Daily Prelims Notes 25 April 2023

April 25, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

25 April 2023

Table Of Contents

1. India overtakes China, becomes most populous nation with 142.9 crore people

Subject : Geography

Context: India has overtaken China as the most populous nation in the world, according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund. The report says 68 per cent of India’s population is in the 15-64 age group.

Demographic dividend:

What is demographic dividend?

Demographic dividend means that the country’s dependency ratio, as measured by the share of the young and the elderly as a fraction of the population, will come down more sharply in the coming decades. Increase in the share of working age population means more workers in the productive age groups that will add to the total output, generate more savings, accrue more capital per worker, and all these leading to higher economic growth.

Issues:-in reaping the demographic dividend

Learning loss due to the COVID pandemic
Labour market imbalances –due to shortage skill skilled labour and skill mismatch.. In 2019-20, only 73 million of India’s 542 million strong workforce received any form of vocational training (whether formal or informal).
The proportion of formally skilled workers as a percentage of total workforce stands at 24 per cent in China, 52 percent in USA, 68 per cent in UK and 80 per cent in Japan, against a paltry 3 per cent in India.

Suggestions:

The report suggests that youth may be offered skill vouchers and scholarships which can be linked to the national skill qualification framework. Thus leading to a transformation from supply-based to demand-based skill system.
The government should also consider setting up multi skill training institutes in MSME clusters to impart skills based on local demand.
Corporate investment in employee education and training should continue to play a critical role to meet the demand for high-skilled workers. Thus, greater government-industry collaboration holds the key for skilling the burgeoning workforce.

Concept:

Definition

According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), demographic dividend means, “the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65 and older)”.

With fewer births each year, a country’s working-age population grows larger relative to the young dependent population. With more people in the labor force and fewer children to support, a country has a window of opportunity for economic growth if the right social and economic investments and policies are made in health, education, governance, and the economy.

Causes-Change in population structure occur due to

Falling birth rate
Lower fertility rate-As fertility declines, the share of the young population falls and if this decline is rapid, the increase in the population of working ages is substantial, yielding the ‘demographic dividend’.
Increased longevity

Falling birth rate and lower fertility rate will contribute to a reduction in expenditure; increased longevity will lead to an increase in the size of the working-age population.

Background for the development of basic structure doctrine

Since the adoption of Indian Constitution, debates have started regarding the power of the Parliament to amend key provisions of the Constitution.
In the early years of Independence, the Supreme Court conceded absolute power to Parliament in amending the Constitution, as was seen in the verdicts in Shankari Prasad case (1951) and Sajjan Singh case (1965). • In both the cases the court had ruled that the term “law” in Article 13 must be taken to mean rules or regulations made in exercise of ordinary legislative power and not amendments to the Constitution made in exercise of constituent power under Article 368. • This means Parliament had the power to amend any part of the constitution including Fundamental rights. • Article 13(2) reads, “The State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the right conferred by this Part (PartIII) and any law made in contravention of this clause shall, to the extent of contravention, be void.” • However, in the Golaknath case (1967), the Supreme Court held that Parliament could not amend Fundamental Rights, and this power would be only with a Constituent Assembly. • The Court held that an amendment under Article 368 is “law” within the meaning of Article 13 of the Constitution and therefore, if an amendment “takes away or abridges” a Fundamental Right conferred by Part III, it is void. • To get over the judgments of the Supreme Court in the Golaknath case (1967), RC Cooper case (1970), and MadhavraoScindia case (1970), the then government headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had enacted major amendments to the Constitution (the 24th, 25th, 26th and 29th). • All the four amendments brought by the government were challenged in the Kesavananda Bharati case.

A 13-judge Bench was set up by the Supreme Court, the biggest so far, and the case was heard over 68 working days spread over six months.

