrated facilities are at an advantage compared
to smaller, standalone players.
Turkey - highly efficient integrated textile parks.
33. Railways
negative net revenue or loss - since 2015
Railways explanation
sharp rise in staff cost following the implementation of the 7th
CPC in 2016-17.
adverse impact of the pandemic
Parliamentary standing committee
persistent decline in internal resource generation is an indicator of
internal deficiencies in the overall planning and management of
railways
suggest
Railways should explore other non-fare revenues like advt or
hoardings, monetisation of surplus railway land, and setting up
ATMs at stations.
Operating ratio - how much the Railways spends to earn one rupee
touched 107% in 2021-22
aim - 98% in FY23
34. Challenges - disinvestment
Budget target - 2023-24 - 51,000 crore rupees
challenges
COVID-19 pandemic - seriously impacted transactions in 2020 and
2021
Ukraine conflict - Financial capacity and risk-reward options of
potential bidders turned worse.
issues regarding land title, lease and land use with state government
authorities
disposal of non-core assets, excess manpower and labour unions;
legal challenges by unions and other interest groups
35. Steps taken by Government attract investments into India
PLI scheme -
simplify the compliances on business
more than 3,500 provisions have been decriminalised by the Ministries and
States
Jan Vishwas Bill - amend 42 central acts has been introduced to enhance
trust-based governance.
 FTA -13; Preferential trade agreements - 6
36. Science and Technology
Proton Beam Therapy - Unlike radiation which uses X-rays, the PBT uses
protons to tackle cancer. While radiation can prove toxic to the whole
body, protons can destroy cancer cells precisely by targeting tumours
hastealloy - a nickel based alloy - reduce the emissions of SO2;
Union power ministry - stipulated that all thermal power plants across
the country to install the metal to reduce pollution of So2 along with
CO2 by 2025.
endoliths - a type of rock-dwelling organism
37. ISRO - LVM3
India's heaviest payload rocket;
38. Gamma rays
can pass unobstructed through matter;
Extremely energetic; but they are harmless unless present in large
concentrated doses; analogy - heat from a fire
Public exposure should not exceed 1 milli-sievert every year;
higher radiation levels in Kollam are attributed to monazite sands that are
high in thorium.
39. Hyderabad charter
drafted by the Gender in Physics Working Group of the Indian Physics
association in 2019
only 13% of physics faculty members in India are currently women.
40. NISAR satellite
NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) - LEO observatory
Jointly developed by both space agencies
will map the entire globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally
consistent data
understanding changes in
Earth's ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise,
groundwater and natural hazards
L and S dual-band synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) - operate with the
Sweep SAR technique to achieve large swaths with high-resolution data.
SAR payloads mounted on Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS) +
the spacecraft bus => observatory
41. AI
can traditionally be divided into AGI and ANI
AGI
 Artificial General Intelligence
designed to be capable of performing a wide variety of
intellectual tasks
designed to be flexible and adaptable, capable of handling new
tasks and situations without human intervention.
unsupervised learning - the AI system can learn from data without
being explicitly programmed to do so.
ANI
Artificial Narrow Intelligence
designed to perform a single or a narrow set of related tasks.
Main deference lies in their scope of intelligence and their ability to
generalise knowledge across different contexts.
ChatGPT - a chat bot, allows users to engage in a conversation about a
variety of topics to which it generates human-like responses in text form.
Q-chat, Dall E-2, Synthesia -
perspective - disruptive technologies also creates new jobs and skill sets.
may create opportunities for workers to specialise in areas where
human judgement and creativity will remain critical.
42. GPT-4 => Generative Pre-trained transformer
by OpenAI;
language model that can understand and produce languages that is
creative and meaningful, and will power an advanced version of the
company's sensational chatbot, ChatGPT
compare with GPT-3.5
more conversational
more creative
can accept text and image input simultaneously, and consider both
while drafting a reply.
purportedly understand human emotions;
take into context up to 25,000 words.
threats
biases and prejudice
misused as propaganda and disinformation engine.
43. Real Time Train Information System (RTIS) Project
Indian Railways + ISRO
harnessing the power of data analytics for integrated transportation;
enable real time tracking of train movements with the assistance of
satellite imagery.
