Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for February 20, 2025. If you missed the February 19, 2025 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here FRONT PAGE Rekha Gupta is Delhi CM, says will take city to ‘new heights’ Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Main Examination: General Studies II: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, What’s the ongoing story: A first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and an experienced municipal councillor, Gupta is set to become Delhi’s fourth woman CM after she was handed the top job following the BJP legislature party meeting. After the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday afternoon, she will become the only woman CM of a BJP-ruled state or Union Territory at present. Key Points to Ponder: • The Chief Minister of Delhi is appointed by the President of India-True or False? • Discuss the role and powers of the Chief Minister of Delhi in the context of Article 239AA of the Indian Constitution. • How do powers of the Chief Minister of Delhi differ from those of a Chief Minister in a full-fledged state? • Delhi, as a Union Territory with a legislature, has seen multiple conflicts between the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor. Critically analyze the governance structure of Delhi and suggest measures to ensure smoother administration. • Women’s representation in political leadership has seen significant developments in recent years—Examine the challenges and opportunities for women in Indian politics Key Takeaways: • The 50-year-old Gupta was born in Nandgarh village in Haryana’s Jind district and was only two when her parents moved to Delhi. Her father used to work for the State Bank of India. • Gupta joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students’ organisation affiliated to the RSS, starting her political journey at Daulat Ram College in 1993. —She served as the general general secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) from 1995 to 1996 and was its president from 1996 to 1997. —She holds a degree in commerce and a Master’s degree in management and arts from the University of Delhi. • Gupta made her foray into electoral politics in 2007, winning the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections from the North Pitampura ward and was elected chairperson of the women’s welfare and child development committee. She was re-elected from the same ward five years later and served as the vice-chairperson of the standing committee, the MCD’s top financial decision-making body. • From 2012 to 2013, she also served as the chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) education secretary. Do You Know: • Inserted into the Constitution by the 69th Amendment Act, 1991, Article 239AA conferred special status on Delhi following the recommendations of the S Balakrishnan Committee that was set up in 1987 to look into Delhi’s demands for statehood. • According to this provision, the NCT of Delhi will have an administrator and a Legislative Assembly. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Legislative Assembly, “shall have the power to make laws for the whole or any part of the NCT with respect to any of the matters in the State List or Concurrent List in so far as any such matter is applicable to Union territories,” except on the subjects of police, public order, and land. • Two Constitution Benches of the Supreme Court, in July 2018 and May 2023, have dealt with the issue of the powers of the Delhi government. Both of these judgments involve the interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution, which deals with the governance structure of the national capital. In 1991, when Article 239 AA was inserted, the Parliament also passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, to provide a framework for the functioning of the Assembly and the government of Delhi. • The 2018 ruling said that with the introduction of Article 239AA in the Constitution, Parliament envisaged a “representative form of Government” for Delhi while seeking to provide a directly elected Legislative Assembly with legislative powers over matters within the State List and the Concurrent List, barring those exempted. It also sought to mandate the Lieutenant Governor to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, except when he decides to refer the matter to the President for a final decision. • Referring to Article 239AA as a provision that makes the “executive power of the Government of NCTD” coextensive with the “legislative power of the Delhi Legislative Assembly”, the court clarified that the power of the Council of Ministers of Delhi spans all subjects in the Concurrent List and all but three excluded subjects in the State List. “However, if Parliament makes law in respect of certain subjects falling in the State List or the Concurrent List, the executive action of the State must conform to the law made by the Parliament,” the court specified. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Solving Delhi UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering similar theme: 📍Whether the Supreme Court Judgment (July 2018) can settle the political tussle between the Lt. Governor and elected government of Delhi? Examine. (2018) Amid trade pact talk, Trump repeats: For India, reciprocal tariff Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests. What’s the ongoing story: Dashing New Delhi’s expectations that a trade deal granting better market access to more American products into India would help avert reciprocal tariffs, US President Donald Trump Tuesday indicated that tariff concessions for India may not be on offer yet. Key Points to Ponder: • Analyze the impact of reciprocal tariffs on India-US trade relations • How can India balance its economic interests while maintaining strong diplomatic ties with the US? • Discuss the implications of protectionist policies on emerging economies like India. • Discuss the importance of a rules-based international trade order in the context of increasing tariff disputes. • How should India navigate the changing global trade dynamics? Key Takeaways: • During a television interview with Fox News, Trump described his recent conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said: “Here’s what we’re going to do: reciprocal. Whatever you charge, I’m charging. He (PM Modi) responded, ‘No, no, I don’t like that.’ No, no, whatever you charge, I’m going to charge. I’m doing that with every country.” • “Now, if he built the factory in India, that’s okay, but that’s unfair to us. It’s very unfair,” he said. “I told Prime Minister Modi yesterday – he was here. Here’s what you do. We’re going to be very fair with you. They charge the highest tariffs in the world, just about.” • Trump’s comments follow India’s decision to slash tariffs on a range of US products, such as bourbon whiskey, ahead of both countries announcing a trade deal aimed at doubling trade. Indian government officials stated that India hopes to secure concessions during the trade deal negotiations. • Reiterating concerns over high tariffs, Elon Musk, advisor to the US government and CEO of Tesla and X, called Indian tariffs “unfair”. Notably, Musk also met with PM Modi and top Indian officials during Modi’s visit to the US last week. “The tariffs (in India) are like 100 per cent import duty,” Musk said. Do You Know: • While the details of reciprocal tariffs are expected in April, experts point out that India’s tariff rates are higher than those of the US on most products, with the largest difference in agricultural products, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. • Goldman Sachs, in a report, stated that India could be affected by Trump’s tariffs at a country level, product level, or through non-tariff barriers, which could complicate trade relations between the two nations. • At the country level, the report noted that reciprocity would be the simplest to implement. If applied at the product level – where the US matches India’s tariffs on each imported product – “this may increase the average tariff differential by ~11.5 percentage points but would be more complex and require a longer implementation timeline.” • India’s bilateral goods trade surplus with the US has doubled over the last decade to $35bn – approximately 1 per cent of India’s GDP in FY24 – largely driven by exports of electronics, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. • “India’s gross exports to the US are among the lowest compared to its emerging market peers, at 2.0 per cent of GDP. We estimate a potential domestic GDP growth impact of 0.1-0.3 percentage points under different scenarios of an increase in the US’s effective tariff rate on Indian exports, depending on whether reciprocity is applied at the country or product level and based on different estimates of US demand elasticity for Indian exports,” the Goldman Sachs report said. • However, in the case of global tariffs imposed by the US on all countries, India’s exposure to US final demand – factoring in exports via third countries – would be roughly twice as high (~4.0 per cent of GDP). This could lead to a potential domestic GDP growth impact of 0.1-0.6 percentage points, the report added. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs ahead of PM Modi’s visit, confirms White House UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme: 1. Regarding recent tariff discussions between India and the US, consider the following statements: 1. The US has proposed a reciprocal tariff mechanism on Indian goods. 2. India and the US are part of a free trade agreement (FTA). 3. Trade relations between India and the US have historically been conflict-free. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 only b) 1 and 2 only c) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, and 3 UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering similar theme: 📍What are the key areas of reform if the WTO has to survive in the present context of ‘Trade War’, especially keeping in mind the interest of India? (GS2, 2018) Ragging deaths: Complaints spike, system stuck in grey zone, SC guidelines on paper Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. What’s the ongoing story: Supreme Court guidelines to eradicate ragging from 15 years ago that haven’t gone much beyond tokenism on college campuses; government regulations that remain on paper; a regulatory system that, authorities say, is undermined by complaints that are either “frivolous” or difficult to track down — and the challenge of coming up with a widely accepted legal definition of ragging itself. Key Points to Ponder: • What is ragging? • Why ragging is still continuing? • Raghavan Committee was appointed Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) in 2007-Know their recommendations • “Ragging is an act of human right abuse”-comment • Why ragging is of serious concern in educational institutions? • What the Supreme Court said on ragging? • What are the other anti-ragging measures taken by the Government of India and Various other State government? • What are the Laws to Prevent Ragging in India? Key Takeaways: • These are the key reasons behind a sharp spike in ragging complaints logged so far by a dedicated helpline set up in 2009 by the University Grants Commission (UGC), an investigation by The Indian Express has found. • Records accessed by The Indian Express under the Right to Information (RTI) Act show 78 students named under “List of the suicide/ death cases alleged due to ragging” from January 2012 to October 2023. This number, given the 4.14 crore students in higher education, is a tiny fraction — but that’s just one part of the story • The ragging