1. MERA YUVA BHARAT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government Schemes)

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister Shri of India launched the 'Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)’ platform for the youth of the country at Kartavya Path on National Unity Day.

Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)’ Platform

• About: It is an autonomous body that will benefit the youth in the age group of 15-29 years, in line with the definition of ‘Youth’ in the National Youth Policy. 

o Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) is  'Phygital Platform' (physical + digital) comprising physical activity along with an opportunity to connect digitally.

• Aim of the platform: to provide youth with an opportunity to play an active role in various Government programmes.
• Vision: 'Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)’ is envisioned as a pivotal, technology-driven facilitator for youth development and youth-led development, with the overarching goal of providing equitable opportunities.
• It envisions a framework where the youth of our country can seamlessly connect with programs, mentors, and their local communities. 

Objectives

• To make it a whole Government platform dedicated to the advancement of the youth. Its objectives include:
• Leadership Development in the Youth
• Improve the leadership skills through experiential learning by shifting from isolated physical interaction to programmatic skills
• Investing in youth to make them social innovators, and leaders in the communities

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2. FISCAL DEFICIT REPORT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Economy)

Context: Recently, due to a noticeable increase in capital expenditure and higher subsidies allocated to fertilizers, the Union government's fiscal deficit for April-September expanded to 7.02 lakh crore, which is 39.3 percent of the full-year target of 17.87 lakh crore, in contrast to 6.43 lakh crore in April-August.

• The fiscal position of the Central Government has been fairly comfortable during the first half of the current fiscal despite economic headwinds.

Fiscal Deficit

• About: It is the gap between the government's overall income (including taxes and non-debt capital receipts) and its total expenditure.
• Fiscal Deficit = Total expenditure of the government (capital and revenue expenditure) – Total income of the government (Revenue receipts + recovery of loans + other receipts).
• Causes of fiscal deficit arise: When government spending surpasses its income.

o It represents the extent to which the government has spent more than its earnings, usually presented as a percentage of the GDP.

• The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act was established in 2003, aiming to establish targets for reducing fiscal deficits.
• Reviewing the FRBM Act: In May 2016, the government set up a committee under NK Singh to review the FRBM Act. The government believed the targets were too rigid. 
• Recommended fiscal deficit target: The committee recommended that the government should target a fiscal deficit of 3 percent of the GDP in the years up to March 31, 2020 cut it to 2.8 per cent in 2020-21 and to 2.5 per cent by 2023.

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3. AKHAURA-AGARTALA RAIL LINK (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Recently, in a historic development, Bangladesh and northeast India re-established rail connectivity through Tripura, ending a nearly seven-and-a-half-decade hiatus. The long-anticipated Akhaura-Agartala rail connection was virtually inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India and Bangladesh's Prime Minister.

Akhaura-Agartala Rail Link

• The rail link measures 12.24 km, comprising a 6.78-km dual gauge line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura
• The rail line between Agartala in Tripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh would pave the way for the first train to run from the northeastern region to Bangladesh
• The link will connect Gangasagar in Bangladesh to Nischintapur in India and from there to Agartala.
• The Project was at standstill because of the sharp increase in the cost of land for the sections in India.

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4. ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, a new report by the nonprofit Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) revealed fresh evidence showing the convergence of wildlife crime with other forms of organized crime, further underscoring the organization's efforts to dismantle these criminal networks.

Report on Wildlife Trafficking

• The commission has observed close links of wildlife trade with protection rackets, extortion, murder, money laundering, illicit drugs, tax evasion and corruption.
• The sand is extracted from rivers, coastal or marine ecosystems and has enormous environmental impacts — mining causes erosion and directly affects communities and their livelihoods.
• Indiscriminate extraction negatively impacts aquifers, reduces protection against storm surges, shrinks deltas, freshwater and marine fisheries, land-use changes and biodiversity.

Illegal Wildlife Trade

• About: Illegal wildlife trade refers to the illegal activities involving the capture, collection, transport, and trade of wildlife and their products, including live animals, animal parts, and derivatives.
• In India, trade in over 1,800 species of wild animals, plants and their derivatives, is prohibited under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Illegal Wildlife Trade Impact on Climate Change

• Deforestation: Illegal logging for timber and conversion of forests to agricultural land contribute to deforestation, releasing carbon dioxide and reducing carbon sinks.
• Carbon Storage: Large-bodied species targeted in the illegal wildlife trade, such as elephants, play a crucial role in carbon storage through their interactions with vegetation and soil.
• Disrupted Ecosystems: Illegal trade disrupts ecosystems, impacting their ability to sequester carbon and maintain ecological balance.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

• About: It is a statutory multi-disciplinary body, established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.
• Headquarter: New Delhi.
• Function: It collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to the State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals. It establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank. Etc.

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5. PM GATI SHAKTI SCHEME (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Economy)

Context: Two years after its launch, India recently unveiled ambitious infrastructure plans, including approximately 8,890 km of roads, 27,000 km of railway tracks, and 920 km of petroleum and natural gas pipelines, all in line with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan.

PM Gati Shakti Scheme

• About: It is a multi-modal connectivity plan with the goal of coordinating infrastructure project planning and execution to reduce logistics costs.
• Establishment: October 2021
• Aim: It is the first National Infrastructure Masterplan. The National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity is essentially a digital platform to bring 16 Ministries includes Railways and Roadways and others.

o To boost economic growth (Shakti) through infrastructure building.

o To improve the productivity of industries and employment opportunities. 

o It is considered to be the government's integrated approach to developing modern railways, roadways, waterways and airways.

• Method: It breaks the inter-ministerial silos and to integrate the planning of infrastructure projects related to road, rail, air and waterways etc.
• Integration: It incorporates the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.
• Pillars of PM Gati Shakti: Comprehensiveness, Prioritization, Optimization, Synchronization, Analytical, Dynamic.

