1. BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing, China, has brought renewed attention to Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

• Proposed: In 2013 to improve connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale.
• Purpose: Of restoring the ancient Silk Route (land-based infrastructure connection) that connected Asia and Europe.
• 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Emphasizes maritime routes connecting China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Europe.
• Involves: Building a big network of roadways, railways, maritime ports, power grids, oil and gas pipelines, and associated infrastructure projects.

Criticism and Concerns

• Debt Burden: Some countries have expressed concern about potential debt burdens resulting from BRI projects.
• Environmental Impact: Environmental sustainability and social impacts have raised concerns in certain areas.
• Geopolitical Considerations: The initiative has been criticized for potential geopolitical implications and concerns about China's influence in participating countries. Ex: BRI’s project CPEC (China-Pakistan economic corridor) is against India’s territorial sovereignty.

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2. VIZHINJAM PORT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Infrastructure)

Context: Recently, a fresh debate has emerged in Kerala regarding the construction of the Vizhinjam international seaport, India's first deep-water transshipment port.

Vizhinjam Port Project

• Located: Thiruvananthapuram, Vizhinjam, Kerala.
• It  is India's first international deep- water transhipment port.
• It has a natural depth of more than 18 meters, scalable up to 20 meters, which is crucial to get large vessels and mother ships.
• It is located 10 nautical miles from the international shipping route.
• The Rs 7,600-crore project is being executed by Adani Ports and SEZ Private Limited.
• Attempts to execute the project were made by successive regimes. 
• Hong Kong-flagged Zhenu Hua 15 docked at the seaport under construction. This is meant for moving cargo from ships to the shore. Seven more such cranes would be brought from China in the coming months.
• India has 13 major ports. 

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3. TRIBAL YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM (TYEP) (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government scheme)

Context: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation recently interacts with 200 tribal youth under the Tribal Youth Exchange Program (TYEP) in New Delhi, recently.

Tribal Youth Exchange Program (TYEP)

• About: The Ministry of Home Affairs has been running the Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP) for the last 15 years.

o The programme is being run through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• Objective: Young men and women of the tribal community from the interior areas most affected by Left Wing Extremism are taken on a tour to major cities and metros across the country.
• The main objectives of this programme are:

o Promoting the aspirations of the youth in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism.

o Countering the propaganda against the government being spread by CPI Maoists.

o Informing the youth of tribal areas about the development activities and industrial progress and to sensitize them about the rich cultural heritage of India.

o Deepening the confidence in democratic system in these areas.

o Spreading awareness about major development and welfare schemes among the youth of the tribal community.

o Developing an emotional bonding between youth belonging to the tribal community and their peer groups in other parts of the country.

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4. SAPTAKOSHI HIGH DAM (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Nepal and India recently reached an agreement to lower the proposed Saptakoshi High Dam's height, addressing Nepal's concerns about potential land inundation upstream.

Koshi River

• About: It is also referred to as "Saptakoshi" in Nepal, is a trans-boundary river flowing through both India and Nepal.

o It constitutes Nepal's largest river basin and is a significant tributary of the Ganga.

• Origin: From the Tibetan Plateau, traverses the Himalayas, courses through the Mahabharat range and Siwalik hills, enters the plains of eastern Nepal, and eventually joins the Ganges in India.
• Length: 729 km (453 miles).
• Boundaries: Demarcated by the Yarlung Zangbo River to the north, the Mahananda River to the east, the Gandaki to the west, and the Ganga to the south, forming the Kosi river valley.
• Tributaries: Indrawati, Sun Koshi, Tama Koshi, Likhu, Dudh Koshi, Arun, and Tamor, which converge at Triveni, where it becomes the Sapta-Koshi.

Saptakoshi High Dam

• About: The proposed multipurpose project is located on the Saptakoshi River in Nepal, known as the Koshi River in India.
• Situated: 1.6 km upstream from Barahakshetra Temple in the Sunsari district of Nepal.
• Objective: To flood control in southeast Nepal and northern Bihar, as well as hydropower generation.

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5. MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Centre recently increased the MSP of wheat by 7.06% to 2,275 per quintal for the 2024-25 rabi season, marking the highest hike since 2014.

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

• About: MSP serves as a government-established rate at which crops are bought from farmers, providing them with protection against significant declines in agricultural prices.
• Announced by: The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops and Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRP) for sugarcane.
• Origin of Concept: MSP was initially introduced in 1966, drawing inspiration from the Green Revolution.
• Crops covered: 7 types of cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley)

o 5 types of pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong and masoor)

o 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower, niger seed)

o 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw jute)

Factors for Recommending the MSP

• Demand and supply, 
• Cost of production, 
• Price trends in the market, 
• Both domestic and international, inter-crop price parity, 
• Terms of trade between agriculture and non-agriculture, 
• A minimum of 50 percent as the margin over the cost of production,
• Implications of MSP on consumers of that product.

Rabi Crops under  MSP

 Wheat, barley, gram, lentil, mustard, and safflower.

