Current Affairs

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December, 2022

IA Chief Editor
B. Singh (Ex. IES)
CMD, MADE EASY Group
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Editor
Aniruddh Pratap Singh
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Contents
UNFCCC...........................................................................................................................7
COP 27: Outcomes & Analysis..................................................................................9
Loss and Damage...................................................................................................... 11
Carbon Border Tax..................................................................................................... 13
India’s Emission Strategy........................................................................................ 14
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Mangrove Alliance for Climate.............................................................................. 15
International Drought Resilience Alliance........................................................ 16
Tipping Points............................................................................................................ 17
Greenwashing............................................................................................................ 19
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Appointment of Election Commissioners......................................................... 20
T. N. Seshan & Electoral Reforms.......................................................................... 21
Jharkhand Reservation Bill..................................................................................... 22
Pendency in Judiciary.............................................................................................. 24
Vacancies in Judiciary.............................................................................................. 25
Exit Polls....................................................................................................................... 26
NRI Voters..................................................................................................................... 27
Disqualification of Convicted Legislators.......................................................... 28
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EWS Quota: SC Verdict............................................................................................. 29
Global Population crosses 8 Billion..................................................................... 30
POCSO Act................................................................................................................... 31
Domestic Violence.................................................................................................... 32
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Live-In Relationship.................................................................................................. 34
Suicide Prevention Strategy.................................................................................. 35
Gender Pay Gap......................................................................................................... 36
Same-Sex Marriage................................................................................................... 37
India-Australia ‘ECTA’................................................................................................ 38
G20 Bali Summit........................................................................................................ 40
East Asia Summit....................................................................................................... 41
Black Sea Grain Initiative......................................................................................... 42
Pakistan’s New Military Chief................................................................................. 43
Missile Explosion in ‘Poland’................................................................................... 44
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Trends in India’s Foreign Policy............................................................................. 45
Narco and Polygraph Tests..................................................................................... 46
Technology and Terrorism...................................................................................... 47
No Money for Terror Conference.......................................................................... 48
Demonetisation......................................................................................................... 49
Old Pension Scheme................................................................................................ 50
Financing Urban Infrastructure............................................................................ 51
Layoffs in Tech Sector............................................................................................... 52
International Settlement in Rupee...................................................................... 53
GM Mustard................................................................................................................ 54
Artemis 1 Moon Mission......................................................................................... 55
Mission Prarambh..................................................................................................... 56
Draft Data Protection Bill........................................................................................ 57
Groundwater Report 2022..................................................................................... 58
CITES.............................................................................................................................. 59
Lothal............................................................................................................................ 60
Maritime History of India........................................................................................ 61
Missed Call Pay........................................................................................................... 64
Open Offer................................................................................................................... 64
Cryptocurrency Exchange...................................................................................... 64
Arvind Virmani........................................................................................................... 65
MGNREGA (Amarjeet Sinha Committee)........................................................... 65
National e-Governance Services Ltd (NESL)..................................................... 65
Central Depositories Services (India) Ltd (CDSL)............................................ 66
Vistara-Air India Merger.......................................................................................... 66
Air Suvidha.................................................................................................................. 66
Employees Pension (Amendment) Scheme of 2014...................................... 66
Perennial Variety of Rice.......................................................................................... 66
Islamic Banking (Interest-Free Banking)............................................................ 67
Kirit Parikh Committee on Gas Pricing............................................................... 67
Finfluencers................................................................................................................. 68
Loan Write-Off............................................................................................................ 68
Niveshak Didi.............................................................................................................. 68
ITR Forms..................................................................................................................... 68
Kalanamak Rice.......................................................................................................... 69
Urea Imports............................................................................................................... 69
Maarg Portal............................................................................................................... 69
Draft Aircraft Security Rules, 2022....................................................................... 69
SEBI Complaints Redressal System (SCORES)................................................... 70
Transport 4 All Challenge....................................................................................... 70
Export Duty on Steel................................................................................................ 70
India Infrastructure Project Development Fund Scheme............................. 70
India-Russia Trade..................................................................................................... 71
Hwasong-17................................................................................................................ 71
South Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy.................................................................... 72
Attempted Assassination of Imran Khan........................................................... 72
Gasht-E-Ershad........................................................................................................... 72
2022 Israeli Legislative Election............................................................................ 72
Republic Day Chief.................................................................................................... 73
Malaysia........................................................................................................................ 73
Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan....................................................................... 73
Aruna Miller................................................................................................................. 74
BIMSTEC....................................................................................................................... 74
Anti-Semitism............................................................................................................. 74
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Germany’s Floating LNG Terminal........................................................................ 75
US’ Currency Monitoring List................................................................................. 75
Kherson........................................................................................................................ 75
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Iron Dome Defence System................................................................................... 76
1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee................................................................. 76
Dirty Bomb.................................................................................................................. 76
Hawk Air Defence System....................................................................................... 76
Assam-Meghalaya Border Dispute...................................................................... 77
Pinaka............................................................................................................................ 77
AD-1 Missile................................................................................................................ 77
Make II Projects.......................................................................................................... 78
Drug Trafficking from Afghanistan...................................................................... 78
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Military Exercises....................................................................................................... 78
Goa Maritime Symposium- 2022.......................................................................... 79
Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA)............................................................................ 79
Special Operation Medal........................................................................................ 79
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing....................................... 79
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Army Commanders’ Conference........................................................................... 80
President’s Bodyguard............................................................................................. 80
Law Commission of India........................................................................................ 81
Sealed Cover Jurisprudence.................................................................................. 81
RTI Portal of Supreme Court.................................................................................. 81
First Amendment of the Constitution of India................................................. 82
AADHAAR-Voter ID Card Linkage......................................................................... 82
New TV Broadcast Guidelines............................................................................... 82
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Grievance Panels for Social Media....................................................................... 83
Shyam Saran Negi..................................................................................................... 83
Constitution Day....................................................................................................... 84
Voting Age................................................................................................................... 84
Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs)............................ 84
News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA)....................... 84
Child Marriage............................................................................................................ 85
Child Welfare Committees (CWCs)....................................................................... 85
Ghar Portal.................................................................................................................. 85
Ima Keithel.................................................................................................................. 86
Digital Shakti 4.0........................................................................................................ 86
Women in Armed Forces......................................................................................... 86
Women in CRPF......................................................................................................... 86
E.K. Janaki Ammal..................................................................................................... 87
Uda Devi....................................................................................................................... 87
Eklavya Model Residential Schools..................................................................... 87
New PhD Regulations.............................................................................................. 88
‘Toilets 2.0’ Campaign ............................................................................................. 88
Muslim Personal Law............................................................................................... 88
6 Environment
Greater Adjutant Stork............................................................................................ 89
Legal Rights to Non-Humans................................................................................ 89
Partial Stubble Burning........................................................................................... 90
Sovereign Green Bonds Framework.................................................................... 90
Air Quality Index (AQI)............................................................................................. 90
CrackDown on Diesel Vehicles.............................................................................. 90
Carbon Billionaires.................................................................................................... 91
Tamil Nadu’s Environmental Missions................................................................ 91
Amur Falcons.............................................................................................................. 92
Ganges River Dolphin.............................................................................................. 92
Senna Spectabilis...................................................................................................... 92
Panamaram Heronry................................................................................................ 93
Apis Karinjodian........................................................................................................ 93
Snow Leopard............................................................................................................ 93
Himalayan Gray Langur........................................................................................... 94
Pseudohelice Annamalai........................................................................................ 94
Mission Amrit Sarovar.............................................................................................. 95
Har Ghar Gangajal Scheme.................................................................................... 95
The International Day for Biosphere Reserves................................................. 95
7 Geography
World Heritage ‘Glaciers’ under Threat............................................................... 97
Great Nicobar Development Project................................................................... 97
Cyclone Sitrang.......................................................................................................... 98
Avalanche.................................................................................................................... 98
Kamchatka Peninsula............................................................................................... 99
Barren Island............................................................................................................... 99
Kameng Hydro Power Station............................................................................... 99
Amarda Road Airstrip............................................................................................... 99
Donyi Polo Airport.................................................................................................. 100
Pacific Ring of Fire................................................................................................... 100
8 Science & Technology
Measles....................................................................................................................... 101
World AIDS Day........................................................................................................ 101
Adderall...................................................................................................................... 102
Myositis...................................................................................................................... 102
‘Zero Covid’ Strategy.............................................................................................. 102
BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Covid-19 Variants.................................................................... 103
Viral Spillover............................................................................................................ 103
WHO Renames Monkeypox as ‘mpox’............................................................... 103
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Bluebugging............................................................................................................. 103
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).......................................................................... 104
Mastodon................................................................................................................... 104
Twitter Blue Tick Verification............................................................................... 104
Beidou Satellite System......................................................................................... 104
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Missions to Mars...................................................................................................... 105
Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster..................................................................... 105
Metal-Air Batteries.................................................................................................. 105
Glyphosate................................................................................................................ 106
Ransomware............................................................................................................. 106
Koo............................................................................................................................... 107
Benzene...................................................................................................................... 107
Falcon Heavy............................................................................................................. 107
2022 AP7 Asteroid................................................................................................... 108
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Beaver Blood Moon................................................................................................ 108
Tiangong Space Station........................................................................................ 108
9 Culture & History
Mother Tongue Survey of India.......................................................................... 110
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Nadaprabhu Kempegowda.................................................................................. 110
Odisha’s Bali-Yatra................................................................................................... 110
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Pashmina Shawls, Shahtoosh Shawls............................................................... 111
Lachit Borphukan.................................................................................................... 111
Birsa Munda.............................................................................................................. 111
Jawaharlal Nehru..................................................................................................... 111
Bhoota Kola............................................................................................................... 112
Patan Patola.............................................................................................................. 112
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List....................................................... 113
Hornbill Festival....................................................................................................... 113
Shadani Darbar........................................................................................................ 113
Saka Panja Sahib...................................................................................................... 114
Mahaparinirvan Diwas........................................................................................... 114
Kashmiri Pandits...................................................................................................... 114
10 Miscellaneous
Gandhi Mandela Award........................................................................................ 115
Permacrisis................................................................................................................ 115
Gaslighting................................................................................................................ 115
Rajyotsava Awards.................................................................................................. 116
International Film Festival of India.................................................................... 116
National Florence Nightingale Awards............................................................ 116
Fake Reviews in E-Commerce.............................................................................. 116
Atal new India Challenge Program.................................................................... 116
Bazball........................................................................................................................ 117
Semi-Automated ‘Offside’ Technology............................................................. 117
11 Data Recap
............................................................................................................................. 118-122
Subjective Questions.....................................................................................123
 Feature Articles Current Affairs
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 Current Affairs Cover Story
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 COVER STORY
UNFCCC
In the background of COP27 held at the Sharm El-Sheikh lets have a brief look at
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
About:
• What is it? The United Nations Framework Convention on
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Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental
treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the
climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere.
• Background: It was signed by 154 states at the United Nations
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Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro
in June 1992. It entered into force in 1994.
• Implementation Treaties: The Kyoto Protocol, which was
signed in 1997 and ran from 2005 to 2020, was the first
implementation of measures under the UNFCCC. The Kyoto
Protocol was superseded by the Paris Agreement, which
entered into force in 2016.
• COP: Its supreme decision-making body, the Conference
of the Parties (COP), meets annually to assess progress in
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dealing with climate change. The first conference (COP1)
was held in 1995 in Berlin.
• Secretariat: Its original secretariat was in Geneva but
relocated to Bonn in 1996.
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Parties:
• By 2022 the UNFCCC had 198 parties. The Convention
divides countries into three main groups according to
differing commitments.
• Annex I countries
 Annex I Parties include the industrialized countries that
were members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus countries
with economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including
Russia, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern
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European States.
 These countries have to take measures on the mitigation of
climate change by limiting their anthropogenic emissions
of greenhouse gases as well as to report on steps adopted
with the aim of returning individually or jointly to their 1990
emissions levels.
• Annex II Parties
 Annex II Parties consist of the OECD members of Annex I,
but not the EIT Parties.
 They are required to provide finances to developing
countries to undertake emissions reduction activities and
adapt to climate change.
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
 In addition, they have develop and transfer environmentally
friendly technologies to EIT Parties and developing
countries.
• Non-Annex I Parties
 Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries.
 Countries which are more Vulnerable to climate
change (such as low-lying coastal areas and those
prone to desertification and drought) are given special
consideration in the form of investment, insurance and
technology transfer.
Criticisms of the UNFCCC Process:
• Because key signatory states are not adhering to their
individual commitments, the UNFCCC has been criticized
as being unsuccessful in reducing the emission of carbon
dioxide since its adoption.
• There was failure of transfer of Funds and environmentally
sound technologies to mitigate emissions and adapt to the
climate change.
• Because the framework system includes over 190 countries
and because negotiations are governed by consensus, small
groups of countries can often block progress.
• Canada withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, and the
United States did not ratify the the second commitment
period to Kyoto Protocol.
Brief Timeline of Climate Change Negotiations:
• 1979: The first World Climate Conference (WCC) took place
in Geneva. It was organized by a Committee chaired by
Robert M. White of the USA.
• 1988: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
was set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
and UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
• 1990: IPCC's first assessment report released. IPCC and
second World Climate Conference call for a global treaty on
climate change.
• 1992: At the Earth Summit in Rio, the UNFCCC is opened for
signature along with its sister Rio Conventions, UN Convention
on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the UN Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
• 1994: UNFCCC enters into force.
• 1995: The first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) takes place
in Berlin.
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• 1997: Kyoto Protocol formally adopted at COP 3.
• 2001: Release of IPCC's Third Assessment Report. Marrakesh
Accords adopted at COP 7, detailing rules for implementation
of Kyoto Protocol.
• 2005: Entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The first Meeting
of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1) takes place in
Montreal.
• 2007: IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report released. The
thirteenth Conference of the Parties adopts the Bali Road
degradation and a mechanism to address loss and damage
caused by long-term climate change impacts.
• 2014: At COP 20 in Lima in 2014, Parties adopted the ‘Lima
Call for Action’, which elaborated key elements of the
forthcoming agreement in Paris.
• 2015: Paris Agreement adopted by the COP in 2015. It is a
legally binding international treaty on climate change. Its
goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to
1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.

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Map, including the Bali Action Plan. • 2017: The Fiji/Bonn Conference convened in Bonn, Germany,
under the COP Presidency of Fiji. The COP launched the
• 2009: Copenhagen Accord drafted at COP 15 in Copenhagen.
Talanoa Dialogue, a facilitative dialogue to take stock of
This was a significant development. Countries later submitted
progress towards the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals.
emissions reductions pledges or mitigation action pledges,
all non-binding. • 2018: The Katowice Climate Change Conference in Katowice,

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Poland adopted the Katowice Climate Package which
• 2010: Cancun Agreements drafted and largely accepted at
finalized decisions to facilitate implementation of the Paris
COP 16.
Agreement on the mitigation section of NDCs.
• 2011: The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action drafted and
• 2019: The Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference
accepted at COP17.
convened in Madrid, under the COP Presidency of Chile. The
• 2012: The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was Santiago Network on Loss and Damage was established.
adopted The Amendment sets a goal of reducing greenhouse
• 2021: The Glasgow Climate Change Conference adopted
gas (GHG) emissions by 18% compared to 1990 levels for
the Glasgow Climate Pact which, for the first time, included
participating countries. a reference to phasing down unabated coal power and
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• 2013: COP 19 produces the Warsaw Outcomes, including a phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. They also agreed
rulebook for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest to work programmes on a Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA).
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 COVER STORY
COP 27: OUTCOMES & ANALYSIS
The Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference convened in Egypt from 6-20 November 2022.
About:
• The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or
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Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly
referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate
Change conference, held in November 2022 in Sharm El
Sheikh, Egypt.
• The Conference included the:
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 27th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27);
 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as
the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 4);
 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as
the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 17);
 57th meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation
(SBI 57); and
 57th meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice (SBSTA 57).
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Loss and Damage:
• For the first time, countries agreed to recognize the need for
finance to respond to ‘loss and damage’ associated with the
adverse effects of climate change, and quickly established a
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fund for the same.
Mitigation:
• On mitigation, developed and climate-vulnerable countries
pushed for a strong outcome to ramp up efforts to reduce
emissions before 2030, calling this “the critical decade.”
• Several countries expressed some worry that the mitigation
outcome may not be enough to “keep 1.5°C alive.”
• It was expected that COP27 would respond to the growing
urgency for greater emission cuts. The least that was hoped
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for on this front was an inclusion of a stronger mention of the
goal of pursuing the 1.5-degree Celsius target. But even that
was not agreeable to all.
• The only decision in this regard was to continue the discussions
on a work programme set up last year to “urgently” scale up
mitigation action. COP27 decided that two global dialogues
would be held each year as part of this work programme.
Adaptation:
• Most of the conversation on climate actions focused on
mitigation efforts. Developing countries, who are more
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, argued that
adaptation is not given sufficient attention.
• Adaptation involves efforts that help a country to negate or
deal with the impacts of climate change.
• It was hoped that COP27 would make some progress on
identifying the adaptation goals. However, nothing much was
delivered on this track, except for expressing support to the
Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme that is scheduled
to finish its work next year.
• Another expectation was to see some money flowing in for
adaptation purposes. Some countries, including the United
States, did promise some money, but it was not sufficient.
• An important initiative on adaptation came from the UN
Secretary General, who unveiled plans of the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to set up early warning
systems in areas that do not have them.
Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA):
• Countries at the COP27 decided on the establishment of
a framework for achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation
(GGA).
• They plan on achieving this through the remaining workshops
on the Glasgow Sharm El-Sheikh Work Programme (GlaSS)
on GGA that will be conducted in 2023. The framework will be
considered and adopted at the COP28 in 2023.
• Article 7.1 of the Paris Agreement established a Global
Goal on Adaptation (GGA) to “enhance adaptive capacity,
strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate
change. Article 7.1 does not specify how the GGA should be
operationalized.
Finance:
• The biggest disappointment, not surprisingly, came in
matters related to money. The developed countries have not
yet delivered on their promise to mobilise USD 100 billion
every year, something that should have happened in 2020.
All that the COP27 final agreement did about this was to
“express serious concern”.
• Interestingly, the COP27 agreement, for the first time,
quantified the financial needs for climate action. It said about
USD 4 trillion had to be invested in the renewable energy
sector every year till 2030 if the 2050 net zero target was to
be achieved.
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• Additionally, at least USD 4-6 trillion was required every year
for global transformation to a low-carbon economy. About
USD 5.9 trillion was needed by the developing countries in
the pre-2030 period, just to implement their climate action
plans.
• The developed countries have said they will ensure the USD
100 billion flow from 2023. A parallel discussion is going on
to scale up this amount from 2025.
• Additionally, the COP27 agreement has urged international
• providing operational guidance for scaling up cooperative
approaches under Paris Agreement Article 6.2;
• enabling the full operationalization of the Article 6.4 market
mechanism;
• specifying modalities for the work programme under the
Article 6.8 framework for non-market approaches; and
• continuing the technical dialogue under the Global Stocktake.
Concluding remarks:

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financial institutions to simplify their procedures and priorities,
so that it is easier for developing countries to access money
for climate actions.
Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan:
• The Sharm el-Sheikh climate meeting will probably always be
remembered for its decision to set up a loss and damage
fund.
• But on most other parameters, the meeting proved to be an
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• Parties also adopted two overarching cover decisions,
together called the Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan. SHARM EL SHEIKH
Both decisions address science, energy, mitigation,
• Sharm El Sheikh is an Egyptian city on the southern tip
adaptation, loss and damage, finance, and pathways to a just
of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the
transition. coastal strip along the Red Sea.
• Some highlights include: • Sharm El Sheikh overlooks the Straits of Tiran at the mouth
 retaining the call to phase down unabated coal power and of the Gulf of Aqaba. Its strategic importance led to its
phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, as adopted in transformation from a fishing village into a major port and
the 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact; naval base for the Egyptian Navy.
 urging parties that have not yet communicated new or
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• It was conquered by Israel during the Suez Crisis of
updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs)
1956 and returned to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations
or long-term low greenhouse gas (GHG) development
peacekeeping force was stationed there until the 1967 Six-
strategies to do so by the next meeting;
Day War when it was reoccupied by Israel.
 establishing a work programme on just transition to
• Sharm El Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the
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discuss pathways to achieve the goals of the Paris
Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1982 after the
Agreement;
Egypt–Israel peace treaty of 1979.
 launching the Sharm El-Sheikh dialogue to enhance
understanding of the scope of Article 2.1(c) of the • Egypt's then-president Hosni Mubarak designated Sharm
Paris Agreement (ensuring finance flows are consistent El Sheikh as The City of Peace in 1982.
with low-GHG, climate-resilient development), and its
complementarity with Article 9 of the Paris Agreement
(climate finance);
 urging developed countries to provide enhanced support
to assist developing countries to both mitigate and adapt,
and encouraging other parties to provide or continue to
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provide such support voluntarily; and

 calling for multilateral development bank reform, including
in their practices and priorities and to define a new vision,
operational models, channels, and instruments that are fit
for adequately addressing the global climate emergency.

Other key outcomes from the meeting include:

• progress towards operationalizing the Santiago Network on
loss and damage through adopting its terms of reference,
agreeing on its structure, and launching the selection process
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 COVER STORY
LOSS AND DAMAGE
The establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund to provide financial assistance to nations most
impacted by climate change was the highlight of COP 27 to UNFCCC.
What is ‘Loss and Damage’?
• “Loss and Damage” refers to costs the rich and developed
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countries should pay to poorer nations that have made
negligible contribution to pollution but are more vulnerable
to extreme climate events — for example, the devastating
floods in Pakistan recently.
Basis of Loss and Damage: “Polluter Pays” Principle
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• The demand for compensation for loss and damage
from climate disasters is an extension of the universally
acknowledged “Polluter Pays” Principle.
• This principle makes the polluter liable for paying not just for
the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the
victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.
Historical responsibility
• In the climate change framework, the burden of responsibility
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falls on those rich countries that have contributed most of
the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions since 1850, generally
considered to be the beginning of the industrial age.
• Historical responsibility is important because carbon dioxide
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remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and it is the
cumulative accumulation of this carbon dioxide that causes
global warming.
Contribution of Countries to GHG Emission:
• Developed: The United States and the European Union,
including the UK, account for over 50 per cent of all emissions
during this time. If Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia are
included, the combined contribution goes past 65 per cent,
or almost two-thirds of all emissions.
• Developing: A country like India, currently the third largest
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emitter, accounts for only 3 per cent of historical emissions.
China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years
now, has contributed about 11 per cent to total emissions
since 1850.
UNFCCC and Loss & Damage:
• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) acknowledges the differentiated responsibility of
nations. It makes it clear that rich countries must provide both
the finance and the technology to developing nations to help
tackle climate change.
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• However, the UNFCCC does not mention loss and damage.
• In 2009, developed countries agreed to provide US$ 100
billion every year from 2020 to help developing nations fight
climate change. However, they are struggling to fulfill this
promise.
• The COP27 to UNFCCC included the issue of ‘loss and
damage’ in its formal main agenda for the first time ever.
Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM)
• The Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and
Damages, set up in 2013, was the first formal acknowledgment
of the need to compensate developing countries struck by
climate disasters.
• But according to critiques, WIM was not providing any real
solution to address the problem.
• The discussions under WIM merely focused on enhancing
knowledge, strengthening dialogue, and building technical
expertise. No money was on offer.
Why rich countries were resisting this?
• Loss and damage claims can easily spiral into billions of
dollars, or even more.
• According to a recent report by the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Efforts (UNOCHA), the United
States alone is estimated to have “inflicted more than $1.9
trillion in damages to other countries” due to its emissions.
• Also, there are practical difficulties in estimating how much
a country has actually suffered due to the actions of others.
Then there are non-economic losses as well, including loss
of lives, displacement and migration, health impacts, and
damage to cultural heritage.
• However, a few countries have made small funding
commitments for loss and damage. These include Denmark
and Scotland, and the Belgian region of Wallonia.
COP27 Loss and Damage Fund
• Representatives from 24 countries will work together over the
next year to decide what form the fund should take, which
countries should contribute, and where and how the money
should be distributed.
• The fund will initially draw on contributions from developed
countries and other private and public sources, such as
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 Current Affairs Cover Story
Edition: December, 2022

international financial institutions, with an option for other
major economies to join down the line.
• The final text points to “identifying and expanding sources of
funding,” something the EU, the U.S. and others had pushed
for during negotiations, suggesting that nations that are both
high-polluting and considered developing under the criteria,
should also pay into the fund.
• The deal says the fund will assist “developing countries that
are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate
• They argue that international laws must be strengthened to
protect their rights in the case that their lands are engulfed
by rising seas. The establishment of a loss and damage fund
could bolster those arguments.
Way Ahead:
• Beyond just financial help, setting up the fund is seen as a
huge step forward, but how it’s ultimately viewed will depend
in part on how fast it can be set up.

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change,” though there will be room for middle-income
countries that are severely affected by climate disasters to
also get paid.
• Pakistan, which was devastated by flooding that put a third
of the country underwater, or Cuba, recently battered by
• While including loss and damage into the COP’s formal
agenda — instead of the WIM — is a good beginning, it is just
the first step. It might be several years before money actually
begins to flow in to compensate poorer countries.
• Also, past record suggests that the quantum of money put on

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Hurricane Ian, could be eligible.
• How the loss and damage fund will fit in with “other institutions,
agencies that are out there doing humanitarian work, helping
people rebuild, dealing with migration and refugee crises,
dealing with food security, water security” will need to be
worked out.
Repercussions:
• The establishment of such a fund could have repercussions,
both legal and symbolic, in climate circles and beyond. For
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example, several Pacific Island nations have been pushing for
the International Court of Justice to consider climate change.
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the table for climate change purposes is never commensurate
to the requirements.
• Apart from efforts at COP27, a Group of states, including
Bangladesh, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore
and various small island states are planning to bring a
draft resolution in the UN General Assembly in December,
requesting an Advisory Opinion from the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) on climate change.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of Green Finance, kindly refer Page 59
of Nov. 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.

NOTE: The Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a dedicated cooperation
initiative of economies systemically vulnerable to climate change.

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 COVER STORY Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

CARBON BORDER TAX

A group of countries including India has opposed the carbon border taxes policy at the COP27
in Sharm El Sheikh, saying it could “result in market distortion”.

About: • There is the risk that it becomes a protectionist device,

• The carbon border tax involves imposing an import duty on unduly shielding local industries from foreign competition in

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a product manufactured in a country with more lax climate so-called ‘green protectionism’.
rules than the one buying it. • The EU’s CBAM proposal contains various controversial
• As a price on carbon, it discourages emissions. As a trade- aspects.
related measure, it affects production and exports.  For example: how to fairly account for emissions related to
the production of imported goods?

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EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM):  How to duly consider the costs that companies already face
• The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is a plan from the in complying with climate regulations in exporting countries?
European Union (EU) to tax carbon-intensive products, such
as iron and steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium and electricity
generation, from 2026.
• If implemented as planned, EU importers will have to buy
carbon certificates corresponding to the carbon price that
would have been paid in the EU, if the goods had been
produced locally.
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• The price of the certificates would be calculated according
to the auction prices in the EU carbon credit market. The
number of certificates required would be defined yearly by
the quantity of goods and the embedded emissions in those
goods imported into the EU.
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Arguments in Favor:
• For the EU, CBAM would be neither a tax nor a tariff, but a
policy measure.
• The EU claims that the tax will benefit the environment. Options for EU’s Trading Partners?
• By ‘equalizing’ the price of carbon between domestic Partners may:
products and imports, the EU claims to promote fair • Choose to retaliate imports coming from the EU. Countries
competition, levelling the playing field between EU and non- could decide to impose barriers on EU imports in response.
EU businesses.
• Adopt their own CBAMs. For climate reasons, economic
Arguments Against: interests or as a response to the EU, countries could start
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adopting their own carbon border taxes. Following the EU

• The BASIC group, comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and
China, said in a joint statement, “Unilateral measures and
discriminatory practices, such as carbon border taxes, could
result in market distortion and aggravate the trust deficit
amongst parties, that must be avoided.
• They say it puts the burden of climate compliance on
developing countries, when historically, they have done
much less to pollute the environment and yet are often more
vulnerable to effects of climate change.
• If designed unilaterally, it tends to be seen as unfair by
trading partners.
announcement, the US is now considering this. A similar
scheme is in the making in Canada.
• Challenge the EU CBAM. Trade specialists have been
discussing the consistency of the EU proposed mechanism
with multilateral rules. A WTO dispute against the EU is
possible.
• Choose to negotiate exemptions with the EU. Many seem
reluctant, though. Negotiating exemptions with the EU
ultimately means bowing to a scheme often seen as an
imposition from EU on others.
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 Current Affairs
COVER Cover Story
STORY
Edition: December, 2022
INDIA’S EMISSION STRATEGY
India submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy to the UNFCCC,
during the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27).
About:
• The Paris Agreement of 2015 required countries to submit a
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plan demonstrating how they would switch their economies
from being reliant on fossil fuel to clean energy sources.
• This was to include measures to be taken to keep
temperatures from rising beyond 2°C, and preferably keep
it at 1.5°C by the end of the century and becoming carbon
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neutral or achieving net zero.
• India has committed to being net zero by 2070. The deadline
to make a commitment was 2020 but the pandemic meant
deadlines were extended.
• Further, COP 26 at Glasgow in November 2021, in Decision
urged Parties that have not yet done so to communicate their
LT-LEDS by COP 27 (November 2022).
Salient features of the strategy:
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• India will also focus on improving energy efficiency by the
Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, expand the
National Hydrogen Mission, increase electrification, and
enhance material efficiency and recycling.
• India’s plan is to maximise the use of electric vehicles; ensure
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that by 2025 the percentage of ethanol blended with petrol
increases to 20% from the existing 10% and making a ‘strong
shift’ of passenger and freight vehicles to public transport.
• Future sustainable urban development will be driven by smart
city initiatives, integrated planning of cities for mainstreaming
adaptation and enhancing energy and resource efficiency,
effective green building codes and rapid developments in
innovative solid and liquid waste management.
• India’s forest and tree cover are a net sink absorbing 15% of
CO2 emissions in 2016. India is on track to fulfilling its NDC
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commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon
sequestration in forest and tree cover by 2030.
• Provision of climate finance by developed countries will play a
very significant role and needs to be considerably enhanced,
in the form of grants and concessional loans, ensuring scale,
scope and speed, predominantly from public sources.
Underlying basis of India’s strategy:
• The LT-LEDS has been prepared in the framework of India’s
right to an equitable and fair share of the global carbon
budget, which is the practical implementation of India’s call
for “climate justice.”
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• This is essential to ensure that there are no constraints
on realizing India’s vision of rapid growth and economic
transformation, while protecting the environment. India has
significant energy needs for development.
• India has contributed little to global warming, its historical
contribution to cumulative global GHG emissions being
minuscule despite having a share of ~17% of the world’s
population.
• India needs to build climate resilience. India is committed
to pursuing low-carbon strategies for development and is
actively pursuing them, as per national circumstances.
• The LT-LEDS is also informed by the vision of LiFE, Lifestyle
for the Environment, that calls for a world-wide paradigm shift
from mindless and destructive consumption to mindful and
deliberate utilization.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of Mission LiFE, kindly refer Page 57
of Nov. 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.
Is the strategy different from NDCs?
• The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which
India must periodically update, are voluntary commitments
by countries to reduce emissions by a fixed number relative
to a date in the past to achieve the long-term goal of climate
agreements of preventing global temperature rising beyond
1.5°C or 2°C by the end of the century.
• Thus, India’s most updated NDC commits to ensuring that
half its electricity is derived from non-fossil fuel sources by
2030 and reducing the emissions intensity by 45% below
2005 levels by 2030.
• They are concrete targets unlike the low-carbon strategy
which is qualitative and describes a pathway.
PAT SCHEME
• The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme of Ministry
of Power refers to an emissions trading scheme where
carbon intensive industries, have to reduce their emissions
by a fixed amount or buy energy saving certificates from
firms that have exceeded reduction targets.
• This scheme has been on since 2012 and has so far
prevented 60 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted.
 COVER STORY
MANGROVE ALLIANCE FOR CLIMATE
During the COP27 to UNFCCC at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, the Mangrove Alliance for
Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.
Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC):
• Members: The MAC is an initiative led by the United Arab
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Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia. It also includes India, Sri
Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain as partner countries.
• Objectives: It seeks to spread awareness on the role of
mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a
“nature-based solution to climate change”.
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• This alliance will work on a voluntary basis which means that there
are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.
Instead, the parties will decide their own commitments and
deadlines regarding planting and restoring mangroves.
Mangrove Forests:
• A mangrove is a shrub or a small tree that live in intertidal
water in coastal areas and has roots in salty sediments, often
underwater. They also grow in swamps.
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• Mangroves are salt tolerant plant communities found in
tropical and sub-tropical intertidal regions of the world. Such
areas are characterized by high rainfall (between 1,000 to
3,000 mm) and temperature (ranging between 26°C-35°C).
• Mangrove forests can survive extreme weather conditions
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and require low oxygen levels to survive. The mangroves
cannot survive freezing temperatures.
Significance of Mangroves:
• Carbon Sink: Mangrove forests can store ten times more
carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests. Also, they can store
carbon up to 400% faster than land-based tropical rainforests.
• Blue Carbon: Once the plants die, they take the stored carbon
into the soil. This is called “Blue Carbon”.
• Disaster management: Moreover, Mangrove forests act as
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natural barriers against rising tides and storms. Each year,
they prevent property damages of over $65 billion.
• Biodiversity: They provide breeding grounds for marine
biodiversity and 80% of global fish populations depend on
healthy mangrove ecosystems.
DO YOU KNOW?
International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove
Ecosystem is celebrated every year on July 26 to raise
awareness about mangrove ecosystems. The day was
designated by UNESCO in 2015.
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Threats:
• Between 2010 and 2020, around 600 sq. km of mangroves
were lost of which more than 62% was due to direct human
impacts, the Global Mangrove Alliance said in its 2022 report.
• Infrastructure projects — industrial expansion, building
of roads and railways, and natural processes — shifting
coastlines, coastal erosion and storms, have resulted in a
significant decrease in mangrove habitats.
Mangrove Cover: Worldwide
• As per Global Forest Resource Assessment, 2020 (FRA
2020), world over, 113 countries have Mangrove forests
covering an estimated 14.79 million hectares.
• The largest Mangrove area is reported in Asia (5.55 million
hectares), followed by Africa (3.24 million hectares).
• More than 40 percent of the total area of Mangroves was reported
to be in just four countries: Indonesia (19 percent of the total),
Brazil (9 percent), Nigeria (7 percent) and Mexico (6 percent).
Mangrove Cover: India
• India contributes to nearly half of the total mangrove cover in
South Asia.
• According to the Forest Survey report 2021, mangroves cover
in the country is 4,992 square km, which is 0.15 percent of the
country’s total geographical area. Since 2019, the cover has
risen by only 17 sq. km.
• West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover
in India, mainly because of Sundarbans. It is followed by
Gujarat and Andaman, and Nicobar Islands.
• Other states that have mangrove cover are Maharashtra,
Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala.
Sundarbans:
• Sunderban, located in the northern Bay of Bengal is the
world’s largest single patch of Mangrove Forests.
• Spread over approximately 10,000 sq km, in Bangladesh and
India, Sundarban is the first Mangrove forest in the world, which
was brought under scientific management, as early as in 1892.
• Status: Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted
as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz. Sundarbans National
Park (India), Sundarbans West (Bangladesh), Sundarbans
South (Bangladesh) and Sundarbans East (Bangladesh).
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 Current Affairs
COVER Cover Story
STORY
Edition: December, 2022
INTERNATIONAL DROUGHT RESILIENCE ALLIANCE
At the initiative of Senegal and Spain, leaders from over 25 countries and 20 organizations launched
the International Drought Resilience Alliance at the COP27 to the UNFCCC.
About:
• The mission of the alliance is to make the land’s resilience to
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drought and climate change a reality by 2030.
• This will be achieved by fast-track sharing of innovation,
technology transfer and mobilization of resources. It will
also collaborate with the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) to achieve universal coverage of early warning systems.
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Drought:
• Meaning: Drought is a temporary reduction in water or moisture
availability significantly below the normal or expected amount
for a specific period.
• Causes: This condition occurs either due to inadequacy of
rainfall, or lack of irrigation facilities, under-exploitation or
deficient availability for meeting the normal crop requirements.
• In India, around 68% of the country is prone to drought in varying
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degrees. 35% of the country, which receives rainfall between
750 mm and 1125 mm is considered drought prone while 33%
receiving less than 750 mm is chronically drought prone.
Types of Drought:
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• Meteorological drought is classified based on rainfall
deficiency w.r.t. long term average – 25% or less is normal,
26-50% is moderate and more than 50% is severe.
• Hydrological drought results from prolonged meteorological
drought resulting in depletion of surface and sub-surface
water resources. Such conditions arise even in times of
average (or above average) precipitation when increased
usage of water diminishes the reserves.
• Agricultural drought is a situation when soil moisture and
rainfall are inadequate to support healthy crop growth.
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Global Impact of Drought:
• According to the latest Drought in Numbers report compiled
by UNCCD, droughts have increased in frequency by 29%
since 2000, with some 55 million people affected every year.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
projects that three out of every four people in the world will
be living in drier, water-scare conditions by 2050.
• Between 1900 and 2019, droughts impacted 2.7 billion
people worldwide and caused 11.7 million deaths.
• From 1998 to 2017, drought generated economic losses of
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about US$124 billion across the world, not to mention the
cost in human suffering and lives.
• Up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate by 2050,
largely due to drought in combination with other factors
including water scarcity, declining crop productivity, sea-
level rise, and overpopulation.
Institutional structures to deal with droughts in India:
• Ministry of Agriculture is the nodal Ministry to manage drought
conditions.
• Government of India in partnership with States is
implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, which
aims at providing potable water on regular basis to every
rural household.
• Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Centrally
Sponsored Scheme namely, Watershed Development
Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
(WDC-PMKSY).
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD):
• The UNCCD is the only legally binding framework set up to
address desertification and the effects of drought.
• It is the only convention stemming from a direct
recommendation of the Rio Conference’s Agenda 21.
• The Convention was adopted in Paris, France in 1994 and
entered into force in 1996. In 2013, Canada became the first
country to withdraw from the convention. Later on, it reversed its
withdrawal and became party to the convention again in 2017.
• There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196
country Parties and the European Union.
• The UNCCD permanent secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany.
• The Conference of the Parties (COP) was established by the
UNCCD as its main decision-making body. The COP has
been meeting biennially since 2001.
• The 14th session of the COP14 to UNCCD was held in 2019
in Greater Noida with member countries adopting the Delhi
Declaration to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030.
• UNCCD COP15 was held in May 2022 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
• The Committee on Science and Technology (CST) and The
Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the
Convention (CRIC) are the two Subsidiary bodies of COP.
 COVER STORY
TIPPING POINTS
A study published in the Science journal has stated that a rise of 1.5°C from
pre-industrial levels can trigger multiple climate tipping points.
Tipping Points of Climate Change:
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
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defines tipping points as “critical thresholds in a system that,
when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state
of the system, often with an understanding that the change is
irreversible.”
• The IPCC identifies several tipping points of climate change.
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When Will We Reach The Tipping Points?
• In the early 2000s, there was a general consensus among
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scientists that most tipping points could be reached in the
event of a 4°C increase in global temperatures.
• However, more recent assessments found that exceeding
1.5° C of global warming risks crossing several of these
thresholds. That is why climate scientists across the globe
have long called governments for more serious commitments
to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5° C.
• A new study has found that even the current level of average
global temperatures — about 1.1 degree Celsius higher
than preindustrial times — is enough to trigger catastrophic
changes in several climatic systems.
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• The Earth’s surface temperature has already increased by
nearly 1.2°C compared with the average in 1850–1900 and
we are perfectly on track to reach the much feared 1.5°C
threshold between 2026 and 2042 in a scenario where
emissions are not rapidly reduced.
Impact:
• Here are the 7 most likely to be crossed this century due to
human activity: (1) Greenland ice sheet, (2) Permafrost, (3)
Ocean circulation and temperature (AMOC), (4) Monsoons,
(5) Amazon Rainforests, (6) Antarctic ice sheets and (7) Coral
reef die-offs.
• Let us have a look at what will happen if the Most Pressing
Tipping Points are breached.
Greenland Ice Sheet:
• The Arctic ice sheet is warming 3 to 4 times faster than the
rest of the world, adding almost 1mm to global sea levels
every year.
• This can be explained by the fact that, as the sun-reflecting
ice surface melts as a consequence of global warming,
deeper layers of the ocean as well as land are exposed;
and because both the blue ocean and land absorb the sun’s
energy better and faster, this vicious cycle inevitably leads
to an increase in temperatures across the region and thus
further melting.
• The melting of Greenland’s massive ice sheet is already
occurring so rapidly that it is now the main factor in global
sea level rise.
Permafrost:
• Permafrost refers to a ground that remains frozen for at least
two consecutive years and is essentially a mixture of rock,
soil, sediment, ice, and organic material.
• Permafrost is isolated from the atmosphere by a boundary
called an “active layer”, consisting of live plants in summer,
with added snow in winter. The active layer transfers heat
from or to the permafrost.
• This permanently frozen layer below the Earth’s surface –
which covers parts of Siberia, Alaska northern Canada, and
the Tibetan plateau – also holds the largest global carbon
reserve from plants and animals that died and decomposed
over thousands of years.
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 Current Affairs Cover Story
Edition: December, 2022
• Scientists estimate that it contains about 1,400 billion tons of
carbon, nearly double the amount present in the atmosphere.
• As the climate warms and permafrost begins to thaw, carbon
dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere.
• The spread of these highly toxic gases, scientists warn, would
add up to 0.3°C to global warming and could lead to humanity
reaching other tipping points of climate change much faster.
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC):
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• AMOC – or Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation – is a
large system of ocean currents driven by differences in the
density of water, which determines their temperature.
• The AMOC acts as a conveyor belt, redistributing heat
throughout the Earth’s climate system by bringing it from the
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tropics in the Southern Hemisphere all the way to Greenland
and carrying cold water back south.
• The freshwater input from glaciers’ melting, however,
significantly weakens these currents.
• While the flow has already been reduced by about 15% in the
last five decades, a weakening of 24% to 39% is expected
even before the tipping point is reached, something that
could happen as early as in 2100.
• A slowdown of the AMOC could have consequences
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around the world: rainfall in the Sahel region could reduce,
hampering crop production; the summer monsoon in Asia
could weaken; regional SLR [sea level rise] could increase
around the Atlantic, and there might be more winter storms in
Europe.”
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Monsoons:
• Farmers across the tropics, from the Amazon region in South
America to West Africa and even India, count on seasonal
monsoon cycles to grow their crops.
• As global warming affects their strength, timing, and duration,
farmers are forced to relocate their agricultural practices
elsewhere.
• This mass climate change-induced migration would inevitably
decrease productivity and threaten food security not only
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in these regions but pretty much across the whole world,
disrupting the livelihoods of over a billion people.
• The production of some staple crops like maize, rice and
wheat is projected to decline drastically as a consequence of
climate change.
Amazon Rainforest:
• As the largest tropical rainforest on the planet and home to
about three million species of plants and animals, the Amazon
produces about half of its own rainfall by recycling moisture
through evaporation and transpiration as air moves around.
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• However, as the effects of climate change intensify, drought
events are limiting the forest’s ability to influence rain patterns.
Over the last 10 years, the Amazon rainforest experienced
three “once-in-a-hundred-year” droughts.
• This, coupled with extremely high (and constantly rising) rate
of deforestation, has led not only to massive dieback (a tree
beginning to die from the tip of its leaves or roots backwards)
but also to the rainforest shifting from a carbon sink to a net
source of greenhouse gases, as it currently emits a greater
amount of carbon dioxide than it can absorb.
• The Amazon is rapidly losing its ability to bounce back
from damage caused by droughts, fires and deforestation,
suggesting that it is very close to reaching its tipping point.
Antarctic Ice Sheets:
• The Antarctic ice sheet, scientists argue, is already
destabilising and it is very close to its tipping point even
without added warming.
• The UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reported
that temperatures on Antarctica have increased by almost
3C over the past 50 years, with glaciers experiencing an
accelerated retreat.
• Its mass losses of ice between 1992 and 2011 accounted for
4mm of sea level rise and almost 18% of the total global sea
level rise in the period 2012-2017, a study found. By the end
of the current century, the melting of the Antarctic ice sheets
could contribute up to one metre to sea level rise.
• Besides sea levels, melting glaciers in the Antarctic region
could result in significant biodiversity loss, as thousands of
animal species are dependent of the ice pack.
Coral Reefs Die-Off:
• Coral reefs are one of the oldest ecosystems in the ocean
and it can take thousands of years for the full development of
a coral reef from the first formation of a polyp from colonising
larvae.
• Besides containing one of the most biodiverse ecosystems
on earth, coral reefs protect coastlines from the damaging
effects of wave action and tropical storms, are a source of
nitrogen and other nutrients for marine food chains and assist
in nitrogen and carbon fixing.
• They also play an important role in generating the sand and
rubble that maintain islands and cays.
• Unfortunately, these extremely important ecosystems are
facing unprecedented events of severe bleaching and
physical destruction due to human coastal development, as
well as the effects of unmanaged tourism.
• Many scientists even argue that reefs have already reached
their tipping point and are at risk of being completely wiped
out by 2050.
 COVER STORY
GREENWASHING
At the COP27 conference, Secretary-General of the United Nations (U.N.), António Guterres said,
“We must have zero tolerance for net-zero greenwashing.”
What is ‘greenwashing’?:
• Greenwashing refers to misleading the general public into
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believing that companies, sovereigns or civic administrators
are doing more for the environment than they actually are.
• This may involve making a product or policy seem more
environmentally friendly or less damaging than it is in reality.
• Examples: In April 2022, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
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penalised retailers Kohl and Walmart $5.5 million for
misleading customers about their home furnishing products
being made of bamboo. In reality, they were made of rayon
— a fiber made from cellulose whose manufacturing entails
the use of harmful chemicals such as sodium hydroxide that
are hazardous to the environment.
ORIGIN OF THE TERM
• The term was coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in
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1986. During a 1983 stay in Fiji, he came across notes next
to towels in a particular resort.
• The note asked customers to reuse the towels and help
reduce ecological damage to the ocean and the coral
reefs. While it may appear to be an environment-friendly
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practice, in reality, the endeavour was for the hotel to save
up on laundry bills.
Why does greenwashing happen?
• It is done primarily for a company to either present itself as an
‘environment-friendly’ entity or for profit maximisation.
• The latter could be achieved by either introducing a product,
catering to the inherent demand for environment-friendly
products, or, in certain instances, using the larger idea as
a premise to cut down on certain operational logistics and
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providing consumer essentials.
• The phenomenon came into practice as consumers and
regulators, owing to greater awareness and environmental
consciousness, increasingly sought to explore planet-
friendly, recyclable and sustainable ‘green’ products.
Criticism:
• Although several companies, cities, states and regions have
committed to reaching net-zero, in the absence of regulation,
a lot of these pledges are not aligned with the science to
achieving the same and do not have enough detail to be
credible.
Cover Story Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Additionally, the inconsistent use of terms ‘net-zero’, ‘net-
zero aligned’, ‘eco-friendly’, ‘green’ and ‘ecological’ among
others are not accompanied with satisfactory evidence to
substantiate their claims.
• If greenwash premised upon low-quality net zero pledges
is not addressed, it will undermine the efforts of genuine
leaders, creating both confusion, cynicism and a failure to
deliver urgent climate action.
Greenwashing and Financial Sector:
• Broadly, financial institutions are expected to fund the
transition towards renewable energy and discourage
investments conventional energy sources as coal, oil and gas.
• Thus, if the financial sector is to respond effectively to
the demand for products that endeavour to introduce
positive changes into the economy, it is imperative that
‘greenwashing’ is averted.
• Financial services providers expect increased scrutiny of a
company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
credentials from regulators, shareholders, customers as well
as other stakeholders.
• In May 2022, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
constituted an advisory committee to look into all ESG-related
matters with a particular focus on mitigating risks pertaining
to mis-selling and ‘greenwashing’.
Recommendations to combat ‘greenwashing’:
• Non-state actors cannot claim to be net-zero while they
continue to build or invest in new fossil fuel supply. Thus,
companies must work towards reducing emissions across
their entire value chain and not limit the endeavour to only
one part of the chain.
• Companies must not invest, through any means, in
harnessing fossil fuels or engage in deforestation and other
environmentally destructive activities.
• In addition to this, companies cannot compensate for this
investment by means of cheap credits, that “often lack
integrity”. For perspective, carbon credits work as a permit
allowing the holder to emit a stipulated amount of carbon
dioxide or other greenhouse gases.
• The committee also recommends a transition from voluntary
disclosures (pertaining to net emissions) to regulatory norms.
Verification and enforcement in a voluntary space can be
particularly challenging.
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 Polity & Gov
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
APPOINTMENT OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS
President Droupadi Murmu appointed retired IAS officer Arun Goel as Election Commissioner (EC)
in the three-member Election Commission of India (ECI).