44. Deforestation
WHO - since 1990, 420 million ha of forests have been lost through
conversion to tother land uses;
FAO - Global Forest Resource Assessment - 31% of the land on earth is
covered by forests.
Deforestation increases 11% of the global GHG emissions (CO2, CH4,
N2O, SO2, and CFC).
effects
spike in infectious germs such as those causing diseases such as
malaria and dengue.
1% increase in deforestation leads to a 0.93% decrease in the
availability of clean drinking water in rural communities.
India
Total forest cover - 8 lakh sq. km (22% of total geographic area).
45. Green Hydrogen
Context: 2023 Union Budget - 19,700 crore rupees for the National Green
Hydrogen Mission.
Most industrial GHG emissions in India come from steel, cement, fertilizers
and petrochemicals.
India is targeting at least five million tonnes of production by 2030, which
is larger than that of any single economy.
This would create demand for 100-125 GW of RE, 60-100 GW of
electrolysers, investment opportunity of 8 lakh crore rupees.
cut 50 MMT of annual emissions.
Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) fund for five
years
direct support to consume green hydrogen
creates domestic demand
fund support to electrolyser mfg under Performance-linked Incentive
scheme
Mission envisions green hydrogen hubs to consolidate production, end
use and exports
Why? Green hydrogen is difficult and expensive to transport.
Electrolyser technology must be improved to achieve higher efficiency
goals, specific application requirements, be able to use non-freshwater,
and substitute critical minerals.
establish bilateral partnerships to develop resilient supply chains.
 India - coordinate with major economies to develop rules for a global
green hydrogen economy.
46. landfill - fires in summer
reasons for fire
low-quality plastics - relatively higher calorific value - 2500-3000
kcal/kg
In summer, the biodegradable fractions composts much faster,
increasing the temperature of the heap to beyond 70-80C.
solutions
cap the material using soil
close landfills in a scientific manner
clear the piles of waste through bioremediation
excavate old waste
use automated sieving machines to segregate the flammable
refuse-derived fuel from biodegradable material
recovered RDF can be sent to cement kilns; bio-soil to farmers
landfilling inert fraction.
Immediate measures
divide a site into blocks depending on the nature of the waste.
the most vulnerable part of the landfill - plastics and cloth -
should be capped with soil.
Dry grass material and dry trees from the site should also be
cleared immediately.
permanent and essential solution is to ensure cities have a systematic
waste-processing system where wet and dry waste are processed
separately and their byproducts treated accordingly.
47. desalination - Lakshadweep
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) - MoES
Low Temperature thermal desalination (LTTD)
exploits the difference in temperature (nearly 15C) in ocean water at
the surface and at depths of about 600 feet.
This cold water condenses water at the surface, which is warmer but
whose pressure has been lowered using vacuum pumps.
Such depressurised water can evaporate even at ambient
temperatures, this resulting vapour when condensed is free of salts
and contaminants and fit to consume
concern
energy to reduce water => coming from diesel; costly and emissions;
48. horse-show crab
like Olive-ridley turtle => deep sea animal
Balasore, Digha, Sundarbans - breeding purposes;
medicinal value - blood of this crab is very important for the preparation
of rapid diagnostic reagents.
oldest living creature on earth.
49. New norms for upcoming housing and commercial complexes
to ensure net-zero waste and ensure liquid discharge treatment;
Budget 2023-24: manhole to machine-hole scheme => eradicate manual
scavenging.
net-zero wase
reducing, reusing and recovering waste streams (sludge) to convert
them to valuable resources so that zero solid waste is sent to landfills
guidelines - yet to be finalised
looking at integrating septic tank design into the bylaws and
adherence to standard specifications, geo-tagging all septic tanks and
man-holes for proper tracking and reducing GST on mechanised
cleaning vehicles
asking ULBs to explore the potential of commercial use of processed
sludge as fertilizer;
Govt will review the Indian Standards for mechanised cleaning
equipment and consider differential tariff rates for residential and
commercial de-sludging.
Centre will ask the States to impose a legal penalty if buildings do not
adhere to the bylaws and SOPs.
SDG 6.3 - halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and
substantially increase recycling and safe reuse globally by 2030.
Data
India generated 72.3 thousand million litres of urban wastewater a
day, of which only 28% is treated.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs report - Circular economy in
Municipal solid and liquid waste - India's economy could be boosted if
the sale of treated sewage is institutionalised.