data is illustrative of a system that, for those who are its victims, is opaque, ad hoc — and largely unaccountable. • Over a decade, the UGC helpline logged over 8,000 ragging complaints, with records showing a 208 per cent surge from 2012 to 2022: from 358 in 2012, a peak of 1,115 in 2019 before the pandemic hit, to 1103 in 2022 and 756 till October 2023. • Most of the 78 deaths attributed to ragging in this period occurred in Maharashtra (10), followed by UP and Tamil Nadu with seven each, Telangana (6), Andhra (5) and MP (4). • Most ragging complaints in this period were reported from UP (1,202) followed by MP (795), West Bengal (728), Odisha (517), Bihar (476) and Maharashtra (393). The institutions on top of this list were Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with 72, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in Bhopal (53) and MKCG Medical College in Odisha’s Berhampur (49). Do You Know: • Any conduct by a student or group of students where words spoken, written or an act has the effect of teasing, treating or handling someone with rudeness. A student or group of students indulging in rowdy or indiscipline activities causing annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm, raise fear or apprehension to other students. • Ragging can be categorised into three broad types. The first comprises the most common practices such as “giving introduction”, addressing seniors as ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’, complying with instructions to sing, dance, or maintain a dress code, not looking directly at seniors, etc. This kind of ragging is either not classed as ragging but as “interaction” or “fun”, or as mild ragging. It appears to involve the introduction and integration of newcomers into the institution and its culture, and the establishing of hierarchies around seniority. —The second category is clearly identified as ragging. These are acts like coerced drinking, smoking, approaching the opposite sex, using abusive language, and sexual forms of ragging. The underlying motives seem largely linked to issues of growing up: asserting freedom from childhood restrictions, enacting sexual fantasies that provoke both anxiety and excitement, and living up to gendered expectations, especially about being manly. —The third category is of severe ragging. It comprises physical abuse meted out as punishment, physical coercion, and violent assault. It is sometimes intended to prove manly strength, but most often it is to assert dominance by intimidating, humiliating and punishing newcomers into submission. • The Supreme Court in a 2001 case had dealt with ragging, which it termed the “menace pervading the educational institutions of the country.” Vishwa Jagriti Mission has filed a public interest litigation against the central government. —The Court said, “broadly speaking” ragging is defined as: “Any disorderly conduct, whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such student will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student. The cause of indulging in ragging is deriving sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by the seniors over their juniors or freshers.” —The Court also issued key guidelines on anti-ragging. These included setting up proctoral committees to prevent ragging and internally address complaints against ragging. “Ragging if it becomes unmanageable or amounts to a cognizable offence the same may be reported to the police,” the Court had said. • In 2009, the Supreme Court in another case again dealt with the ragging issue in which it appointed a committee headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan. The recommendations of the committee were subsequently formalised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍‘Weak implementation of anti-ragging regulations within institutions may give perpetrators safe passage’ UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme: 2. Which of the following bodies in India is responsible for monitoring and implementing anti-ragging measures in higher education institutions? a) Bar Council of India b) National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) c) University Grants Commission (UGC) d) Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) EXPRESS NETWORK Is the law encroaching on rights? How labour activist’s case led to SC test Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance Main Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. What’s the ongoing story: On August 10, 1942, the British declared the Congress Working Committee, the All India Congress Committee and the four Provincial Congress Committees as “unlawful associations” under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the doctrine of proportionality in constitutional law? • How doctrine of proportionality help in balancing fundamental rights and reasonable restrictions? • Analyse the role of the judiciary in protecting fundamental rights against excessive state action. • How does the Supreme Court ensure that laws do not disproportionately restrict constitutional freedoms? • The right to dissent and protest is an essential feature of a democracy. In light of recent judicial pronouncements, discuss the extent to which legal restrictions on protests and activism align with constitutional principles. Key Takeaways: • The colonial law, a precursor to many later-year laws meant to prosecute terrorist and unlawful activities, allowed the arrest of members of an ‘unlawful association’, so declared by the provincial government. • Less than a decade later, in March 1950, the same law was invoked by the Congress government in Madras to declare the People’s Education Society, a cultural society, as an “unlawful association” for being a “danger to public peace” and “carrying on propaganda on behalf of the Communist Party”. • The society’s secretary, V G Row – a veteran trade unionist and co-founder of the renowned Row & Reddy, a Madras-based law firm that continues to champion the rights of workers — challenged the constitutionality of the law, first in the Madras High Court and later in the Supreme Court, and argued that the ban infringed upon the fundamental rights conferred on him by the new Constitution. • On March 31, 1952, a four-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by then Chief Justice of India M Patanjali Sastri struck down the law. • The law to declare unlawful associations has appeared in several draconian avatars since the ruling — from the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987, to the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 2002 or the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 – but the VG Row ruling set a landmark precedent that a law must only impose “reasonable restrictions”. While doing so, the court introduced a test to determine if a law excessively limited citizens’ freedoms. • The ‘test’ that the court laid out would in later years evolve into the “structured proportionality test” which is now used to test legislation that encroach on fundamental rights. This test essentially requires the state to show that its action, restricting a fundamental right, is proportional to its goal. This is a guard against arbitrary action that could completely wipe out a right in the garb of pursuing even a “legitimate state interest”. Do You Know: • Born in 1907, Vombatkere Gurunandan Row was the son of Justice Vombatkere Pandrang Row, an ICS officer who was transferred briefly as a judge of the Madras High Court. It was while he studied law that Row took to Communist ideology, influenced by his maternal uncle Sundar Bhat Kasargod, a “red-hot leftist” and a doctor in London. In 1931, Row was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn, London, but the Barrister-at-law returned to practice in India. • A few years later, he set up Row & Reddy. Row’s partner at the firm, ADV Reddy, left early on, when he became a magistrate in 1946 and later a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Later, A Ramachandran joined the firm as the new partner, but the name on the board stayed put. • “Many of the early constitutional cases that the Supreme Court heard came from Madras, particularly from Row & Reddy,” says 88-year NGR Prasad, the managing partner at the firm. • The case challenging the preventive detention of Communist leader A K Gopalan – the first constitutional case that the Supreme Court would hear – was also the firm’s brief. It was Row who spotted M K Nambyar, a young advocate arguing a death row case in the Madras High Court and had him argue for Gopalan. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍When freedom came on Aug 15, 1947, AK Gopalan was in jail; his case a benchmark for personal liberty GOVT & POLITICS EAM heads to South Africa amid US, Russia talks on Ukraine war Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests. What’s the ongoing story: At a time of massive flux in geopolitics following the US and Russia’s most extensive high-level engagement to end the almost three-year-long Ukraine war, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be headed to Johannesburg in South Africa for the G20 Foreign ministers’ meeting on February 20-21. Key Points to Ponder: • Discuss the significance of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in shaping global diplomacy. • How has India positioned itself in this multilateral forum amid ongoing global conflicts? • How does India’s participation in global forums like G20 influence its foreign policy objectives? • The G20 has expanded its focus from economic issues to geopolitical matters. Discuss the implications of this shift for global governance and India’s role in multilateral diplomacy. • What are the key challenges faced by multilateral institutions like the G20 in addressing geopolitical conflicts? Key Takeaways: • The visit attains significance as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month decided to skip the meet after calling its agenda “anti-American”. • Rubio said South Africa was “using the G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and climate change. My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.” • In his first week in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end DEI policies and hiring practices in the federal workforce. • In Rubio’s absence, the US will still be represented likely at a lower level, the South African government has confirmed. This year marks the first time an African country is in the rotating presidency position of the G20. Do You Know: • The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and United States) and two regional bodies: the European Union and the African Union (as of 2023). The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. • The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or staff. Instead, the G20 Presidency rotates annually among the members and is selected from a different regional grouping of countries. The 19 member countries are therefore divided up into five groups comprising a maximum of four countries each. • Most of the groups are formed on a regional basis, that is countries from the same region are usually put in the same group. Only Group 1 (Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United States) and Group 2 (India, Russia, South Africa and Türkiye) do not follow this pattern. Group 3 includes Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico; Group 4 includes France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom; and Group 5 includes China, Indonesia, Japan, and Republic of Korea. The EU and the AU are not members of any of these regional groups. • Each year another country from a different group assumes the G20 Presidency. The countries in a group are each equally entitled to take on the Presidency when it is their group’s turn. The G20 Presidency is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. To ensure continuity, the Presidency is supported by a “troika” made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. During South Africa’s Presidency, the members of the G20 troika are Brazil, South Africa and the United States. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍In his G20 salvo, who is Marco Rubio targeting? What signals should India read in the statement? UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering similar theme: 3. In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? (a) Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey (b) Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand (c) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam (d) Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea THE IDEAS PAGE Trumpism vs Collective West Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests What’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes: Even as it talked of the "Collective West", Russia never stopped seeking to divide Europe from America. Key Points to Ponder: • What do you understand by the term “Collective West”? • Analyze the influence of Trumpism on the cohesion of the 'Collective West.' • How the policies adopted during Trump's tenure have impacted traditional Western alliances and multilateral institutions. • What are the challenges faced by the European Union in maintaining unity and collective action in the wake of the U.S.'s shift towards unilateralism under Trump. • Assess the future of NATO's collective defense principle in light of the questioning of its relevance during Trump's administration. • What measures can NATO adopt to reinforce its foundational principles amidst changing political dynamics? Key Takeaways: C Raja Mohan writes: • The dramatic move by US President Donald Trump to initiate peace talks with Russia on Ukraine — and his Vice President, JD Vance’s, no-holds-barred attack against European democracies at the annual Munich Security Conference last week — has left America’s European allies in a state of shock and some of them in tears. • In recent years, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has popularised the idea of the “Collective West” in his effort to rally the Russian people against Europe and America. But the idea of a collective and cohesive West may have become dated in just about four weeks. Moscow and Beijing are widely seen as the principal beneficiaries of a West that is divided within. • Even as it talked of the “Collective West”, Russia never stopped seeking to divide Europe from America. China, too, repeatedly probes the daylight between the US and its Asian allies. • Before we get carried away with the idea that the “Collective West” is collapsing, it is important to note what the West is and how it came to the current crisis. The West represents a political geography that shares common liberal values — capitalism, democracy and individual rights. Initially limited to a small region in the far western corner of the Eurasian landmass, it gained ground over several centuries. Do You Know: C Raja Mohan writes: • Although the West shared common values, the interests of different sovereignties within it were always at odds with each other, except for the last 80 years since World War II. The idea of a “warring West” sounds incredible today, but arguments and civil wars have been very much part of history. • These wars have also produced massive violence outside the West as European empires competed with each other for resources, markets, and political influence. The Western powers nearly destroyed each other in the First and Second World Wars. Although the US and allied powers had to collaborate with the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, that alliance fell apart quickly after the war. The fear of communism — Soviet Russia’s geographic expansion as well as the threat to the old order within European societies — saw America and Europe unite under US leadership. • That’s when the idea of the modern West established itself as a geopolitical and economic entity under the American aegis. This involved many international institutions — multilateral ones like the United Nations, alliances like the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Five Eyes intelligence sharing among Anglo-Saxon powers, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Why Trump’s dramatic reach-out to Putin could be as significant as the World War II Yalta Summit EXPRESS NETWORK Uttarakhand to stop outsiders from buying farm land in 11 of 13 districts Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What’s the ongoing story: The Uttarakhand Cabinet Wednesday approved a new draft law banning people from outside the state from buying agricultural and horticultural land in 11 of the state’s 13 districts. The new draft law will be tabled in the ongoing Budget Session of the Assembly. Key Points to Ponder: • Discuss the significance of land ownership laws in India with a special focus on the recent land restrictions in Uttarakhand. • Several Indian states have imposed restrictions on the purchase of agricultural land by non-residents. Analyse the impact of such laws on economic development, investment, and local communities. • Examine the role of land laws in environmental conservation and cultural preservation. • How can states ensure a balance between sustainable development and protecting local interests? • What are the legal and constitutional challenges associated with restricting land ownership for outsiders in states like Uttarakhand? • The protection of local culture and resources is often cited as a reason for restricting land ownership by outsiders—Discuss the socio-economic implications of such