"Get.Set.

Law Monthly Magazine"

March 2023
Index
Current affairs news 03
Current legal affairs news 50
Current affairs practice exercise 55

2
CURRENT
AFFAIRS NEWS
Appointment & Office Holders
CAG Girish Chandra Murmu selected as External Auditor of ILO in Geneva
Comptroller and Auditor General, Girish Chandra
Murmu has been selected as External Auditor of the
International Labour Organization in Geneva for a four-
year term from 2024 to 2027. The decision was taken
after a rigorous selection process. CAG will take over
from the incumbent External Auditor of ILO, Supreme
Audit Institution of Philippines. CAG’s appointment is
a recognition of its standing among the international
community as well as its professionalism, high standards,
global audit experience and strong national credentials.
ILO had formed a Selection Panel for appointment of
External Auditor and invited bids from the Supreme Audit
Institutions. Based on the technical experience and other
criteria, ILO shortlisted three Supreme Audit Institutions
- India, Canada and United Kingdom - for technical
presentations. In Geneva, a three- member team from
CAG of India presented the strengths, approach and skill
set and the vast experience of auditing International
Organizations to the tripartite selection panel of ILO.
The World Health Organization (2020-2023), Food and
Agriculture Organization (2020-2025), International
Atomic Energy Agency (2022-2027), Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2021-2023), and
Inter Parliamentary Union are currently being externally
audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(2020-2022).
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Who is the CAG?
CAG is an independent authority under the Constitution
of India.He is the head of the Indian audit & account
department and chief Guardian of Public purse.It is
the institution through which the accountability of the
government and other public authorities (all those who
spend public funds) to Parliament and State Legislatures
and through them to the people is ensured.Girish
Chandra Murmu is the incumbent CAG of India.
Article 148 broadly deals with the CAG appointment,
oath and conditions of service.
Article 149 deals with Duties and Powers of the
Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.
Article 150 says that the accounts of the Union and of
the States shall be kept in such form as the President
may, on the advice of the CAG, prescribe.
Article 151 says that the reports of the Comptroller and
Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of the
Union shall be submitted to the president, who shall
cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament.
Article 279 – Calculation of “net proceeds” is ascertained
and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of
India, whose certificate is final.
Third Schedule – Section IV of the Third Schedule of
the Constitution of India prescribes the form of oath or
affirmation to be made by the Judges of the Supreme
Court and the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
at the time of assumption of office.
Sixth Schedule – According to this schedule, the District
Council or Regional Council should be kept in such form
as the CAG prescribes with the approval of the President.
In addition these bodies account are audited in such
manner as CAG may think fit, and the reports relating to
such accounts shall be submitted to the Governor who
shall cause them to be laid before the Council.

Group Captain
Shaliza Dhami first IAF
Woman Officer to Head
Frontline Unit
Commissioned in 2003 as a helicopter pilot, Group
Captain Dhami has over 2,800 hours of flying
experience. She has flown the Chetak and Cheetah
helicopters.Group Captain ShalizaDhami has become
the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force
to command a front-line combat unit.According
to the announcement by the Indian Air Force
yesterday, Dhami will command a missile squadron
in the Western sector.Dhami was commissioned as
helicopter pilot in 2003, and has over 2800 hours of
flying experience and is commended by Air Officer
Commanding-in-Chief on two occasions.
In the past, she has conducted several search-and-rescue missions, and undertook flood relief operations.
In the first command appointment for a woman officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF), Group Captain ShalizaDhami has
been selected to take over the command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector. For the first time ever in
the IAF’s history, ShalizaDhami a woman officer has been given command of a frontline combat unit – in this case,
a missile squadron in the Western sector.The IAF’s move comes just two months after Captain Shiva Chauhan of the
Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the world’s highest
battlefield in Siachen.

4
Arun Subramanian BecomesFirst
Indian-AmericanNY District Court Judge

Arun Subramanian was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979. His

parents immigrated to America from India in the early 1970s and served as
a control systems engineer at several companies while his mother worked
several jobs, including as a bookkeeper.
The United States Senate has confirmed Indian-American Arun Subramanian
to be the District Judge for the Southern District of New York.With this,
Subramanian has become the first South Asian judge to serve on this bench.
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Subramanian by a vote of 58-37
on Tuesday evening.Earlier, in September 2022, US President Joe Biden
announced the nomination of Subramanian for the United States District
Court for the Southern District of New York.
The Indian-origin attorney has taken up the cause of public entities in False
Claims Act cases, victims of trafficking in child pornography, consumers
and individuals injured by unfair means.Arun also contributes to the legal
community by taking on pro bono cases outside of the courtroom and
has served for years on the pro bono panel for the United States Court of
Appeals for the second circuit.A steadfast consumer protection expert,
he also defended victims of trafficking in child pornography, Schumer
said.Among his victories include securing more than USD400 million for
state and federal governments through a lawsuit connected to Novartis
Pharmaceuticals; gaining USD590 million in settlements from LIBOR in an
ongoing price-fixing class action; and achieving a USD100 million judgment
in a federal residential mortgage-backed securities case against Flagstar
Bank after the crisis of 2008.

5
S.S. Dubey Takes Charge As New Controller General of Accounts
Dubey, a 1989-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service
(ICAS) officer, is appointed by the government of
India as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) with
effect from 6 March, 2023. S.S. Dubey took charge
as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on
Monday. Dubey is the 28th officer to hold the position
of CGA.
Prior to that, Dubey has served as Chief Controller
of Accounts in Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs,
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion etc.
and as Controller/Deputy Controller of Accounts in
Ministry of Environment & Forest, Ministry of External
Affairs, Department of Revenue, Department of Supply
etc. and was in-charge of budgeting, accounting, payment, internal audit etc. He also served as Financial Advisor &
Chief Accounts Officer in Bank Note Press, Dewas.
CGA is responsible for establishing and managing a technically sound Management Accounting System and preparation
& submission of the accounts of the Union government. CGA is also responsible for exchequer control and conduct of
internal audits for the central government.

The CGA is the Principal Accounting Adviser to the Government of India. The office is in the Department of
Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, GOI.
1) The office of the CGA has the mandate to stablish and maintain a technically sound Management
Accounting system.
2) It also prepares and submits the accounts of the Central Government.
3) It is also in charge of the exchequer control and internal audits.
The Allocation of Business Rules 1961 gives the duties and responsibilities of the CGA, as mentioned below:
1) General accounting principles related to the Central and State governments and form of accounts, and framing/
revising rules and manuals.
2) Reconciling cash balance of GOI with the Reserve Bank of India in general, and the reserve deposits about civil
ministries or departments in particular.
3) Supervising whether adequate standards of accounting are maintained by central civil accounts offices.
4) Consolidating monthly accounts, preparing a review of trends of revenue realization and significant features of
expenditure, etc. & preparing annual accounts, annual receipts, and disbursements.
5) Administering the Central Government Account (Receipt and Payment Rules 1983) and Central Treasury Rules.
6) Coordinating and assisting in the introduction of management accounting systems in civil ministries
and departments.
7) Cadre management of Group ‘A’ (Indian Civil Accounts Service) and Group ‘B’ Officers of the Central Civil
Accounts Offices.
8) Matters about the Central Civil Accounts staff belonging to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’.
9) Disbursing pension to central civil pensioners, high court judges, ex-presidents, ex-MPs, and freedom fighters.
The CGA is not a constitutional body. But the CAG is a constitutional body. Another difference between the CGA and
the CAG is that the CAG is an independent body while the CGA is not. It is under the Department of Expenditure. The
President lays down general principles of government accounting on the CAG’s advice, the CGA performs the function
of maintaining them.

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Rajesh Malhotra Takes Charge as Principal Director General,
Press Information Bureau
Malhotra will be the principal spokesperson of the
government of India and will replace Satyendra Prakash,
who took charge as principal DG of PIB in August 2022.
Senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Rajesh
Malhotra has been appointed as the principal director
general of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said.In his new
role, Malhotra will be the principal spokesperson of the
government of India. He will replace Satyendra Prakash,
who took charge as principal DG of PIB in August 2022.
PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU-GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the nodal agency
of theGovernment of India to disseminate information to
the print andelectronic media on government policies,
programmes, initiatives, andachievements. It functions
as an interface between the Governmentand the media
and serves to provide feedback to the Governmenton
people’s reaction as reflected in the media.
PIB disseminates information through different modes
ofcommunication viz. press releases, press notes,
feature articles,backgrounders, photographs, database
available on Bureau’s website.Information disseminated
Malhotra has over 32 years of operational experience
in planning and implementation of media and
communication strategies for the Election Commission
of India and various central government ministries/
departments including finance, company affairs,
agriculture, power, coal, mines, communications and
IT, textiles, labour, new & renewable energy.He was
associated with Election Commission of India as in-
charge of media & communication for 21 years till 2017.
is released in English, Hindi and Urdu andsubsequently
translated in other Indian languages to reach out toabout
8,400 newspapers and media organizations in different
parts of country.
In addition, PIB organizes Press Conferences, Press
Briefing,Interviews of the Minister’s /Secretary’s and
other senior officers forsensitizing media persons on
important policy initiatives of theGovernment. The
Bureau also conducts Press Tours to successfulproject
sites to enable media to have first-hand account of
developmental activities going on in the country.
7
Lalit Kumar Gupta appointed as CMD of Cotton Corporation
of India (CCI)
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
has approved the appointment of Lalit Kumar Gupta
as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Cotton
Corporation of India (CCI), a PSU under the Ministry
of Textile. According to an order issued from the
Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Gupta has
been appointed as CMD of CCI with effect from the date
of his assumption of charge of the post for a period of
five years, or till the date of his superannuation, or until
further orders, whichever is the earlier.
Gupta was recommended for the post of CMD of CCI
 Cotton Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai
 Cotton Corporation of India Founded: 1970
2. Awards & Prizes
Bombay Jayashri chosen for Sangita Kalanidhi Award 2023 by Music Academy
The Music Academy said Jayashri is one of the foremost
among today’s Carnatic musicians and has been
contributing to social causes through her art by training
underprivileged children in music.
Renowned Carnatic vocalist and Padma Shri awardee
Bombay Jayashri has been selected for the Sangita
Kalanidhi award for 2023 by the Music Academy. In a
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by the PESB panel. Presently, he is serving as Director
(Finnane) in the same organisation.
Gupta has completed his MBA in Marketing from ITM
Business School of Navi Mumbai. He is a Chartered
Accountant (CA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
of India (ICAI). He is also a member of the Institute of
the Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He has a rich
experience in the Finance and related sector. Gupta has
a very long association with Cotton Corporation of about
25 years. He joined CCI in August 1994.
press release, the Music Academy said, Jayashri is one
of the foremost among today’s Carnatic musicians,
who initially trained under her parents and later under
TR Balamani and violin maestro Lalgudi G Jayaraman.
Besides Carnatic music, Jayashri is also trained on the
veena, classical dance and Hindustani music.
Other awardees
The Nritiya Kalanidhi award for dance will be conferred on
VasanthalakshmiNarasimhachari. The Music Academy
said Narasimhachari is an exquisite dancer and acharya
par excellence of both Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi .
The Sangita Kala Acharya award goes to Carnatic vocalist
Palkulangara Ambika Devi from Kerala and mridhangam
player KS Kalidas, a senior disciple of mridangam
maestro Palani M Subramania Pillai.
Noted thavil player Thirunageswaram TR
Subramaniam has been chosen for the TTK award.
SargunanathaOdhuvar, an Odhuvar at Chennai’s
Kapaleeswarar temple since 1998, will be the other
recipient of the TTK Award.
Dr Arimalam S Padmanabhan, a researcher for over 20
years in the field of Classical music, dance, theatre, folk
arts and classical Tamil literature, will be conferred with
Musicologist Award.
The Sangita Kalanidhi award nominee would preside
over the academic sessions of the 97th annual
conference and concerts of the Music Academy between
December 15, 2023, and January 1, 2024. The awards
will be presented to the nominees on January 1, 2024.
The Nritya Kalanidhi recipient will receive the award at
the inauguration of the 17th annual dance festival on
January 3.

Sangita Kalanidhi award: (citation).

 It is considered the highest award in the field of
Carnatic music.
 The award is conferred by the Madras Music Academy.
 The award comprises a gold medal and a birudupatra
 It is a landmark institution in the history of the fine
arts. It emerged as an offshoot of the All-India
Congress Session held in Madras in December
1927.

Mindy Kaling-Indian-American to receive National Humanities

medal from Joe Biden

The National Medal of Arts is the highest award

given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the
US government and honors exemplary individuals
and organisations that have advanced the arts in
America and offered inspiration to others through
their distinguished achievement, support, or
patronage.
US President Joe Biden will present the 2021
National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with
the National Medals of Arts on Tuesday i.e. 21
March. Indian-American Vera Mindy Chokalingam,
professionally known as Mindy Kaling will award the
2021 National Humanities Medal among others.
Among other recipients are Judith Francisca Baca, Fred Eychaner, Jose Feliciano, Gladys Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Antonio Martorell-Cardona, Joan Shigekawa, Bruce Springsteen, Vera Wang, The Billie Holiday Theatre, and the
International Association of Blacks in Dance.The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists, arts
patrons, and groups by the US government and honors exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced
the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.
The recipients for 2021 National Humanities Medal are Richard Blanco, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Walter Isaacson,
Earl Lewis, Henrietta Mann, Ann Patchett, Bryan Stevenson, Amy Tan, Tara Westover, Colson Whitehead and Native
America Calling.The President previously awarded a National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John in September 2022,
during a White House event, “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme." First Lady Jill Biden will attend the ceremony
as well, the White House said.

9
Ratan Tata appointed in ‘Order of Australia’

For distinguished service to the Australia-India

bilateral relationship, particularly to trade,
investment, and philanthropy, Indian industrialist
and philanthropist Ratan Tata has been appointed
as an Honorary Officer in the General Division
of the Order of Australia (AO).Australia’s High
Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrell informed
that Australia’s Governor-General has made this
appointment announcement.
Ratan Tata is Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons,
former Chairman of the Tata Group, and one of the
richest entrepreneurs in the world. He stands tall on
the list of the most modest entrepreneurs India has
ever seen. With a net worth of over $1 billion (as accessed in 2022), Ratan Tata is a humanitarian who also speaks as
a motivational speaker.

Role in redefining India-Australia cooperation

Notably, Ratan Tata has been a strong and influential
advocate for deeper ties between Australia and
India, including advocating for the India-Australia
Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which
was finalised in 2022, and supporting visiting business
and government leaders in India.“The breadth of Ratan
Tata’s contribution to India’s economic and industrial
development is matched by the ethical conduct of his
businesses and his support for charitable causes,” stated
the Australian government. His work includes supporting
development and creating opportunity across a wide
range of fields, including health, nutrition, education,
water, agriculture, the environment, and energy, social
justice and inclusion, digital transformation, disaster
relief, and women’s economic empowerment.
It is pertinent to note that through scholarships offered
under the Tata family trust, Indian students have been
afforded opportunities to study in Australia, deepening
people-to-people and economic ties and creating
opportunities in Australia’s education sector.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been based in
Australia since 1998, and employs the largest number
of Australians of any Indian company, with 17,000 staff
and associates. TCS also contributes to the Australian
community through a significant pro-bono program
which offers complimentary IT services to six not-for-
profit Australian organisations in the fields of health and
Indigenous leadership.

10
Oscars 2023
The Academy Awards, or Oscars, were
organized first in the year 1929 has
successfully commemorated its 95th edition.
Oscars, the world’s oldest entertainment
award is considered the most significant
and prestigious honor for the American
Entertainment Industry. The names of winners
in assorted categories include Best Picture,
Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Feature Film,
Best Animated Feature Film, and many more
are announced.