The case was primarily about the extent of Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution.
First, the court was reviewing a 1967 decision in Golaknath v State of Punjab which, had ruled that Parliament cannot amend fundamental rights.
Second, the court was deciding the constitutional validity of several other amendments.
The executive vs judiciary manoeuvres displayed in the amendments ended with the KesavanandaBharati case, in which the court had to settle these issues conclusively.
In its majority ruling, the court held that fundamental rights cannot be taken away by amending them. While the court said that Parliament had vast powers to amend the Constitution, it drew the line by observing that certain parts are so inherent and intrinsic to the Constitution that even Parliament cannot touch it.
The origins of the basic structure doctrine are found in the German Constitution which, after the Nazi regime, was amended to protect some basic laws. The original Weimar Constitution, which gave Parliament to amend the Constitution with a two-thirds majority, was in fact used by Hitler to his advantage to made radical changes. Learning from that experience, the new German Constitution introduced substantive limits on Parliament’s powers to amend certain parts of the Constitution which it considered ‘basic law’.
In India, the basic structure doctrine has formed the bedrock of judicial review of all laws passed by Parliament.
The present position is that the Parliament under Article 368 can amend any part of the Constitution including the Fundamental Rights but without affecting the basic structure of the Constitution.
However, the Supreme Court is yet to define or clarify as to what constitutes the basic structure of the Constitution. From the various judgments, the following have emerged as basic features of the Constitution or elements / components / ingredients of the ‘basic structure’ of the constitution:
- Supremacy of the Constitution
- Sovereign, democratic and republican nature of the Indian polity
- Secular character of the Constitution
- Separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary
- Federal character of the Constitution
- Unity and integrity of the nation
- Welfare state (socio-economic justice)
- Judicial review
- Freedom and dignity of the individual
- Parliamentary system
- Rule of law
- Harmony and balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
- Principle of equality
- Free and fair elections
- Independence of Judiciary
- Limited power of Parliament to amend the Constitution
- Effective access to justice
- Principle of reasonableness
- Powers of the Supreme Court under Articles 32, 136, 141 and 142

2. Cheetah deaths

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: One of the 12 cheetahs flown in from South Africa in February, a six-year-old male named Uday, died in Kuno National Park on April 23.

More on the News:

Of the 20 cheetahs brought to India from Africa in the world’s first intercontinental translocation project, 18 now remain. Five-year-old Sasha, one of the eight cheetahs that arrived from Namibia last September, died on March 27.
Only days ago, Madhya Pradesh CM had asked the state forest department to prepare Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary as the second home for the spotted cats to relieve pressure on Kuno.

Were these unfortunate cheetah deaths unexpected?

The Cheetah Project did anticipate high mortality. The criteria for the project’s short-term success was only “50% survival of the introduced cheetah for the first year”. That would be 10 out of 20.
As a result, the Madhya Pradesh government set a six-month deadline for readying Gandhisagar — in the Chambal river valley in Mandsaur and Nimach districts — for the cheetahs. There is also talk about moving a few animals from Kuno to the safety of an 80-sq-km fenced area in Rajasthan’s Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve.
The focus, therefore, is shifting from the project’s stated purpose — that of establishing the cheetah in an open landscape as a free-roaming and self-sustaining population occupying thousands of square miles — to managing the African imports as a few pocket populations in fenced-in or restricted areas.

So is shifting the goalpost a viable step?

In the absence of natural dispersal, managing a meta-population involves moving suitable individuals from one pocket population to another to maintain genetic viability.
In 2018, a study documented how meta-population management conserved a declining population of 217 cheetahs in 40 small populations in South Africa.
In 2009, 40 fenced reserves in South Africa held only 289 cheetahs even though as many as 343 were translocated to 48 fenced reserves from Namibian and South African ranches since 1965. Once the supply was stopped in 2009, numbers further fell to 217 by 2012.
At that stage, the key conservation problems (such as high lion density) were identified and addressed before shuffling cheetahs from one pocket population to other.
In six years, the meta-population grew to 328 cheetahs, offering a viable roadmap for the South African model of conserving animals in fenced reserves in regions with dense human populations blocking natural gene flow.

And how do cheetahs die?