Remarks by Supreme Court: Changing Appointment Procedure for ECI will lead to similar
• The supreme court questioned the “lightning speed” and the demands.
process by which former IAS officer Arun Goel was appointed
Arguments in favour of a Consultative Process:
as Election Commissioner.

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• Ensuring Impartiality and preventing executive interference:
• The bench mooted the idea of including the Chief Justice of
Over the years, the ECs have occasionally been accused of
India in the appointment committee to ensure “neutrality”. being committed to the government that appointed them. In
one case, even the CEC (N Gopalaswamy) publicly demanded
Appointment of Election Commissioners:
dismissal of his fellow commissioner (Navin Chawla, who was
• The power to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) accused of favouring the Congress Party).

IA
and the Election Commissioners (ECs) lies with the President
• Like a judge, an election commissioner must not only be
of India under Article 324(2) of the Constitution, which states
fair and just but must be seen to be fair and just. The ECI is
that “the President shall fix the number of ECs in a manner
responsible for conducting elections which is the bedrock of
he sees fit, subject to the provisions of any law made by
democracy.
Parliament”.
• Parity with other top Bodies: When the collegium system is
• Thus, Article 324(2) left it open for the Parliament to legislate
considered necessary for Lokpal, NHRC, CIC, CVC and the
on the issue.
judges, what is the rationale for leaving out ECI and CAG?
• But, in the absence of any Parliamentary law governing the
• Legislative loophole: In 2017, Supreme Court observed that it
appointment issue, the ECs are appointed by the government is necessary to “plug the gap in the law” wrt appointment of
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of the day, without pursuing any consultation process. There is ECs to ensure the independence of ECI. Even the selection
no concept of collegium and no involvement of the opposition. procedure of the CBI Director is formalised by a written law.
• Tenure: The Commissioners are appointed for a 6-year period, • The Goswami Committee, way back in 1990 recommended
or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. the collegium system for appointment of ECs. The same
EX
was reiterated in Law Commission report No. 255 (2015) with
Qualification:
certain modifications.
• There are no prescribed qualifications for their appointment,
• Global Scenario: According to Law Commission Report No. 255
although convention dictates that only senior (serving or
on electoral reforms, in most of the countries from Canada to
retired) civil servants, of the rank of the Cabinet Secretary or
South Africa, the appointment of the Election Commissioners
Secretary to the Government of India (GoI) or an equivalent
is a consultative process.
rank, will be appointed.
• The Supreme Court in Bhagwati Prashad Dixit Ghorewala vs Recommendations made by Law Commission report
Rajiv Gandhi rejected the contention that the CEC should No. 255:
possess qualifications similar to that of a Supreme Court • Make appointment process consultative: The appointment of
judge, despite being placed on par with them in terms of the all the Election Commissioners (including the CEC) should
N

removal process. be made by the President on the recommendations of a

Arguments in favour of Status Quo:
• Election commission of India (ECI) is “consciously and
deliberately” a part of the executive function of the State.
• The current appointment process has in the past given
eminent persons, including T.N. Seshan who have set high
standard in terms of Impartiality.
• At least 15 other top constitutional functionaries, including
the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, are appointed
by the President acting on the advice of the Union Cabinet.
Committee consisting of the:
 Prime Minister of India – Chairperson
 Leader of the Opposition (or leader of largest opposition
party) in Lok Sabha – Member
 Chief Justice of India – Member
• Seniority principle: The elevation of an Election Commissioner
to CEC should be on the basis of seniority.
• For implementing it, amend the Election Commission (Conditions
of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of
Business) Act, 1991 in accordance with the Article 324(2).

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 Polity & Gov
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

T. N. SESHAN & ELECTORAL REFORMS

Recently, Supreme Court remarked that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) should be someone who “does
not allow himself to be bulldozed”, and that a person like the late T. N. Seshan “happens once in a while”.

About: • It was reported that he reviewed more than 40,000

• T. N. Seshan (1932 – 2019) was an expenditure accounts and disqualified 14,000 candidates for
Indian civil servant. false information.

• He joined the Indian Administrative • He deployed paramilitary forces in sensitive areas.

S
Service (IAS) in 1955 and served
Model code of conduct (MCC):
in various positions of the Central
• MCC is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission
Government including the secretary to
of India for the conduct of political parties and candidates
the Atomic Energy Commission and joint secretary at the
during elections.
Department of Space.

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• MCC in its present form was codified in his tenure.
• He was appointed 18th Cabinet Secretary of India in 1989
and later served as a member of Planning Commission. • He implemented the Election Commission’s model code of
conduct seriously and forced everyone to realize that this
• He was appointed the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of
constitutional body can even bite.
India and served from 1990 to 1996. He became known for
his electoral reforms.
Other Electoral Reforms:
Electoral reforms: • He was also instrumental in introducing photo identity cards
or Voter ID cards for voters, as a means to check fraudulent
• The appointment of TN Seshan as the tenth Chief Election
voting.
Commissioner was the beginning of a new chapter in the
T
history of India’s parliamentary democracy. • Seshan also enforced spending limits on candidates during
polls.
• Established in 1950 as the constitutional authority to hold free
and fair elections in India, the Election Commission of India • He also started the practice of appointing election officials
(ECI) was not more than an observer of elections until 1990. from states other than the one facing polls.
• But T.N. Seshan redefined the status and visibility of the ECI.
EX
Rift with Government and Expansion of ECI:
• Former CEC T.S. Krishna Murthy, who wrote Miracle of
• In 1993, during Seshan’s term, the P V Narasimha Rao-led
Democracy: India’s Amazing Journey, remarked that “the
Congress government expanded the EC to a three-member
history of Election Commission can be divided into two parts
panel, with all commissioners holding equal powers.
— pre-Seshan era where the Commission functioned as a
• Opposing this, Seshan approached the Supreme Court
department of the government and the post-Seshan era when
alleging that the move was introduced to curb his powers.
the Commission became more independent.”
• His petition was dismissed by the court, and it held, “the
Curbed Electoral Malpractices: concept of plurality is writ large on the face of Article 324,
• He was largely successful in curbing electoral malpractices clause (2) whereof clearly envisages a multi-member Election
in the country. Commission comprising the CEC and one or more ECs.”
N

• At a time when it was normal to bribe voters, Seshan

Later Life:
enforced the authority of the ECI as per its powers laid out in
• He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government
the Constitution.
service in 1996.
• He changed the process of conducting elections in the nation
• After retiring from the EC, Seshan had taken on a different
and introduced a list of 150 malpractices during elections,
role in electoral politics.
including distribution of liquor, bribing voters, ban on writing
on walls, use of religion in election speeches etc. • In 1997, he unsuccessfully contested the Presidential election
against K R Narayanan, and in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections,
• He cancelled or ordered re-polling in those areas where
he was the Congress’s candidate against BJP leader L K
irregularities were reported. In 1992, the Election Commission
Advani from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
cancelled elections in Bihar and Punjab due to electoral
issues. • He passed away in 2019.

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 Polity & Gov
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

JHARKHAND RESERVATION BILL

The Jharkhand Assembly, at a special session, unanimously cleared two Bills.

Reservation Bill: Ninth Schedule after April 24, 1973, can be challenged in
• The first Bill, ‘Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts court if they violated Fundamental Rights. The verdict came
and Services (Amendment) Bill, 2022’, aims at increasing in a case that challenged the TN quotas.
reservation in vacant government posts and services in the

S
INDRA SAWHNEY VS UNION OF INDIA 1992: TIMELINE
state from 60% to 77%.
• In 1979 the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government
• Within the reserved category, the Scheduled Castes will
constituted the Second Backward Class Commission,
get a quota of 12%, up from 10%; 27% for OBCs, up from
known as the Mandal Commission. It came to be known as
14%; 28% for Scheduled Tribes, a 2% increase; and 10% for
such after the name of its Chairman, B.P. Mandal.
Economically Weaker Sections.

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• OBCs and STs constitute more than 65% of the state
population.
• The reservation will not apply to admissions in government-
run universities or colleges.
Determining Domicile Status:
• The second Bill is ‘Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and
for Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural and Other
Benefits to Such Local Persons Bill, 2022’.
T
• The second bill calls for using land records with 1932 as the
cut-off year to determine domicile status and who among the
people fit the definition of local residents.
• It is aimed at granting local residents “certain rights, benefits,
EX
and preferential treatment” over their land; in their stake in
local development of rivers, lakes, fisheries; in local traditional
and cultural and commercial enterprises; in maintenance and
protection of land records; and, for trade and commerce in
the state.
• Comment: These steps are being considered as moves to
shore up the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition’s
support base at a time when there’s political uncertainty in
Jharkhand.
Why the need to include in Ninth Schedule?
N
• The commission identified around 3743 castes and
communities as backward classes. They formed 52 per
cent people belong to backward castes.
• The Mandal Commission submitted its report in 1980.
Submission of the Mandal Commission report was followed
by the demand for its implementation by several political
parties and OBC leaders.
• As implementation of the Mandal Commission was in
the Janata Dal’s manifesto, the VP Singh government
announced implementation of the Mandal Commission
Report in July 1990.
• The implementation of the Report led to violent protest in
India, especially in north India.
• Several petitions challenged the announcement to
implement the Mandal Commission Report. The Supreme
Court took all petitions together in 1992 in Indra Sawhney
vs Union of India.
• It upheld the decision to implement the Mandal Commission
Report on the following conditions:
 One, the creamy layer be excluded while identifying
backward classes. The creamy layer is only applicable
in the case of Other Backward Castes and not
applicable on other group like SC or ST. The creamy
layer criterion was introduced at Rs. 100,000/annum in

1993, and revised to Rs. 800,000 in 2015.

• After the Bills were passed, Jharkhand CM Soren said that
the Bills will come into force only after the Centre carries out
amendments to include these in the Ninth Schedule, putting
it beyond judicial scrutiny.
• The 77 per cent reservation breaches the 50 per cent ceiling
set by the Supreme Court in the landmark 1992 Indra Sawhney • In
v Union of India verdict. However, placing a legislation in the
Ninth Schedule shields it from judicial scrutiny.
• However, a 9-judge Constitution bench headed by CJI YK
Sabharwal had ruled in 2007 that all laws placed under the
 Two, the total limit for reservation to all categories –
SCs, STs and OBCs would not cross a limit of 50 per
cent of the total positions. Since the SCs and STs have
22.5 per cent reservation, the reservation limit for the
OBCs was fixed as 27.5 per cent.
view of the Supreme Court judgement, the
recommendations of the Mandal Commission got accepted
by the central governments in 1993. In 2006, the UPA-I
government extended the reservation for the OBCs to the
central government educational institutions.

22

9th SCHEDULE
News:
• The Jharkhand Assembly cleared two Bills, one for increasing
reservation and another for determining domicile status.
• However, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the Bills would
come into force only after the Centre carries out amendments
to include these in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
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Ninth Schedule of Constitution:
• The Ninth Schedule contains a list of central and state laws
which cannot be challenged in courts.
• Placing a legislation in the Ninth Schedule shields it from
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judicial scrutiny.
Features:
• It became a part of the Constitution in 1951, when the
document was amended for the first time.
• It was created by the new Article 31B, which along with 31A
was brought in by the government to protect laws related to
agrarian reform and for abolishing the Zamindari system.
• While Article 31A extends protection to ‘classes’ of laws,
T
Article 31B shields specific laws or enactments.
• Article 31B also has retrospective operation: meaning if laws
are inserted in the Ninth Schedule after they are declared
unconstitutional, they are considered to have been in the
Schedule since their commencement, and thus valid.
EX
Why was 9th schedule included in Constitution?
• After independence, zamindari abolition and land reforms laws
were passed as a move towards more egalitarian society, but
the Government efforts of social engineering faced several
problems, the land legislations were challenged in the courts.
• The first case challenging the land law was Kameshwar
Singh V State of Bihar , in this case the Bihar Land Reforms
Act 1950 was challenged on the ground that the classification
of zamindars made for the purpose for giving compensation
N
was discriminatory and denied equal protection of laws
guaranteed to the citizen under Article 14 of the Constitution.
• The Patna High Court held this piece of legislation as violative
of Article 14 as it classified the zamindars for the purpose of
payments of compensation in a discriminatory manner.
• As a result of these judicial pronouncements, the Government
got apprehensive that the whole agrarian reform programmes
would be endangered.
• To ensure that agrarian reform legislation did not run into
heavy weather, the legislature amended the Constitution in
the year 1951 which inserted Ninth Schedule.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Laws under Ninth Schedule:
• The First Amendment added 13 laws to the Schedule.
• Subsequent amendments in 1955, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975,
1976, 1984, 1990, 1994, and 1999 have taken the number of
laws protected from judicial review to 284.
• While most of the laws protected under the Schedule concern
agriculture/land issues, the list includes other subjects, such
as reservation. A Tamil Nadu law that provides 69 per cent
reservation in the state is part of the Schedule.
Tamil Nadu’s Case:
• The Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational
Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under
the State) Act, 1993, reserves 69 per cent of the seats in
colleges and jobs in the state government.
• When it ran into legal obstacles in the 1990s after the SC
verdict, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa led a delegation to
New Delhi to meet the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
• The reservation provision was then included in the Ninth
Schedule.
Are laws in the Ninth Schedule completely exempt
from judicial scrutiny?
• While the Ninth Schedule provides the law with a “safe
harbour” from judicial review, the protection is not blanket.
• When the Tamil Nadu law was challenged in 2007 (I R Coelho
v State of Tamil Nadu), the Supreme Court ruled that while
laws placed under Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged on
the grounds of violation of fundamental rights, they can be
challenged on the ground of violating the basic structure of
the Constitution.
• The laws cannot escape the “basic structure” test if inserted into
the Ninth Schedule after 1973, as it was in 1973 that the basic
structure test was evolved in the Kesavananda Bharati case as
the ultimate test to examine the constitutional validity of laws.
• If a law violates the basic structure doctrine, such law will
have to be invalidated in exercise of judicial review power of
the Court.
• The IR Coelho verdict said, “A law that abrogates or abridges
rights guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution may violate
the basic structure doctrine or it may not. If former is the
consequence of law, whether by amendment of any Article of
Part III or by an insertion in the Ninth Schedule, such law will
have to be invalidated in exercise of judicial review power of
the Court.”
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 Polity & Gov
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
PENDENCY IN JUDICIARY
Supreme Court (SC) rejected a PIL which asked for doubling the number of judges to reduce pendency of cases.
Present status of Judicial Pendency:
• The judicial system in India is under tremendous pressure.
• As of May 2022, over 4.7 crore cases are pending in courts
across different levels of the judiciary.
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• Of them,
 87.4% (4.15 crore cases) are pending in subordinate courts,
 12.4% (59 lakh cases) are pending in High Courts and
 Around 70,000 cases are pending in Supreme court.
• Nearly 1,82,000 cases have been pending for over 30 years.
IA
• An analysis of data on the National Judicial Data Grid, a
database of the Department of Justice, shows that courts saw
an increase of over 27% in pendency between December
2019 and April 2022.
Reasons:
• Amid the rising trend of litigation, more people and
organisations are approaching courts.
• This increasing litigation, however, is not reflected in the
T
number of judges available to hear these cases. E.g. India
has only 717 High Court judges to clear a backlog of 59 lakh
cases, which roughly translates to one judge for 8,200 cases.
• Inadequate infrastructure (physical and digital) has resulted
EX
in overburdened courts, which in turn has led to a massive
backlog of cases.
• Disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic further clogged
the Indian judicial system. Pending cases saw an increase of
20% in High Courts and 13% in subordinate courts during the
pandemic period (2019 to 2020).
• The Centre had set up tribunals and special courts to address
the pendency, but cases continue to climb in these forums
also.
• Other factors which lead to delay in disposal of cases include
N
frequent adjournments and lack of adequate arrangement to
monitor, track and bunch cases for hearing.
Impact: Undertrials on the rise
• Sharp spike in case pendency in Indian courts has resulted
in an increase in the number of undertrials lodged in prisons.
An undertrial is a prisoner on trial in a court of law.
• As per the Prison Statistics-2020, released by the National
Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), undertrials accounted for 76%
of the total inmates in around 1,300 prisons across the country.
• The NCRB report showed that 3.7 lakh inmates were
undergoing trial, while 1.12 lakh were convicted during 2020.
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In 2019, over two-thirds of a total of 4.8 lakh prisoners were
undertrials.
Recommendations:
• Improve the judge-to-population ratio to reduce the workload of
judges. However, according to present CJI D.Y. Chandrachud,
merely doubling the number of judges is not the solution for
pendency of cases as more judges does not mean more case
disposal, and instead good judges are required.
• Increase the number of working days of courts.
• Establish fast-track courts with strict implementation of deadlines.
• Establish Indian Courts and Tribunal Services (ICTs) to
increase the productivity of the court system.
INITIATIVES BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
• National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was
set up in August, 2011 with the twin objectives of increasing
access by reducing delays and arrears in the system and
enhancing accountability through structural changes and
by setting performance standards and capacities.
• Fast Track Courts: The Fourteenth Finance Commission
endorsed the proposal of the Government to establish Fast
Track Courts for cases of heinous crimes; cases involving
senior citizens, women, children etc., and urged the State
Governments to use the additional fiscal space provided in
the form of enhanced tax devolution form 32% to 42% to
meet such requirements.
• Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR): Commercial Courts
Act, 2015 (as amended on 20th August, 2018) stipulates
mandatory pre-institution mediation and settlement of
commercial disputes. Amendment to the Arbitration and
Conciliation Act, 1996 has been made by the Arbitration
and Conciliation (Amendment) Act 2015 for expediting the
speedy resolution of disputes by prescribing timelines.
• Arrears Committees: In pursuance of Resolution passed
in Chief Justices’ Conference held in April, 2015, Arrears
Committees have been set up in High Courts to clear cases
pending for more than five years.
• Filling up of vacancies: From 01.05.2014 to 15.07.2022,
46 judges were appointed in Supreme Court. 769 new
judges were appointed and 619 additional judges were
made permanent in the High Courts. Sanctioned strength
of judges of High Courts has been increased from 906
in May, 2014 to 1,108 in July 2022. However, filling up of
vacancies in Subordinate judiciary falls within the domain
of the State Governments and High Courts concerned.
 Polity & Gov
VACANCIES IN JUDICIARY
The Supreme Court said that increasing the number of judges will not demolish the perennial
problem of pendency, as the real problem lies in finding good legal talent.
Present Status:
• The Indian judiciary faces high vacancies across all levels
(the Supreme Court, High Courts, and subordinate courts).
• Between 2010 and 2020, vacancies increased from 18%
S
to 21% across all levels of courts (from 6% to 12% in the
Supreme Court, from 33% to 38% in High Courts, and from
18% to 20% in subordinate courts).
• The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances,
Law and Justice (2020) noted that every year, 35-40% of
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posts of High Court judges remain unfilled.
• As on February 20, 2020, 21% posts for judges were vacant
(5,146 posts out of the sanctioned strength of 24,018) in
subordinate courts.
Reasons:
• Vacancies in courts keep on arising periodically due to
retirement, resignation, demise, or elevation of judges.
• Over the years, the sanctioned strength of judges in both High
T
Courts and subordinate courts has been increased gradually.
However, vacancies persist due to insufficient appointments.
• Appointments of High Court judges are guided by a
memorandum of procedure. As per this memorandum, the
appointment process is to be initiated by the concerned High
EX
Court at least six months before a vacancy occurs.
• However, the Standing Committee (2021) noted that this
timeline is rarely adhered to by High Courts. Further, in the
final stage of the process, after receiving recommendations
from the Supreme Court collegium, the executive appoints
judges to the High Court. No timeline is prescribed for this
stage of the appointment process.
• In 2018 and 2019, the average time taken to appoint High
Court judges after receiving the collegium’s recommendations
was five to seven months.
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• Lawyers are unwilling to accept invitations to the Bench
because of the uncertainty posed by the government’s
inaction. Government holds up Collegium recommendations
for months together.
Implications:
• Vacancy of judges in courts is one of the reasons for delays
and a rising number of pending cases, as there are not
enough judges to hear and decide cases.
• Lack of adequate number of judges means a greater workload
per judge.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
HOW MANY JUDGES DO WE NEED?
Different methods of calculating the required judge strength
for subordinate courts have been recommended.
Judge-to-Population Ratio:
• Method of calculation: Optimum number of judges per
million population.
• Recommendation and its status: The Law Commission of
India (1987) had recommended increasing this ratio to 50
judges per million people. Note that this figure is calculated
based on the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme
Court, High Courts and subordinate courts.
Rate of Disposal:
• Method of calculation: Number of additional judges
required (to clear the existing backlog of cases and ensure
that new backlog is not created) is based on the average
number of cases disposed per judge.
• Recommendation and its status: The Law Commission of
India (2014) proposed this method. It rejected the judge-
to-population ratio method, observing that filing of cases
per capita varies substantially across geographic units
depending on socio-economic conditions.
Weighted case Load Method:
• Method of calculation: Calculating judge strength based on
the disposal by judges, taking into account the nature and
complexity of cases in local conditions.
• Recommendation and its status: The National Court
Management Systems Committee (NCMS) (2016)
critiqued the rate of disposal method. It proposed, as an
interim measure, the weighted case load method, which
addresses the existing backlog of cases as well as the new
flow of cases every year in subordinate courts. In 2017, the
Supreme Court accepted this model.
Time-based weighted case load method:
• Method of calculation: Calculating the required judge
strength taking into account the actual time spent by
judges in different types of cases at varying stages based
on an empirical study.
• Recommendation and its status: The Delhi High Court used
this approach in a pilot project (January 2017- December
2018) to calculate the ideal judge strength for disposing of
pending cases in certain courts in Delhi.
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 Polity & Gov
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

EXIT POLLS
Results of Exit polls were published by various agencies after Assembly elections
were concluded in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Meaning: Current Restrictions:

• Exit polls are basically a poll or survey of voters exiting polling • Under this law, Election Commission has mandated that Exit
stations after casting their votes in an election asking which polls can be telecast by agencies, including all websites,
political party they are supporting and reasons for the same. only after final phase of polling.

S
• It is different from an opinion poll, which is held before the • This is considered necessary as such elections are being
elections. held in several phases.
• In such staggering of election schedules over a large period
Objective:
of time it is felt that the telecast of exit polls after each phase
• Exit polls gives a broad trend and a sense of direction as
of polling affects the outcome in the subsequent phase of

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to where the mood of the nation is heading in an election
along with the issues, personalities, and loyalties that have
influenced voters.
• The EC also mandated that while carrying the results of exit
How are they conducted?
• Exit polls in India are conducted by a number of agencies,
often in tie-ups with media organisations.
• The surveys can be conducted face to face or online.
• Agencies conducting an exit poll follow a range of different
T
methods. One of the most common methods is sampling.
These agencies might opt for random or systematic sampling.
• The random sampling at times can be of an entire electorate
and not just of voters outside a booth — covering parameters
such as age, sex, caste, region and more.
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History of exit polls in India:
• This method is not new; in 1957, during the second Lok
Sabha elections, the Indian Institute of Public Opinion had
conducted such a poll.
• The 1998 Lok Sabha elections the only elections in the
country in which both opinion and exit polls were banned for
close to a month.
Rules governing exit polls in India:
• The Representation of the People (Second Amendment)
N
elections. It is believed that such telecast of exit polls affect
the turnout of voters’ also.
polls after final phase, newspapers and channels should
disclose the sample size of the electorate, the details of
polling methodology, the margin of error and the background
of the polling agency.
CHALLENGES & CRITICISM
• There have been various instances when exit polls
predictions turned out to be wrong.
• During the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections, all exit polls predicted
a comfortable victory for the NDA, but finally India had a
fractured mandate with the Congress emerging the single
largest party. The average of all exit poll projections for NDA
was 255 seats, and it won 187; the average of predictions
for UPA was 183 seats, and it ended up with 219.
• Estimating the vote share is not an easy task in India
due to diversity of location, caste, religion, language,
different levels of educational attainment, different levels
of economic class — and all of these have a bearing on
voting behaviour. Over- or under-representation of any of
these diverse sections of voters can affect the accuracy of
vote share estimates.

Bill, 2008 inserted new sections 126A and 126B in the • Political parties often allege that these polls are motivated,
Representation of the People’s Act, 1951. or financed by a rival party and could have a distorting
• Section 126A of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951 effect on the choices voters make in a protracted election,
clearly states that “No person shall conduct any exit poll and rather than simply reflecting public sentiment or views.
publish or publicise by means of the print or electronic media
• The results gathered in exit polls can be influenced by the
or disseminate in any other manner, whatsoever, the result
choice, wording and timing of the questions, and by the
of an exit poll during such period as may be notified by the
nature of the sample drawn.
Election Commission in this regard.”
• In this background, Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv
• Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section
Kumar in June 2022 renewed the commission’s proposals
shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
for banning exit polls.
extend to two years or with fine or with both.

26
 Polity & Gov
NRI VOTERS
Government of India told the Supreme Court that it is looking at ways to facilitate distance
voting for non-resident Indians (NRIs), mainly migrant labourers.
Current process of voting for NRIs:
• Voting rights for NRIs were introduced only in 2011, through
an amendment to the Representation of the People Act
(RPA), 1950.
S
• Section 20A of the RPA, 1950 provides for registration and
enrolment of overseas electors in the electoral rolls.
• An NRI can vote in the constituency in which her place of
residence, as mentioned in the passport, is located. She can
only vote in person and will have to produce her passport in
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original at the polling station for establishing identity.
Current strength of NRI voters:
• India has the largest diaspora population, with nearly 1.35
crore NRIs spread across the globe concentrated in the Gulf
countries, the U.S. and the U.K.
• In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, around one lakh NRIs
registered but only around 25,000 electors flew to India to vote.
Reasons for Low Voting:
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• A major reason for low NRI registration and voting is the
condition that they have to visit the polling booth in person.
Travelling to India only for this purpose is a “costly affair”.
• Otherwise, too they cannot leave the country of their residence
owing to specific compulsions of employment, education or
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other engagements.
Exploring Options to enable NRIs to vote:
• The Election Commission (EC) began to look for options to
enable NRIs to vote from overseas after several petitions
were filed by NRIs in the Supreme Court in 2013 and 2014.
• A 12-member committee was set up after the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections to study mainly three options — voting by post,
voting at an Indian mission abroad and online voting.
• The committee ruled out online polling as it felt this could
compromise “secrecy of voting”.
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• It also shot down the proposal to Vote at Indian Diplomatic
Missions abroad as they do not have adequate logistical
resources to handle a large number of overseas electors.
Also, they would have to seek the permission of the host
country for organising such activity, which may be difficult in
non-democratic countries.
• In 2015, the panel finally recommended that NRIs should be
given the “additional remote voting options of e-postal ballot
and proxy voting”, apart from voting in person.
• Note: Both e-postal ballot and proxy voting are currently
available to only service voters, like those in the armed
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
forces or diplomatic missions who are a limited number in
each constituency, unlike NRIs who could constitute a more
substantial chunk among the electorate in some states.
Justification for Remote Voting:
• NRIs should not be deprived of the franchise because they
exercised their right to freely practise a profession/trade.
• Many democratic countries like US and UK allow expatriates
to vote.
Proxy Voting:
• Under proxy voting, a registered elector can delegate his
voting power to a representative. The Law Ministry accepted
the recommendation on proxy voting.
• For implementing proxy voting, the Representation of the
People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Parliament.
The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha and was awaiting Rajya
Sabha’s approval when it lapsed with the dissolution of the
16th Lok Sabha. This proposal has not been revived yet.
• Various political parties criticized and were against proxy
voting as they felt it could never be guaranteed that the proxy
would vote as per the actual voter’s choice.
Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System:
• In 2020, the ECI wrote to the Law Ministry that it is “technically
and administratively ready” to extend the Electronically
Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) to NRI voters.
• To extend the e-postal voting facility to overseas voters, the
government only needs to amend the Conduct of Election
Rules 1961. It does not require Parliament’s nod.
• But the External Affairs Ministry flagged “huge logistical
challenges” relating to identity verification of voters, absence
of polling agents, the burden on embassy staff etc.
• It is yet to be seen, however, if any of the remote voting
options materialise before the 2024 general elections.
How will ETPBS work for NRIs?
• According to the EC proposal, any NRI interested in voting
through the e-postal ballot in an election will have to inform
the Returning Officer (RO) not later than five days after the
notification of the election. On receiving such information, the
RO will dispatch the ballot paper electronically.
• The voter can then register their mandate on the ballot printout
and send it back with an attested declaration. The voter will
either send the ballot by ordinary post or drop it at an Indian
Embassy where it would be segregated and posted.
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 Polity & Gov
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
DISQUALIFICATION OF CONVICTED LEGISLATORS
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan has been disqualified from the Rampur Assembly
seat after his conviction in a 2019 hate speech case.

Recent developments: • All other criminal provisions form a separate category under
• Two Uttar Pradesh legislators were convicted on criminal which mere conviction will not entail disqualification. A
charges in recent days, but only one of them has been sentence of at least two years in prison is needed to incur
disqualified and his seat declared vacant by the State’s such disqualification.

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Legislative Assembly secretariat.
Legal protection against disqualification:
• Azam Khan, the Samajwadi Party MLA for Rampur, was
• Under Section 8(4) of the RPA, legislators could avoid
sentenced to a three-year jail term, for making an inflammatory
immediate disqualification until 2013. The provision said that
speech in 2019.
with respect to a Member of Parliament or a State legislator
• As disqualification upon conviction on a criminal charge,

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the disqualification will not take effect for three months.
accompanied by a prison sentence of two years and more
• If within that period, the convicted legislator files an appeal
is immediate, the Assembly secretariat declared his seat
or revision application, it will not take effect until the disposal
vacant.
of the appeal or application. In other words, the mere filing of
• However, there has been no such response in regard an appeal against conviction will operate as a stay against
to Vikram Singh Saini, MLA from Khatauli, after he was disqualification.
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in connection with the
• In Lily Thomas vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court struck
Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013.
down clause (4) as unconstitutional, thus removing the
When does conviction attract disqualification? protection enjoyed by lawmakers.
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• Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA),
PROMINENT LEADERS DISQUALIFIED
1951, contains provisions aimed at decriminalising electoral
politics. • On 1 October 2013, Rasheed Masood became the
first MP to lose his membership of parliament under the
• There are two categories of criminal cases that attract
new guidelines, when he was sentenced to four years'
disqualification upon conviction.
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imprisonment for cheating, forgery and corruption.
• In the first category are offences that entail disqualification for
• Among the other major leaders who have been disqualified
a period of six years upon any conviction.
under the provisions of the RP Act are former Tamil Nadu
• If the punishment is a fine, the six-year period will run from Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who was convicted in a
the date of conviction, but if there is a prison sentence, the disproportionate assets case in 2017, and RJD supremo
disqualification will begin on the date of conviction, and will Lalu Prasad, who was disqualified after being convicted in
continue up to the completion of six years after the date of the fodder scam case in 2013.
release from jail.
• Major IPC offences are included under this head: making Can the disqualification be removed?
speeches that cause enmity between groups (Sec.153A) • The Supreme Court (SC) has the power to stay not only the
and doing so in a place of worship (Sec.505), bribery and sentence, but also the conviction of a person. In some rare
N

personation during elections and other electoral offences,
offences relating to rape and cruelty to women by husband
and latter’s relatives.
• Besides, serious provisions of special laws such as the
Protection of Civil Rights Act, Customs Act, Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act etc are among the category of offences
that entail disqualification regardless of the quantum of
punishment.
• Laws for prevention of Sati, corruption, terrorism and insult
to national flag and national anthem etc are also part of this
group.
cases, conviction has been stayed to enable the appellant to
contest an election. However, the SC has made it clear that
such a stay should be very rare and for special reasons.
• The RPA itself provides a remedy through the Election
Commission. Under Section 11 of the Act, the EC may
record reasons and either remove, or reduce the period of, a
person’s disqualification.
• The EC exercised this power for Sikkim Chief Minister P.S.
Tamang, who served a one-year sentence for corruption, and
reduced his disqualification so as to contest a byelection and
remain in office.

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 Polity & Gov
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

EWS QUOTA: SC VERDICT

The Supreme Court, by a 3:2 majority, has upheld the validity of the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019.

Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019:  by breaching the 50% ceiling on total reservation, without
• The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, provides which reservations will become the norm, and the principle
reservation up to 10% for Economically Weaker Sections of non-discrimination and equal treatment will become the
(EWS) in education and employment among those groups exception.

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that do not come under any community-based reservation.
SC Verdict: View of Majority Judges
• The 103rd amendment introduced Article 15(6), an enabling
• In the recent supreme court verdict, the three judges who
provision for the state to make special provisions for “any
constituted a majority of the five-judge Bench, rejected the
economically weaker sections of citizens” other than those
basic structure challenge completely.
mentioned in the previous two clauses, namely, the “socially

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• Classifying a section based on economic criterion alone was
and educationally backward classes” and Scheduled Castes
permissible under the Constitution, and the EWS quota did
and Scheduled Tribes.
not violate any Basic feature of the Constitution.
• It also introduced a corresponding Clause 6 in Article 16
• The Amendment survived the two standards prescribed to
to enable reservation for “economically weaker sections”,
find out if the basic structure has been violated:
other than the SEBCs and SC/ST, in public employment and
 the ‘width test’ (it is not of such wide amplitude as to
education.
obliterate or destroy any basic feature) and
• Article 15, which protects against discrimination on any
 the ‘identity test’ (as it does not alter or erase the identity
ground, and Article 16, which mandates equality of opportunity
of a basic feature such as the equality code).
in public employment, were thus changed to allow special
• The exclusion of the classes already enjoying reservation
T
provisions and reservations for the EWS category, subject to
from the EWS category does not offend the equality principle.
a maximum of 10%.
In fact, unless the EWS segment was exclusive, the object of
Criteria: furthering economic justice cannot be achieved.
• Following this amendment, the government also notified in • Regarding the breach of the 50% limit, the majority view was
EX
2019 the criteria to identify EWS. By this, anyone having an that the ceiling itself was not inflexible or inviolable.
annual family income of less than ₹8 lakh from all sources in • They held that there was nothing wrong in addressing
the financial year preceding the year of application would be economic weakness through reservation as an instrument of
identified as EWS for reservation purposes. affirmative action.
• Also excluded were those who had five acres of agricultural
land, or a residential flat of 1,000 square feet, or a residential
SC Verdict: View of dissenting judges
plot of 100 square yards and above in notified municipalities, • While introducing an economic basis for reservation, the
or 200 square yards in other areas. socially and historically disadvantaged classes had been
arbitrarily excluded which violated the basic structure.
Main grounds of challenge:
• Article 16 mandates equality of opportunity in public
• In Indra Sawhney (1992), a nine-judge Bench had ruled employment, with representation for the unrepresented
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that there can be no reservation solely based on economic
criteria, as the Constitution did not provide for it.
• Petitioners contended that the amendment violated the basic
structure of the Constitution because it violated the equality
code. The violation occurred
 by the introduction of economic criterion when reservation
was only meant for groups that were socially and
educationally backward due to historical disadvantages
and not due to individual lack of means,
 by excluding OBC/SC/ST candidates from the EWS
category and
classes through reservation being the only exception. But the
EWS category introduces a category that is not premised on
‘inadequate representation’.
• This additional reservation for those already represented
in public employment violates the equal opportunity norm,
which is part of the basic structure.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of EWS QUOTA, kindly refer Page 12
of Oct. 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.

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 Society
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
GLOBAL POPULATION CROSSES 8 BILLION
The global population crossed 8 billion on 15 November 2022.
Global Population Projections:
• The global population is growing at its slowest rate since
1950, having fallen under 1 percent in 2020.
• The world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in
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2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
• It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people
during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
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Global Fertility:
• Fertility has fallen markedly in recent decades for many
countries.
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• Today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country
or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman,
roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a
population with low mortality.
Countries with high Population Growth:
• More than half of the projected increase in the global
population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries:
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India,
Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of
Tanzania.
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• Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute
more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.
Global Demographic Dividend:
• In most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in parts
of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, the share of
population at working age (between 25 and 64 years) has
been increasing thanks to recent reductions in fertility.
• This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound
opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita,
known as the “demographic dividend”.
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• To maximize the potential benefits of a favourable age
distribution, countries should invest in the further development
of their human capital by ensuring access to health care and
quality education at all ages and by promoting opportunities
for productive employment and decent work.
Ageing Population:
• The share of global population at ages 65 and above is projected
to rise from 10 percent in 2022 to 16 percent in 2050.
• Countries with ageing populations should take steps to adapt
public programmes to the growing numbers of older persons,
including by establishing universal health care and long-term
care systems and by improving the sustainability of social
security and pension systems.
Life Expectancy:
• Global life expectancy at birth reached 72.8 years in 2019, an
improvement of almost 9 years since 1990.
• Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an
average global longevity of around 77.2 years in 2050.
India: Population Prospects
• India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most
populous country in 2023.
• India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared
to China’s 1.426 billion. India is projected to have a population
of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion
people by the middle of the century.
• 68 percent of India’s population is between 15-64 years old
in 2022, while people aged 65 and above comprise seven
percent of the population.
Demographic dividend in India:
• Over 27 percent of the country’s population is between the
ages of 15-29. At 253 million, India is also home to the world’s
largest adolescent population (10-19 years).
• India will continue to have one of the youngest populations
in the world till 2030 and is currently experiencing a
demographic window of opportunity, a “youth bulge” that will
last till 2025.
• There are prospects to reap the demographic dividend as the
median age of an Indian this year was 28.7 years, compared
to 38.4 for China and 48.6 for Japan against a global value of
30.3 years.
 Society
Feature Article
POCSO ACT
A recent report, titled ‘A Decade of POCSO’, on the analysis of the Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases across India, has found gaps in its implementation.
Why was POCSO enacted in 2012?
• The Constitution of India has incorporated several provisions
to protect the rights of children.
• India has also been a signatory to landmark international
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instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the Sale of Children, etc.
• However, India lacked any dedicated provision against child
sexual abuse. Cases would be tried under different provisions
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of the Indian Penal Code, which was found to be ill-equipped.
• The Study of Child Abuse, a 2007 report published by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development found that 50.76%
of children surveyed reported having faced one or more form
of sexual abuse. Contrary to the general perception then, the
overall percentage of boys reporting experiencing sexual
abuse was much higher than that of girls.
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)
Act, 2012: Salient Features
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• The Act is gender neutral and defines a child as any person
below eighteen years of age.
• It defines different forms of sexual abuse, including
penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual
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harassment and pornography.
• It deems a sexual assault to be “aggravated” under certain
circumstances, such as when the abused child is mentally
ill or when the abuse is committed by a person in a position
of trust or authority vis-à-vis the child, like a family member,
police officer, teacher, or doctor.
• People who traffic children for sexual purposes are also
punishable under the provisions relating to abetment in the Act.
• The Act prescribes stringent punishment graded as per
the gravity of the offence, with a maximum term of rigorous
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imprisonment for life, and fine.
Recent report on crimes against children: Key Findings
• The analysis of the POCSO Act cases across India – carried
out by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in collaboration the
World Bank – has found gaps in its implementation.
• 43.44% of trials under POCSO end in acquittals while only
14.03% end in convictions. For every one conviction in a
POCSO case, there are three acquittals.
• Only in 6% of the cases were the accused people strangers
to the victim.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• 5.47% of victims were under 10 years of age, 17.8% between
10-15 years and 28% between 15-18 years.
• Offences of penetrative sexual assault (31.18%) and
aggravated penetrative sexual assault (25.59%) together
comprise over half of all POCSO cases.
Quality of justice under POCSO:
• On average, it takes 509.78 days for a POCSO case to be
disposed of – whereas it has been stipulated under the Act
that such cases need to be disposed of within a year.
• There was a sharp increase in the number of pending cases
between 2019 and 2020 due to the slow pace of investigation
by the police and the delay in depositing samples with the
Forensic Science Laboratories.
• There is an increasing trend of cases being transferred from
one court to another which leads to wastage of time. Since
POCSO cases are supposed to be tried by the Special Court,
the transfers indicate “either administrative mismanagement
or wrongful appreciation of facts by the police”.
How do different Indian states fare?
• Delhi has the highest number of POCSO trials in the country
with 13.54 cases per 100,000 population in 2018.
• Chandigarh and West Bengal are the only states where the
average time taken for convictions is within one year.
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest pendency with more than three-
fourths (77.77%) of the total POCSO cases filed between
November 2012 and February 2021 are pending.
• On the other hand, at 80.2%, Tamil Nadu has the highest
disposal percentage.
Other Gaps in Implementation:
• ‘Support Persons’ are not being appointed in most POCSO
cases. A support person may be a person or organisation
working in the field of child rights, an official of a shelter home
having custody of the child, or a person employed by the
District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), who hand holds the
victim through the entire legal process.
• POCSO courts have not been designated in all districts. As of
2022, 408 POCSO courts have been set up in 28 States as
part of the Government’s Fast Track Special Court’s Scheme.
• There is a lack of Special Public Prosecutors appointed
specifically to handle POCSO cases, and even when they are
appointed, they are often employed for non-POCSO cases.
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Feature Article
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Shraddha Walkar’s brutal murder by the accused, her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawalla,
has brought the issue of domestic violence in light.
About:
• Domestic violence is the pattern of abusive behavior in a
domestic relationship that is used by a person(s) to gain/
maintain power and control over another person.
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• It can occur within a range of relationships including couples
who are married, living together or dating. Victims may also
include a child or other relative, or any other household member.
• Domestic abuse can happen to anyone irrespective of any
gender, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, class or
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educational background.
Forms of Domestic Violence:
• Physical abuse: Hurting a partner by hitting, burning, honour
Killing; female genital mutilation, and acid throwing.
• Sexual abuse: Forcing a partner in non-consensual sex
(Marital Rape).
• Financial Abuse: Making a person financially dependent by
maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding
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access to money, and forbidding attendance at school or
employment; dowry-related abuse and deaths/bride burning.
• Psychological & Emotional abuse: Intimidation and threatening
physical harm; stalking; name-calling or other verbal abuse;
undermining a person’s sense of self-worth through constant
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criticism and forcing isolation from friends, family.
Prevalence in India:
• As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) report,
32% of married women (18-49 years) have experienced
physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence.
• The most common type of spousal violence is physical
violence (28%), followed by emotional violence and sexual
violence. As opposed to this, only 4% men face domestic
violence cases in the country.
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• Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka at
48%, followed by Bihar, Telangana, Manipur and Tamil Nadu.
Lakshadweep has the least domestic violence at 2.1%.
• The woman’s experience of violence declines sharply with
increased schooling and wealth – both for the female victim,
as well as the male perpetrator.
Reasons for Domestic Violence:
• Patriarchal mindset, gender inequality, dowry, jealousy and
suspicion of cheating are the underlying reasons for domestic
violence against women.
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• Domestic violence typically co-occurs with alcohol abuse.
Alcohol use has been reported as a factor by two-thirds of
domestic abuse victims.
• Domestic violence also increases whenever families spend
more time together, such as during prolong vacations and
lockdowns.
• It has been observed that domestic violence increases during
sporting events like world cups, when the home team loses.
This frustration is vented out on partner.
• Pandemics, financial insecurity and natural disasters leads
to increased aggression at home (as seen in coronavirus-
lockdown and global financial crisis in 2009).
COVID-19
• During COVID-19, domestic violence against women and
girls intensified.
• This is because of restricted movement, social isolation,
economic insecurity, overloaded healthcare systems and
disrupted justice services.
• UN Women termed this as the ‘Shadow Pandemic’ growing
amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
• United Nations Secretary-General, noting the “horrifying
global surge”, called for a domestic violence “ceasefire”.
Why do victims stay with abusers?
• Due to Emotional, physical and financial dependence on their
spouse, most of the victims don’t escape the relationship.
• Through “gaslighting,” abusive partners cause victims to
feel like they are responsible for the abuse. Gaslighting is
a form of emotional abuse that abusers use to confuse and
shift blame onto the victim. Acc. To a UNICEF report of 2012,
~50% of women justify the beating by husband.
• They may try to isolate the victim from friends and family,
thereby reducing the people and places where the survivor
can go for support.
The Cycle of Violence:
• The cycle of abuse is a social cycle theory developed in 1979
by Lenore E. Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an
abusive relationship.
• It consists of four phases: 1. Tension building; 2. Incident; 3.
Reconciliation; and 4. Calm.
• First, there is a buildup to abuse when tension rises until a
domestic violence incident ensues.

