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Making a flurry of revisions in the economy’s growth estimates, the National Statistical Office (NSO) raised India’s real GDP growth estimate for this year to 7.6% from the 7.3% projected last month.
It also scaled down its 7.2% growth estimate for 2022-23 to 7% and raised its 2021-22 estimate from 9.1% to 9.7%.
The Gross Value Added (GVA) in the economy is projected to rise 6.9% this year, with the NSO downgrading last year’s GVA growth to 6.7% from 7%.
GDP growth for the first two quarters of this year was raised to 8.2% and 8.1%, further rising to 8.4% for the October to December 2023 quarter (Q3).
States
ZSI names a newly discovered head-shield sea slug after President Droupadi Murmu (Page no. 4)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has named a new marine species of head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot which was discovered from West Bengal and Odisha coast after President of India Droupadi Murmu.
This species belonging to Melanochlamys genus was discovered from Digha of West Bengal coast and Udaipur of Odisha coast.
The new species of head-shield sea slug, which is found nowhere else in the world, has been named Melanochlamys droupadi.
Species of the genus Melanochlamys are characterised morphologically by a short, blunt and cylindrical body and a smooth dorsal surface with two dorsal equal or unequal shields, named the anterior cephalic and posterior shield
Editorial
E-evidence, new criminal law, its implementation (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
The three newly-enacted criminal laws, the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (to replace the Indian Penal Code), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (to replace the Indian Evidence Act) are to come into force on July 1, 2024.
At the same time, Section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS), which prescribes 10 years imprisonment for fatal accidents if they are not immediately reported to the police, has been put on hold, as notified by the Central government.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and State governments are preparing for a smooth transition. While some changes have been made in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in connection with investigation and police functioning, a few new offences and some changes introduced in the BNS, the contents of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 have changed little as far as the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) is concerned.
The scope of secondary evidence has been slightly broadened and some changes have been made in the provisions relating to electronic evidence in the BSA.
Opinion
Should Minimum Support Price be legalised? (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
On February 13, groups of farmers began a march to New Delhi, to press for fulfilment of their demands, which include a legal guarantee for purchasing crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and India’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) which, they allege, places pressure on the Centre for drafting policies for procurement and MSP.
While the Centre has fixed MSP for 23 farm commodities, it is implemented mostly for rice and wheat mainly because India has vast storage facilities for these grains and uses the produce for its public distribution system (PDS).
The Union government has repeatedly asserted that a legal guarantee for MSP will not be possible. Should MSP be legalised? Siraj Hussain and Lakhwinder Singh discuss the question in a conversation moderated by A.M. Jigeesh. Edited excerpts:
Lakhwinder Singh: These protests have been building up over time. In 2018 too, we saw tens of thousands of farmers from Maharashtra take to the streets. But their demands are perhaps not being listened to seriously, whether by State governments or the Central government.
Text & Context
On cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
The Rajya Sabha elections in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka witnessed cross-voting by MLAs belonging to different parties. This has once again raised concerns about the sanctity of the election process.
As per Article 80 of the Constitution, representatives of each State to the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the elected members of their Legislative Assembly.
The polls for Rajya Sabha will be required only if the number of candidates exceed the number of vacancies. In fact, till 1998, the outcome of Rajya Sabha elections were usually a foregone conclusion.
The candidates nominated by various parties, according to their strength in the Assembly, used to be elected unopposed.
However, the June 1998 Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra witnessed cross-voting that resulted in the loss of a Congress party candidate.
News
Stay orders of HCs won’t lapse automatically: Supreme Court (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
The Supreme Court said it could not unnecessarily fiddle with well-thought-out interim orders of High Courts staying criminal and civil proceedings.
A Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said the top court had no power whatsoever to declare that a stay order passed by a High Court after due application of mind would automatically expire within six months.
The five-judge Bench was deciding a reference made to it about the correctness of a 2018 judgment in Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency Vs CBI.
A three-judge Bench, in 2018, had held that interim but open-ended stay orders would get vacated by default after six months unless their period of operation was extended periodically.
Cabinet okays ₹75,000-crore ‘free electricity’ solar scheme (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Union Cabinet approved a ₹75,021-crore package for the ‘PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’ (PM Free Electricity scheme) to promote rooftop solar (RTS) installations in India.
The scheme envisages providing 300 units of “free electricity” every month to one crore households. However, it was not immediately clear how the scheme officially unveiled on Thursday would result in free electricity to one crore households.
The Centre will fund, an accompanying press statement from the Union Power Ministry says, 60% of the cost for installing 2 kW (kilowatt) systems and 40% of the cost for systems of 2-3 kW capacity.
