1. CERVICAL CANCER (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: The Department of Health and Family Welfare was allocated Rs 87,656.90 crore in the interim Union Budget 2024-2025 tabled by Finance Minister in Parliament.

Cervical Cancer

• About: It is s a growth of cells that starts in the cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.
• HPV is a common infection that's passed through sexual contact.
• Symptoms: When it starts, cervical cancer might not cause symptoms. As it grows, cervical cancer might cause signs and symptoms, such as:

oVaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause.

oMenstrual bleeding that is heavier and lasts longer than usual.

oWatery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor.

• Causes: when healthy cells in the cervix develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. The changes tell the cells to multiply quickly.
• Treatment: Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as secondary care for pain management.
• Types of cervical cancer

oSquamous cell carcinoma: This type of cervical cancer begins in thin, flat cells, called squamous cells. The squamous cells line the outer part of the cervix. Most cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

oAdenocarcinom:. This type of cervical cancer begins in the column-shaped gland cells that line the cervical canal.

• Vaccine: Cervarix (bivalent), Gardasil (quadrivalent), and

oCervavac (quadrivalent) - This is India's first indigenous HPV vaccine, launched in January 2023, It has been developed and manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). It targets the same four HPV types as Gardasil.

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2. MULTIDIMENTIONAL POVERTY INDEX Syllabus GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Finance Minister, in her Interim Budget speech, recently declared that 25 crore Indians had been lifted out of poverty over the past decade, emphasizing the government's commitment to the inclusive principle of 'Sabka ka Saath'.

Multidimensional Poverty Index

• About: The index is a key international resource that measures acute multidimensional poverty across more than 100 developing countries.
• Produced by: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)
• Calculation of MPI: Multiplying the incidence of poverty and the average intensity of poverty.
• MPI Ranges: From 0 to 1, and higher values imply higher poverty.
• 10 Indicators: covering three main areas: (i) health, (ii) education, and (iii) standard of living. These three dimensions have one-third weight each in the final index.
• The Indian MPI has two additional indicators: maternal health (under the health dimension) and bank accounts (under the standard of living dimension). 

oThis has been done, according to the NITI Aayog, to align the MPI with India’s national priorities.

How is MPI calculated?

• According to the MPI method, if a person is deprived in a third or more of 10 (weighted) indicators, they are identified as “MPI poor”.
• The first calculation involves finding out the “incidence of multidimensional poverty” (denoted by the symbol H). The incidence essentially refers to the proportion of multidimensionally poor in the population, and it is arrived at by dividing the number of multidimensionally poor persons by total population. More simply, it answers the question: How many are poor?
• The second calculation involves finding out the “intensity” of poverty (it is demoted by the symbol A). This answers the question: How poor are they?
• More technically, this refers to the average proportion of deprivation that is experienced by multidimensionally poor individuals. To compute intensity, the weighted deprivation scores of all poor people are summed and then divided by the total number of poor people.
• Finally, the MPI is arrived at by multiplying the incidence of multidimensional poverty (H) and the intensity of poverty (A).

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3. 3 NEW CORRIDOR UNDER GATISHAKTI (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Interim Budget for 2024-25 announcement for implementation of three Economic Railway Corridor identified under the PM GatiShakti for enabling multi-modal connectivity, including (i) energy, mineral, and cement corridors, (ii) port connectivity corridors, and (iii) high traffic density corridors.

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan framework

• Background: It was announced by the Prime minister of India in August 2021 and was launched in 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.

oTo boost economic growth (Shakti) through infrastructure building. 

oTo improve the productivity of industries and employment opportunities.  

oIt 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: It will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various Ministries and Departments with one centralized portal.
• Prioritization: Through this, different Departments will be able to prioritize their projects through cross-sectoral interactions.
• Optimization: The National Master Plan will assist different ministries in planning for projects after identification of critical gaps. 
• Synchronization: Individual Ministries and Departments often work in silos. It will help in synchronizing the activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance.
• Analytical: The plan will provide the entire data at one place with GIS based spatial planning and analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency.
• Dynamic: All Ministries and Departments will now be able to visualize, review and monitor the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will give on-ground progress periodically and progress of the projects will be updated on a regular basis on the portal. 