50. Biotransformation - waste processing
biotransformation technology - novel approach to ensure plastics that
escape refuse streams are processed efficiently and broken down.
 Plastics made using this technology are given a pre-programmed time
during which the mfg material looks and feel like conventional plastics
without compromising on quality. Once the product expires and is
exposed to the external environment, it self-destructs and biotransforms
into bioavailable was. This was is then consumed by microorganisms,
converting waste into water, CO2, and biomass.
data
country is generating 3.5 billion kgs of plastic waste annually and that
the per capita Plastic waste generation has doubled in the past five
years.
51. Ocean commons
G20 - 45% of the world's coastline and over 21% of EEZs.
oceans
reservoirs of biodiversity
critical regulators of global weather and climate
support the economic well-being of billions of people in coastal areas.
blue economy - ocean-dependent economic development + inclusive
social development + environmental and ecological security
Hon. PM - To me, the blue chakra in India's flag represents the potential of
the ocean economy.
Initiatives - Indian govt
Sagarmala - port-led development
Shipbuilding financial assistance policy - encourages domestic ship-
building
PM Mastya Sampada Yojana - engendering a blue revolution
through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries
sector.
Sagar Manthan dashboard - tracks vessels in real-time.
Deep Ocean Mission - explores deep-sea resources in the EEZ and
continental shelf as well as development of technology to harness
them.
Coastal Regulation Zone - classify and better manage coastal and
marine areas including ecosystems.
World environment day 2018 - host - eliminate single-use plastic.
amendment to plastic waste management rules - banning single use
plastics; extended producer responsibility.
Presidency of G-20: blue economy is articulated as a key priority area
under the Environment and climate sustainability Working Group
 promote high-level principles that guide sustainable and
equitable economic development through the ocean and its
resources, while simultaneously addressing climate change and
other environmental challenges.
Life style for the environment - LiFE - promotes mindful utilisation
over mindless consumption patterns.
G-20 past discussions
G20 Action plan on Marine Litter
Osaka Blue ocean vision
Coral
threats to ocean, coastal and marine ecosystem
marine pollution
over-extraction of resources
unplanned urbanisation
Inherent inter-connectedness of oceans implies that activities occurring in
one part of the world could have ripple effects across the globe.
52. Reintroduction of Cheetah
aim - to be able to build a self-sustaining population; which will also
contribute to the global survival of the cheetah as a species.
Cheetah action plan - in 15 years the project will be considered a success if
Kuno reaches an established population of 21 adults.
If the larger habitat of 3k-5k sq.km, which is larger than the 748 sq km
where they are based, is reasonably protected, the numbers can go up
to a maximum of 40.
53. Eurasian otter - J&K -
semi-aquatic carnivorous mammal
Near Threatened - IUCN
indicator species of high-quality aquatic habitats.
Neeru stream tributary of Chenab river.
originate in the Kailash lake;
54. IPCC - Synthesis report - part of the Sixth Assessment Cycle
stressed
need for finance to flow from developed countries to developing
countries that are poised to lose the most from climate change, to
help them build resilience.
Planet's best chance to keep temperatures below 1.5C is to ensure
GHG emissions are reduced to 48% of 2019 levels by 2030 and 99% by
2050.
 Humanity had already consumed 4/5th of its total carbon budget for
1.5C by 2019.
Human activity is unequivocally driving the global temperature rise.
at higher levels of warming, climate change could lead to cascading
risks such as food insecurity, leading to migration, which are intensely
challenging to manage.
Climate-resilient development
developmental modal that integrates both adaptation and
mitigation to advance sustainable development for all.
countries no longer have the luxury of focusing on adaptation or
mitigation or even development alone.
assesses the plethora of technologies and design options, such as
solar energy or electric vehicles, that can help countries reduce
emissions or become more resilient today at low costs, and in a
technically feasible manner.
there are more synergies between mitigation and adaptation
actions
prioritising and addressing equity and social justice in transition
proccesses are shown to be key to climate-resilient development.
India - welcomed - the climate crisis is due to unequal contributions,
and that climate justice must underlie mitigation and adaptation.
UN Secretary general - survival guide for humanity.