Systems of higher wattage will not be eligible for central subsidy.
India’s leopard population rises to 13,874; M.P. on top (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
India’s leopard numbers rose by 8% from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022, according to a report made public by the Environment Ministry.
While the highest number of leopards were reported in Madhya Pradesh (3,907), only three other States reported over 1,000 animals each — Maharashtra (1,985), Karnataka (1,879) and Tamil Nadu (1,070).
While Uttarakhand reported a 22% decline in the big cat numbers — reportedly due to poaching and man-animal conflict, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal saw a collective 150% rise to 349 animals.
The survey covered 20 States of India, and focused on about 70% of the animals’ expected habitat, which are India’s tiger reserves and protected forest areas.
Unlike tigers, which are largely confined to forest reserves, leopards are far more adaptable and tend to be found in significant numbers, in villages and sometimes, even in cities. They are also known to prey on cattle and thus be involved in conflict, resulting in higher mortality.
Lancet study shows obesity rates going up across world (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Obesity rates among children and adolescents worldwide increased four times from 1990 to 2022, while obesity rates among adults have more than doubled, a new study published in The Lancet has revealed.
The total number of children, adolescents and adults worldwide living with obesity has surpassed one billion. In total, 159 million children and adolescents, and 879 million adults were obese in 2022.
Along with the declining prevalence of people who are underweight since 1990, obesity has become the most common form of malnutrition in most countries, said the paper that analysed global data estimates.
World
West sending troops to Ukraine could risk nuclear war: Putin (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to fulfil Moscow’s goals in Ukraine and sternly warned the West against deeper involvement in the fighting, saying such a move is fraught with the risk of a global nuclear conflict.
Mr. Putin’s blunt warning came in a state-of-the-nation address ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win, underlining his readiness to raise the stakes in the tug-of-war with the West to protect the Russian gains in Ukraine.
In an apparent reference to French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement earlier this week that the future deployment of Western ground troops to Ukraine should not be “ruled out”, Mr. Putin warned that it would lead to “tragic” consequences for the countries who decide to do that.
Hong Kong’s security law blasted by U.K., U.S. (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The United States and Britain criticised the Hong Kong government over a proposed new national security law, saying it would curtail freedoms in the finance hub.
Massive pro-democracy protests rocked Hong Kong in 2019, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets to call for greater freedoms.
In response, Beijing imposed a national security law to punish four major crimes — secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces.
Hong Kong officials said last month a further homegrown security law was needed to plug “loopholes”, with justice chief Paul Lam saying he had heard no objections during public consultations.
Business
India begins second part of critical minerals auction worth $362 bn (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India began the second part of its critical minerals auction worth ₹30 trillion rupees (about $362 billion), Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said.
A total of 18 blocks of critical and strategic minerals, including graphite, tungsten, vanadium, cobalt and nickel, among others, will be auctioned in eight States, a government statement said.
Seventeen mineral blocks have been put up for a composite license, while one block is for a mining lease, it added. A composite license includes a license to examine a block and mine it afterwards.
Mineral blocks are being auctioned in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and the southern states of Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan are also on the list.
Science
Despite policy backing and funding, care for rare diseases not optimal (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
In the field of rare diseases, in India, what did not happen for 20 years, was dramatically hustled through over the last couple of years.
Consider this: the first National Policy on Rare Diseases was issued in March 2021, providing a comprehensive national approach to prevention and management of rare diseases.
It was nearly a dream come true for patients living with rare diseases and their families — the policy also factors in ways to lower the exorbitant cost of treatment, and boost indigenous research.
The policy also envisages the creation of a national hospital based registry of rare diseases, an intervention as crucial as funding for treatment itself, as it will provide rich epidemiological data to define the extent of the problem in India and decide optimal funding for research in rare diseases too.
The Rare Diseases Policy also focuses on creation of Nidan Kendras for early screening and prevention, as well as plans to strengthen extant secondary and tertiary health facilities at Centres of Excellence.
Experts suggest ASHA-like cadre for mental healthcare (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Could the south of India see the repurposing of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) into a community health worker who is paid, not incentivised, and can provide support to persons discharged from a psychiatric facility.
Vikram Patel, Paul Farmer Professor and Chair, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School and R. Thara, vice chairperson, Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), explored the possibility of having a cadre similar to ASHAs to take community mental healthcare forward. Noting that he had visited many District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) sites around the country, Dr. Patel said that DMHP was purely a medication programme. There is nothing community — based, and no rehabilitation,” he said. There is no psychosocial intervention.