1 Best Picture Everything Everywhere All at Once

2 Actor In A Leading Role
3 Actress In A Leading Role
4 Actor In A Supporting Role
5 Actress In A Supporting Role
6 Animated Feature Film
7 Cinematography
8 Costume Design
9 Directing
10 Documentary (Feature)
11 Documentary(Short Subject)
12 Film Editing
13 International Feature Film
14 Makeup And Hairstyling
15 Music (Original Score)-
Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
All Quiet On The Western Front (James Friend)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ruth Carter)
Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)
Navalny (Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, and
Shane Boris)
The Elephant Whisperers (Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga)
Everything Everywhere All At Once(Paul Rogers)
All Quiet On The Western Front (Germany)
The Whale (Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Annemarie Bradley)
All Quiet On The Western Front (Volker Bertelmann)

16 Music (Original Song) Naatu- Naatu (RRR; Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose)
17 Production Design All Quiet On The Western Front (Production Design: Christian M.
Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper)
18 Short Film (Animated) The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse (Charlie Mackesy and
Matthew Freud)
19 Short Film (Live Action) An Irish Goodbye' (Tom Berkeley and Ross White)
20 Visual Effects Avatar: The Way Of Water (Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon,
and Daniel Barrett)
21 Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Women Talking (Screenplay by Sarah Polley)
22 Writing (Original Screenplay) Everything Everywhere All At Once (Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel
Scheinert)
23 Sound Top Gun: Maverick (Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris
Burdon and Mark Taylor)

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List of All Oscar Awards Won By India  Gulzar (2009)
 Bhanu Athaiya (1982)  A R Rahman (2009)
 Satyajit Ray (1992)  Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, The Elephant
 ResulPookutty (2009) Whisperers (2023)
 RRR NaatuNaatu (2023)

Tamil writer Sivasankari gets selected for Saraswati Samman for

the year 2022 for her book SurvyaVamsam

Tamil writer Sivasankari has been selected for

Saraswati Samman for the year 2022 for her book
SurvyaVamsam. It is a book of memoirs in Tamil
language and was published in 2019. Saraswati
Samman instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation
in 1991 is recognized as the most prestigious and
the highest literary award in the country. It carries
an award money of 15 lakh rupees, a Citation and a
Plaque.The KK Birla Foundation has announced that
Tamil writer Sivasankari will be the recipient of the
prestigious Saraswati Samman award for the year
2022, for her 2019 memoir, Surya Vamsam. This
award is one of the most esteemed recognitions in giants in 18 languages, as expressed through their stories
Indian literature, and comes with a cash prize of Rs 15 and interviews. She has also had eight of her novels
lakh, a plaque, and a citation. adapted into films, directed by renowned filmmakers,
Sivasankari is a prolific writer with a career spanning and has won numerous awards for her writing, including
over 50 years, during which she has written 36 novels, the national and regional ‘Best Mega Serial’ awards for
48 novellas, 150 short stories, 15 travelogues, seven her novel ‘Kutti’, which explores the issue of girl child
collections of essays, and three biographies, including labor.
one on former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In addition to her literary achievements, Sivasankari
Her literary contributions have been widely recognized, has been invited to participate in several international
and her works have been translated into several Indian programs, including the International Writers Program
languages, as well as English, Japanese, and Ukrainian. and the International Visitors Program at Iowa University
Sivasankari works in the United States. Her works have also been recorded
One of Sivasankari’s greatest contributions to Indian in her own voice for the Archives of the US Library of
literature is her four-volume work, ‘Knit India Through Congress to commemorate its bicentennial celebrations.
Literature’, which features the perspectives of literary

Saraswati Samman:
The Saraswati Samman is an annual literary award that
recognizes exceptional literary works written in any
Indian language by Indian citizens during the ten years
prior to the award year. The selection committee, known
as the Chayan Parishad, is chaired by former Supreme
Court judge Arjan Kumar Sikri and includes distinguished
scholars and writers from across the country.
Apart from the Saraswati Samman, the KK Birla
Foundation has also established two other literary
awards: the Bihari Puraskar and the Vyas Samman.

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Gyan Chaturvedi to be awarded Vyas Samman 2022 for
‘Pagalkhana’

Instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, the

annual Vyas Samman is given to an outstanding Hindi
literary work by an Indian citizen published during the
last 10 years.Noted Hindi writer Dr Gyan Chaturvedi’s
2018 satirical novel, Pagalkhana, has been selected
for the 32nd Vyas Samman, 2022.After considering
the works published during 2012-2021, a selection
committee headed by eminent litterateur Prof Ramji
Tiwari picked Dr Chaturvedi’s Pagalkhana (mental
asylum) for the prestigious Vyas Samman.
The 2018 satirical novel tells a poignant story of
innocent common people in a heart-touching manner.
achievement in the field of satire and essay, besides the
In this novel, Dr Chaturvedi narrates the story of a
Delhi Academy Award and the Indu Sharma International
booming market’s dare, a society prostrating before it,
Katha Samman.
and a few rare people who muster courage to challenge
So far, the 71-year-old has published thousands of
it, said a press release by the KK Birla Foundation on
satirical writings. His first novel, Narak-Yatra (trip to
Thursday.
hell), based on the education system of India’s medical
Having started his writing career in 1970s, Dr Chaturvedi
science became an instant hit among Hindi readers.
received India’s fourth highest civilian award Padma
Besides the Vyas Samman, the KK Birla Foundation has
Shri in 2015. He has also won the Madhya Pradesh
also instituted Saraswati Samman and Bihari Puraskar.
government’s Sharad Joshi Samman for outstanding

India Bags Golden & Silver Star at The International ‘Golden City
Gate Tourism Awards 2023 at ITB, Berlin 2023
The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has bagged
Golden& Silver Star at The International ‘Golden City
Gate Tourism Awards 2023’ in ‘TV/Cinema Commercials
International and Country International’ Category at
ITB, Berlin 2023. The awards were received by Arvind
Singh, Secretary (Tourism) Government of India on 08th
March 2023 at ITB, Berlin being held from the 7th to 9h
March 2023.The Golden City Gate Tourism Multi-Media
Awards are given annually in various categories related
to the Tourism and Hospitality sectors. The ‘Golden City
Gate’ is a creative multi-media international competition
for countries, cities, regions and hotels. The entries
received for the awards are judged by an international
jury comprising film and tourism experts. The annual
award ceremony takes place at ITB Berlin, the world’s its Post Covid Promotional Global Campaign on India
leading tourism trade show. reopening. Ministry of Tourism has developed the new
The Promotional films / television commercials received Incredible India brand films for welcoming of foreign
the awards were produced by the Ministry as part of tourists to the country after the pandemic. These brand

13
films have been widely circulated within the domestic
and international travel industry for wider usage in for
promotional and marketing purposes.The films were
also widely promoted through the soical media handles
of the Ministry which have been very well received the
world over. The commercials have been produced in
English with voice overs in 9 international languages,
viz. German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese,
Japanese, Korean and Arabic.

Mirabai Chanu wins BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year award

The 28-year-old weightlifter from Manipur became

the first athlete to win the award twice in a row after
bagging it in 2021 as well.Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu
has won the 2022 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the
Year award after a public vote.Chanu becomes the
first athlete to win the award twice in a row after
winning for the year 2021.Born in Manipur state,
in north-east of India, Chanu learned to weightlift
by carrying firewood.At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
she became the first Indian to win a silver medal
in weightlifting and in 2022 secured gold at the
Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
She won a silver medal at the World Weightlifting
Championships 2022.
The other shortlisted contenders for BBC Indian
Sportswoman of the Year were wrestlers VineshPhogat
and Sakshi Malik, boxer Nikhat Zareen, and badminton
player PV Sindhu.BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year, a
category introduced for the first time went to Bhavina
Patel. The para table tennis player won a silver medal at
the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, becoming the
first Indian table tennis player to achieve this feat. Patel
also won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team
Pritam Siwach was conferred with the BBC Lifetime
Achievement Award for her contribution to Indian sports
and inspiring generations of players. Siwach was the
first woman hockey coach to be given the Dronacharya
Award, which honours sports coaches in India.Boxer
Nitu Ghanghas was chosen as the BBC Emerging Player
of the Year. She is a two-time youth world champion
and Commonwealth Games medallist. She won the
gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the
minimumweight category.
Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki and
NayanmoniSaikia, who won gold in lawn bowls women
team event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which
was India’s first-ever medal in the sport, were given the
BBC Changemaker of the Year Award.
95-year-old Bhagwani Devi and 106-year-old Rambai
were jointly awarded the special trophy for their
achievements. Devi won a gold medal in the 100m sprint
at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships
in Tampere, Finland. In the competition, which is for
athletes over the age of 35, Devi also secured a bronze
in shot put. Rambai clinched gold in the 100m and 200m
races at the 2022 National Open Masters Athletics
Championships in Vadodara.Jonathan Munro, Deputy
CEO and Director of Journalism, BBC News expressed his
delight on being part of the ceremony and congratulated
Mirabai Chanu for winning the BBC Indian Sportswoman
of the Year award for the second year in a row. BBC
Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award was launched
in 2019 to celebrate sportswomen in India who have
made their mark on the world stage, while highlighting
challenges faced by women athletes.

 BBC Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

 Director-General of the BBC Timothy Douglas Davie
 BBC Established: 18 October 1922

14
Vinod Kumar Shukla Wins 2023 PEN/Nabokov Award for
Achievement in International Literature

Hindi short story writer, novelist and poet Vinod

Kumar Shukla has received the 2023 PEN/Nabokov
Award for Achievement in International Literature.
Shukla, 87 years old, is known for novels like
Naukar Ki Kameez (1979) and poetry collections
like Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega (1992).Shukla
has previously won the Sahitya Akademi award and
the Atta Galatta–Bangalore Literature Festival Book
Prize.
The playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza won the
2023 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for
Theater Award. It had previously been announced
that Tina Fey will be receiving the 2023 PEN/Mike recognizable styles—Shukla’s pairing of keen directness
Nichols Writing for Performance Award. and wonder, Dickerson-Despenza’s collision of lyricism
The award ceremony will be held on March 2 in New and urgency, Fey’s comedic sensitivity in an absurd
York. world—they bring us into their distinct visions of reality,
“The recipients of our Literary Awards’ three career in all its slipperiness. They give us so much to celebrate,”
achievement honors reveal the breadth of what human said Clarisse RosazShariyf, Chief Program Officer,
imagination committed to the page, stage, and screen Literary Programming at PEN America.
can offer us. With their inimitable and instantaneously

3. National Events
Indian Government Launches DigiClaim Platform for Farmers Insurance Claims

Stating that the Centre is closely working with all states

who exited from the PMFBY, the Minister said the
government has had discussions with senior officials of
the state governments. Agriculture Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar on Thursday launched a ‘DigiClaim’ platform
under the national crop insurance portal for speedy
disbursal of claims to insured farmers. On the occasion,
the Minister also transferred an insurance claim totaling
Rs 1,260.35 crore through the DigiClaim platform to the
insured farmers in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Haryana with a
click of a button, an official statement said.
In the current system, there have been several instances said the government has had discussions with senior
of insured farmers’ claims being delayed due to a variety officials of the state governments. Andhra Pradesh and
of factors. Taking cognizance of farmers’ welfare and to Punjab governments are making a comeback to the
expedite the claim disbursal process, the Agriculture scheme, which shows a shining example of cooperative
Ministry has come up with the DigiClaim module, it federalism.
said.Stating that the Centre is closely working with With the DigiClaim platform, now farmers’ claims will be
all states who exited from the PMFBY, the Minister processed directly to their respective bank accounts in

15
a transparent and accountable manner. This technology
has been enabled through the integration of National
Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) and Public Finance
Management System (PFMS).This would directly impact
the claim reversal ratio, which is expected to go down
with DigiClaim. Another noteworthy feature of this digital
advancement is that farmers would be able to track the
claim settlement process on their mobile phones in real-
time and avail the scheme’s benefits.
Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja also appealed to
state governments for timely uploading of yield data
on the crop insurance portal and release of the states’
share of premium on time so that claims could be
transferred to farmers’ bank accounts in a hassle-free
manner.Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap
Shahi, who joined the launch via video conference, also
gave his valuable suggestions for better implementation
‘Sagar Manthan’, the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard
of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways(MoPSW)
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways
and Ayush SarbanandaSonowal virtually
launched Real-time Performance Monitoring
Dashboard of MoPSW ‘Sagar Manthan’ – Digital
platform having all the integrated data related
to the ministry and other subsidiaries. It was
inaugurated in the presence of Shripad Y. Naik,
MoS, MoPSW; Shantanu Thakur, MoS, MoPSW
and other officials from the ministry.This
dashboard will transform the workings of various
departments by improving well-coordinated
real time information. This platform has been
developed completely in-house under the
guidance of Sudhanshu Pant, IAS, Secretary,
MoPSW in the span of less than 1.5 months efficiently.
Speaking on the occasion SarbanandaSonowal said
the launch of Sagar Manthan dashboard is a positive
development towards Digital India vision of our Prime
Minister. He said it will have a significant impact on
16
of the scheme.The minister of State for Agriculture
Kailash Choudhary and CMDs of Agriculture Insurance
Company of India Ltd and SBI General Insurance as well
as representatives of other public and private insurance
companies were also present at the occasion.In the
era of rapid innovations, digitization and technology
are playing a significant role in scaling up the reach and
operations of PMFBY with precision agriculture.
In the last few years, various innovative technologies
have been piloted and integrated with the scheme to
make the process of yield estimation and crop loss
assessment more accurate, like Yes-Tech, WINDS and
CROPIC.
DigiClaim is yet another feather in PMFBY’s cap in
its ongoing effort to usher in advanced technological
solutions such as automated calculation and
disbursement of crop insurance claims.
the overall performance of organizations.The Minister
said effective project monitoring can ensure the timely
completion of projects, informed decision-making,
increased efficiency & effectiveness of projects. He
said it also promotes real-time project tracking, risk
management, resource allocation, and progress
reporting.
Features of ‘SAGAR MANTHAN’ dashboard:
1. Data visualization
2. Real-time monitoring
3. Improved communication
4. Data-driven decision making
5. Increased accountability
In future, this dashboard would further be integrated
with Input from CCTV camera, Live streaming from
India participates in the Second Indo-Pacific Economic
Framework (IPEF) Negotiating Round, Bali, Indonesia
An Inter-Ministerial delegation from India led by
Department of Commerce participated in the second
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
negotiating round in Bali, Indonesia from March 13-19,
2023.
Negotiators from 13 other countries, including, the
United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India,
Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
also participated in the Bali negotiating round.
During the Bali Round, discussions covered all the
four pillars of the IPEF: Trade (Pillar I); Supply Chains
(Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy
(Taxation & Anticorruption) - (Pillar IV). India participated
in the discussions related to Pillars II to IV.
Building on the discussions that took place during the
previous rounds: First IPEF Round held in Brisbane,
Australia, in December 10-15, 2022, and the Special
negotiating round held in New Delhi, India from February
8-11, 2023, in Bali, IPEF Partners undertook in-depth
Drone, AI based Algorithm to map actual progress
Digital Twin feature on board and Mobile App for easy
access and usability by all stakeholder to increase the
efficiency.The launch of ‘Sagar Manthan’ Dashboard is a
development towards digitalization and transparency in
the maritime transport sector, and the Ministry of Ports,
Shipping and Waterways is committed to supporting the
growth of the sector in India.
text-based discussions and conducted follow-up
conversations as they work to advance a shared vision
for an open, connected, prosperous and resilient Indo-
Pacific region.
Representatives of interested Indian companies also
participated in the Stakeholders engagement session
and Business Forum, organized on the margins of the
IPEF Bali Round on 17 and 18 March 2023 respectively.
In addition, a representative from National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) also gave a detailed
presentation at the Business Forum on Unified Payment
Interface (UPI), a successful example of Digital Public
infrastructure in India.
IPEF Partners have committed to an aggressive
negotiating schedule throughout 2023 with the objective
of realizing concrete benefits to enhance a shared vision
for economic competitiveness and prosperity in their
respective economies. Additional details about the next
in-person negotiating round will be released later.
17
India aims at becoming ‘Global Hub for Green Ship’ building by 2030
with launch of Green Tug Transition Programme(GTTP)
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW)
and Ayush SarbanandaSonowaI has said India aims at
becoming ‘Global Hub for Green Ship’ building by 2030
with launch of Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
Inaugurating India’s first National Centre of Excellence in
Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) in Gurugram,Haryana
today he said the programme will start with ‘Green
Hybrid Tugs’, which will be powered by Green Hybrid
Propulsion systems, and subsequently adopting non-
fossil fuel solutions like (Methanol, Ammonia, Hydrogen).
The Minister said target has been set for the initial Green
Tugs to start working in all major ports by 2025. At least,
50% of all the Tugs are likely to be converted into Green
Tugs by 2030, which will considerably reduce emission
as the country move towards achieving sustainable
development, he added.
Country’s first National Centre of Excellence in
Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) is the result of a
collaboration between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping
& Waterways, Government of India and the Energy and
Resources Institute (TERI). With the NCoEGPS acting
as the Nodal entity for the industry, the plan is afoot to
make India as the ‘Global hub for building Green Ships’
by 2030. With these initiatives, the Centre is aimed at
playing a crucial role towards achievement of UN’s
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) to sustainably
manage and protect marine & coastal ecosystems from
pollution, conservation & sustainable use of ocean
based resources. The Centre will engage in developing
the regulatory framework and alternative technology
adoption roadmap for green shipping in India. The
centre - housed within the TERI complex in Gurugram
- will work towards meeting the obligations under the
Paris Agreement.
The PM Gati Shakti - National Master Plan for Multi Modal
Connectivity along with the Green Ports initiative has
already accelerated the development of green logistics
supply chain in the country. The ports have also aimed
to reduce Carbon emissions per ton of cargo handled
by 30% by 2030. The Maritime Vision Document
2030, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
a 10 Year blueprint on India’s vision of a sustainable
18
Maritime sector and vibrant blue economy. India has
been selected as the first country under the IMO Green
Voyage 2050 project to conduct a pilot project related
to Green Shipping. The ministry has already identified
Paradip Port, Deendayal Port and V.O. Chidambaram Port
to developed as Hydrogen Hubs - capable of handling,
storing and generation of green hydrogen by 2030. With
the development of these infrastructure, India will be
able to export Green Hydrogen, produced in the country
using renewable sources, with the support of NCoEGPS
in technology and market leadership.
NCoEGPS will act as a technological arm of MoPSW
for providing the needed support on Policy, Research
and Cooperation on Green Shipping areas for Ports, DG
Shipping, CSL and other institutions under the umbrella of
MoPSW. The Center will be a host of several technological
arms to support the port and shipping sector and will
provide solutions to a variety of problems being faced in
the industry through scientific research. It will also carry
out valuable education, applied research and technology
transfer in maritime transportation at the local, regional,
national and International levels. It will focus on the
following areas like energy management, emission
management, Sustainable Maritime Operations etc. The
NCoEGPS aims at empowering ‘Make in India’ in Port,
Coastal and Inland water transport, and Engineering
by developing state of art technologies and application
products. It will enable fast-track innovations in order to
provide most appropriate solutions to various challenges
in these sectors. The Centre also aims to create a pool
of competent manpower to the industry equipped with
state of the art theoretical and practical knowhow. The
NCoEGPS will work on 10 crucial projects, including ones
on developing a regulatory framework for the usage of
wind energy for marine applications, and identifying a
suitable biofuel for blending with conventional marine
fuels. It will also work towards identifying a fuel cell
technology for long haul shipping as well as developing a
regulatory framework for the transportation of hydrogen
upto 700 bar pressure. It will also prepare detailed
project reports on low energy consumption port, and on
an offshore platform for tapping solar energy, production,
storage and usage of green hydrogen.