The South African study also documented the causes of mortality, where it could be established, for 293 cheetah deaths.
It found that holding camps caused 6.5% of cheetah deaths, immobilisation/ transit caused 7.5% deaths, and another 0.7% were caused by tracking devices. This added up to almost 15% — so, one in every seven cheetah deaths was attributed to handling and management.
Predation turned out to be the biggest killer in the study, accounting for 53.2% of cheetah mortality. Lions, leopards, hyenas, and jackals were primarily responsible. Several other wildlife including warthogs, baboons, snakes, elephants, crocodiles, vultures, zebras, and even ostriches killed cheetahs.
It is well documented that cheetahs suffer very high cub mortality — up to 90% in protected areas — mainly due to predation. Consequently, nearly 80% of all cheetahs throughout their range in Africa are found living outside of protected parks and reserves.

So what options are available to the project now?

The Cheetah Project can choose to cut the risk by settling for the South African model of retaining a few pocket populations in fenced-in reserves. But if it chooses not to make this compromise, the project does face an uphill task.
In the long run, the success — or failure — of the cheetah project will be determined within the framework of India’s traditional conservation ethos that envisages protecting naturally dispersing wildlife in viable non-fragmented habitats.

3. Urea rules India’s Farms

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Sales of the nitrogenous fertiliser have scaled new highs despite measures to check its use.

Background:

In May 2015, the Centre made it mandatory to coat all indigenously manufactured and imported urea with neem oil. This was followed by replacing 50-kg bags with 45-kg ones in March 2018, and the launch of liquid ‘Nano Urea’ by the Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) in June 2021.
None of the above measures — checking illegal diversion for non-agricultural use, smaller bags, and increasing nitrogen use efficiency — have succeeded in reducing urea consumption.
Sales of urea crossed a record 35.7 million tonnes (mt) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. Consumption did dip in the initial two years after neem-coating was fully enforced from December 2015, seemingly making it difficult for the heavily subsidisedfertiliser to be used by plywood, particle board, textile dye, cattle feed and synthetic milk makers.
But that trend reversed from 2018-19. Urea sales in 2022-23 were about 5.1 mt higher than in 2015-16 and over 9 mt than in 2009-10, before the introduction of the so-called nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime in April 2010. All other fertilisers, barring single super phosphate (SSP), have registered much lower increases or even declines.

The failure of NBS

Under NBS, the government fixed a per-kg subsidy for each fertiliser nutrient: Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potash (K) and sulphur (S). This was as against the earlier product-specific subsidy regime.
Linking subsidy to nutrient content was intended to promote balanced fertilisation by discouraging farmers from applying too much urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP). These are fertilisers with high content of a single nutrient: Urea (46% N), DAP (46% P plus 18% N) and MOP (60% K).
NBS was expected to induce product innovation, besides more use of complex fertilisers (having lower concentrations of N, P, K and S in different proportions) and SSP (containing only 16% P but also 11% S).
However, the data reveals worsening of nutrient imbalance, with urea consumption rising by over a third since 2009-10. This has been largely courtesy of its maximum retail price (MRP) going up by a mere 16.5% – from Rs 4,830 to Rs 5,628 per tonne – post the introduction of NBS.
The government has, in the last one year, also brought back price controls on DAP, with companies not allowed to charge more than Rs 27,000 per tonne. It has led to the sales of both fertilisers soaring in 2022-23, at the expense of NPKS complexes and SSP.

The cost of imbalanced fertilization

Fertilisers are essentially food for crops. They, like humans, need nutrients – primary (N, P, K), secondary (S, calcium, magnesium) and micro (iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum) – for plant growth and grain yield.
More recent research at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana – has established a decline in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) itself. NUE refers to the proportion of N applied mainly through urea that is actually utilised by crops to produce harvested yields. It has estimated the NUE in India to have fallen from 48.2% in 1962-63 to 34.7% in 2018. The 34.7% NUE was below the global average of 45.3% and 53.3% for North America in 2018.
This soil organic nitrogen may then undergo mineralisation (reconvert into inorganic ammonium form) and become available to the subsequent crops. The remaining unutilised N, however, escapes from the soil-plant system through hydrolysis (breakdown of urea into ammonia gas and its release into the atmosphere) and nitrification (below-the-ground leaching after conversion into nitrate).

