Daily Prelims Notes 21 March 2025

Daily Prelims Notes

21 March 2025

Table Of Contents

1. Inflation going up in South from migration from poorer States
2. U.S. firm Eli Lilly unveils drug for obesity, diabetes
3. Government Confirms 465 GPS Spoofing Cases
4. Habitual Offender Laws

1. Inflation going up in South from migration from poorer States

Sub: Eco

Sec: Inflation and unemployment

Context:

• A recent State Bank of India (SBI) report highlights that labour migration from low-income states to high-income states is contributing to higher inflation in the richer southern states, such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

More on news:

• India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation moderated to 3.6% in February 2025, largely due to easing food and vegetable prices. However, inflation in larger States continued to outstrip the national average. Inflation refers to the general increase in price levels.
• With inflation expected to remain benign, SBI anticipates a cumulative rate cut of at least 75 basis points in the upcoming policy cycle.

Regional Inflation Trends:

• Southern States: The prices of key items like vegetables, cereals, and pulses have shown a significant increase.
• North-East and Western Regions: These areas have experienced relatively lower inflation compared to the southern and eastern regions.
• Post-Pandemic Inflation Trends: From FY21 to FY25, inflation in the North-East declined by 3.4%, while the decline in the South was lower at 2.6%.

Taxation and Inflation:

• Southern states have imposed higher taxes on petrol/diesel, liquor, and vehicle registrations, which could be driving inflationary pressures.
• Southern States contribute the highest share (30%) to the total sales tax collection in India, followed by northern States.

Impact of Labour Migration on Inflation:

• Labour migration from low-income to high-income States has led to increased inflation in the richer States. The migration boosts demand for goods and services, which in turn drives up prices.
• The SBI report notes that higher purchasing power in these high-income states anchors higher inflation, particularly in food prices.

Consumer Price Index (CPI):

• A comprehensive tool for estimating price changes in a basket of goods and servicesthat is representative of consumption expenditure in an economy is the Consumer Price Index.
• One of the most significant economic statistics, it provides an estimate of the cost of living and is typically based on the weighted average of commodity prices.
• Four kinds of CPI are as follows:CPI for Industrial Workers (IW), CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL), CPI for Rural Labourer (RL), CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined).
• The first three are compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Fourth is compiled by the NSO in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

CPI vs WPI:

2. U.S. firm Eli Lilly unveils drug for obesity, diabetes

Sub: Sci

Sec: Health

Context:

• American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company introduced Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in India after receiving marketing authorization from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
• India has around 101 million people with diabetes. The growing demand for GLP-1 class drugs in India, driven by diabetes and obesity management, is creating a multi-billion-dollar market, with semaglutide set to go off-patent in 2026 and Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus holding a dominant 65% share.

About Mounjaro:

• Mounjaro is a drug designed for the management of obesity, overweight, and Type 2 diabetes.
• In controlled clinical trials, adults using Mounjaro alongside diet and exercise experienced significant weight loss.

Mechanism of Action:

• Mounjaro activates two important hormone receptors in the body:
  • GIP (Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide)
  • GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptide-1)
• These hormones play a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels and controlling appetite, making Mounjaro an effective treatment for both diabetes and obesity.

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO):

• CDSCO is the national regulatory authority for pharmaceuticals and medical devices in India.
• CDSCO was established in 1966 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)heads CDSCO.
• It operates under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Major functions of CDSCO:

• Responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs and medical devices under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• Responsible for the approval of vaccinesand managing the regulatory framework for the medical devices sector.
• Approves new drugs and clinical trials.
• Works with state drug regulators and other health authorities to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Controls the quality of imported drugs in the country.

3. Government Confirms 465 GPS Spoofing Cases

Sub: Sci

Sec: Space sector

Why in News

• The government has confirmed 465 cases of Global Positioning System (GPS) interference and spoofing incidents in border areas, particularly in Amritsar and Jammu, between November 2023 and February 2025. This raises serious concerns about aviation safety and national security.

What is GPS Interference and Spoofing?

• GPS Interference: Disruption in the accuracy of GPS signals used for navigation.
• Spoofing: A cyberattack where false GPS signals are transmitted to mislead navigation systems.
• The attacker mimics legitimate GPS signals. Tricks systems into perceiving false locations, speeds, or altitudes.
• Impacts: Disruption in navigation accuracy for aircraft and drones. Can trigger erroneous speed or terrain warnings. Used in modern warfare and conflict zones to mislead enemies.
• Examples: Several airlines operating in and around Amritsar have experienced GPS and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference.
• GPS jamming refers to deliberate attempts to block or disrupt satellite signals, affecting navigation accuracy.

Global Positioning System (GPS):

• A satellite-based navigation system providing location and time information globally.
• Developed by: U.S. Department of Defence.
• 24 operational satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).
• Trilateration using signals from at least four satellites to determine precise location.

