UPSC Key—26 September, 2023: National Investigation Agency, State of Working India 2023 report, and Green hydrogen

US exploring hotline with China to tackle crises in space

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday. The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one.

• What is Space hotline?

• Why hotline with China?

• What kind crises in space?

• Is Outer space a “global common”?

• What is global common?

• What is Outer space?

• Is space governed by international law?

• Global Governance of outer space is very much required now?

• “Commons” is sometimes also associated with the “common heritage of mankind” (CHM) concept as expressed in Article 11(3) Moon Agreement, 1979-What is “common heritage of mankind”?

• What is Moon Agreement of 1979?

• “Great power rivalry on the Earth has inevitably begun to envelop the Moon”-Discuss and attest with some examples

• “With outer space and the Moon set for an increased range of activity, Delhi needs laws – domestic as well as international – for its effective promotion and regulation”-What’s your opinion?

• “This is a moment to seize the new possibilities for India’s leadership in transforming the relationship between humanity and outer space”-Discuss

• What is militarisation and weaponization of space?

• What is the difference between militarisation and Weaponization?

• The first military use of outer space was the development of what?

• Have you heard of InterContinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)?

• What is InterContinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)?

• Why Militarisation and Weaponization of Space?

• Concept of Weaponization of Space-How it evolved?

• ‘The overwhelming majority of UN member states are concerned that the weaponization of outer space will lead to an arms race and insist that a multilateral treaty is the only way to prevent this. In this regard, an Outer Space Treaty was conceptualised by the United Nations in 1967’-Discuss

• How Space Weaponization can impact global peace?

• India and Space Weaponization-Connect the dots

• What is Indian DefSpace Symposium?

• Who organises Indian DefSpace Symposium?

• For Your Information-The symposium comes amid a growing government and military focus on the space domain. In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched Mission DefSpace, under which 75 challenges in the space sector have been identified on which the private firms would work on.

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📍India’s first private rocket signals a foray into a field dominated by governments

Nepal, China sign 12 agreements during Prachanda’s visit to Beijing

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- China and Nepal on Monday signed 12 agreements, including seven MoUs, to enhance bilateral cooperation in sectors including trade, road connectivity, and information technology after Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” held wide-ranging talks in Beijing.

During the meeting, the two leaders comprehensively reviewed the bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction over the close and cordial ties subsisting between the two countries, according to a press release issued by the Nepal embassy in Beijing.

• China and Nepal-What is the Historical Background of their bilateral relations?

• What is China’s Interest in Nepal?

• How Nepal will benefit from China’s friendship?

• What is India’s stand?

• China and Nepal on signed 12 agreements recently-Know in detail

• “Prachanda, who politically distanced from the pro-China Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) headed by KP Oli after becoming Prime Minister in December last year, made his maiden visit to China after visiting India and the US”-Why this is significant?

• Nepal under Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”-Know in brief

• For Your Knowledge-The agreements include an MoU for Cooperation between The National Planning Commission of Nepal and China’s National Development and Reform Commission; an MoU on enhancing digital economy co-operation; an MoU related to cooperation on green and low-carbon development; and an MoU on cooperation in the field of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, the release said.
The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a Joint Technical Working Group for the review and modification of the Nepal-China trade and payment agreement.
They also signed a protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of plant-derived medicinal materials for Chinese medicine from Nepal to China.
China and Nepal also signed MoUs on the Hilsa-Simkot Road Project and the Nepal-China Power Grid Interconnection Project (Chilime-Kerung).
The other agreements include cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation; and in the field of Human Resources Development, the release said.
Prachanda also met with National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji during which they focused on further broadening the historical ties between Nepal and China and promoting exchange of high-level visits, it said.

• India-Nepal Bilateral relations-know the historical background

• India-Nepal Bilateral relations-What is the present situation?

• India-Nepal Border Dispute-Know in details

• India and Nepal have border disputes over what areas?

• Why has this border dispute become so politically charged in Nepal?

• China, India and Nepal-Connect the dots

• Is China’s political influence in Nepal harming Indian interests?

• Why is Nepal so important?