PM inaugurates ITU Area Office & Innovation Center

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the

new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area
office & Innovation Centre in India at a programme in
Vigyan Bhawan today. The Prime Minister also unveiled
the Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched the 6G
R&D Test Bed. He also launched the ‘Call before u Dig’
App. ITU is the United Nations' specialized agency for
information and communication technologies (ICTs).
India signed a Host Country Agreement in March 2022
with ITU for the establishment of Area Office. It will serve
India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives,
Afghanistan and Iran, enhancing coordination among
nations and fostering mutually beneficial economic
Host Country Agreement in March 2022 with ITU for the
cooperation in the region.
establishment of Area Office. The Area Office in India is
Ms Doreen-Bogdan Martin, Secretary General of the
also envisaged to have an Innovation Centre embedded
International Telecommunication Union thanked the
in it making it unique among other area offices of ITU.
Prime Minister for helping develop the new ITU Office
The Area Office, which is fully funded by India, is located
and innovation center in India which marks a new chapter
on the second floor of the Centre for Development of
in the long history of India and ITU. She expressed
Telematics (C-DoT) building at Mehrauli New Delhi. It
confidence that ITU’s presence in the region will help
will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
the introduction of advanced technologies, improve
Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran, enhancing coordination
capacity development, and foster entrepreneurship
among nations and fostering mutually beneficial
and partnerships while also responding to leads on the
economic cooperation in the region.
ground from digital services, skills, cyber security and
Bharat 6G vision document is prepared by the Technology
digital inclusion. She further added that India is home to
Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) that was constituted in
one of the biggest startup ecosystems, digital payments
November 2021 with members from various Ministries/
market and tech workforces in the world and the
Departments, research and development institutions,
leadership of the Prime Minister has put India as a leader
academia, standardization bodies, Telecom Service
on the digital forefront of tech innovations and adoptions
Providers and industry to develop a roadmap and action
with game-changing initiatives like Aadhar, UPI among
plans for 6G in India. 6G Test Bed will provide academic
others that have turned India into a knowledge-based
institutions, industries, start-ups, MSMEs etc. a platform
economy.
to test and validate the evolving ICT technologies. The
ITU is the United Nations’ specialized agency for
Bharat 6G Vision Document and 6G Test Bed will provide
information and communication technologies (ICTs).
an enabling environment for innovation, capacity building
Headquartered in Geneva, it has a network of field
and faster technology adoption in the country.
offices, regional Offices and area offices. India signed a

19
Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030
Indian Railway has set a target of becoming Net Zero
Carbon Emitter by 2030. IR has taken a number of
initiatives to reduce its carbon emissions which include
use of energy efficient technologies like completely
switching over to production of three phase electric
locomotives with regenerative features, use of head
on generation (HOG) technology, use of LED lights
in buildings and coaches, star rated appliances and
afforestation. Further, the key strategies that have been
identified for achieving the Net Zero Carbon emission
target are procurement of power through renewable
energy sources; shifting from diesel to electric traction;
promotion of energy efficiency; and afforestation.
The projected energy demand of Indian Railways in
2029-30 is expected to be about 8,200 Mega Watt
20
(MW). To achieve Net Zero Carbon Emission, expected
requirement of renewable capacity by 2029-30 would be
about 30,000 MW. As of February 2023, about 147 MW
of solar plants (both on Rooftops and on land) and about
103 MW of Wind power plants have been commissioned.
Further, about 2150 MW of renewable capacity has also
been tied up.
In addition, IR has planned to progressively procure
renewable energy from different power procurement
modes for its future energy requirements.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways,
Communications and Electronic & Information
Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a
question in Lok Sabha today.
India's bullet train to run by August 2026: Ashwini Vaishnaw
India's first bullet train is slated to run in August 2026
with a larger section planned for the year after, said
railways and telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, noting
that the project will give a boost to the economy, as many
of the companies supplying to the project had started
getting export orders. The Indian railways is building
the country’s first bullet train from Ahmedabad, Gujarat
to Mumbai, Maharashtra over 508-kilometer route. The
high-speed train will run at top speed of 350 kms per
hour, covering the distance in three hours.
The ministry of railways shared the progress of the Bullet
Train project and informed that the overall project has
progressed by 26.33%. It added that the overall Gujarat
leg of the project has completed 32.93% while the Civil
Works around the project in the state has progressed
International Yoga Festival Rishikesh 2023
The International Yoga Festival is an event that keeps
the legacy of Yoga, the ancient science alive. Every year
the state tourism department along with Uttarakhand
Tourism Development Board in Rishikesh takes effort
to bring together the practitioners of Yoga. In the midst
of the beautiful Himalayas in Rishikesh along the banks
of river Ganga, many learned saints and yogis have
practiced yoga and now in these serene sanctified lands,
crowds from international locales practice the holistic
science.
Yoga is the holistic science of health and wellness of
body, mind and soul. The science comprises the union of
the self with the divine.
The 17th edition of the International Yoga Festival is
held between the 1st and 7th March in 2023. After the
departure of the chilly winters and the coming of long
warm days, Rishikesh buzzes with crowds from all over
the world participating in the holistic science of health
and wellness.
The International Yoga Festival is one of the largest event
of its kind. Rishikesh buzzes all week long during the
festival with an unparalleled experience as time-tested
masters of Traditional Yoga Lineages from India. Yoga
lovers and practitioners participate in different sessions
of Yoga classes where you can get all authentic lessons
and information regarding Yoga. Apart from India, the
masters of global Yoga schools and styles will also be
here to take yoga and meditation classes.
around 54.74%. When it comes to the Maharashtra leg
of the Bullet Train project, the ministry just shared the
information about the overall progress which was just
13.72%, which was considerably less than Gujarat. It
added that Under the project, 257.06 km of Pile Work is
complete as of 28 February and 155.48 Km of Pire work
is complete, according to the ministry. The progress
update added that 37.64 Km of Girders were launched
during the project.
On the manufacturing side, the Minister highlighted
that today electronics manufacturing is close to USD 87
billion as an industry in the country. The government has
taken three major initiatives, creating the ecosystem,
laying out a clear policy framework and focusing on
developing the semiconductor industry.
Total 60 hours of classes will be taken by the world-
class yoga practitioners. Learn about the actual way of
practicing some of the most useful meditational poses,
asanas and particularly multiple style of Yoga like
Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Power Vinyasa Yoga, and
Kriya Yoga. The sessions are full of spirit motivating the
crowds and empowering them with the knowledge of the
holistic science.
Religious teachers and saints of India like H.H. Pujya
Shankaracharya Swami DivyanandTeerthji, H.H. Pujya
Swami ChidanandSaraswatiji, H.H. Pujya Swami
Dayanandaji, H.H. Dr. Pranav Pandyaji, H.H. Pujya Swami
Ramdevji, H.H. Radhanath Swamiji, H.H. PujyaMooji, and
H.H. Pujya Prem Babaji would bless with their presence.
21
Centre approves renaming of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati
Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv
The Centre on 24 February approved the renaming of
two Maharashtra cities - Aurangabad and Osmanabad.
Aurangabad will now be renamed as `Chhatrapati
Sambhajinagar' while Osmanabad will be called
`Dharashiv'.On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) approved the proposal and said the central
government had "no objection" to changing the names
of both districts of Maharashtra.
Aurangabad derives its name from Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th
century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji who was the eldest son of warrior
king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was the second ruler Shiv Sena (UBT) leader AmbadasbDanve said the
of the Maratha state founded by his father. Sambhaji renaming was a victory of Shiv Sena founder late Bal
Maharaj was executed on Aurangzeb's orders in 1689. Thackeray's stand. Danve, leader of opposition in the
Dharashiv, the name of a cave complex near Osmanabad, Maharashtra Legislative Council, tweeted that Thackeray
dates back to the 8th century as per some scholars. had "renamed" the city of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati
Notably, to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Sambhajinagar way back on May 9, 1988.
Osmanabad as Dharashiv was the last cabinet decision  Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde

of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government which  Governor of Maharashtra: Ramesh Bais

collapsed last June following Shinde's rebellion against  Maharashtra was founded on 1st May 1960

Uddhav Thackeray.The new government headed by

Shinde scrapped the cabinet decision and took a fresh
decision.Opposing the news of renaming Aurangabad
city, MP and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen
(AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel in a tweet said that they
will show their strength for Aurangabad.

CJI DY Chandrachud Launches "Neutral Citations" For All Supreme

Court Judgements
A neutral citation would mean that the Supreme Court
would assign its own citation — distinct from those given
by traditional Law Reporters. The Delhi, Kerala, and
Madras HCs have already introduced neutral citation.
The Supreme Court has launched “neutral citations”
of judgments to ensure a uniform pattern of citing
its decisions, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud
announced on Thursday.
Earlier, the top court said steps had been taken for
the introduction and implementation of a uniform,
reliable and secure methodology for identifying and
citing decisions in the apex court, namely the neutral
citations system, to ensure a uniform pattern of citing all
decisions of the top court. As soon as a Bench led by the
CJI assembled to hear urgent mentioning of matters for
listing, the CJI announced that all judgments of the top
court would have neutral citations.
The bench led by the CJI assembled to hear urgent
mentioning of matters for listing, and the CJI announced
that all judgments of the top court would have neutral
citations.The Chief Justice of India informed that they
have launched neutral citations. All judgments of the
court will have neutral citations,” adding that around
30,000 verdicts of the apex court would have neutral
citations.He also noted that hopefully, the HCs would
also follow suit. The top court was using machine
learning tools, which would translate its verdicts into
Indian languages.

22
4. International Summit/ Conference
China spent $240 billion bailing out 'Belt and Road' countries

China spent $240 billion bailing out 22

developing countries between 2008 and 2021,
with the amount soaring in recent years as more
have struggled to repay loans spent building
"Belt and Road" infrastructure, a study published
on Tuesday showed.Almost 80% of the lending
was made between 2016 and 2021, mainly to
middle-income countries including Argentina,
Mongolia and Pakistan, according to the report
by researchers from the World Bank, Harvard
Kennedy School, AidData and the Kiel Institute
for the World Economy.
China has lent hundreds of billions of dollars to
artifically pump up their foreign exchange reserve figures.
build infrastructure in developing countries, but
China's rescue lending is "opaque and uncoordinated,"
lending has tailed off since 2016 as many projects have
said Brad Parks, one of the report's authors, and director
failed to pay the expected financial dividends.Chinese
of AidData, a research lab at The College of William &
loans to countries in debt distress soared from less than
Mary in the United States.
5% of its overseas lending portfolio in 2010 to 60% in
The bailout loans are mainly concentrated in the middle-
2022, the study found.
income countries that make up four-fifths of its lending,
Argentina received the most, with $111.8 billion,
due to the risk they pose to Chinese banks' balance
followed by Pakistan with $48.5 billion and Egypt with
sheets, whereas low-income countries are offered grace
$15.6 billion. Nine countries received less than $1
periods and maturity extensions, the report said.China is
billion.The People's Bank of China's (PBOC) swap lines
negotiating debt restructurings with countries including
accounted for $170 billion of the financing, including in
Zambia, Ghana and Sri Lanka and has been criticised for
Suriname, Sri Lanka and Egypt. Bridge loans or balance
holding up the processes. In response, it has called on
of payments support by Chinese state-owned banks and
the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to also
companies was $70 billion. Rollovers of both kinds of
offer debt relief.
loans were $140 billion.The study was critical of some
central banks potentially using the PBOC swap lines to

23
Egypt Becomes A Member Of The BRICS New Development Bank
Joins the original five members plus Bangladesh and
UAE in acquiring a position within the BRICS bank equity
In a sure-fire move that can be expected to usher in
Egypt as a full member of the BRICS grouping, Cairo has
taken an equity position within the New Development
Bank (NDB). Previous equity was divided equally among
the initial members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and
South Africa. It makes Egypt the first new member of the
proposed expanded BRICS+ along with Bangladesh and
the UAE.
The New Development Bank was set up by BRICS nations
on the basis of the intergovernmental agreement signed
at the sixth BRICS summit in Fortaleza in July 2014.
The NBD approved Egypt’s accession in December 2021,
while in September 2021 a similar decision was made
regarding the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uruguay and
Bangladesh. With the exception of Uruguay, they all
became members of the bank this month after jumping
through the necessary hoops.
The bank’s goal is to finance infrastructure projects and
sustainable development projects in BRICS member
states and developing countries. The bank previously
received an “АА+” international credit rating from Fitch
Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, allowing it to effectively
attract long-term funding on international and local
capital markets.
Since its founding, the bank has approved more than 90
projects totaling US$32 billion in support of such areas
as transportation, water, clean energy, digital and social
infrastructure, as well as urban construction. Several
other countries have also expressed interest in joining
the BRICS grouping.
Egypt is an energy and agricultural play, with important
exports including petroleum and petroleum products,
followed by raw cotton, cotton yarn, and textiles. Raw
materials, mineral and chemical products, and capital
goods are also exported. Among agricultural exports are
rice, onions, garlic, and citrus fruit. Egypt is a member
of the Arab Trade Zone which also includes Algeria,
Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
24
Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria,
Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen. Egypt is also a member of
the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)
which reduces tariffs to zero on 98% of all intra-African
trade.Egypt is a dialogue partner to the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation which includes China, India,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan as full members, while Afghanistan,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Cambodia,
Kuwait, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Saudi
Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates are all in various status as SCO
dialogue partners and observers. Egypt’s most important
trading partners include China, the United States, Italy,
Germany, and the Gulf Arab countries.
The development of BRICS was touched upon during
this week’s meetings between President’s Xi and Putin
in Moscow; and was mentioned as part of their “Joint
Comprehensive Strategic Development Plan For A New
Era.” Xi had mentioned to Putin that changes were
coming – with the immediate announcement of Egypt’s
joining BRICS a signal the world order maybe changing
rather more rapidly than initially thought.Egypt is also
negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian
Economic Union.Egypt’s accession to the BRICS means
the trade group now has both north and south access
to the African Union markets with South Africa as the
southern member.
BRICS New Development Bank (NDB):
 BRICS New Development Bank (NDB):  It is headquartered at Shanghai, China.

 It is a multilateral development bank jointly founded  In 2018, the NDB received observer status in the
by the BRICS countries(Brazil, Russia, India, China United Nations General Assembly, establishing a
and South Africa) at the 6th BRICS Summit in firm basis for active and fruitful cooperation with the
Fortaleza, Brazil in 2014. UN.