• During the reconciliation stage, the abuser may be kind and
loving and then there is a period of calm.
• When the situation is calm, the abused person may be
hopeful that the situation will change. Then, tensions begin to
build, and the cycle starts again.
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Impact on Women:
• Physical health outcomes: Injury (from lacerations to
fractures and internal organs injury), Unwanted Pregnancy,
Gynecological problems, Permanent disabilities.
• Mental health effects: Depression, fear, anxiety, low self-
T
esteem, sexual dysfunction, eating disorders, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Financial Effects: Women and children experiencing domestic
violence undergo occupational apartheid; they are typically
denied access to desired occupations.
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• Fatal effects: Can include suicide, homicide, maternal mortality,
or STDs like HIV/AIDS.
Impact on Children:
• A weak, anaemic mother gives birth to a low-weight baby.
• By having witnessed the violence, it may produce an
intergenerational cycle of violence in children and other family
members, who may feel that such violence is acceptable or
condoned.
• Some emotional and behavioural problems that can result
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due to domestic violence include increased aggressiveness,
anxiety, and changes in how a child socializes with friends,
family, and authorities.
Steps taken at the Global Level:
• UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.2 calls for
eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls
in the public and private spheres.
• The Istanbul Convention, is a human rights treaty of the
Council of Europe against violence against women and
domestic violence.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Steps taken in India:
• The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 made the act of giving and
receiving dowry a crime.
• Section 498A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) criminalizes cruelty
against women by husband and his relatives.
• The Government is implementing the One Stop Centre (OSC)
Scheme, popularly known as Sakhi One Stop Centres, since
2015 under Nirbhaya Fund to provide assistance to women
affected by violence and in distress, both in private and
public spaces.
PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT, 2005
Salient features:
• The Act provides for the first time in Indian law a definition
of “domestic violence”.
• The definition is broad and includes not only physical
violence, but also other forms of violence. Dowry demands
are also covered.
• Domestic violence under the act includes actual abuse as
well as the threat of abuse.
• The law covers wife, female live-in partner, and other
women living in a household such as daughters, sisters,
widows or mothers.
• Principal of Locus Standi doesn’t apply here i.e., neighbors,
social workers, relatives etc. can file a complaint on behalf
of the victim.
• The Act provides for appointment of Protection Officers and
registration of Service Providers by State Governments for
protecting victim.
• Victims are provided medical and legal assistance.
• Right to housing: No woman can be thrown out of the
house, even if the property is not in her name; she can stay
in that house. And for women who prefer not to stay in the
shared household, state needs to create shelter homes.
• The act calls for disposing the case in 60 days.
• The act has a provision of up to 1 year imprisonment and/
or fine.
• Abuser has to pay maintenance amount if the court
decides.
Criticism:
• Broad definition of verbal abuse in the act is criticized.
• Men’s organizations such as the Save Indian Family
Foundation have opposed the law, arguing that it might be
misused by women during disputes.
• Domestic abuse of men is not covered; an equal gender
law would be ideal.
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Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIP
Along with conversation about the gruesome nature of the crime, some people are even judging
Shraddha Walkar for having been in a live-in relationship with her partner Aftab Amin Poonawala.
About:
• A live-in relationship also called cohabitation is an
arrangement when two people involved in a romantic and
sexual relationship as partners for a long term or permanently,
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decide to live together without marriage.
Criticism & concerns:
• In India, Live-in relationships are still considered taboo and
is frowned upon in the society. Acceptance is limited to some
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neighbourhoods of metropolitan cities.
• Critiques argue that “approval of live-in relationship is morally
and socially not acceptable,” and “it would disturb the entire
fabric of society.”
• Women in live-in relationships are often looked down upon,
ridiculed and scared into silence. It is still hard for a woman
in a live-in relationship to publicly air her grievances for fear
of the society telling her that “western culture" has ruined her.
• As none of the personal laws directly recognise live-
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in relationships - it affects financial rights of women,
maintenance of lady partner, automatic right of inheritance of
property, succession.
Reason for its rise / Arguments in Favour:
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• In November 2021, the Government of India told the
Supreme Court that live-in relationships should be seen as
an “acceptable norm,” akin to marriage due to changes in
standards of society, increased awareness of individual
rights, globalisation and modern education.
• Many Couples go for live-in relationship either to avoid the
legalities and responsibilities associated with marriage or
to become more acquainted with the person with whom you
want to get married.
• Such relationships are a viable alternative in cases where
marriage is legally prohibited (in case of same-sex couples)
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or socially prohibited (inter-caste/religious couples).
• Article 19 of the Constitution, which protects the right to
freedom of speech and expression, includes the freedom
to express one’s identity, sexual preferences, and love. The
right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 includes the
right to privacy.
• De-facto unions or common law marriages are recognised in
29 countries in the European Union.
• The courts of the country have reiterated in several judgments
that the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
applies to those in live-in relationships.
34
• In stating that women in live-in relationships are ‘kept’ as
concubines, it wrongly assumes that marriage is the only
relationship through which women romantically associate
with men.
Supreme Court Verdicts:
• The legal status of live-in relationships in India has been
evolved and determined by the Supreme Court in its various
judgments.
• The Supreme Court first observed live-in relationships
as legitimate in the case of Badri Prasad v. Dy. Director of
Consolidation (1978). The Court said that under Indian law,
a live-in relationship between consenting adults is legal if
the requirements of marriage, such as legal age of marriage,
consent, and soundness of mind, are met. No rule permits or
bans such connections.
• In Sobha Hymavathi vs Setti Gangadhara Swamy (2005),
Supreme Court established that continuous & prolonged
cohabitation by the couple raises presumption in favour of
marriage & against concubine.
• In Lata Singh vs State of UP (2006), the Supreme Court
observed that a live-in relationship between two consenting
adults does not amount to any offence, “even though it may
be perceived as immoral.”
• In S Khushboo vs Kanniammal (2010), it held that live-in
relationships fall within the ambit of right to life under Article
21 of the Constitution of India.
• In K.S. Puttaswamy case (2017), nine SC judges held that the
autonomy of an individual in relation to family and marriage
was integral to the dignity of the individual.
• In Shafin Jahan v. Asokan (2018), it held that the right to choose
one’s life partner is an important facet of the right to life, and
social approval of intimate personal decisions should not be
the basis for recognising them.
Legality and rights of children born from a live-in
relationship:
• Children born from void and voidable marriages are given
legality under Section 16 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and
Section 26 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
• However, the right of inheritance of such children is confined
to the parents’ properties only (Such children cannot claim
their parents’ ancestral property).
• Children born from live-in relationships were granted legal
validity in S.P.S. Balasubramanyam v. Suruttayan (1993).
 Society
Feature Article
SUICIDE PREVENTION STRATEGY
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced India’s first National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Statistics on Suicide:
• In India, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide.
In the past three years, the suicide rate has increased from
10.2 to 11.3 per 1,00,000 population.
S
• As per National Crime Records Bureau statistics, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka
have the highest percentage share of suicides (2018-2020),
ranging between 8% to 11%.
IA
T
Suicide among Youth:
• In a study by The Lancet in 2018, suicide was found to be the
leading cause of death in India among those aged 15-29.
EX
• Globally, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among
15-29-year-olds and also the second leading cause of death
for females aged 15-19 years, as per WHO estimates.
Reasons:
• The most common reasons for suicide include family
problems and illnesses, which account for 34% and 18% of
all suicide-related deaths.
• Other causes include marital conflicts / love affairs,
unemployment / indebtedness / career problems/bankruptcy,
substance abuse and dependence.
N
National Suicide Prevention Strategy:
It lists out time-bound action plans to reduce suicide mortality by
10% by 2030. For this the strategy seeks to –
• Establish effective surveillance mechanisms for suicide within
the next three years.
• Establish psychiatric outpatient departments that will provide
suicide prevention services through the District Mental Health
Programme in all districts within the next five years.
• Integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational
institutions within the next eight years.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Develop guidelines for responsible media reporting of
suicides.
• Reduce easy access to means of suicide, in line with which
the government plans to phase out hazardous pesticides.
• Increase post-graduate seats in the field of mental health.
• Provide short-term training to non-specialist doctors and
others and increase youth participation in various activities
In line with global strategy:
• While the strategy is in line with the WHO’s South East-Asia
Region Strategy for suicide prevention, it says it will remain
true to India’s cultural and social milieu.
• It is also in sync with the UN’s Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) 3.4 which aims to reduce premature mortality
from non-communicable diseases by one-third and improve
mental health. One of the indicators for this is the reducing
suicide rate.
Other steps by Government of India:
• Suicide attempts were a criminal offence in India until they
were, for all practical purposes, decriminalised in the Mental
Healthcare Act of 2017.
• However, the contradiction with Section 309 of the Indian
Penal Code, under which suicide attempt is punishable, is still
to be addressed.
• Manodarpan Initiative: It is an initiative under Atmanirbhar
Bharat Abhiyan to provide psyho-social support to students
for their mental health and well-being.
• Kiran Helpline: The helpline aims to provide psychological
support and crisis management and is being managed by
the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(DEPwD).
GATEKEEPER MODEL
• The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences
(NIMHANS), Bengaluru has recommended Gatekeeper’s
Training Model for Suicide Prevention.
• A Gatekeeper is someone who believes that suicide can
be prevented at the community level and is willing to give
time and energy for this cause.
• Gatekeepers could be teachers, parents, hostel wardens,
police or lay counsellors.
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 Society
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

GENDER PAY GAP

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a new pay equity policy for its contracted
women cricketers, effectively paying men and women cricketers the same match fees.

Unequal pay and gender pay gap: Meaning • One of the targets of the UN SDG 8 is “achieving full and
• Unequal pay refers to situations where women are paid less productive employment and decent work for all women and
than men for doing the same work. To counter this, equal pay men, including for young people and persons with disabilities
is legally enforced in most organized sectors. and equal pay for work of equal value” by 2030.

S
• The gender pay gap, on the other hand, is a measure of
the gap in the overall earnings of men and women. It is
calculated by considering several parameters applied to the
total number of employed members of both genders.
• In support of this Goal, the Equal Pay International Coalition
(EPIC), was launched in 2017 as a multi-stakeholder initiative
led by the ILO, UN Women and the OECD that seeks to
achieve equal pay for women and men everywhere.

Steps taken by India:

IA
Manifestations of Gender Pay Gap:
• India has taken several steps in the legislative sphere to
• As per the World Inequality Report 2022 (released by World
close the gender pay gap, especially at the low-end of the
Inequality Lab, a Paris-based research institution), the female
wage distribution.
labour income share in India is equal to 18%. This is significantly
lower than the average in Asia (21%, excluding China). • In this regard, it was one of the pioneering countries to enact
the Minimum Wages Act in 1948 and followed by the adoption
• As per the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 (released by World
of the Equal Remuneration Act in 1976.
Economic Forum), the share of women as professional and
technical workers in India is still 32.9%. • In 2019, India carried out comprehensive reforms in both the
legislation and enacted the Code on Wages.
• Women occupy lower skilled jobs, have less access to
T
training. As a result, 87% of rural women are employed as • In 2017, the Government amended the Maternity Benefit
agricultural labourers and cultivators. Act of 1961, which increased the ‘maternity leave with pay
protection’ from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for all women working
• Women workers in the unorganised sector have limited to no
in establishments employing 10 or more workers. This is
protection regarding wages, health and maternity benefits,
expected to reduce the motherhood pay gap among mothers
EX
childcare services.
in the median and high-end wage earners working in the
• In services & professions, apart from wage discrimination,
formal economy.
very few women occupy higher positions. The gap between
• Efforts are being made through the Skill India Mission to equip
men & women is still large.
women with market-relevant skills to bridge the learning-to-
Reasons: livelihood gap and the gender pay gap.

• Household work remains mostly invisible. Hence, non-
valuation of women’s unpaid work within home leads to non-
recognition of women’s crucial economic contribution.
• While individual characteristics such as education, skills
N
• Initiatives like Knowledge Involvement in Research
Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) and Vigyan Jyoti
Programme are enhancing women participation in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) sectors.

or experience explain part of the gender pay gap, a large

ROLE OF MGNREGA
part of the gender pay gap can still be attributed purely to
discrimination based on one’s gender or sex. • According to ILO, evidence shows that the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in
• The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate effect on
2005 benefited rural women workers and helped reduce
women workers in terms of job and income losses. Estimates
the gender pay gap, both directly and indirectly.
from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 show
• Directly, by raising the pay levels of women workers who
an increase in the gap by 7% between 2018-19 and 2020-21
participated in the programme, and indirectly, benefits
owing to the pandemic.
accrued to women involved in agricultural occupations
Global initiatives: through higher earnings, as MGNREGA contributed to
the rapid rise in overall rural and agricultural wages in the
• The International Labour Organization (ILO) has enshrined
country.
‘equal pay for work of equal value’ in its Constitution.

36
 Society
Feature Article
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Supreme Court sought response from the Centre on the petitions to allow solemnisation of
same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act, (SMA) 1954.
LGBT:
• LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender. Many variants of this initialism exist such as
LGBT+ to mean "LGBT and related communities".
S
• LGBTQIA is sometimes used and adds "queer, intersex, and
asexual" to the basic term.
Present status:
• India does not recognise same-sex marriage or civil unions.
IA
• However, without the legal right to marriage, LGBTQ couples
have still been participating in commitment ceremonies with
traditional Indian wedding rituals, which are not legally binding.
• Family reactions range from support to disapproval to violent
persecution. There have also been numerous joint suicides
by same-sex couples.
Special Marriage Act, (SMA) 1954P:
• The Special Marriage Act, (SMA) 1954 provides a civil form of
marriage for couples who cannot marry under their personal
T
law.
• While Section 4 of the SMA permitted the solemnisation of
marriage between any two persons, a subsequent section
placed restrictions.
EX
• The use, in Section 4(c) of the words ‘male’ and ‘female’,
as well as the use of gendered language such as the terms
‘husband/wife’ and ‘bride/bridegroom’ in other sections of the
Act, limit the access to marriage to a couple comprising one
‘male’ and one ‘female’.
View of Petitioners:
• The petitions seek to recognise same-sex marriage in relation
to the Special Marriage Act, (SMA) 1954 and not personal
laws. It only sought to make the 1954 Act “gender-neutral”.
• In its present form, the SMA was “ultra vires” the Constitution
N
as it discriminates between same-sex couples and opposite-
sex couples.
• The Act denied same-sex couples both “legal rights as well as
the social recognition and status” that came from marriage.
About 15 legislations which guaranteed the rights of wages,
gratuity, adoption, surrogacy and so on were not available to
LGBTQ+ citizens.
• Gay and lesbian couples are not allowed to have children
born with the help of an Indian surrogate mother. An LGBTQ
person can apply to Central Adoption Review Authority
(CARA) for adoption only as a single parent.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples disrespects
and subordinate gays and lesbians.
• In April 2022, MP Supriya Sule introduced a private member's
bill to legalize same-sex marriages under the Special
Marriage Act, 1954.
Judicial verdicts:
• Recognition of same-sex marriage is a logical continuation of
 Navtej Singh Johar judgment of 2018 (decriminalising
homosexuality) and
 Puttaswamy judgment of 2017 (affirming the Right to
Privacy as a fundamental right).
• In the NALSA vs Union of India judgment (2014), the Supreme
Court had said that non-binary individuals were protected
under the Constitution and fundamental rights could not be
restricted to those who were biologically male or female.
• In Shafin Jahan - 2018 (Hadiya case), the Supreme Court held
that the “intimacies of marriage lie within a core zone of
privacy, which is inviolable” and that “society has no role to
play in determining our choice of partners”.
• In the case of Arunkumar and Sreeja (2019), the Madurai Bench
of the High Court of Madras held that the term ‘bride’ under
the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 includes transwomen and
intersex persons identifying as women.
View of Government of India:
• In 2021, Solicitor General for the Centre told the Delhi High
Court that as per the law, marriage was permissible between
a “biological man” and a “biological woman”.
• The acceptance of the institution of marriage between two
individuals of the same gender is neither recognised nor
accepted in any uncodified personal laws or any codified
statutory laws.
• It also argued against the urgency of the pleas by saying
nobody was “dying” in the absence of a marriage certificate.
Global Scenario:
• Over 30 countries have legalised same-sex marriages,
some through legislation while others through judicial
pronouncements. The Netherlands was the first country in
2001 to legalise same-sex marriage.
• In some countries, the decriminalisation of homosexuality
was not followed for years by the recognition of same-sex
marriage, for instance, in the U.S. the former happened in
2003 while the latter in 2015.
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 International
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
INDIA-AUSTRALIA ‘ECTA’
Australia’s Parliament ratified the trade pact with India on November 22, 2022.
Timeline:
• In April 2022, India and Australia signed an Economic
Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
• In November 2022, Australia’s Parliament ratified the trade
S
pact with India. Now, the deal needs to be ratified by the
Indian Parliament before they take effect.
Note: The AI-ECTA is an initial trade agreement which will finally culminate
into a much bigger pact — Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
IA
Agreement (CECA), which is under negotiations.
Features:
• Zero-Duty Access: Under this agreement, India will give 85% of
Australia’s exports zero-duty access to its domestic market.
India is expected to get zero-duty access to Australia for its
goods over five years.
• Rules of origin: The agreement clearly lays out “Rules of Origin”
that are aimed at creating anti-dumping measures. Rules
of origin are the criteria needed to determine the country of
T
origin of a product for purposes of international trade.
• Agriculture: Australia will get the opportunity to export certain
varieties of agricultural produce like potatoes, lentils, and
meat products with some exceptions. However, bovine meat
EX
is not part of the agreement.
• Beverages: In a historic first, India may open up to a wide-
range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including
Australian beer and wine.
• Labour intensive sectors: Australia will provide ‘preferential
access’ to “all the labour-intensive sectors” of export items
from India such as gems and jewellery, textiles, leather etc.
• Pharmaceuticals sector: India and Australia have agreed
to enable fast track approval for patented, generic and
N
biosimilar medicines.
• Diaspora: Indian chefs and yoga teachers will get specific
entry quotas into Australia, while Indian students in Australia
will be able to secure work visas for periods ranging from 18
months to four years on a ‘reciprocal’ basis.
• Compulsory Review Mechanism: This is the first trade deal
signed by India that has a compulsory review mechanism
after 15 years of implementation.
• Standards: Both sides have agreed to audits imports that
require sanitary and phytosanitary inspection as per the law
of the land.
38
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY (SPS) MEASURES
• These are quarantine and biosecurity measures which are
applied to protect human, animal or plant life or health
from risks arising from the introduction, establishment and
spread of pests and diseases and from risks arising from
additives, toxins and contaminants in food and feed.
• These measures are governed by the World Trade
Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement).
Significance:
• Trade: The ECTA is expected to increase trade between the
two sides to $45-50 billion over five years, from the current
estimate of $30 billion.
• Diversification: The deal is crucial for Australia to diversify its
exports from the troubled Chinese market to India.
• Employment: The ECTA is expected to create over 10 lakh
additional job opportunities.
• Energy security: India is hopeful that it will now be able to tap
into Australia’s vast and rich mineral resources enabling it
to reduce dependence on China. India will be able to now
import coking coal and uranium from Australia for zero duty.
• Boost to FTAs with developed countries: The India-Australia FTA
is the first trade agreement signed by India with a developed
economy after more than a decade. This will give a positive
signal to other developed regions such as the UK, Canada
and the EU, who are negotiating similar pacts with India.
• It is important for India to sign similar agreements, so that it
does not lose out on preferential market share and weaken its
export competitiveness.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP):
• India believes the AI-ECTA will also integrate it with the
trading network and supply chains of the mega trade pact
RCEP that entered into force earlier this year.
• The RCEP is a free trade agreement amongst 14 countries
Australia, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
China, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea,
Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
• India walked out of the RCEP in November 2019 due to China.
In November 2020, it was decided that India has the option of
joining the pact in the future.
• India now has free trade agreements (FTAs) with almost all
RCEP members, except with China and New Zealand.
 Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (FTAs)

What are FTAs? 3. India-Nepal Treaty of Trade
• Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are arrangements between 4. India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit
two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to 5. India-Thailand FTA - Early Harvest Scheme (EHS)
reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non-tariff barriers on 6. India-Singapore CECA
substantial trade between them. 7. India-ASEAN CECA - Trade in Goods, Services and
• FTAs, normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or Investment Agreement

S
industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, 8. India-South Korea CEPA
construction, trading etc.). 9. India-Japan CEPA
• FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property 10. India-Malaysia CECA
rights (IPRs), investment, government procurement and 11. India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and
competition policy, etc. Partnership Agreement (CECPA)

IA
Types: 12. India-UAE CEPA
13. India-Australia ECTA
• Early Harvest Scheme/Programme (EHS): Early harvest scheme
is a precursor to a FTA between two trading partners. This is to In addition, India has signed the following 6 limited
help the two trading countries to identify certain products for coverage Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs):
tariff liberalisation pending the conclusion of FTA negotiation. 1. Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA)
• Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA): In a PTA, two or more 2. Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP)
partners agree to reduce tariffs on agreed number of tariff 3. SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA)
lines. The list of products on which the partners agree to
4. India-Afghanistan PTA
reduce duty is called positive list.
T
5. India-MERCOSUR PTA
• Free Trade Agreement (FTA): In FTAs, tariffs on items covering
6. India-Chile PTA
substantial bilateral trade are eliminated between the partner
countries; however each maintains individual tariff structure Reasons for Negotiating FTAs:
for non-members. While in a PTA there is a positive list of
• By eliminating tariffs and some non-tariff barriers FTA partners
products on which duty is to be reduced; in an FTA there is a
EX
get easier market access into one another’s markets.
negative list on which duty is not reduced or eliminated.
• Exporters prefer FTAs to multilateral trade liberalization
• Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
because they get preferential treatment over non-FTA
and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): member country competitors.
These terms describe agreements which consist of an
• There is a Possibility of increased foreign investment from
integrated package on goods, services and investment along
outside the FTA.
with other areas including IPR, competition etc.
• Slow progress in multilateral negotiations due to complexities
• Custom Union: In a Customs union, partner countries may
arising from large number of countries to reach a consensus
decide to trade at zero duty among themselves, however
on polarising issues, may have provided the impetus for FTAs.
they maintain common tariffs against rest of the world.
Are FTAs Beneficial for India?
N

• Common Market: A common market is a Customs Union

with provisions to facilitate free movements of labour and
capital, harmonize technical standards across members etc.
European Common Market is an example.
• Economic Union: Economic Union is a Common Market
extended through further harmonization of fiscal/monetary
policies and shared executive, judicial & legislative institutions.
List of FTAs signed by India:
1. India-Sri Lanka FTA
2. Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA)
• Given the recent debate about India not joining the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement,
questions have been asked about the general efficacy of FTAs.
• An apprehension is that most of the FTAs that India had
signed in the past had not worked in “India’s favour.”
• According to Economic Survey 2022, Contrary to recent
fears, careful analysis shows that India has gained from trade
agreements: a 0.7 percent increase per year in trade surplus
with partner countries for manufactured products and 2.3
percent per year for total merchandise.

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 International
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
G20 BALI SUMMIT
The 2022 G20 Bali summit was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia in November 2022
under Indonesia's presidency which adopted the Bali Declaration.
Mandate of G20:
• The Group of Twenty (G 20) is an intergovernmental forum for
international economic cooperation.
• The G20 initially focused largely on broad macroeconomic
S
issues, but it has since expanded its agenda to inter-alia
include trade, climate change, sustainable development,
health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change,
and anti-corruption.
IA
Timeline:
• The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as
a forum for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
to discuss global economic and financial issues. Since 1999,
an annual meeting of finance ministers has taken place.
• The G20 was upgraded to the level of Heads of State/
Government in the wake of the global financial crisis
of 2007. The first G20 Summit took place in 2008 in
Washington DC, US.
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Members:
• The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia,
EX
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and
United States) and the European Union.
Presidency and Troika:
• The presidency of the G20 rotates every year among
members, and the country holding the presidency, together
with the previous and next presidency-holder, forms the
‘Troika’ to ensure continuity of the G20 agenda.
• During India’s presidency (starting from December 1, 2022),
India, Indonesia and Brazil will form the troika. This would be
the first time when the troika would consist of three developing
N
countries and emerging economies.
Working of G20 work:
• The G20 has no permanent secretariat.
• The G20 consists of two parallel tracks: the Finance Track
and the Sherpa Track. Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors lead the Finance Track while Sherpas lead the
Sherpa Track.
• The agenda and work are coordinated by representatives of
the G20 countries, known as ‘Sherpas’, who work together
with the finance ministers and governors of the central banks.
40
Analysis of G20:
• Significance: The member countries represent around 85 % of
the global GDP, 75 % of the global trade, and two-thirds of
the world population.
• Criticism: However, the G-20 has been criticized for various
reasons like lack of transparency, encouraging trade
agreements that strengthen large corporations, being slow
to combat climate change, and failing to address social
inequality and global threats to democracy.
Bali Summit: Key Highlights of Bali Declaration
• The war in Ukraine is causing immense human suffering and
exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.
• The threat of using nuclear weapons in the war is “inadmissible”.
• The challenges to global food security have been intensified
by the ongoing “conflicts and tensions”.
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should “lead global
action” to counter money laundering and terror financing.
• The “rules-based, non-discriminatory multilateral trading
system (MTS) with the WTO [World Trade Organisation] at its
core, is indispensable” to advancing inclusive growth among
the member states.
• The need for just and inclusive energy transitions is another
key theme throughout the Declaration and the Bali Energy
Transition Roadmap.
• At the end of summit, India was handed over the presidency
at the G20 summit hosted by Indonesia.
INDONESIA JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
PARTNERSHIP (JET-P)
• On the sidelines of the summit, the G7 countries,
EU, Denmark and Norway announced the creation of
Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership to decarbonise
Indonesia's coal-powered economy.
• It intends to mobilise US $20 billion in public and private
finance to help Indonesia achieve net zero by 2050.
• The G7 countries have been encouraging many developing
nations to engage in such partnerships, but India has been
reluctant so far. However, such a deal can have a catalytic
effect if designed properly and it will be interesting to see
how India’s presidency addresses this issue.
• Even if India does not engage in a JET-P itself, it must
still create the space for such conversations for other
developing nations as part of its G20 agenda.
 International
Feature Article
EAST ASIA SUMMIT
Vice President of India visited Cambodia to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative
Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit.
About:
• The East Asia Summit (EAS) refers to the Meeting of Heads of
States/Governments of the EAS participating countries which
is convened annually.
S
• Origin: The EAS process was initiated in 2005 with the
convening of the 1st Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Mandate: The EAS has identified six priority areas of
cooperation, namely environment and energy, education,
finance, global health issues and pandemic diseases, natural
IA
disaster management, and ASEAN Connectivity.
Members:
• The EAS has 18 members - the ten ASEAN countries
(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) along with
Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of
Korea, Russia and the United States.
• At its inception, the East Asia Summit comprised 16 participating
T
countries. The United States and Russian Federation joined at
the 6th East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia in 2011.
• ASEAN leads the forum, and the chair position rotates
between ASEAN Member States annually.
EX
Significance of EAS:
• EAS is regarded as Indo-Pacific's premier forum for strategic
dialogue.
• It is a key ‘leader-led forum’ at which all key Indo-Pacific
partners meet to discuss political, security and economic
challenges facing the region, and has an important role to
play in advancing closer regional cooperation.
• It represents nearly 50 percent of the world's population with
20 percent of global trade.
Challenges facing the EAS:
N
• Since its establishment, Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) has held the central role and leadership in
the forum.
• With several member countries of the EAS plagued by
internal discord, the forum has not displayed any resolve in
discussing issues in Myanmar for example.
• The EAS as a regular fixture in the Asian calendar for issues
pertaining to the region. The regularity of annual summits
should not evolve into a talking shop with nothing more than
summit declarations and decorations at the end of a forum.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• The EAS could become a voice that matters if a charter
reflecting goals for the region are listed out and acted upon.
Unlike the United States that speaks democracy and foment
wars, the EAS needs to think of resolving disputes in the
region by enhancing connectivity within the EAS - political,
financial and social.
• The relationship between the EAS on one hand and 'ASEAN
Plus Three (ASEAN + China, Japan and South Korea)' on the
other is still not clear. Some countries are more supportive of
the narrower 'ASEAN Plus Three' grouping whereas others
support the broader, more inclusive EAS.
• Some members of EAS in the past down play its significance.
and see it as a secondary regional summit to Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC). However, India which is a
member of EAS is not a member of APEC.
• China in the EAS is to be watched. China as member of
the EAS is relatively inactive at the forum which may be
perhaps owing to its own strategies in creating a world order
with financial institutions and security initiatives, albeit with
characteristics determined by Xi Jinping.
Highlights of 17th EAS:
• India talked about the growing global concerns in the food and
energy sector. India also urged for the contribution of members
of the East Asia Summit to the International Year of Millets.
• One the side-lines of summit, Vice President of India
inaugurated the recently restored ‘Hall of Dancers’ at the
famed Ta Prohm temple.
TA PROHM TEMPLE
• Dedicated to Lord Brahma, the Ta Prohm temple is located
inside the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap,
Cambodia.
• The temple complex originally called the Rajavihara was
founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII.
• The Hall of Dancers, the centre of the temple had 48 pillars
supporting its corbelled roof. Each of the pillars supported
carvings of dancing apsaras, and other motifs.
• UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in
1992.
• The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a
partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI) and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and
Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap).
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 International
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
Black Sea Grain deal – which had been due to expire on November 19 – was extended for 120 days.
About:
• The Black Sea Grain Initiative is officially called as the
‘Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs
from Ukrainian ports’.
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• It is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine with Turkey
and the United Nations (UN), made during the 2022 Russian
invasion of Ukraine.
• The Initiative was launched on 22 July 2022 to enable the
resumption of exports from Ukraine of grain, other foodstuffs,
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and fertilizer, including ammonia, through a safe maritime
humanitarian corridor from three key Ukrainian ports,
Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, in the Black Sea
to the rest of the world.
• The Initiative is based on the International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, (SOLAS) and
the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS
Code).
• The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was established under
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the Initiative in Istanbul and comprises senior representatives
from the Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations.
EX
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Timeline of this Agreement:
• The Russian invasion of Ukraine, ongoing since February
2022, had led to a complete halt of grain shipments from
Ukraine, previously a major exporter.
• The July agreement created procedures to safely export
grain from certain ports to attempt to address the 2022 food
crisis.
42
• Russia suspended its participation in the agreement on 29
October because of a drone attack on Russian naval ships in
the port of Sevastopol. Russia resumed its participation on 2
November after Turkish and UN mediation.
• On 17 November 2022, the UN and Ukraine announced that
the agreement had been extended for a further 120 days.
Background: 2022 Food Crises
• According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization,
Ukraine is among the world’s leading grain exporters, providing
more than 45 million tonnes annually to the global market.
• Almost all of Ukraine’s wheat, corn, and sunflower oil were
exported through its Black Sea ports prior to the conflict.
• In 2022, 47 million people were estimated to be suffering
from severe hunger as a result of the world’s soaring food
costs partly due to the impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of
Ukraine. Developing and emerging countries in Africa, Asia,
and Latin America have been impacted the most by this war
due to their reliance on imported grain and fuel.
• Even before the invasion, food prices were already at record
highs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BLACK SEA
• The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the
Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of
the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the
Caucasus, and north of Anatolia.
• It is bounded by Six countries namely Bulgaria, Georgia,
Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
• Important cities along the coast include Odessa,
Varna, Samsun, Sochi, Sevastopol, Constanța, Trabzon,
Novorossiysk, Burgas, and Batumi.
• The Black Sea is supplied by major rivers, principally the
Danube, Dnieper, and Don.
• The Black Sea ultimately drains into the Mediterranean Sea,
via the Turkish Straits and the Aegean Sea. The Bosphorus
strait connects it to the small Sea of Marmara which in
turn is connected to the Aegean Sea via the strait of the
Dardanelles. To the north, the Black Sea is connected to
the Sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait.
• The largest bays of the Black Sea are Karkinit Bay in
Ukraine; the Gulf of Burgas in Bulgaria; Dnieprovski Bay
and Dniestrovski Bay, both in Ukraine; and Sinop Bay and
Samsun Bay, both in Turkey.
 International
Feature Article
PAKISTAN’S NEW MILITARY CHIEF
Asim Munir has been appointed as the new chief of army staff (COAS) of Pakistan.
He succeeds General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Pakistan Military in Politics: History of Coups
• Though Pakistan is constitutionally a democratic parliamentary
republic, the military has been in charge for half of its 75-year-
long history. Since 1947, Pakistan has been ruled by four
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different military rulers under three different military coups
(1958-71, 1977-88 and 1999-2008).
• Pakistan first came under military rule in 1958 when General
Ayub Khan seized the presidency from Iskander Mirza.
Officially, martial law lasted 44 months, but Ayub Khan left office
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only in 1969 and named General Yahya Khan as his successor.
• The second military coup took place in 1977 when General
Zia ul Haq dissolved the parliament and placed Bhutto under
house arrest. Haq continued as President till his death in a
plane crash in 1988.
• The third and last military coup took place in 1999 when
General Pervez Musharraf ousted Nawaz Sharif, who was
facing criticism for retreating from Kargil. Musharraf resigned
in 2008 with Asif Ali Zardari becoming the new president.
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Changing Role:
• In an attempt to stop the cycle of long military rule followed by
a brief stint of an elected government, the National Assembly
in 2010 passed the 18th Constitutional Amendment. This
EX
amendment removed the power of the President to dissolve
the parliament unilaterally.
• Though Pakistan has since seen fairly democratic transitions of
power, Army continues to pull the strings and manipulate things
from behind the scenes by intervening in subtle or indirect
manner on a range of issues from terrorism and extremism to
relations with Afghanistan, US and of course India.
• This is not so much because the army has lost the ability to
intervene directly, rather army would not want to directly take
responsibility for handling the growing mess inside the country.
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• No prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term
under the present constitution of 1973. Hence, the Pakistan
Army chief is seen as the most significant post in the country.
Asim Munir:
• Asim Munir has headed Pakistan’s two most influential
intelligence agencies: (1) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and
(2) Military Intelligence (MI).
• His stint as ISI chief was just eight months as he was sacked
by then Prime minister Imran Khan in 2019. His appointment
as army chief comes at a time when Imran Khan has been
locked in a confrontation with the military and the ISI.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Challenges before him: Internal
• His foremost task will be to deal with the damage done to
the army’s image during the six-year tenure of General Bajwa
who is accused of political interference and amassing
considerable wealth after he became army chief.
• Another major task will be to unite the Army behind his
leadership, and cement the cracks between the pro- and
anti-Imran Khan factions within.
• If Imran Khan still continues his demand for a quick election,
Munir may be compelled to mediate between the former PM
and the Sharif government to resolve the political standoff.
• Another major challenge for Munir would be the continued
terrorist activities within Pakistan by the Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) and other terror groups, notably in Balochistan
and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Challenges before him: External
• On the external front, the difficult situation prevailing in
Afghanistan after the Taliban take-over will be a concern.
• Munir will also face the difficult task of sustaining and nurturing
Pakistan’s renewed transactional activity with the US. Bajwa
was able to begin this towards the end of his tenure, resulting
in the F-16 sustenance package from the US.
• At the same time, Diplomatic balancing may be needed to
overcome recent Chinese annoyance on Pakistan’s cozying
up to the United States or in handling developments on the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, where
security of Chinese engineers has been under threat.
• Promised financial bail outs from the Saudi or Chinese
benefactors are yet to materialize. Major debt repayments
loom on schedule, which Pakistan has to pay in time, to avoid
the impression of hurtling towards default.
Policy towards India:
• In the backdrop of all these challenges, India policy may take a
back seat and any immediate escalation of hostility or disruption
of the ceasefire status quo on the LOC seems unlikely. Pakistan’s
difficult economic situation may also compel restraint.
• He was heading the ISI when the Pulwama bombing took
place in February 2019.
• Despite his closeness to Bajwa, it is not known if Munir (who
is known to be religiously minded) shares his predecessor’s
views on “geo-economics” and normalising relations with India.
• Given Munir’s hardliner reputation, India cannot afford any
complacency in this regard.
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Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
MISSILE EXPLOSION IN ‘POLAND’
On 15 November 2022, a missile struck the territory of Poland at the village of
Przewodów near the border with Ukraine.
About:
• The incident occurred during an attack on Ukrainian cities
and energy facilities by Russia.
• Poland initially claimed that the missile was Russian-made,
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but later back-tracked, saying that the incident appears to be
an “unfortunate accident” and not an “intentional attack.”
• Multiple assessments found that the missile was likely to have
been an air defence missile fired from an S-300 system by
Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile.
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• Aftermath: In December, another missile fell within the territory
of Moldova, near the city of Briceni. Russian military experts
claimed that this and the incident at Przewodów were similar
and that the missile in both cases originated from a S-300
missile system.
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EX
Significance of this Event:
• It was the first incident of a missile landing and exploding
within NATO territory during the 2022 Russian invasion of
Ukraine.
• Any attack on Poland, a NATO member, could drag the
30-nation strong alliance into the Russia-Ukraine conflict,
risking a full-fledged nuclear war.
• Polish President spoke to the Secretary General of NATO
regarding the possibility of activating Article 4 of the NATO
charter. So far, it has not been done.
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• In fact, geopolitical experts were reminded of the German-
Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, which marked
the beginning of World War II, which resulted in the Holocaust
and millions of Polish casualties.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO):
• Background: NATO was established by North Atlantic Treaty
(also referred to as the Washington Treaty) which was signed
in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949.
• According to Article 5 of the treaty, NATO constitutes a system
of collective defence whereby its independent member states
44
agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any
external party.
• Membership: As of now, NATO comprises 30 members. Of
these, two are located in North America (Canada and the
United States), 28 are in Europe, one of which (Turkey) is in
both Europe and Asia. After the collapse of USSR in 1991,
several eastern European nations previously members of the
Soviet Union joined NATO.
• Aspirants: Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland
and Sweden applied for NATO membership and were invited
to join the collective by 28 of the 30 members, with Turkey and
Hungary being notable exceptions. Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Georgia have expressed interest in joining NATO.
Article 4 of the NATO Charter:
• Article 4 is generally considered the starting point for major
NATO operations, and therefore is intended for either
emergencies or situations of urgency.
• It officially calls for consultation over military matters when
"the territorial integrity, political independence or security of
any of the parties is threatened."
• Upon its invocation, the issue is discussed in the North Atlantic
Council (NAC) - the principal political decision-making body
of NATO - and can formally lead into a joint decision or action
(logistic, military, or otherwise) on behalf of the Alliance.
• It has been officially invoked seven times since the alliance's
creation with the last being in February 2022 during Russian
invasion of Ukraine which led to the convening of Brussels
summit in March 2022.
POLAND
• Poland is a country in Central Europe. Its capital is Warsaw.
The country is bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the
northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and
the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west.
• The longest Polish river is the Vistula, and Poland's highest
point is Mount Rysy, situated in the Tatra mountain range.
• Earlier, as a member of the Communist Bloc in the global
Cold War, it was a founding signatory of the Warsaw Pact.
At present, it is a member of the NATO and the EU.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of NATO, kindly refer Page 18-23 of
April 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.
 International
Feature Article
TRENDS IN INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY
India’s foreign policy is adopting to the new geopolitical realities such as Russia-Ukraine war,
USA disengagement from Afghanistan and Aggressive China.
Russia-Ukraine war and Independent Foreign Policy:
• India will be under considerable pressure from the West to
take a more direct stand against Russia and new compulsions
will come into play in balancing its relations with the U.S. and
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Russia moving forward.
• From non-alignment to multi-alignment, India’s primary quest
has been the practice of strategic autonomy.
• In such a milieu, India finds it prudent to condemn the
violence and loss of lives because of Russia’s invasion of
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Ukraine while avoiding directly joining the West in calling out
Russia’s behaviour on international platforms.
Indo-Pacific:
• Indian Foreign Policy has seen a shift from being continental
in nature to focusing on Maritime Policy under vision of
Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR).
• The Indo-Pacific has emerged as a principal theatre for
Indian diplomacy.
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• India joined the Quad for Indo-Pacific with the US, Japan,
and Australia with clear objectives for common prosperity
and security seeking a common rules-based order for the
region that would include all nations in this geographical
region on the basis of equality.
EX
Trade and FDI:
• Recently, India has pragmatically integrated foreign policy
with domestic economic interests giving a greater push to
invite FDI into India.
• The use of foreign agreements to support ‘Make in India’ and
Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is based on pragmatism in an
environment witnessing increased protectionism globally.
• The Government of India is giving a renewed push to conclude
some of the pending UPA-era free trade agreements (FTAs)
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and even clinch some new ones (with UAE and Australia).
The aim is to achieve the $2 trillion export target by 2030, and
address disruptions in global supply chains created by the
pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Bold Moves in National Security concerns:
• India, despite being the most preeminent country in South
Asia, has to deal with a neighborhood with two hostile nuclear
powers: China and Pakistan.
• Moreover, the continental and maritime environment in South
Asia has seen unmistakable Chinese footprints in the security
and economic realms.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• India retaliated against Pakistan for its mischiefs as
exemplified by surgical strikes and the Balakot air strike.
• India is acquiring the Russian S-400 missiles despite US
pressure, indicating autonomy in external relations.
Bilateral Relations:
• India began to develop relations with those countries, which
were receiving less attention, mainly due to policy paralysis.
PM Modi became the first PM to visit Mongolia and upgraded
the comprehensive partnership to Strategic Partnership in
2015. In 2016, the relationship with Vietnam was elevated to
a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• PM Modi made a historic first-ever visit by an Indian PM to
Israel in 2017, during the visit the relationship with Israel was
transformed into a strategic partnership.
Look East Policy:
• India's "Look East" policy which was launched in the early
1990s has been rebranded as "Act East" to signify a more
action-oriented approach towards Southeast Asia.
• The focus has been on leveraging international partnerships
to promote India’s domestic developments. With ‘Act East’
the purpose is to become an integral part of Asia.
Focus on Central Asia:
• Central Asia is seen as fuel-rich and mineral-rich and, hence,
important for an energy-starved India. Kazakhstan has been
a source of uranium for India’s nuclear power plants.
• Efforts are on for operationalisation of the International North
South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Neighbourhood First:
• India is also renewing efforts to build better ties with India’s
neighbours, branded ‘Neighbourhood First’, although some
experts call it as a rebranding of ‘Gujral Doctrine’.
• India ratified the Land Border Agreement with Bangladesh
resolving the lingering issue of adverse enclaves and is also
helping Sri Lanka to avert the financial crisis.
Diaspora:
• India is vocal about the role of the Indian diaspora in
developing leverages in foreign countries resulting in raising
their stature to influential political elements in the host
countries also, during foreign visits the PM directly addresses
the diaspora which wasn’t seen earlier.
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 Security
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

NARCO AND POLYGRAPH TESTS

Recently, a Delhi court has allowed the police to conduct a Narco and Polygraph test on
Aaftab Poonawalla, the man accused of killing his live-in partner.

Polygraph Test: • In India, the Narco analysis report is not admissible as

• A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological primary evidence in the court.
responses that are triggered when a person is lying are
Benefits:
different from what they would be otherwise.

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• Over the years, investigation agencies have used the narco
• A polygraph test does not involved injecting drugs into
and polygraph test to get a clearer picture in cases where the
the body; rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive
evidence falls short.
electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such
• They are sometimes seen as being a “softer alternative” to
as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat
torture or ‘third degree’ to extract the truth from suspects.
gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions

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are put to them.
Limitations:
• A numerical value is assigned to each response to conclude
• However, neither method has been proven scientifically to
whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.
have a 100% success rate, and remain contentious in the
• A test such as this is said to have been first done in the 19th medical field as well.
century by the Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso. • The results of these tests cannot be considered as “confessions”
because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a
choice in answering questions that are put to them.
• However, any information or material subsequently
discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can
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be admitted as evidence.
• Thus, if an accused reveals the location of a physical piece
of evidence (like a murder weapon) in the course of the test,
and police later find that specific piece of evidence at that
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location, the statement of the accused will not be treated as
evidence, but the physical evidence will be treated as such.

Restrictions on using these tests in India:

• In 'Selvi & Ors vs State of Karnataka & Anr' (2010), Supreme
Court ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered
Narcoanalysis Test:
“except on the basis of consent of the accused”. The subject’s
• In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate.
pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which
• Those who volunteer must have access to a lawyer, and have
transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their
the physical, emotional, and legal implications of the test
imagination is neutralised.
explained to them by police and the lawyer.
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• In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being

incapable of lying, and is expected to divulge information that
is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short
duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate
patients during surgery. It belongs to the barbiturate class of
drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve
to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”, and is
said to have been used by intelligence operatives during
World War II.
• The ‘Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test
on an Accused’ published by the National Human Rights
Commission in 2000, must be strictly followed.
Reasons for Restrictions:
• The bench took into consideration the right to a fair trial, and
the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the
Constitution.
• A forcible intrusion into a person’s mental processes is also
an affront to human dignity and liberty, often with grave and
long-lasting consequences.

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Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

TECHNOLOGY AND TERRORISM

India hosted a special meeting of the UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) under the theme
of ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes’.

Background: Technology and Terrorism
• Technology is used as a tool for advancements in society and
as a means for development.
• However, due to the ease of availability of new and emerging
• It was established by transferring relevant functions out of
the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA),
including the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force
and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT),

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technologies at lower costs, it is increasingly being leveraged
by non-state actors and terrorists.
• Cyber harassment, virtual warfare, information warfare,
cyberattack, and cyber break-ins are all terms used to
describe malicious activities caused by the use of computers
to the new Office of Counter-Terrorism.
Way Forward:
• India’s decision to host the CTC is an important marker of the
Government’s ongoing effort to highlight terrorism issues at a
time the global body has been more focused on the Ukraine war.

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or related technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine
• Coordination between governments, the private sector, the
learning and blockchain.
public sector, and civil society is needed to harness new and
• Non-state actors have disabled critical infrastructures by
emerging technologies for global good.
using cyber-attacks, drones and have also secured terror
• Companies must be encouraged to put in place measures
financing through virtual assets like crypto-currency.
and enforce them to safeguard their platforms from spreading
• Social media is being used to target individuals through the
or hosting extremist content.
spread of misinformation and disinformation, while malicious
use of AI, and digital payment technologies are being • Moreover, subsequent meetings should also incorporate a
employed to fund terrorist organisations. deep-seated understanding of how children bear the impact
of technologically driven terrorism.
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• Against this backdrop, India hosted the special meeting of the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism • Finally, potential CTC documents must look at how technology
Committee (CTC) with the theme ‘Countering the Use of New and social media can be successfully placed at the forefront
and Emerging Technology for Terrorist Purposes’. of each states’ de-radicalisation strategies to counter terrorist
strategies as an effective counter-response.
CTC meeting in India: Delhi Declaration
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• This was the first such meeting of the UNSC-CTC in India UNSC COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE
since its establishment in 2001. The two-day meeting was
• The Counter-Terrorism Committee is a subsidiary body of
held in Mumbai and Delhi.
the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• In Delhi, the CTC unanimously adopted the “Delhi Declaration
• In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks
on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for
in the United States, the UNSC adopted resolution 1373,
terrorist purposes”. India committed to work on three major
which obliges all States to criminalize assistance for
areas highlighted in the Delhi Declaration. These include:
terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven
 Countering Terrorist Exploitation of ICT and Emerging
to terrorists and share information about groups planning
Technologies;
terrorist attacks.
 Threats and opportunities related to new payment
• The 15-member Counter-Terrorism Committee was
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technologies and fundraising methods; and

 Threats by the misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT):
• India announced that it will make a voluntary contribution
of $0.5 million to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism
this year to augment the efforts of the UN Office of Counter-
Terrorism (UNOCT) and provide capacity-building support to
member states.
• UNOCT was established in 2017 through the adoption of UN
General Assembly Resolution 71/291 to implement the UN
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
established at the same time to monitor implementation of
the resolution.
• The CTC is not a sanctions body nor does it maintain a
list of terrorist groups or individuals. Also, it is not a direct
capacity provider, but it does act as a broker between
those states or groups that have the relevant capacities
and those in the need of assistance.
• In 2004 the UNSC adopted Resolution 1535, creating the
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
to provide the CTC with expert advice on all areas covered
by resolution 1373.