• India-Nepal Bilateral Relations and Shared Heritage-Know in detail

• What is India’s Neighbourhood First Policy?

• India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Nepal-Connect the dots

• “While India’s role in mobilising external support, mainly from the European Union and United States, in favour of the establishment of the secular republic in 2006 was widely appreciated, its attempts at “micro-management” in Nepal, as Dahal said once, resulted in a significant loss of goodwill”-Comment

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The personal & the political: reading Nepal PM Prachanda’s visit to India

GOVT & POLITICS

Supreme Court sets up 7-judge bench to review 1998 verdict

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies IV: Probity in Governance: Challenges of corruption.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Monday set up a seven-judge bench that will reconsider the correctness of 1998 five-judge Constitution bench judgment in the P V Narasimha Rao case wherein the majority held that legislators were immune to prosecution on bribery charges for their speech or vote in Parliament.

The bench, to be presided by the CJI, will also comprise Justices A S Bopanna, M M Sundresh, P S Narasimha, J B Pardiwala, Sanjay Kumar and Manoj Misra.
A notice issued by the SC said the bench will start hearing the matter from October 4, 2023.

• What was the 1998 ruling that the SC is referring to?

• What is P V Narasimha Rao case?

• Quick Recall-On September 20, a five-judge constitution bench presided by the CJI that took up the matter had said: “We are of the considered view that the correctness of the view of majority in P V Narsimha Rao should be reconsidered by a larger bench of seven judges. The bench added it is an “important issue that concerns our polity…”.
It said that the larger bench would deal with the question of correctness of the verdict on the interpretation of Artcles 105(2) and 194(2) of Constitution which extends the privilege to a member of Parliament and member of state legislature, respectively.

• What Articles 105(2) and 194(2) of the Constitution says?

• What is the current case with the SC?

• Do You Know- Broadly, Article 105 of the Constitution deals with the “powers, privileges, etc. of the Houses of Parliament and of the members and committees thereof”.
Article 105(2) states, “No member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee thereof, and no person shall be so liable in respect of the publication by or under the authority of either House of Parliament of any report, paper, votes or proceedings.”
In a nutshell, this provision exempts MPs from any legal action for any statement made or act done in the course of their duties. For example, a defamation suit cannot be filed for a statement made in the House. Additionally, this immunity extends to certain non-members, like the Attorney General of India or a Minister who may not be a member but speaks in the House. In cases where a member oversteps or exceeds the contours of admissible free speech, the Speaker of the House will deal with it, as opposed to the court. Meanwhile, Article 194(2) extends this immunity to MLAs and states, “No member of the Legislature of a State shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in the Legislature or any committee thereof, and no person shall be so liable in respect of the publication by or under the authority of a House of such a Legislature of any report, paper, votes, or proceedings.” In the present case, the court has to decide if the legal immunity enjoyed by parliamentarians extends to prosecution for demanding or taking a bribe.

• What exactly Supreme Case recently in this regard?

• What are the provisions that grant legislators immunity from prosecution?

• Do You Know-The PV Narasimha Rao case refers to the 1993 JMM bribery case concerning Shibu Soren, who also happens to be the father-in-law of Sita Soren, the petitioner in the present case. In Shibu’s case, he, along with some of his party MPs, was accused of taking bribes to vote against the no-confidence motion against the then PV Narasimha Rao government.
Out of the five judges on the Bench in this case, two opined that protection under Article 105(2) or 194(2) and the immunity granted could not extend to cases concerning bribery for making a speech or vote in a particular manner in the House.
However, the majority view was that while the court was “acutely conscious of the seriousness of the offence”, the Bench’s “sense of indignation” should not lead to a narrow construction of the constitutional provisions, as this may result in hampering the guarantee of “parliamentary participation and debate”. Thus, the top court in 1998 quashed the case against the JMM MPs, citing immunity under Article 105(2). Essentially, this five-judge bench ruling saved Soren from criminal prosecution.

