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The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to add the ruling YSR Congress Party’s imprint to the Union government’s flagship rural housing scheme — Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) — and rebrand it to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-YSR are proving costly for the State.
Sources said the State government’s decision had resulted in the Union Finance Ministry putting a temporary hold on ₹4,000 crore that Andhra Pradesh should get under a scheme for “special assistance to State for capital investment”, apart from ₹1,300 crore in pending PMAY-G funds.
The funds have not been released despite the State government agreeing to remove its branding and logo from the scheme.
For an identical violation in West Bengal, where the State government rebranded the scheme as the Bangla Awas Yojana, Central funds have not been released since 2022.
Editorial
Giving the urban Indian a better life (Page no. 8)
(GS paper 3, Environment)
The theme of World Cities Day (October 31) this year was “Financing Sustainable Urban Future for All.” Finances must be channelled in the right direction such that urban futures which are being cut short on account of flawed urbanisation are checked, and, in turn, cities made liveable and safe. It is atrocious that air pollution is taking away over 10% of our life expectancy.
A report released by The Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC) shows that out of the 50 most polluted cities in the world, 39 are in India.
Pollution directly affects the health of people, and an average Indian loses 5.3 years of his life expectancy due to this; for the residents of Delhi, it is 11.9 years. This data only highlights the need for policy shifts to ensure better and liveable futures.
Much to lose if the ‘Indian veterans in Qatar’ case festers (Page no. 8)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
India was presented with a formidable diplomatic challenge on October 26 when eight former Indian Navy officials held in Qatar on unknown charges since August 30 last year were sentenced to death by a Qatari ‘Court of First Instance’.
Their families who were hoping that back-channel efforts might secure their release now face the most extreme prospect — the death row. The court’s sentence left the Indian establishment “deeply shocked”, as in the Ministry of External Affairs statement.
Some prima facie assessments can be made. First, all the eight veterans receiving the maximum punishment seems to be an ‘unexpected outcome’.
Second, the opacity of charges and the complete secrecy under which Qatar moved from trial to conviction in under seven months seem to have taken the Indian side by surprise.
Hopefully, the passage of time has allowed the Indian authorities to assimilate the full import of the judgment and weigh their options.
Opinion
A leaf out of New Zealand’s voting system (Page no. 9)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
At first glance, Odisha and Auckland seem worlds apart. They differ starkly in the Human Development Index, education levels, and socio-economic indicators.
However, if we scrutinise their political behaviour, similarities emerge. Both regions exemplify the concept of split voting. This offers a nuanced understanding of voter behaviour and the efficacy of electoral systems.
Odisha’s unique set-up of concurrent Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections demonstrates the electorate’s differentiated political choices. Odisha held simultaneous elections in 2019.
Voters cast both their votes on the same day, but split their voting patterns. Considering the Lok Sabha votes, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led in 88 out of 146 Assembly Constituencies.
However, on the same day for Assembly votes, the BJD won 113 out of 146 Assembly Constituencies. The difference amounted to 25 seats and almost a 2% vote share for the BJD.
News
Bhutan King to meet PM today; Assam border project on agenda (Page no. 12)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
Bhutan’s fourth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck landed in Delhi ahead of talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fortnight after Bhutan and China signed an agreement on the border delimitation process in Beijing.
While the border talks will receive the most interest in New Delhi, given India’s concerns over Doklam, the King’s visit is understood to be prompted by an ambitious project Bhutan plans on the border with Assam, in Gelephu.
In Delhi, the Bhutanese King was received at the airport by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval called on him at the hotel.
The visit will further strengthen close bonds of friendship and cooperation with a valued partner, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, without adding any details of issues expected to be raised during the talks.
Ahead of FATF review, Centre takes measures to implement suggestions (Page no. 12)
(GS paper 3, International Organisation)
Ahead of India’s mutual evaluations by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Union government has taken several measures to implement the intergovernmental body’s recommendations, made following the 2010 review, which includes notification of practising chartered accountants, company secretaries, and cost and management accountants as reporting entities.
The FATF carries out the review to determine whether its recommended measures to curb money laundering and terror financing have been taken by the member country and if they are effective. India’s on-site assessment is expected to be carried out in November.
“On May 3 this year, the Finance Ministry had issued a notification designating the three categories of finance professionals as ‘persons carrying on a designated business or profession’ under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The law provides that a ‘reporting entity’ means a banking company, financial institution, intermediary, or a person carrying on a designated business or profession,” Ashish Chandra Singh, former Deputy Legal Advisor with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a practising lawyer, said.
World
Saudi Arabia, Russia to continue oil cuts (Page no. 15)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
Top oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia confirmed on Sunday they would continue with their additional voluntary oil output cuts until the end of the year as concerns over demand and economic growth continue to weigh on crude markets.
Both countries said their cuts would be reviewed next month to consider extending, deepening or increasing it.
Saudi Arabia confirmed it would continue with its additional voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) translating into a production of around 9 million bpd for December.
Following the Saudi statement, Moscow also announced it would continue its additional voluntary supply cut of 3,00,000 bpd from its crude oil and petroleum product exports until the end of December.
Science
The Zika genome and insights into the era of emerging outbreaks (Page no. 20)
(GS paper 2, Health)
The dengue virus and its equally infamous cousin, the Zika virus, together infect up to around 400 million people every year.
The Zika virus and genomic studies of it have opened fascinating windows into our knowledge of the infectious disease and its relevance in the context of emerging outbreaks.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus. Most infections in humans are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, including fever, rash, and joint pain.
The Zika virus became notorious during the 2015-2018 outbreak that swept through the Americas. The outbreak was characterised by an alarming increase in the number of microcephaly cases in newborns, prompting the World Health Organisation to declare it a public health emergency of international concern in early 2016.