4. Habitual Offender Laws

Sub : Polity

Sec : Legislation in new

Context:

• Habitual offender laws classify certain individuals as repeat criminals based on past convictions.
• The Supreme Court (SC) has questioned the constitutional validity of these laws, highlighting their misuse against denotified tribes (DNTs).
• As of March 2025, such laws continue to operate in 14 States and Union Territories (UTs).
• Some States, like Gujarat, argue for their continuation, while others, like Punjab, are in the process of repealing them.

Supreme Court’s Observations on Habitual Offender Laws

• In October 2024, while addressing caste discrimination in jails, the Supreme Court noted that habitual offender laws were “constitutionally suspect” and used to “target members of denotified tribes.”
• The Court observed that these laws replaced the Criminal Tribes Act but continued to associate members of certain communities with crime.
• It explicitly stated, “A whole community ought not to have either been declared a criminal tribe in the past or a habitual offender in the present.”
• Urged States to review the necessity of such laws.

Origin of the ‘Habitual Offender’ Classification

Colonial-Era Criminalisation of Communities

• Regulation XXII of 1793:
  • Gave magistrates the power to imprison or force certain communities into labor based on suspicion.
• Indian Penal Code (1860) & Criminal Procedure Code (1861):
  • Created mechanisms to maintain registers of “dacoits and thugs.”
• Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) of 1871:
  • First introduced the term “criminal tribe.”
  • Allowed authorities to declare a gang, a tribe, or a class of people as criminals.
  • Strengthened in later years and expanded to all of colonial India in 1924, exponentially increasing the number of criminalized communities.

Post-Independence Developments

• Criminal Tribes Act Enquiry Committee Report (1949-50):
  • Recommended repealing the CTA and enacting a central law for habitual offenders, irrespective of caste or birth.
• 1952:
  • The CTA was repealed, and affected communities were reclassified as Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT, NT, SNT).
• States introduced “habitual offender” laws:
  • Madras Restriction of Habitual Offenders Act, 1948 (extended to Delhi in 1951).
  • Rajasthan Habitual Offenders Act, 1953.
  • Similar laws were adopted by Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, etc., over the next two decades.
• Lokur Committee Report (1965):
  • Despite reforms, it still described DNTs as communities with an “anti-social heritage” and an “affinity for crime.”

Criteria for Declaring a ‘Habitual Offender’

• Habitual offender laws across States included crimes such as:
  • “Being a thug.”
  • “Belonging to a gang of dacoits.”
  • “Living on the earnings of prostitution.”
  • Multiple entries on “lurking.”
• Registers were maintained, and prison manuals incorporated rules for treating habitual offenders, often continuing to target erstwhile “criminal tribes.”
• Example: Rajasthan’s jail manual explicitly allowed DNT members to be designated as habitual offenders.

Controversy and Resistance Against Habitual Offender Laws

Budhan Sabar Case (1998) and the Rise of Activism

• 1998: Budhan Sabar, a member of a denotified community in West Bengal, died in custody, leading to national outrage.
• Denotified and Nomadic Tribes Rights Action Group (DNT-RAG) was formed by Mahasweta Devi and G.N. Devy to advocate for these communities.
• A magazine ‘Budhan’ was launched to highlight issues faced by DNTs.

Petition to NHRC and United Nations (1998-2000)

• In 1998, DNT-RAG wrote to:
  • National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
  • United Nations Secretary-General
• The letter highlighted how police and society continued to treat DNTs as ‘born criminals’ and ‘habitual criminals’ despite the repeal of the CTA.
• The NHRC formed an Advisory Group in 2000, which concluded that habitual offender laws should be repealed.

International and National Reports Against the Law

• United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (2007):
  • Called for the repeal of habitual offender laws due to their discriminatory use.
• B.S. Renke Commission (2008):
  • Noted how these laws continued to negatively impact DNT communities.
• Virginius Xaxa Committee (2014):
  • Reported that the stigma of criminality attached to DNTs persisted due to habitual offender laws.
• Sukanya Santha’s 2020 Report:
  • Documented caste-based discrimination in prisons, including the treatment of habitual offenders.
  • Filed a petition in SC, prompting the Court’s 2024 observations.

State-Wise Responses to Habitual Offender Laws

States Repealing or Discontinuing the Law

• Punjab: Has not implemented the law for over five years.
• Haryana: Already repealed the law.
• Odisha: No case registered under the law in the last five years.
• Andhra Pradesh: No one currently imprisoned under the law.

States Opposing Repeal

• Gujarat: Argued against repealing the law, stating that its intent is not to harass.
• Goa: Claimed that since there are no DNTs in the State, misuse is not possible.
• Telangana: Called the law “preventative.”
• Uttar Pradesh: Claimed that since all habitual offender provisions are covered under the Goondas Act, repeal is irrelevant.

NCRB Data (2022) on Habitual Offenders

• 1.9% of India’s 1.29 lakh convict population is classified as habitual offenders.
• Delhi has the highest proportion (21.5%).