Solution:

The obvious solution is to reduce its consumption and promote products containing other nutrients in desired (crop- and soil-specific) combinations.
There are two approaches to cut urea consumption. The first is raising prices. Second approach is to improve NUE – enabling farmers to harvest the same or more grain yields with fewer bags.
Nano Urea is also primarily aimed at boosting NUE. The ultra-small size of its particles (20-50 nanometers, as against 1-4 millimeters for normal prilled/granular urea; 1 mm=1 million nm) is said to allow easier penetration through the stomatal pores of leaves. IFFCO claims that a single 500-ml Nano Urea bottle containing just 4% N can effectively replace “at least” one 45-kg bag of regular 46% N urea.

Fertilizer usage in India https://optimizeias.com/imbalance-in-fertilizer-use/

Nano Urea:

Nano Urea (Liquid) is a source of nitrogen which is a major essential nutrient required for proper growth and development of a plant. Nitrogen is a key constituent of amino acids, enzymes, genetic materials, photosynthetic pigments and energy transfer compounds in a plant. Typically, nitrogen content in a healthy plant is in the range of 1.5 to 4%.
Foliar application of Nano Urea (Liquid) at critical crop growth stages of a plant effectively fulfils its nitrogen requirement and leads to higher crop productivity and quality in comparison to conventional urea.
Nano Urea (Liquid) contains nanoscale nitrogen particles which have more surface area (10,000 times over 1 mm Urea prill) and number of particles (55,000 nitrogen particles over 1 mm Urea prill).which makes it more impactful.
In comparison to Urea the uptake efficiency of Nano Urea is more than 80 %. It is thus, required in lesser measure compared to the conventional urea fertiliser to fulfil plant’s nitrogen requirement.
Nano Urea (liquid) has been tested for biosafety and toxicity as per the guidelines of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India and OECD international guidelines.
Nano Urea (liquid) is completely safe for human, animals, birds, rhizosphere organisms and environment at the recommended levels of application.
Nano Urea (Liquid) does not involve any government subsidy and will be made available to farmers at a 10% lower price than a bag of subsidised Urea.
Transportation would be easier and economical, as one 500 ml bottle would be equivalent to one bag of regular urea fertiliser.

Benefits of IFFCO Nano Urea

increase the nutrient usage efficiency Efficacy of one bottle of Nano Urea (500 mL) is equivalent to one bag of urea.
minimize nutrient losses
Reduces the requirement of conventional Urea by 50% or more
Environment friendly product, can improve Soil, Air & Water quality thus, helps in addressing the concerns of Global Warming and in meeting the UN SDGs.
increase the crop yield by an average of 8 per cent along with improving the quality of farm produce by providing better nutrition to crops, according to the coorperative.
Cheaper than conventional urea.
Reduce input cost to farmers, leads to increase in farmers’ income.
Improves crop productivity, soil health and nutritional quality of produce.
Nano Urea (liquid) increases crop productivity and can reduce the requirement of conventional Urea by 50%.
Application of nano urea (liquid) improves yield, biomass, soil health and nutritional quality of the produce.

Mechanism of assimilation by plants

The size of one nano urea liquid particle is 30 nanometre and compared to the conventional granular urea it has about 10,000 times more surface area to volume size. Due to the ultra-small size and surface properties, the nano urea liquid gets absorbed by plants more effectively when sprayed on their leaves.

Upon penetration, these nanoparticles reach plant parts where nitrogen is required and release nutrients in a controlled manner, thereby reducing usage while also reducing wastage into the environment.

When sprayed on leaves Nano Urea easily enters through stomata and other openings and is assimilated by the plant cells.
It is easily distributed through phloem from source to sink inside the plant as per its need. Unutilised nitrogen is stored in the plant vacuole and is slowly released for proper growth and development of plant.

4. Trees, crops endemic to India can help combat air pollution

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: Peepal, mango, neem, maize, safflower & pigeon pea are found to be most suitable for areas with higher levels of air pollution.