 It was formed to support infrastructure and
sustainable development efforts in BRICS and
other underserved, emerging economies for faster
development through innovation and cutting-edge
technology.
 Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, and
Uruguay joined the NDB in September 2021. Egypt
was welcomed as a new member of the NDB in
December 2021.

Fumio Kishida invites PM Modi to G7 Summit, says ‘Together We

Will Bring Peace’
The Japan prime minister arrived in India on a two-day
visit. he delivered the 41st Sapru House Lecture on
Monday in Delhi.
Japan Prime Minister Fumio is in India on a two-day
visit. While addressing reporters here, the Japanese
premiere called India an ‘indispensable partner’. He
also mentioned that this year India is hosting the G20
presidency while Japan is hosting the G7 Presidency,
and hoped that both the countries could come together
and work to being about ‘peace and prosperity to
the international community’.Kishida, who held talks
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also extended
formal invite to his Indian counterpart to attend the G7 Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Hiroshima Summit, scheduled to take place in May this Kishida mentioned that Japan will expand cooperation
year. for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. He recalled that former
The two leaders took up the issue of challenges faced Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in 2016 delivered a vision
by the international community and decided to have called Free and Open Pacific (FOIP).
close cooperation between G7 and G20 as the two On Russia-Ukraine war
countries are holding the presidencies of the summits, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida said that the international
respectively. community has entered an era in which cooperation and
India an ‘indispensable partner’ of Japan division are "intricately intertwined." He condemned
"India is an indispensable partner and I believe India the Russian offensive against Ukraine. He said that PM
and Japan are in an extremely unique position in the Narendra Modi also told Russian President Putin that
current International relations and further in the history "today's era is not of war."
of the world. India is the largest democracy in the world.
I have always viewed with great respect the way such
a huge and diverse country as India has developed a
democracy," Japan's Fumio Kishida said while delivering
the 41st Sapru House Lecture.

25
PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate India-Bangladesh
Friendship Pipeline
According to the Prime Minister Office, the cooperation
in the power and energy sector has become one of the
hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh
Hasina on Saturday jointly inaugurated the India-
Bangladesh friendship diesel pipeline.The pipeline will
start a new chapter in India-Bangladesh relations, PM
Modi said at the inauguration.
The foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline
was laid by both the prime ministers in September
2018. Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying
petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015. This is
the second cross-border energy pipeline between India the Friendship Pipeline will enhance ongoing energy
and its neighbours. cooperation between the two countries and will further
According to the Prime Minister Office, the cooperation growth in Bangladesh, particularly in the agriculture
in the power and energy sector has become one of the sector.PM Modi thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations.Bangladesh is for her constant guidance on the project and expressed
India’s top-most development partner and its largest his wish to continue working with her for the benefit of
trade partner in the region. The operationalisation of the people of the two countries.

US recognises Mc Mahon Line as International Boundary

The bipartisan Senators' resolution condemns additional
China's provocations, including the People's Republic
of China's use of military force to change the status
quo along the Line of Actual Control.The United States
recognises the McMahon Line as the international
boundary between China and Arunachal Pradesh,
according to a bipartisan Senate resolution which sees
Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.
The US formally recognized the McMahon Line as the
international boundary between India’s Arunachal
Pradesh and China, and rejected Beijing’s claim that
the northeastern state falls under Chinese territory.
over Bhutan.
A bipartisan resolution, which was first introduced in
Former US ambassador to Japan and Senator Bill
the US Senate last month, on Tuesday acknowledged
Hagerty said that this bipartisan resolution expresses
Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India and also
the Senate’s support for unequivocally recognising the
supported India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
state of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.
Apart from recognising the McMahon Line, the resolution
The resolution, titled ‘Reaffirming the state of Arunachal
also condemned Chinese provocations in the region,
Pradesh as Indian territory and condemning the
including China’s use of military force to change the
People’s Republic of China’s provocations in South Asia’,
status quo along the Line of Actual Control, construction
came after one of the biggest clashes that took place in
of villages in contested areas, publication of maps with
December last year between Indian and Chinese forces
Mandarin-language names for cities featuring Arunachal
in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Pradesh, and expansion of Beijing’s territorial claims

26
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against
Vladimir Putin
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of atrocities
during its one-year invasion of its neighbour.The
International Criminal Court said on Friday it has issued
an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin for war
crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions
of children from Ukraine.The international criminal court
(ICC) in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for
Vladimir Putin for overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian
children, sending Russia another significant step on the
path to becoming a pariah state.
In granting the request for warrants by the ICC
prosecutor, a panel of judges agreed that there were
“reasonable grounds” to believe Putin and his children’s
rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova,
bore responsibility for the “unlawful deportation” of
Ukrainian children.
The warrants are the first to be issued by the ICC for
crimes committed in the Ukraine war, and it is one of the
rare occasions when the court has issued a warrant for
a sitting head of state, putting Putin in the company of
the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the Sudanese
president Omar al-Bashir.
Gaddafi was toppled and killed months after his warrant
was announced. Bashir was also ousted and is currently
in jail in Sudan, though he has yet to be transferred to The
Hague. Putin is likely to evade justice in the near future:
Russia does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction, and
insisted on Friday it was not affected by the warrants.
But the Russian leader will face limits on his freedom of
travel to the ICC’s 123 member states, further deepening
his isolation.
In deciding to issue the warrants, the ICC pre-trial
chamber of judges considered keeping the warrants
secret but decided that making them public could
“contribute to the prevention of the further commission
of crimes”.
It is unclear how many children have been taken
from Ukraine by Russian forces. Last month, the Yale
Humanitarian Research Lab published a report alleging
that at least 6,000 children from Ukraine had been
sent to Russian “re-education” camps in the past year.
In a statement on Friday, the ICC prosecutor, Karim
Khan, said: “Incidents identified by my office include
the deportation of at least hundreds of children taken
from orphanages and children’s care homes.”Khan said
many of the children had been put up for adoption in
Russia and that Putin had issued a decree expediting the
conferral of Russian citizenship on the children, making
them easier to adopt.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, estimated
the number of deported children at far more than
16,000 and said the warrants represented “an historic
decision which will lead to historic accountability.The
Russian leadership has been overt about its taking
Ukrainian children to Russia and placing them in camps
or putting them up for adoption by Russian families.
On 16 February, Lvova-Belova appeared on television
telling Putin about the programme and thanking him for
being able to “adopt” a 15-year-old boy from Mariupol,
the south-eastern Ukrainian city that was devastated
and occupied by Russian forces.The US was more
guarded in its response. Joe Biden said that Putin had
clearly committed war crimes and the ICC’s decision
was justified. But the US is not an ICC member, and the
Pentagon has resisted cooperation with the ICC out of
fear that US soldiers could potentially be pursued by the
court.
27
FATF suspends Russia's membership over Ukraine war

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday

suspended Russia’s membership for its “illegal,
unprovoked and unjustified” full-scale military invasion
of Ukraine, an official statement said. Russia’s actions
were “unacceptably run” counter to FATF’s core
principles that aims to promote security, safety, and
integrity of the global financial system, it said.
The global watchdog on terror financing said it is also
deeply concerned by the reports of arms trade between
Russia and United Nations sanctioned jurisdictions,
and malicious cyber-activities emanating from Russia.
The Russian Federation remains accountable for its
obligation to implement the FATF standards.“The
Russian Federation must continue to meet its financial
obligations. The Russian Federation will remain a
member of the Global Network as an active member
of the Eurasian Group on Money Laundering (EAG) and
retain its rights as an EAG member,” the statement said.
South Africa, Nigeria on dirty-money grey list
South Africa and Nigeria have been placed on a global
financial watchdog’s so-called grey list denoting nations
with shortcomings in tackling illicit financial flows, a
move that scars their international reputations and may
raise costs for banks and asset managers.
The decisions were announced by the FATF on Friday.
Morocco and Cambodia were taken off the list after
improving their controls. It also said Qatar's technical
compliance with its standards was very strong but the
Gulf state needed to make improvements in its fight
against money laundering, terrorism financing.
Poland sends tanks, Ukraine mourns but vows to fight
Ukrainians paid tribute to fallen on Friday and vowed
to fight on to victory, while Russia said its forces were
making gains in battle in the east as its invasion entered
a second year with no end in sight. Meanwhile, Poland
sent its first four Leopard 2A4 battle tanks to Ukraine
and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius decided
on Friday to hand over another four Leopard 2 A6 battle
tanks from German military stocks to Ukraine.
China calls for peace, proposal falls flat with US, allies
China called for a cease-fire in Ukraine in a bid to portray
itself as a neutral actor that can help end Russia’s year
long war. It was quickly dismissed by Kyiv’s allies as the
conflict enters its second year. Several of the 12 points if
carried out, offer clear benefits to Russia. Nato Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg said, “China doesn’t have
much credibility” considering its failure to condemn
Russia’s war.

Xi Jinping Starts Third Term as China’s President

China's Xi Jinping is set to secure a third term as his

country's head of state on Friday. Xi, who leads the ruling
Communist Party, will become China’s longest-serving
head of state since the Communist victory in 1949
after the country’s 3,000 members of rubber-stamp
legislature formally vests him with another five years as
president on Friday.The annual legislative gathering is
expected to also reappoint Xi as chairman of the Central
Military Commission, a post that makes him chief of
the world’s biggest armed forces in terms of active
personnel. He was already the head of an identical party
body overseeing the People’s Liberation Army.