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Feature Article
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
NO MONEY FOR TERROR CONFERENCE
The Third ‘No Money for Terror’ (NMFT) Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism
Financing was held in New Delhi.
The 2018 Conference:
• The first NMFT Conference was hosted by France in Paris.
• The NMFT was started as an initiative of the French government
which had, in 1989, laid the foundation of the Financial Action
S
Task Force (FATF), the international body at the forefront of
combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Just like the FATF, which earlier focused only on money
laundering but expanded to include terrorist financing after
the 9/11 attacks, the continuing activities of the Islamic State
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and Al Qaeda, despite territorial defeats in Syria-Iraq and
Afghanistan respectively, necessitated the NMFT conference.
• It also raised a red flag on new financial instruments being
misused and made a commitment to “implement the FATF
standards as they apply to crypto-assets”, urging the FATF
“to advance global implementation”.
TERRORIST FINANCING VS MONEY LAUNDERING
• Terrorist financing involves the solicitation, collection or
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provision of funds with the intention that they may be used
to support terrorist acts or organisations.
• Internationally, there has been a tendency to merge the anti-
money laundering and counter-terrorist finance (AML/CTF)
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regimes. However, two features distinguish the activities.
Source and destination:
• In case of money laundering, the activity begins with the
generation of proceeds from unlawful activities/crime and
ends with their conversion into legal assets.
• On the other hand, financing of terrorist activities could
be from legal or illegal funds and it culminates when it
reaches the perpetrators of a terrorist act. Even if it
involves money laundering activity in between, the money
trail has to continue to its final destination. This widens the
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scope of investigation in cases involving terrorist finance.
Aftermath of activity:
• In the case of money laundering, even if the proceeds of
unlawful activities / crime get ‘laundered’, enforcement
authorities could undo the effect on the basis of post-facto
investigation.
• In case of terrorist finance, once the finance chain is
completed and an act of terrorism has taken place, post
facto investigation is limited to generating evidence leading
to conviction of the perpetrators; loss of life and damage to
property and public confidence is already done.
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The 2019 Conference:
• The second NMFT Conference was hosted by Australia in
2019 in Melbourne.
• It identified “kidnapping for ransom” and “emerging
technologies” such as digital and cryptocurrencies, stored value
cards, online payment systems and crowdfunding platforms as
new channels through which terrorism may be financed.
• It recognised “the critical role played by the private sector
to detect and prevent misuse of financial systems by
terrorists” and flagged the need for monitoring of Non-Profit
Organisations (NPOs).
The 2022 Conference:
• It was hosted in New Delhi by the Ministry of Home Affairs,
Government of India. India was supposed to host the
conference in 2020, but it was postponed due to the
pandemic.
• The agenda for the NMFT 2022 included use of virtual assets
and crowdfunding platforms by terrorist entities, their use of
the dark web, the links between terror financing and legitimate
economic activities, and payment intermediaries.
• At the conference, India proposed the following
 creation of a permanent secretariat for NMFT to sustain
the global focus on countering the terror financing.
 All countries should agree on one common definition of
‘terrorism’ and ‘terror financing’.
 Prevent the use of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) to
spread terror Ideology.
 Expedite the finalisation of Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism (CCIT) – a proposed treaty which
intends to criminalize all forms of international terrorism.
• It is largely a build-up on concerns raised during the Interpol
Conference and UN General Assembly’s Counter Terrorism
Committee Conference held in Delhi recently.
Comparison with FATF:
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is another multilateral
body that monitors terror financing.
• NMFT is complimentary to FATF as the latter is membership
based while NMFT is ministerial.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of FATF Grey List refer Page 34 of
November 2022 edition of Current Affairs Magazine.
 Economy
Feature Article
DEMONETISATION
A five-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench commenced hearing petitions challenging
the validity of the Union government’s six-year-old decision of demonetisation.
Demonetisation of 2016:
• Demonetisation means stripping a currency unit of its status
as legal tender.
• On 8 November 2016, the Government of India announced
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the demonetisation.
• PM declared that use of all ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes of
the Mahatma Gandhi Series (which accounted for 86% of the
country’s cash supply) would be invalid past midnight.
• He also announced the issuance of new ₹500 and ₹2000
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banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi New Series in exchange
for the old banknotes.
Earlier instances:
• But this was not the first instance of demonetisation.
Government of India had demonetised bank notes on two
prior occasions—once in 1946 and then again in 1978.
• In both cases, the goal was to combat tax evasion by “black
money” held outside the formal economic system.
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Arguments by the Govt. in Favour of Demonetisation:
• Crackdown on black money: By making the larger denomination
notes worthless, individuals with huge sums of black money
gotten were forced to convert the money at a bank which is
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by law required to acquire tax information from the entity.
• Crackdown on terror finance: Police in many states reported a
setback to Hawala operations. The government also claimed
that the move would crack down on the use of illicit and
counterfeit cash to fund illegal activity and terrorism.
• Cashless: Further, the move would encourage cashless
economy and encourage e-commerce.
• The move is constitutionally valid: A Constitution Bench of the
Supreme Court in its judgment in Jayantilal Ratanchand Shah
versus RBI and Others (1996) had upheld the legality of an
earlier note-scrap ordered by the government in 1978.
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• Global support: IMF, European Union, World Bank etc.
supported this move arguing that any reform has short-term
adverse costs but ultimately reforms will bring long-term gains.
Criticism: Not the right step to curb Black Money
• In 2012, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that it is
not a solution for curbing black money as it is largely held in
the form of Benami properties, bullion and jewellery (only 6%
is held in cash).
• Huge amount of money is stashed away in Swiss banks but
little has been done to bring back that money.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Real solution is reform of political funding but on this front
government is not taking any credible step.
Other Criticism against Demonetisation:
• It is a costly move as more currency notes will have to be
printed for disbursing the same amount. More natural
resources would be depleted for printing more currency notes.
• Unpreparedness of RBI: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was not
ready with an appropriate amount of substitute currency. Cash
shortage in banks and ATMs has even led to public brawls.
• Inconvenience to the general public: The disbursal or payments
of wages/salaries to the workers became difficult. Crores of
citizens had to stand in queues for hours to withdraw their
own money.
• Growth slowdown: Demonetisation led to a “temporary
slowdown” of the economy. Global analysts cut their forecasts
of India’s GDP growth rate due to demonetisation.
• Agriculture: Transactions in the Indian agriculture sector are
heavily dependent on cash and were adversely affected
by the demonetisation. In the demonetisation period, many
farmers had insufficient cash to purchase seeds, fertilisers
and pesticides needed for the plantation of crops.
• Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remarked that
“Demonetisation is good in the long run when we are all dead”.
• Appearing for the petitioners in November 2022, senior
advocate P Chidambaram argued that the entire process was
flawed which inflicted miseries and hardships on people.
Way Ahead:
To complement demonetisation, other non-punitive, incentive-
compatible measures are required to reduce the incentives for
tax evasion. A five-pronged strategy could be adopted:
• A GST with broad coverage to include activities that are
sources of black money creation—land and other immovable
property—should be implemented;
• Individual income tax rates and real estate stamp duties
could be reduced;
• Income tax net could be widened gradually and, consistent
with constitutional arrangements, could progressively
encompass all high incomes.
• Timetable for reducing the corporate tax rate could be
accelerated; and
• Tax administration could be improved to reduce discretion
and improve accountability.
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 Economy
Feature Article
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
OLD PENSION SCHEME
Congress and AAP are promising to switch to the Old Pension Scheme. Congress has already reverted to the
Old Pension Scheme in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and AAP has said it would do the same in Punjab.
About:
• The Old Pension Scheme is called so since it existed before
a new pension system came into effect for those joining
government service from January 1, 2004.
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• Under it, Pension to government employees at the Centre as
well as states was fixed at 50 percent of the last drawn basic
pay.
Benefits of the OPS:
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• The attraction of the ‘OPS’ lay in its promise of an assured or
‘defined’ benefit to the retiree. It was hence described as a
‘Defined Benefit Scheme’.
• To illustrate, if a government employee’s basic monthly
salary at the time of retirement was Rs 10,000, she would be
assured of a pension of Rs 5,000 {As on date, the minimum
pension paid by the government is Rs 9,000 a month, and the
maximum is Rs 62,500 (50 percent of the highest pay in the
Central government, which is Rs 1,25,000 a month)}.
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• Also, like the salaries of government employees, the monthly
payouts of pensioners also increased with hikes in Dearness
Allowance (DA) announced by the government for serving
employees (A 4 percent DA hike would mean that a retiree with
a pension of Rs 5,000 a month would see her monthly income
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rise to Rs 5,200 a month).
Concerns with the OPS:
• The main problem was that the pension liability remained
unfunded — that is, there was no corpus specifically for
pension, which would grow continuously and could be
dipped into for payments.
• The Government of India budget provided for pensions every
year; there was no clear plan on how to pay year after year in
the future.
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• The OPS was also unsustainable. For one, pension liabilities
would keep climbing since pensioners’ benefits increased
every year. And two, better health facilities would increase life
expectancy, and increased longevity would mean extended
payouts.
• There is also the larger issue of inter-generational equity.
Today’s taxpayers are paying for the ever-increasing
pensions of retirees, with Pay Commission awards almost
taking the pension of old retirees to current levels. This means
the pension of someone who retired in 1995 may well be the
same as that for someone who retires in 2025.
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• Over the last three decades, the Centre’s pension bill had
jumped 58 times to Rs 1,90,886 crore by 2020-21; for states,
it had shot up 125 times to Rs 3,86,001 crore.
OASIS Project:
• In 1998, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
commissioned a report for an Old Age Social and Income
Security (OASIS) project.
• An expert committee under S A Dave, a former chairman of
SEBI and Unit Trust of India, submitted the report in 2000.
• The OASIS project was not meant to reform the government
pension system — its primary objective was targeted at
unorganised sector workers who had no old age income
security.
• Recommendations
 The OASIS report recommended individuals could invest
in three types of funds — safe (allowing up to 10 percent
investment in equity), balanced (up to 30 percent in
equity), and growth (up to 50 percent in equity) — to be
floated by six fund managers.
 The balance would be invested in corporate bonds or
government securities.
New Pension Scheme:
• The New Pension System proposed by the Project OASIS
report became the basis for pension reforms — and what
was originally conceived for unorganised sector workers,
was adopted by the government for its own employees.
• A New Pension Scheme (Contribution based Pension
Scheme) now called National Pension System (NPS) for Central
government employees was notified on December 22, 2003.
• Unlike some other countries, the NPS was for prospective
employees — it was made mandatory for all new recruits to
the Central Government service (except the armed forces)
from 1st January, 2004.
• The defined contribution comprised 10 percent of the basic
salary and dearness allowance by the employee and a
matching contribution by the government — this was Tier 1,
with contributions being mandatory.
• In January 2019, the government increased its contribution to
14 percent of the basic salary and dearness allowance.
• Individuals can choose from a range of schemes from low
risk to high risk, and pension fund managers promoted by
public sector banks and financial institutions, as well as
private companies.
 Economy
Feature Article
FINANCING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
World bank released a report, titled ‘Financing India’s Urban Infrastructure Needs: Constraints to
Commercial Financing and Prospects for Policy Action’.
Present Status of Urbanization:
• India is rapidly urbanizing. By 2036, 600 million people will
be living in urban cities in India, representing 40 percent of
the population.
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• This will put additional pressure on the already stretched
urban infrastructure and services of Indian cities – with more
demand for clean drinking water, reliable power supply,
efficient and safe road transport amongst others.
• Thus, the financing needs of cities need to expand
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proportionately.
How much investment is needed?
• India’s cities require an estimated capital investment of USD
840 billion in urban infrastructure and municipal services in
the 15 years till 2036 (in 2020 prices), equivalent to 1.18% of
estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over this period.
• Over half of these investment needs–almost USD 450 billion–
are in basic municipal services (i.e., water supply, sewerage,
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municipal solid waste management (SWM), storm water
drainage, urban roads and streetlighting), while the rest–USD
300 billion-are for mass transit.
How is Urban Infrastructure Currently Financed?
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• Private commercial financing plays a very minor role in
financing urban infrastructure in India, as most infrastructure
is financed by intergovernmental fiscal transfers, especially
in the shape of tied grants. Fiscal transfers from states have
increased substantially over the period FY11-18.
• Of the finances needed to fund capital expenditures for Indian
cities, 48% is derived from State governments, 24% from the
Central government and 15% from urban local bodies’ own
surplus.
• The rest includes public-private partnership (3%), commercial
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debt (2%) and loans from Housing and Urban Development
Corporation Ltd – HUDCO (8%).
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Factors Impacting Private Financing for Urban
Infrastructure:
• The overall funding base to raise commercial revenues
“appears to be low” owing to weak fiscal performance of
cities and low absorptive capacity for execution of projects.
• Low service charges for municipal services undermine
financial sustainability and viability.
• Urban bodies are unable to recover operations and
maintenance costs, thus, constraining their ability to further
execute projects.
• City agencies have been unable to expand their resource
and funding base to support private financing for services
such as water supply, sewerage networks and bus services,
as they are highly subsidised. These are sourced from either
their general revenues, own-source revenues (such as house
tax, professional tax, property tax among others) or fiscal
transfers.
• Additionally, as for private-public partnerships, it states that
revenue sharing designs between the two entities is not
particularly viable for private investors and does not fully
account for risk-sharing or risk-transfer mechanisms for
project risks.
• Thus, problems arise during unanticipated demand shocks
alongside legal and technical challenges that require
restructuring to an entire public ownership.
Recommendations:
• The fiscal transfer system (at both national and state
levels) should move to a more stable, formula-based, and
unconditional fiscal transfer regime. The 15th Finance
Commission report also recommends an increase in
unconditional transfers to ULBs to 0.32% of GDP by FY25.
• Cities’ fiscal base and creditworthiness will be improved by
addressing revenue constraints through increasing property
taxes, user fees and service charges.
• Gradually increasing the service delivery mandates of city
agencies will improve their accountability and incentives
consistent with principles of the 74th Constitutional
Amendment Act. Devolution of water and sewerage functions
may be a starting point.
• Separately, the report also suggests accounting, auditing
and financial disclosure standards for urban bodies. The
moves would boost further investor confidence and incentive.
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 Economy
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
LAYOFFS IN TECH SECTOR
In the past few weeks, a number of high-profile US tech companies have announced layoffs.
About:
• Meta is laying off 11,000 workers and Amazon 10,000. The
ongoing purge at Twitter could see its employee base of
7,500 shrink by about 75%.
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• About 42,000 workers in US tech companies lost their jobs in
November 2022. Further, about 136,000 people across 849
tech companies were laid off in 2022.
What about Other sectors?
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• Yet, concerns about an economic recession originating from
this need to be tempered.
• The cutbacks here don’t reflect in the overall numbers since
other segments are growing. The US added 315,000 jobs in
September and 261,000 in October, and unemployment rate
was 3.7% in October, against 14.8% in April 2020.
Major reason for Layoffs:
• The main reason for the layoffs can be traced back to the
sector’s over-hiring.
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• The top 5 companies, Facebook (Meta), Apple, Amazon,
Netflix and Google (Alphabet), also known as FAANG,
increased their headcount by over 80% between 2019 and 2021.
• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said its increased investments in
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the company “did not play out the way (he) expected.”
• They are now correcting for their optimism.
OVER-HIRING IN PANDEMIC
• When covid-19 hit in early 2020, many economies,
including the US, faced a recession (defined as a fall in
GDP for two successive quarters) due to the lockdowns.
It also led to layoffs. In Q2 of 2020, about 60,000 tech
workers were laid off across 428 companies.
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• However, it was followed by large-scale adoption of
digitalization. Demand for remote working tools such as
Zoom, at-home entertainment options such as Netflix, and
remote delivery, including e-commerce, picked up.
• Revenues of digital companies rose too. Interest rates
dropped, increasing the flow of money. Venture capital
investments beat previous records. Layoffs in the tech
sector dropped and were replaced by a war for talent.
• The demand for tech talent extended to non-tech
companies also. In 2021, 40% of US companies hired
tech staff during the pandemic.
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Slowdown in Tech Sector:
• However, this year, a number of coinciding factors dampened
the growth in tech sector. The US central bank tightened
money supply. Russia invaded Ukraine.
• And, most importantly, demand for digital dropped as
workers returned to offices and economic activities started
shifting to the physical world.
• Revenue growth of FAANG companies has consistently
dropped in the past few quarters. There were also segment-
or company-specific issues—for example, a change in
Apple’s ad policies dented Meta’s revenues.
• The pain was felt beyond FAANG too. In the most recent
quarter, Microsoft faced its slowest growth rate in five years.
• Tech companies are facing growing pressure from investors
to contain costs.
• Meanwhile, new owner Elon Musk is pushing Twitter to perform
with a fraction of its previous headcount. If he succeeds, that
could turn investor pressure on other tech companies also to
cut costs.
What about Indian Tech Sector?
• Indian tech companies also saw a similar surge in demand for
online products and services during the pandemic. Many are
under pressure to cut costs now, amid a VC funding winter.
• From Byju’s to Udaan to Zomato, Indian startups have laid off
workers in the recent past to offset over-hiring.
• However, in the traditional software services segment, the
largest employer of tech talent, employment is stable. Beyond
performance-related firing, employees haven’t faced layoffs.
• Many of these companies faced the brunt of the war for talent
in the last few years.
• According to a September 2022 report by Teamlease, the IT
industry saw a 23-25% attrition rate through 2021. It expects
the trend to continue in the near future.
Way Ahead:
• While layoffs might have been a result of hiring decisions the
firms made, it could spiral with a harsher economic slowdown.
• Lay-off may also be the start of new businesses as talented
staff, dumped by big firms, join or create start-ups.
• Some expert say it is normal business cycle and hiring will
kick in again. Also tech industry always go through “ period
of major adjustments and corrections”, such as the “dotcom
bubble” in the mid-1990s to early 2000s.
 Economy
Feature Article
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT IN RUPEE

Government of India is exploring ways to promote international trade in Indian Rupee (INR)
instead of the United States dollar.

Present Status: currencies, has been depreciating against the dollar, and
• Currently, exports or imports by a company are always in a the general trend has been towards a steady weakening for
foreign currency, with exceptions such as Nepal and Bhutan. several months now.

• So, in case of imports, the Indian company has to pay in a

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foreign currency, which is mainly dollars, but could also be
pounds, euros, or yen, etc.
• The Indian company gets paid in foreign currency in case of
exports and the company converts it to rupee since it needs
rupee for its requirements in most of the cases.
NOSTRO AND VOSTRO ACCOUNTS
• Nostro, along with Vostro, is a term used to describe a
bank account. In fact, both terms are used to describe the
same bank account.
• These terms come into play when one bank has another

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Steps towards International Settlement of Rupee:
• In July 2022, the RBI issued a circular saying it had decided
“to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing,
payment, and settlement of exports/ imports in INR”.
• RBI has allowed 9 Russian banks to open special Vostro
accounts with two Indian banks (IndusInd Bank and Uco Bank).
Working:
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• To settle trade transactions with any country, banks in India
would open Vostro accounts of correspondent bank/s of the
partner country for trading.
• Indian importers can pay for their imports in INR into these
accounts. These earnings from imports can then be used to
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pay Indian exporters in INR.
Benefits:
• The idea is to “promote growth of global trade with emphasis
on exports from India and to support the increasing interest
of global trading community in INR”.
• While the move to allow trade settlements between India and
other countries in rupees was seen to primarily benefit trading
with Russia, it was also expected to help check dollar outflow
and slow the depreciation of the rupee to a “very limited extent”.
N
bank’s money on deposit. Typically, this is related to
international trade and financial transactions.
• Nostro and vostro are derived from Latin words that mean
"ours" and "yours," respectively.
Nostro vs Vostro:
• Bank A will use the term Nostro account to refer to "our"
account held by Bank B. Basically, Nostro is shorthand for
"our money that is on deposit at your bank".
• The Nostro account is the record maintained by the
bank that has money deposited with another bank. They
enable simplified trade settlements and foreign exchange
transactions. Nostro accounts are denominated in foreign
currencies.
• Bank B, where bank A’s money is deposited, will use the
term Vostro account to refer to "your money that is on
deposit at our bank".
• For example, if an Indian bank maintains an account with
an overseas bank in the US in dollars, such an account,
maintained in a foreign currency at a foreign centre, would
be called a Nostro account by the concerned Indian bank.
The American bank concerned will refer to the same
account as a Vostro Account.

• There are sanctions on Russia post the Ukraine war and

the country is off the SWIFT system (system used by banks
for payments in foreign currency). This means payments
do not have to be made in foreign currency and this new
arrangement would help both Russia and India.

Limitations:
• It is not likely that the arrangement would be extended to other
countries. India may want to, but others may not accept it as
they may need foreign currency to pay for their own imports.
• The arrangement is not expected to help arrest the fall of
the rupee to any significant extent. The rupee, like all global

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 ScienceArticle
Feature & Tech
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

GM MUSTARD
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of India has cleared the proposal for
the commercial cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) mustard.

About: Concerns: Health & safety

• The recommendation will now again go for the approval of the • There is Risk of toxicity due to the nature of the product or
Environment Ministry. the changes in the metabolism and the composition of the
• The GEAC also set certain conditions for clearance. It includes organisms resulting from gene transfer.

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that the approval is for a limited period of four years and is • Newer proteins in transgenic crops from organisms, which
renewable for two years at a time based on the compliance have not been consumed as foods, sometimes have the risk
report. of these proteins becoming allergens.
• Genes used for antibiotic resistance as selectable markers
What is GM mustard?
have also raised concerns regarding the transfer of such

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• Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11) was developed by a team genes to microorganisms and thereby aggravate the health
of scientists at Delhi University under a government-funded problems due to antibiotic resistance in the disease-causing
project. It uses a system of genes from a soil bacterium that organisms.
makes mustard.
Concerns: Ecological & Environmental
Why GM Mustard is being introduced?
• Gene flow due to cross-pollination for the traits involving
• Mustard is one of the most important oilseed crops cultivated
resistance can result in the development of tolerant or
in India. Its area has increased from 2.88 million hectares
resistant weeds that are difficult to eradicate.
(mha) in 1960-61 to 6.69 mha in 2020-21.
• GM crops could lead to the erosion of biodiversity and pollute
• States like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar
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gene pools of endangered plant species.
Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Assam are
• Genetic erosion has occurred as the farmers have replaces
the major growers of the crop; they together account for 95
the use of traditional varieties with monocultures.
percent of India’s total area under mustard.
• Introduction of transgenic plants can impact the population
• But the productivity and profitability of crops have not
dynamics of target and non-target pests, secondary pest
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increased significantly between 2010-11 and 2019-20.
problems, insect sensitivity, the evolution of new insect
• Thus, the GEAC’s approval for GM mustard is indeed an
biotypes, environmental influence on gene expression,
encouraging signal at a time when the value of import of
development of resistance in the insect population,
edible oil has skyrocketed from ₹29,900 crore in 2010-11 to
development of resistance to the herbicide.
₹68,200 crore in 2020-21.
• Accidental cross-breeding of GM plants and traditional
Benefits of GM Crops: varieties through pollen transfer can contaminate the
• Solution to problems in Agricultural sector: We need technology traditional local varieties with GMO genes resulting in the loss
that can save labour costs, reduce water consumption and of traditional varieties of the farmers.
increase the productivity of crops to provide Food security.
Way Ahead:
Genetically Modified (GM) Crops provides these benefits to
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farmers. • All the stakeholders should conduct research to ensure that

risks are mitigated and spread awareness about the GM
• BT Cotton: according to proponents, since the introduction
technology so that it can be adopted.
of Bt cotton in 2002, India’s cotton area, production and
yield increased tremendously. The area under cotton has • The concerns related to the cost of seed, the health of humans
increased by about 70 percent. and cattle and environmental safety must be addressed
without any compromise.
• Global Trends: Given the trends in different countries,
presently, over 90 percent of corn, cotton and soyabean are NOTE TO READERS
cultivated using GM seed in the US. These crops can come
For detailed analysis of GM Crops, kindly refer Page 95 of
to India by import, even if we don’t adopt them. Bangladesh,
Aug. 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.
our neighbouring country, has already permitted its farmers
to cultivate Bt brinjal.

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 ScienceArticle
Feature & Tech
ARTEMIS 1 MOON MISSION
Artemis 1 was successfully launched from Kennedy Space Centre on 16 November 2022.
Artemis Program:
• The Artemis program is a robotic and human Moon exploration
program. The program’s long-term goal is to establish a
permanent base camp on the Moon and facilitate human
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missions to Mars.
• Agencies involved: This program is led by the United States’
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• The major components of the program are: Space Launch
System (SLS), Orion spacecraft, Lunar Gateway space
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station and Commercial Human Landing Systems, including
Starship HLS.
List of Artemis Missions:
• The Artemis 1 mission was launched on 16 November 2022.
• According to plan, the crewed Artemis 2 launch will take
place in 2024, the Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing in 2025,
the Artemis 4 docking with the Lunar Gateway in 2026-27,
and future yearly landings on the Moon thereafter.
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Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Artemis 1:
• Artemis 1 is an ongoing uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission, the
first spaceflight in NASA’s Artemis program.
• It is the first integrated flight test of Orion spacecraft and
Space Launch System rocket.
• Its main objective is to test the Orion spacecraft, especially
its heat shield, to be used in subsequent Artemis missions.
• Mission Timeline:
 The mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the
Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Launch System
rocket.
 The Orion spacecraft has been launched on a mission of
between 26 and 42 days, with at least 6 of those days in a
distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.
 After reaching Earth orbit and performing a trans-lunar
injection (burn to the Moon), the mission will deploy ten
CubeSat satellites. The Orion spacecraft will later enter a
distant retrograde orbit for six days.
 The Orion spacecraft will then return and re-enter the
Earth’s atmosphere, with the protection of its heat shield,
and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Significance of Artemis Program:
• If successful, the Artemis program will re-establish a human
presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17
mission in 1972.
• Since the Apollo missions of 50 years ago, there has been
massive progress in space exploration. Spacecraft have
travelled beyond the solar system, and exploratory missions
have probed Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
• More than 500 astronauts have travelled to space and back,
and permanent space labs like the International Space Station
(ISS) and China’s Tiangong space station have been set up.
• However, there are several unfulfilled promises — including
the possibility of landing, and living, on other planets, and
perhaps encountering alien life forms in deep space. It is these
promises that the new age of space exploration seeks to fulfill.
• The Artemis missions will build on the existing achievements
of space technologies over the past few decades, and lay the
foundations for more complex and ambitious missions in the
future.
• It will work towards extracting the resources found on the
Moon, build from the materials available there, and harness
hydrogen or helium as energy source.
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 ScienceArticle
Feature & Tech
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022

MISSION PRARAMBH
‘Vikram-S’ – India’s first privately developed launch vehicle – made its maiden flight from ISRO’s
launchpad at Sriharikota. The mission is called ‘Prarambh’ (the beginning).

Vikram (Rocket):
• The Vikram is a family of small-lift launch vehicles being
developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.
• These launch vehicles have been crafted specially for the
• The demand for the launch of small satellites has increased
at a rapid pace in the last eight to ten years, due to the
ever-growing need for space-based data, communication,
surveillance, and commerce.

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Small Satellite Market.
• They come in three forms, Vikram I, II, and III. The Vikram I,
first rocket in the series, has three solid fuel-powered stages.
• The final stage is Raman engine, which is powered by MMH
and NTO liquid fuels in a cluster of four engines.
Analysis: Need of private players?
• In India, ISRO is capable of launching satellites into space,
but the demand is fast outrunning its capacity, especially as
the space agency also has other, larger goals it needs to
focus on.

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• Vikram I is designed to lift 290 kg to a 500 km Sun synchronous
polar orbit (SSPO) and 480 kg to 45º inclination in a 500 km
low Earth orbit (LEO).
• It is named ‘Vikram’ as a tribute to Vikram Sarabhai.
• Therefore, the sector is being opened up to private players,
with ISRO helping them with facilities and knowledge.
• Also, the use of facilities by Private Players can be chargeable,
providing ISRO with revenue.

Mission Prarambh: • The development of privately built rockets and satellites

received a boost especially after the finance minister opened
• Before a full orbital launch of Vikram I, “Vikram-S” was flown
the space sector to private participation in 2020.
in November 2022 by the name of Mission Prarambh.
• The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch • Apart from Skyroot, Agnikul Cosmos has also tested its semi-
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vehicle. Sub-orbital flight travel slower than orbital velocity — cryogenic Agnilet engine.
they are fast enough to reach outer space but not fast enough
Skyroot Aerospace:
to stay in orbit around the Earth.
• Skyroot Aerospace is an Indian private aerospace manufacturer.
• Payload: Vikram-S carried three customer satellites (two Indian
It aims to develop and launch its own series of small lift launch
and one foreign) in a sub-orbital flight. Also, Spacekidz, a
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vehicles (especially for the small satellite market).
Chennai-based aerospace startup, flew ‘Fun-Sat’, a 2.5 kg
payload developed by students from India, the US, Singapore • It is headquartered in Hyderabad. It was founded in 2018.
and Indonesia, on Vikram-S.
VIKRAM SARABHAI
Significance of its Launch:
• Vikram Sarabhai (1919-71) is regarded as the Father of
• Vikram’s successful launch marked a big step for India’s
the Indian Space Program. He was the founder of Indian
space exploration sector. It will validate technologies in the
Space Research Organisation.
Vikram series space launch vehicles.
• He started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian
• Skyroot claims a Vikam rocket can be assembled and
satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was
launched within 24 hours from any launch site, and has the
put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome.
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“lowest cost in the payload segment”.

Analysis: Need for Small satellite launch vehicles
• For a very long time, small satellites — anything weighing
between 5 and 1,000 kg — are flown as ‘extra’ satellites on
rockets commissioned to carry some other, larger satellites.
• Thus, the timeline of the launch would be dictated by this larger,
primary, satellite, whose interests would take precedence.
• But with more and more businesses, govt. agencies, even
universities and laboratories beginning to send satellites (nearly
all of them falling in this category of small satellites) to space,
the need of dedicated Small satellite launch vehicle is felt.
• He founded Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in 1947.
• Projects and institutions initiated or established by
him include the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR)
in Kalpakkam, Variable Energy Cyclotron Project in
Calcutta, Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL)
in Hyderabad and Uranium Corporation of India Limited
(UCIL) in Jaduguda, Jharkhand.
• He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and
the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972. The late
President APJ Abdul Kalam had famously termed Vikram
Sarabhai as the “Mahatma Gandhi of Indian Science”.

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 ScienceArticle
Feature & Tech
DRAFT DATA PROTECTION BILL
The latest draft of the data protection law — the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022
(DPDP Bill, 2022) — has now been made open for public comments.
Background:
• This is the fourth iteration of a data protection law in India.
• The first draft was proposed in 2018 by the Justice Srikrishna
Committee set up by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
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Need of Data Protection Law:
• The right to informational privacy has been upheld as a
fundamental right by the Supreme Court (K.S. Puttaswamy vs
Union of India [2017]).
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• Constant interactions with digital devices have led to
unprecedented amounts of personal data being generated
round the clock by users (data principals).
• When coupled with the computational power available today
with companies (data fiduciaries), this data can be processed
in ways that increasingly impair the autonomy, freedom of
choice and privacy of the data principal.
• The current legal framework for privacy enshrined in the IT
Rules, 2011 is inadequate to combat such harms to data
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principals on four levels;
 first, the extant framework is premised on privacy being a
statutory right rather than a fundamental right and does not
apply to processing of personal data by the government;
 second, it has a limited understanding of the kinds of data
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to be protected;
 third, it places scant obligations on the data fiduciaries
which, moreover, can be overridden by contract and
 fourth, there are only minimal consequences for the data
fiduciaries for the breach of these obligations.
Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022:
• The govt. will have the power to specify the countries to which
companies can transfer personal data. This will allow companies
to send user data to servers located in countries on that list.
• The govt. can exempt state agencies from processing data
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from the proposed law in the interest of national security.
• The government will establish a "Data Protection Board" for
ensuring compliance with the proposed law. The board will
also hear user complaints.
• Companies of "significant" size - based on factors such as the
volume of data they process - should appoint an independent
data auditor to evaluate compliance with provisions of the law.
• The Data Protection Board can levy financial penalties for
non-compliance. Failure of entities to take reasonable security
safeguards to prevent data breaches could result in fines of
up to 2.5 billion rupees ($30.6 million).
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Companies will be required to stop retaining user data if it no
longer serves the business purpose for which it was collected.
Users shall have the right to correction and erasure of their
personal data.
• No company or organisation will be allowed to process
personal data that is "likely to cause harm" to children, and
advertising cannot target children. Before processing any
personal data of a child, parental consent will be required.
• The law will cover personal data collected online and digitised
offline data.
• It will also apply to the processing of personal data abroad, if
such data involves profiling Indian users or selling services to
them.
• An important addition to the right of data principals is that
it recognises the right to post mortem privacy which would
allow the data principal to nominate another individual in
case of death or incapacity.
Concerns:
• Wide-ranging exemptions to the Centre and its agencies with
little to no safeguards, and reduced independence of the
proposed Data Protection Board are among the key concerns
flagged by experts.
• Central government control over Data Protection Board in
appointment, fixing service condition etc. might dilute their
independence. It can also create conflict of interest as
Government is the one of largest data fiduciaries.
• The new Bill has just 30 clauses compared to the more than
90 in the previous one, mainly because a lot of operational
details have been left to subsequent rule-making.
• The central government can issue notifications to exempt
its agencies from adhering to provisions of the draft law for
national security reasons.
Data protection laws in other geographies:
• According to data from the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), an estimated 137 out
of 194 countries have put in place legislation to secure the
protection of data and privacy.
• European Union's landmark General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) has substantially influenced legislation in
nearly 160 countries. The GDPR focuses on a comprehensive
data protection law for processing of personal data. It has
been criticised for being excessively stringent, and imposing
many obligations on organisations processing data.
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 Environment
Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
GROUNDWATER REPORT 2022
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti has released the Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment
Report for the entire country for the year 2022.
About:
• The assessment is carried out at periodical intervals jointly by
Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) and States/UTs.
• Such joint exercises between CGWB & States/UTs were
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carried out earlier in 1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013,
2017 and 2020.
• From 2017 onwards assessment are based on norms and
guidelines of the Groundwater Estimation Committee (GEC)
2015 Methodology.
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Assessment Units:
• In comparison to 2020 assessment, the total numbers of
assessment units in the country have increased from 6965
to 7089 with major contribution (in increase) from the State
of West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
Telangana, Gujarat and Jharkand.
Groundwater Recharge:
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• In the present assessment, the total annual groundwater
recharge has increased from 436 to 437.6 bcm. Major increase
is noticed in the States of Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Gujarat.
• This can be mainly attributed to an increase in recharge from
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canal seepage, return flow of irrigation water, and recharges
from water bodies/tanks & water conservation structures.
Role of rainfall and rock formations in Groundwater
Recharge:
• The main source of replenishable groundwater resources is
recharge from rainfall, which contributes to nearly 61% of the
total annual groundwater recharge.
• Type of rock formations and their storage and transmission
characteristics have a significant influence on groundwater
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recharge.
• Porous formations such as the alluvial formations in the Indo-
Ganga-Brahmaputra basin generally have high specific
yields and are good repositories of groundwater.
• Groundwater occurrence in the fissured formations occupying
nearly two-thirds of the geographical area of the country.
Extraction of Groundwater:
• Keeping an allocation for natural discharge, the annual
extractable groundwater resource has increased from 397.6
(last assessment) to 398.08 bcm.
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• The groundwater extraction for irrigation, domestic and Industrial
uses has marginally decreased from 244.92 to 239.16 bcm.
• The overall stage of groundwater extraction has marginally
decreased from 61.6% to 60.08%.
Rate of Extraction:
• Out of the total 7089 assessment units (Blocks/Districts/
Mandals/Talukas/Firkas) in the country 1006 units in various
States (14%) have been categorized as ‘OverExploited’
indicating groundwater extraction exceeding the annually
replenishable groundwater recharge.
• A total of 260 (4%) assessment units have been categorized
as ‘Critical’, where the stage of groundwater extraction is
between 90-100% of annual extractable resources available.
• There are 885 ’Semi-Critical’ units (12%), where the stage of
groundwater extraction is between 70% and 90%.
• A total of 4780 (67%) assessment units have been categorized
as ‘Safe‘ where the stage of Groundwater extraction is less
than 70%.
• Apart from this, there are 158 assessment units (2%), which
have been categorized as ‘Saline’ as major part of the
groundwater in phreatic aquifers is brackish or saline.
The over-exploited assessment units are:
• The north western part of the country including parts of Punjab,
Haryana, Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh where even though
the replenishable resources are abundant, there have been
indiscriminate withdrawals of groundwater;
• The western part of the country, particularly in parts of
Rajasthan and Gujarat, where due to arid climate, groundwater
recharge itself is limited;
• The southern part of peninsular India including parts of
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where
due to inherent characteristics of crystalline aquifers, the
groundwater availability is low.
Way Ahead:
• There is no central law governing the use of groundwater and
various States have their own laws on regulating its extraction
that is deployed in a perfunctory manner.
• A draft National Water Policy has recommended a shift in
usage from water-guzzling crops and prioritising recycled
over freshwater for industrial purposes.
• While water remains a politically contentious subject in India,
the climate crisis should inspire consensus across the political
spectrum on disincentivising the wasteful consumption.
 Environment
CITES
The 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES was held at
Panama City, in Panama in November 2022.
About:
• CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), also known as the
Washington Convention.
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• It is an international agreement between governments — 184
at present — to ensure that international trade in specimens
of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of
the species.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties it does not
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take the place of national laws.
• Background: CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution
adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The
World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was
finally agreed at a meeting in Washington, D.C., USA in 1973,
and in 1975 CITES entered into force.
• The CoP is held once every three years.
Appendices:
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• Over 38,700 species – including roughly 5,950 species of
animals and 32,800 species of plants – are protected by
CITES. The species covered by CITES are listed in three
Appendices, according to the degree of protection they
need.
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• Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade
in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional
circumstances.
• Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with
extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to
avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.
• Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one
country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance
in controlling the trade.
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COP19, Panama:
• At the meeting – also known as the World Wildlife Conference
– The three main threats to wild plants and animals were
highlighted: Habitat loss, climate change and overexploitation.
Feature Articles Current Affairs 59
Edition: December, 2022
• The new species that will be listed on CITES and their
international trade consequently regulated, include nearly
100 species of sharks & rays, more than 150 tree species,
160 amphibian species, including tropical frogs, 50 turtle and
tortoise species and several species of songbirds.
• A first for the meeting was the adoption of a resolution on
gender, to try to address inequality in trade in wildlife. Women
are more likely to lose out on the benefits of wildlife trade and
work will now be done to suggest ways to tackle this issue.
• The contribution that CITES can make in reducing zoonotic
diseases is also to be investigated. 70% of emerging diseases
are estimated to be transferred from wild animals to humans.
Turtle Conservation:
• At CoP19, India’s proposal for induction of freshwater turtle
Batagur kachuga earned wide support of the parties.
 The red-crowned roofed turtle or Bengal roof turtle
(Batagur kachuga) is a species of freshwater turtle
endemic to South Asia.
 It is listed as being "critically endangered" on IUCN Red List.
• CITES also lauded the Operation Turtshield, launched by
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), which resulted in
nabbing many criminals involved in poaching and illegal
trade of fresh water turtles.
 Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is a statutory body
established by the Government of India under the Ministry
of Environment.
 The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 provisions
came in to force in 2007.
 It became operational in the year 2008.
Ivory Trade:
• At the COP19, the proposal, to allow a regular form of
controlled trade in ivory from Namibia, Botswana, South
Africa, and Zimbabwe, was defeated. India chose to abstain
and not vote against it.
• The endangered Asian elephant was included in CITES
Appendix I in 1975, which banned the export of ivory from
the Asian range countries. In 1986, India amended The Wild
Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to ban even domestic sales of
ivory. After the ivory trade was globally banned, India again
amended the law to ban the import of African ivory in 1991.
• In 1981 when New Delhi hosted CoP3, India designed the
iconic CITES logo in the form of an elephant. Over the years,
India’s stand has been unequivocal on the ivory issue.
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 History
Feature Article
Current Affairs In-Shorts | Culture & History
Edition: December, 2022

LOTHAL
PM Modi reviewed the construction of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site at Gujarat’s Lothal.

Lothal: • A metropolis with an upper and a lower town had in on

• Location: It is situated near the village of Saragwala in the its northern side a basin with vertical wall, inlet and outlet
Dholka Taluka of Ahmedabad district (Gujarat). The nearest channels which has been identified as a tidal dockyard.
cities are Dholka and Bagodara. • Additionally, the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa

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discovered marine microfossils and salt, gypsum crystals at
• Name: The meaning of Lothal (a combination of Loth and (s)
the site, indicating that sea water once filled the structure and
thal) in Gujarati is “the mound of the dead”. Incidentally, the
it was definitely a dockyard.
name of the city of Mohenjo-daro (also part of the Indus Valley
Civilisation, now in Pakistan) means the same in Sindhi. • Satellite images show that the river channel, now dried, would
have brought in considerable volume of water during high

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tide, which would have filled the basin and facilitated sailing
of boats upstream.
• The remains of stone anchors, marine shells, sealings which
trace its source in the Persian Gulf, together with the structure
identified as a warehouse further aid the comprehension of
the functioning of the port.

Heritage Value:
• Lothal was nominated in April 2014 as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative
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list of UNESCO.
• Its heritage value is comparable to other ancient port-towns
around the world – including Xel Ha (Peru), Ostia (Port of
Rome) and Carthage (Port of Tunis) in Italy, Hepu in China,
Canopus in Egypt, Gabel (Byblos of the Phoenicians), Jaffa
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in Israel, Ur in Mesopotamia, Hoi An in Vietnam.
• In the region, it can be compared with other Indus port towns
of Balakot (Pakistan), Khirasa (in Gujarat’s Kutch) and Kuntasi
(in Rajkot).
An Indus Valley Site:
• Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley NATIONAL MARITIME HERITAGE COMPLEX (NMHC)
civilization, located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state • The NMHC project, which began in March 2022, is being
of Gujarat. developed with the aim of displaying India’s diverse
• Timeline: The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 maritime history and also help Lothal emerge as a world-
BC. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered Lothal in class international tourist destination.
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1954. • It will have several innovative features such as Lothal mini-

• Features: In later excavations, ASI unearthed a mound, a recreation, which will recreate Harappan architecture and
township, a marketplace, and the dock at Lothal. lifestyle through immersive technology.

• Trade: Lothal was a thriving trade centre in ancient times, with
its trade of beads, gems and ornaments reaching West Asia
and Africa.
World’s oldest Dockyard?
• According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Lothal
had the world’s earliest known dock, connecting the city to an
ancient course of the Sabarmati river.
• It will house four theme parks – Memorial theme park,
Maritime and Navy theme park, Climate theme park, and
Adventure and Amusement theme park.
• It will also house the world’s tallest lighthouse museum,
14 galleries highlighting India’s maritime heritage starting
from the Harappan time till today, as well as a coastal
states pavilion displaying the diverse maritime heritage of
Indian states and UTs.

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 History
Feature Article
MARITIME HISTORY OF INDIA
PM Modi recently pointed out, “India’s maritime heritage is a topic that has been talked about inadequately”.
The Early Era (3000 – 2000 BC):
• The beginning of India’s maritime history dates back to 3000
BC.
• During this time, the inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilisation
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had maritime trade link with Mesopotamia.
• The excavation at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa has revealed
ample evidence that maritime activities flourished during this
period.
• The discovery of a dry-dock at Lothal (dating back to 2400
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BC) is regarded as the first such facility, anywhere in the
world, equipped to berth and service ships.
Vedic Age (2000 – 500 BC):
• Vedic literature has numerous references to boats, ships and
sea voyages.
• The Rig Veda is the oldest evidence on record that refers
to Varuna, the Lord of the Sea, and credits him with the
knowledge of the ocean routes which were used by ships.
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• The Rig Veda mentions merchants sailing ships across the
oceans to foreign countries in quest of trade and wealth.
• The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata have references to
ships and sea travels. Even the Puranas have several stories
of sea voyages.
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Age of the Nandas and Mauryas (500 – 200 BC):
• The age of the Nandas and Mauryas saw an extensive
maritime trading activities that brought many nations closer
to India.
• This resulted in spread of India’s culture and religious
beliefs to other countries. The maritime activities of Mauryas
paved the way for Indian immigration to Indonesia and other
surrounding islands.
• During this period, India witnessed an invasion by Alexander.
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Megasthenes, the Greek ethnographer and Macedonian
ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya, has described the
administration of armed forces in Pataliputra during that
period, and described the presence of a special group that
looked after different aspects of naval war-fighting.
• The navy of the Magadh kingdom, therefore, is considered to
be the first ever recorded instance of a navy, anywhere in the
world.
• It was during this period that Chandragupta’s minister,
Chanakya, wrote the Arthashastra, which has details
of the department of waterways under a Navadhyaksha
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
(Superintendent of the ships). It also has details of an admiralty
division established as part of the ‘war office’, which was
responsible for navigation on the oceans, lakes and seas.
Emperor Ashoka:
• During the rule of Ashoka the Great, the Mauryan Empire
covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent, and trade
relationships existed with Sri Lanka, Egypt, Syria and
Macedonia.
• One of the endearing legacies of Ashoka remains the spread
of Buddhism. Ashoka also sent envoys to various kingdoms
in Southeast Asia using the sea route for the same.
Satavahana Dynasty (200 BC-220 AD):
• The Satavahanas (200 BC – 220 AD) ruled the Deccan
region and their kingdom spread over parts of present-day
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Saurashtra in
Gujarat.
• They controlled the East coast of India along the Bay of
Bengal.
• The Satavahanas were the first native Indian rulers to issue
their own coins with inscription of ships.
• Evidence also exists of spread of culture, language and
Hinduism to various parts of Southeast Asia through the sea
route.
Gupta Dynasty (320-500 AD):
• The Gupta Empire stretched across northern, central and
parts of southern India between 320 to 550 AD. This period
has been called the ‘Golden Age of India’.
• Fa-Hien, the Chinese monk, came to India in 399 CE to study
Buddhism. On his way back to his homeland, in 413 CE, he
sailed from Tamralipti in Bengal and 14 days later reached
Ceylon.
• Another Chinese traveller Huein Tsang, who visited India
between 633-645 AD had given eyewitness accounts of the
vast overseas trade during the Gupta period.
• Aryabhata and Varahamihira, known in history as great
astronomers, belonged to this period. The art of oceanic
navigation by rough and ready computation of position from
known stars was established.
• During this period, several ports in the east and west were
opened which greatly revived maritime trade with European
and African countries.
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 Current Affairs Feature Articles
Edition: December, 2022
The Southern Dynasties:
• The Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas were major powers of
peninsular India.
• These rulers had established strong maritime trade links with
the local rulers of Sumatra, Java, Malay Peninsula, Thailand
and China.
• The knowledge of the monsoon winds was also developed
during sea voyages.
• During the Chola dynasty (3rd – 13th Century) extensive sea
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trade existed and new harbours with quarters, warehouses
and workshops were established. Ship repair yards, wharfs
and light houses were build along the Indian coast to support
the powerful navy which protected their merchant ships.
• The Pandya dynasty (6th – 16th Century) were eminent Agniveer
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and sea traders, with links extending from the Roman empire
and Egypt in the West to China in the East. They controlled
pearl farming that took place along the India’s southern
coastline, producing some of the finest pearls of those times.
• The Cheras (12th Century) had a flourishing trade with the
Greeks and the Romans. They navigated through various
rivers which opened into the Arabian Sea. They used
monsoon winds to sail their ships directly from the Indian
ports of Tyndis (present day Periyapattanum, near Kochi)
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and Muziris (present day Pattanam, also near Kochi), to ports
in Arabia.
Arrival of the Arabs:
• As a result of ‘difference’ between the Cholas, the Tamil
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kings and the Sri Vijayas, a series of sea battles were fought
between their navies towards the end of the 10th Century AD
resulting in the weakening of these empires and opening the
way for Arab supremacy in the region.
• By the 8th Century AD, Arabs had began to come to India by
sea in great numbers as traders.
• Over the time, many parts of the modern day West Asia
became nodal points for business between Europe, Southeast
Asia and India. Soon the Arabs began controlling the trade
routes, and acted as middlemen between the West and the
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East.
• The period from 900 to 1300 AD is considered the Early Age
of maritime commerce in Southeast Asia.
Mughals:
• The Mughal dynasty ruled over most of the northern India
from 1526-1707 AD.
• Having found sufficient revenue from land resources, they did
not pay much attention to the affairs of the sea. This enabled
the Arabs to establish a monopoly over trade in the Indian
Ocean.
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Maritime India and the Europeans:
• A study of the country’s maritime history reveals that the Indian
sub-continent exercised supremacy over the Indian Ocean
from very early times up to the 13th century. Indians took to the
sea for trade and commerce rather than for political ends.
• The 16th Century is considered as an important landmark.
The calm and peaceful scene of trade was disturbed with the
arrival of the Portuguese merchantmen, who set a strategy for
control of the entire Indian Ocean.
Arrival of the Portuguese:
• Hearing about the rich land called ‘Hindustan’ in the East,
many European countries felt the need to find a direct sea
route for trade. The Portuguese took the lead and were the
first Europeans to arrive on Indian shores.
• Vasco da Gama (1460 – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer
who discovered an oceanic route from Portugal to India.
Sailing from Portugal, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope in
Africa to arrive at Calicut in Kerala in May 1498.
• Subsequently, the Portuguese set up factories at Calicut,
Cochin, Goa, Surat and at other west coast ports.
• They also took control of all important Ports namely Hormuz,
Socotra, Aden and Malacca to effectively seize the Indian
Ocean trade flow, thereby disrupting the Arab monopoly over
trade in the Indian Ocean Region.
• In 1509, Alfonso de Albuquerque was appointed Portuguese
Governor in Kochi.
• Having failed to defeat the Zamorin, Albuquerque seized Goa
and its surrounding areas by defeating the Sultan of Bijapur
(present day Karnataka) in 1510. Thereafter, Goa became
the headquarters of Portuguese India and the seat of the
Portuguese Viceroy.
ZAMORINS AND KUNJALI MARAKKARS
• Zamorin was the hereditary Nair monarch and ruler of the
Kingdom of Kozhikode (Calicut) in medieval Kerala.
• The Zamorins, with their capital at Calicut (a major trading
port), had flourishing trade over land and through seas. The
Zamorins resisted the Portuguese throughout 16th century.
• During this period of resistance, Kunjali Marakkars, the
Naval commanders of that time, proved their tactical
acumen and valour on many occasions.
• Kunjali Marakkar was the title given to the naval chief of the
Zamorin king. There were four major Kunjalis who played
their part in the Zamorin’s naval wars with the Portuguese
between 1502 and 1600.
• Of the four Marakkars, Kunjali Marakkar II is the most
famous. The Kunjali Marakkars are credited with
organising the first naval defence of the Indian coast.