More on the News:

Certain trees and crops which are endemic to India can help lower the impact of air pollution by absorbing and filtering pollutants, according to a new study.
Trees such as pipal, neem, mango and crops like maise, pigeon pea and safflower are best suited for areas with higher levels of air pollution, noted the study.
These trees exhibited the highest air pollution tolerance index (APTI) values.
The level of ascorbic acid in plants determines their tolerance against the adverse effect of oxidising pollutants. Ascorbic acid levels were higher in peepal, followed by mango trees.

5. India China border talks

Subject :Environment

Section: India’s neighbour

Context:

The 18th round of India- China Corps Commander Level Meeting took place at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.

More about the news:

On Sunday, the 18th round of India- China Corps Commander Level Meeting took place at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.
The Indian side was represented at the Corps Commander Level meeting by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali.
Both the countries are said to be stuck at negotiations over Demchok and Depsang friction points with China showing reluctance over taking up these two issues in a series of boundary resolution talks held post Galwan standoff in May, 2020.

India-China Border Major Disputed Region.

Please refer the map given below:

6. Governors should clear bills as soon as possible: SC

Subject : Polity

Section: Executive

Concept :

The Supreme Court observed that bills sent to the governor for assent must be returned “as soon as possible” and not sit over them, making state Legislative Assemblies wait indefinitely.

Key-highlights of SC Observation

Citing proviso 1 of Article 200 of the Constitution, the bench said the expression ‘as soon as possible’ has significant constitutional intent and must be borne in mind by constitutional authorities.
According to Article 200, “Assent to Bills when a Bill has been passed by the Legislative Assembly of a State or, in the case of a State having a Legislative Council, has been passed by both Houses of the Legislature of the State, it shall be presented to the Governor and the Governor shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent therefrom or that he reserves the Bill for the consideration of the President.”
The governor is an important constitutional figure in India, serving as the representative of the President of India in each state and union territory.

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution provides provisions regarding the powers of the Governor when a bill is passed by the state legislature.
The Governor shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent therefrom or that he reserves the Bill for the consideration of the President.
When a bill other than money bill is presented before Governor for his assent, he either gives assent to the bill, withhold his assent to the bill or return the bill for reconsideration of houses.
If the bill is passed again by state legislature with or without amendments, he has to give his assent or reserve the bill for consideration of President. (Article 201 pertains to ‘Bills Reserved for Consideration’)
The Governor cannot send money bill back for reconsideration because the money bill would usually be introduced with prior assent of Governor only.
In case the money bill reserved for Presidents assent, the President has to state whether he is giving assent or withholding his assent.
The Constitution does not furnish any guidance to the Governor that in which matters he should accord his assent and in which matters he should withhold assen

Veto Powers of Governor

The Governor of India enjoys absolute veto, suspensive veto (except on money bills) but not the pocket veto.
Absolute Veto: It refers to the power to withhold his assent to a bill passed by the legislature. The bill then ends and does not become an act.
Suspensive Veto: It is used when the bill is returned to the legislature for its reconsideration.
If the legislature resends the bill with or without amendment , it has to be approved the bill without using any of the veto powers.
Exception: Money Bill with respect to suspensive veto
Pocket Veto: The bill is kept pending for an indefinite period. This power can be exercised by President, but not by the Governor.

Related Articles

Article 355 of the Indian Constitution, it shall be the duty of the Union to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
According to Article 154 of the Constitution, the Governor can exercise his/her executive powers only on the “aid and advice of the Council of Ministers”.
Thus, the Governor can withhold assent to a Bill only on ministerial advice.

Key Supreme Court judgments on the issue of justiciability

Purushothaman Namboothiri vs State of Kerala Case, 1962: In this case, the issue that was discussed was that a Bill pending before the State Governor does not lapse on the dissolution of the Assembly.
However, this judgment does not deal with the justiciability of the process of assent.
Hoechst Pharmaceuticals Ltd. And … vs State Of Bihar And Others Case, 1983: In this case, the Court ruled that a Governor reserves a Bill for the consideration of the President in the exercise of his discretion.
However, the Court cannot determine whether it was necessary for the Governor to reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President and hence even this case does not deal with the justiciability of assent.