55. Autism
Autism - a neurodevelopmental condition, not a disease
Characterised by three kinds of difference - first two are communication
and social interactions;
strengths of children with autism
visual learners, good with puzzles, visual memory, and visual problem
solving.
have a strong sense of justice and honesty.
contrary to popular belief, three-fourths of autistic individuals have normal
intelligence.
56. UN Pact to protect marine life in the high seas
treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and
establish marine protected ares in the high seas.
binding agreement
establishes ground rules for conducting EIA for commercial activities in the
oceans.
 access- and benefit-sharing committee to frame guidelines.
Geneva convention on the High seas - definition of High seas - Parts of the
sea that are not included in the territorial waters or the internal waters of a
country.
Importance of the high seas
>60% of the world's ocean area and cover about half of the Earth's
surface.
Home to around 2.7 lakh known species
Anthropogenic pressures
seabed mining, noise pollution, chemical spills and fires, disposal of
untreated waste, overfishing, introduction of invasive species, and
coastal pollution.
57. Cyber security - HM
>500 apps have been blocked on the recommendation of the Indian Cyber
Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
>20 lakh cyber-crime complaints have been registered on the protal
cybercrime.gov.in
99.9% police stations are registering 100% FIRs directly on the Crime and
Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCNTS)
victim of financial fraud - toll-free 1930 - agencies can freeze the SIM card
and the bank account involved in the crime.
National Database on Sexual Offenders
National Database of Offends of Foreign Origin.
58. India's money laundering laws will apply to trade in cryptocurrencies.
PMLA
anti-money laundering legislation - passed in 2002; came into force in
2005.
showcased as India's commitment to the Vienna Convention on
combat money laundering, drug trafficking, and countering illegally
earned money into legal cash.
empowered the ED to control money laundering, confiscate property,
and punish offenders
new steps - means
Indian crypto exchanges will have to report any suspicious activity
related to buying or selling of cryptocurrencies to the FIU-IND.
Important abbreviations
IMEI - International Mobile Equipment Identity
IMSI - International Mobile Subscriber Identity
 SEID - Secure Element Identifier numbers
tit-bit
China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - blanket ban on cryptocurrency
59. Promoting border tourism
reasons for poor development of border tourism
remoteness of locations
difficulty of access
cumbersome security procedures and permits
Imp places
Norther Sector
karakoram pass - motorcycle expeditions
Saser Kangri massif - mountaineering
Pangong Lake -
Chushul - birdwatching
Changthang WLS - wetlands and a thriving population of the
Kiang, a wild ass.
Lhari peak - sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists
Demchok - hot springs - naturopathy cures
Chumar area
Tso Moriri lake - home stays
Central Sector
Mana pass in chamoli - highest Vehicle-accessible passes in the
world - gateway to heaven
Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers
Badrinath shrine
Deo Tal Lake - sailing; skiing
Mount Kamet; Nilang-Jadang Valley - mountaineering
expeditions.
Niti Valley
Parvati Kund ad Rimkhim - Barahoti bowl
Doka La - Sikkim
Pedong, Nathang Valley, Zuluk, Kupup, Baba Habhajan Mandir
Yak Gold Course - highest golf course in the world
Batang La - trekking
Eastern Sector
Bum La pass - Arunachal Pradesh - memorial - honour of Subedar
(Baba) Joginder singh - param Vir Chakra - posthumously
Pangateng and Sangetsar lakes
 Tawang
Taksing - upper Subansiri district - beautiful river valleys, virgin
rainforests. - ancient Tsari pilgrimage route for Buddhists.
Walong area - Battle of Walong
60. AFSPA
HM
Centre had decided to reduce the disturbed areas due to the
significant improvement in the security situation in northeast India.
compared to the year 2014
76% reduction in the extremist incidents in the year 2022.
90% and 97% reduction in the deaths of security personnel and
civilians respectively.
Completely withdrawn from Tripura in 2015 and Meghalaya in 2018.
61. SIPRI Report - Swedish think tank; Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute
India
World's largest arms importer - 2018-22; Saudi Arabia next;
Russia accounts for 45% of India's imports; France (29%)
62. Disaster Management
PM
Recognition and Reform - two main components for strengthening
disaster management
Recognition - help in identifying the possible threats posed by natural
calamities and when they will strike in the future
Reform - threats of a possible natural calamity are minimised
other basics
Disasters list - cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami,
hailstorm, landslip, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold
waves
State Disaster Response Fund - 75% funded by the Centre.