The Dutch:
• The Dutch East India Company, established in 1592 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands, sailed their first merchant fleet that
reached India in 1595.
• The first Dutch base in the Indian Ocean Region was
established at Batavia (present day Jakarta, Indonesia).
• They did not challenge the Portugese and were given
permission to set up a trading facility at Pulicat in 1608
which led to formation of Dutch Coromandel. Subsequently,
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Dutch Surat and Dutch Bengal were established in 1616
and 1627 respectively.
• The Dutch conquered the forts on the Malabar Coast (present
day Kerala) around 1661 and established Dutch Malabar to
protect Ceylon from Portuguese invasion. Apart from textiles,
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the Dutch traded precious stones, indigo, silk, opium,
cinnamon and pepper.
The British:
• The East India Company was founded in England on 31
December 1600. A ship of the company, Hector, under the
command of Captain William Hawkins arrived at Surat.
• Captain William Hawkins brought with him a letter for Emperor
Jahangir, seeking permission to trade with the Mughal
dominions. The emperor granted permission for trade and
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also promised other trading facilities.
• At that time, the Portuguese were the dominant European
power in India, so they did not appreciate the British arriving
in India and affecting their trade.
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• The British knew the importance of the seas. In addition to
taking over provinces over land, they also established a
naval force which protected their sea trade and also kept
adversaries at bay. Thus, a strong naval force also aided the
British in ruling over India.
• The Marathas (especially under Kanhoji Angre) gave the
strongest resistance to the British from gaining control along
the Indian coasts.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of Maratha Naval Power refer Page
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46 of Oct. 2022 edition of Current Affairs Magazine.
The French:
• The French arrived in the Indian Ocean Region in 1740 and
established a strong base in Mauritius. Eventually, they also
arrived at Surat and Pondicherry where they set up their
trading posts. In later years, French establishments came up
in Karaikal, Yanaon, Mahe and Chandernagore (present day
Chandannagar in Bengal).
• During the 18th century, the French were the primary
challengers to the British supremacy in the Indian Ocean.
Feature Articles Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• After a few initial French successes, the British decisively
defeated the French in the Battle of Wandiwash in Tamil Nadu
(1760).
Maritime India Under The British Raj:
• The East India Company was established in 1600, and it
began to create a fleet of fighting ships in 1612.
• In 1686, with most of the English commerce moving to
Bombay, the force was renamed the “Bombay Marine”.
• In 1830, the Bombay Marine was renamed the “Indian Navy”.
• After the end of Company rule in India following the Indian
rebellion of 1857, the force came under the command of the
British government of India and was formally named “Her
Majesty’s Indian Navy” in 1858.
• On 02 October 1934, this service was renamed Royal Indian
Navy (RIN), with its headquarters at Bombay.
Maritime India Post Independence:
• With the partition of India, post-independence, the Royal
Indian Navy was divided into the Royal Indian Navy and the
Royal Pakistan Navy.
• With India becoming a Republic on 26 January 1950, the
prefix ‘Royal’ was dropped and it was rechristened as the
Indian Navy.
• On 22 April 1958, Vice Admiral R D Katari, become the first
Indian Naval Officer to take over as the Chief of the Naval
Staff of Indian Navy.
• Since 1972, Navy Day is being celebrated on 04 December
to commemorate the very successful naval actions.
• In more recent years, since 2014, the focus on maritime
capacity development and outreach has grown manifold with
national policies being dedicated to the development of the
maritime sector.
• Today there is a greater range and number of stakeholders
engaging in the discourse around maritime geopolitics,
commerce, infrastructure, ecology, and defence.
• India also transitioned to enhancing its leadership role in
South Asia and the IOR by aiming for common, equal and
cooperative security in the region. Indeed, cooperative
and inclusive security has remained a constant approach
on India’s part, as witnessed in the current administration’s
SAGAR policy or Security and Growth for All in the Region.
• Together with the SAGAR initiative, the Maritime Vision 2030 is
the latest iteration of the government’s maritime development
roadmap with special focus on “blue economy”.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed evolution of Naval Flag refer Page 46 of Oct.
2022 edition of Current Affairs Magazine.
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 Current Affairs In-Shorts | Economy
Edition: December, 2022
MISSED CALL PAY
MissCallPay has partnered with the Bank of India to roll out
the facility of making a payment using the UPI after giving
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a simple missed call. MissCallPay’s solution is built under
the UPI123 system.
UPI 123Pay:
• UPI 123Pay is a Suite of solutions developed for Non Smart
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phone / feature phone users to use the Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) without internet connectivity.
• Through UPI 123PAY, feature phone users will now be able
to undertake a host of transactions based on four technology
alternatives.
• They include (1) calling an IVR (interactive voice response)
number, (2) app functionality in feature phones, (3) missed call-
based approach and (4) proximity sound-based payments.
T
Missed Call Pay:
• Missed call-based approach will allow feature phone users to
access their bank account and perform routine transactions
such as receiving or transferring funds, regular purchases,
bill payments, etc., by giving a missed call on the number
EX
displayed at the merchant’s place.
• At the time of billing, the merchant will create a token with
the customer’s mobile number and the bill amount of his
purchase.
• Customer can then give a missed call on the number
prescribed by the merchant and immediately the customer
will receive an incoming call from 08071 800 800 asking to
authenticate the transaction by entering UPI PIN.
• This solution is developed by MissCallPay with Bank of India
as the supporting bank.
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OPEN OFFER
The Gautam Adani-led Adani Group launched its open offer
to acquire an additional 26 percent stake in in television
channel NDTV Ltd.
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ECONOMY
About:
• According to the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares
and Takeovers) Rules, an open offer is an offer made by the
acquirer to the shareholders of the target company inviting
them to tender their shares in the target company at a
particular price.
• The primary purpose of an open offer is to provide an exit
option to the shareholders of the target company on account
of the change in control or substantial acquisition of shares,
occurring in the target company.
• An open offer is triggered if an acquirer holds more than 25
percent of the public shareholding in the company.
• Open offer price: Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) rules say that the open offer price for acquisition of
shares under the minimum open offer shall be
 the highest negotiated price under the share purchase
agreement triggering the offer;
 the volume-weighted average price of shares acquired
by the acquirer during 52-weeks preceding the public
announcement;
 the highest price paid for any acquisition by the acquirer
during 26 weeks immediately preceding the PA; and
 the volume weighted average market price for sixty
trading days preceding the PA.
NDTV Scenario:
• In August 2022, the Adani Group acquired 29.18 percent
stake in NDTV.
• In November 2022, the Adani Group launched its open offer
to acquire an additional 26 percent stake in NDTV so that
minority shareholders willing to exit the company may tender
their shares.
• If the Adanis manage to get the required 26 percent stake,
the group’s total stake will go up to 55.18 percent, enabling it
to take management control of the target company (NDTV).
• As of now, the single-largest shareholder of NDTV is its
promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy (32.26%).
CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGE
Recently, FTX filed for bankruptcy proceedings in the US
court system.

About:
• FTX is a Bahamas based cryptocurrency exchange. It
enables customers to trade digital currencies for other digital
currencies or traditional money, and vice versa.
• FTX has a native cryptocurrency token called FTT, which
traders use for operations like paying transaction fees.
• The fall of FTX has further eroded the trust of regulators and
customers in the cryptocurrency industry.
Binance:
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• Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world
in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies.
• Initially Binance offered to buy FTX’s non-US operations (FTX.
com) to help cover it liquidity crunch, but later on backed out
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of the deal.
ARVIND VIRMANI
The Government of India has appointed Arvind Virmani as
a full-time member of the NITI Aayog.
About:
• He is a senior economist and founder-chairman of the non-
profit public policy organisation “Foundation for Economic
T
Growth and Welfare”.
• He Served as Principal Advisor, Planning Commission;
Served as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of
Finance from 2007-09; and Served as the Executive Director,
International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2009-12.
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• He was a member of RBI’s Technical Advisory Committee on
Monetary Policy from 2013- 2016.
• Some of the Books Authored by him are: The Sudoku of
India’s Growth; From Uni-polar To Tri polar World: Multi-
polar Transition Paradox and Propelling India From Socialist
Stagnation To Global Power.
COMPOSITION OF NITI AAYOG?
• The NITI Aayog is headed by the Prime Minister.
N
• Full-time organizational framework includes a Vice-
Chairperson, four full-time members, two part-time
members, four ex-officio members of the Union Council of
Ministers and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
MGNREGA (AMARJEET SINHA COMMITTEE)
The Central government has constituted a committee headed
by former Rural Development secretary Amarjeet Sinha to
review the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
In-Shorts | Economy Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
MGNREGA:
• MGNREGA was passed in 2005 as a poverty alleviation
instrument. The scheme guarantees 100 days of unskilled
work per year for every rural household that wants it.
• Benefits: Currently, 15 crore active workers are enrolled in the
scheme. MGNREGA acted as a crucial safety net during the
COVID pandemic.
Criticism:
• In 2015, PM Modi termed MGNREGA a “living monument of
Congress government’s failure”.
• Poorer States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar have not been able to
use the scheme optimally to alleviate poverty.
• In the past few years, the fund management has been
centralised instead of paying the Gram Sabhas an advance
enabling them to decide the work they want to undertake.
• There is frequent delay in fund disbursal. It is thus suggested
that a “revolving fund can be utilised whenever there is a
delay in the Central funds”.
• Wages under it are far below the market rate in many States,
defeating the purpose of acting as a safety net. At present,
the minimum wage of a farm labourer in Gujarat is ₹324.20,
but the MGNREGS wage is ₹229.
• It is also criticised for the lack of tangible asset creation.
NATIONAL E-GOVERNANCE SERVICES LTD
(NeSL)
American Express has written to its card holders saying
that it will report financial information related to their
cards to National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), which
card holders fear may put their privacy at risk.
About:
• NeSL is an Information Utility (“IU”) appointed by the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (“IBBI”). NeSL was
registered as the first IU by the IBBI on September 25, 2017.
• It is a Union government company and is governed by the
provisions of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“IBC”)
and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Information
Utilities) Regulations, 2017.
• The primary role of NeSL is to serve as a repository of legal
evidence holding the information pertaining to any debt/
claim, as submitted by the financial or operational creditor
and verified and authenticated by the parties to the debt.
• As per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) December 2017
regulation, it is mandatory for all banks to report financial
information of card holders to NeSL.
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CENTRAL DEPOSITORIES SERVICES (INDIA)
LTD (CDSL)
Certain services at CDSL were disrupted due to a suspected
cyber-attack.
About:
• CDSL is a government-registered share depository, alongside
its other state-owned counterpart National Securities
S
Depository Ltd (NSDL).
• While banks help customers keep their cash in electronic
form, share depositories help consumers store shares in an
electronic or dematerialised form.
• CDSL was founded in 1999 and is Headquartered in Mumbai.
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• It is a Market Infrastructure Institution (MII) that is deemed
as a crucial part of the capital market structure, providing
services to all market participants, including exchanges,
clearing corporations, depository participants, issuers and
investors.
VISTARA-AIR INDIA MERGER
The Tata group and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have agreed to
merge Vistara with Air India.
T
About:
• After the merger, brand Vistara will cease to exist and Air
India will become India’s second largest domestic and
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largest international carrier. The transaction is expected to
be complete by March 2024.
• This is the Tata group’s second consolidation exercise in the
Aviation Sector after it initiated the merger of AirAsia India
with Air India Express earlier this year.
• Vistara: Vistara, is an Indian full-service airline, based in
Gurugram. The carrier is a joint venture between Tata Sons
and Singapore Airlines. It commenced operations in 2015.
• Air India: The airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata as Tata
Airlines in 1932. It is presently owned by Talace Private
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Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons.
AIR SUVIDHA
From November 22, 2022 onwards, passengers travelling to
India no longer need to fill forms and upload negative RT-
PCR tests on the government’s Air Suvidha portal.
About:
• The Air Suvidha portal was launched in August 2020 through
which international passengers had to mandatority submit
details of their journey and Covid vaccination or testing status.
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• The pre-arrival self-registration portal also enabled authorities
to ascertain whether a person was arriving from a high-risk
region.
• The abolition of Air Suvidha is in sync with the times, as
Covid-19 has entered an endemic stage mainly on the back
of vaccination coverage.
EMPLOYEES PENSION (AMENDMENT)
SCHEME OF 2014
In November 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the validity
of the Employees Pension (Amendment) Scheme of 2014.
Background:
• Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 or EPS-95 is a social
security scheme which was introduced in November 1995 by
the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
• The scheme entitles the employees working in the organised
sector for a pension after their retirement at the age of 58
years.
• The 2014 amendment had capped the maximum pensionable
salary (basic pay plus dearness allowance) at Rs.15,000 per
month. Prior to the amendment, the maximum pensionable
salary was capped at Rs.6,500 a month.
• The Employees Provident Fund Organisation and the Centre
challenged the verdicts of the high courts of Kerala, Rajasthan
and Delhi, which had quashed the 2014 scheme.
Supreme Court Verdict: Key Highlights
• The Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Employees
Pension (Amendment) Scheme of 2014 but quashed the
threshold limit of Rs 15,000 monthly salary for joining the
pension fund.
• Employees who have not exercised the option to join the
pension scheme must do so within six months.
• Eligible employees who could not join the scheme by the cut-
off date should be given an additional chance as there was
a lack of clarity on the issue in view of judgments passed by
the high courts of Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi.
PERENNIAL VARIETY OF RICE
Farmers in China are now growing a perennial variety of
rice which does not need to be planted every year.
About:
• Researchers at the Yunnan University have developed a
variety of perennial rice named PR23 by cross-breeding
regular annual rice Oryza sativa with a wild perennial variety
from Africa.

• Unlike regular rice which is planted every season, PR23 can
yield eight consecutive harvests across four years (as these
plants with stronger roots grow back vigorously after each
harvest).
• In 2021, the variety was grown by more than 44,000 farmers
in southern China.
Benefits:
• PR23 yields, reported at 6.8 tons per hectare, are comparable
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to regular irrigated rice. But growing it is much cheaper since
it requires less labour, seeds and chemical inputs.
• Growing perennial rice over a period of four years resulted in
remarkable environmental benefits such as soils accumulating
close to a ton of organic carbon (per hectare per year) along
with increases in water available to plants.
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• The discovery is of significance as rice feeds about half of the
world.
Learnings for India:
• India is the world’s second largest rice producer, after China,
and the largest exporter with a 40% share in global trade. It is
grown during both summer and winter crop seasons.
• Perennial rice can reduce the drudgery of annual trans-
plantation, a back-breaking task, and generate savings on
T
seeds and other inputs.
• China’s early success has another lesson for India: to raise
investments in public research and agricultural sciences.
This can help counter the impact of climate change on food
security and rural incomes.
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ISLAMIC BANKING (INTEREST-FREE BANKING)
Pakistan’s Finance Minister announced that the government
would introduce interest-free banking in the country,
marking a significant departure from its earlier opposition
to the policy.
About:
• Islamic banking refers to banking activity that conforms to
N
laws and values laid down by Islamic law or Sharia.
• The basis of Islamic finance is the rejection of usury (the levying
of unreasonable high interest rates) while lending money, along
with the requirement that there must not be any engagement
with immoral businesses (such as trading, gambling, or trading
in prohibited commodities such as alcohol or pork).
• Riba is the Islamic term for interest charges on loans, and
according to the current interpretation, covers all interest
— not just excessive interest. Under Islamic law, a Muslim
is prohibited from paying and accepting interest on a
predetermined rate.
In-Shorts | Economy Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
How can a bank work without levying interest?
• Various instruments are available for those who want to take
credit from a Sharia compliant bank.
• In an Ijarah contract, a bank purchases the asset on behalf
of the client and allows its usage for a fixed rental rate.
After a mutually agreed time, the ownership of the asset is
transferred to the client.
• Murabaha means a sale on mutually agreed profits. In this
financing technique, an asset is purchased by the bank at a
market price and sold to the customer at a mutually-decided
marked-up cost. The client is allowed to repay in instalments.
• Musharaka refers to a joint investment by the bank and the
client. Under the agreement, an Islamic bank provides funds,
which are mixed with the funds of the business enterprise
and others. The bank and the client both contribute to the
funding of an investment of purchase, and agree to share the
profit or loss in agreed-upon proportions.
KIRIT PARIKH COMMITTEE ON GAS PRICING
The Kirit Parikh committee constituted to review the gas
pricing formula has submitted its report to the Centre.
Background:
• The committee was set up in September after state-set prices
of gas from old fields and a ceiling price for output from
difficult blocks rose to a record high.
• At present, the government fixes the prices of gas produced
from the old fields of state-run ONGC and OIL. Such fields
account for about 80 percent of annual gas output of about
91 billion cubic metres.
Recommendations:
• India should have completely free and market-determined
pricing for natural gas extracted from legacy fields and
remove all caps by January 1, 2027
• Till then, a floor price of $4 per MMBtu (metric million British
thermal unit) be kept in place to cover the cost of gas
production by Oil India Limited (OIL) and the Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC).
• It also recommended a ceiling price of $6.5 per mmBtu, which
may be increased yearly by about $0.5 per mmBtu till 2027.
• There should not be any tinkering with the existing pricing
formula for difficult fields such as KG-D6 of RIL and BP PLC.
Implications:
• The moves would help ease the inflationary pressure on
domestic users. Its recommendations would help achieve the
government’s target of raising the share of gas in India’s energy
mix to 15 percent by 2030 from around 6.4 percent at present.
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FINFLUENCERS
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is
working on guidelines for “finfluencers” who give advice to
stock market investors on various social media platforms.
About:
• Financial influencers (popularly known as “finfluencers”) are
people with public social media platforms offering advice and
sharing personal experiences about money and investment
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in stocks.
• Their videos cover budgeting, investing, property buying,
cryptocurrency advice and financial trend tracking.
• Some of them have lakhs of followers with their investment
advice being closely followed by millions of people across
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the country.
Concerns:
• There is a sharp rise in the number of various ‘unregistered’
investment advisors giving unsolicited social media ‘stock’
tips on various social media platforms.
• Certain companies use social media platforms to boost their
share prices through such finfluencers.
• It is unclear if these influencers have any educational or
T
professional qualification to offer such financial advice, and
if there is any kind of monetary transaction that happens
between them and the entity they are promoting.
• There is a concern that scamsters are using this route to
manipulate share prices.
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LOAN WRITE-OFF
Banks wrote off more than Rs 10 lakh crore in loans over the
last five years, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.
About:
• Meaning: Writing off a loan essentially means it will no longer
be counted as an asset.
• When do banks resort to write-offs? The bank writes off a
N
loan after the borrower has defaulted on the loan repayment
and there is a very low chance of recovery. The lender then
moves the defaulted loan, or NPA, out of the assets side and
reports the amount as a loss.
• Benefits for Banks: By writing off loans, a bank can reduce
the level of non-performing assets (NPAs) on its books. The
tax liability will also come down as the written-off amount is
reduced from the profit.
• Aftermath: After the write-off, banks are supposed to continue
their efforts to recover the loan using various options.
However, the chances of recovery from written-off loans are
very low.
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NIVESHAK DIDI
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) conducted India’s First
Floating Financial Literacy Camp with an initiative called
‘Niveshak Didi’ among the local residents around Dal Lake
of Srinagar, J&K.
About:
• IPPB, in collaboration with Investor Education and Protection
Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the aegis of Ministry of Corporate
Affairs (MCA), launched the initiative called ‘Niveshak Didi’ to
promote Financial Literacy “By the women, for the women”
concept.
• ‘Niveshak Didi’ initiative is based on the ideology that women
in rural area feel more comfortable to share their queries with
a female itself.
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):
• IPPB has been established under the Department of Posts,
Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by the
Government of India.
• IPPB was launched by PM Modi in 2018.
ITR FORMS
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has proposed
a single income tax return (ITR) form for all taxpayers. It
released a draft form for inputs.
Kinds of ITR forms:
• There are seven kinds of ITR forms, which are used by
different categories of taxpayers.
• ITR Form 1, called ‘Sahaj’, is for small and medium taxpayers.
Sahaj forms can be filed by individuals who have an income
up to Rs 50 lakh, with earnings from salary, one house
property / other sources (interest etc).
• ITR-2 is filed by people with income from residential property.
• ITR-3 is intended for people who have income as profits from
business / profession.
• ITR-4 (Sugam) is, like ITR-1 (Sahaj), a simple forms, and can
be filed by individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and
firms with total income up to Rs 50 lakh from business and
profession.
• ITR-5 and 6 are for limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and
businesses respectively.
• ITR-7 is filed by trusts and non-profit organisations.
Proposed Merger:
• The proposed draft ITR proposes to introduce a common ITR
by merging all the existing returns of income except ITR-7.
 In-Shorts | Economy Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

• The new ITR form would be available alongside the old forms
ITR-1 and ITR-4, but taxpayers filing ITR-2, ITR-3, ITR-5 and
ITR-6 would not have the option to file the old forms.
• Benefits: The merger of ITR Forms is in sync with international
best practices. It aims to make it easier to file returns, and to
considerably reduce the time taken for the job by individuals
and non-business-type taxpayers.
DO YOU KNOW?
• Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound
with chemical formula CO(NH2)2.
• Urea serves an important role in the metabolism of
nitrogen-containing compounds by animals. It is a
colorless, odorless solid, highly soluble in water.
• Urea is widely used in fertilizers as a source of nitrogen (N).

KALANAMAK RICE

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Indian Agriculture Research Institute has successfully tested MAARG PORTAL
two new dwarf varieties — Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 — in Uttar Pradesh
Trade (DPIIT) has launched a call for startup applications
that give double the yield.
for registration on the MAARG portal.

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About:
About:
• Kalanamak variety of Rice has been in cultivation since the
• MAARG is an acronym for ‘Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance,
original Buddhist period (600 BC).
Resilience and Growth’.
• It is popular in Himalayan Tarai of Nepal and eastern Uttar
• MAARG portal is the National Mentorship Platform by Startup
Pradesh, where it is known as the scented black pearl.
India. It is a one stop platform to facilitate mentorship
• Kalanamak rice was granted the Geographical Indication
for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages,
(GI) Tag in 2012 by the Government of India.
geographies, and backgrounds.
• Kalanamak rice is a non-basmati rice with medium slender
• Its objective is to facilitate efficient and expert mentorship
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grain length. Cooked kalanamak is softer and fluffier than
for startups and build an outcome-oriented mechanism that
other rice varieties.
allows timely tracking of the mentor-mentee engagements.
• Kalanamak rice is rich in micronutrients such as Iron and
Zinc. It has low Glycemic Index making it relatively sugar
Free and suitable for diabetics. DRAFT AIRCRAFT SECURITY RULES, 2022
EX
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the draft Aircraft
UREA IMPORTS Security Rules, 2022.

Union Fertilisers minister announced that India aims to end Features:

imports of urea from 2025 as the nation boosts its local
production capacity with the commissioning of new plants.
About:
• Plants at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Ramagundam in
Telangana, and at Talcher, Barauni and Sindri in eastern
N
• Once the draft Rules are finalised, it will enable the aviation
security regulator, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)
to impose penalties upto ₹1 crore on airports and airlines for
violation of security measures.
• Large airports can also face a penalty of ₹1 crore if they fail to
plan the design and layout of the airport in accordance with

India, would together produce 6.5 million tonnes of urea every

the National Civil Aviation Security Programme.
year.
• Individuals will also face penalties ranging from ₹1 lakh to
• India, the top importer of urea, imports about 30% of its
₹25 lakh depending on the nature of offence.
average 35 million tonnes of annual consumption of the crop
• To deal with cyber security threats, the rules require each
nutrient.
entity to protect its information and communication technology
• India now imports urea from a number of countries, including
systems against unauthorised use and prohibit disclosure of
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
sensitive aviation security information.
• Due to higher global prices, India’s fertiliser subsidy bill for
• The draft rules now authorise airports to engage private
the fiscal year to March 31, 2023, would rise to a record ₹2.25
security agents instead of CISF personnel at “non-core areas”
trillion ($27.21 billion) from previous year’s about ₹1.5 trillion.
and assign security duties as per the recommendation of the
• Urea accounts for about 70% of India’s overall fertiliser subsidy. National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.

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Background:
• The rules will supersede Aircraft Security Rules, 2011 and
were necessary after Parliament passed Aircraft Amendment
Act, 2020 giving statutory powers to BCAS, along with the
Director General of Civil Aviation and Aircraft Accident
Investigation Bureau.
• These allow them to impose penalties which could only be
imposed by courts earlier. The Act also raised the maximum
penalty from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore.
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• The amendment in Parliament was required after the United
Nation’s aviation watchdog, International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO), raised questions about the three
regulators functioning without statutory powers.
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SEBI COMPLAINTS REDRESSAL SYSTEM
(SCORES)
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to
overhaul the existing investors complaint system SCORES
by introducing a newer version of its website and mobile
application features.
About:
T
• SCORES (SEBI Complaints Redressal System) is an online
platform designed to help investors lodge their complaints
pertaining to the securities market, mainly against listed
companies and registered intermediaries.
• It was made operational in June 2011.
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TRANSPORT 4 ALL CHALLENGE
Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched
the Stage-2 of Transport 4 All Challenge.
About:
• The Transport4All Challenge is an initiative of the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, that aims at
enhancing the mobility experience of citizens.
N
• The Challenge focuses on digital innovation and invites cities,
citizens, and innovators to join hands to develop contextual
digital solutions to improve formal as well as informal public
transport to better serve the mobility needs of all citizens.
More than 130 cities signed up for Stage 1 of the Challenge,
launched in April 2021.
EXPORT DUTY ON STEEL
Six months after imposition of the levy, the government has
cut the export duty on steel products and iron ore.
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About:
• The Central Government has restored the status quo as was
prevailing prior to 22nd May,2022 and withdrawn the export
duty on iron ores lumps & Fines below 58% Fe content, iron
ore pellets and the specified steel products including pig iron.
• The import duty concessions on Anthracite / PCI coal, coking
coal, coke & semi coke and ferronickel have also been
withdrawn.
• Thus with effect from 19 Nov, 2022-
 Exports of iron ore lumps and fines < 58% Fe will attract
nil export duty.
 Exports of iron ore lumps and fines > 58% Fe will attract
lower export duty of 30%.
 Exports of iron ore pellets will attract nil export duty.
 Exports of pig iron and steel products classified under HS
7201, 7208, 7209,7210,7213, 7214, 7219, 7222 & 7227
will attract nil export duty.
 Anthracite/PCI & coking coal and ferronickel will attract
import duty of 2.5%.
 Coke and Semi coke will attract 5% import duty.
• Major steel makers have urged the government to unwind the
additional export taxation, saying it added to their problem of
weakening international demand.
INDIA INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT FUND SCHEME
The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of
Finance, Government of India, notified the Scheme for
Financial Support for Project Development Expenses of PPP
Projects – India Infrastructure Project Development Fund
Scheme (IIPDF Scheme) on 03.11.2022.
About:
• DEA is laying great thrust on improving the quality and pace
of infrastructure development in the country by encouraging
private sector participation in the infrastructure sector.
• As a Central Sector Scheme, the IIPDF Scheme will aid
development of quality Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects.
• This will be achieved by providing necessary funding
support to the project sponsoring authorities (PSAs),
both in the Central and State Governments, for creating a
shelf of bankable viable PPP projects for creating modern
infrastructure in the country.
• Funding under IIPDF Scheme is in addition to the already
operational Scheme for Financial Support to PPPs in
Infrastructure (VGF Scheme) notified on 07.12.2020, through
which infrastructure projects undertaken through PPP mode
that are economically justified but commercially unviable are
supported.
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Edition: December, 2022

INTERNATIONAL
INDIA-RUSSIA TRADE What is North Korea trying to demonstrate with the
missile launches?
Fuelled by a surge in the import of oil and fertilisers, India’s
• North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of
bilateral trade with Russia has soared to an all-time high
weapons tests this year and the country’s Supreme Leader
of $18,229.03 million in just five months (April-August)

S
Kim Jong Un recently guided exercises that involved ballistic
of this financial year (2022-23), according to the data by
missiles armed with mock nuclear warheads, claiming it was
Department of Commerce.
meant to act as war deterrence.
• US and South Korean officials have claimed that Pyongyang
Trade in April-August 2022:
is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test, the country’s
• Of the total $18,229.03 million bilateral trade in April-August,

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first since 2017.
India’s imports from Russia accounted for $17,236.29 million,
• North Korea is wary of joint drills between the U.S. and South
while India’s exports to Russia were only worth $992.73
Korea and believes them to be a rehearsal for invasion and
million, leaving a negative trade balance of $16,243.56
proof of hostile policies.
million.
• Petroleum oil and other fuel items accounted for 84% of
India’s total imports from Russia in April-August this year.
Fertilisers were second. Fertilisers and fuel together account
for over 91% of the total imports from Russia this year.
• On the other hand, pharmaceutical products and organic
T
chemicals were the two main items shipped to Moscow.

Past Trends:
• In contrast, the total annual bilateral trade between the
two countries stood at $13,124.68 million in 2021-22, and
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$8,141.26 million in 2020-21.
• India had a positive trade balance with Russia from 1997-98
(the most recent year for which comparable data is available)
to 2002-03. But from 2003-04, India’s trade balance with
Russia remained negative.

Leading trade partners of India:

• With the sharp spike in trade, Russia has now become India’s
seventh biggest trading partner — up from its 25th position
last year.
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• The US ($57,632.37 million), China ($50,792.83 million), UAE

($36,820.33 million), Saudi Arabia ($23,995 million), Iraq
($18,822.27 million) and Indonesia ($18,816.58 million) were
the six countries which recorded higher volumes of trade with
India during the first five months of 2022-23.

HWASONG-17 NOTE TO READERS

North Korea test fired its new Hwasong-17 intercontinental For detailed analysis of North Korea Missile Tests, kindly
ballistic missile (ICBM). This may be the first successful launch refer Page 37 of November 2022 edition of NEXTIAS
of the system after doubts were raised about earlier claims. Current Affairs Magazine.

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Edition: December, 2022
SOUTH KOREA'S INDO-PACIFIC STRATEGY
During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
summit in Cambodia, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-
yeol introduced country's "Indo-Pacific" strategy built on a
"rules-based order" for the region.
About:
• After South Korea's long adherence to a policy of "strategic
ambiguity" in balancing relations between China and the
S
United States, President Yoon has made it clear that he
believes following US lead on the challenges facing the
region is in the best interest of South Korea.
• The strategy echoes that of the US and Japan, which have
long warned of the growing threat posed by an increasingly
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aggressive and expansionist China.
• Over the past decade, China has seized control of dozens of
atolls and reefs in the South China Sea and turned them into
military bases. There is also deep concern that China may in
the future use force to take control of Taiwan.
South Korea–China Relations:
• South Korea has in the past experienced friction with China
after moving closer to the US strategically, even though South
T
Korea and China have strong economic relations.
• In 2016, South Korea and the US announced that they would
deploy a battery of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area
Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South, to counter
the threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles. However,
EX
that was not well received by China.
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF IMRAN KHAN
Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and
chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political
party, was shot in an "assassination attempt" during the
Haqiqi Azadi March-II.
Haqiqi Azadi March-II:
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• It is a protest march led by Imran Khan from Lahore to
Islamabad against the Government's refusal to announce
early general elections.
• Its demands are: Overthrow of the Shehbaz Sharif government;
Dissolution of the National Assembly and announcement of
general elections and Appointment of new Army chief.
2022 Pakistani Political Crises:
• In April 2022, a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan led
to his removal as the PM of Pakistan.
• Opposition parties accused him of mismanaging the economy
and foreign policy.
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• Khan claimed the US was behind his removal because he
conducted an independent foreign policy and had friendly
relations with China and Russia.
• Subsequently, Shehbaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister of
Pakistan.
GASHT-E-ERSHAD
Gasht-e-Ershad, Iran’s dreaded morality police — the same
force in whose custody Mahsa Amini died in September —
has been disbanded.
About:
• "Gasht-e-Ershad," which translates as "guidance patrols," and
is widely known as the "morality police," is a unit of Iran’s
police force established under former hardline president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
• Both men and women officials are part of the morality police.
• Not only the enforcement of hijab, but the implementation of
other rules on public appearance and conduct, according to
the Iranian authorities’ interpretation of the Sharia, are also
the responsibility of the police.
Mahsa Amini’s Death:
• Mahsa Amini was allegedly beaten by the morality police who
had detained her for “incorrectly” wearing the mandatory
hijab.
• Over the past weeks, after the death of Mahsa Amini, the
protests have expanded from anger over the hijab regulation
to a wider dissatisfaction with state representatives seen to
be reinforcing Morality laws.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of Anti Hijab Protests in Iran, kindly
refer Page 27 of October 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current
Affairs Magazine.
2022 ISRAELI LEGISLATIVE ELECTION
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to return as prime minister
following the 2022 Israeli legislative election. Earlier, he
served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to
1999 and again from 2009 to 2021.
About:
• Legislative elections were held in Israel on 1 November 2022
to elect the 120 members of the 25th Knesset.
• The results saw the right-wing national camp of former prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieving a parliamentary
majority, amid losses for left-wing and Arab parties.

• The return of Netanyahu is, perhaps, good news for India as
the relationship between the two countries further improved
under his tenure who shares a harmonious relationship with
India’s PM Modi.
• Within the context of the 2019–2022 Israeli political crisis, this
was the fifth legislative election in nearly four years, as no
party since 2019 had been able to form a stable coalition.
• The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel. Knesset
seats are allocated among the various parties using the
S
method of proportional representation.
REPUBLIC DAY CHIEF
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will be the chief guest
at the Republic Day celebrations of India in January 2023.
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About:
• Leaders of friendly nations have graced the Republic Day
celebrations since 1950.
• In 1950, Indonesian President Sukarno was the chief guest.
• In 2020, President of Brazil (Jair Bolsonaro) was the chief guest.
• In 2021 and 2022, no chief guest were invited due to
COVID-19 pandemic.
T
India-Egypt Relations:
• This is the first time that the President of Egypt will be the
Chief Guest on Republic Day.
• Egypt and India were founding members of the Non-
EX
Alignment Movement during the 1950s.
• Both countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
• In July 2022, Egypt signed an MoU with India’s ReNew Power
to build a clean hydrogen facility in the Suez Canal Economic
Zone.
MALAYSIA
Anwar bin Ibrahim was appointed as the 10th Prime
Minister of Malaysia.
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About:
• Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country separated by the
South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and
Borneo's East Malaysia.
• Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with
Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and
Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders
with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the
Philippines and Vietnam.
• Kuala Lumpur is the national capital.
In-Shorts | International Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
India-Malaysia Ties:
• India established diplomatic relations with the Federation of
Malaya (predecessor state of Malaysia) in 1957 immediately
after Malaysia’s independence.
• A bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
(CECA) covering goods, services and investment came into
effect in 2011. India buys palm oil mainly from Malaysia and
Indonesia.
• Total number of Persons of Indian Origin is around 2.75
million (about 9% of Malaysia’s population). 90% of PIOs
speak Tamil.
CANADA’S IMMIGRATION LEVELS PLAN
The Canadian government unveiled its 2023-2025
Immigration Levels Plan, raising the number of permanent
residents that the country will be taking in in the coming years.
About:
• In the new levels plan, the Canadian government has set
targets of 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in
2024 and 500,000 in 2025.
• There will also be a focus on permitting family members of
those already admitted, with around 106,500 spots allocated
for partners, children, parents and grandparents.
• Data from the Canadian government further states that
of the total 405,999 people who were granted permanent
residency in 2021, 127,933 people were Indians — the
biggest sub-group – followed by immigrants from China and
the Philippines.
Need of this plan:
• The plan embraces immigration as a strategy to help
businesses find workers in key sectors—including health
care, skilled trades, manufacturing and technology—to
manage the social and economic challenges Canada will
face in the decades ahead.
• The plan is in place keeping in mind the demography of
Canada. The government’s statistics show Canada’s aging
population, coupled with a low fertility rate — as is the case
in most developed countries — could mean a severe labour
shortage in the coming decades.
Permanent Resident?
• A permanent resident is someone who has been given
permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada but is
not a Canadian citizen.
• To keep the permanent resident status, a person must have
been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five
years. These 730 days don’t need to be continuous.
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• Permanent residents continue to be citizens of other countries. • It was established in the year 1997. The permanent secretariat
• They have an expanded scope of rights. They can get most is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including
health care coverage. However, Permanent residents cannot
vote or run for political office or hold some jobs that need a
high-level security clearance.

ARUNA MILLER

S
Indian-American politician Aruna Miller scripted history
by becoming the first immigrant to hold the office of
Lieutenant Governor in the state of Maryland.

About:

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• She is the first South Asian woman elected lieutenant
governor in the United States, the first Asian American
lieutenant governor, and first immigrant to hold statewide
office in Maryland.
• The Lieutenant Governor is one of the state’s senior-most
officials, second only to the Governor.
• Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United ANTI-SEMITISM
States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the
Clothing giant Adidas announced that it would be cutting
District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its
all ties with rapper Kanye West after some of his comments
T
north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. were widely deemed to be anti-Semitic.
• Baltimore is the largest city in the state, and the capital is
Annapolis. About:
• While anti-Semitism has existed for centuries, following the
EX
BIMSTEC Holocaust (genocide of European Jews during World War
II) many governments enacted laws limiting the practice in
India hosted the Second Agriculture Ministerial-level public forums.
meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
• Anti-Semitism refers to any form of prejudice against the
Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
Jewish people.
• This definition includes five distinct categories of anti-
2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting:
Semitism, namely, racial, religious, social, economic and
• Union Minister for Agriculture of India reiterated PM Modi's
political.
statement at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit held in Colombo in
• Racial anti-Semitism most commonly associated with the
March, 2022 on enhancing regional cooperation between
Nazis, stems from a belief that Jews are a distinct, inferior
BIMSTEC nations for food security.
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race with inherent genetic traits.

• The Meeting adopted the Action Plan for Strengthening
BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027).
• An MoU between the BIMSTEC Secretariat and the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has been
signed and approval has been given to bring Fisheries and
Livestock sub-sectors under the Agricultural Working Group.
BIMSTEC:
• BIMSTEC includes five countries of South Asia – Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and two countries of
South-East Asia – Myanmar and Thailand.
• Religious anti-Semitism is accompanied by a notion that Jews
should be converted to other faiths. According to Christian
doctrine, Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus, and
thus deserved to be punished.
• Social anti-Semitism is a form of exclusion of Jews from social
situations (like golf and sports clubs).
• Economic anti-Semitism argues that Jews have a
disproportionate degree of control over global and national
financial institutions, and that their stronghold over those
institutions ought to be diminished.

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Edition: December, 2022

• Political anti-Semitism is the attempt to keep Jews out of
power. It is often conflated with anti-Zionism, a movement
that denies the Jewish right to a national homeland.
GERMANY’S FLOATING LNG TERMINAL
Germany has announced the completion of the first of five
floating terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG), as it aims
to replace supplies of Russian pipeline gas.
• Economies that meet two or three of the following criteria in
the 2015 Act are placed on the list.
 A significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States
is a goods and services trade surplus that is at least $15
billion.
 A material current account surplus is one that is at least
3% of GDP, or a surplus for which Treasury estimates
there is a material current account “gap” using Treasury’s
Global Exchange Rate Assessment Framework (GERAF).

S
 Persistent, one-sided intervention occurs when net
About:
purchases of foreign currency are conducted repeatedly,
• The site in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven was one of
in at least 8 out of 12 months, and these net purchases
two that the German government announced shortly after
total at least 2% of an economy’s GDP over a 12-month
Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
period.
• The terminal will allow the docking of Floating Storage and

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• Once on the list, an economy will remain there for at least two
Regasification Units (FSRUs) – ships that will allow the
consecutive reports so that the Treasury can assess whether
conversion of LNG back into gas form and then deliver it to
any improvements in performance is durable and not due to
Germany’s gas network.
temporary factors.
• Five such terminals are planned in total, with the first two sites
• These countries are presently on the list: China, Japan, South
set to be operational in early 2023. Germany until now has
had no LNG terminals. Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

KHERSON
T
Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Kherson.

About:
• Kherson is a port city of Ukraine that serves as the
administrative centre of Kherson Oblast.
EX

• It is located on the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River.

• Kherson also sits at a point where Ukraine can cut off fresh
water from the Dnieper to Crimea.
• From March to November 2022, the city was occupied by
Russian forces during their invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian
forces recaptured the city on 11 November 2022.

US’ CURRENCY MONITORING LIST

N

India along-with Italy, Mexico, Vietnam and Thailand have

been removed from the United States’ Currency Monitoring
List. India was on the list for about two years.

About:
• The biannual report, released by the US’ Department of
Treasury, reviewed the policies of the US’ trading partners
during the last four quarters ending in June 2022.
• It includes a review of the Treasury’s ‘Monitoring List’. The list
closely monitors the currency practices and policies of some
of the US’ major trade partners.

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INTERNAL SECURITY
IRON DOME DEFENCE SYSTEM About:
• The 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee is part of the UN
Israel has successfully tested the naval version of Iron Dome
Security Council and its job is to implement international
defence system.
sanctions against terrorists.

S
• The Al Qaeda committee was established as the Al-Qaida
About:
and Taliban Sanctions Committee on October 15, 1999, after
• Iron Dome is a mobile air defence system designed to
Security Council Resolution 1267 designated al-Qaeda and
intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells
the Taliban as terrorist bodies. In 2011, a separate committee
fired from distances of 4-70 kms.
was formed for the Taliban.

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• A typical Iron Dome unit comprises three missile launchers,
• Resolution 1267 was adopted under Chapter VII of the United
each with 20 interceptors.
Nations Charter.
• Based on the radar findings, the Iron Dome fires its own
• It requires all UN member states to “freeze the assets of,
missiles that intercept the enemy rockets. Each interceptor
prevent the transit through their territories by, and prevent
hits the rocket mid-air and destroys it.
the transfer of military equipment to any individual or entity
• It has been developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the
and Israel Aerospace Industries. Taliban as designated by the Committee.”
• Analysis: With the intercepting missiles costing USD 50,000
each, it is an expensive solution but has a success rate of
DIRTY BOMB
T
around 96 percent. This system has intercepted over 3,000
projectiles in the last 10 years.
Russia has accused Ukraine that might be planning to use a
so-called ‘dirty bomb’.

About:
EX
• A dirty bomb is a radiological weapon that combines
radioactive material with conventional explosives. They are
designed to disperse radioactive material over a certain area.
• The purpose of the weapon is to contaminate the area around
the dispersal agent/conventional explosion with radioactive
material. Dirty bombs might be used to create mass panic as
a weapon of terror.
• Dirty bombs have never been used, only tested.

A dirty bomb is not the same as an Atomic Bomb:

N

• It is not to be confused with a nuclear explosion, such as a

fission bomb, which produces blast effects far in excess of
what is achievable by the use of conventional explosives.
• Unlike the cloud of radiation from a typical fission bomb, a
dirty bomb’s radiation can be dispersed only within a few
1267 AL QAEDA SANCTIONS COMMITTEE hundred meters or a few miles of the explosion.

China has blocked a proposal by India and the US at the

United Nations to list Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Shahid
HAWK AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM
Mahmood as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Spain has supplied U.S.-made HAWK air defence systems to
Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. Ukraine to help it repel Russia’s invasion.

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About:
• HAWK, short for ‘Homing All the Way Killer’, entered service
with the US Army in 1959, during the Vietnam war. It underwent
upgrades over the decades that followed.
• The HAWK system was superseded by the PATRIOT missile
defence system that entered the US Army service by 1994.
• The US never used the Hawk in combat, but it has been
employed numerous times by other nations.
S
ASSAM-MEGHALAYA BORDER DISPUTE
Killing of Assam Police personnel in an area bordering the
West Karbi Anglong district of Assam and Mukroh village in
Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills has led to a delay in the process
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of resolving the Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute.
Border Dispute:
• Assam and Meghalaya have a longstanding dispute in 12
stretches of their 884-km shared border.
• During the British rule, undivided Assam included present-
day Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
• Meghalaya, carved out of Assam as an autonomous State
in 1970, became a full-fledged State in 1972. The creation
T
of the new State was based on the Assam Reorganisation
(Meghalaya) Act of 1969, which the Meghalaya government
refused to accept.
Bordoloi Committee:
EX
• This was because the Act followed the recommendations of
a 1951 committee – headed by then Assam chief minister
Gopinath Bordoloi – to define the boundary of Meghalaya.
• On that panel’s recommendations, areas of the present-day
East Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills districts of
Meghalaya were transferred to the Karbi Anglong, Kamrup
(metro) and Kamrup districts of Assam.
• Meghalaya contested these transfers after statehood,
claiming that they belonged to its tribal chieftains. Assam said
the Meghalaya government could neither provide documents
N
nor archival materials to prove its claim over these areas.
• After claims and counter-claims, the dispute was narrowed
down to 12 sectors on the basis of an official claim by
Meghalaya in 2011.
March 2022 Agreement:
• From July 2021, chief ministers of the two states held several
round of talks to make some headway.
• Both state governments identified six out of 12 disputed
areas for resolution in the first phase: three areas contested
between West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya and Kamrup
in Assam; two between RiBhoi in Meghalaya and Kamrup-
In-Shorts | Internal Security Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Metro, and one between East Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya and
Cachar in Assam.
• A final set of recommendations were made jointly: out of
36.79 sq km of disputed area taken up for settlement in the
first phase, Assam would get full control of 18.46 sq km and
Meghalaya of 18.33 sq km.
• In March, an MoU was signed on these recommendations. In
August, they decided to form regional committees.
Way Ahead:
• The second round of discussions for the remaining six phases
is pending.
• The six areas taken up did not have major differences and
were easier to resolve, which is why they were picked in the
first phase. The remaining six areas are more complex and
may take longer to resolve.
PINAKA
India concluded a government-to-government deal with
Armenia to supply Armenian armed forces with PINAKA
multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRL), anti-tank munitions,
and a wide range of ammunitions and warlike stores worth
US $250 million.
About:
• Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India and
developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.
• The system is mounted on a Tatra truck for mobility.
• Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War.
• Each Pinaka regiment consists of three batteries of six Pinaka
launchers; each of which is capable of launching 12 rockets
with a range of 40 km in a space of 44 seconds.
• Pinaka Mk II is being developed. The range of the missile is
estimated to be between 60 km-75 km at all ranges.
DEFENCE EXPORTS
There has been a sustained effort to increase defence
exports. The government of India has set a target to achieve
exports worth $5 billion annually by 2025.
AD-1 MISSILE
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
conducted a successful maiden flight-test of Phase-II of
Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor AD-1 missile
from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
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About: • Russia and Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbours view

• The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both
low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of
long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.
• It is propelled by a two-stage solid motor and equipped
with indigenously-developed advanced control system,
navigation and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the
vehicle to the target.
drugs as a top concern, more perhaps than the threat of
religious extremism, radicalisation, and terrorism. India has
voiced concerns about it from time to time at the Shanghai
Co-operation Organisation security meetings.
DO YOU KNOW?
• Opium Poppy is a species of plant from which both opium
and poppy seeds are derived.