28
A vice president will be voted into office, too, filling the
role previously occupied by Wang Qishan.69-year-old Xi
Jinping is likely to easily win National People’s Congress
backing to serve five more years. He took all 2,970
ballots cast in 2018, the same year China abolished
constitutional provisions that would’ve prevented
him from getting a third term.His reelection is the
culmination of a remarkable rise in which he has gone
from a relatively little-known party apparatchik to the
leader of a global superpower.
Xi Jinping's rise:
For decades China eschewed one-man rule in favour of
a more consensus-based, but still autocratic, leadership.
That model-imposed term limits on the ceremonial role
of the presidency with Xi's predecessors Jiang Zemin
and Hu Jintao relinquishing power after 10 years in
office.Xi has torn up that rulebook, abolishing term limits
in 2018 and allowing a cult of personality to foster his
all-powerful leadership.
China Resumes Orbital Launches With Zhongxing-26 Satellite
Mission
China has resumed its orbital launches after a
pause for the Chinese New Year festivities, with the
successful launch of the Zhongxing-26 (ChinaSat-26)
communications satellite on February 23.
China's Long March 3B rocket lifted off from Xichang,
southwest China, at 6:49 a.m. Eastern time and
placed the Zhongxing-26 into geosynchronous transfer
orbit. The China Aerospace Science and Technology
Corporation (CASC) confirmed the launch's success
within the hour. The overall cost of the mission was 2.3
billion yuan ($333 million).
The Zhongxing-26 satellite, based on the DFH-4E
satellite bus, is equipped with chemical and electric
propulsion and provides more than 100 gigabits per
second (Gbps). It is China's first satellite capable of
offering this level of performance and was developed
by CASC's China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
The satellite is equipped with 94 Ka-band user beams,
3.5 times more than its predecessor, the Dongfanghong-
3B-based Zhongxing-16 launched in 2017.
His coronation this week sets him up to become modern
China's longest-serving head of state and will mean Xi
will rule well into his seventies and -- if no challenger
emerges -- even longer.
Jinping's challenges
According to the South China Morning Post, it will be
a critical period for both Xi and China as he needs to
put the country back on an economic growth path to
convince the world that China’s unique governance
and development model works and that his ambitious
political legacy is within reach amid intensified rivalry
with the US.
Xi has also faced some challenges, with mass
protests over his zero-Covid policy and its subsequent
abandonment that saw countless people die. Those
issues have been avoided at this week's National
People's Congress (NPC). The lawmakers have focused
instead on a sweeping revamp of Beijing's science
ministry and tech capabilities.
Zhongxing-26 will mainly provide broadband access for
fixed terminals, aviation, and ship-borne users in China
and surrounding areas from 125 degrees East in the
geostationary belt. It is described as an essential piece
of national space infrastructure that helps meet the
country's connectivity requirements.
The launch is the first by China since January 15 and the
fifth Long March launch this calendar year, with CASC
planning to carry out more than 60 launches in 2023.
Various Chinese commercial companies also intend to
add 20 or more launches to the overall figure.The mission
is the first launch of the 56-meter-high Long March 3B
rocket in 2023. The three-stage rocket has four boosters
and uses a hypergolic mix of hydrazine and dinitrogen
tetroxide with a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen third
stage. Despite the Long March 3B's successful mission,
the Long March 7A, touted as a greener, new-generation
launcher, is yet to ramp up its launch rate to replace the
aging Long March 3B. It most recently launched a pair of
classified satellites on January 9, using kerosene-liquid
oxygen and launching from the coast at Wenchang.
29
5. Social, Legal &, Administrative Reforms (Bills, Acts &, Section)
The Rise of the ESG RegulationsIn India
Over the last decade, regulators and corporations around
the world have embraced the idea that businesses
should be measured not just on traditional economic
metrics such as shareholder return, but also by their
environmental impact, commitment to social issues
and the soundness of their corporate governance and
protection of shareholder rights. While this development
is partially due to the belief that companies have a
distinct responsibility as corporate citizens, the main
driver is the realisation that environmental, social and
governance (“ESG”) considerations need to be included
by investors in a company’s risk profile in order to
accurately assess the enterprise. The evolution of ESG
laws and regulations is, however, still at a nascent stage
in India, where the focus is often on providing protections
regarding the environment or workplace conditions
without also incorporating the controls and disclosure
that are a hallmark of contemporary ESG regulation.
How ESG differs from CSR?
India has a robust corporate social responsibility
(CSR) policy that mandates that corporations engage
in initiatives that contribute to the welfare of society.
This mandate was codified into law with the passage
of the 2014 and 2021 amendments to the Companies
Act of 2013. The amendments require companies with
a net worth of ₹500 crore (approximately $60 million)
or a minimum turnover of ₹1,000 crore (approximately
$120 million) or a net profit of ₹5 crore (approximately
$6,05,800) in any given financial year spend at least 2%
of their net profit over the preceding three years on CSR
activities.
ESG regulations, on the other hand, differ in process
and impact. The U.K. Modern Slavery Act, for example,
requires companies with business in the U.K. and with
annual sales of more than £36 million 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; establish internal accountability
procedures; evaluate supplier compliance and to train
supply chain managers regarding these issues. The EU’s
Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation requires
banks, pension funds, asset managers and other financial
market participants to disclose how they have integrated
sustainability risks into their investment decision-
30
making processes. And these are only examples; there
are scores of such regulations at the state, national and
transnational level.
Why is ESG relevant in India?
India has long had a number of laws and bodies regarding
environmental, social and governance issues, including
the Environment Protection Act of 1986, quasi-judicial
organisations such as the National Green Tribunal, a
range of labour codes and laws governing employee
engagement and corporate governance practices. The
penalty for violations can be substantial. In June 2022,
for example, the National Green Tribunal imposed
an ₹520 million ($63.7 million) penalty on the Udupi
Power Corporation Ltd., a subsidiary of a major Indian
conglomerate, for violating environmental laws and
polluting its surroundings.
While these laws and bodies provide important
environmental and social safeguards, new initiatives in
India go further, establishing guidelines that emphasise
monitoring, quantification and disclosure, akin to
ESG requirements found in other parts of the world.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI),
responding to the increase in ESG investing and the
demand by investors for information on ESG risks,
substantially revised the annual Business Responsibility
and Sustainability Report (BRSR) required by the 1,000
largest listed companies in India. SEBI describes the
current report format as a “notable departure” from
previous disclosure requirements, which are aligned
with evolving global standards and place “considerable
emphasis on quantifiable metrics” to allow companies to
engage meaningfully with stakeholders and to enhance
investor decision making. Disclosures range from
greenhouse gas emissions to the company’s gender and
social diversity.
Further legislation regarding ESG are likely, given the
increased emphasis by the Indian government on ESG
issues, which can be seen in India’s more active role in
global climate forums.
What are the implications for Indian companies?
Compliance with ESG regulations — both originating
in India and elsewhere around the world — thus, pose
a significantly different challenge than India’s CSR
regulations. Compliance by Indian companies with
the ESG regulations of the U.S., the U.K., the European
Union 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.
As Indian companies look to expand their ESG risk
management, thorough due diligence will play a key role.
However, this requires more than having sub-suppliers
fill out a questionnaire. Due diligence that can stand
up to scrutiny means going deeper. Depending on the
situation, this can include looking at company records,
interviewing former employees and making discreet
visits to observe operations to ensure that the measures
to comply with international ESG standards are in effect.
his is particularly true when the supplier’s own supply
chains have several layers. Ownership that is obscured
through shell companies can present additional
challenges. Further, ESG due diligence needs to be
supported within the company with detailed procedures
for assessing risks and controls for assuring that no
corners are cut.
Supreme Court Verdict on ECI Appointments
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court Thursday
unanimously ruled that a high-power committee
consisting of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition
in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must pick
the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election
Commissioners (ECs).In 2015, a public interest
litigation was filed by Anoop Baranwal challenging
the constitutional validity of the practice of the Centre
appointing members of the Election Commission. In
October 2018, a two-judge bench of the SC referred
the case to a larger bench since it would require a
close examination of Article 324 of the Constitution,
which deals with the mandate of the Chief Election
Commissioner. The SC had not debated this issue earlier.
In September last year, a five-judge Constitution bench
headed by Justice KM Joseph began hearing the case
and almost a month later, the verdict was reserved.
The Bench also comprised Justices Ajay Rastogi,
Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar.
Article 324(2) reads: “The Election Commission shall
consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such
number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the
President may from time-to-time fix and the appointment
of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election
Companies that wish to maximise their opportunities
in the global economy need to embrace these new
requirements and adjust their organisations accordingly.
The evolution of ESG laws and regulations is still at
a nascent stage in India, where the focus is often
on providing protections regarding the environment
or workplace conditions without also incorporating
the controls and disclosure that are a hallmark of
contemporary ESG regulation.The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI), responding to the
increase in ESG investing and the demand by investors
for information on ESG risks, substantially revised the
annual Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report
(BRSR) required by the 1,000 largest listed companies in
India.Further legislation regarding ESG are likely, given
the increased emphasis by the Indian government on
ESG issues, which can be seen in India’s more active role
in global climate forums.
Commissioners shall, subject to the provisions of any
law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the
President.”
The crux of the challenge is that since there is no law
made by Parliament on this issue, the Court must step in
to fill the “constitutional vacuum.” This examination also
leads to the larger question of separation of powers and
if the judiciary is overstepping its role in filling this gap in
the law.Two corollary issues that were also examined by
the Court are whether the process of removal of the two
Election Commissioners must be the same as the CEC;
and regarding the funding of the EC.
31
As per the current process, the Law Minister suggests
a pool of suitable candidates to the Prime Minister for
consideration. The President makes the appointment on
the advice of the PM.
What did the court decide?
Justice Joseph authored the majority opinion while
Justice Rastogi authored a separate opinion agreeing
with the majority view.“The appointment of the Chief
Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners
shall be made by the President on the advice of a
Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader
of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha, and in case no leader
of Opposition is available, the leader of the largest
opposition Party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical
strength, and the Chief Justice of India,” the verdict
states.“We make it clear that this will be subject to any
law to be made by Parliament,” the court added.This
means that Parliament can undo the effect of the SC
verdict by bringing in a new law on the issue.
How did the court arrive at the verdict?
The Court’s verdict is based on a reading of the debates
of the Constituent Assembly to ascertain what the
founding members of the Constitution envisaged
the process to be and an interpretation of similar
provisions in the Constitution.The verdict states that
a “golden thread runs through” the proceedings of the
Constituent Assembly debates on the provision. “All
the Members were of the clear view that elections must
be conducted by an independent Commission. It was a
radical departure from the regime prevailing under the
Government of India Act, 1935,” the verdict states.
The deliberate addition of the words “subject to the
provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament”
after prolonged discussions, according to the court,
indicate that “what the Founding Fathers clearly
contemplated and intended was, that Parliament would
step in and provide norms, which would govern the
appointment to such a uniquely important post as the
post of Chief Election Commissioner and the Election
Commissioners.”
The ruling examined a number of provisions in the
Constitution, including the ones relating to the powers of
the Supreme Court and High Court; establishing the SC,
ST and Backward Classes Commissions, etc. where the
32
Constitution uses the phrase “subject to the provisions
of any law made by Parliament”. The Court finds that
while a legislation has been supplemented for those
provisions, there is no law on appointment of the CEC
even 70 years after independence.
“It is equally clear that Article 324 has a unique
background. The Founding Fathers clearly contemplated
a law by Parliament and did not intend the executive
exclusively calling the shots in the matter of appointments
to the Election Commission. Seven decades have passed
by. Political dispensations of varying hues, which have
held the reigns of power have not unnaturally introduced
a law. A law could not be one to perpetuate what is
already permitted namely appointment at the absolute
and sole discretion of the Executive,” the court said.
What was the government’s stand?
The government argued that “in the absence of such a
law, the President has the constitutional power.” The
government has essentially asked the court to exhibit
judicial restraint.The court in its ruling discusses at
length its intention to “maintain a delicate balance” on
separation of powers.
What are the other findings of the court?
On the issue of whether the process of removal of
Election Commissioners must be the same as it is for
the CEC, the Court ruled that it cannot be the same. The
Constitution states that the CEC can be removed in a
process similar to a judge — through a majority in both
houses of Parliament on grounds of proven incapacity or
misbehaviour.
“It may be true that there is equality otherwise, which
exists between the Chief Election Commissioner and
the Election Commissioners in various matters dealt
with under the Act. However, we must bear in mind, in
law, Article 324 is inoperable without the Chief Election
Commissioner,” the Court said.
On the issue of funding the EC, the Court left it to the
government. “We would only make an appeal on the basis
that there is an urgent need to provide for a permanent
Secretariat and also to provide that the expenditure be
charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and it is for
the Union of India to seriously consider bringing in the
much-needed changes,” the ruling stated.
Centre to Reconsider ‘Safe Harbour’ Clause in IT Law
The Union government on Thursday formally outlined
the Digital India Act, 2023 which is a broad overhaul
of the decades-old Information Technology Act, 2000.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics
and Information Technology, announced the changes in
a presentation in Bengaluru.
The government is reconsidering a key aspect of
cyberspace — ‘safe harbour’, which is the principle
that so-called ‘intermediaries’ on the internet are not
responsible for what third parties post on their website.
This is the principle that allows social media platforms to
avoid liability for posts made by users.
Safe harbour has been reined in in recent years
by regulations like the Information Technology
(Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021, which require platforms to take down posts
when ordered to do so by the government, or when
required by law.
From the 2000s onward, Mr. Chandrasekhar said,
platforms for which safe harbour was applied as a
concept “have now morphed into multiple types of
participants and platforms on the internet, functionally
very different from each other, and requiring different
types of guardrails and regulatory requirements.”
Constitutional protections
Mr. Chandrasekhar also signalled that social media
platforms’ own moderation policies may now take a
backseat to constitutional protections for freedom of
expression. “Fundamental speech rights cannot be
violated by any platform,” the Minister said, “but there is
certainly a case that can be made that weaponisation of
disinformation is not the same as free speech, and that
needs to be addressed.”
An October 2022 amendment to the IT Rules, 2021 says
that platforms must respect users’ free speech rights.
Three Grievance Appellate Committees have now been
established to take up content complaints by social
media users. Since the appellate committee portal’s
launch on March 1, seventeen appeals have already
been filed, according to the website’s dashboard.
A slew of such digital legislation is now likely to be
subsumed into the Digital India Act, the Minister
indicated.
Online safety
The Minister highlighted other aspects that the Digital
India Act would cover, such as Artificial Intelligence
(AI), deepfakes, cybercrime, competition issues among
internet platforms, and data protection. The government
put out a draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill last
year, and Mr. Chandrasekhar said that it would be one of
the four prongs of the Digital India Act, with the National
Data Governance Policy and amendments to the Indian
Penal Code being others, along with rules formulated
under the Digital India Act. A new “adjudicatory
mechanism” for criminal and civil offences committed
online would come into place, Mr. Chandrasekhar said.
An amendment to the Companies Act, 2002 may also be
required, he said in his presentation.
The government will hold multiple rounds of consultations
with the public and industry stakeholders to arrive
first at the principles for this Act, and subsequently to
iron out a draft that will be put out by the Ministry, Mr.
Chandrasekhar said, pointing out that “the internet and
the tech ecosystem in general has evolved significantly
since 2000, when the IT Act first came into being.”
The Minister declined to provide a timeline for when the
draft would be introduced in Parliament. “We want to
make sure that [the Bill] is extensively consulted, that
anybody who has any misgivings” or with inputs would
be consulted, he said. “We will criss-cross the country
and do this consultation. If it takes another five months,
so be it,” he added.
33
Centre Places Inter-Services Organisations Bill
The commander-in-chief and officer-in-command of the
inter-services organisations will soon be able to exercise
control over all the personnel serving/attached under
their command but belonging to different services. The
government has introduced a bill titled ‘Inter-services
Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill’ in
the Lok Sabha to this effect.
The proposed Bill will essentially empower the Heads
of the Inter-services Organisations to exercise effective
command, control and discipline on all personnel of
regular Air force, Army and Navy and to persons of
other, who are serving in or attached to an Inter-services
Organisation, without amending the respective Acts.
Joint command
The bill will empower the central government to constitute
Inter-services Organisation. Such an organisation may
include a joint services command — comprising of units
or service personnel of Air Force, Army and Navy. They
may be placed under the command of the Commander-
in-Chief or the Officer-in-Command. Power under the
bill will also be available to Inter-services Organisations
constituted before the commencement of new law.
Presently, the service personnel of Air Force, Army and
Navy are governed by the provisions of the Air Force Act,
1950, the Army Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957. Only
officers of the respective services are empowered to
exercise disciplinary powers over the service personnel
under the respective Service Acts.
6. New Government Policies &, Initiatives
Government of India Launches National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for Prevention
and Control of Rabies
The Central Government has
launched the National Rabies Control
Programme (NRCP) for prevention and
control of Rabies. As per information
received from National Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare, the
Strategies of the National Rabies
Control Program are as follows:
 Provision of rabies vaccine & rabies
immunoglobulin through national
free drug initiatives
34
This has a direct impact on command, control and
discipline of the Inter-services Organisations like
Andaman and Nicobar Command or Defence Space
Agency, and joint training establishment like National
Defence Academy or National Defence College, as the
Commander-in-Chief or Officer-in-Command of such
Inter-services Organisations are not empowered to
exercise disciplinary or administrative powers over the
personnel belonging to other services.
As a result, the personnel serving in the Inter-services
Organisations need to be reverted to their parent
Service units for any disciplinary or administrative
action. This is not only time consuming, but also has
financial implications relating to the movement of the
personnel. The problem becomes more cumbersome
when the proceedings arise from the same set of facts
and circumstances but involves personnel belonging
to different services. As a result, multiple sets of
proceedings under the respective Service Acts are
required to be initiated, which impedes expeditious
disposal of cases, thereby affecting the standard of
discipline.The current bill once enacted will solve this
problem.The bill also provides that the service personnel
will continue to be governed by their respective Service
Acts for the purposes of disciplinary or administrative
action, if any, when serving in or attached to an Inter-
services Organisation.
 Training on appropriate animal bite
management, prevention and control of rabies,
surveillance and intersectoral coordination
 Strengthening surveillance of animal bites and

rabies deaths reporting

 Creating awareness about rabies prevention

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has

also requested the concerned authorities to take
appropriate action and to effectively implement
the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 to
control the dog population.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry
of Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying,
Government of India jointly launched ‘National
Action Plan For Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination
(NAPRE) from India by 2030’. The stray dog
population control and management of the stray
dogs is the mandate of the local bodies. The Central
Government has framed the Animal Birth Control
(Dogs) Rules, 2023 which is to be implemented by infected animals such as dogs, cats, and monkeys.
the local authority to control the population of stray dogs. Transmission occurs when an infected animal bites a
The main focus of the rules is on anti-rabies vaccination person, depositing the virus in the wound.The disease
of stray dogs and neutering of stray dogs as means of is typically fatal if clinical symptoms appear, with death
population stabilization.Further, as per the directions of occurring within 4-14 days due to cardio-respiratory
the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its interim orders failure.Domestic dogs are responsible for the majority of
dated 18.11.2015 & 9.3.2016 in SLP No.691 of 2009, human rabies cases, and the incubation period can vary
AWBI Vs P.E.S.T &Ors directed all the State Governments from 1 week to 1 year or even longer, typically lasting
to implement the ABC (Dogs) Rules, 2001 diligently to 2-3 months.
control the stray dog population, to constitute the State Preventive measures include vaccinating pets, avoiding
Level Monitoring Committee & District Level Monitoring contact with wildlife, and seeking prompt medical
Committee to address the issues related to stray dogs care after potential exposure to the virus.Initial signs
in the respective local bodies. Accordingly, the Animal of rabies, which can last several days, include flu-like
Welfare Board of India has also forwarded a revised symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting,
module to all the State Governments regarding the anxiety, confusion, hyperactivity, difficulty swallowing,
proper implementation of the Animal Birth Control excessive salivation, hallucinations, and insomnia.On
programme. In addition, the Animal Welfare Board of the 28th of September each year, World Rabies Day is
India has issued following advisories / guidelines for observed to increase awareness about the impact of
proper implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules. rabies virus disease and methods to prevent it.
Rabies is a viral infection that can be prevented by
vaccination and is transmitted through the saliva of

35
‘SWAYATT’ Proving a Huge Success, Promoting Start-Ups on GeM

‘SWAYATT’, an initiative to promote start-ups, women

and youth advantage through e-Transactions on GeM,
has been a huge success, which the government
e-Marketplace (GeM) commemorated in a function.
SWAYATT is an initiative to promote start-ups, women
and youth advantage through e-Transactions on
government e Marketplace (GeM). Here, it is worth-
mentioning that the GeM encourages social and financial
inclusion by registering more than 8.5 lakh Micro and
Small Enterprises (MSEs) on GeM portal and MSEs on
GeM secure business worth over Rs. 1.87 lakh crore
spread across 68 lakh+ orders.
SWAYATT first launched in 2019
Registration of more than 8.5 lakh MSEs
The initiative to promote ‘Start-ups, Women and Youth
Radha S Chauhan, Secretary, Ministry of Personnel and
Advantage Through eTransactions’ (SWAYATT) on GeM
Training was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Addressing
was first launched in February 2019. The intent of
the gathering, P.K. Singh, CEO, GeM informed the house
SWAYATT 2019 was to promote inclusiveness of various
about the progress made so far in promoting social and
categories of sellers and service providers on the portal,
financial inclusion by way of registering more than 8.5
by taking proactive steps to facilitate their training and
lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) on GeM portal,
registrations of such specific category of manufacturers
who have been able to get business of over Rs. 1.87
and sellers, develop women entrepreneurship and
lakh crore spread across 68 lakh+ orders. Singh further
encourage participation of MSME sector and start-ups in
informed that more than 1.45 lakh women MSEs have
public procurement.
fulfilled 7.32 lakh orders worth 15, 922 crore and approx.
GeM is a section 8 company setup under the
43K SC/ST MSEs have delivered 1.35 lakh+ order worth
administrative control of the Department of Commerce,
2,592 crore on the GeM portal so far.
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for procurement
Presence of MSEs increasing
of goods and services by Central Ministries, State
The efforts of the GeM in ramping up the presence of
Departments, PSEs and Autonomous Bodies. Social
the under-served seller groups such as MSEs, women,
inclusion is a core value at GeM and is focused on
divyangjan and tribal entrepreneurs, startups, self-help
increasing participation from under-served sellers who
groups, artisan and weavers etc. and giving them direct
face challenges in public procurement.
access to the government procurement. She also noted
The event was attended by representatives from
that the journey of GeM order book from Rs. 422 lakh
Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA-Bharat),
crore in 2016-17 to the current Rs.1.70 lakh crore, upto
National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), and Small
February, 2023, has been nothing short of a miracle and
Farmers Agri Consortium (SFAC), Sellers representing
could not have been possible without the untiring efforts
Start up space, FPOs, women entrepreneurs and youth
of the entire team at GeM.
along with senior officials of the GeM.