7. Wagner group actions in Africa

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Section:

Concept :

In the wake of the political crisis in Sudan which recently has turned into a countrywide armed conflict, there have been questions raised over the involvement of the Wagner group.

Wagner Group

The Wagner group is a Russian private paramilitary organisation which is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a rich businessman who is famously known as “Putin’s chef”.
The Wagner Group is known to have very close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The first operation of the Group was helping Russia annex Crimea in 2014 and since then the Wagner Group has been used in various Russian military operations in many countries.
Although the Wagner group works closely with the Russian security apparatus, it is legally not recognised as a Russia-based private military company as private mercenary groups are illegal in Russia.
However, in 2018, the Russian President recognised the group saying that the group has the right to pursue its interests anywhere in the world as long as they do not break Russian law.
Apart from engaging in counter-militancy operations in Africa, the group is also involved in various political, economic and military fields.
The group has been active in countries like Sudan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Libya in Africa.

Note :

The UN’s International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries states that the states are required to bear the responsibility for the activities of the mercenaries who violate principles of international law which threaten sovereign equality, political independence, territorial integrity of states and self-determination of people.
However, the Wagner Group is not a Russia-based private military company legally.

8. Malaria and Notifiable diseases in India

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Health

Concept :

Malaria is all set to become a notifiable disease across India despite there being a decline in the number of cases.

Details

At present, malaria is a notifiable disease in 33 States and UTs in India.
The latest move is in line with India’s vision to be malaria-free by 2027 and to eliminate the disease by 2030.
India was the only high-burden, high-impact country in the Southeast Asian region to experience a decline in malaria cases in 2020 as compared to 2019.
India experienced an 85.1% decrease in malaria cases and an 83.36% decrease in deaths during 2015-2022.

Notifiable diseases in India

Notifiable diseases are those diseases that are required by law to be reported to government authorities.
This is in line with the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations, 1969 that mandate disease reporting to the organization to help its global surveillance and advisory role.
The collation of information helps the government authorities to monitor the disease and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.
Declaring diseases as legally notifiable by doctors and health professionals facilitates timely interventions to control the spread of highly infectious diseases.
The responsibility of notifying such diseases and the implementation lies with the State government.
The government has declared several diseases as notifiable diseases including diseases like cholera, encephalitis, leprosy, meningitis, plague, tuberculosis, AIDS, hepatitis, measles, yellow fever, dengue, etc.

About Malaria

Malaria is a serious mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by various species of parasitic protozoan microorganisms called
The malarial parasite was discovered by Dr Alphonse Laveran, a military doctor, in 1880.
Malaria is transmitted by an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
The plasmodium parasites multiply and develop inside the liver cells and red blood cells of human beings.
Symptoms: Fever, chills, and headaches are considered mild symptoms, while fatigue, convulsions, and breathing difficulties are among the severe symptoms.
Effective Vector Control is a vital component for the elimination of malaria. Insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are also effective to reduce the transmission of the disease.
April 25 of every year has been commemorated as World Malaria Day since 2007.

9. Vibrant Villages plan to be merged with PM Gati Shakti

Subject :Schemes

Section: Infrastructure

Section:

Concept :

The government’s flagship Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), which envisages developing infrastructure and opening up villages along the China border to tourists, will be integrated with the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti mega project.
One of the key objectives of VVP is to stop the migration of the border population which will help in gathering intelligence from the people of border villages.
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the programme to cover 2,967 villages in various districts of four States and one UT along the China border and allocated ₹4,800 crores for the financial years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti National Master Plan is a central government project, aimed to revolutionise infrastructure in India.
The digital platform of the PM Gati Shakti initiative brings together 16 Ministries and departments of the Government of India with an aim to facilitate integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
The Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N) in Gujarat has been assigned the task of providing satellite images and GIS mapping of the projects that will be taken up under the scheme.

Kibithu Village

Kibithoo, located in Arunachal Pradesh, is the first village to be part of the Centre’s Vibrant Villages programme.
Kibithu in Anjawdistrictis in the easternmost administrative circle in India.
Housing dozens of villages within the 10 km range of the McMohan line, the villagers are fluent in Hindi because of their regular interaction with the security forces but do not have proper connectivity with the mainland.