• For Your Knowledge-The SC pointed out that “above all, it must be noted that the purpose of Article 105 (2) and 194(2) is to ensure that members of the Parliament and that of the state legislatures are able to discharge their duties in an atmosphere of freedom, without fear of the consequences which may follow for the manner in which they speak or exercise their right to vote on the floor of the House. The object clearly is not to set apart the members of the legislature as persons who wield higher privileges in terms of immunity from the application of the general criminal law of the land which citizens of the land do not possess.”
The question arose in the context of bribery charges against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Sita Soren in connection with the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections to two seats from the state.
She was accused of having accepted a bribe from an independent candidate for casting her vote in his favour. Soren said that she did not cast her vote in favour of the alleged bribe giver and in fact had cast her vote in favour of a candidate belonging to her own party, this fact having emerged from open balloting for RS seat. The round of poll in question was rescinded, and a fresh one was held in which she voted in favour of a candidate of her own party.
She moved the Jharkhand Court for quashing the chargesheet and criminal proceedings instituted against her relying on the provisions of Article 194 (2) but the HC declined to do so on the ground that she “had not cast her vote in favour of the alleged bribe giver”.
Soren then approached the SC where a two-judge bench in September 2014 opined that since the issue arising for consideration “is substantial and of general public importance”, it should be placed before a larger bench of three judges. On March 7, 2019, when a bench of three judges took up the appeal, it noted that the HC judgment dealt with Narasimha Rao verdict and hence should be referred to larger bench as may be considered appropriate.
Attorney General K K Venugopal said that Narasimha Rao judgment does not apply to the facts of the case as the immunity is only for actions with respect to the business of the House. The alleged acts of Soren were not with respect to any business of the House and hence she can be prosecuted and there was no need to examine the correctness of the decision at all, he contended.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Immunity of legislators from bribery charges

EXPRESS NETWORK

Uptick in NREGS demand continues, Aug sees spike of 25.8% from last year

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Important aspects of Governance and Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-AFTER A brief drop in demand in 2022-23, there has been an uptick in the number yet again under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) with over 1.73 crore families availing the scheme in August 2023. The data available on the NREGS portal shows the number of households which availed the rural job guarantee scheme in August this year was 25.85 per cent higher as compared to 1.37 crore in the same month last year.

• Why there has been an uptick in the number yet again under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?

• The data available on the NREGS portal shows what?

• Why such spike?

• For Your Information-In 2020-21, which witnessed the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent nationwide lockdown, the annual figure of families availing the scheme hit the all-time high of 7.5 crore. It came down in the following two years — 7.25 crore in 2021-22, and 6.18 crore in 2022-23. However, it has started rising again since the beginning of the financial year 2023-24.
Till September 23, 2023, the cumulative number of families availing the rural job guarantee scheme has reached 4.8 crore. A monthly analysis of the growing demand under the NREGS shows that almost 11 per cent more households availed the rural job guarantee scheme during April 2023 (2 crore) as compared to 1.83 crore in April 2022. It was 9.47 per cent higher in May this year as compared to the same month last year, 11.04 per cent higher in June 2023 compared to June 2022, and 19.38 per cent higher in July against the corresponding month last year.
Tamil Nadu (54.61 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (17.61 lakh), Rajasthan (13.07 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (9.67 lakh) and Kerala (9.49 lakh) were top five states recording the maximum number of families availing NREGS during August 2023. Tamil Nadu saw a jump of 56.87 per cent in NREGS demand as compared to 34.81 lakh in August last year. UP saw a marginal dip of 0.43 per cent in August this year as compared to a year ago, while Rajasthan saw a jump of 70.74 per cent.

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Mandate, Goals

• What are the core objectives of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?

• When was Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act passed by the Indian Parliament?

• What is the relationship between the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS)?

• In what way paradigm shift has taken place with the implementation of MGNREGA?

• Who are the key stakeholders of MGNREGS?

• What is the role of Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat in MGNREGS?

• How is Household defined in MGNREGA?

• Issues with MGNREGA?

• What are the eligibility criteria for receiving the benefits under MGNREGA scheme?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Nodal Ministry

• COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on MGNREGA?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Social Audit

• After a dip in demand for work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) the demand for work has again seen a rise-Know the reasons

• How schemes such as MGNREGA can help alleviate distress migration?