36
Pilgrim Announces Its First ESOP Scheme
One of India’s fastest-growing D2C personal care
brands, Pilgrim, today announced its first-ever ESOP
scheme. As a young and successful D2C beauty brand
founded in 2019, Pilgrim becomes one of the very few
companies that have earmarked a double-digit (10%) of
its shares to the ESOP pool for 100% of its employees
so early on in its journey. Employees who have spent
a year (12 months) in the company (approximately 30
in number) will be able to benefit from this scheme.
With this announcement, Pilgrim aims to acknowledge,
celebrate, and reward the relentless efforts of the
employees who’ve led the brand to stellar growth over
the last 3.5 years, along with driving wealth creation.
With a strong focus on employee well-being and hence
benefits, Pilgrim has seen its employee-benefit-centric
expenses grow 2.5x in the last 12 months. It has also
doubled its employee strength in the same time period.
Gagandeep Makker, the Co-Founder of Pilgrim, added,
“At Pilgrim, we are committed to solving hair and skin
concerns of the consumers by discovering and bringing
India Joins the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate
The United States welcomed the announcement by
India that it will join the Agriculture Innovation Mission
for Climate, according to the press statement from the
US Department of State.
US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth,
Energy and the Environment Jose W Fernandez
who was in Abu Dhabi for the I2U2 Business Forum
welcomed the Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu
Ravi in the Ministry of External Affairs signing a letter
expressing the Indian Government's intention to join
the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C).
Earlier on Wednesday, Ravi attended India-Israel-UAE-
US (I2U2) Sherpas meeting held in Abu Dhabi.During
the meeting, Sherpas reiterated their commitment to
the I2U2 partnership and reviewed progress in all the
existing and prospective I2U2 projects.I2U2 Grouping
was conceptualized during the meeting of the Foreign
Ministers of the four countries held on 18 October
2021.Each country also has Sherpa-level interactions
regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation.
It is also referred to as the 'West Asian Quad' and was
the best of beauty secrets from around the world. We
have seen exponential growth in this journey - this would
not have been possible without the relentless efforts of
our employees. We feel honoured to have their support
- some of whom have been with us since day zero and
placed immense trust in us. The ESOP scheme is our
way of showing gratitude and enabling them with future
growth opportunities. We will continue to build towards
employee well-being and, with their support, continue to
build Pilgrim as one of the fastest-growing D2C personal
care brands.”
Founded in 2019, Pilgrim is on an accelerated growth
trajectory, eyeing 3x the current run rate in 2023. Pilgrim
aims to empower employees to be a part of the company’s
growth journey with the ESOP scheme and experience
professional as well as financial growth opportunities. It
aims to instill a sense of pride and ownership in brand
building and growth. The ESOP scheme will be offered
to the employees at face value and over and above their
competitive salaries.
referred to as the 'International Forum for Economic
Cooperation back in 2021.I2U2 is aimed to encourage
joint investments in six mutually identified areas - Water,
Energy, Transportation, Space, Health and Food security.
It intends to mobilise private sector capital and expertise
to help modernize the infrastructure, and low-carbon
development pathways for our industries, improve
public health and promote the development of critical
emerging and green technologies.
Technology is a prominent area in all the partner
countries. Israel and India are having widening start-
up ecosystems in their respective countries. UAE is
also looking to divert from an oil-based economy to a
technology-based economy.Food security is an area
where these countries can work together to reduce
the consequences of food shortage issues. Security
and defence cooperation is also of prime importance
to the grouping.India and the US are already members
of the QUAD and India has individual bilateral defence
cooperation with each country. The I2U2 can give a
boost to trade and connectivity among the partners.
37
7. Economic News (Budget, Economic Survey, RBI)
Parliament Passes Finance Bill After Lok Sabha Approves Amendment
Recommended by Rajya Sabha

The Finance Bill 2023 was been passed

in Lok Sabha without a discussion and
the House was adjourned to meet again
on March 27.Moving amendments to the
Finance Bill, Nirmala Sitharaman said,
“It has been represented that payments
for foreign tours through credit cards are
not being captured under the Liberalised
Remittance Scheme (LRS) & they escape
tax collection at source. The Reserve
Bank of India is being requested to
look into this with a view to bring credit
card payments for foreign tours within
the ambit of LRS and tax collection at
source thereon.”Withholding tax on
to them,” he added.
royalties and technical services fee may increase cost of
In a move that will assuage unit holders of REITs (Real
technology import. The withholding tax rate on royalties
Estate Investment Trusts) and InvITs (Infrastructure
and fee for technical services paid to non-residents
Investment Trusts), the government has tweaked the
has been raised from 10% to 20%. “This may increase
Budget proposal to tax distribution from business trust
the cost of import of technology in cases where Indian
as income from other sources . “This is now proposed
companies are grossing up withholding taxes and any
to be treated as return of capital by reducing the cost of
bilateral tax treaty benefits are not available,” said Gouri
acquisition of the units, as far as the issue price of the
Puri, partner at ShardulAmarchandMangaldas& Co.
units. Any amount received in excess of the issue price
GST Appellate Tribunals to be set up across country
would be taxable as income,” the Ministry explained.
The Finance Bill has paved the way for setting up GST
Stakeholders concern on Angel Tax provisions to be
Appellate Tribunals across the country, with a principal
addressed for startup investments
bench in New Delhi and several State benches. The
While there have been no changes made to the Budget’s
Tribunal will be headed by a former Supreme Court judge
Angel Tax provisions for investments in startups,
or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
the Finance Ministry has said all concerns raised by
The measure will have the intended effect of curbing
stakeholders in implementation of this proposal would
excessive F&O trades only in flat or range-bound markets
be addressed. “The draft rules related to valuation shall
as when markets are volatile, traders will hope to offset
be shared with the stakeholders for their inputs in April
the higher tax by higher payoffs, Mr. Jasani explained.
itself, and exclusions, currently provided to domestic
Increase in STT to discourgae excessive trade in F&O
Venture Capital Funds etc, shall also be considered for
“While the proposed increase in STT will shore up
similar overseas entities,” the Ministry assured.
revenues of the Govt to a certain extent, the main idea
This will impact all mutual funds that offer schemes
behind this could be to discourage the excessive trade in
with nomenclatures such as conservative hybrid funds,
F&O segment where a large number of retail traders end
that invest predominantly in debt but have an equity
up losing money as per a recent SEBI study,” Deepak
exposure of up to 35% in their portfolios.
Jasani, head of retail research at HDFC Securities told
The Hindu. “An incidental effect of this could be shifting
Tax on debt mutual funds
the F&O trades to SGX, Gift and other locations that do
Income from debt mutual funds that invest up to 35% in
not attract such taxes for participants who have access
equity shares of domestic companies will be taxable at

38
applicable rate since income from equities in such funds
do not constitute interest income.
Securities Transaction Tax raised on F&O contracts
from April 1
The Government is raising the Securities Transaction
Tax (STT) on futures and options contracts in the stock
India’s Per Capita Income Doubles from 2014-15, but Wealth
Unevenly Spread
India’s per capita net national income (at current
prices) for 2022-23 stands at INR 172,000, according
to estimates from the National Statistical Office (NSO).
This marks an almost 100 percent increase from the
per capita income in 2014-15 – INR 86,647 – when
the Narendra Modi government first came to power.
Per capita incomes dipped during the outbreak of
COVID-19, but picked up in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Yet, why have Indians not been feeling much wealthier?
That’s because wealth distribution across India’s 1.4
billion population remains highly skewed. Per capita
income is commonly understood as the average income
of a person in a specific area, a number that is reached
by dividing total area income by its total population. So
when the average income of some population segments
increase, it inflates the per capita income.
What is India’s per capita income in real terms?
When accounting for constant prices [2011-12 prices],
India’s per capita net national income (NNI) (in real
terms), increased by about 35 percent from INR
72,805 in 2014-15 to INR 98,118 in 2022-23.NNI is
an indicator of the total economic activity in a country,
and is defined by the OECD as gross national income
minus the depreciation of fixed capital assets (dwellings,
buildings, machinery, transport equipment and physical
infrastructure) through wear and tear and obsolescence.
The below table from the NSO shows India’s per capita
gross domestic income (GDP), per capital gross national
income (GNI), and the per capita private financial
consumption expenditure (PFCE) at 2011-12 prices
between 2020-21 and 2022-23.
India's per capita income in nominal terms doubled to
Rs 1,72,000 since 2014-15 when the Narendra Modi-
led NDA came to power but uneven income distribution
remains a challenge.
As per the National Statistical Office (NSO), the annual
per capita (net national income) at current prices is
market from April 1, 2023, and changes to this effect
were brought into the Finance Bill cleared by the Lok
Sabha today. Options contracts will now attract 0.021%
STT from 0.017% earlier and futures will attract a levy of
0.0125%, up from 0.01%.
estimated at Rs 1,72,000 in 2022-23, up from Rs 86,647
in 2014-15, suggesting an increase of about 99 per cent.
In real terms (constant prices), the per capita income
has increased by about 35 per cent from Rs 72,805 in
2014-15 to Rs 98,118 in 2022-23.
As per the NSO data, the per capita income dipped
during the Covid period, both in real and nominal terms.
However, it has picked up in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Former director of premier economic research institute
NIPFP Pinaki Chakraborty said as per the World
Development Indicator data base, average growth of
India's per-capita income in real term for the period from
2014 to 2019 was 5.6 per cent per annum.
The Modi government has taken several pro-poor
initiatives, and is trying to ensure benefits of government
schemes reach the needy people directly. The measures
include a mega financial inclusion drive like opening
Jandhan accounts and MUDRA loan scheme; focus on
digitisation; and free distribution of ration under Right to
Food programme.Nagesh Kumar, Director, Institute for
Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), said per capita
incomes have increased in real terms and they do reflect
rising prosperity.
Kumar further said India continues to be the bright spot
in the world economy.It is poised to remain the fastest
growing major economy in the medium term despite
the headwinds arising from the Ukraine war and other
uncertainties as many countries in the world are in the
grip of recession and many others are reeling under the
debt crisis in the aftermath of the Ukraine war, he added.
According to IMF projections, India has overtaken the
UK to become the world's fifth-largest economy and is
now behind only the US, China, Japan and Germany. A
decade back, India was ranked 11th among the large
economies while the UK was at the fifth position.
39
8. Nouns in NEWS (Person, Place &, Things)
Sameer Khakhar

Actor Sameer Khakhar, best known for playing the

lovable drunk Khopdi in the classic 1980s TV serial
"Nukkad", died at a hospital here in the early hours of
Wednesday due to multiple organ failure.The actor, who
was most recently seen in the Prime Video series "Farzi"
and moved to the US in the 1990s for a few years to
become a software developer, was 71.Sameer Khakhar
was admitted to MM Hospital in Borivali in suburban
Mumbai on Tuesday morning following respiratory
issues, his younger brother Ganesh Khakhar told PTI."He
had respiratory problems since yesterday and later
became unconscious. We called the doctor at home
and were asked to hospitalise him. He was admitted to
the intensive care unit of MM Hospital," he said."Slowly
and gradually, he suffered multiple organ failure. He
Sameer Khakhar's notable works include TV show
was unconscious and then he collapsed. He passed
"Circus", "ShrimaanShrimati" and films such as "Parinda",
away at 4.30 am today," Ganesh Khakhar added.The last
Salman Khan-starrer "Jai Ho", Sidharth Malhotra and
rites were conducted at a Borivali crematorium in the
Parineeti Chopra's "HaseeTohPhasee", Sudhir Mishra-
presence of his family and some friends from Sameer
directed "Serious Men", and Vikas Bahl's web series
Khakhar days in Gujarati theatre.
"Sunflower".Filmmaker Hansal Mehta thanked Sameer
Khakhar for the memories of Khopdi.

Satish Kaushik
Bollywood actor and director Satish
Chandra Kaushik has passed away.
His close friend and co-actor Anupam
Kher broke the heartbreaking news on
Twitter. He was 67.Veteran Bollywood
actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik
passed away at 67 years of age, late
on Wednesday, March 8. His friend
and another legendary actor Anupam
Kher shared the news in a tweet early
Thursday. Born in Haryana, Kaushik
was an alumnus of the National School gave sterling performances in other films such as Ram
of Drama (NSD) and Film and Television Institute of India Lakhan and SaajanChaleSasural.He directed Sridevi's
(FTII) and started his film career in the early 1980s. films Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja and later Prem, both
Kaushik penned the dialogues for Kundan Shah’s 1983 box-office disasters, but he got his big hit with Hum
comedy classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, which acquired AapkeDil Me Rehte Hain and alsoTere Naam, among
a cult following over the years. He is known for his many others. Among his upcoming films is Kangana
comic roles as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, 'Pappu Pager' in Ranaut's Emergency.
Deewana Mastana among many others. Kaushik also

40
Mehul Choksi
Interpol, the global police body, has removed the red
notice against Mehul Choksi, a fugitive wanted by India
in the USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case.
However, the Interpol red notice removal doesn't affect
India's investigations or extradition request.
In a major setback to Indian agencies, the Interpol has
taken down from its website the Red Notice against
fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who is wanted
in connection with the ₹13,578-crore Punjab National
Bank fraud cases.The Interpol took the decision following
a representation by Mr. Choksi, who has been declared a
fugitive by an Indian court, based on its reported finding
that there was a possibility that Mr. Choksi’s abduction
was done with the purpose of getting him back to India.
In January 2018, Mr. Choksi had left the country along
with his close relatives, including his nephew and co-
accused Nirav Modi, days before the Central Bureau
of Investigation registered the first case related to the
scam. It later turned out that he had taken the citizenship
of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017.
In Antigua, Mr. Choksi has been fighting two cases
related to his citizenship and India’s request for his
extradition to face criminal trial. He has also submitted
an affidavit before the High Court there alleging that in
May 2021, he was abducted and forcibly taken from
Antigua to Dominica in a boat in which there were two
men of Indian origin. He was made to speak on a mobile
phone with someone who told him to return to India from
Dominica or else face serious consequences, as alleged,
adding that he was beaten repeatedly. Apart from the
clearance. Mr. Modi’s plea for not allowing his extradition
duo, three more — including one Hungarian woman —
on the grounds of his mental health and the “vague and
had emerged as suspects, as reported.
sketchy” assurances from the Government of India
Mr. Modi has been languishing in London’s Wandsworth
about the medical aid to be made available to him in the
Jail. In November last year, the United Kingdom’s High
Mumbai jail was turned down. On August 2021, another
Court had turned down his appeal against the District
U.K. court had permitted him to move an appeal on two
Court judgment, based on which the then Secretary of
grounds, including the issue of mental health.
State had on April 15, 2021, ordered his extradition to
India. However, the U.K. authorities are yet to give a final

41
Interpol:
 The International Criminal Police Organisation
(Interpol) was set up in 1923, as a secure information-
sharing platform that facilitates criminal investigation
of police forces across the globe through collection
and dissemination of information received from
various police forces.
 It is headquartered in Lyon, France.
 Interpol has 195 member countries.
 India became member since 15th October 1949.
 It keeps track of the movements of criminals and those
under the police radar in various regions and tips off
police forces which had either sought the Interpol’s
assistance or which in its opinion will benefit from the
particulars available with it.
 It aims to promote the widest-possible mutual
assistance between criminal police forces.
 All contact of a country’s law enforcement agency
with Interpol is through the highest investigating body
of the land.
 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) assumes
this role in India with one of its senior officers heading
its exclusive Interwing (the National Central Bureaus)
for collation of information and liaison with the world
body.

9. Important International/National Reports and Indices

World Happiness Report 2023

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

released the World Happiness Report 2023 which ranks
countries on happiness.
World Happiness Report
 Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has been

released annually around March 20th as part of the

International Day of Happiness celebration.
 The report ranks global happiness basis survey data

from people in over 150 countries.

 This year, the report ranked 136 countries.

 The ranking uses six key factors to measure happiness

— social support, income, health, freedom, generosity,

and absence of corruption.
 Besides ranking the countries, the report also looks at

the state of the world in 2023.

Top Performers
For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been crowned as
the happiest nation, Denmark is at number two, followed
by Iceland at number three.Unlike previous years, where
the same countries tend to appear in the top 20, there’s
a new entrant this year — Lithuania (at the 20th spot).
Worst Performers
Afghanistan was ranked as the unhappiest nation,
followed by Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe,
respectively.
India’s Performance
 India ranks at 126th position out of 137 countries,
making it one of the least happy countries in the world.
 In 2022, India ranked 136th position out of 146
countries.
 It even lags behind its neighbouring nations like
Nepal, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Numerous factors contribute to the persistent
unhappiness of the nation, including
 Rapid urbanization and congestion in cities
 Declining incomes and unemployment
 Unfavourable perceptions about corruption in the
country
 Rising costs of healthcare
 Women’s safety
 Environmental pollution
 Poor mental well-being
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN):
In 2012, the UN SDSN was launched under the auspices
of the UN Secretary-General.SDSN promotes integrated
approaches to implement the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate
Change, through education, research, policy analysis,
and global cooperation.