S
• The Golden Crescent is the name given to one of Asia's
MAKE II PROJECTS
two principal areas of illicit opium production (with the
The Army has approved five Project Sanction Orders (PSOs) other being the Golden Triangle). This space covers the
for the development of niche technology by the Indian mountainous peripheries of Afghanistan and Pakistan,
industry under the Make-II route of defence procurement. extending into eastern Iran.

IA
About:
• The projects include High-Frequency Man Packed MILITARY EXERCISES
Software Defined Radios (HFSDR), drone kill systems,
The Indian Armed Forces participated in the below-
Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (IWTS), Medium Range
mentioned defence exercises recently.
Precision Kill Systems (MRPKS), and 155mm Terminally
Guided Munitions (TGM).
About:
• Under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, there are two sub-
• IMT TRILAT: The first edition of the India-Mozambique-Tanzania
categories of ‘Make’ Procedure as per the Defence
Trilateral Exercise (IMT TRILAT), a joint maritime exercise
T
Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2016.
among the navies of India, Mozambique and Tanzania was
• 'Make-I' (Government Funded): Projects under ‘Make-I’ sub- held at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
category will involve Government funding of 90%, released in
• Garuda: It is a bilateral exercise between the air force India
a phased manner and based on the progress of the scheme,
and France. Its seventh edition was held at Air Force Station,
as per terms agreed between MoD and the vendor.
Jodhpur.
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• 'Make-II' (Industry Funded): Make II projects are essentially
• Garuda Shakti: It is a bilateral joint training exercise between
industry-funded projects involving design, development, and
the armies of India and Indonesia. Its 8th edition was held in
innovative solutions by Indian vendors for the development of
Karawang, Indonesia.
prototypes. An assurance of order is given after successful
• Simbex: It is a bilateral Maritime exercise between the
prototype development.
navies of Singapore and India. Its 29th edition was held at
Visakhapatnam.
DRUG TRAFFICKING FROM AFGHANISTAN • Joint Military Training-2022: The 11th edition of the annual
Joint Military Training (JMT) was held at Air Force Station,
A new UN report says the land under poppy cultivation in
Kalaikunda between the Air Force of India and Singapore.
Afghanistan in 2021 increased by 32% over the previous year.
• Naseem Al Bahr: Navies of India and Oman participated in
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the 13th Edition of bilateral exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ off

About:
the coast of Oman. This year marks 30 years of India-Oman
• A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime bilateral naval exercises (The first India-Oman Naval exercise
(UNODC) released says the land under poppy cultivation was conducted in 1993).
in Afghanistan in 2021 increased by 32 per cent over the
• Shatru-Nash: South Western Command of the Indian Army
previous year.
conducted Shatru-Nash’, an integrated Fire Power Exercise,
• With the Taliban strapped for cash, opiates are now a in Thar desert of Rajasthan.
crucial pillar of the country’s economy. The opiate economy,
• Maritime Partnership Exercise: Indian and Royal Australian
including local consumption and export, was valued at 9-14%
Navies participated in the maritime partnership exercise,
per cent of the country’s GDP.
which was held in the Bay of Bengal. This was part of
• Eighty percent of the world’s opiates come from Afghanistan. Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022 (IPE 22).

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• Samanvay 2022: Indian Air Force is conducting the Annual
Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
Exercise 'Samanvay 2022' at Air Force Station Agra.
Exercise Sea Vigil-22:
• The third edition of India’s coastal defence exercise was held
with participation of Government agencies from 9 Coastal
States and 4 UTs that are involved in the Coastal Defence
Mechanism.
S
• The exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to asses the various
security measures that were taken to enhance maritime
security after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level
Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian
Navy conducts every two years.
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Malabar Naval Exercise:
• The 26th edition of the multinational maritime exercise
MALABAR was held near Yokosuka in the seas off Japan.
• This edition also marked the 30th anniversary of the exercise
and was hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
(JMSDF).
• Exercise Malabar is a naval exercise involving the United
States, Japan and India as permanent partners.
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• The exercise was started in 1992 along the Malabar Coast
as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States.
It was expanded in 2007 with the participation of Japan,
Singapore and Australia. Japan became a permanent partner
in 2015. Australia participated in the exercise again in 2020.
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GOA MARITIME SYMPOSIUM- 2022
The fourth edition of the Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS)
was conducted by the Naval War College (NWC) at Goa.
About:
• GMS was instituted by the Indian Navy in 2016 as a forum
for fostering cooperation between India and key maritime
nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
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• The participants of the Symposium comprise Captains/
Commanders and equivalent-rank officers from Navies of
friendly foreign countries besides India.
• The theme of GMS-2022 is “Maritime Security Challenges
in the Indian Ocean Region: Converting Common Maritime
Priorities into Collaborative Mitigation Frameworks”.
• The theme is underpinned by the idea of ‘Security and Growth
for All in the Region’ (SAGAR).
• The Goa Maritime Symposium and the Goa Maritime
Conclave, conducted by the Indian Navy in alternating years
are also a manifestation of SAGAR.
In-Shorts | Internal Security Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
KUKI-CHIN NATIONAL ARMY (KNA)
Around 300 Bangladeshi tribal nationals entered Lawngtlai
district in Mizoram, trying to flee fighting between
Bangladeshi security forces and the Kuki-Chin National
Army (KNA), an armed insurgent group that is active in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
About:
• The CHT is an impoverished hilly, forested area of
southeastern Bangladesh, bordering Mizoram to the east,
Tripura to the north, and Myanmar to the south and southeast.
• The tribal population of the CHT has ethnic links with tribal
populations in the adjacent areas of India, mainly in Mizoram.
Mizoram shares a 318-km-long border with Bangladesh.
• The KNA, which is fighting soldiers of the Bangladesh
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the CHT, is the armed wing
of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an ethnic separatist
organisation that claims to represent the interests of the Kuki-
Chin-Mizo communities living in the area.
• The KNF emerged around 2008, with the demand of a
separate state in the CHT. The KNF claims all members of the
Bawm, Pungkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Mro, and Khyang ethnic
groups belong to a greater Kuki-Chin race.
SPECIAL OPERATION MEDAL
The Union Home Minister’s “Special Operation Medal” for
the year 2022 was awarded for 4 Special Operations.
About:
• The medal was constituted in 2018 to recognize those
operations which had significant impact on the security of
larger sections of the society.
• The award shall be conferred for Special Operation in the
areas such as counter terrorism, border action, arms control,
prevention of narcotics smuggling and rescue operations.
• It is announced on the 31st of October every year.
• In a year, normally 3 Special Operations are considered for
the award and in extraordinary circumstances; the award
may be given up to 5 Special Operations to encourage State/
UT Police.
ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED
(IUU) FISHING
As many as 392 reported incidents of illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing were monitored in 2021 compared to 379
in 2020 in the Indian Ocean.
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Concerns:
• IUU fishing depletes fish stocks, destroys marine habitats,
puts fishermen at disadvantage and impacts coastal
communities, especially in developing countries.
• Also, there has been a growing incidence of Chinese deep
sea fishing trawlers in the Indian Ocean (esp. Northern Indian
Ocean) in addition to an overall rise of China’s maritime
presence in the region. Incidentally, two Chinese research
vessels which can track missile tests are also currently in the
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Indian Ocean region.
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International Law:
• As per United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
T
(UNCLOS), coastal nations are responsible for addressing
IUU fishing issues within their respective Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ).
 The EEZ is an area beyond and adjacent to a coastal
State's territorial sea to a limit of 200 nautical miles from
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the baseline.
 Within this zone, the coastal State may exercise sovereign
rights over exploration, exploitation, conservation, and
management of natural resources and other economic
activities, such as the production of wind or tidal power.
• There are regional fisheries management organisations such
as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Southern Indian
Ocean Fisheries Agreement operating under the mandate of
UNCLOS as regulatory bodies to monitor IUU fishing on the
high seas.
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• There are two main regulations globally on IUU fishing: the
Cape Town Agreement and the Agreement on Ports State
Measures. So far, India is not a signatory of either agreement.
Steps by India:
• The presence of extra-regional distant water fishing fleets has
been monitored by Indian Navy’s Information Management
and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram and the Information
Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) which is co-
located with it.
• In May 2022, the Quad, comprising India, Australia, Japan
and U.S., launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain
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Awareness (IPMDA) to monitor regional waters against the
backdrop of China’s aggressive activities in the region.
IPMDA is expected to catalyse joint efforts of India and other
Quad partners towards addressing IUU in the Indo-Pacific
region.
ARMY COMMANDERS’ CONFERENCE
Army Commanders’ Conference was held in New Delhi in
November to brainstorm the future course for the Indian Army.
About:
• It is an apex-level biannual event which is an institutional
platform for conceptual level deliberations and culminating in
making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.
• The event which is attended by senior officers of the Indian
Army is also a formal forum for the senior leadership of
the Indian Army to interact with the senior officials of the
Department of Military Affairs and Department of Defence.
PRESIDENT’S BODYGUARD
President Droupadi Murmu presented the Silver Trumpet
and Trumpet Banner to the President’s Bodyguard (PBG).
Timeline:
• The President’s Bodyguard (PBG) is the oldest regiment in
the Indian Army.
• The regiment was raised in Banaras (Varanasi) as the
Governor-General’s Bodyguard (later the Viceroy’s
Bodyguard) in 1773 by the then Governor-General, Warren
Hastings.
• On January 27, 1950, the regiment was renamed the
President’s Bodyguard.
Role:
• Its primary role is to escort and protect the President of India
which is why the regiment is based in the Rashtrapati Bhavan
in New Delhi.
• It has participated in independent India’s major wars. It
participated in Operation Ablaze in the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
The regiment served in Siachen glacier, where it has been
serving till date.
• Its men have served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force
(IPKF) in Sri Lanka during 1988–89 and as part of UN Peace-
Keeping Missions.
• It is equipped as a mounted unit, with horses for ceremonies
at the presidential palace and BTR-80 vehicles for use in
combat.
 In-Shorts | Polity & Governance
POLITY &
GOVERNANCE
LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA
The 22nd Law Commission of India has been constituted
with Justice (retd) Rituraj Awasthi, former Chief Justice of
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Karnataka High Court, at its head along with five other
members.
About:
• The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body that
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is constituted by a notification of the Government of India,
Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs with
definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of
law.
• The Commission makes recommendations to the Government
(in the form of reports) as per its terms of reference.
• The Central Government established the First Law
Commission in 1955 with the then Attorney-General of India,
Mr. M. C. Setalvad, as its Chairman.
• Till now twenty-two Law Commissions have been appointed,
T
each with a three-year term and with a definite term of
reference. They have so far submitted 277 reports.
• The tenure of the 21st Law Commission, which was headed
by former Supreme Court judge Justice B S Chauhan, came
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to an end on August 31 2018.
Colonial Legacy:
• During the British period, four Law Commissions were
constituted to prepare drafts on different subjects of
legislation for codification.
• The First Law Commission chaired by Lord Thomas Macaulay
produced a draft of Penal Code in 1837, Limitation Law in
1842 and a Scheme of Pleadings and Procedure in 1848.
• Thereafter, the second, third and fourth Law Commissions
were constituted in 1853, 1861 and 1879.
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• The Indian Code of Civil Procedure, the Indian Contract Act,
the Indian Evidence Act, the Transfer of Property Act, etc. are
products of the labour of the first four Law Commissions.
SEALED COVER JURISPRUDENCE
Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud has criticised
the practice of “sealed cover” jurisprudence as setting
a “dangerous precedent”, which makes “the process of
adjudication vague and opaque”.
Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
About:
• Sealed Cover Jurisprudence is the controversial practice
followed by the Supreme Court (and sometimes lower
courts as well) of seeking and accepting information from
government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be
perused by the judges.
• This practice is mentioned under Rule 7 of Order XIII
(Copying) of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 (notified in May
2014).
• Justification: The court asks for information in a sealed cover
in broadly two circumstances –
 When information is connected to an ongoing investigation
(it could impede the investigation), and
 When it involves personal or confidential information (it could
violate an individual’s privacy or result in a breach of trust).
• Criticism of this procedure:
 It prevents the aggrieved parties from having a full
overview of the charges against them;
 It perpetuates a culture of opaqueness and secrecy. It
is not compatible with the idea of an open court and a
transparent system of justice;
 It bestows absolute power in the hands of the adjudicating
authority.
 Courts are bound to set out reasons for their decisions,
and not disclosing them leaves scope for arbitrariness in
judicial decisions; and
 It tilts the balance of power in a litigation in favour of a
dominant party which has control over information. Most
often than not this is the state.
 It also takes away the opportunity to analyse judicial
decisions, and to appreciate the rationale behind them.
RTI PORTAL OF SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court launched its online Right to Information
(RTI) portal.
About:
• It has been launched to make it convenient for people to access
information about the Supreme Court. So far, RTI applications
at the Supreme Court had to be filed only via post.
• This web portal can be used only by Indian citizens to file RTI
applications, first appeals and to make payment for fees, and
copying charges, under the Right to Information Act, 2005
(RTI Act).
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• Only those who wish to obtain information on the Supreme
Court can access it and any other information from public
authorities can be done through the respective Central/State
government portal.
• By law, RTIs must be replied to within 30 days. In fact, in life
and death cases, RTIs must be responded to within 48 hours.
FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
OF INDIA
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The Supreme Court is examining a plea challenging the
expansion of restrictions to the fundamental right to
freedom of speech that was made by the first amendment
to the Constitution.
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Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951:
• The amendment officially came into effect on June 18, 1951.
• Two important cases involving the press led to the
amendment. These are: Brij Bhushan v State of Delhi (March
1950), and Romesh Thappar v State of Madras (May 1950). It
was the verdicts in these cases that essentially promoted the
first amendment.
Key changes made by it:
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• The amendment expanded the restrictions on freedom
of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the
constitution but also laid down that the curbs should be
‘reasonable’ under Article 19(2).
 The insertion of the term “reasonable” keeps the door
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open for the courts to step in and examine the legitimacy
of the restrictions imposed by Parliament.
 The amendment also introduced into the Constitution the
specific terms “public order” and “incitement to an offence”.
• It validated the zamindari abolition laws thereby exempting
land reforms from scrutiny.
• It clarified that the right to equality does not bar the enactment
of laws which provide "special consideration" for weaker
sections of society.
Recent Petition:
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• In his plea, the petitioner said Section 3(1) of the 1951
Amending Act substituted original Clause (2) of Article 19
with a new Clause (2), which contained “two objectionable
insertions” allowing restrictions also “in the interest of public
order” and “in relation to incitement to an offence”.
• The new Clause (2) also omitted the expression “tends to
overthrow the State” as appearing in the original Clause (2),
thereby neglecting national security.
• Section 3 (2) of the amending Act effected validation of
certain laws even if they took away or abridged the right to
freedom of speech and expression, the petitioner said.
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• The petition contended that these two insertions protect
Sections 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code “from the
vice of unconstitutionality”.
• The plea urged the court to declare Section 3 (1)(a) and 3
(2) of the First Amendment “beyond the amending power of
Parliament” and void since it damages the Basic structure of
the constitution.
AADHAAR-VOTER ID CARD LINKAGE
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre on a plea
challenging the power of the Election Commission (EC) to
link the Aadhaar database with voter ID cards.
About:
• The petition challenges the Election Laws (Amendment)
Act, 2021, amended Section 23 and Section 28 of the
Representation of People’s Act, 1950, the Registration of
Electors (Amendment) Rules, 2022 and two notifications
regarding Aadhaar-Voter Card linkage.
• The petitioner, argued that as per the Supreme Court
judgment which upheld the Aadhaar Act 2016, Aadhaar
card can be used only for providing benefits and cannot be
insisted on when a citizen is exercising rights. The right to vote
cannot be denied on the ground of not having Aadhaar card.
• Drawing attention to the judgement in Justice K.S Puttaswamy
vs Union of India & Ors, which dealt with the validity of the
Aadhaar card, the petitioner argued that the Aadhaar card can
only be made mandatory if some benefit of subsidy is sought
and not if there is an intrinsic right, such as the right to vote.
• Further, the Election Commission of India seeks to mandate
people to link their Aadhaar numbers to the electoral rolls.
• According to petitioner, this proposed linkage would lead to
mass exclusions of people from voter rolls. Also, the Aadhaar
– ECI database linking, compromises the secrecy of the vote
which is fundamental to the free exercise of electoral choice.
• However, the government claims the linkage will solve the
problem of multiple enrolments of the same person at different
places. On August 1 of this year, the ECI launched a drive to
link voter identity cards with their Aadhaar details.
NEW TV BROADCAST GUIDELINES
The Union Cabinet has approved the “Guidelines for Uplinking
and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022”.
Key Features:
• The new guidelines have been amended after a gap of 11
years, and a number of steps have been taken for ease of
doing business.
 In-Shorts | Polity & Governance Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

• Channels uplinking in frequency bands other than C-band  However, even after providing for the redressal
must encrypt their signals. mechanism through the IT Rules, 2021, many user
• Uplinking and downlinking “shall be subject to clearance and grievances remained unresolved, prompting the
approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and other necessary government to step in and propose an appellate
authorities”. jurisdiction framework.
• News agency will have to get permission for five years instead • Appellate committee: Each grievance appellate committee
of the current one year. may consist of a chairperson and two whole-time members
• Separate sets of penalties have been proposed for different appointed by the central government, of which one will be a
types of contraventions as against the uniform penalty that is member ex-officio and two independent members.

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applicable currently.
• Broadcast companies will be allowed to uplink foreign
How it will work?
channels from Indian teleports, which would make India a • Amendments may provide for social media platforms to
teleport hub for other countries. acknowledge within 24 hours user complaints and resolve
them within 15 days.

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Content of National Importance: • The complaints could range from child sexual abuse
• Satellite TV channels in India are required to broadcast material to nudity to trademark and patent infringements,
at least 30 minutes of content daily on “eight themes of misinformation, impersonation of another person and content
national importance”: (1) education; (2) agriculture and rural
threatening the unity and integrity of the country.
development; (3) health; (4) science; (5) welfare of women;
• Any person aggrieved by a decision of the grievance officer of
(6) welfare of weaker sections; (7) protection of environment
social media platforms may prefer an appeal to the appellate
and of cultural heritage; and (8) national integration”.
committee within a period of 30 days.
• The condition applies to all channels, except those specifically
exempted such as wildlife channels and foreign channels, • The grievance appellate panel will deal with such an appeal
expeditiously and make an endeavour to resolve the appeal
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besides live telecasts in the case of sports channels.
within 30 days from the date of receipt of the appeal.
• The government has argued that since “airwaves/ frequencies
are public property” they “need to be used in the best interest
of the society”. SHYAM SARAN NEGI
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Shyam Saran Negi passed away at the age of 106. The
GRIEVANCE PANELS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Government of India cremated him with full state honours
at his home in Kalpa in Himachal Pradesh.
The government plans to set up appellate committees to
redress grievances that users may have against the way
social media platforms initially addressed their complaints About:
regarding content and other issues. • Shyam Saran Negi (1917 – 2022) is believed to be India’s first
Voter.
About: • He cast the first vote in the 1951-52 general election in
• While tech giant Meta (which owns Facebook and WhatsApp) India — the nation's first election since independence. Negi
and microblogging site Twitter have been pushing for a cast the first vote on 25 October 1951 in Shonthong polling
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self-regulated grievance appellate framework, the Ministry station.

of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) wants
• Although most of the polling for that first election took place
adjudications to be done by three-member grievance
in February 1952, Himachal Pradesh went to the polls five
appellate committees.
months early because the heavy snowfall during February
• The panels will be constituted by tweaks in the Information
would have made it impossible for citizens to reach the
Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media
polling stations.
Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
• He voted in every general election since 1951 until his death,
 The government had, in February 2021, notified the IT
Rules (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics and is believed to be India's oldest voter as well.
Code), 2021 for social media apps, online news portals, • In 2014, Mr Negi was made a brand ambassador for the
news aggregators and OTT platforms. Electoral Commission in a bid to encourage voting.

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Edition: December, 2022

CONSTITUTION DAY • This was done by amending Article 326 of the Constitution,
which concerns elections to the Lok Sabha and the
Constitution Day, also known as ‘Samvidhan Divas’, Assemblies.
is celebrated in India on 26 November every year to
commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India.
LOCALISATION OF SUSTAINABLE
About: DEVELOPMENT GOALS (LSDGS)
• Why 26th November? On 26th November 1949, the Constituent
A National Workshop on Localization of Sustainable
Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which
Development Goals in Gram Panchayats was organized
came into effect from 26th January 1950.

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• Since when? It was first observed in 2015 (which was the
125th birth anniversary year of B. R. Ambedkar, who is known
as the father of the Indian constitution).
• Previously this day was celebrated as ‘National Law Day’.
at Kochi, Kerala, by the Ministry of Panchayat Raj,
Government of India in close collaboration with State
Government of Kerala.
About:

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• Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations
Timeline of Formation of the Constitution of India:
came into effect from January 1, 2016.
• 6 December 1946: Formation of the Constitution Assembly.
• Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India has adopted
• 9 December 1946: The first meeting was held in the constitution
thematic approach to SDGs to ensure ‘local action’ for
hall.
achieving ‘global plan’.
• 13 December 1946: An “Objective Resolution” was presented
• The approach aims to localise SDGs in rural areas through
by Jawaharlal Nehru, laying down the underlying principles
PRIs, especially Gram Panchayats by clubbing 17 ‘Goals’
of the constitution.
into ‘9 Themes’.
• 29 August 1947: Drafting Committee appointed with B. R.
• Appropriate policy decisions and revisions have followed
Ambedkar as its Chairman.
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resulting into revamping of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
• 26 November 1949: The Constitution of India was passed and
(RGSA) and Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP)
adopted by the assembly.
Guidelines which smoothens the process of Localisation
• 24 January 1950: Last meeting of Constituent Assembly. The of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in Gram
Constitution was signed. Panchayats.
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• 26 January 1950: The Constitution came into force.

NEWS BROADCASTING & DIGITAL

VOTING AGE
STANDARDS AUTHORITY (NBDSA)
New Zealand’s Supreme Court granted an appeal that
sought lowering of the voting age to 16 from 18, forcing The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority
parliament to discuss the case. (NBDSA) has fined the Hindi TV channel News18 India Rs
50,000 for turning a news debate on hijab into a “communal
issue” and not adhering to guidelines.
Countries that allow voting at 16:
• The debate on voting age has been rampant since 2000,
About:
when a number of countries began to consider whether the
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voting age ought to be reduced further to 16 to strengthen the
voice of young people in matters affecting their future, such
as climate change.
• Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Guernsey, Jersey,
Malta, Nicaragua, Scotland and Wales, the Isle of Man allow
voting from the age of 16.
Indian Scenario:
• The Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988, lowered
the voting age of elections to the Lok Sabha and to the
Legislative Assemblies of States from 21 years to 18 years.
• The NBDSA is a self-regulatory independent body set up by
the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), which
serves as a representative of private television news, current
affairs and digital broadcasters.
• Funded entirely by its members, the NBDA has 26 news
and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 119 news and
current affairs channels) as its members.
• Mandate of the NBDSA is to “lay-down and foster high
standards, ethics and practices in news broadcasting,
including entertaining and deciding complaints against or in
respect of broadcasters”.

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Edition: December, 2022

SOCIETY
CHILD MARRIAGE mothers have a greater possibility of seeing stunted growth
as they have low weight at birth. According to NFHS-5,
The steering committee of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global prevalence of child stunting is 35.5% in 2019-21.
Programme to End Child Marriage visited India to
• Recommendations to end it: An all-pronged approach

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witness state interventions which have helped reduce the
is required to end the practice, including eradication of
prevalence of child marriage.
poverty, better education and public infrastructure facilities
for children, raising social awareness on health, nutrition,
Global Scenario: regressive social norms and inequalities.
• According to UNICEF, the total number of girls married in

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childhood stands at 12 million per year. In the past decade
great progress has been made in South Asia, where a girl’s CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEES (CWCS)
risk of marrying before she is 18 has dropped by more than a
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
third, from nearly 50% to below 30%.
launched the Training Modules for the Child Welfare
• However, around 10 million children could become child Committees (CWCs).
brides as a result of the pandemic globally.
• SDG Target: Progress must be significantly accelerated in About:
order to end the practice by 2030 — the target set out in the • As per the section 27 of The Juvenile Justice (Care and
Sustainable Development Goals. Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the State Government
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shall constitute for every district, one or more Child Welfare
Indian Scenario:
Committees.
• In India, child marriage reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to
• The Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, and four
26.8% in 2015-16. In the last five years, it declined further
other members, of whom at least one shall be a woman and
by 3.5% points to reach 23.3% in 2020-21, according to the
another, an expert on the matters concerning children.
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latest National Family Health Survey-5 data.
• The Committee has the final authority to dispose of cases
• Eight States have a higher prevalence of child marriage
for the care, protection, treatment, development and
than the national average — West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura
rehabilitation of the children as well as to provide for their
top the list with more than 40% of women aged 20-24 years basic needs and protection of human rights.
married below 18, according to NFHS data.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Laws and Policy Interventions: (NCPCR):
• There are several laws including the Prohibition of Child • NCPCR is a statutory body constituted under Section 3 of the
Marriage Act, 2006 and the Protection of Children from Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005
Sexual Offences Act, 2012, which aim at protecting children to protect child rights and other related matters in the country.
from violation of human and other rights.
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• The Commission is mandated to monitor the proper and

• A parliamentary standing committee is weighing the pros and effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and
cons of raising the age of marriage for women to 21, which Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and its Rules; the Protection
has been cleared by the Union Cabinet. of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and the
• These are complimented by Centralised schemes like the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and West Bengal’s Kanyashree
scheme (which offers financial aid to girls wanting to pursue
higher studies).
GHAR PORTAL
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Analysis:
(NCPCR) launched the GHAR Portal on the occasion of
• Impact: Child marriage violates children’s rights and results in World Children’s Day (20th November).
more infant and maternal deaths. Children born to adolescent

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Edition: December, 2022
Features of GHAR Portal:
• GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and
Repatriation of Child) addresses the amended roles of Child
Welfare Committees (CWCs) and District Child Protection
Officers (DCPOs) in matters of children in need of care and
protection.
• It provides for Digital tracking and monitoring of children who
are in the JJ system and have to be repatriated to another
Country/State/District.
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• List of Government implemented schemes will be provided,
so that at the time of restoration the CWCs can link the child
with the schemes to strengthen the family and ensure that
child remains with his/her family.
World Children’s Day?
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• World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as
Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November
each year to promote children’s welfare.
• November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959
when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of
the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN
General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
• Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary
T
of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the
Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights.
• Theme for 2022 is ‘Inclusion, for every child’.
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IMA KEITHEL
External Affairs minister S Jaishankar hailed Manipur’s Ima
market as a “great example of nari shakti (women’s power)
powering economic growth”.
About:
• IMA Keithel, or Mothers’ Market, is an all-women market,
said to be the largest such shopping complex in Asia.
Here, around 3,000 “Imas” or mothers run the stalls selling
household groceries, handlooms and household tools.
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• Male vendors and shopkeepers are barred here under the
Manipur Municipalities Act, 2004.
History:
• The Ima Market is centuries-old, and has its origins in Lallup
Kaba, an ancient bonded labour system. Under the system,
Meitei men had to compulsorily serve some time working in
the military and on other civil projects, keeping them away
from home.
• The women, thus, were left to manage on their own, and they
developed a market system which is today the Ima Keithel.
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DIGITAL SHAKTI 4.0
The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched
the fourth phase of Digital Shakti Campaign to train one
million women from schools, colleges and universities
apart from housewives.
About:
• Background: Digital Shakti was started in 2018.
• Objective: It is a pan-India project on digitally empowering
and skilling women and girls in the cyberspace. It is helping
women in reporting & redressal mechanisms, data privacy
and usage of technology for their benefits.
• Impact: Through this project, over 3 Lakh women across India
have been made aware of cyber safety tips and tricks.
• Need: According to the NCW, India has the second largest
internet-using population and the third highest number of
bullying cases. Most of the incidents happen online. In the
case of cyber-crime, statistics say 98% crimes are committed
against women.
WOMEN IN ARMED FORCES
The Supreme Court asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to
consider the grant of pensionary benefits to 32 Short Service
Commission (SSC) women officers, who fought for 12 long
years to be reinstated and granted permanent commission.
About:
• This is the latest in a series of legal judgements related to
women officers in the armed forces, giving them equal
opportunities along with their male counterparts.
• In a landmark judgment in the Babita Puniya case in 2020, the
Supreme Court directed that women officers in the Army be
granted permanent commission (PC) as well as command
postings in all services other than combat.
• Further, in 2021 the Supreme Court in Lt. Col. Nitisha vs. Union
of India held that the Army’s selective evaluation process
discriminated against and disproportionately affected women
officers seeking permanent commission.
WOMEN IN CRPF
Two women officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
have been appointed as Inspectors General (IG) for the first
time after their induction into the force began in 1987.
About:
• Seema Dhundia has been posted as Bihar sector IG. An IG is
the head of the sector in the CRPF.

• Annie Abraham has been made IG of the Rapid Action Force
(RAF), the specialised anti-riots unit.
• The 15 battalion-strong RAF is deployed for anti-riots, counter-
protests and sensitive law and order duties. It is called in to
assist state police forces during events where heavy crowds
are expected as well as for VIP visits.
• CRPF, under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), was the first central armed police force to induct
women in combat in 1986.
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E.K. JANAKI AMMAL
The 125th birth anniversary of Edavalath Kakkat Janaki
Ammal (1897 – 1984) was observed.
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About:
• She was a pioneering botanist known for her contributions in
the field of genetics, cytology, evolution, and more.
• She was born in Kerala.
• She is the first Indian woman to be awarded a PhD in the
botanical sciences.
• From 1934 to 1939, she worked at the Sugarcane Breeding
Institute at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. She then left for
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England.
• Along with C.D. Darlington, she authored ‘The Chromosome
Atlas of Cultivated Plants’ in 1945 which contained her work
on many species.
• To honour her work, the Royal Horticultural Society named a
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variety of Magnolia blossoms after her – the Magnolia Kobus
Janaki Ammal.
• She returned to India in the 1950s and played a key role in
reorganising the Botanical Survey of India.
• She was also associated with the Save the Silent Valley
movement – a campaign to stop a hydroelectric project from
flooding the Silent Valley forest in Palakkad district of Kerala.
• She was awarded Padma Shri by the then Prime Minister of
India in 1977.
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UDA DEVI
Events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi were
held at various places in Uttar Pradesh, including Sikandar
Bagh in Lucknow.
About:
• Uda Devi was a freedom fighter from the Pasi community (a
Dalit community of India).
• Born in Ujirao, Lucknow, she was part of the royal guard of
Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh.
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• Her husband, Makka Pasi, worked as a foot soldier in the
army of Awadh’s Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.
• Amid the revolt of 1857, on June 10, at Chinhat near
Ismailganj, a battle was fought between the army of Lucknow
and the British troops led by Henry Lawrence, in which Makka
Pasi lost his life. The death of her husband spurred Uda Devi
on to take up a more active role in the mutiny.
• On November 16, 1857, Uda Devi was among the soldiers
who clashed with the British regiment stationed near the
Gomti River.
• She is remembered for her skill as a leader who managed to
mobilise people — specially Dalit women — to take up arms
against the British.
• She was killed by the British in the Battle in Sikandar Bagh in
November 1857.
EKLAVYA MODEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
The Government of India is pushing to set up 740 Eklavya
Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students — one
each in every sub-district that has at least a 20,000-odd
Scheduled Tribe population, which must be 50% of the total
population in that area.
Background:
• The EMRS model was first introduced in 1997-98 to provide
quality education to tribal students with residential facilities in
remote corners.
• The aim was to build schools at par with the Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
• The funds for these schools were to come from the grants
under Article 275(1) and the guidelines mandated that unless
States finished constructing the schools sanctioned by the
Centre, they would not be entitled to funds for new ones.
Revamp of Scheme:
• In 2018-19, the Cabinet approved the revamping of the EMRS
scheme.
• The new guidelines gave the Union government more power
to sanction schools and manage them.
• A National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS)
was set up and entrusted with the management of the State
Education Society for Tribal Students (SESTS), which would
run the EMRS on the ground.
• The new guidelines set a target of setting up an EMRS in
every tribal sub-district and introduced a “population criteria”
for setting them up.
• The new guidelines also reduced the minimum land
requirement from 20 acres to 15 acres.
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Current Status of Scheme:
• As of November, a total of 688 schools have been sanctioned,
of which 392 are functional.
• Of the 688, 230 have completed construction and 234 are
under construction, with 32 schools still stuck due to land
acquisition issues.
Challenges:
• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice
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observed that a large number of schools were being delayed
because the area (15 acre) requirement and the population
criteria were making identification and acquisition of land
“more cumbersome”, especially in hilly areas, left-wing
extremism-affected areas and the northeast.
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• Moreover, despite the setting up of the NESTS, there was
a shortage of teachers. As of July this year, all functional
EMRS had a teaching strength of just under 4,000 against the
11,340 recommended by NESTS.
NEW PhD REGULATIONS
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified new
regulations on PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees.
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About:
• The UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award
of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022 notified in November,
replace the Rules notified in 2016.
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• Under it, the mandatory requirement of publishing research
papers in refereed journals or presenting in conferences has
been scrapped.
• Part-time PhDs have been launched for working professionals,
and there is a relaxation of 5 percent marks in eligibility for
admissions even for the new EWS category.
• Anyone with a four-year/eight-semester Bachelor’s
programme degree with a minimum 75 percent marks in
aggregate or its equivalent grade will be eligible for a PhD.
• Those joining PhD programmes after a four-year UG
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programme can do so after a one-year Master’s degree.
Graduates with conventional three-year UG degrees need to
have completed two-year Master’s degrees.
• The new Rules discontinue the M.Phil programme altogether.
‘TOILETS 2.0’ CAMPAIGN
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has
launched Toilets 2.0 Campaign on the Occasion of World
Toilet Day 2022.
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About:
• The campaign aims to change the face of public and
community toilets in urban India through collective action
involving citizens and Urban Local Bodies.
• The campaign has five thematic areas:
 People for Toilets: Cleaning and maintaining the community
and public toilets
 Partners for Toilets: Adoption of Public toilets
 Design Toilets: Design Challenge
 Rate your Toilet: Promoting user feedback to improve
public toilets and
 My thoughts - Our Toilets: Gathering public opinion for
toilets.
World Toilet Day:
• World Toilet Day is held every year on 19 November.
• It has been an annual United Nations Observance since 2013.
• The theme of World Toilet Day 2022 is ‘Sanitation and
Groundwater - Making the invisible visible’ to focus on the
impact of the sanitation crisis on groundwater and to achieve
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
SDG 6
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 aims to “Ensure
availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all”.
• In particular, target 6.2 is: “By 2030, achieve access to
adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all
and end open defecation, paying special attention to
the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable
situations.”
MUSLIM PERSONAL LAW
Recently, Kerala High Court gave a verdict that a Muslim
woman has the right to end the marriage through Khula
and does not necessarily need her husband’s consent.
About:
• Khulʿ also called khula, is a procedure through which a
woman can give a divorce to her husband in Islam.
• Recently, the Kerala High Court stated that a Khula is valid if
certain conditions are met. These are
 The wife’s declaration of repudiation or termination of the
marriage,
 an offer to return her dower or any other material gain
received during her marriage, and
 that before the declaration of the Khula, an effective
attempt at reconciliation was made.

ENVIRONMENT
GREATER ADJUTANT STORK
Indian wildlife biologist Dr Purnima Devi Barman was
awarded with Champions of the Earth award in the
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Entrepreneurial vision category.
Hargila Army:
• Purnima Devi Barman is an Indian wildlife biologist working in
Assam to protect Greater Adjutant Storks.
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• Barman had to change perceptions of the bird as a bad
omen, bad luck or a disease carrier among people in Assam.
• She assembled a group of village women to help her and
named the group as the ‘Hargila Army’ after the stork, known
as ‘hargila‘ in Assamese (meaning ‘bone swallower’).
Greater Adjutant Stork:
• The greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) is a member of the
stork family, Ciconiidae.
• Distribution: They are restricted to a much smaller range with
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only three breeding populations; two in India, with the largest
colony in Assam, a smaller one around Bhagalpur (Bihar);
and another breeding population in Cambodia. Kamrup
district is Assam is home to one of the few large colonies of
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greater adjutants.
• Features: This large stork has a massive wedge-shaped bill, a
bare head and a distinctive neck pouch.
• Population: It is the second-rarest stork species in the world.
Their population has dropped to 1,200 today, less than 1
percent of what they numbered a century ago, due to rapid
urbanisation their natural habitat (wetlands) have reduced
significantly.
• Status: It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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Champions of the Earth:
• It was launched in 2005 by United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). It is UN’s highest environmental honour.
• This annual prize recognizes individuals & organizations
from Government, Civil Society and the Private Sector who
contributed to sustainable development.
• It is given in 4 categories: (1) Policy Leadership, (2) Action
and Inspiration, (3) Entrepreneurial Vision and (4) Science
and Innovation.
• Past Indian recipients: Narendra Modi (2018), Cochin
International Airport (2018), Afroz Shah (2016).
LEGAL RIGHTS TO NON-HUMANS
A recent report by the Law Society of England and Wales
has discussed the concept of granting legal rights to natural
entities for tackling the climate crisis.
Global Scenario:
• The South American country of Ecuador, in 2008, approved
a Constitution that grants tropical forests, islands, rivers and
air, legal rights to “exist, flourish and evolve”. In April 2022
Ecuador became the first country to grant legal rights to
individual wild animals.
• Bolivia granted legal status and all nature rights to Mother
Earth in 2011.
• In 2017, New Zealand parliament passed a bill granted legal
personhood to Whanganui River, which is revered by the
Maori people. With this, Whanganui River became the first
river in the world to be given legal status.
Indian Scenario:
• Article 51-A (g) of the Constitution of India lays down that
it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect wildlife
and have compassion for all living creatures. However, such
duties are not enforceable by law.
• The Uttarakhand High Court, in 2017, granted the river
Ganga and its longest tributary Yamuna the legal right to be
protected and not be harmed. The Supreme Court stayed
the judgement a few months later after the state government
raised several legal and administrative issues and said it was
unsustainable.
• While other legal acts such as the Wildlife Protection Act,
1972 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 exist,
they do not recognize animals as individual living entities.
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PARTIAL STUBBLE BURNING
Many farmers in Punjab and Haryana this year said that they
are not burning the paddy stubble completely and are instead
resorting to partial burning or burning only the loose straw.
Loose straw and Standing Stubble:
• The short and long-duration paddy varieties have a height of
4 feet and over 5, respectively.
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• The combined harvesters that farmers use to harvest paddy,
cut off the upper portion of the paddy and leaves behind a
standing stubble of around 15 to 18 inches, which is called
standing stubble.
• It throws the chopped 2.5 feet loose stubble on the field after
taking the grain portion from the shaved part of the stubble.
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This loose straw gets accumulated in several small dumps in
the field which is called the loose straw.
Partial Stubble Burning:
• After harvesting, farmers opting for partial burning let the
loose straw dry for a couple of days and then they set these
dumps on fire to prepare the field for the next crop.
• In such cases, the standing stubble, which is mostly green,
does not get burnt fully but it gets scorched close to those
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places in the field where loose straw is burnt.
Why do farmers opt for partial stubble burning?
• Farmers tend to clean their fields while sowing the new crops.
But most of the stubble management machines provided by
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the government leave stubble in the field. Hence to avoid the
situation, producers are opting for the partial burning method.
However this is also causing air and soil pollution.
SOVEREIGN GREEN BONDS FRAMEWORK
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved
India’s First Sovereign Green Bonds Framework.
About:
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• This approval will further strengthen India’s commitment
towards its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
targets, adopted under the Paris Agreement, and help in
attracting global and domestic investments in eligible green
projects.
• The proceeds generated from issuance of such bonds will
be deployed in Public Sector projects which help in reducing
carbon intensity of the economy.
• Earlier, in the Union Budget FY 2022-23, Finance Minister
announced that Sovereign Green Bonds will be issued for
mobilising resources for green projects.
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Green bonds:
• Green bonds are financial instruments that generate
proceeds for investment in environmentally sustainable and
climate-suitable projects.
• By virtue of their indication towards environmental
sustainability, green bonds command a relatively lower cost
of capital vis-à-vis regular bonds and necessitates credibility
and commitments associated with the process of raising
bonds.
AIR QUALITY INDEX (AQI)
In early November 2022, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in
Delhi-NCR crossed 450 before coming down to around 320.
About:
• AQI is a number, which is a measure of air quality. The higher
the AQI, the worse the air.
• The colour-coded AQI index was launched in India in 2014,
and it helps the public and the government understand the
condition of the air and what subsequent measures are to be
taken to combat the situation, based on its severity.
• There are six categories of AQI, namely ‘Good’ (0-50),
‘Satisfactory’ (50-100), ‘Moderately polluted’ (100-200), ‘Poor’
(200-300), ‘Very Poor’ (300-400), and ‘Severe’ (400-500).
CRACKDOWN ON DIESEL VEHICLES
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
invoked measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response
Action Plan (GRAP), prohibiting the use of diesel four-
wheelers in Delhi that are not BS-VI compliant. Petrol
vehicles can ply as usual.
Benefits of Diesel over Petrol:
• Until recently, Diesel was promoted as a green-friendly auto
fuel as part of the European Union’s response to the Kyoto
Protocol (1997) to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.
• While diesel as a fuel contains a little more carbon per litre
than petrol, diesel engines are more “lean-burn”, which
means they use a smaller amount of fuel to produce the same
level of performance as a petrol engine.
Problem with Diesel Engines:
• However, in recent years around the world, diesel has been
seen as being more environmentally hazardous than petrol.
• The issue is not with CO2 emissions specifically. It is some
other toxic emissions that are harmful to human beings, as
well as emission of soot. This is where diesel is worse off than
petrol.

• When air is heated in an automobile engine, nitrogen oxides
(NOx) are produced — these include nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
which is toxic; nitrous oxide (N2O), which is a greenhouse
gas; and nitric oxide (NO), which reacts with oxygen to form
the harmful NO2.
• Nitric oxide on its own also increases the risk of respiratory
problems in the long run.
• In a petrol engine, a three-way catalytic converter reduces
these emissions, ensuring that the NOx emissions are about
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30% lower than they would be in a diesel engine on average.
• While modern diesel cars are fitted with particulate filters
that take care of NOx emissions (reducing them by 90%,
according to some estimates), diesel engines also emit fine
particulate matter (PM) in their tailpipe emissions.
• This is essentially soot, the finest particles of which can be
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embedded deep in the lungs, and they can cause heart and
respiratory problems in the longer term. PM has also been
linked to cancer.
Declining sales of diesel cars in India:
• Due to these environmental concerns, tighter restrictions are
imposed on diesel vehicles.
• In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered that
diesel vehicles more than 10 years old would not be allowed
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to ply in the Delhi-NCR region; this window was kept at 15
years for petrol vehicles.
• Also, before the decontrol of automobile fuel prices began
in late 2014, the price of a litre of diesel was significantly
lower than that of the price of petrol which pushed very
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large numbers of people to buy diesel cars. Following the
decontrol, as the prices of the two fuels came much closer.
• Due to these factors, diesel cars accounted for just about
22% of overall passenger vehicle sales in 2018-19, less than
half the share that they had five years previously.
CARBON BILLIONAIRES
An Oxfam report titled, Carbon Billionaires: The investment
emissions of the world’s richest people, has said the world’s
richest people emit “unsustainable amounts of carbon,” as
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compared with an ordinary person.
About:
• This report is based on the fact that every human on Earth
has a carbon footprint, which can be divided into “personal
consumption emissions, emissions through government
spending and emissions linked to investments.”
• The report said that on average, billionaires are responsible
for emitting “3 million tonnes” of carbon a year, which is
“more than a million times the average for someone in the
bottom 90% of humanity.”
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• The idea is that since billionaires hold significant wealth
and stakes in globally recognised corporations, they hold
the power to influence the ways in which those corporations
behave.
• As people from low and middle-income backgrounds do not
exercise much control over their energy choices, the report
says it is imperative for world leaders to ensure that “those
who emit the most carbon also do the most to reduce those
emissions.”
• Apart from investments by billionaires, their personal
consumption also adds up. For example, in 2018, emissions
from the private yachts, planes, helicopters and mansions of
20 billionaires generated, on average, about 8,194 tonnes of
carbon dioxide (CO2).
TAMIL NADU’S ENVIRONMENTAL MISSIONS
Tamil Nadu has become a forerunner in climate action by
announcing major environmental missions.
About:
• The Japanese government is providing financial support for
the projects.
• The Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening
Project (TBGP) aims at mitigating climate change through the
improvement of ecosystems.
 The project will be implemented over a period of eight
years.
 The TBGP aims to achieve 33 percent forest and tree
cover by 2031. The current forest cover in Tamil Nadu is
23.9 percent comprising five national parks, 33 wildlife
sanctuaries, and two conservation reserves.
• District climate change missions
 The Tamil Nadu government has set up district climate
change missions in all 38 districts.
 Each mission is to be headed by the concerned district
collector as the mission director. The concerned district
forest officers will function as climate officers.
 The missions will be working for developing strategies
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote
eco-friendly technologies like solar and wind energy
technologies and e-vehicles.
 There is a plan for creating green parks in 100 villages.
• Recently, the state government has established the following
 The first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay,
covering the coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukottai
districts.
 Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in the Tiruppur district.
 Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary in the Dindigul and
Karur districts.
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 An Elephant Reserve in Agasthiyamalai in the districts of
Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.
• Governing Council on Climate Change
 Tamil Nadu has also set up a Governing Council on
Climate Change with eminent persons like Montek Singh
Ahluwalia (economist), Nandan M Nilekani (chairman of
Infosys Board), and Erik Solheim (The sixth executive
director, United Nations Environment Programme) as its
members.
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 The Governing Council will meet once in three months and
decide its own modalities in connection with mitigation
activities.
AMUR FALCONS
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The Tamenglong district administration in Manipur has
banned airguns due to the arrival of the Amur Falcons.
About:
• Amur falcon, scientific name Falco amurensis is the longest-
flying migratory bird.
• Locally known as Akhuipuina, the bird arrives mainly in
Manipur and Nagaland on its southbound migration from
breeding grounds in North China, Eastern Mongolia, and far-
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east Russia en route to its wintering grounds in South Africa.
• The migratory bird usually arrives in many parts of the
Northeast in the second week of October and is likely to roost
till the end of November 2022.
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• It feeds on dragonflies that follow a similar migration path
over the Arabian Sea i.e. 22,000 km journey (longest sea
crossing of any raptor).
• IUCN Status: Least Concern
• It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and
included under its Schedule IV.
• Main Threats: Over-harvesting from trapping and Habitat loss
from grassland degradation.
GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN
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Dolphins have started coming back to the Ganga river
with improvement in the quality of its water through the
Namami Gange Programme.
About:
• Dolphins have been seen breeding in Brijghat, Narora,
Kanpur, Mirzapur, and Varanasi, which is likely to increase
their number further in the coming days.
• At present, the population of dolphins in Ganga in Uttar
Pradesh is estimated to be around 600.
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• The Namami Gange Programme was launched in 2014
with the objective to rejuvenate Ganga by adopting an
integrated approach which focused on the interception and
diversion of sewage by tapping the drains flowing into the
river Ganga.
Gangetic Dolphins:
• Dolphins are one of the oldest creatures in the world along
with some species of turtles, crocodiles, and sharks. The
Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801.
• They are frequently found alone or in small groups, and
generally a mother and calf travel together. Females are
larger than males and give birth once every two to three years
to only one calf.
• They are functionally blind. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic
sounds, which bounce off of fish and other prey, enabling
them to “see” an image in their mind.
Habitat and Distribution:
• Habitat: The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater.
They prefer deep waters, in and around the confluence of
rivers.
• Distribution: Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-
Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of
Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. But the species is extinct from
most of its early distribution ranges. The present distribution
range of the Ganges river dolphins in India covers seven
states namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Threats:
• Once present in tens of thousands of numbers, the Ganges
river dolphin has dwindled abysmally to less than 2000 during
the last century owing to direct killing, habitat fragmentation
by dams and barrages and indiscriminate fishing.
• It is for these reasons that despite high level of protection, its
numbers continue to decline. The absence of a coordinated
conservation plan, lack of awareness, and continuing
anthropogenic pressure are posing incessant threats to the
existing dolphin population.
• IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered.
• Ganges river dolphins are protected under Schedule I of the
Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
SENNA SPECTABILIS
An invasive species, Senna spectabilis, an exotic tree, has
taken over between 800 and 1,200 hectares of the buffer
zones of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris
hill district.