• For Your Information-The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The scheme emerged as a safety net for poor and migrant workers who returned to their villages in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020-21, which witnessed the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent nationwide lockdown, the number of families availing the scheme hit an all-time high of 7.5 crore. It was 7.25 crore in 2021-22 and 6.18 crore in 2022-23.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Budget 2023 cuts MGNREGS funds: The debate around the rural employment scheme

IAF inducts first C-295 transport aircraft

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Indian Air Force (IAF) Monday inducted the first C-295 transport aircraft in a formal ceremony at the Hindan Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh, days after it received the delivery of the aircraft at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain.

The first IAF squadron to be equipped with the aircraft, No. 11 Squadron, also named The Rhinos, is based in Vadodara. The ‘Sarv Dharm Puja’ induction ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari.

• What is C-295 aircraft?

• Do You Know-According to Airbus, the C295 is a versatile tactical transport which can perform a variety of missions, such as carrying troops and cargo, maritime patrol, airborne warning, surveillance and reconnaissance, armed close air support, medical evacuation, VIP transport, and airborne firefighting. The aircraft can carry up to nine tonnes of payload or up to 71 personnel at a maximum cruise speed of 260 kts. It is also equipped for air-to-air refueling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines, the aircraft can cruise at altitudes up to 30,000 ft and can quickly take off from and land at unpaved, soft, and sandy/grassy airstrips, the Airbus website states.
With 283 orders from 41 operators, the aircraft have logged a combined 500,000 flight hours.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) is procuring the C295 aircraft to replace its fleet of Avro-748 planes-How C-295 aircraft is different from Avro-748 planes?

• C-295 aircraft-Know its features

• Why the induction of C-295 aircraft is significant?

• For Your Information-In September 2021, India formalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the legacy Avro fleet of the IAF at a cost of Rs 21,935 crore.
The first 16 C295s of the 56 aircraft on order will be assembled at the San Pablo Sur site in Seville, with the second aircraft due to be delivered in May 2024 and the next 14 rolled out at a rate of one per month until August 2025.
The remaining 40 C295s of the IAF order will be manufactured and assembled – in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) – at a Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Gujarat’s Vadodara.
As reported by The Indian Express earlier, the production of components of these aircraft has already started in the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad, from where these parts would be shipped to the Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, which is set to be operational by November next year.
The facility will be similar to the sprawling 1.2 million sq m Airbus factory in Seville.
The aircraft will be manufactured under the first-ever ‘Make in India’ Aerospace programme in the private sector. For the longest time, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has had a monopoly over the manufacture of military aircraft in India.
The first India-made C295 will roll out of the Vadodara factory in September 2026, while the final aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by August 2031.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍IAF takes delivery of first C295: How this deal kicks off ‘Make in India’ scheme for military aircraft

Wider reach to tech review and diverse funds: House panel lists measures for NEP success

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Terming it “essential to inclusive development”, a parliamentary panel has called for “comprehensive awareness campaigns and infrastructural development” in the country’s remote areas and urban slums to improve access to education in marginalised communities in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).

• What exactly parliamentary panel recommended?

• The report of the panel on education, chaired by BJP MP Vivek Thakur, was tabled in Lok Sabha on the last day of the Special Session of Parliament says what?

• Suggesting a series of measures to ensure the benefits of the NEP reach the marginalised communities, what exactly there in the report?