42
‘Significant Human Rights Issues in India’, Says US State Dept’s
Annual Report

The US state department said a lack of accountability

for official misconduct contributed to impunity in
addressing India’s adverse human rights situation, even
as a senior official said that Washington has always
urged New Delhi to uphold its obligations.The 2022 US
country report on human rights practices was released
on Monday, compiled by the State Department’s Bureau
of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour to submit to
the US Congress.
At a press conference, the acting assistant secretary for
the Bureau Of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour,
Erin Barclay, was asked a question about the concerns
over India’s human rights violations, as well as the
income tax survey on the BBC office after the broadcast
of a documentary on Gujarat riots.She stated that the
the human rights situation in the United States.Echoing
US and India “regularly consult at the highest levels on
similar concerns about the role of government officers,
democracy and human rights issues”. “We have, and we
the country report on India said, “A lack of accountability
will continue to strongly urge India to uphold its human
for official misconduct persisted at all levels of the
rights obligations and commitments,” she added.She
government, contributing to widespread impunity. Lax
added that the Indian government should also consult
enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and
with civil society regularly, just as the US government
an overburdened and under-resourced court system
does in both the “US and in India to hear their
contributed to a low number of convictions.”
perspectives and learn from their experiences.”While
The US state department’s report quoted the
not directly condemning the BBC tax raid, she claimed
international NGO Human Rights Watch’s 2022 report
that India had been told about the US’s support for free
that said Indian authorities “continued to intimidate
press worldwide. “On the BBC issue, we’re, of course,
and harass journalists and news outlets critical of the
aware of the BBC issues, and we will continue to support
government through politically motivated lawsuits and
free press around the world and have communicated the
tax raids”.It said that instances of online and mobile
same.”
harassment, and internet ‘trolling’ continued to rise. “In
The US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, had said,
some instances, police used information provided by
earlier this month, that human rights issues figured
anonymous social media users as a pretext to initiate
in a bilateral meeting with external affairs minister S.
criminal proceedings against journalists,” it said.
Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers’
Further, the document noted that there were “reports
meeting.In 2022, Blinken twice raised concerns about
the government or its agents committed arbitrary
human rights issues in India. He had specifically referred
or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings
to the rise in human rights abuses “by some government,
of suspected criminals and terrorists”. It added that
police and prison officials”. In retaliation, the Union
prisoners or detainees were reported to have been killed
government had said that it also had trepidation about
or died in police and judicial custody.

43
Global Terrorism Index 2023
Afghanistan remains the country most impacted by
terrorism for the fourth consecutive year, despite attacks
and deaths falling by 75 per cent and 58 per cent,
respectively, the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI)
report showed on Tuesday. However, the report stressed
that it “does not include acts of state repression and
violence by state actors and, as such, acts committed
by the Taliban are no longer included in the scope of the
report since they took control of the government.”
India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a marginal
decrease from the previous year. In spite of being
among the 25 worst-hit nations on the index, Indian
respondents desisted from selecting war and terrorism
as the biggest threat to their daily safety.
As per the GTI, Afghanistan recorded 633 fatalities in
2022, despite terrorism-related deaths declining by 866
in 2022.Globally, deaths from terrorism fell by nine per
cent to 6,701 deaths, marking a 38 per cent decrease
from its peak in 2015. The fall in deaths was mirrored
by a reduction in the number of incidents. However,
if Afghanistan was removed from the index, terrorism
deaths would have increased by four per cent.
South Asia found to be region with worst GTI score
Another stagnant trend showed that South Asia remains
the region with the worst average GTI score.“The
region recorded 1,354 deaths from terrorism in 2022, a
decrease of 30 per cent when compared to the previous
year; however, if the improvement in Afghanistan was
SIPRI: India world’s largest arms importer for last five years
Faced by two hostile neighbours namely China and
Pakistan, India continued to be the world’s largest
arms importer for the last five years. Moreover, Russia,
France and Israel were the main exporters of weapons
and allied equipment to India, the annual report of the
prestigious Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday. The second biggest
importer is Saudi Arabia.
Noting these two points, the Swedish think tank also
said even though Indian remained the biggest importer
from 2018-2022 its imports dipped by 11% between
2013–17 and 2018–22.
Among the exporters of weapons to India, Russia was
the largest supplier of arms to India in both 2013–17
and 2018–22, but its share of total Indian arms imports
44
excluded, then terrorism deaths would have increased
by 71 per cent,” the report read.
Pakistan saw a significant increase in terror-related
deaths, logging a 120 per cent increase from the previous
year.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan remain amongst the ten
countries most affected by terrorism in 2022, with
deaths in Pakistan rising significantly to 643, a 120 per
cent increase from 292 deaths in 2021. The BLA were
responsible for a third of these deaths in Pakistan, a
ninefold increase from the prior year, making it the
fastest growing terrorist group in the world,” said the
report.
IS and its affiliated emerge as deadliest terror group
worldwide
“The deadliest terrorist groups in the world in 2022
were Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, followed by al-
Shabaab, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Jamaat
Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)”, indicated the
GTI.
It added, “IS remained the deadliest terror group
globally for the eighth consecutive year, recording the
most attacks and deaths of any group in 2022. Despite
this, terrorism deaths attributed to IS and its affiliate
groups, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISK), Islamic
State – Sinai Province (ISS) and Islamic State West Africa
(ISWA), declined by 16 per cent.”
fell from 64% to 45% while France emerged as the
second largest supplier between 2018-22, the SIPRI
report said. As per latest SIPRI data, among the top 10
arms exporters for the period 2018-22, India was the
biggest arms export market to three countries — Russia,
France and Israel and the second largest export market
to South Korea. India was also the third largest market
for South Africa which was ranked 21 in the list of arms
exporters.
Russia accounted for 45% is India’s imports followed by
France (29%) and the US (11%). At the same time, India
was the third largest arms supplier to Myanmar after
Russia and China accounting for 14% of its imports.
“India’s tensions with Pakistan and China largely drive
its demand for arms imports. With an 11% share of
total global arms imports, India was the world’s biggest
importer of major arms in 2018–22, a position it has
held for the period 1993–2022. It retained this position
even though its arms imports dropped by 11% between
2013–17 and 2018–22,” the SIPRI said.“The decrease
can be attributed to several factors including India’s
slow and complex arms procurement process, efforts
to diversify its arms suppliers, and attempts to replace
imports with major arms that are designed and produced
domestically.”The report noted that Russia’s position
as India’s main arms supplier is under pressure due to
strong competition from other supplier states, increased
Indian arms production and, since 2022, the above-
mentioned constraints on Russia’s arms exports related
to its invasion of Ukraine.
“India’s arms imports from France, which included 62
combat aircraft and four submarines, increased by 489%
between 2013–17 and 2018–22. France therefore
displaced the USA to become the second largest supplier
to India in 2018–22,” the report said.Just under two
thirds of Russian arms exports went to three states in
2018–22 — India (31%), China (23%) and Egypt (9.3%).
India was also the largest recipient of Russian arms
in 2013–17, but exports to India decreased by 37%
between the two periods.
India Ranks 108th on Electoral Democracy Index 2023:
An alarming new report from the V-Dem (Varieties of
Democracy) Institute at the University of Gothenberg
in Sweden states that by the end of 2022, 72% of
the world’s population (5.7 billion people) lived in
autocracies, out of which 28% (2.2 billion people) lived
in “closed autocracies”.The report titled Defiance in
the Face of Autocratization has further asserted that
“advances in global levels of democracy made over the
last 35 years have been wiped out.”
Deeply shocking though it maybe, India has now been
ranked at the 108th spot globally for electoral democracy,
way below countries such as Tanzania, Bolivia, Mexico,
Singapore and even Nigeria, which comes in at a modest
91st slot by V-Dem Institute in its Democracy Report for
2023 released on Thursday.
Once again, India’s ranking apart from being abysmally
low on the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI), has even
achieved the dubious distinction of dipping from the
100th position in 2022 to 108th this year. The only other
aspect which may make democratic and patriotic Indians
In contrast, exports to China (+39%) and Egypt (+44%)
increased within the same time frame, the report said
while noting that Russia made no deliveries to Egypt
in 2021–22 and the volume of deliveries to China in
2020–22 was at a much lower level than in 2018–19.
“It is likely that order volumes from these two states
will reduce in the coming years,” it stated.Arms imports
by Pakistan increased by 14% between 2013–17 and
2018–22 and accounted for 3.7% of the global total
with China supplying 77% of Pakistan’s arms imports in
2018–22.
While the global level of international arms transfers
decreased by 5.1%, imports of major arms by European
states increased by 47% between 2013–17 and 2018–
22 in the backdrop of war in Ukraine.
SIPRI:
 It is an independent international institute dedicated
to research into conflict, armaments, arms control
and disarmament.
 It was established in 1966 in Stockholm (Sweden).
 It provides data, analysis and recommendations,
based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers,
media and the interested public.
feel better (albeit temporarily), is that neighbouring
Pakistan has been ranked barely two steps lower at 110
despite being in the thick of a tumultuous economic
crisis.
The George Soros funded V-Dem Institute in its latest
report has claimed that the level of democracy enjoyed
by the average global citizen in 2022 dipped to 1986
levels, a claim many would find difficult to believe given
that there have been several dramatic geo-political
changes all over the world in the 35 years following the
mid-1980s.The report called ‘Defiance in the Face of
Autocratization’ goes on to say that the current wave of
autocratization spans almost all regions of the world, but
specifically in the Asia-Pacific, the level of democracy
has taken a beating and nearly 3.5 billion people in these
regions now reside in what it calls “electoral autocracies”.
Needless to say, it cites India high among them.
Continuing with its anti-India rhetoric, the report has
slammed one of the world’s largest democracies for
descending into an electoral autocracy by curbing
45
freedom of expression, indulging in government
censorship of the media, and repression of civil society
organisations. V-Dem claims that autocratization often
occurs due to democratic weakening and cites countries
like El Salvador and Hungary to justify India’s low ranking
as a democracy in its report.
Emphasising that the global balance of economic power
is shifting, the report highlights that elected autocracies,
among which it counts India, are rapidly becoming more
powerful economically, and their numbers are growing.
On the flip side, democracies are gradually declining in
their share of global economic wealth. If these trends
continue, it says, autocracies will surpass democracies
in economic power over the next few decades.
In India’s case, it cites the ruling right-wing Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
at the helm responsible for curbs on religious freedom
and diminishing democratic rights, but it does not take
into account that people in India enjoy a significant
amount of freedom and fundamental rights as compared
to neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan and even China
which is state-run and autocratic in the truest sense of
the term.
Despite ranking India near the bottom on the LDI, the
report has had to acknowledge the country’s economic
growth trajectory and its significant contribution to
the global supply chain. “The ongoing ‘third wave’ of
autocratization is accelerating this trend in so far as
countries turn from democracies to autocracies. India,
that descended into electoral autocracy in recent years,
has more than doubled its share of the global economy
since 1992. It now accounts for 7.2% of global GDP,
which corresponds to one-third of the share of GDP
generated by all electoral autocracies,” V-Dem points
out in its report.
V-Dem stands for Varieties of Democracy, and the
Institution was created in 2014 by Professor Staffan
I. Lindberg as an independent research organization.
Among its tall claims, it promises to be a new way of
thinking and assessing democracy. It provides a variety
of studies that rate countries on a variety of topics.

10. Miscellaneous (Days, Week, Brand &, Brand Ambassador)

World Tuberculosis Day 2023

World TB Day 2023, with the theme 'Yes! We can end

TB!', aims to inspire hope and encourage high-level
leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of
new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations,
accelerated action, and multisectoral collaboration
to combat the TB epidemic. This year is critical, with
opportunities to raise visibility and political commitment
at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. The spotlight
of World TB Day will be on urging countries to ramp
up progress in the lead-up to the 2023 UN High-Level
Meeting on TB. WHO will also issue a call to action
with partners urging Member States to accelerate the
rollout of the new WHO-recommended shorter all-oral
treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB. World TB Day
is observed annually on March 24 to raise awareness
paved the way for diagnosing and treating TB, which had
about TB and efforts to end the global epidemic, marking
been a major cause of illness and death in Europe at the
the day in 1882 when the bacterium causing TB was
time.
discovered.
In 1982, the International Union Against Tuberculosis
World Tuberculosis Day has been observed annually
and Lung Disease (IUATLD) and the World Health
on March 24th since 1982, commemorating the date
Organization (WHO) established World TB Day to raise
when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the
public awareness about the global epidemic of TB and
tuberculosis (TB) bacterium in 1882. Koch’s discovery
the efforts needed to control and eliminate the disease.

46
Since then, World TB Day has been observed every year,
with a different theme to highlight a specific aspect of
TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The day
provides an opportunity for organizations and individuals
around the world to come together and raise awareness
about TB and to advocate for increased funding,
research, and action to eliminate the disease.
What is Tuberculosis (TB)?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It most commonly
affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the
not everyone with TB experiences symptoms, and some
people may not develop symptoms until the disease is
advanced.
TB can be treated with antibiotics, but the treatment can
take several months, and it requires a combination of
drugs. Treatment is essential to cure the disease, prevent
the spread of TB to others, and prevent drug-resistant
TB from developing. TB is a significant global health
concern, with millions of new cases and deaths each
year, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
 International Union Against Tuberculosis President:

body, such as the kidneys, spine, and brain. TB spreads Guy Marks
through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes,  International Union Against Tuberculosis
or talks, and another person inhales the bacteria. Headquarters: Paris, France
Symptoms of TB include persistent coughing, chest pain,  International Union Against Tuberculosis Founded:

fatigue, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. However, 20 October 1920

World Water Day

World Water Day 2023 will focus on accelerating change
to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Celebrated
annually on 22 March, World Water Day raises awareness
and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation
crisis.World Water Day became a UN observance day
in 1993. It seeks to focus attention on the global water
crisis.
World Water Day is observed on March 22 each year
to emphasize the significance of water and to create
awareness about the global water crisis. The primary
purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the
achievement of SDG 6, which aims to provide access
to clean water and sanitation for everyone by 2030.
The day is dedicated to raising awareness about water-
related issues, such as water pollution, water scarcity,
status quo and take swift measures to accelerate change
insufficient water supply, and inadequate sanitation. The
and address this pressing issue.
objective is to inspire individuals to manage freshwater
World Water Day is significant as it raises awareness
resources sustainably and take necessary actions to
about the global water crisis and emphasizes the
address these issues.
importance of preserving freshwater resources. The day
World Water Day 2023: Theme
promotes the achievement of Sustainable Development
The focus of World Water Day 2023 is on the theme of
Goal 6, which aims to provide access to clean water
‘Accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation
and sanitation for everyone by 2030. World Water Day
crisis,’ underlining the vital importance of taking decisive
highlights the challenges related to water scarcity, water
action to address the global water crisis. According to
pollution, inadequate water supply, and lack of sanitation
the UN, there are billions of people, as well as numerous
facilities. By creating awareness about these issues, the
schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and
day inspires individuals, communities, organizations,
factories, who lack access to safe water and sanitation
and governments to take necessary actions to manage
facilities. Therefore, it is imperative to move beyond the

47
freshwater resources sustainably and address water-
related challenges. Ultimately, World Water Day plays
a crucial role in achieving water security, protecting
ecosystems, promoting economic development, and
improving the health and well-being of people around
the world.
World Water Day 2023: History
The United Nations General Assembly designated
March 22 as World Water Day in 1993, following
the recommendation made by the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development held
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. The day has been
observed annually since 1993 to raise awareness about
the importance of freshwater resources and to promote
sustainable management of water resources.