policies with relevant examples. Key Takeaways: • Under the new draft law, people from outside the state — except for Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar — will not be allowed to purchase horticultural and agricultural land, and district magistrates will no longer have the authority to approve land purchases. • Under the new draft law, a dedicated portal will be created for land transactions in the state, where all purchases made by outsiders will be recorded. Moreover, the new draft law stipulates that people from outside the state must submit an affidavit before purchasing land “to prevent fraud and irregularities”. • If passed, the new draft law will repeal all provisions of Trivendra Singh Rawat’s government in 2017, which had lifted the ceiling of 250 sq. m on land purchase outside municipal areas. Following a wave of protests, the Dhami government reinstated the ceiling after the 2022 assembly polls. • According to government sources, under the new law, land within municipal boundaries can only be used according to designated land-use regulations. Do You Know: • Purchase of land by non-residents has been a contentious issue in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000, with a section of its population allegedly seeking stricter land laws to stem “demographic changes”. • In 2003, then Chief Minister ND Tiwari from the Congress introduced the first-ever limit on land purchases in hilly areas by non-Uttarakhand residents, capping it at 500 sq. m. Under the BJP-led government of BC Khanduri, this limit was reduced to 250 square metres. Rawat, also a BJP leader, later entirely lifted this restriction. • In Himachal, non-agriculturists cannot freely purchase agricultural land. However, with government permission, land can be acquired for specific purposes such as industry, tourism, or horticulture. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Decode Politics: Why Uttarakhand restrictions on outsiders buying land has triggered a row UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme: 4.Which of the following Indian states have restrictions on outsiders buying agricultural land? 1. Uttarakhand 2. Himachal Pradesh 3. Goa 4. Maharashtra Select the correct answer using the codes given below: a) 1 and 2 only b) 1, 2, and 3 only c) 1, 2, and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3, and 4 EXPLAINED Why global sea ice cover has dipped to record low — what this means Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization. Main Examination: • General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. • General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. What’s the ongoing story: Global sea ice cover dipped to a new record low last week. Key Points to Ponder: • Discuss the major causes and consequences of the declining global sea ice cover. • The decline in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice is often considered an indicator of accelerating climate change—Elaborate the mechanisms through which this process occurs and its implications for global sea levels, weather patterns, and biodiversity. • Analyse the role of global warming in the record-low sea ice cover. • How does the melting of sea ice differ from the melting of land ice in terms of its impact on global sea levels? • Climate change is leading to extreme weather events worldwide. Evaluate the role of diminishing polar ice in triggering events such as heatwaves, cyclones, and altered monsoon patterns in India. Key Takeaways: • Over the five-days leading up to February 13, the combined extent of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice dropped to 15.76 million sq km, down from the previous five-day record low of 15.93 million sq km in January-February 2023, according to BBC analysis of data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). • Experts suggest that the 2025 low could be due to a combination of warm air, warm seas and winds breaking apart the ice, the BBC reported. • Antarctic sea ice is particularly vulnerable to ice-breaking winds. Unlike Arctic ice, it is surrounded by the ocean instead of continents and is thus more mobile, and also comparatively thinner. The situation has been made worse this year due to warmer air and warmer waters towards the end of the southern hemisphere summer (December to February). • Higher air temperatures led to the melting of the edges of the Antarctic ice sheet — also known as ice shelves — which extend over the ocean. “[The] ongoing ocean warming is setting the backdrop to all of this,” Tom Bracegirdle, research scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, told the BBC. • Less sea ice cover means that more water is getting exposed to the Sun and more heat (solar radiation) is getting absorbed, leading to a further rise in temperatures. Notably, sea ice keeps temperatures down in the polar regions, as its bright, white surface reflects more sunlight back to space than liquid water. The loss of sea ice cover could be one of the reasons why the polar regions are getting warmer at a faster rate than the rest of the world. • Studies have found that melting sea ice is also slowing down the flow of water through the world’s oceans. This is happening because freshwater from melting ice enters the ocean, and reduces the salinity and density of the surface water, thereby diminishing that downward flow to the sea’s bottom. A slowdown of ocean overturning can severely impact the global climate, the marine food chain, and the stability of ice shelves. Do You Know: • Sea ice refers to the free-floating ice in the polar regions. While it generally expands during the winter and melts in the summers, some sea ice remains year-round. Note that this is different from icebergs, glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves, which form on land. • Sea ice plays a crucial role in cooling