For further notes on Vibrant Villages Programme, refer – https://optimizeias.com/130-model-villages-proposed-in-areas-along-the-eastern-border/

10. Operation Kaveri

Subject : International Relations

Section: Places in news

Concept :

India has initiated an operation to evacuate its nationals from conflict-hit Sudan.
Operation Kaveri
As per reports, close to 3,000 Indians are stuck in various parts of Sudan such as the national capital, Khartoum and other provinces like Darfur.
Operation Kaveri has been initiated to bring back such stranded Indian citizens from Sudan.
Stranded Indian citizens are being evacuated from Port Sudan.
India has deployed two C-130J heavy-lift aircraft in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and has sent INS Sumedha to Port Said (Egypt) for the operation.

Major evacuation operations

Operation Ganga: In a mission to evacuate stranded Indians from war-torn Ukraine, the Indian government kicked off Operation Ganga in February 2022
Operation Devi Shakti: An evacuation operation by the Indian Armed Forces (IAF) was kicked off in August 2021 to safely bring back Indian nationals from Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, the capital city of the Taliban.
Vande Bharat Mission: Special flights were operated across to globe in this mission to bring back the nationals who were left stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wuhan Airlift: In one of the most difficult evacuation flights, India airlifted its citizens safe from China’s coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in January 2020.
Operation Maitri: The government of India carried out this mission to safely bring the nationals from Nepal after the deadly earthquake in 2015.
Operation Raahat: Hundreds of Indians and other nationals were rescued under this operation during the unrest at Yemen’s capital Sana’a after the complete takeover by Houthi rebel fighters in January 2015
Operation Amnesty Airlift: The mission was carried out in September 1996 to bring back the Indian nationals who did not have valid permits from the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait Airlift: In one of the most massive operations in Indian history, the Indian Air Force joined hands with Air India in airlifting stranded Indian nationals in Kuwait in August 1990.

11. UAE’s Hope space probe offers never before view of Mars moon

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

A new map of Mars shows the Red Planet in stunning detail, revealing a wealth of fascinating geological features as seen from orbit.
The high-resolution map could help scientists answer a number of pressing questions about Marsincluding how it came to be a dry, arid, and barren landscape despite once being abundant with liquid water.
The Martian map was created by a team of scientists led by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Center for Space Science (opens in new tab).The researchers used data collected from orbit around Mars by the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), also known as Hope or Al-Amal.

Details:

HOPE

Unmanned craft, called Amal, Arabic for Hope, had reached the end of its nearly seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet.
It is a Mars orbiter spacecraft of the United Arab Emirates which is Arab world’s first inter-planetary mission.
The mission is officially named the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) and the orbiter has been named Hope or ‘Al Amal’.
The mission has a life of one Martian year (equivalent to 2 earth year).

The Probe carries three scientific instruments:

Emirates exploration Imager (EXI): A high-resolution camera.
Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS): A far-UV imaging spectrograph.
Emirates Mars InfraRed Spectrometer (EMIRS): It will examine temperature profiles, ice, water vapor and dust in the atmosphere of Mars.

Aim of mission

Climate dynamics and global weather map of Mars by studying the lower atmosphere of Mars
Weather of Mars affects the escape of hydrogen and oxygen, by correlating conditions in the lower and upper atmosphere
The presence and variability of hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere, and why Mars is losing these gases to space.

Significance:

‘Hope’ mission is not only important for UAE, but also for the whole of Arab world, as it is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.