International Day to Combat Islamophobia

Islamophobia is a fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims
that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by
means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement
and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in
the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional,
ideological, political and religious hostility that
transcends into structural and cultural racism, it targets
the symbols and markers of being a Muslim.This definition
emphasises the link between institutional levels of
Islamophobia and manifestations of such attitudes,
triggered by the visibility of the victim’s perceived Muslim
identity. This approach also interprets Islamophobia as a
form of racism, whereby Islamic religion, tradition and
culture are seen as a ‘threat’ to the Western values.
Some experts prefer the label 'anti-Muslim hatred,'
fearing that the term 'Islamophobia' risks condemning all
critiques of Islam and, therefore, could stifle freedom of to perpetuate, validate and normalize discrimination,
expression. But international human rights law protects hostility and violence towards Muslim individuals and
individuals, not religions. And Islamophobia may also communities.
affect non-Muslims, based on perceptions of nationality, In states where they are in the minority, Muslims
racial or ethnic background. often experience discrimination in accessing goods
An epidemic of hatred and services, in finding employment and in education.
A recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on In some states they are denied citizenship or legal
freedom of religion or belief found that suspicion, immigration status due to xenophobic perceptions
discrimination and outright hatred towards Muslims has that Muslims represent national security and terrorism
risen to 'epidemic proportions.'Following the terrorist threats. Muslim women are disproportionately targeted
attacks of 11 September 2001 and other horrific acts of in Islamophobic hate crimes.
terrorism purportedly carried out in the name of Islam, Studies show that the number of Islamophobic hate
institutional suspicion of Muslims and those perceived crimes frequently increases following events beyond
to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions. the control of most Muslims, including terrorist attacks
Numerous states, as well as regional and international and anniversaries of such attacks. These trigger events
bodies, have responded to security threats by adopting illustrate how Islamophobia may attribute collective
measures that disproportionately target Muslims and responsibility to all Muslims for the actions of a very
define Muslims as high-risk and at risk of radicalization. select few, or feed upon inflammatory rhetoric.
At the same time, widespread negative representations Combating Islamophobia
of Islam, and harmful stereotypes that depict Muslims Many Governments have taken steps to combat
and their beliefs and culture as a threat have served Islamophobia by establishing anti-hate-crime legislation

48
and measures to prevent and prosecute hate crimes
and by conducting public awareness campaigns about
Muslims and Islam designed to dispel negative myths and
misconceptions.The United Nations General Assembly
adopted a resolution sponsored by 60 Member-States
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which
designated 15 March as the International Day to Combat
Islamophobia. The document stresses that terrorism and
violent extremism cannot and should not be associated
with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group.
It calls for a global dialogue on the promotion of a culture
of tolerance and peace, based on respect for human
rights and for the diversity of religions and belief.
Marking the first International Day to Combat
Islamophobia in 2021, UN Secretary-General António
Guterres pointed out that anti-Muslim bigotry is part of
a larger trend of a resurgence in ethno-nationalism, neo-
Nazism, stigma and hate speech targeting vulnerable
populations including Muslims, Jews, some minority
Christian communities, as well as others. “As the Holy
Quran reminds us: nations and tribes were created to
know one another. Diversity is a richness, not a threat,”
he added.In response to the alarming trend of rising hate
speech around the world, Secretary-General António
Guterres launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan
of Action on Hate Speech.
49
CURRENT LEGAL
AFFAIRS NEWS

1. Disrespecting National Anthem

Mamta Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, attempted to have the charge against her for allegedly


disrespecting the national anthem in 2022 annulled by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday.
Banerjee had challenged a ruling by the Sessions Court that, while it had nullified the process issued against


her for violating Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act, had sent the case back to the
magistrate for further action in accordance with CrPC sections 200 (verification) and 202 (police inquiry).
Banerjee allegedly violated the National Anthem by singing the first two stanzas while seated, standing for the


next two stanzas, and then abruptly exiting the crowd, according to the complainant, BJP's Vivekanand Gupta.
The goal of the inquiry required under Section 202 is to determine whether there is enough evidence to move


forward against an accused, and the court noted that ordering such an inquiry does not harm the accused.

2. Lok Sabha Restores Lakshadweep MP Mohammed

Faizal’s Membership
The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification announcing that the disqualification of Lakshadweep MP PP


Mohammed Faizal has been lifted in light of the Kerala High Court's decision on January 25 to vacate his conviction.
Incidentally, the Lok Sabha notification was issued prior to the Supreme Court’s hearing regarding the appeal filed


by the NCP MP challenging the refusal to reverse his disqualification despite the stay of his conviction. The case
will be heard by a bench composed of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna.

50
 A Sessions Court in Lakshadweep sentenced the NCP MP and three others to ten years in prison on January 11,


2023, in connection with a 2009 attempted murder case. Following his conviction, Faizal, a two-term member of
parliament from the island, was disqualified, and the Election Commission of India called for by-elections.
"The petitioner is constrained to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the


Constitution of India, against the unlawful inaction on the part of the respondent, Secretary General of the
Lok Sabha Secretariat in not withdrawing the notification dated January 13, 2023, whereby the petitioner was
disqualified from his membership of Parliament from the Lakshadweep parliamentary constituency," the plea
said.
In his most recent petition, Faizal argues that the Lok Sabha's rejection to restore him is counter to the Supreme


Court's ruling in the Lok Prahari case, which states that when a conviction is stayed, the disqualification is likewise
stayed.

3. AADHAR-PAN Linking
 The Central Government has moved the deadline for linking PAN and Aadhaar from March 31 to June 30, 2023.
Under the Income Tax Act, anyone who has a PAN as of July 1, 2017 is eligible to get an Aadhaar number and
must give their Aadhaar number to the right authority by March 31 or pay a fee. The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) said in a press release that this deadline has been pushed back to June 30 so that taxpayers have more
time to link their Aadhaar and PAN without getting in trouble.
From July 1, 2023, the PAN of taxpayers who haven't told the government about their Aadhaar will stop working.


During the time that the PAN isn't working, the following will happen:
 These PANs won't get any money back.
 Interest will not be charged on the refund for the time that the PAN is not in use.
 As stated in the ACT, TDS and TCS will be taken out or collected at a higher rate.
 Every 30 days, the PAN can be made operational again by providing Aadhaar information to the prescribed
body and paying a cost of Rs 1,000.
 More than 51 crore PANs have already been linked to Aadhaar, according to the CBDT.

4. Virtual Courts, Odisha High Court

Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, inaugurated Virtual High Courts in 10 additional


districts of Odisha. In the first phase, which took place on February 3rd of this year, the High Court established
Virtual High Courts in 10 out of 30 districts, inaugurated by CJI DY Chandrachud virtually.
The Chief Justice explained that these measures are being taken to increase access to justice for the people of


Odisha. He also pointed out that lawyers can benefit from these facilities by filing cases, mentioning their matters,
obtaining certified copies, and appearing before the High Court in virtual mode.
According to the Chief Justice, the High Court had to decide which districts would receive the Virtual High Courts


first.
 One criterion was the districts' contribution to the filing in the High Court.
 The second criterion was the geographical distance. The Court was particularly careful to ensure that the
virtual courts would serve the needs of the surrounding or nearby districts wherever they were established.
Finally, the Chief Justice praised the District Judges of the districts where the Virtual High Courts were opened


in the first phase. He also expressed gratitude to the team of Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) who provided
training to lawyers and staff and thanked the Bar members for their cooperation

51
5. Chief Justice of India, Dr. DY Chandrachud on Women and
Pre-existing Stereotypes
The Chief Justice of India, Dr. DY Chandrachud, highlighted that pre-existing stereotypes against women are


hindering their recruitment in law chambers.

In Tamil Nadu, for every 50,000 male enrolments, there are only 5000 female enrolments. Such statistics are


consistent across the country.

Reasons for this low representation is:


 The assumption that women cannot put in long hours of work due to familial responsibilities.
 Another stereotype is the belief that having women in the office increases the risk of sexual harassment
allegations; such biases deny opportunities and disregard the many cases of workplace harassment.
The CJI urged the creation of equal opportunities for women and emphasized the importance of not letting


language be a barrier to effective representation.

He also highlighted that poor entry-level pay disproportionately affects marginalized communities such as the


Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribe, and women.

Recent recruitment to the district judiciary shows that the face of the legal profession is changing, with almost


50% of new recruits being women.

6. Right to a Fair Trial to Sexual Assault Victims

While sexual assault victims have a right to a fair trial, the rights of those who have been accused of a crime must


also be protected, according to the Delhi High Court.

According to Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, "conceptualization of definition of sexual consent" is crucial in cases


of rape and sexual assault to ensure that the "fine balance between rape and consenting sex" is fairly reached.
"The Courts have to ensure that the right of fair trial to the complainant and the rights of the accused to be


safeguarded from mala fide trial are taken care of in the Court's vital attempt to ensure equality before law," the
court added.
Judge Sharma made these comments while supporting a lower court's decision to dismiss charges against an


individual who had been named in a FIR filed in 2017 under Sections 376 (penalty for sexual assault) and 506
(penalty for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

7. Recent Developments in Access to Supreme Court

 The Supreme Court has recently introduced a hybrid system, allowing lawyers to appear before the court both
physically and virtually. This innovative facility enables seamless connection between judges sitting in New Delhi
and advocates residing in remote areas such as Vellore or Virudhanagar.
 This move has not only helped reduce costs but has also localised the justice delivery system, making the Supreme
Court a truly national court.
 To further enhance transparency, the court has introduced live streaming of constitutional cases.
 This initiative allows law students who are unable to pursue internships in Delhi due to distance and financial
constraints, to watch the proceedings and gain knowledge on how the law is evolved by the Supreme Court.
 Another remarkable initiative taken by the Supreme Court is the translation of judgments in other official languages
recognised by the constitution, including Tamil.

52
 With the aid of AI, this initiative is aimed at bringing the justice delivery system closer to the citizens.


The use of modern technology has significantly contributed to reaching out to citizens, especially during the


pandemic. From March 23rd 2020 to 13th February 2023, the Supreme Court was able to hear 4,13,537 cases
through video conferencing while high courts and district judiciary were able to hear 2.62 crore cases.
In the words of the court, the Supreme Court is truly a national court representing the entire nation.


The court is making a conscious effort to ensure different high courts and regions of the country find representation


in the Supreme Court.

8. Delhi Budget 2023-24

 The finance minister for Delhi, Kailash Gahlot, has unveiled the budget for the financial year 2023-2024, amounting
to Rs. 78,800 crore. The budget includes significant announcements in the field of taxation, which are as follows:
 The government has decided to reinstate an excise duty-based regime, effective from September 20, 2022.
This move aims to boost the overall economy of the state by supporting the hospitality industry, including
hotels, clubs, and restaurants. These industries play a crucial role in generating employment, tax revenue,
and promoting tourism.
 To increase revenue and assist the Department in policy formulation, the government plans to establish
a dedicated Tax Policy and Revenue Augmentation Unit (TPRAU) in the next financial year 2023-24. The
TPRAU will focus on identifying opportunities, detecting revenue leakages, and formulating effective policies.
 The government has also introduced enforcement teams, which will monitor the performance of taxpayers
based on 18 key performance indicators (KPIs) each month. These teams aim to assist taxpayers and
enhance revenue collection.
 The Department of Trade and Taxes has made e-invoicing mandatory for taxpayers whose aggregate
turnover exceeds Rs. 10 crores. This measure will help streamline the invoicing process and facilitate better
tax compliance.

9. Appointment of New Chief Justices

 The Central Government has notified the appointment of new Chief Justices for three High Courts:
 Justice Pritinker Diwaker, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the
Allahabad High Court.
 Justice Ramesh Sinha, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the
Chhattisgarh High Court.
 Justice K Vinod Chandran, Judge of the Kerala High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the
Patna High Court.

53
10. Kerala’s First Transgender Lawyer

On March 19, more than 1500 law graduates were admitted to the rolls of the Kerala Bar Council as advocates in


an enrollment ceremony.
Among them was Padma Lakshmi, who made history as the first transgender woman to be enrolled as an advocate


with the Bar Council of Kerala.

Lakshmi, a graduate from Ernakulam Government Law College, received personal congratulations from Kerala


Law Minister P Rajeev for her achievement.

This recognition is not only a remarkable milestone for Lakshmi but also a significant step towards greater


inclusivity and representation in the legal profession.

11. Triple Test for Preventive Detention

In a recent ruling by the Division bench comprising Justice D.V.S.S. Somayajulu and Justice V. Srinivas, it was


reiterated that an order of preventive detention can be validly passed against a person who is in judicial custody.
However, this can only be done under certain circumstances:


 Firstly, the authority must have reason to believe, based on reliable material placed before it, that there is a
real possibility of the accused being released on bail.
 Secondly, it must be established that upon being released, the accused would likely engage in prejudicial
activity.
 Finally, if it is deemed necessary to prevent the accused from engaging in such activity, then it becomes
essential to detain them.
The Supreme Court had previously applied the Triple Test in Kamarunnisa v Union of India (3 (1991) 1 SCC 128)


to establish the validity of an order of preventive detention against an accused in judicial custody.
This ruling is significant as it highlights the circumstances under which such an order can be justified, providing


clarity and guidance to the judicial system.

54
CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE EXERCISE
1. Which of the following cities will not be visited by the Australian PM during his visit
to India from 8th to 10th March?
a. Delhi c. Calcutta
b. Mumbai d. None of the above

2. Recently the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy has
inaugurated the Camel Product Processing Utilisation & Training Wing, at which of
the following cities?

a. New Delhi c. Nagpur

b. Bikaner d. Chennai

3. Which of the following aircraft carrier is connected with the first edition of the Naval
Commander’s Conference?
a. INS Vikramaditya c. INS Tejas
b. INS Vikrant d. INS Veena

4. BIS which has recently issued guidelines to set a new benchmark for the safe
handling and transportation of hazardous materials across the country, stands for –

a. Bureau of International Standards c. Bureau of Internal Standards

b. Bureau of Indian Standards d. Bureau of Indian Safety-and-Standards

55
5. Which of the following is the UN’s theme for the International Women’s Day 2023?
a. Digital Women Digital World c. Women-Net
b. DigitALL: Innovation & technology for gender equality d. NET for ALL – Women First

6. Who among the following is India’s current Chief Election Commissioner?

a. Anup Chandra Pandey c. Rajiv Kumar
b. Arun Goel d. Ajay Kumar

7. The Manipur Government has recently ended its peace project with which of the
following organisations?
a. Mani National Army (MNA) c. Kuki National Army (KNA)
b. Busa Defence d. Zubra Liberation Force (ZLF)

8. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has recently signed an

MoU with the Business Council of which of the following countries?
a. Switzerland c. Sweden
b. Netherlands d. Japan

9. What is the name of the light transport aircraft for which IAF has recently signed a
contract with HAL?
a. M Hawk 28 c. Mig 47
b. Dornier-228 d. Sukhoi L-228

10. By which of the following judgements the Supreme Court of India decriminalized
homosexuality?
a. Navjot Singh Siddhu vs. The Union of India c. Sonadhar vs. The State of Chhattisgarh
b. Suresh Kumar Antil vs. The Union of India d. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India

11. Which of the following songs won the Best original Song at the Oscars 2023?
a. Naatu Naatu c. Pasoori
b. All eyes on me d. None of the above

56
12. Who among the following is the first Asian winner of the Best Actress Awards at
Oscars 2023?
a. Fein Ley c. Prabha
b. Suryakumari d. Michelle Yeoh

13. Which of the following High Court has recently quashed an order of the Government
allowing the Police to exercise the powers of an executive magistrate?

a. High Court of Calcutta c. Madras High Court

b. Bombay High Court d. Delhi high Court

14. On the 70 years of Everest conquest, which two people are being commemorated for
their achievement?
a. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary c. Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova
b. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin d. Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci

15. What is the PM-CARES for Children scheme?

a. A scheme to provide free education to underprivileged children
b. A scheme to provide financial assistance to children who have lost their parents due to
COVID-19
c. A scheme to provide free healthcare to children in rural areas
d. A scheme to provide free meals to children in government schools

16. What is the Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam?

a. A political rally promoting the unity of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu
b. A religious gathering of Saurashtrians and Tamils
c. A cultural festival celebrating the art and music of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu
d. A business conference for Saurashtrian and Tamil Nadu entrepreneurs

17. Who has been appointed as the new chief coach of the Indian men's hockey team?

a. Craig Fulton c. Roelant Oltmans

b. Terry Walsh d. Graham Reid

18. What is the aim of the SWAMIH fund?

a. To provide housing loans to the poor in India
b. To create affordable housing in India
c. To promote sustainable development in India
d. To improve infrastructure in rural areas of India

57
19. What is the theme for World Hearing Day 2023?
a. Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment
b. Prevent hearing loss: act now, hear late
c. Time for action: hearing loss is a growing concern
d. Ear and hearing care for all

20. Which two countries have signed an MoU for cooperation in drug control?
a. India and China c. India and USA
b. India and Nigeria d. India and Japan

21. Which state has been declared as the world's first organic state?
a. Kerala c. Himachal Pradesh
b. Sikkim d. Uttarakhand

22. Which Indian sportsperson has been appointed as a Member of the International
Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission?
a. Mary Kom c. Saina Nehwal
b. PV Sindhu d. Hima Das

23. Who will jointly inaugurate the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline?

a. Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina c. Draupadi Murmu and Sheikh Hasina
b. Draupadi Murmu and Khaleda Zia d. Manmohan Singh and Khaleda Zia

24. What is the theme of the World Tuberculosis Day observed on March 24th?

a. The Clock is Ticking c. Find, Treat, Cure

b. It's Time to End TB d. Let's Unite to End TB

25. Which organization organized the 7th International Diabetes Summit?

a. World Health Organization c. International Diabetes Federation

b. Indian Medical Association d. All India Institute of Medical Sciences

58
Answer key :

1 C 6 C 11 A 16 C 21 B

2 B 7 C 12 D 17 A 22 B

3 B 8 C 13 C 18 B 23 A

4 B 9 B 14 A 19 D 24 A

5 B 10 D 15 B 20 B 25 C

59
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