Gati Shakti Master Plan

• Launch: On India’s 75th Independence Day
• About: It is a digital platform — will bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.

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6. INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: The Sixth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was recently hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

• Around 80 percent of the global population, totaling a staggering 6 billion people, reside in countries that depend on fossil fuel imports. 
• Renewable energy sources have the potential to supply 65 percent of the world's total electricity by 2030 and decarbonise 90 percent of the power sector by 2050.

International Solar Alliance

• About: It is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries.
• Launched: COP21 (2015), the UN climate meeting in Paris
• Headquarter: Gurugram, India
• Vision: Let us together make the sun brighter.
• Mission: Every home no matter how far away, will have a light at home.
• Member Countries: 94 countries

Objective

• Increase worldwide demand to drive down solar energy deployment costs.
• Enhance research and development, focusing on efficient storage systems.
• Advocate for standardised equipment and electricity generation processes.
• Standardisation will lower manufacturing costs for hardware and equipment.

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7. ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government Scheme)

Context: According to the recently released Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' annual report on road accidents, the states and Union Territories (UTs) reported 461,312 incidents in 2022, leading to injuries for 443,366 people. 

• This year saw an increase of 11.9 percent in accidents, 9.4 percent in fatalities, and 15.3 percent in injuries compared to 2021.

The Report

• The report underscores the urgency of adopting a comprehensive approach to address the contributing factors to these accidents, including speeding, reckless driving, drunken driving, and non-compliance with traffic regulations.
• The second-highest number of deaths took place in 2019 — 10,000 fewer than 2022.
• According to the report, 33 per cent of all road accidents and 35 per cent of fatal accidents took place on national highways and expressways.
• The report also found that a large number of accidents remain attributable to human errors. 
• In 2022, over speeding was a major cause, accounting for 71.2 per cent of the persons killed. It was followed by driving on the wrong side (5.4 per cent).

Road accidents in India

• In a report by the World Bank, India holds the top position for road accident deaths among 199 countries.
• Despite having only 1 percent of the world's vehicles, India contributes to 11 percent of global road accident fatalities, a record-high worldwide, as per the World Bank's findings.
• Shockingly, India witnesses 53 road crashes every hour, resulting in the loss of one life every 4 minutes.
• Annually, the country registers approximately 4.5 lakh road accidents, leading to the unfortunate demise of 1.5 lakh individuals.

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8. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: As the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ministerial conference looms just four months away, India has urged for the immediate commencement of formal discussions to revive the dispute settlement system within the global organization.

• The United States, responsible for the dysfunction of the entire dispute settlement system, has initiated informal discussions regarding reforms to the Dispute Settlement Body.

Dispute Settlement Body

• The DSB of the World Trade Organization (WTO) makes decisions on trade disputes between governments that are adjudicated by the Organization. 
• Dispute Settlement Process

o Consultations between the parties;

o Adjudication by panels and, if applicable, by the Appellate Body;

o Implementation of the ruling, which includes the possibility of countermeasures in the event of failure by the losing party to implement the ruling.

Functions

• Formation of dispute settlement panels.
• Referring issues to arbitration and endorsing reports from panels, the Appellate Body, and arbitration.
• Monitoring the enforcement of recommendations and rulings specified in these reports.
• Granting approval for trade concessions suspension in cases of non-compliance with said recommendations and rulings.

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9. LCA MARK 1A (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Science and Technology)

Context: Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) retired one of its three remaining squadrons of the ageing MiG-21 fighters, and officials aware of the matter have noted that these aircraft will gradually be replaced by the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A.

LCA Mark 1A

• Indigenous 4+ Generation Fighter: The Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A is a cutting-edge 4+ generation fighter aircraft, proudly designed, developed, and manufactured in India.
• Superiority Over Previous Variants: The Tejas LCA Mk-1A surpasses its predecessors in avionics, performance, and weapons capabilities, making it a formidable addition to the Indian Air Force.
• Advanced Operational Capabilities: This aircraft boasts crucial operational features including an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile capability, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) capability.
• Various BVR Missiles: It is highly adaptable, allowing for seamless hardware and software integration to accommodate a variety of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles available in the Indian Air Force's inventory.

MiG-21

• These aircraft are single-engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack planes.
• India has acquired more than 700 MiG-21 aircraft of various variants over the years, including the Type-77, Type-96, and the BIS.
• The most recent variant is the MiG-21 Bison, featuring upgrades like advanced missiles, radars, and improved avionics.
• Range: 1210 Km
• Speed: 2175 Km/h
• Combat Radius: 370 Km

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10. OECD ASSESSMENT ON FARMING (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Agriculture)

Context: According to the most recent assessment by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Indian farmers incurred an implicit tax of $169 billion in 2022 through export bans, duties, or permits on commodities such as wheat and rice. 

Key Findings

• India’s negative MPS policy taxation constituted over 80 per cent of all such taxes globally in 2022. Among 54 countries analysed in the report, implicit taxation to farmers was about $200 billion.
• In India's case, different budgetary transfers to farmers in the form of large subsidies for variable input use, such as fertilisers, electricity, and irrigation water, PM-KISAN, did not offset the price-depressing effect of domestic marketing regulations and trade policy measures.
• The international measure of a government’s budgetary and other subsidies to farmers is the Producer Support Estimate (PSE), developed by OECD that uses this for its annual tracking of global agriculture supports.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

• About: It is an international organisation with 38 member countries.
• Founded in: 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
• Headquarter at: Paris, France.
• Members: The majority of OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI)and are regarded as developed countries. 
• Aim: Fostering economic development and cooperation and fighting poverty through the promotion of economic stability.

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