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6. CHILOBRACHYS NATANICHARUM (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, a new species of tarantula Chilobrachys natanicharum was recently found. around the mangrove forest of Thailand.

Chilobrachys natanicharum

• Family: Theraphosidae.
• Thailand's mangroves recently revealed their first tarantula species.
• Previously, the Electric Blue Tarantula was sought after in the exotic spider trade.
• The striking blue color of the Electric Blue Tarantula doesn't result from pigmentation but from nanostructures in their hair that manipulate light.
• The unique hair structures can be found on various parts of the tarantula's body, including its legs, mouth appendages, and upper shell.
• The adaptable Electric Blue Tarantula can thrive in both arboreal and terrestrial burrows in evergreen forests.
• In mangrove forests, they are limited to residing in tree hollows due to tidal influences.

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7. MICROALGAE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, a new study suggests that microalgae have developed a unique strategy to adapt to global warming while playing a critical role in the ocean's food chain and capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

• As climate change reduces the availability of nutrients in the sea, marine microalgae or eukaryotic phytoplankton fire up a protein called rhodopsin.
• It is related to the protein in the human eye responsible for vision in dim light.

Microalgae

• Microalgae are organisms that can grow in aquatic environments and use light and carbon dioxide (CO2) to create biomass. 
• It contains lipids and fatty acids as membrane components, storage products, metabolites, and sources of energy.
• They are excellent at converting CO2 and sunlight into oil-rich biomass, especially when compared to land-based crop plants like soy.
• The potentials of algae as the alternative biofuel sources have been widely reviewed.
• Microalgae cultivation provides tremendous opportunity in the field of agriculture as a source of biofertilizers.
• Example: Chlorella and Spirulina.

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8. ETHICS COMMITTEE IN PARLIAMENT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Recently, a Lok Sabha speaker has referred a complaint against a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) to the House Ethics Committee.

Ethics Committee in Parliament

• It comes under the ‘committee to inquire’.
• Each house of the parliament has its own ethics committee.
• Lok Sabha

o Constitution: 2000

o Composition: 15 Members including Chairman

o Appointment: By Lok Sabha Speaker

o Tenure: 1 year

• Rajya Sabha

o Constitution: 1997

o Composition: 10 Members including Chairman

o Appointment: By Rajya Sabha Chairman

o Tenure: 1 year

Functions of Ethics Committee

• The primary role is to supervise the moral and ethical behavior of Members of Parliament.
• It reviews cases referred to it regarding the ethical conduct and misconduct of Members, initiated by the Speaker in the Lok Sabha and the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha.
• The committee also establishes a code of conduct for members and suggests revisions as necessary.
• It offers guidance to members on ethical matters, either proactively or upon request.
• The committee can handle complaints of ethical misconduct, initiated by any individual or taken up on its own.

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9. PMLA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Recently, a three-member bench, led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, agreed to reconsider a Supreme Court judgement on the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), acknowledging that the judges are "not infallible.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)

• About: Money laundering is the process of hiding the source of money obtained from illegal sources and converting it to a clean source, for the purpose of avoiding prosecution, conviction, and confiscation of the criminal funds.
• Aim: To prevent money-laundering

o To provide for confiscation of property derived from or involved in money-laundering

• The Department of Revenue within the Ministry of Finance oversees the investigation of money laundering offenses under the PMLA through the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Features

• Confiscation of property: The PMLA addresses the confiscation of both movable and immovable property.
• Intermediaries: The Act mandates that every banking company, financial institution, and intermediaries maintain transaction records.
• Appellate Tribunal: An Appellate Tribunal, established by the Central Government, hears appeals against the decisions of the Adjudicating Authority and other authorities under this Act.
• Special Courts: Special Courts, appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, are designated to handle Money Laundering offences.
• Location of an entity: The Act prohibits entities from having third parties in countries classified as 'high risk' by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

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10. FOOD SECURITY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: According to a recently released report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on World Food Day, a mounting global water crisis jeopardizes $58 trillion in economic value, food security, and sustainability.

• The document gave the example of Europe’s Danube basin. 80% of the floodplains along the Danube and tributaries — essential for flood and drought risk mitigation, groundwater recharge and water filtration have been lost.

Food Security

• Definition: According to World Bank, food security is defined when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
• The four main dimensions of food security: -

o Physical availability of food

o Economic and physical access to food

o Food utilization

o Stability of the other three dimensions over time

 World Food Day 

• Founded: In 1945 by Food and Agriculture Organization
• It was declared an international holiday after 34 years during the 20th FAO summit in November 1979.
• Date: 16th October each year
• Theme 2023: "Water is life, water is food." "Don't leave anyone behind." "Water is necessary for life on Earth."

World Wide Fund  for Nature (WWF)

• Established: In 1961 
• Headquarter: In Gland, Switzerland.
• Previously known as the: World Wildlife Fund
• Mission: WWF's mission is to halt the degradation of the planet's natural environment and create a future in which humans coexist harmoniously with nature.
• Global Reach: The world's largest conservation organization, boasting over five million supporters across 100 countries.

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