• For Your Information-“The committee is of the view that the successful implementation of initiatives to enhance access to education for marginalised communities is not only a moral imperative but also essential for inclusive and sustainable development,” it said.
Taking note of the necessity of a technological infrastructure for the materialisation of the provisions in NEP, the committee recommended the setting up of a “monitoring group” to assess the readiness of the higher education sphere.
“The Department should set up a monitoring group, drawing experts from all stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current technological infrastructure in higher education institutions across the country, identify gaps… and suggest solutions to bridge any issue relating to technological gaps, investment in digital infrastructure, faculty training and development, learning resources, tech integration, etc,” the report said.
It further recommended “adoption of modern cloud-based technologies” to create a more “efficient, transparent, and student-centric ecosystem” in higher education institutions.
The committee also recommended “proper involvement” of the student community for the successful implementation of the NEP in its “early stages.”
“Proper involvement of the student community, incorporation of their feedback and suggestions towards the changes proposed in NEP will help institutions in orienting students faster and in a more effective way which will be helpful in creating institutional mechanisms to handle student’s queries on issues such as Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Multiple Entry and Exit system (MEME),” the report said.
For the execution of the MEME system, the panel recommended the development of “comprehensive guidelines and a well-defined framework” including specific eligibility criteria and credit transfer mechanisms, besides wider consultation with the educational institutions and other stakeholders.
Other salient recommendations by the committee include a suggestion to the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) to diversify its sources of funding, and consider reducing the rates of interest; expediting the process of engagement of “Professor of Practice” as envisaged in the NEP; and budgetary and infrastructure support to set up R&D cells in different higher educational institutions.

• Growth of Education in India: Historical Background from Vedic Period to British Period

• Growth of Education in the Post-Independence Period-Reforms taken so far

• Education was initially a state subject but following an amendment (42nd) to the Constitution in 1976, it became a concurrent subject-True or False?

• The gains in terms of the literacy rates of the Indian population since independence-Know in detail

• Constitutional Provisions Regarding Education- What Article 28, Article 29, Article 30, Article 21A, Article 45 and Article 46 says about Education?

• Education System in India-Know the Present Structure from Pre-primary level to Primary or elementary Level (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) to Secondary level (Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan) to Higher education (Rastriya Uchhattar Shiksha Abhiyan)

• Goal 4 of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related to Education and Govt of India’s initiatives/schemes/programmes to achieve the SDG Goal 4-Know in detail

• How National Policy on Education (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable development goals are linked?

• What are the salient features of New Education Policy 2020?

• How many policies India had so far and what was the fundamental objective of each which makes every policy unique?

• Know the Kothari Commission (1964–1966) recommendations to formulate a coherent education policy

• National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 and New Education Policy (NEP) 2020-Compare and Contrast

• What do you understand by National Curriculum Framework?

• National Policy on Education (NPE) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-Connect the dot

• “If NEP is the guiding philosophy, then NCF is the pathway”-Elaborate

• What is Higher Education Financing Agency?

• How does the Higher Education Financing Agency provide funding?

• What are the terms and conditions to receive finance from Higher Education Financing Agency?

• How Higher Education Financing Agency works?

• Higher Education Financing Agency-Know its merit and demerit

• What is the higher education in India?

• What are the issues and challenges faced by Higher Education Sector in India?

• How is higher education in India regulated?

• Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022 and Higher Education Financing Agency-Connect the dots

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: India’s National Education Policy, 2020

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

A TO Z OF GDP

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Ashish Kumar, Davendra Verma Writes: The current GDP estimates place India as the fifth largest economy in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a goal to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2025 which presently seems unachievable mainly due to Covid disruptions. However, India is on the path to becoming the third-largest economy around 2027 as estimated by many. Speaking at the inauguration of Bharat Mandapam, Modi further asserted that India would be the third-largest economy in his third term. This is a huge task. It requires constant and continuous cooperation and action on the part of all the actors including the private sector, governments, policymakers and bureaucracy and, most importantly, the citizens at large through their active participation.

• The primary responsibility for the measurement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is with whom?

• What do you understand by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

• How the Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is calculated?

• What is the difference between real GDP and nominal GDP?

• What are the different types of Gross Domestic Product?

• GDP-How it is Calculated?

• Gross domestic product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP)-Key Differences

• What is Gross Value added (GVA)?

• How are GDP and GVA different?

• What do the GDP data show?

• What do the GVA data show?

• One of the most important tasks to measure GDP accurately is the immediate revision of the base year-why?

• The country’s GDP is presently computed with base year?

• “GDP estimates based on an outdated base would not adequately capture new activities being undertaken in the economy”-What is the problem with current base yaer?