About:
• Introduced as an ornamental species and for use as firewood
from South and Central America, the species has become
highly invasive in the Sigur plateau in both the core and
buffer zones of the MTR.
• Over the last few years, its bright yellow flowers have become
more visible across the Tiger Reserve, with conservationists
stating that the invasive weed has a negative effect on local
biodiversity, crowding out native species and limiting food
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availability for wildlife.
• Senna spectabilis, along with Lantana camara, is among five
major invasive weeds that had taken over vast swathes of the
Nilgiris, with wattle being the other major invasive species.
Eucalyptus and pine, though exotic, do not spread as quickly
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as the other species and are considered easier to manage.
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve:
• Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located in the Nilgiris District of
Tamil Nadu at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka,
Kerala, and Tamil Nadu and it plays a unique role by forming
part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, the first Biosphere
Reserve in India, declared in 1986.
• It has a common boundary with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
(Kerala) on the West, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on
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the North, the Nilgiris North Division on the South and East
and Gudalur Forest Division on the South West, together
forming a large conservation landscape for flagship species
such as Tiger and Asian Elephant.
• The name Mudumalai means” the ancient hill range”. Indeed,
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it is as old as 65 million years when Western Ghats were
formed.
PANAMARAM HERONRY
Panamaram heronry, the largest breeding ground of
different species of herons in the Malabar region, Kerala, is
set to get a fresh lease of life.
About:
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• The heronry, formed on a sandbank on the Panamaram River,
is a breeding ground for nine species of waterbirds.
• The tiny islet is a haven for globally threatened waterfowls,
including the black headed-ibis, purple heron, large egret,
median egret, little egret, pond heron, night heron, and little
cormorant.
• The site is also the only location in State where the cattle
egret bird breeds. A few years ago birds like lesser whistling
duck, jacanas, and moore bred on the wetlands near the site.
However, human intervention has left a negative impact on
the avian habitat.
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• This heronry supports the largest breeding colony of Near
Threatened Threskiornis melanocephalus in the state and
also the only breeding site of Bubulcus ibis in the state.
Heronry:
• A heronry, sometimes called a heron rookery, is a breeding
ground for herons.
• The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and
coastal birds in the family Ardeidae.
APIS KARINJODIAN
A new species of endemic honeybee has been discovered in
the Western Ghats.
About:
• The new species has been named Apis karinjodian and given
the common name Indian black honeybee.
• The last honeybee described from India was Apis indica in
1798 by Fabricius.
• Apis karinjodian has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes
that got acclimatised to the hot and humid environment of the
Western Ghats.
• The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central
Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats,
covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and parts of
Tamil Nadu.
• The species has been classified as near threatened (NT) in
the State based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
Significance of the Discovery:
• The discovery has given a new direction to apiculture in the
country by proving the existence of three species of cavity
nesting honey bees viz., Apis indica, Apis cerana, and Apis
karinjodian, the last being visibly dark in appearance.
• The ability of the Indian black honeybee to produce higher
quantities of honey, which is thicker in consistency, opens up
new avenues for increasing honey production.
• The new find has increased the species of honeybees in the
world to 11.
SNOW LEOPARD
Recently there was a first-ever recording of the snow leopard
from the Baltal-Zojila region in Jammu and Kashmir.
About:
• It raised hopes for other important and rare species such as
the Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the
upper reaches of the northernmost part of India.
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• The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI)
has been concluded so far in Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. The estimated population of the great cat is 50
and 100 in these two States respectively.
About Snow Leopard:
• Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
• Estimated population: Researchers estimate that there are
between 400 to 700 snow leopards in India. A nationwide
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snow leopard population assessment to provide a better
assessment is underway.
• Features: Snow leopards are highly adapted to life on the
cold, rocky slopes of High Asia and are the master of stealth
and camouflage. They are very rarely seen by humans and
has come to be known as the ‘ghost of the mountains.
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• Habitat and Distribution: Snow leopards live in the
mountainous regions of Central and Southern Asia. In India,
their geographical range encompasses a large part of the
western Himalayas, including the Union Territories of Jammu
and Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
• Threats: Conservationists estimate that 55% of snow leopards
are poached annually in retaliation for livestock depredation.
Other factors includes Depletion of wild prey, Illegal Trade
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in Snow Leopards, Impacts of Climate Change, disease of
snow leopards and wild ungulates and Linear Infrastructure
and Resource Extraction leading to Habitat loss.
• Conservation Status:
 Snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
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 In addition, the snow leopard, like all big cats, is also
listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International
Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
 In India, the snow leopard is listed under Schedule I of the
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The Government of India has identified the snow leopard
as a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas. It has
developed a centrally-supported program called Project
Snow Leopard to conserve the species and habitats.
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HIMALAYAN GRAY LANGUR
Differences in altitude make a primate species in the same
Himalayan habitat choose between flowers and fruits as
food options beyond their staple menu of leaves, a new
study has revealed.
About:
• The Himalayan Gray Langur or the Chamba Sacred Langur
(Semnopithecus ajax) is a colobine, meaning leaf-eating
monkey.
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• Three primatologists studied the diet composition of five such
groups in and around the Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary
in Himachal Pradesh between September and November
2020 (Primatology is the study of the behaviour, biology,
evolution, and taxonomy of nonhuman primates).
• The altitudinal gap made a huge difference when the monkeys
took a break from feeding on the leaves of some 20 species
of plants. The preference for fruits or flowers may depend
upon the difference in their distribution in terms of elevation
and availability of a particular plant part.
About Himalayan Gray Langur:
• The Himalayan gray langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is an
Endangered colobine confined to the Chamba Valley of the
Western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh state in India.
• The langur has a narrow occupancy range spanning just
about 200 km2 and a dwindling population of 250 mature
individuals and 500 individuals in total.
• Threats: Fragmentation, deforestation, persecution and
retaliatory killing due to crop raiding, and commercial
horticulture expansion are threats of serious concern
confronting the Himalayan gray langurs.
PSEUDOHELICE ANNAMALAI
Researchers have discovered a new species of estuarine
crab at the mangroves of Parangipettai near the Vellar
River estuary in Cuddalore district.
About:
• The species has been named Pseudohelice annamalai in
recognition of Annamalai University’s 100 years of service in
education and research.
• This is the first ever record of this genus, Pseudohelice,
collected from high intertidal areas in front of the CAS.
• So far, only two species — Pseudohelice subquadrata and
Pseudohelice latreilli — have been confirmed within this
genus. The species discovered is distributed around the
Indian subcontinent and the eastern Indian Ocean.
• Pseudohelice annamalai is distinguished by dark purple
to dark grey colouring, with irregular light brown, yellowish
brown, or white patches on the posterior carapace with light
brown chelipeds.
• The species inhabits muddy banks of mangroves. This species
is not aggressive and can move fast like other intertidal crabs.
• The occurrence of Pseudohelice in India links the distribution
gap between the western Indian Ocean and the western
Pacific Ocean. The new species provides additional evidence
of the geographic isolation of the eastern Indian Ocean for
some marine organisms.

MISSION AMRIT SAROVAR
Construction of 25,000 Amrit Sarovars has been completed
within 6 months of the launch of the Amrit Sarovar Mission.
About:
• The Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched on National
Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2022 as a part of celebration
of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav with an objective to conserve
water for future.
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• The Mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75
water bodies in each district of the country.
• The mission is based on a ‘Whole of Government’ approach,
in which The Ministry of Rural Development is working along
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with the Ministries of Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Environment
apart from Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space
Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N) for technical
collaboration.
• The Mission works through the States and Districts, through
refocusing of various schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, XV Finance
Commission Grants, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
(PMKSY) sub schemes such as Watershed Development
Component, Har Khet Ko Pani besides States’ own schemes.
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HAR GHAR GANGAJAL SCHEME
Bihar Chief Minister launched the Har Ghar Gangajal
initiative to provide Ganga water on tap in parched areas
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of the state that do not lie along the course of the river.
About:
• The scheme will harvest the excess water in the Ganga
during the monsoon flooding season, to be treated, stored,
and piped to Rajgir, Gaya, and Bodhgaya, regions that have
for long depended on tankers of drinking water from adjoining
districts.
• Har Ghar Gangajal is part of the Bihar government’s Jal,
Jeevan, Hariyali scheme.
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• In the Rs 4,000-crore first phase of the project giant pumps will
lift Ganga water from Hathidah near Mokama and supply it to
about 7.5 lakh homes in the state’s main tourism destinations
of Rajgir, Bodhgaya, and Gaya.
• During the second phase of the project, which is expected to
be launched next year, Ganga water will be taken to Nawada.
• The need for the scheme: The area around Rajgir (in Nalanda
district), which was the nucleus of the ancient kingdom
of Magadh and is associated with the founders of both
Buddhism and Jainism, is rocky and water-deficient.
In-Shorts | Environment Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOSPHERE
RESERVES
3rd November has been designated as the "International
Day for Biosphere Reserves" in accordance with the decision
of the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO.
About:
• The purpose of this international day is to promote the
activities of Biosphere Reserves (BR) that aim to reconcile
the conservation of ecosystems with their sustainable use
(human society co-existing with nature) in a framework of the
Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
What is a Biosphere Reserve?
• Biosphere reserves or natural reserves are multipurpose
protected areas with boundaries circumscribed by
legislation. The main aim of the biosphere reserve is to
preserve genetic diversity in representative ecosystems by
protecting wild animals, the traditional lifestyle of inhabitants,
and domesticated plant/animal genetic resources.
• Biosphere reserves include terrestrial, marine, and coastal
ecosystems. Each site promotes solutions reconciling the
conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
• BRs are thus special environments for both people and nature
and are living examples of how human beings and nature can
co-exist while respecting each other’s’ needs.
• Biosphere reserves are nominated by national governments
and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states
where they are located. They are designated under the
intergovernmental MAB Programme by the Director-General
of UNESCO. Their status is internationally recognized.
• Biosphere Reserves involve local communities and all
interested stakeholders in planning and management. They
integrate three main "functions":
 Conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity.
 Economic development that is socio-culturally and
environmentally sustainable.
 Logistic support, underpinning development through
research, monitoring, education, and training.
These three functions are pursued through the
Biosphere Reserves' three main zones:
• Core Areas: It comprises a strictly protected zone that
contributes to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems,
species, and genetic variation.
• Buffer Zones: It surrounds or adjoins the core area(s), and is
used for activities compatible with sound ecological practices
that can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training,
and education.
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• Transition Area: The transition area is where communities
foster socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable economic
and human activities.
Biosphere Reserves in India:
• There are 18 Biosphere Reserves in India.
• Twelve of the eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of
the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the
UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.
These are

S.N. Name State/UT

1 Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Tamil Nadu, Kerala and

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Karnataka
2 Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Tamil Nadu
Reserve
Criteria for designation of Biosphere Reserves:
3 Sundarbans Biosphere West Bengal
• A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally
Reserve

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disturbed core area of value of nature conservation.
4 Nanda Devi Biosphere Uttarakhand
• The core area should be typical of a bio-geographical unit
Reserve
and large enough to sustain viable populations representing
all trophic levels in the ecosystem. 5 Nokrek Biosphere Meghalaya
Reserve
• The management authority to ensure the involvement/
cooperation of local communities to bring a variety of 6 Pachmarhi Biosphere Madhya Pradesh
knowledge and experiences to link biodiversity conservation Reserve
and socio-economic development while managing and 7 Simlipal Biosphere Odisha
containing the conflicts. Reserve
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• Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural
8 Great Nicobar Biosphere Andaman & Nicobar
modes of living for harmonious use of the environment.
Reserve Islands
About UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: 9 Achanakmar-Amarkantak Chhattisgarh and Madhya
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserves began in 1976 as part of Biosphere Reserve Pradesh
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the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (a joint 10 Agasthyamalai Biosphere Kerala and Tamil Nadu
government initiative started in 1971 to conduct scientific Reserve
research into the sustainable use and conservation of nature
11 Khangchendzonga Sikkim
and natural resources) with the goal of biological diversity
National Park
conservation.
12 Panna Biosphere Reserve Madhya Pradesh
• The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was
formed in 1971, as a backbone for biodiversity conservation,
ecosystem restoration, and living in harmony with nature. Biosphere Conservation:
There are now 738 properties in 134 countries, including 12 • The Biosphere Reserve Programme is guided by UNESCO
in India, four in Sri Lanka, and three in the Maldives. Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme as India is a
• The main purpose of World Natural Heritage sites is the strict signatory to the landscape approach supported by the MAB
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conservation of nature with outstanding universal value. programme.

Whereas UNESCO Biosphere Reserves aim for sustainable
development that balances conservation and people's
lives (the conservation of biodiversity that includes human
intervention and socio-economic activity).
• Designated areas enhance understanding of the origins
of the nature and history and culture developed within
the area. They are also expected to foster custodians of
regional development. Also, as members of a global network,
designated areas are required to further promote initiatives
by learning from one another.
• A scheme called Biosphere Reserve is being implemented
by the Government of India since 1986, in which financial
assistance is given in a 90:10 ratio to the North Eastern
Region States and three Himalayan states and in the ratio
of 60:40 to other states for maintenance, improvement and
development of certain items.
• The State Government prepares the Management Action
Plan which is approved and monitored by Central MAB
Committee.

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WORLD HERITAGE ‘GLACIERS’ UNDER THREAT
According to a study conducted by the UNESCO, a third of
the Glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage list are under
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threat, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases.
Findings of the Study:
• As many as 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to
glaciers, representing almost 10 percent of the Earth’s total
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glacierised area.
• The UNESCO study, in partnership with the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), showed that these
glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since
2000 due to CO2 emissions, which increases temperatures.
• They are currently losing 58 billion tonne of ice every year –
equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and
Spain – and are responsible for nearly 5% of observed global
sea level rise.
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Importance of Glaciers:
• Half of humanity depends directly or indirectly on glaciers
as their water source for domestic use, agriculture, and
power. Glaciers are also pillars of biodiversity, feeding many
ecosystems.
• When glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water
scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as
flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting
rise in sea levels.
In-Shorts | Geography Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
GEOGRAPHY
Recommendations by UNESCO:
• It is still possible to save the other two-thirds if the rise in
global temperatures did not exceed 1.5°C compared to the
pre-industrial era.
• Create a new international fund for glacier monitoring and
preservation. Such a fund would support comprehensive
research, promote exchange networks between all
stakeholders and implement early warning and disaster risk
reduction measures.
GREAT NICOBAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
gave environmental clearance for the Rs 72,000 crore
development project on the Great Nicobar Island.
Great Nicobar Island:
• Great Nicobar is the southernmost of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
• Indira Point on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island
is India’s southernmost point, less than 150 km from the
northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago.
• Great Nicobar is home to two national parks, a biosphere
reserve, and the Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples.
• The Great Nicobar Island has tropical wet evergreen forests,
mountain ranges reaching almost 650 m above sea level,
and coastal plains. The leatherback sea turtle is the island’s
flagship species.
Great Nicobar Development Project
• A “greenfield city” has been proposed, including an
International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT), a
greenfield international airport, a power plant, and a township
for the personnel who will implement the project.
• The port will be controlled by the Indian Navy, while the
airport will have dual military-civilian functions and will cater
to tourism as well.
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• Roads, public transport, water supply, waste management
facilities, and several hotels have been planned to cater to
tourists.
• Timeline: The project is to be implemented in three phases
over the next 30 years. Development activities are proposed
to commence in the current financial year, and the port is
expected to be commissioned by 2027–28.
Significance:
• Apart from promoting tourism, the project is of paramount
• The criteria followed by the India Meteorological Department
(IMD) to classify the low-pressure systems in the Bay of
Bengal and in the Arabian Sea as adopted by the World
Meteorological Organisation (W.M.O.) is given below.
CRITERIA FOR CLASSIFICATION OF CYCLONIC
DISTURBANCES OVER THE NORTH INDIAN OCEAN
Associated Maximum
Types of Disturbance
Sustained Wind
Low Pressure Area Not exceeding 17 knots (<31

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national economic, security and strategic importance in the kmph)
background of increasing Chinese assertion in the Bay of Depression 17 to 27 knots (31-49 kmph)
Bengal and the Indo-Pacific.
Deep Depression 28 to 33 knots (50-61 kmph)
• The proposed port will allow Great Nicobar to participate in
Cyclonic Storm 34 to 47 knots (62-88 kmph)
the regional and global maritime economy by becoming a

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major player in cargo trans-shipment. Severe Cyclonic Storm 48 to 63 knots (89-117 kmph)
• Great Nicobar is equidistant from Colombo to the southwest Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 64 to 90 knots (118-167 kmph)
and Port Klang and Singapore to the southeast, and positioned Extremely Severe Cyclonic 91 to 119 knots (168-221 kmph)
close to the East-West international shipping corridor, through Storm
which a very large part of the world’s shipping trade passes.
Super Cyclonic Storm 120 knots and above (≥ 222
• More than 1 lakh new direct jobs and 1.5 lakh indirect jobs are
kmph)
likely to be created on the island over the period of development.

Concerns:
AVALANCHE
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• The project will lead to the felling of almost a million trees
and loss of mangroves, which will not only affect the flora and Three Indian soldiers were killed after an avalanche hit an
fauna on the island, it will also lead to increased runoff and army patrol in north Kashmir’s Machil sector.
sediment deposits in the ocean, impacting the coral reefs in
the area. About:
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• However, according to the government, the project site is • What? Avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such
outside the eco-sensitive zones of Campbell Bay and Galathea as a hill or mountain.
National Park.
• Types: There are two basic types of avalanches, loose snow
avalanches (made of looser snow) and slab avalanches
CYCLONE SITRANG (made of tightly packed snow, triggered by a collapse of an
underlying weak snow layer).
Cyclonic Storm Sitrang was a tropical cyclone that affected • Causes: Avalanches form as soon as the force of gravity on the
India and Bangladesh on 25 October 2022.
snow cover exceeds its mechanical strength. To be caused,
an avalanches needs a steep slope, snow cover, a weak
About: layer in the snow cover, and a trigger to initiate movement.
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• It was the first cyclone to hit Bangladesh since Cyclone Mora
in 2017.
• It was formed offshore Andaman and Nicobar Islands and
ultimately intensified as a high-end cyclonic storm before
making landfall over Bangladesh close to Barisal.
• Sitrang was the first North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone
since Cyclone Asani in May.
• Tropical cyclones are also referred to as ‘Hurricanes’ over
Atlantic Ocean, ‘Typhoons’ over Pacific Ocean, ‘Willy-Willies’
over Australian Seas and simply as ‘Cyclones’ over north
Indian Ocean (NIO).
• Where? Avalanches can happen in any mountain range that
has an enduring snowpack.
• When? They are most frequent in winter or spring, but may
occur at any time of year.
• Impact: Avalanches are extremely destructive due to the
great impact forces of the rapidly moving snow and debris
and the burial of areas in the run-out zone.
• Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE),
a Chandigarh-based DRDO Lab, is a new establishment
formed with the merger of two premier DRDO labs viz. Snow
& Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) Chandigarh and

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Defence Terrain Research Laboratory (DTRL) Delhi. It deals
with various aspects of Avalanches.
KAMCHATKA PENINSULA
Volcanic activity is increasing in Russia’s far east, with
the Shiveluch volcano potentially gearing up for its first
powerful eruption in 15 years.
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About:
• Shiveluch, with a summit reaching 3,283 metres, is a
stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified
ash, hardened lava and volcanic rocks.
• Shiveluch is one of the Kamchatka peninsula’s most active
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volcanoes, with an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the
past 10,000 years. The volcano’s last most powerful eruption
took place in 2007.
• Six volcanoes in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula are
currently showing signs of increased activity, including the
Shiveluch and Eurasia’s highest active volcano Klyuchevskaya
Sopka.
• Kamchatka is home to 29 active volcanoes, part of a vast belt
of Earth known as the “Ring of Fire” which circles the Pacific
Ocean and is prone to eruptions and frequent earthquakes.
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• The volcanoes of Kamchatka have been designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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BARREN ISLAND
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS) is closely monitoring the volcano on the Barren
Island to check for signs of an eruption as it has been
emitting smoke.
In-Shorts | Geography Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
About:
• Barren Island is an island located in the Andaman Sea. It is a
part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• It is the only confirmed active volcano in the Indian
subcontinent and the only active volcano along a chain of
volcanoes from Sumatra to Myanmar.
• The first recorded eruption of the volcano dates back to 1787.
Since then, the volcano has erupted more than ten times.
• This volcanic island stands in the midst of a volcanic belt on
the edge of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
INCOIS?
• Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS) is an autonomous organization under the
Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• It is located in Hyderabad.
• It was established in 1999.
KAMENG HYDRO POWER STATION
PM Modi dedicated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station
in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district to the nation.
About:
• The project has two dams and a powerhouse having 4 units
of 150 MW to generate 3,353 million units of electricity. This
will make Arunachal Pradesh a power-surplus state.
• This project was commissioned by NEEPCO Ltd (A Govt. of
India Miniratna enterprise and a wholly owned subsidiary of
Maharatna, NTPC Ltd).
AMARDA ROAD AIRSTRIP
Government of India has granted permission for the
development of Amarda Road Airstrip under the Regional
Connectivity Scheme (UDAN).
About:
• Amarda Road Airstrip, also known as Rasgovindpur Airstrip is
a former World War II era airfield located near Rasgovindpur
village in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
• The airstrip’s runway measuring 3.5 km is stated to be the
longest runway in Asia.
• The Airstrip was built during WWII (1939-45) as a forward
airfield against the Japanese conquest of Burma. The large
strip served as a landing strip for planes as well as a training
area for special bombing missions.
• It was named the Amarda Road Airfield due to the nearby
Amarda Road railway station.
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DONYI POLO AIRPORT PACIFIC RING OF FIRE

PM Modi inaugurated Donyi Polo Airport at Itanagar in
Arunachal Pradesh.
About:
• Itanagar Airport, also known as Hollongi Airport and officially
named as Donyi Polo Airport, is a greenfield airport serving
Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake left more than 260 dead and
hundreds injured on Indonesia’s main island of Java. The
hardest-hit city was Cianjur.
Why Indonesia has so many earthquakes?
• Tectonically, most of Indonesia’s area is highly unstable as it
lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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• It has been constructed at Hollongi, situated 14 kilometres
from Itanagar, in the Papum Pare district.
• It is built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and is the first
Greenfield Airport of the state.
• The name of the airport is given after Donyi and Polo; Donyi
• The Pacific Ring of Fire is also known as the Girdle of Fire or
the Circum-Pacific belt.
• It is a region around the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many
volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
• It is a horseshoe-shaped belt about 40,000 km long and up to

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means the Sun whereas Polo means the Moon, the Sun is hot about 500 km wide.
and the Moon is cool. • The Ring of Fire is not a single geological structure. It
includes the Pacific coasts of South America, North America
DO YOU KNOW? and Kamchatka, and some islands in the western Pacific
Ocean.
Greenfield describes a completely new project that has to be
executed from scratch, while a brownfield project refers to • The Ring of Fire is a direct result of plate tectonics:
the continuation of existing projects or rebuilds on the site of specifically the movement, collision and destruction of
older developments. lithospheric plates (e.g. the Pacific Plate) under and around
the Pacific Ocean.
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SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
MEASLES
Mumbai witnessed an outbreak of measles.
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About:
• Measles or as it is called ‘khasra’, is a human disease and is
not known to occur in animals.
• Cause: It is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family
and it is normally passed through direct contact and through
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the air. The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads
throughout the body.
• Transmission: Measles is one of the world’s most contagious
diseases. It is spread by coughing and sneezing, close
personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or
throat secretions. The virus remains active and contagious in
the air or on infected surfaces for up to 2 hours.
• Symptoms appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to
the virus. The main symptoms are fever, dry cough, running
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nose, sore throat and rash.
• Death due to measles are caused by the complications
associated with the disease like blindness, encephalitis,
severe diarrhoea and pneumonia.
• Who is at risk? Unvaccinated young children and pregnant
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women are at highest risk of measles. Measles is still common
in many developing countries – particularly in parts of Africa
and Asia.
• Treatment: No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles
virus. Severe complications from measles can be reduced
through intake of Oral Rehydration Solution. Vitamin A
supplements have also been shown to reduce the number of
measles deaths.
• Prevention: The measles vaccine has been in use for nearly 60
years. The measles vaccine is often incorporated with rubella
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and/or mumps vaccines. In India, measles vaccination is
given under the Universal Immunisation Programme at 9-12
months of age and the second dose at 16-24 months of age.
Measles vs Rubella:
• Rubella, also called German measles, is a contagious viral
infection.
• Rubella isn’t the same as measles, but the two illnesses share
some signs and symptoms, such as the red rash. Rubella is
caused by a different virus than measles, and rubella isn’t as
infectious or as severe as measles.
Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
WORLD AIDS DAY
World AIDS Day 2022 was being marked under the theme
Equalize.
About:
• Every year, on 1 December, the World AIDS Day is
commemorated since 1988 to raise awareness of the AIDS
pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that
attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the white
blood cells called CD4 cells.
• The most advanced stage of HIV infection is Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is defined by the
development of certain cancers, infections or other severe
long-term clinical manifestations.
• Transmission: HIV can be transmitted via the exchange of a
variety of body fluids from infected people, such as blood,
breast milk, semen and vaginal secretions. HIV can also be
transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnancy and
delivery. Individuals cannot become infected through ordinary
day-to-day contact such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands,
or sharing personal objects, food or water.
• Treatment: HIV disease can be managed by treatment
regimens composed of a combination of antiretroviral (ARV)
drugs. Current antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not cure HIV
infection but suppresses viral replication and allows an
individual’s immune system recovery to strengthen.
India: HIV Estimates 2021
• At the national level, estimated adult HIV prevalence (15-
49 years) has declined since the epidemic’s peak in 2000,
where prevalence was estimated at 0.55% in 2000 to 0.21%
in 2021.
• The northeast region States have the highest adult HIV
prevalence (2.70% in Mizoram, 1.36% in Nagaland and 1.05%
in Manipur), followed by southern States (0.67% in Andhra
Pradesh, 0.47% in Telangana and 0.46% in Karnataka).
• The number of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) is estimated
at around 24 lakhs. Southern states have the largest number
of PLHIV viz. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
being the top three.
• There is an estimated 46.3% decline in Annual New Infections
(ANI) at the national level from 2010-2021.
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• A decline of 76.5% in AIDS-Related Deaths (ARD) has been Many adults remain undiagnosed, and symptoms can cause
estimated at the national level from 2010-21. difficulty at work, home or relationships.

India’s Response to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic:

• Government of India has taken various steps towards the MYOSITIS
attainment of United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Indian actress Samantha Prabhu is suffering from Myositis.
Goals 3.3 of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health
threat by 2030.
About:
• The HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017 safeguards
• Myositis is an autoimmune disorder that involves inflammation

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the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV.
of the muscles.
• In March 2022, Union Cabinet approved the continuation
• Primary symptoms include skin rashes, muscle weakness,
of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP)
apart from weight loss, fatigue, and low fever.
, a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by the Government
• Causes: Certain bacteria, viruses, parasites and extreme
of India from April 01, 2021 to March 31, 2026 with an
Alcohol consumption and cocaine intake can trigger this
outlay of Rs 15471.94 crores by approving phase-V of the

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condition. Myositis is also a secondary outcome of rheumatoid
Programme.
arthritis.
• Mission SAMPARK was launched in 2017 to extend the
• Treatment: At an early stage, steroids are given as the first
benefit of the test and treat policy and reach out to all
line of treatment. If the patient does not recover even after
those “who are aware of their HIV positive status” but “are
this, he/she will be given intravenous immune globulin (IVIG)
not on ART” and link them back as much as possible for
therapy.
HIV care.

Types of Myositis:
ADDERALL • Polymyositis means that many muscles are affected by
inflammation.
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The US Food and Drug and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) only which affects thigh muscles,
announced a shortage of Adderall, medication used to treat
forearm muscles and the muscles below the knee.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
• Dermatomyositis causes similar symptoms in muscles, but
there is also a skin rash. ‘Derma’ means skin.
About:
EX

• Adderall is the brand name for the formulation that consists of

a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. ‘ZERO COVID’ STRATEGY
• Adderall belongs to the class of drugs known as stimulants
People in various Chinese cities are protesting against the
and increases the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in
‘Zero Covid’ strategy.
the brain.
• It is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of ADHD and
About:
narcolepsy, a sleep condition that causes daytime sleepiness.
• Under ‘Zero Covid’ strategy, even a few cases of coronavirus
• For people diagnosed with ADHD, Adderall can help improve
lead to strict lockdowns, PCR tests, and restrictions on
focus, concentration, impulse control and hyperactivity,
travel.
because of its effects on the central nervous system.
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• This policy is in place in China since the pandemic began in

• Adderall is classified as a Schedule II drug in the US, which
means that while it has positive medicinal effects, there is a
large potential for abuse among students and athletes, who
might find enhanced cognition or sports performance.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
• ADHD is one the most common neurodevelopmental
disorders of childhood, usually diagnosed at an early age
and lasting into adulthood.
• Children with ADHD might have trouble paying attention or
controlling impulsive behaviours, and can be overly active.
2020, even while other countries have largely moved away
from harsh lockdowns.
• Benefits: Due to this policy, the death toll and spread of
infection have been lower in China when compared to
other major countries. It has prevented overwhelming the
healthcare system.
• Criticism: Public frustration has also accumulated. Millions
of families have been confined to their homes, depressing
consumer spending, and the economy has been impacted
due to these shutdowns.

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BQ.1 AND BQ.1.1 COVID-19 VARIANTS Why name changed?

• When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year,
New offshoots of the dominant BA.5 subvariant of Omicron
racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and
known as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are spreading in the United
in some communities was observed and reported to WHO.
States.
• Human monkeypox was given its name in 1970 (after the virus
that causes the disease was discovered in captive monkeys
About:
in 1958), before the publication of WHO best practices in
• BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are among the more than 300 sublineages
naming diseases, published in 2015.
of the Omicron variant circulating globally, 95% of which are
direct descendants of BA.5. Naming the Disease:

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• In early July, BA.5 became the dominant subvariant of the
coronavirus circulating in the United States, but in October it
started giving way to BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.
Terminology:
• Assigning new names to new and, very exceptionally, to
existing diseases is the responsibility of WHO under the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
• ICD is part of the WHO Family of International Health Related

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Classifications (WHO-FIC).
• All viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
• According to the publication of WHO best practices in
COVID-19 – evolve over time.
naming diseases, published in 2015, new disease names
• When a virus replicates or makes copies of itself, it sometimes should minimize negative impact of names on trade, travel,
changes a little bit, which is normal for a virus. These changes tourism or animal welfare, and avoid causing offence to any
are called “mutations”. social, national, regional or ethnic groups.
• A virus with one or more new mutations is referred to as a
“variant” of the original virus. The terms ‘lineage‘ and ‘clade‘ NOTE TO READERS
are used interchangeably with ‘variant’.
For detailed analysis of Monkeypox, kindly refer Page 39
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of June 2022 edition of NEXTIAS Current Affairs Magazine.
VIRAL SPILLOVER
A new research found that climate change could increase
the risk of “viral spillover” in several parts of the world that
BLUEBUGGING
could cause new pandemics over the next few years.
EX
Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the
increasing ‘Bluebugging’.
About:
• Viruses need to infect a host’s cell in order to replicate. About:
• These virus/host relationships seem relatively stable within • It is a form of hacking that lets attackers access a device
superkingdoms, the major groupings of organisms. Most (Mobile Phones, Computers) through its discoverable
spillover events result in self-limited cases with no further Bluetooth connection.
human to human transmission. • Once a device or phone is bluebugged, a hacker can listen
• However, below this rank, viruses may infect a new host from to the calls, read and send messages and steal and modify
a reservoir host (in which it usually resides) by being able to contacts.
transmit sustainably in a novel host – a process defined as
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‘viral spillover’.
• Due to climate change and land use expansion, the risk of
viral spillover is predicted to significantly increase.

WHO RENAMES MONKEYPOX AS ‘MPOX’

World Health Organization (WHO) will begin using a new
preferred term “mpox” as a synonym for monkeypox. Both
How does bluebugging hack devices?
names will be used simultaneously for one year while
• The device’s Bluetooth must be in discoverable mode, which
“monkeypox” is phased out.
is the default setting on most devices.

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• The hacker then tries to pair with the device via Bluetooth.
• Once a connection is established, hackers can use brute force
attacks to bypass authentication. They can install malware in
the compromised device to gain unauthorised access to it.
• Bluebugging can happen whenever a Bluetooth enabled
device is within a 10-metre radius of the hacker. However,
hackers can use booster antennas to widen the attack range.
Comparison with Twitter:
• It works similar to Twitter, which means that users can tag
other users, share media and even follow other accounts.
• But unlike twitter, it doesn’t function in a centralised manner
but has numerous independent and user-managed servers.
These servers are themed according to location, city or
interest - like UK, social, technology etc.

Measures to Prevent Bluebugging: • While Twitter users’ ‘tweet’ their posts, Mastodon lets users
‘toot’ their views.

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• Turning off Bluetooth and disconnecting paired Bluetooth
devices when not in use, • Unlike Twitter which has a character limit of 280, Mastodon
supports about 5,000-character limit per post.
• Using Modern anti-virus softwares to thwart such attacks,
• Updating the device’s system software to the latest version,
• Limited use of public Wi-Fi, TWITTER BLUE TICK VERIFICATION

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• Using Virtual private network (VPN) as an additional security
Elon Musk has decided to pause the relaunch of the Twitter
measure.
Blue verification.

BORDER GATEWAY PROTOCOL (BGP) About:

• Blue tick: Twitter offers blue ticks to denote that the account
Recently, WhatsApp was down for over an hour in various
holders are active, notable, and authentic. Government
countries including India, with users unable to send or receive
institutions, celebrities, and notable personalities were
messages. The problem was connected to BGP routing.
eligible to get the blue tick.
• Verification? The Twitter Blue checkmark merely indicates
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About:
that the account has an active Twitter Blue subscription. It
• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) refers to a gateway protocol
doesn’t mean these accounts have actually been reviewed
that enables the internet to exchange routing information
and verified.
between Autonomous Systems (AS).
• As networks interact with each other, they need a way to Paid Blue Tick:
EX
communicate. This is accomplished through peering. BGP • After Elon Musk acquired twitter for $44 billion, he decided
makes peering possible. Without it, networks would not be
to relaunch the paid Twitter Blue verification service for $8 a
able to send and receive information with each other.
month on November 29.
• Autonomous System: The Internet is a network of networks. It
• Benefits to twitter: This will give Twitter a revenue stream, as
is broken up into hundreds of thousands of smaller networks
Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers.
known as autonomous systems (ASes). Each of these networks
• Benefits to users: Users who will pay for their blue tick will Get
is essentially a large pool of routers run by a single organization.
priority in replies, mentions and searches; Get the ability to
post long videos and audio; see half as many advertisements
MASTODON and will get a paywall bypass. Those who won’t pay $8 a
month will lose their blue tick.
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With Elon Musk taking over Twitter, a number of users are

• Suspension: However, after users started impersonating
leaving the platform and seeking alternatives. This has led
to the surge in the user base of Mastodon. public figures and companies, Twitter Blue with verification
was temporarily suspended.

Mastodon:
• Mastodon is an open-source “microblogging alternative to BEIDOU SATELLITE SYSTEM
Twitter”.
Recently, China released its official whitepaper titled
• The platform was originally created by Eugen Rochko in
“China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New
2016.
Era”, outlining its plans to further expand the global reach
• The Mastodon mascot is an animal with a trunk, resembling a of its home-grown Beidou satellite navigation system.
mastodon or mammoth.

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BeiDou:
• The BeiDou is a Chinese Satellite Navigation System that uses
satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning.
• BDS has a constellation of 30 satellites in orbit and began its
international outreach once the set up was finished in 2018.
China is in discussion with a number of countries in the South
Asian Region over adopting the Beidou system.
• Its application in China include use in guiding drones,
autonomous cars, in agriculture and forestry, as well as
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launching satellite-powered messaging for smartphones that
provides for connectivity in remote areas even in the absence
of ground reception.
DO YOU KNOW?
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Navigation networks by other countries include the US’
GPS (Global Positioning System), Russia’s GLONASS,
European Union’s Galileo and India’s Navigation with Indian
Constellation (NavIC).
MISSIONS TO MARS
November 28 is marked as Red Planet Day to commemorate
the day one of the most significant space missions to Mars
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was launched.
Mariner 4:
• On November 28, 1964, the NASA mission Mariner 4 was
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launched, which ended up capturing significant information
on, and photographs of, Mars for the first time.
• This was the first time that a spacecraft undertook the first
flyby of the red planet, becoming the first-ever spacecraft to
take close-up photographs of another planet.
• The photographs also revealed a cratered surface resembling
the Moon.
• Subsequently, considerable interest has been sparked
around Mars, and missions have been launched.
Subsequent Missions:
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• Viking missions of the 1970s and the 1980s carried out the
first chemical analysis of Martian soil, as well as four biology
experiments to detect biological activity.
• In 2001, the Gamma Ray Spectrometer on board the Mars
Odyssey spacecraft detected a fascinating hydrogen signature
that seemed to indicate the presence of water ice.
• NASA’s Phoenix landed on the Martian North Pole in May
2008, and survived for about 150 days. The Phoenix mission
established conclusively that the initial discovery of hydrogen
by Mars Odyssey in 2002 was indeed water ice.
Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
Beyond the West:
• After the Cold War, which saw intense competition between
the USSR and the US in terms of deepening their forays into
space, other countries also launched their explorations.
• India has an orbiter (Mangalyaan-1) and China and UAE will
have an orbiter each (Tianwen-1 and Hope respectively).
• The UAE mission will study the Martian atmosphere, and will
seek to address how and why Mars lost its atmosphere.
• India’s Mars Orbiter Mission — a technology demonstration
venture — carried five scientific payloads (total 15 kg)
collecting data on surface geology, morphology, atmospheric
processes, surface temperature and atmospheric escape
process.
CHALLENGER SPACE SHUTTLE DISASTER
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has announced the recovery
of debris from the Challenger spaceship that exploded 73
seconds after liftoff killing all seven astronauts aboard 37
years ago.
About:
• STS-51-L was the 25th mission of the NASA Space Shuttle
program and the final flight of Space Shuttle Challenger.
• The primary objective of the mission was to deploy a large
communications satellite, deploy and retrieve an astronomy
payload to study Halley’s Comet.
• During its ascent, the spacecraft broke apart on January 28,
1986 after it suffered a major malfunction less than 2 minutes
into its flight, killing all seven crew members.
• Investigations revealed freezing temperatures having
affected the integrity of O-ring seals in the solid rocket
booster segment joints. The O-ring seals are used to keep
fluids from leaking and components sealed.
Columbia Space Shuttle Accident:
• Seventeen years later, in 2003, NASA witnessed another
catastrophic disaster after Columbia, which was into its 28th
and final flight, got lost during the spacecraft’s re-entry into
Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, killing all seven crew
members including Indian-born Kalpana Chawla.
METAL-AIR BATTERIES
Indian Oil Corp. and Israel’s Phinergy are developing metal-
air batteries that capture oxygen in the air and, together
with water and aluminium, create a reaction that generates
electricity.
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About:
• The joint venture will display a Tata Tiago electric car powered
by an aluminium-air battery at India’s Auto Expo, which runs
from January 13-18, 2023.
• In Asia, the Indian Oil Corp. – the country’s largest oil
company – is betting on aluminium-air (Al-air) batteries as an
alternative to lithium-ion.
Need & benefits:
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• While lithium-ion batteries have driven the revolution
in electric vehicles, lithium is expensive. Meanwhile,
alternative technologies such as “metal air,” which combines
atmospheric oxygen with metals to generate electricity, are
receiving heavy investment in some parts of the world.
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• In 2021, India produced 24.7 million tonnes of bauxite, the
world’s primary source of aluminium, and this metal is cheap.
Aluminium plate costs $3.50-$6.50 per kilogram, while
battery-grade lithium costs $78.00 per kilogram.
Limitations:
• But one of the other elements you need as a catalyst in the
Al-air cathode is silver, which costs about $670 per kilogram.
• While Al-air batteries are not rechargeable, they’re recyclable.
• Another drawback for Al-air is the corrosion of the aluminium
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anode by the alkaline potassium hydroxide electrolyte.
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GLYPHOSATE
The Union Agriculture Ministry has restricted the use of
glyphosate, a widely used herbicide.
About:
• Glyphosate is an herbicide used to kill weeds — undesirable
plants that compete with crops for nutrients, water and
sunlight. Since weeds basically grow at the expense of crops,
farmers remove them manually or spray herbicides.
• Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that can control a
wide range of weeds, whether broadleaf or grassy. It is also
non-selective, killing most plants.
• When applied to their leaves, it inhibits the production of
a protein ‘5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase
(EPSPS)’. This enzyme, produced only by plants and
microorganisms, synthesises aromatic amino acids that are
necessary for their growth.
• Use in India: There are nine glyphosate-based formulations
containing different concentrations of the chemical registered
for use under the Insecticides Act, 1968.
Concerns:
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, issued
a notification stating that “the use of glyphosate involves
health hazards and risk to human beings and animals”. It
has, however, not banned and only “restricted” its use. The
spraying of glyphosate and its derivatives shall henceforth
only be permitted through “pest control operators”.
• The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC), in March 2015, classified
glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
RANSOMWARE
E-services at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS), Delhi have been crippled by a ransomware attack.
About:
• Ransomware is a type of malicious software, used by cyber
criminals, to infect a computer system by blocking access to
the stored data by encrypting the files.
• The device is infected when the victim clicks a link, visits
a web page, or installs a file, application, or program that
includes malicious code designed to covertly download and
install the ransomware.
• A ransom is then demanded from the owner in exchange for
the decryption key. Ransomware actors threaten to sell or leak
data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid.
 In-Shorts | Science & Technology
• Types: The two most prevalent types of ransomware are
encryptors and screen lockers. Encryptors encrypt data on
a system, making the content useless without the decryption
key. Screen lockers simply block access to the system with a
“lock” screen, asserting that the system is encrypted.
• According to the Interpol’s first-ever Global Crime Trend
report released in October 2022, ransomware was the
second highest-ranking threat after money laundering.
• Examples of Ransomware: WannaCry, Ryuk, CryptoLocker
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and NotPetya.
Indian agencies to deal with Cyber-Attacks:
• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), set
up in 2004, is the national nodal agency that analyses cyber-
attacks; issues alerts and guidelines for preventive measures
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and takes measures to handle any significant cyber security
event.
• The National Cyber Security Coordinator, under the National
Security Council Secretariat, coordinates with different
agencies at the national level on cybersecurity issues.
• The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection
Centre has been set up for the protection of national critical
information infrastructure.
• The Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware
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Analysis Centre) has been launched for detection of malicious
software programmes and to provide free tools to remove the
same.
KOO
EX
After the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk, Koo became
an attractive social network for Brazilian users.
About:
• Koo is an Indian microblogging and social networking
service, based in Bengaluru.
• Background: The app was founded by Aprameya
Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka in 2020. It subsequently
won the govt’s Atmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge.
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• Features: Koo’s logo is a yellow bird. Koo’s interface is similar
to that of Twitter, allowing users to categorize their posts
with hashtags and tag other users in mentions or replies. Its
“Talk to Type” feature allows its users to create a post with
the app’s voice assistant. Koo marks verified accounts with a
yellow-coloured tick.
• Languages: Koo is a multilingual microblogging platform
currently available in 11 languages. Koo was initially
launched in Kannada and later added English and other
Indian languages – Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati,
Marathi, Assamese and Punjabi.
Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Growth: It is currently functional in over 100 countries. It
claims to have over 50 million downloads and host over 7,500
eminent personalities across the world.
BENZENE
According to a new independent study, Top-selling dry
shampoos including Not Your Mother’s and Church &
Dwight Co.’s Batiste contain high levels of benzene, the
cancer-causing chemical that led Unilever to remove its
product from shelves in October.
About:
• Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular
formula C6H6.
• Composition: The benzene molecule is composed of six
carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen
atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and
hydrogen atoms, benzene is classed as a hydrocarbon.
• Properties: Benzene is a colorless and highly flammable liquid
with a sweet smell, and is partially responsible for the aroma
of gasoline. Benzene is classed as an aromatic hydrocarbon.
• Usage: Benzene is a major industrial chemical. It is a natural
constituent of petroleum and is one of the elementary
petrochemicals. It is used primarily as a precursor to the
manufacture of chemicals with more complex structure, such
as ethylbenzene and cumene, of which billions of kilograms
are produced annually.
• Health effects: Benzene finds limited use in consumer items
because of its toxicity. Benzene is classified as a carcinogen,
which increases the risk of blood cancers, such as leukaemia.
It is also a notorious cause of bone marrow failure.
FALCON HEAVY
On November 1, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched the
Falcon Heavy rocket into a geosynchronous Earth orbit
from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida, U.S.
About:
• USSF-44 mission: This is the fourth launch of the giant rocket
system, and the first one in nearly three years since its last
launch in 2019. The rocket is carrying satellites to space for
the U.S. military in a mission named as U.S. Space Force
(USSF)-44.
• Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle
that is produced by SpaceX, an American aerospace
manufacturer.
• Features: The rocket consists of two strap-on boosters made
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from Falcon 9 first stages, a center core also made from a
Falcon 9 first stage, and a second stage on top.
• Payload Capacity: SpaceX claims Falcon Heavy to be the
most powerful rocket in the world today by a factor of two.
With a lifting capacity of around 64 metric tonnes into orbit,
Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next
closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy.
2022 AP7 ASTEROID
• Total lunar eclipses occur, on average, about once every
year and a half. But the interval varies.
Why Beaver moon?
• The November event coincided with the “Beaver moon,” a
moniker for November’s full moon.
• When combined with the phenomena of a total lunar eclipse,
it is widely referred to as a “Beaver blood moon” in the United
States.

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• Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents native to the
A team of astronomers has discovered three massive near- temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Earth asteroids.

