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The deadline to freeze the administrative boundaries of districts, tehsils, towns, municipal bodies and others for the Census has been extended till June 30, 2024.
This means the decennial exercise, which should have started in 2020, will now be postponed again till at least October 2024, as it usually takes about three months to prepare the list of enumerators after setting the boundaries.
The Additional Registrar-General of India, in a notification to the States on Saturday, said that the competent authority had decided to further extend the date of freezing of administrative boundaries up to June 30, 2024.
This rules out the Census exercise before the 2024 election, which is expected to be held in April and May.
Under the 128th Constitution Amendment Act, 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the reservation of one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies shall come into effect after delimitation is undertaken based on the first Census held after the Act came into force. The Act received Presidential assent on September 29.
News
Draft norms look to make Railways disabled-friendly (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
The Union government has released draft guidelines on accessibility of railway stations and facilities in trains for persons with disabilities, highlighting the need for integrating technology-enabled features such as text-to-speech and user-friendly pictograms.
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has asked stakeholders and the public to give their comments, objections and suggestions by January 29 on the proposed guidelines to create a more user-friendly environment.
The proposed guidelines also highlight the need for dedicated website features catering to persons with disabilities, ensuring a flexible and accessible interface design.
These features will follow universal design principles and World Wide Web Consortium guidelines, integrating technology-enabled accessibility features such as text-to-speech and user-friendly pictograms, the draft guidelines state.
Science
Levy 20-30% health tax on food high in sugar, salt, fat: study (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
A health tax of between 20% to 30% in addition to GST can be considered to be imposed on sugar, sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) like colas and juices as well asfoods high in sugar, salt and fat(HFSS), public health researchers have recommended in a study published inJournal of Health Policy and Planning.
The recommendation is an outcome ofa UNICEF-funded project, and the authors hope that this study along with others will influence policies aimed to reduce consumption of sugar and related products.
Niti Aayog is interested in understandingthe impact of imposing health taxes and warning labels on food products for encouraging healthy eating practices in Indian consumers.
Missing TB cases in the private sector (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
India made notification of TB patients mandatory in 2012 to address the problem of delayed diagnosis, suboptimal quality of care, incorrect diagnostic and treatment protocols being used, and a high drop-out rate in the private sector.A year later, only 2% of all notified patients were from the private sector.
Thanks to several initiatives adopted by the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), the proportion of notified cases has increased substantially — 21% in 2017, 25% in 2018, 28% in 2019, 31% in 2020, 32% in 2021, and 30% in 2022.
Despite the significant increase in the private sector TB notifications over the years, they fall far short of the targets set by the National Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
The TB notification target set by NSP for the private sector in 2020 was 35%, 45% in 2021, and 56% in 2022. If the gap between what was achieved vis-a-vis what was targeted in 2020 was small, the shortfall increased by 13% in 2021 and a staggering 26% in 2022.
FAQ
What is the global fallout of two warfronts? (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The world witnessed growing security crises involving great powers in 2023. The Ukraine war, which began on February 24, 2022 with Russia’s invasion of its neighbouring country, continued throughout 2023 with little changes on the frontline.
Another major war broke out in West Asia after Hamas’s October 7 cross-border attack that killed at least 1,200 Israelis. As the year winds down, no end is seen to both wars.
While Ukraine’s counteroffensive aimed at taking back the territories lost to Russia failed during the year, Israel’s attack on Gaza, which has levelled much of the tiny enclave of 2.3 million people, is continuing.
With Israeli leaders claiming that the fighting would go on for months, risks of a wider regional war are rising. As conflicts persist with large-scale destruction of global security and disruption of supply chains, the Global South, whose focus is on its own developmental challenges, is getting impatient with the current order and is pushing for alternatives. These trends are likely to continue in 2024.
Profiles
Guided missile Destroyer (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
On December 27, the third of four P-15B ‘Visakhapatnam’ class stealth guided missile destroyer was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Imphal at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. Imphal has the unique distinction of being the first warship to be named after a city in the Northeast.
In addition, the time taken to build Imphal and for her trials is the shortest for any indigenous destroyer, according to the Navy.
Describing the ship as a shining example of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at the induction ceremony: “INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further.
It will bolster our principle of ‘Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya’ (One who controls the sea is all powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Business
Textile sector faces ESG challenges (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The textile and apparel sector in Tamil Nadu contributes more than 50% of installed renewable energy capacity in the State; nearly 300 textile processing units in Tiruppur are connected to common effluent treatment plants with zero liquid discharge; in Panipat, Haryana, open-end spinners use only recycled fibre; and India recycles almost 90% of its used PET bottles into fibre.
These are among some sustainable practices that India’s textile and clothing sector has invested in over the past two decades.
Now, as the European Union (EU’s) moves towards implementing its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and the European Green Deal takes effect in 2026, several global brands are insisting on sustainable production and supply chains.
There is palpable concern in India’s textile sector, dominated Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), about the impact new rules like EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism would have, aside from complying with ESG standards.