63. Places in News
Mukundara Tiger reserve - Rajasthan
Gangasagar and Nauradehi Wildlife sanctuary - Madhya Pradesh
Fordo Nuclear site - Iran
Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia- one of the largest salt pans - contains more than
half of the planet's lithium reserves.
Merapi volcano - Indonesia - one of the world's most active volcanoes
 Zojila pass - Greater Himalayan Range - altitude 11,650 feet; gateway
between Ladakh and J&K.
Sharda Peeth - PoK - Neelam valley
64. Data and Facts
NCBC works with just two appointees: Centre in RS
Basic animal Husbandry Statistics - Ministry of fisheries, Animal husbandry
and Dairying
total milk production - 221.06 million tonnes in 2022; 5.29% increase
per capita availability of milk - 444 grams per day
total egg production - 129.6 billion; 6.69% increase
per capita availability of egg is 99 eggs per annum.
total meat production - 9.29 million tonnes; 5.62% increase
meat produce from poultry 4.78 million tonnes, contributing to about
51.44%
top 5 meat producing states - MH, UP, WB, AP, TS => 57.8%
Nature Water - The global intensity of water cycle extremes increased from
2020-2021.
65. Prelims tit-bits
WMO - Global GHG Monitoring infrastructure - aims to provide better
ways of measuring planet-warming pollution and help inform policy
choices.
space-based + surface-based observing systems
three major GHG - CO2(66% of warming effect), Methane and Nitrous
oxide.
Nagaland's first woman minister - Salhoutuonuo Kruse
She and Hekani Jakhalu - elected as the first women MLAs of the
State.
Parrot lady
 SC: Joseph Shine vs Union of India - decriminalised adultery; held that
Section 497 of the IPC along with Section 198 of the CrPC to be
unconstitutional on the premise that these provisions were violative of
Article 14, 15 and 21.
UNSC Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security - Oct 2000
affirms the imp role of women in the prevention and resolution of
conflicts, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping,
humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction and stress the
importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all
efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.
India was the first country to deploy all-woman formed police units in
Liberia - 2007.
BOXNHL wagons - open ones - primarily used to carry bulk commodities
including coal, limestone, iron ore and coke;
BOBRN wagons - developed specially for movement of bulk quantities of
coal from coilleries to the nearest delivery point.
common crane - sighted in Telangana - Sriramsagar project - largest and
loudest birds in the UK; migratory birds coming mostly from Europe.
Elephant Whisperers - Bomman and Bellie - Kattunayakar tribe -
Theppakadu Sanctuary - Mudumalai
Surekha yadav - Asia's first woman loco pilot - semi-high-speed vande
Bharat express train - solapur and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
(CSMT).
SCO - Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan.
66. Terms in News
 Blue economy - sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth,
improved livelihood, and jobs while preserving the health of our
ecosystem.
data sovereignty - the principle that a country has the right to control the
collection, storage, and use of data within its borders and also the
informational self-determination of citizens over their idea.
India stack - unified software platform that provides digital public goods,
application interfaces and facilitates digital inclusion.
creatinine - indicated kidney problem - Cheetah died of kidney ailment in
Kuno park
vantage point count method - survey methodology - vulture counting
67. Case studies and best practices
1. TB care - Tamil Nadu - Tamil Nadu- Kasanoi erappila Thittam - Differential
TB care; .
2. Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCL) - net zero energy organisation by
2024 - to generate 700 million units of energy.
3. QR code-based system that will streamline collection of waste and
reduction of garbage along the route - Uttarakhand tourism + Hyderabad-
based start-up => bring behavioural change in pilgrims.
68. Statements and quotes
PM
constitutional bodies - India's march towards development and the
strong governance agenda were based on the foundation of
constitutional institutions.
democracy refers not just to a structure but also the spirit of equality.
EAM
The India Way - advancing national interests by identifying and
exploiting opportunities created by global contradictions.
SC
Right to love and marry cannot be withheld from a class of persons
solely on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
If there is intellectual deprivation, you can never take this country to
the number one position in the world. Intellectual deprivation comes
only when there is intolerance, lack of knowledge and lack of
education.
NSA
 International connectivity projects should respect sovereignty, and
territorial integrity of the nations. => consultative, transaprent and
participatory
Others
lawbreakers cannot be lawmakers