• For Your Information-In the last 10 years, the Modi government has made large investments in infrastructure. This would have resulted in the augmentation of additional and diversified production capacities and hence would have led to an increase in the production of goods and services. Further, with the improving image of the country globally and greater ease of doing business, a large inflow of foreign investment has also contributed towards improved capital investment and hence increased value addition due to diversification, adoption of efficient technologies and increased capacity. Therefore, new activities should be properly and adequately captured in the compilation process.
The compilation of GDP itself is a complex exercise and the revision of the base year is still more challenging. This requires a complete assessment of various data sources presently used for compilation and an examination of the feasibility of using new sources of data which have come into existence during the intervening period. Such new data sets should be used with caution and must be in accordance with the global guidelines provided in the System of National Accounts 2008. Considering the time required to undertake such an exercise, MOSPI and the National Statistical Commission should initiate the process at the earliest.
Unfortunately, MoSPI has not come out with the results of various surveys like the consumer expenditure survey and the annual survey on unincorporated enterprises which are crucial for the base revision exercise. Further, the exercise to examine other available databases, especially the newly created databases from GST and digital payments, should commence immediately.

• “There are also requirements for improvements in the procedure for the compilation of GDP in the country”-Why?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍ExplainSpeaking: Why is India’s GDP facing another controversy

EXPRESS NETWORK

NIA gets MHA nod for seven additional posts: ADG, 6 IGs

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Amid THE ongoing row between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday approved creation of posts of an additional director general (ADG) and six inspector generals (IGs) in the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Earlier this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that all states will have NIA offices by 2024 as a strategy to counter terrorism. The NIA is working in coordination with other central probe agencies and state police to undertake a whole ecosystem approach to dismantle terrorist networks that aim at harming India, an MHA official said.

• What is the National Investigation Agency (NIA)?

• What are the Changes Made under NIA (Amendment) Act 2019?

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is empowered to deal with the investigation of what?

• Do You Know-Currently, NIA has four IGs who handle the unit of terror financing, the north-east division, investigation and policy. Each IG has a team of at least two deputy inspector general (DIG) rank officers and four superintendent of police (SP) level officers. They all report to an ADG rank officer, who reports to Director General-NIA Dinkar Gupta. “We recently sent another proposal to MHA, asking them to increase the sanction post of DIGs rank officers and SP level officers,” an official said.
The NIA has registered 73 cases, including 35 cases of Jihadi terror, in 2022, a 19.67 per cent increase from the 61 cases registered in 2021 and the highest in the last three years. Officials said around 60 cases each were filed by the agency in 2019 and 2020.
Officials said the NIA is creating a database of the last 50 years of FIRs, investigations and decisions of the Supreme Court on cases involving terror incidents. “We are hoping that in the coming year, a national database on bomb blasts, terror funding, fake currency, narcotics, hawala transactions, arms smuggling and terrorism will be ready. We are trying to create a database of explosive materials and are trying to find the methodology of terrorists through an analysis of this database, through artificial intelligence(AI). The analysis will also help in training officers of the state ATS and crime branches,” the officials said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2019

EXPLAINED

Trends in India’s labour market

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination:

• General Studies‐ III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

• General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Between 2004 and 2018, there has been an upward trend of economic mobility for sons of fathers engaged in casual wage employment as they are now less likely to take up casual wage employment. Instead, sons of casual wage workers are now increasingly moving towards informal, semi-formal, and formal regular wage work. But there’s a caveat– the upward trend has been weaker for Scheduled Caste (SC) workers as compared to general caste workers.

• What ‘State of Working India 2023’ report says?

• What are the main features of Indian labour market?

• What is the trend of labor force participation rate in India?

• What are the major challenges facing the labor market in India?

• With regards to women’s participation in the workforce, the report says what?

• What do you understand by Labour Force and Labour Force participation rate (LFPR)?

• Female Labour Force Participation Rate-Know about this in detail

• Employment Rate (ER) and Unemployment Rate (UER)-Know in Detail

• What do you understand by “Informal economy” and “Unorganised Sector”?

• What Is the Unemployment Rate? How it is Calculated by CMIE?

• Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)-Role and Under which Ministry/Organisation?