Other Missions to Mars:
- China’s Chang’e Project
- USA’s Perseverance
- India Mangalyaan

12. Stray dog beaten to death; police launch hunt to nab accused

Subject :Polity

Section: Important legislation

What is Prevention of cruelty of animal act,1960

The act prohibits any person from inflicting, causing, or if it is the owner, permitting, unnecessary pain or suffering to be inflicted on any animal.
The act provides for punishment for causing unnecessary cruelty and suffering to animals.
Section 2 of the act defines animals and types of animals like domestic or captive animals.
Section 4 of the act provides for the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory advisory body for animal welfare and protection of animals from unnecessary suffering and pain.
The act mentions forms of cruelty, exceptions, and killing of a suffering animal in case any cruelty has been committed against it, so as to relieve it from further suffering.
The act also provides the guidelines relating to experimentation on animals for scientific purposes.
An animal cannot be exhibited or trained by any person, if:
- Such a person is unregistered as per the provisions of this chapter;
- Such an animal has been barred from being included in any performance by the Central Government through a notification in the Official Gazette.
This Act provides for the limitation period of 3 months beyond which no prosecution shall lie for any offences under this Act.

13. India reliance on imported crude oil at record high of 87.3% in FY23

Subject: Economy

Section: External sector

Rising demand for fuel and other petroleum products amid flagging domestic crude oil output has resulted in India’s reliance on imported crude increasing to a record 87.3 per cent of domestic consumption in 2022-23, up from 85.5 per cent in 2021-22, according to data released by the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC).
India’s oil import dependency was 4 per cent in 2020-21, 85 per cent in 2019-20, and 83.8 per cent in 2018-19.
The computation of the extent of import reliance is based on the domestic consumption of petroleum products and excludes petroleum product exports as those volumes don’t represent India’s demand. With refining capacity of a little over 250 million tonnes per annum, India — the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil and also one of its top importers – is a net exporter of petroleum products.
India’s domestic consumption of petroleum products in 2022-23 rose over 10 per cent year-on-year to a record 3 million tonnes, underscoring robust demand, particularly for transportation fuels (petrol and diesel). However, domestic crude oil production for the year declined 1.7 per cent to 29.2 million tonnes. Crude oil imports in 2022-23 rose 9.4 per centyear-on-year to 232.4 million tonnes. In value terms, crude oil imports for the fiscal were at $158.3 billion, up from $120.7 billion in 2021-22, as per PPAC data.
Total production of petroleum products from domestic crude oil was 2 million tonnes in 2022-23, which means that the extent of India’s self-sufficiency in crude oil was just 12.7 per cent, down from 14.5 per cent in 2021-22. In 2021-22, consumption of petroleum products sourced from indigenous crude oil was 29.3 million tonnes, while total domestic consumption was 201.7 million tonnes.
While the government wants to reduce India’s increasing reliance on imported crude oil, sluggish domestic oil output in the face of growing demand for petroleum products has been the biggest roadblock. Cutting costly oil imports is also a fundamental objective of the government’s push for electric mobility, biofuels, and other alternative fuels for transportation as well as industries. Over the past few years, the government has intensified efforts to raise domestic crude oil output by making exploration and production contracts more lucrative and opening vast acreages for oil and gas exploration

Challenge of High reliance on imported crude oil

It makes the Indian economy vulnerable to global oil price volatility, apart from having a bearing on the country’s foreign trade deficit, foreign exchange reserves, rupee’s exchange rate, and inflation

14. Govt note silent on allegations, wrestlers to move SC for FIR

Subject :Polity

Section: National Organisation

Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

The Indian Olympic Association(IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams at these events. It plays with the name of Team India. It also acts as the Indian Commonwealth Games Association, responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Commonwealth Games.

History of Indian Olympics

India first participated in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time.
The seeds for creation of an organisation for coordinating the Olympic movement in India was related to India’s participation in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, when Sir Dorabji Tata suggested the need for a Sports body at National level for promoting Olympic Sport in united India. After the 1920 Games, the Committee sending the team to these Games met, and, on the advice of Sir Dorabji Tata, invited Dr. A.G. Noehren (Physical Education Director of YMCA India) to also join them.
Subsequently, in 1923-24, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was set-up, which organised the All India Olympic Games (that later became the National Games of India) in February 1924. Eight athletes from these Games were selected to represent India at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, accompanied by manager Harry Crowe Buck. This gave impetus to the development and institutionalization of sports in India, and, in 1927, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was formed, with Sir Dorabji Tata as its founding President and A.G. Noehren as Secretary.