the planet by trapping existing heat in the ocean, and thus precluding it from warming the air above. Therefore, a reduction in sea ice cover can have disastrous consequences for Earth. • Currently, Arctic sea ice is at its lowest recorded extent for the time of year. Meanwhile, Antarctic sea ice is close to a new low, based on satellite records going back to the late 1970s. But given historical trends, this is not all that surprising. Since the late 1970s, NSIDC has estimated that some 77,800 sq km of sea ice has been lost per year. Between 1981 and 2010, Arctic sea ice extent in September — when it reaches its minimum extent — shrunk at a rate of 12.2% per decade, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). • In the Antarctic, the situation is a bit different. Until 2015, the region actually witnessed a slight year-on-year increase in sea ice. Between late 2014 and 2017, however, the Antarctic lost two million square km of sea ice — an area equivalent to roughly four times the size of Spain, according to the Copernicus Marine Service. Sea ice levels again increased in 2018. • In 2023, maximum Antarctic sea ice reached historically low levels. Sea ice cover was more than two million sq km lower than usual — an area about 10 times the size of the UK. • Last year, the cover was higher than in 2023 but still 1.55 million sq km below the average maximum extent from 1981-2010. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍First ice-free day in the Arctic could come by 2030, says new study: Why does it matter? UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering similar theme: 📍How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain (2021) ECONOMY MoSPI to release new capex survey, monthly labour force data from FY26 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. What’s the ongoing story: Amid a focus on increasing the frequency of economic data release, a new survey report on private sector’s capex intentions will be released by the government on April 30 this year. Key Points to Ponder: • Discuss the significance of the government's decision to release monthly labour force data starting from FY2025-26. • Analyse the objectives and potential benefits of the Forward-Looking Survey on Private Corporate Sector Capex Investment Intentions initiated by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. • Evaluate the implications of revising the release time for the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates on stakeholders such as policymakers, economists, and investors. • Examine the role of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in enhancing the quality and timeliness of economic data in India, with reference to recent initiatives like the capex survey and monthly labour force data releases. Key Takeaways: • Monthly labour force surveys and a new release date for factory output data to reduce the time lag in the release are also in the offing by the government’s statistics ministry, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) from the upcoming financial year. • The timeliness for data releases is in focus by the statistics ministry, which will help the government as well as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to look at updated data before policy formulations. • Beginning April, the factory output data, compiled through the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), will be released on a new date of 28th of every month instead of the 12th of every month at present. Officials said the intent is to reduce the time lag in the release of the industrial output data from 42 days at present. • A deferment in the release date by over a fortnight would mean that IIP data hereon would be for the latest month. For instance, on February 12, IIP data was released for the month of December whereas retail inflation data, released on the same day, was for January. The new release date for the IIP from April onwards will help the ministry to issue data for the immediate preceding month. Do You Know: • The all-India IIP is a composite indicator that measures the short-term changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to the base period. It is a key figure to measure the general level of industrial activity in the economy on a monthly basis and also forms a crucial input for compilation of Gross Value Added (GVA) of manufacturing sector in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country on quarterly basis. • The ministry has also lined up the new private capex survey report for release in April. The forward-looking survey on private sector capex investment intentions is aimed at measuring the capital investment intentions of the private corporate sector covering non-financial and financial corporations through collection of information from major enterprises. • The survey will compile information on capex expenditure incurred during the last three years and projected capex for the next two years including breakdown of capex by type of assets and industries. • The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) under MoSPI had launched PLFS in April 2017. Quarterly bulletins provide details of labour force indicators such as Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR). At present, the MoSPI releases rural PLFS data on an annual basis and urban PLFS data on a quarterly basis along with an annual report which combines data for both urban and rural on an annual basis. Other employment surveys such as the survey by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) comes out on a weekly and monthly basis. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Ajay Seth: ‘Higher revenue spending commitment constraining capex ability of some states’ PRELIMS ANSWER KEY 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4.(d) For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