• For Your Information-With regards to women’s participation in the workforce, the report stated that after the coronavirus pandemic, 60 per cent of women were self-employed as compared to 50 per cent before the pandemic.
While this indicates an increase in women’s workforce participation, it was accompanied by a decline in self-employment earnings, which in 2022 were only 85 per cent of what they were in the first quarter of 2019 reflecting the impact of distress induced by the pandemic.
Also, there has been an upward trend in intergenerational mobility, but the trend has been weaker for workers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes categories as compared to workers belonging to general castes.
For unemployment based on education and age groups, the report stated that 42.3 per cent of graduates under 25 are unemployed whereas the figure stands at 21.4 per cent for those who have completed higher secondary education in the same age group. Notably, with lower educational qualifications, the rate of unemployment also decreased.
With regards to intergenerational upward mobility, 75.6 per cent of SC/ST men in casual wage work also had sons involved in casual wage work in 2018. In comparison, the figure stood at 86.5 per cent in 2004, indicating that sons of casual wage workers belonging to SC/ST category have moved to other kinds of employment, most notably informal regular wage work.
The drop in this figure is more significant for the general caste category, from 83.2 per cent in 2004 to 53 per cent in 2018.
On caste-wise participation in the workforce, the report observed that while the share of SC workers in casual wage work has reduced significantly between 1983 and 2021, the reduction has been more significant for general caste workers. For instance, in 2021, 40 per cent of SC workers were involved in casual employment as compared to 13 per cent of general caste workers. Furthermore, around 22 per cent of SC workers were regular wage workers as opposed to 32% of general caste workers.
According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2021-22, the unemployment rate in India stood at 4.1 per cent for that period. The State of Working India report used various data sources like surveys conducted by the National Statistical Office including Employment-Unemployment Surveys and Periodic Labour Force Surveys along with the India Working Survey, which is a collaborative project between researchers at Azim Premji University, IIM Bangalore, and University of Western Australia.

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📍ExplainSpeaking: Why India’s workforce is becoming increasingly male-dominated

📍42.3% of graduates under 25 unemployed, finds latest State of Working India report

In bid to resurrect ‘stitched’ ship, a recall of India’s vibrant maritime past

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In another move among the series of steps taken by the government “to reclaim India’s long-lost heritage in different sectors”, the Centre now plans to revive the ancient maritime heritage. The Ministry of Culture has recently joined hands with the Indian Navy and Goa-based Hodi Innovations to reconstruct an ancient stitched ship – reminiscent of the ships that sailed the oceans on India’s ancient maritime trade routes as many as 2,000 years ago.

• What is the maritime heritage of ancient India?

• What is maritime heritage?

• What is the earliest maritime history?

• Which is the first maritime heritage complex in India?

• Why is maritime heritage important?

• How the Centre government recently plans to revive the ancient maritime heritage?

• What is this project?

• Do You Know-A 21-metre “stitched ship”, an ancient technique of constructing a ship by stitching plank of woods using ropes, cords, coconut fibers, natural resins and oils, is set to start a voyage with a 13-member Indian Navy crew from Odisha to Indonesia’s Bali in November 2025 as part of an initiative to revive and honour India’s traditional maritime heritage, it was announced on Tuesday.
The project, an initiative of the Centre, along with the Navy, the Culture Ministry, and Goa-based shipbuilding company Hodi Innovations, is set to cost Rs 9 crore and is expected to take 22 months to complete.
The project entails collaboration across several ministries and departments. While the Indian Navy is overseeing the ship’s design and construction and would also be sailing the ship along ancient maritime trade routes, the Ministry of Culture has fully funded the project. The ministries of Shipping and External Affairs will be supporting the project in its execution stage. The project was approved by the National Implementation Committee, chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah, in December 2022.
The stitching work will be undertaken by a team of traditional shipwrights led by Babu Sankaran, considered an expert in the stitched ship technique.
As per officials, this age-old technique involves shaping the wooden planks using the traditional steaming method to conform to the shape of the hull. Each plank will then be stitched to another using cords/ ropes, sealed with a combination of coconut fibre, resin, and fish oil – akin to the ancient Indian shipbuilding practice. The project is set to cost Rs 9 crore and is expected to take around 22 months to complete.
Officials say Sankaran has been roped in for the project since he is considered as a master craftsman who has recently built ships using the stitching technique in the Gulf countries. The most famous of them is the Jewel of Muscat, built for Oman, which sailed from Oman to Singapore.