About:

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• The three asteroids are from a group that is found within the
orbits of Earth and Venus.
• However, they are tough to spot as the brightness of the Sun
shields them from telescope observations. Asteroids that are
further away from the Sun are easier to detect.
• Since they were concealed by the Sun’s glare, the astronomers
conducted their observation during twilight hours — a brief TIANGONG SPACE STATION
but favourable 10-minute window every night. They used
a Dark Energy Camera at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Tiangong is a space station constructed by China and
Observatory in Chile. operated by China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
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• Of these, one called 2022 AP7 is believed to be the largest
planet killer-sized asteroid to be spotted in nearly a decade, About:
and is “potentially hazardous” to Earth. • Features: It operates in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450
• The 1.5-kilometre-wide 2022 AP7 asteroid could potentially km above the surface. It has a mass between 90 and 100T,
EX
lead to a “mass extinction event”. roughly one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station
(ISS).
• Modules: The first module, the Tianhe core module, was
BEAVER BLOOD MOON launched in April 2021, followed by two more laboratory
cabin modules Wentian (launched in July 2022) and Mengtian
The Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse of November 8 was
visible from North America and parts of South America, (launched in October 2022).
Asia, Australia and New Zealand. • Objectives: The research conducted on the station aims to
improve researchers’ ability to conduct science experiments
Blood Moon: in space.

• A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow • Human residents: In December, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft
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completely over a full moon, blocking reflection of all direct and the Shenzhou 15 crew will arrive at the orbiting outpost
sunlight from the lunar orb and dimming the colour of the for the station’s first-ever crew handover.
moon to a reddish hue, hence the term “blood moon.”
Xuntian Space Telescope:
• This is only possible when the orbits of the Earth, moon and
• Tiangong will link up with China’s planned Xuntian space
sun align so that the moon is directly behind Earth relative to
telescope and host experiments in orbit, around 400km
the sun.
above the Earth.
• The reddish appearance of the lunar surface is caused by
• China’s first space-based optical telescope, known as
rays of sunlight around the outer edge of the eclipse shadow,
Xuntian – “Space Sentinel” – is due for launch in 2023.
or umbra, being filtered and refracted as it passes through
Xuntian will fly in the same orbit as the space station but will
Earth’s atmosphere, bathing the moon indirectly in a dim
work independently, researching the universe’s formation
copper glow.
and dark matter.

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 Current Affairs In-Shorts | Culture & History
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CULTURE & HISTORY

MOTHER TONGUE SURVEY OF INDIA
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has completed the
Mother Tongue Survey of India (MTSI) with field videography
of the country’s 576 languages.
• The volume on LSI Jharkhand is finalised and that on LSI
Himachal Pradesh is nearing completion.
• The field work of LSI Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh is going on.

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NADAPRABHU KEMPEGOWDA
What is the MTSI?
PM Modi unveiled a 108-feet tall bronze statue of
• It is a project that “surveys the mother tongues, which are
‘Nadaprabhu’ Kempegowda in Bengaluru.
returned consistently across two and more Census decades”.
• It also documents the linguistic features of selected languages.

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Features:
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the National Film
Development Corporation (NFDC) will be documenting and
preserving the linguistic data of the surveyed mother tongues
in audio-video files.
• Video-graphed speech data of Mother Tongues will also be
uploaded on the NIC survey for archiving purposes.
How many “Mother Tongues” does India have?
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• As per an analysis of 2011 linguistic census data in 2018,
more than 19,500 languages or dialects are spoken in India
as mother tongues.
• These are further grouped into 121 categories of mother
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tongues.
Which “Mother Tongues” are spoken the most?
• According to the 2011 linguistic census, Hindi is the most
widely spoken mother tongue, with 52.8 crore people or 43.6
percent of the population declaring it as their mother tongue.
• The next highest is Bengali, mother tongue for 9.7 crore
individuals, and accounting for 8 percent of the population.
Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction in Schools:
• The new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the
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About:
• Also termed the “Statue of Prosperity”, the structure has been
termed the “first and tallest bronze statue of a founder of a
city” by the World Book of Records.
• Nadaprabhu Kempegowda was the 16th century chieftain of
the Vijayanagara empire.
• He was from the agricultural Vokkaliga community.
• He is credited as the founder of Bengaluru.
• He developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to
drinking and agricultural needs.
• He build the Bangalore Fort in 1537, which was further
improved by Hyder Ali in 1761.
• He also authored Ganga-Gouri-Sallapamu, a Yakshagana
play in Telugu.
• Social reforms: He prohibited the custom of amputating the
last two fingers of the left hand of the unmarried women
during “Bandi Devaru”, a custom of Vokkaligas.
• Bangalore International Airport was renamed as Kempegowda
International Airport in 2013.
ODISHA’S BALI-YATRA
In his address to the Indian diaspora in Bali on the sidelines of
the G20 summit, PM Modi mentioned the annual Bali-yatra.

foundational stages of education, launched by Education

Minister in October 2022, has recommended that mother
tongue should be the primary medium of instruction in
schools for children up to eight years of age.
• According to the NCF, evidence from research confirms the
importance of teaching children in their mother tongue during
the foundational years and beyond.
What about Linguistic Survey?
• The Home Ministry said the Linguistic Survey of India (LSI) is
a regular research activity in the country since the 6th Five
Year Plan.
About:
• Bali-yatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, is one of the country’s
largest open-air fairs.
• It is organised every year on the banks of the Mahanadi in
Cuttack.
• The festival begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the
month of Kartik).
• During the fair, people sail decorative miniature boats made
of banana stems, paper, or thermocol to celebrate boita
bandana, or the worshipping of the boats.

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• Objective: It is held to commemorate the 2,000-year-old
maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga (today’s
Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian
regions like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and
Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Background:
• The origins of the festival can be traced back more than
1,000 years.
• According to historical accounts, Lachit is said to have
tricked the Mughals by feigning an attack in front.
• As the fleet advanced on the river Brahmaputra, the main Ahom
fleet attacked from behind, sealing a victory for the locals.
• Lachit Divas: On 24 November each year Lachit Divas (Lachit
Day) is celebrated state-wide in Assam to commemorate the
heroism of Lachit Borphukan and the victory of the Assamese
army at the Battle of Saraighat.
• The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy

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• The Bay of Bengal region had several ports, and sadhavas
(NDA) is conferred the Lachit Borphukan gold medal every
(traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea on
year from 1999.
this auspicious day, when the winds were favourable for the
boats, known as boita, to sail.
• According to historians, popular items of trade between BIRSA MUNDA
Kalinga and Southeast Asia included pepper, cinnamon,

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President Droupadi Murmu visited Ulihatu village in the
cardamom, silk, camphor, gold, and jewellery.
Khunti district of Jharkhand – the birthplace of Birsa Munda
on the occasion of the second Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
PASHMINA SHAWLS, SHAHTOOSH SHAWLS
Birsa Munda:
Many export consignments of ‘Pashmina shawls’ have
• Birsa Munda (1875-1900) was an Indian tribal freedom
been rejected by Customs authorities due to presence of
fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the
‘Shahtoosh’ guard hair.
Munda tribe.
• He revived the traditional tribal culture which was being
Pashmina:
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affected by Christian missionary works.
• Pashmina is obtained from a breed of mountain goats (Capra
hircus) found on the Changthang Plateau in Tibet and parts Tribal Revolt:
of Ladakh. • He spearheaded a tribal religious movement in the late 19th
• India contributes only 1% of the world’s Pashmina, but Indian century, during the British Raj.
Pashmina is considered the finest.
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• The revolt mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Khunti,
Tamar, Sarwada and Bandgaon.
Shahtoosh:
• He gave a call for ‘Ulgulan’ (Revolution).
• Shahtoosh is the fine undercoat fibre obtained from the Tibetan
antelope, locally known as chiru, a species living mainly in the • He gave orders to the raiyats (tenant farmers) to pay no rents.
northern parts of the Changthang Plateau in Tibet. • His threatened the British Raj with slogan “Abua raj seter jana,
• However, due to their increased commercial poaching, maharani raj tundu jana (Let the kingdom of the queen be
Tibetan antelope were listed in 1979 in CITES (Convention ended and our kingdom be established)”.
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
Legacy:
& Flora), leading to a ban on sale and trade of Shahtoosh
• His portrait hangs in the Indian Parliament Museum; he is the
shawls.
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only tribal leader to have been so honoured.

• Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter
LACHIT BORPHUKAN Museum has been built by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the
prison in Ranchi (Jharkhand) in which Birsa died in 1900 at
Assam observed the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit
the age of 24.
Borphukan (1622-1672), a commander and Borphukan in
the Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
About:
Children’s Day (Bal Divas) is annually celebrated on 14
• He is known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat November across India to raise awareness about the rights,
that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under education, and welfare of children.
the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.

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Children’s Day (Bal Divas):
• It is celebrated on 14 November every year on the birthday of
the First Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1889
– 1964), who was known to have been fond of children.
• Children across India remember him as Chacha Nehru (“Uncle
Nehru”).
• As the Prime Minister, Nehru wanted to “create an atmosphere
in the country where the attention is constantly focused on
children and their welfare”.
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• He had also established Children’s Film Society India in 1955
so that Indian children could see themselves represented.
Nehru: Role in Freedom Struggle
• On August 29, 1928 he attended the All-Party Congress and
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was one of the signatories to the Nehru Report on Indian
Constitutional Reform, named after his father Shri Motilal
Nehru.
• In 1929, Pt. Nehru was elected President of the Lahore
Session of the Indian National Congress, where complete
independence for the country was adopted as the goal.
• On August 7, 1942 Pt. Nehru moved the historic ‘Quit India’
resolution at the A.I.C.C. session in Bombay.
• After his release in January 1945, he organized legal defence
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for INA officers charged with treason.
• As an author, his famous books include Letters from a Father
to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The
Discovery of India (1946).
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Nehru: Post-Independence India
• Upon India’s independence in 1947, he served as the
country’s Prime Minister for 16 years.
• Under Nehru’s leadership, the Congress emerged as a
catch-all party, dominating national and state-level politics
and winning Lok Sabha Elections in 1951, 1957 and 1962.
• He embarked on an ambitious program of economic, social,
and political reforms. Nehru promoted a pluralistic multi-party
democracy.
• Nehru is hailed as the “architect of Modern India”, who
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secured democracy in India and prevented an ethnic civil
war.
• In foreign affairs, he played a leading role in establishing the
Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that did not seek
membership in the two main ideological blocs of the 1950s.
BHOOTA KOLA
The folk art of Bhoota Kola was recently depicted in
Kantara, a Kannada movie.
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About:
• Bhoota Kola is also known as Buta Kola, Bhootha Aradhane,
daiva kola or nema.
• It is prevalent among the region of Tulu Nadu and parts of
Malenadu of Karnataka and Kasargod in northern Kerala.
• It is an annual animistic ritual performance where local spirits
or deities are worshipped.
• Features: Idols representing ‘bhoota’ are taken out in a
procession to the beating of drums. As the procession ends,
the idols are placed and a dancer whirls round in imitation of
the deity he represents.
• Significance: It is believed that a person performing the ritual
has temporarily become a god himself. This performer is both
feared and respected in the community.
• Popular Bhootas: Panjurli, Bobbarya, Pilipoota, Kalkuda,
Kalburti, Pilichamundi, Koti Chennaya are some of the popular
gods (Bhootas) worshipped as part of Bhootada Kola.
PATAN PATOLA
At the G20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted
traditional artworks from Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh
to world leaders.
About:
• PM Modi presented US President Joe Biden with Kangra
miniature paintings; UK PM Rishi Sunak with ‘Mata Ni
Pachedi’, a handmade Gujarat textile offered in temples;
‘Pithora’, a tribal folk art from Chhota Udaipur, to Australian
leader Anthony Albanese; agate bowls from Kutch to the
leaders of France, Germany and Singapore; and a ‘Patan
Patola’ scarf to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
Patan Patola:
• The ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk
dates back to the 11th century.
• The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and
design on both sides. This peculiar quality has its origins in
an intricate and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing,
known as ‘bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before
weaving.
• One of the major practitioners of the dwindling art form is the
Salvi family from North Gujarat.
• Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms
made out of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a
slant.
• Traditionally, only pure silk and natural and chemical dyes
were used, but since the last century, they have been replaced
by fast-to-bleach and easy-to-dye chemical colours.
 In-Shorts | Culture & History
• The product designs are based on traditional motifs called
“bhat”, which include “narikunj”, “paan”, “phulwadi”,
“rasbhat”, flowers, animals birds, human figures, etc.
Patan Patola vs Rajkot Patola:
• The other commonly worn Patola is the Rajkot Patola, woven
on a flat loom.
• The main difference here is that while the Rajkot Patola uses
chemical dyes, Patan uses vegetable dyes.
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• A Rajkot Patola weighs over 600 grams, while a Patola from
Patan would weigh under 500 grams. The motifs in Patan
Patolas are sharp, while the Rajkot ones are hazy.
DO YOU KNOW?
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Ikat weaves are also found in Odisha’s famous Sambalpuri
sarees, which, unlike Patola, are woven in cotton yarn too, as
is the Pochampally saree from Andhra Pradesh.
UNESCO INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
LIST
Recently, Baguette — the staple French bread — was
inscribed into the UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural
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heritage (ICH).
About:
• Intangible cultural heritage includes oral traditions,
performing arts, social practices, rituals and knowledge to
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produce traditional crafts.
• The list was established under the 2003 Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Criterial for inclusion in the UN list:
 recognized by communities and Individuals as part of
their cultural heritage,
 transmitted from generation to generation and
 provide them with a sense of identity and continuity.
• Following 14 elements from India have been inscribed on the
list: (1) Durga Puja of Kolkata, (2) Kumbh Mela, (3) Novruz, (4)
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Yoga, (5) Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making
in Punjab, (6) Sankirtana, (7) Buddhist chanting of Ladakh,
(8) Chhau dance, (9) Kalbelia folk dance, (10) Mudiyettu,
(11) Ramman festival of Garhwal Himalayas, (12) Kutiyattam,
Sanskrit theatre, (13) Tradition of Vedic chanting and (14)
Ramlila.
NOTE TO READERS
For detailed analysis of UNESCO Panel on Intangible
Cultural Heritage, kindly refer Page 109 of August 2022
edition of NextIAS Current Affairs Magazine.
Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
HORNBILL FESTIVAL
The Hornbill Festival – also called the Festival of Festivals
– is an annual festival celebrated in Nagaland (mainly in
Kohima District) between 1 and 10 December.
About:
• Objective: The state of Nagaland is home to several ethnic
groups, which have their own distinct festivals. Thus, this
festival is organized by the Government of Nagaland, since
2000, to encourage inter-ethnic interaction and to promote
cultural heritage of Nagaland.
• Festival highlights include Traditional Naga Morungs
Exhibition and sale of Arts and Crafts, Food Stalls, Herbal
Medicine Stalls, Traditional Archery, Naga wrestling,
Indigenous Games, and Musical concert.
Hornbills:
• The festival is named after the Indian hornbill bird which is
displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s ethnic groups.
• Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical
and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are
characterized by a long, down-curved bill which sometimes
has a casque on the upper mandible.
• The Great hornbill is the official state bird of Kerala. It has
been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is listed in
CITES Appendix I.
SHADANI DARBAR
Pakistan issued 100 visas to Indian pilgrims to allow them
to participate in the 314th birth anniversary celebrations
of Sant Shadaram Sahib, in Sindh province. The pilgrims
visited Shadani Darbar in Hayat Pitafi.
About:
• Located in Hayat Pitafi, Ghotki district, Shadani Darbar is
believed to be the biggest Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Sindh
province.
• It was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who is
believed to be the descendent of Lord Ram’s son, Lav, and
also an avatar of Lord Shiva.
1974 Protocol:
• Under the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol, pilgrims from both
countries get visas to visit certain religious shrines across
the border every year without having to go through the usual
immigration process.
• Fifteen shrines in Pakistan and five in India are covered under
this protocol.
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• some of the shrines in Pakistan are: Gurudwara Shri
Nankana Sahib (Rawalpindi); Gurudwara Shri Panja Sahib
(Rawalpindi); Samadhi of Maharaj Ranjit Singh (Lahore) etc.
• In India, the protocol covers Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer),
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi), Hazrat Amir Khusro (Delhi),
Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Sani (Sirhind Sharif, Punjab) and Hazrat
Khwaja Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir (Kalyar Sharif).
SAKA PANJA SAHIB
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The gurdwara management bodies from India and Pakistan
jointly observed the centenary of Shaheedi Saka Panja
Sahib (martyrdom massacre), at Hasan Abdal city of Attock
district, Punjab province of Pakistan.
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Gurdwara Panja Sahib:
• Gurdwara Panja Sahib is located in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan.
• The shrine is considered to be important as the handprint
of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, is believed to be
imprinted on a boulder at the gurdwara.
• Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his general Hari Singh Nalwa
got the gurdwara building constructed to commemorate
Nanak’s visit.
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Saka Panja Sahib Massacre:
• On October 30, 1922 two Sikhs died and several other Sikh
protesters, including women, were injured at Hasan Abdal
railway station after the railway authorities under the then-
British government refused to stop the train ferrying Sikh
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prisoners from Amritsar to Attock.
• The Sikhs from nearby Panja Sahib wanted to serve langar
(community kitchen food) to the Sikh prisoners but were told
by the station master at Hasan Abdal station that the train
would not stop at the station. Sikhs protested and during this
they were killed.
MAHAPARINIRVAN DIWAS
December 6 is observed as the Mahaparinirvan Diwas, or
the death anniversary, of Dr. B R Ambedkar, who passed
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away in 1956 in Delhi.
Chaitya Bhoomi:
• On this day, many people visit Chaitya Bhoomi (located in
Dadar, Mumbai) to pay homage to him.
• Chaitya Bhoomi is a Buddhist chaitya (prayer hall) and the
cremation place of B. R. Ambedkar.
Final Years:
• Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Father of the Indian Constitution, also
inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement in the country.
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• Two months before his death, he had converted to Buddhism.
• Few days before his death, he completed his final work, ‘The
Buddha and His Dhamma’.
Parinirvan:
• In Buddhism, ‘Parinirvan’ means ‘nirvan’ after death, which
occurs upon the death of someone who has attained nirvan
during their lifetime.
• It implies freedom from the cycles of life and death.
KASHMIRI PANDITS
The Kashmir Files movie, based on the exodus of Kashmiri
Pandits in the 1990s, was screened at the 53rd International
Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa.
About:
• The Kashmiri Pandits are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a
part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community. They belong
to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley.
• In the background of militancy of 1990s in Kashmir, Kashmiri
pandits were forced to leave Kashmir by militants.
• They migrated mostly to The refugee camps in Jammu, Delhi
and other areas. Their properties were either destroyed or
taken over by militants.
• According to some estimates, notably by the Kashmiri Pandit
Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), of 75,343 Kashmiri Pandit families
in January 1990, more than 70,000 fled between 1990 and
1992. The flight continued until 2000.
• The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed
by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during
1989-90.
• Some 800 families have remained in the Valley through these
three decades.
Culture:
• Martand Sun Temple: It is a Hindu temple revered by Kashmir
Pandits. It is dedicated to Lord Surya and is located near the city
of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley. It dates back to the eighth
century AD and was established by Lalitaditya Muktapida.
• Harmukh: Harmukh, considered sacred by Kashmiri Pandits,
is a mountain with a peak elevation of 5,142 metres. It is
located in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir between
Sindh River in the south and Kishanganga River in the north,
rising above Gangabal Lake.
• Mata Kheer-bhawani Temple (also known as the Ragnya Devi
temple): The shrine, constructed over a sacred spring, is located
in Tullamulla village in Ganderbal district of Kashmir. Every year
a grand fair is organised and pilgrims usually Kashmiri Pandits
come to pay their obeisance to Goddess Bhawani.
 In-Shorts | Miscellaneous Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

MISCELLANEOUS
GANDHI MANDELA AWARD Here is the list of the other top words and phrases
which were in limelight:
The 14th Dalai Lama was conferred the Gandhi Mandela
• Carolean: Of or relating to Charles III of Great Britain and
Award 2022.
Northern Ireland or his reign.

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• Kyiv: The capital of Ukraine, on the Dnipro River.
Gandhi Mandela Foundation:
• Lawfare: The strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate
• It is an international prize constituted by the New Delhi-based
or hinder an opponent.
Gandhi Mandela Foundation.
• Partygate: A political scandal over social gatherings held in
• It instituted the award on the 150th birth anniversary of the
British government offices during 2020 and 2021 in defiance
Mahatma Gandhi.

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of the public health restrictions that prevailed at the time.
Who gets the award? • Quiet quitting: The practice of doing no more work than one
• The award is given to personalities who have carried forward is contractually obliged to do, especially in order to spend
the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and former President of more time on personal activities; the practice of doing little or
South Africa Nelson Mandela’s in promoting value of non- no work while being present at one’s place of employment.
violence. • Splooting: The act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs
• It is given to those who have contributed in the fields of Peace, stretched out.
Social Welfare, Culture, Environment, Education, Healthcare, • Sportswashing: The sponsorship or promotion of sporting
Sports and Innovation. events in order to enhance a tarnished reputation or distract
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attention from a controversial activity.
14th Dalai Lama: • Vibe shift: A significant change in a prevailing cultural
• He is the highest spiritual leader of Tibet. atmosphere or trend.
• Subsequent to the Annexation of Tibet by China, during the • Warm bank: A heated building where people who cannot
1959 Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama escaped to India, afford to heat their own homes may go.
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where he currently lives in exile.
• Awards received by him
 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award GASLIGHTING
 1989 Nobel Peace Prize Merriam-Webster, America’s oldest dictionary publisher,
has just chosen “gaslighting” as its word of the year.
PERMACRISIS
About:
Permacrisis - a word describing the feeling of living through • Gaslighting is the act or practice of grossly misleading
a period of war, inflation, and political instability - has been someone, especially for one’s own advantage.
chosen as Collins Dictionary’s word of the year.
• Gaslighting derives its origins from Hamilton’s Victorian-era
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play set in London about a middle-class marriage based on

About:
• ‘Permacrisis’, a portmanteau of permanent and crisis, refers
to an extended period of things going awry.
• Although the word reflects the state of world affairs in the
past three years, for Britain it captures a series of setbacks
— beginning with Brexit, then the pandemic, and finally the
partygate that saw Boris Johnson lying and committing a
political hara-kiri.
• That Britain has seen five prime ministers in the past six
years.
lies and deceit. Lead character seeks to convince his wife
that she is going insane, including by saying she is imagining
the dimming of the gas light in their home.
• While the term referred primarily to psychological manipulation
in the 20th Century, its modern use is driven by “the vast
increase in channels and technologies used to mislead”
people, especially in personal and political contexts.
• According to Merriam-Webster, “In this age of misinformation
- of ‘fake news’, conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deep
fakes - gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time”.

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RAJYOTSAVA AWARDS
Former chairman of ISRO K. Sivan - known for his
contribution to the Chandrayaan project - is among the 67
achievers, who have been selected for the 67th Rajyotsava
award.
About:
• The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, is an annual
civilian honor conferred on individuals and organizations by
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the Karnataka Government.
• It is conferred on the occasion of the establishment of the
state on 1 November celebrated as the Kannada Rajyotsava.
• This year, the prize money, has been increased from Rs 1
lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
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INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA
The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held
in November 2022.
About:
• This annual film festival was founded in 1952.
• Since 2004, starting from the 35th edition, it moved to its
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permanent venue Goa, and is being held during the months
of November and December of each year.
• The festival is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the
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Government of Goa.
• At the end of the festival, Golden peacock award is awarded to
the best film.
• During the festival, ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal, instituted
by the International Council for Film & Television, Paris and
UNESCO is given to a film that portrays the Gandhian values
of peace and harmony.
NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDS
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President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Florence
Nightingale Awards for the year 2021 to the nursing
professionals.
About:
• The awards are given to recognize the meritorious services
rendered by nurses and nursing professionals to the society.
• It was instituted in 1973 by the Union Health and Family
Welfare Ministry.
• It is named in honour of Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910),
an English social reformer and the founder of modern nursing.
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FAKE REVIEWS IN E-COMMERCE
The Department of Consumer Affairs launched the
framework for safeguarding and protecting consumer
interest from fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce.
About:
• The Department of Consumer Affairs and Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS) launched the framework titled Indian
Standard (IS) 19000:2022 ‘Online Consumer Reviews —
Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation
and Publication.
• The standards will be applicable to every online platform
which publishes consumer reviews.
• BIS will also develop a Conformity Assessment Scheme for
the standard to assess compliance.
• The guiding principles of the standard are integrity,
accuracy, privacy, security, transparency, accessibility
and responsiveness. The standard prescribes specific
responsibilities for the review author and the review
administrator.
• The standard will initially be voluntary for compliance by all
e-commerce platform.
• Once made mandatory, if required, the violation of the
standards by any entity may be considered as an unfair trade
practice or violation of consumer rights and a consumer may
submit such grievances to the National Consumer Helpline,
Consumer Commissions or the CCPA.
• The standard provides for both automated and manual
moderation and provides checks for analyzing the review
content.
ATAL NEW INDIA CHALLENGE PROGRAM
Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog launched the
Women-centric challenges under the 2nd edition of Atal
New India Challenge (ANIC) to address the major issues
faced by women from all spheres of life.
About:
• Atal New India Challenge is a flagship program of Atal
Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• The program aims to support technology-based innovations
that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and
societal relevance. Applicants showing capability, intent,
and promise to be able to productize technologies will be
awarded grants upto ₹1 crore.
• ANIC supports the selected start-ups through to the
commercialization stage over a course of 12 – 18 months by
funding up to INR 1 crore.
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• The current round of ANIC concentrates on 18 challenges
from 5 sectors in addition to an open innovation category:
(1) Agriculture – Millet, (2) Post and Telegraph, (3) Drinking
Water and Sanitation, (4) Renewable Energy and Clean-Tech
and (5) Education.
BAZBALL
and conceding a free-kick from the point where the attacking
player was deemed to be offside.
Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT):
• The SAOT has two parts to it — a sensor inside the match
ball that is held using suspension technology and existing
tracking tools that are part of the Video Assistant Referee
(VAR) technology.

After England defeated Pakistan in the historic Rawalpindi • Kinexon, a German company, has designed a small in-ball

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cricket Test Match, the term ‘Bazzball’ was trending.
About:
• The word “Bazball,” refers to England’s new strategy for Test
matches under head coach Brendon McCullum.
device which gives precise positional data and also detects
ball movement in a three-dimensional space.
• Every time the ball is hit, data is sent in real time (at 500
frames per second) to a network of antennae installed around
the playing field.

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• Brendon McCullum, the Kiwi head coach of England who
goes by the title “Baz,” inspired the name.
• The approach calls for them to be ultra-positive and fearless
and always go for the win.
• FIFA has made it clear that SAOT is only a confirmatory tool.
The final decision “always belongs to the match official — on
the VAR to the video assistant referee and on the field of play
to the referee.

• Following fundamental principles are attached to it: first being • Benefits of SAOT: This will help officials in making quick
a less reflective environment, followed by no negative chat, a and accurate decisions. Experts believe that the wealth of
win-at-all-costs mentality, no failure fear, praise – even for the tracking data generated by the technology will soon be used
little things, simplicity of the message, and embracing mental by coaches for tactical analyses and gauging individual
freedom and fun. athlete performances.
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SEMI-AUTOMATED ‘OFFSIDE’ TECHNOLOGY
Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) is being
used at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar to support the
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officials to help them make faster and accurate ‘offside’
decisions.

Offside Rule in Football:

• In simple terms, the rule (or “law” as FIFA calls it) explains
that a player is considered offside if he or she receives the
ball while being “beyond” the second last opponent (usually
a defender).
• There are a couple of exceptions, though – there’s no offside
offence if a player receives the ball directly from a throw-in,
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goal kick or corner kick.

• A player is not in an offside position if:
 he is in his own half of the field of play or
 he is level with the second-last opponent or
 he is level with the last two opponents.
• The offside rule is required to prevent attacking players from
perpetually camping in front of the opponent’s goal. This
means that an attacking player can enter the space between
the final defensive player (most often the goalkeeper) and the
rest of the defence only after the ball is played.
• An offside offence leads to the attacking team losing the ball

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CARBON BORDER TAX
• The carbon border tax involves imposing an import duty on
a product manufactured in a country with more lax climate
rules than the one buying it.
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• The BASIC group, comprising Brazil, South Africa, India, and
China, said in a joint statement, “Unilateral measures and
discriminatory practices, such as carbon border taxes, could
result in market distortion and aggravate the trust deficit
amongst parties that must be avoided.
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• The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is a plan from the
European Union (EU) to tax carbon-intensive products, such
as iron and steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium, and electricity
generation, from 2026.
MANGROVE ALLIANCE FOR CLIMATE
• Members: The MAC is an initiative led by the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia. It also includes India, Sri
Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain as partner countries.
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• Objectives: It seeks to spread awareness of the role of
mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a
“nature-based solution to climate change”.
• Mangrove Cover: Worldwide: The largest Mangrove area is
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reported in Asia (5.55 million hectares), followed by Africa
(3.24 million hectares).
 More than 40 percent of the total area of Mangroves was
reported to be in just four countries: Indonesia (19 percent
of the total), Brazil (9 percent), Nigeria (7 percent), and
Mexico (6 percent).
• Mangrove Cover: India: India contributes to nearly half of
the total mangrove cover in South Asia. West Bengal has
the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India, mainly
because of Sundarbans. It is followed by Gujarat and
Andaman, and Nicobar Islands.
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INTERNATIONAL DROUGHT RESILIENCE
ALLIANCE
• Leaders from over 25 countries and 20 organizations
launched the International Drought Resilience Alliance at
COP27 to the UNFCCC.
• The mission of the alliance is to make the land’s resilience to
drought and climate change a reality by 2030.
• In India, around 68% of the country is prone to drought in
varying degrees.
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DATA RECAP
• According to the latest Drought in Numbers report compiled
by UNCCD, droughts have increased in frequency by 29%
since 2000, with some 55 million people affected every year.
• Up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate by 2050,
largely due to drought in combination with other factors
including water scarcity, declining crop productivity, sea
level rise, and overpopulation.
TIPPING POINTS
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
defines tipping points as “critical thresholds in a system that,
when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state
of the system, often with an understanding that the change is
irreversible.
• Impact: Here are the 7 most likely to be crossed this
century due to human activity: (1) Greenland ice sheet, (2)
Permafrost, (3) Ocean circulation and temperature (AMOC),
(4) Monsoons, (5) Amazon Rainforests, (6) Antarctic ice
sheets and (7) Coral reef die-offs.
JHARKHAND RESERVATION BILL
• The Jharkhand Assembly cleared two Bills, one for increasing
reservation and another for determining domicile status.
• The first Bill, ‘Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts
and Services (Amendment) Bill, 2022’, aims at increasing
reservations in vacant government posts and services in the
state from 60% to 77%.
• The second Bill is the ‘Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons
and for Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural and
Other Benefits to Such Local Persons Bill, 2022’.
 The second bill calls for using land records with 1932
as the cut-off year to determine domicile status and who
among the people fit the definition of local residents.
VACANCIES IN JUDICIARY
• The Indian judiciary faces high vacancies across all levels
(the Supreme Court, High Courts, and subordinate courts).
• Between 2010 and 2020, vacancies increased from 18%
to 21% across all levels of courts (from 6% to 12% in the
Supreme Court, from 33% to 38% in High Courts, and from
18% to 20% in subordinate courts).
• The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances,
Law and Justice (2020) noted that every year, 35-40% of
posts of High Court judges remain unfilled.

• As on February 20, 2020, 21% of posts for judges were
vacant (5,146 posts out of the sanctioned strength of 24,018)
in subordinate courts.
THE GLOBAL POPULATION CROSSES 8
BILLION
• The global population is growing at its slowest rate since
1950, having fallen under 1 percent in 2020.
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• The world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in
2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
• Global Fertility: Fertility has fallen markedly in recent decades
for many countries.
• More than half of the projected increase in the global
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population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries:
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India,
Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the United Republic of
Tanzania.
• The share of the global population at ages 65 and above is
projected to rise from 10 percent in 2022 to 16 percent in
2050.
• India: India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most
populous country in 2023. India will continue to have one of
the youngest populations in the world till 2030 and is currently
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experiencing a demographic window of opportunity, a “youth
bulge” that will last till 2025.
POCSO ACT
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• A recent report, titled ‘A Decade of POCSO’, on the analysis
of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)
Act cases across India, has found gaps in its implementation.
• India has also been a signatory to landmark international
instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the Sale of Children, etc.
• POCSO Act is gender-neutral and defines a child as any
person below eighteen years of age.
 It defines different forms of sexual abuse, including
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penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual
harassment and pornography.
• Delhi has the highest number of POCSO trials in the country
with 13.54 cases per 100,000 population in 2018.
• Chandigarh and West Bengal are the only states where the
average time taken for convictions is within one year.
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest pendency with more than three-
fourths (77.77%) of the total POCSO cases filed between
November 2012 and February 2021 pending.
• On the other hand, at 80.2%, Tamil Nadu has the highest
disposal percentage.
In-Shorts | Data Recap Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• Domestic violence is the pattern of abusive behavior in a
domestic relationship that is used by a person(s) to gain/
maintain power and control over another person.
• As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) report,
32% of married women (18-49 years) have experienced
physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence.
• The most common type of spousal violence is physical
violence (28%), followed by emotional violence and sexual
violence. As opposed to this, only 4% of men face domestic
violence cases in the country.
• Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka
at 48%, followed by Bihar, Telangana, Manipur, and Tamil
Nadu. Lakshadweep has the least domestic violence at 2.1%.
SUICIDE PREVENTION STRATEGY
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced India’s
first National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
• In India, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide.
In the past three years, the suicide rate has increased from
10.2 to 11.3 per 1,00,000 population.
• As per National Crime Records Bureau statistics, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka
have the highest percentage share of suicides (2018-2020),
ranging between 8% to 11%.
• Globally, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among
15-29-year-olds and also the second leading cause of death
for females aged 15-19 years, as per WHO estimates.
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
• It is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine with Turkey
and the United Nations (UN), made during the 2022 Russian
invasion of Ukraine.
• The Initiative was launched on 22 July 2022 to enable the
resumption of exports from Ukraine of grain, other foodstuffs,
and fertilizer, including ammonia, through a safe maritime
humanitarian corridor.
• The Initiative is based on the International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, (SOLAS) and
the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS
Code).
NARCO AND POLYGRAPH TESTS
• A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological
responses that are triggered when a person is lying are
different from what they would be otherwise.
• A polygraph test does not involve injecting drugs into
the body; rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive
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electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such
as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat
gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions
are put to them.
• In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium
pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which
transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their
imagination is neutralised.
• In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being
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incapable of lying and is expected to divulge information that
is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting,
short-duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to
sedate patients during surgery. It belongs to the barbiturate
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class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as
depressants.
TECHNOLOGY AND TERRORISM
• India hosted a special meeting of the UNSC’s Counter-
Terrorism Committee (CTC) under the theme of ‘Countering
the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist
purposes’.
• This was the first such meeting of the UNSC-CTC in India
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since its establishment in 2001. The two-day meeting was
held in Mumbai and Delhi.
• In Delhi, the CTC unanimously adopted the “Delhi Declaration
on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for
terrorist purposes”.
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NO MONEY FOR TERROR CONFERENCE
• The first NMFT Conference was hosted by France in Paris.
• The NMFT was started as an initiative of the French
government which had, in 1989, laid the foundation of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international body
at the forefront of combating money laundering and terrorist
financing.
• The second NMFT Conference was hosted by Australia in
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2019 in Melbourne.
• The 2022 conference was hosted in New Delhi by the Ministry
of Home Affairs, Government of India.
• The agenda for the NMFT 2022 included the use of virtual
assets and crowd funding platforms by terrorist entities, their
use of the dark web, the links between terror financing and
legitimate economic activities, and payment intermediaries.
INDIA-AUSTRALIA ‘ECTA’
• Australia’s Parliament ratified the trade pact with India on
November 22, 2022.
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• In April 2022, India and Australia signed an Economic
Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
• India believes the AI-ECTA will also integrate it with the
trading network and supply chains of the mega trade pact
RCEP that entered into force earlier this year.
• The RCEP is a free trade agreement among 14 countries
Australia, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
China, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea,
Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
• India now has Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with almost all
RCEP members, except with China and New Zealand.
FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (FTAS)
• List of FTAs signed by India: 1. India-Sri Lanka FTA 2.
Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) FREE
TRADE AGREEMENTS (FTAs) 3. India-Nepal Treaty of Trade
4. India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade, Commerce, and Transit
5. India-Thailand FTA - Early Harvest Scheme (EHS) 6. India-
Singapore CECA 7. India-ASEAN CECA - Trade in Goods,
Services, and Investment Agreement 8. India-South Korea
CEPA 9. India-Japan CEPA 10. India-Malaysia CECA 11.
India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and
Partnership Agreement (CECPA) 12. India-UAE CEPA 13.
India-Australia ECTA.
• Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs): 1. Asia Pacific Trade
Agreement (APTA) 2. Global System of Trade Preferences
(GSTP) 3. SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA)
4. India-Afghanistan PTA 5. India-MERCOSUR PTA 6. India-
Chile PTA.
FINANCING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
• World Bank released a report, titled ‘Financing India’s Urban
Infrastructure Needs: Constraints to Commercial Financing
and Prospects for Policy Action.
• India is rapidly urbanizing. By 2036, 600 million people will be
living in urban cities in India, representing 40 percent of the
population.
• India’s cities require an estimated capital investment of USD
840 billion in urban infrastructure and municipal services in
the 15 years till 2036 (in 2020 prices), equivalent to 1.18% of
the estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over this period.
ARTEMIS 1 MOON MISSION
• Artemis 1 was successfully launched from Kennedy Space
Centre on 16 November 2022.
• The Artemis program is a robotic and human Moon exploration
program. The program’s long-term goal is to establish a
permanent base camp on the Moon and facilitate human
missions to Mars.

• Agencies involved: This program is led by the United States
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• The major components of the program are: The Space Launch
System (SLS), Orion spacecraft, the Lunar Gateway space
station, and Commercial Human Landing Systems, including
Starship HLS.
MISSION PRARAMBH
• ‘Vikram-S’ – India’s first privately developed launch vehicle –
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made its maiden flight from ISRO’s launchpad at Sriharikota.
The mission is called ‘Prarambh’ (the beginning).
• The Vikram is a family of small-lift launch vehicles being
developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.
• These launch vehicles have been crafted specially for the
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Small Satellite Market.
• Before a full orbital launch of Vikram I, “Vikram-S” was flown
in November 2022 by the name of Mission Prarambh.
• The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch
vehicle. Sub-orbital flight travel slower than orbital velocities
— they are fast enough to reach outer space but not fast
enough to stay in orbit around the Earth.
GROUNDWATER REPORT 2022
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• The Union Minister of Jal Shakti has released the Dynamic
Ground Water Resource Assessment Report for the entire
country for the year 2022.
• The assessment is carried out at periodical intervals jointly by
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Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and States/UTs.
• Such joint exercises between CGWB & States/UTs were
carried out earlier in 1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013,
2017, and 2020.
• In the present assessment, the total annual groundwater
recharge has increased from 436 to 437.6 bcm. A major
increase is noticed in the States of Bihar, Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Gujarat.
• Keeping an allocation for natural discharge, the annual
extractable groundwater resource has increased from 397.6
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(last assessment) to 398.08 bcm.
LOTHAL
• PM Modi reviewed the construction of the National Maritime
Heritage Complex (NMHC) site at Gujarat’s Lothal.
• Location: It is situated near the village of Saragwala in the
Dholka Taluka of Ahmedabad district (Gujarat). The nearest
cities are Dholka and Bagodara.
• Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley
civilization, located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state
of Gujarat.
In-Shorts | Data Recap Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022
• Timeline: The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200
BC. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered
Lothal in 1954.
• Features: In later excavations, ASI unearthed a mound, a
township, a marketplace, and the dock at Lothal.
• Trade: Lothal was a thriving trade centre in ancient times, with
its trade of beads, gems, and ornaments reaching West Asia
and Africa.
FINFLUENCERS
• Financial influencers (popularly known as “finfluencers”) are
people with public social media platforms offering advice and
sharing personal experiences about money and investment
in stocks.
• Their videos cover budgeting, investing, property buying,
cryptocurrency advice, and financial trend tracking.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is working
on guidelines for “finfluencers” who give advice to stock
market investors on various social media platforms.
NIVESHAK DIDI
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) conducted India’s First
Floating Financial Literacy Camp with an initiative called
‘Niveshak Didi’ among the local residents around Dal Lake of
Srinagar, J&K.
• IPPB, in collaboration with the Investor Education and
Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the aegis of the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), launched the initiative
called ‘Niveshak Didi’ to promote Financial Literacy “By the
women, for the women” concept.
• ‘Niveshak Didi’ initiative is based on the ideology that women
in the rural area feel more comfortable sharing their queries
with a female itself.
CHILD MARRIAGE
• The steering committee of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global
Programme to End Child Marriage visited India to witness
state interventions that have helped reduce the prevalence of
child marriage.
• In the past decade, great progress has been made in South
Asia, where a girl’s risk of marrying before she is 18 has
dropped by more than a third, from nearly 50% to below 30%.
• In India, child marriage reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to
26.8% in 2015-16. In the last five years, it declined further
by 3.5% points to reach 23.3% in 2020-21, according to the
latest National Family Health Survey-5 data.
• Eight States have a higher prevalence of child marriage than
the national average — West Bengal, Bihar, and Tripura
top the list with more than 40% of women aged 20-24 years
married below 18, according to NFHS data.
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EKLAVYA MODEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
• The Government of India is pushing to set up 740 Eklavya
Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students — one
each in every sub-district that has at least a 20,000-odd
Scheduled Tribe population, which must be 50% of the total
population in that area.
• • The EMRS model was first introduced in 1997-98 to provide
quality education to tribal students with residential facilities in
remote corners.
• Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms
made out of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a
slant.
• Traditionally, only pure silk and natural and chemical dyes
were used, but since the last century, they have been replaced
by fast-to-bleach and easy-to-dye chemical colours.
UNESCO INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
LIST

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• The aim was to build schools at par with the Jawahar
• Recently, Baguette — the staple French bread — was inscribed
Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
into UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
• The following 14 elements from India have been inscribed on
LEGAL RIGHTS TO NON-HUMANS the list: (1) Durga Puja of Kolkata, (2) Kumbh Mela, (3) Novruz,
(4) Yoga, (5) Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil

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• The South American country of Ecuador, 2008, approved a
Constitution that grants tropical forests, islands, rivers, and making in Punjab, (6) Sankirtana, (7) Buddhist chanting
air, legal rights to “exist, flourish and evolve”. In April 2022 of Ladakh, (8) Chhau dance, (9) Kalbelia folk dance, (10)
Ecuador became the first country to grant legal rights to Mudiyettu, (11) Ramman festival of Garhwal Himalayas, (12)
individual wild animals. Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, (13) Tradition of Vedic chanting
• Bolivia granted legal status and all-Nature Rights to Mother and (14) Ramlila.
Earth in 2011.
• In 2017, the New Zealand parliament passed a bill granting GANDHI MANDELA AWARD
legal personhood to the Whanganui River, which is revered
• The 14th Dalai Lama has conferred the Gandhi Mandela
by the Maori people. With this, the Whanganui River became
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Award in 2022.
the first river in the world to be given legal status.
• It is an international prize constituted by the New Delhi-based
Gandhi Mandela Foundation.
MOTHER TONGUE SURVEY OF INDIA • It instituted the award on the 150th birth anniversary of
• As per an analysis of 2011 linguistic census data in 2018, Mahatma Gandhi.
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more than 19,500 languages or dialects are spoken in India
as mother tongues.
PERMACRISIS
• These are further grouped into 121 categories of mother
• Permacrisis - a word describing the feeling of living through
tongues.
a period of war, inflation, and political instability - has been
• According to the 2011 linguistic census, Hindi is the most
chosen as Collins Dictionary’s word of the year.
widely spoken mother tongue, with 52.8 crore people, or 43.6
• ‘Permacrisis’, a portmanteau of permanent and crisis, refers
percent of the population declaring it as their mother tongue.
to an extended period of things going awry.
• The next highest is Bengali, the mother tongue of 9.7 crore
individuals, and accounting for 8 percent of the population.
GASLIGHTING
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• Merriam-Webster, America’s oldest dictionary publisher, has

PATAN PATOLA
• The ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk
dates back to the 11th century.
• The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and
design on both sides. This peculiar quality has its origins in
an intricate and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing,
known as ‘bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before
weaving.
• One of the major practitioners of the dwindling art form is the
Salvi family from North Gujarat.
just chosen “gaslighting” as its word of the year.
• Gaslighting is the act or practice of grossly misleading
someone, especially for one’s own advantage.
BAZBALL
• The word “Bazball,” refers to England’s new strategy for Test
matches under head coach Brendon McCullum.
• Brendon McCullum, the Kiwi head coach of England who
goes by the title “Baz,” inspired the name.

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 Test Yourself Current Affairs
Edition: December, 2022

Test Yourself
Subjective Questions

GS PAPER-I 10. What is the 9th Schedule of the Constitution of India? Are
the laws placed under it completely exempt from judicial
1. Why do victims of Domestic violence stay with their scrutiny? Explain. (10 marks, 150 words)

S
abusers? How does Domestic violence impact society?
Analyse. (15 marks, 250 words) 11. In recent times, why India has been pushing for more
bilateral FTAs rather than regional trade agreements?
2. Lothal is one of the major sites of the Indus Valley Discuss.  (15 marks, 250 words)
Civilisation. Discuss the various features of Lothal and
how they reflect the developments during that period of 12. Currently, the Indian Foreign Policy is witnessing a

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major shift. Discuss this in light of the recent geopolitical
time. (10 marks, 150 words)
developments. (15 marks, 250 words)
3. Discuss the Maritime History of India and how it has
GS PAPER - III
evolved over the period of time? (15 marks, 250 words)
13. Why are the developing countries criticizing Carbon
4. Recently the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
Border Tax? Critically Analyse.  (10 marks, 150 words)
announced an equity policy for women cricketers.
Do you think the move is a significant development in 14. India’s Urban Infrastructure needs financing and policy
the direction of filling the Gender Pay Gap? Discuss. action. Comment. (10 marks, 150 words)
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 (15 marks, 250 words)
15. In light of the recent Slowdown in the Tech Sector
5. Why Suicide among Youth is prevalent in India? How will critically analyse how the economies are moving towards
the National Suicide Prevention Strategy counter this? an economic recession and what are its implications?
 (10 marks, 150 words)  (15 marks, 250 words)
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6. Recently the Global Population crossed 8 billion. Discuss 16. What is NASA’s Artemis Program? Discuss its Significance.
the challenges associated with it. How India can take  (10 marks, 150 words)
steps toward policy changes in light of its demographic
17. How is the Private Sector giving a boost to India’s Space
dividend? (10 marks, 150 words)
Programme? Elaborate. (15 marks, 250 words)

7. Highlight the major provisions of the Protection of Children 18. According to recent findings, groundwater exploitation
from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Discuss the gaps in has reached a new level in India. In this background,
the implementation of the Act. (10 marks, 150 words) discuss various government initiatives to address the
issue of groundwater exploitation. (15 marks, 250 words)
GS PAPER - II
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19. How GM crops can bridge the food and nutrition security
8. How has the role of the Election Commission of India
in India? Discuss the concerns around the introduction of
changed over the years? Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words) GM crops in India. (15 marks, 250 words)

9. What are the implications of Vacancies in the 20. The COP27 agreement on loss and damage is significant.
Judiciary? What can be done to address the issue? But it did not address several other pressing issues.
 (10 marks, 150 words) Critically Analyse. (15 marks, 250 words)

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