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India and France have agreed to intensify their cooperation in the southwest Indian Ocean, building on the “joint surveillance missions” carried out from French La Reunion in 2020 and 2022.
The two countries also welcomed the progress in bilateral dialogue and identification of specific opportunities for using India “as a base” for the manufacture and export of defence equipment for friendly countries in the region, the joint statement issued at the end of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
France is the first major Western military power with which India has conducted joint patrols with Indian Navy’s P-8I maritime patrol aircraft deployed on the French island territory of La Reunion.
They also welcomed the extension of those interactions in India’s maritime neighbourhood. These interactions may contribute positively to the securitisation of strategic sea lanes of communication.
News
Gyanvapi case raises a challenge to Places of Worship Act, 1991(Page no. 7)
(GS paper 2, Governance)
Calls to hand over the Gyanvapi mosque to the Hindus have come even after appeals by the Anjuman Intazamia Masjid in the Supreme Court to protect the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991 from becoming a dead letter.
The 1991 Act provides a guarantee for the preservation of the religious character of places of public worship as they existed on August 15, 1947.
In August 2023, the Anjuman, Gynavapi mosque’s managers, had argued in the apex court that the demand for a “scientific investigation” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the mosque premises was merely “salami tactics” and would defeat the spirit of the 1991 Act. But a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had allowed the ASI survey using “non-invasive technology”.
The August 2023 judgment of the apex court did not directly deal with the mosque committee’s two questions —what is the point of ordering this ASI survey and going into the history of what may have happened 500 years ago.
Science
Minimal radioactive discharges from Indian nuclear plants: study (Page no. 12)
(GS paper 3, Science and Technology)
Based on an analysis of radiological data of 20 years (2000-2020) from six nuclear power plants based in India, researchers at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai have found that the radioactive discharges from the nuclear plants and the resultant potential environmental impact have been “minimal”.
The findings hold potential significance for reinforcing India’s commitment to advancing its nuclear power programme.
The period of study for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Station is from 2013 to 2020. The other six power plants studied are: Tarapur Atomic Power Station, Madras Atomic Power Station, Kaiga Generating Station, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, Narora Atomic Power Station, and Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. The results were published recently in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Western Equine Encephalitis outbreak in Argentina (Page no. 12)
(GS paper 2, Health)
On December 20, 2023, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) in Argentina alerted the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) of a human case of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus (WEEV) infection.
The patient had a sudden onset fever and neurological features on November 19, 2023 and was later admitted to a provincial hospital, and discharged on close follow-up on December 20.
The outbreak has since grown to 21 confirmed new cases of the infection in Argentina and comes after more than two decades since the last case was reported in the country.
The last cases of human infections in Argentina were reported in 1982, 1983, and an isolated event in 1996. The present outbreak also comes in the context of an ongoing outbreak in horses in Argentina and Uruguay.
Multiple outbreaks and human cases of Westen Equine Encephalitis have been reported in the past from the U.S. and Canada and over 3,000 cases of infection have been reported over these years.
FAQ
Why is Punjab in court over BSF’s powers? (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 2, Judiciary)
In 2021, the Government of India increased the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) — which chiefly focus on preventing trans-border crimes — from 15 kilometres up to 50 kilometres inside the international borders in the States of Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
In Punjab, the move triggered sharp criticism from key political parties, with the State government ultimately moving the Supreme Court, which has fixed the third week of April for hearing the lawsuit.
A three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will hear a complaint filed by Punjab accusing the Centre of stripping the State and its police of its powers.
Police and law and order is a State subject under Schedule 7, List-II Entries 1 and 2 of the Constitution. Punjab challenged the constitutional validity of the notification issued by the Centre in October 2021 extending the reach of the BSF to 50 km by invoking Section 139 of the Border Security Force Act, 1968.
The provision authorises the Centre to confer powers and duties on the BSF with respect to any Central Act like the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners’ Act, 1939, the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944, the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947, the Customs Act, 1962 or the Passports Act, 1967 or of any cognizable offence punishable under any other Central Act.
What is Ladakh’s demand on Gilgit-Baltistan? (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
In January this year, Ladakh’s two key socio-political conglomerates, the Leh Apex Body (LAB), representing several Buddhist religious and political parties, and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing Muslim religious groups and local parties, submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as part of an ongoing dialogue between the Centre and the newly-carved Union Territory over a series of fresh demands from the region.
These demands include extending the territorial control of Ladakh up to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Can malaria vaccine rollout be scaled up? (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 2, Health)
On January 22, Cameroon in Africa became the first country in the world to launch the RTS, S malaria vaccine for children into its routine national immunisation services.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the rollout follows a malaria vaccine pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, as efforts gather pace to scale up vaccination against the disease in high risk areas.
Twenty countries aim to roll out the programme this year, according to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and other outfits which aim to provide equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
Malaria is one of the biggest killers of children under five across the world and according to WHO data, more than 30 countries have areas with moderate to high malaria transmission.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bite of the infected female Anopheles mosquito. It is preventable and curable.
Business
Farm loan disbursement touches 90% of Budget target in 9 months (Page no. 15)
(GS paper 3, Economy)
Disbursal of farm loans has exceeded 90% of the Budget estimate in the first nine months of the current fiscal, data from the Finance Ministry showed. Given this trend, the Interim Budget may see an increase of at least 10% in the estimates for the next fiscal (2024-25).
The Ministry said as on December 31, 2023, a little over ₹18 lakh crore, which is 90% of the target, had been disbursed.
Further, credit disbursed to the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sector during FY 2023-24 at ₹1,91,412 crore, was 65% of the target of ₹2.93 lakh crore,” the Ministry said, while talking about delivery on Budget promises.
The disbursements include over ₹77,000 crore as working capital, and over ₹1.13 lakh crore as term loan. According to the Financial Services Department in the Finance Ministry, agricultural credit had surged nearly three times from ₹7.3 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to ₹21.55 lakh crore in FY 2022-23.
World
Britain, Italy, Finland pause funding for UN agency in Gaza (Page no. 16)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
Britain, Italy and Finland on Saturday became the latest countries to pause funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), following allegations that its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Set up to help refugees of the 1948 war at Israel’s founding, the UNRWA provides education, health and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
It helps about two thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million population and has played a pivotal aid role during the current war.
The U.S., Australia and Canada had already paused funding to the aid agency after Israel said 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the cross-border attack. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees severed ties with them.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry criticised what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and the Hamas militant group condemned the termination of employee contracts “based on information derived from the Zionist enemy”.