• What is “stitched ship” method of shipbuilding ?

• Officials say this initiative is in synergy with the Ministry of Culture’s Project Mausam-What is Project Mausam?

• Do You Know-As per experts in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), naval trade on the Indian Ocean dates back to the 3rd century BC, when residents of the Indus Valley opened maritime trading with Mesopotamia, Egypt, East Africa, and the Roman Empire. Through these maritime trade networks, many goods were exchanged, including medicine, aromatics, spices, wood, grain, gems, textiles, metal and stones. The trade, in turn, facilitated the exchange of religions, cultures and technologies, contributing to the expansion of Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism, they say.
Project Mausam is said to be India’s answer to the Maritime Silk Road of China, and India plans to move for UNESCO to award transnational heritage status to Project Mausam, which was launched by India at the 38th World Heritage Session at Doha in June 2014. Several countries including the UAE, Qatar, Iran, Myanmar, and Vietnam have expressed great interest in this multifaceted cultural project.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Centre, Navy stitch together plan to revive maritime heritage

ECONOMY

Indian Oil commences trial of green hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses in Delhi-NCR

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development–Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The country’s largest fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Monday started the operational trial of green hydrogen-fuelled buses in Delhi and the nearby areas of the National Capital Region (NCR).
The trial, which was launched by Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the capital with two hydrogen fuel cell buses manufactured by Tata Motors, will include 15 buses by the end of the year.

• Why this trial?

• What is green hydrogen?

• Hydrogen and its Types-know them

• How green hydrogen differs from traditional emissions-intensive ‘grey’ hydrogen and blue hydrogen?

• Do You Know-The sources and processes by which hydrogen is derived are categorised by colour tabs. Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels is called grey hydrogen, which constitutes the bulk of the hydrogen generated today. Hydrogen generated from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage options is called blue hydrogen, while hydrogen generated using electrolysers powered by renewable power sources is called green hydrogen.

• How is the policy set to boost domestic production of green hydrogen production?

• What are the facilities to boost export of green hydrogen?

• For Your Information- Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water through electrolysis, using an electrolyser that is powered by renewable energy. Green hydrogen has specific advantages. One, it is a clean burning molecule, which can decarbonise sectors including iron and steel, chemicals, and transportation. Two, renewable energy that cannot be stored or used by the grid can be channelled to produce it.

• What are the key highlights of National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM)?

• National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) also includes Rs 17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme-What is the SIGHT programme?

• Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT)-Know the features

• A public-private partnership framework for R&D (Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership – SHIP) will be facilitated under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM)- What is Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership (SHIP)?

• Green hydrogen has specific advantages-What are those?

• “The challenges to produce and use green hydrogen can be classified into 4Es — electrolyser, energy source, end use and endogenous resources”-Elaborate

• How much is the global levelized cost of producing green hydrogen?

• National Green Hydrogen Mission-Asses its cost benefit analysis

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India’s green hydrogen push

Explained: The concerns around Aadhaar that Moody’s has raised

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Raising major red flags about Aadhaar – India’s 12-digit universal identity – global rating major Moody’s Investors Service has questioned the reliability of biometric technologies, especially for people in hot and humid climates, and pointed to consequent service denials caused by this.

• What Moody’s has said about Aadhaar

• What is the government’s response?

• Why the reliability concerns are alarming?

• What are Aadhaar’s recurring concerns?

• Know about Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

• How Aadhar and UIDAI related?

• Aadhar is issued by whom?

• Unique identification and Aadhar-How this unique identification are achieved?

• Aadhar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019-key provisions

• Aadhar, Data sovereignty and Data protection-connect the dot

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: The common complaints about Aadhaar, which CAG has now flagged in UIDAI audit

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
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