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4. ROSCTL Scheme (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Union Cabinet Thursday approved the continuation of the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme for apparel, garments and made-ups till March 31, 2026, a move aimed at enhancing the export competitiveness of garment and made-up sectors.

Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) Scheme

• Launch: 2020. Earlier, it was extended till March 2024.
• Chaired by: Prime Minister of India approved the continuation of the scheme for RoSCTL for export of apparel/garments and made-ups up to March 31, 2026.
• Objective: To reimburse all embedded State and Central Taxes/Levies related to the export of manufactured goods and garments.
• Implemented by: Department of Revenue.
• Successor to RoSL Scheme: Established as the successor to the previous "Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) Scheme."
• Rebate of State Taxes and Levies comprises: VAT on fuel used in transportation, captive power, farm sector, mandi tax, duty of electricity, stamp duty on export documents, embedded SGST paid on inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers etc. used in production of raw cotton, purchases from unregistered dealers, coal used in production of electricity and inputs for transport sector.
• Benefits: RoSCTL provides exporters with rebates on both State and Central taxes and levies.

oRoSCTL has been an important policy measure and has helped in enhancing competitiveness of Indian exports of apparel and made ups which are value added and labour intensive segments of the Textile Value Chain.

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5. E-COURTS MISSION MODE PROJECT (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The eCourts Mission Mode Project is a national eGovernance project for ICT enablement of district/subordinate courts of the country with a view to facilitate faster disposal of cases by speeding up court processes and providing transparent on-line flow of information on case status, orders/judgments etc.

About eCourts Mission Mode Project:

• About: It was conceptualized on the basis of the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary – 2005” submitted by eCommittee, Supreme Court of India .

oIt is a centrally sponsored scheme that is part of the National e-Governance Plan.

oA Pan-India Project, it is monitored and funded by Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.

oThe project is aimed at providing the necessary hardware and software application to enable courts to deliver e-services

• The project envisages

oTo provide efficient & time-bound citizen centric services delivery as detailed in eCourt Project Litigant’s Charter.

oTo develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.

oTo automate the processes to provide transparency in accessibility of information to its stakeholders.

oTo enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice delivery system affordable, accessible, cost effective, predictable, reliable and transparent.

• Three phases:

oPhase-I : In Phase-I of the eCourts Project beginning from 2007, a large number of Court Complexes, Computer Server Rooms and Judicial Service Centres were readied for computerization of the District Courts. 

oPhase II: It saw a major technological upgrade in courts during the Covid crisis. The National Judicial Data Grid, a repository of over 23-crore cases from district courts to SC level was part of the Phase II.

oPhase III: It aims to usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts through digitisation of the entire court records, including legacy records.

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6. LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The 22nd Law Commission recently recommended that criminal defamation should be retained within the scheme of criminal laws in India, the Law Ministry said.

oThe panel submitted its report to the Ministry, wherein the Law Commission argued that the right to reputation, derived from Article 21 of the Constitution guaranteeing the right to life and personal liberty, must be protected.

Law Commission Of India

• About: It is an executive body established by an order of govt of India.
• It  ensure that the laws formed are just and fair which work towards its proper implementation.
• It works as: An advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice. 
• It is not defined under the Indian Constitution but It is constituted as part of Article 39A.
• Generally law Commission is Constituted for a term of 3 year but Govt can extend the same.

Major Recommendation of Law Commission Of India

• Abolition of death penalty for all crimes except terror-related offences and waging war against the state. (Law Commission 267th Report)
• It recommended for simultaneous election of Lok Sabha and State Assembly for improvement of governance and stability of the states. (170th Report)
• It recommended the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country,  for the formulation of one law for India, which would apply to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption. (170th Report of Law Commission)
• The 213th report in the year 2008 recommended setting up of Fast track magisterial courts with special high technology facilities.

Criminal Defamation 

• Defamation: Any false and unprivileged statement published or spoken deliberately, intentionally, knowingly with the intention to damage someone's reputation is defamation. Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 defines what is defamation and its exceptions. 
• Criminal defamation: It is nothing but a defamation for which simple imprisonment may be awarded. 

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7. MESOLITHIC PERIOD (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – History)

Context: Mesolithic era rock paintings have been recently discovered at Sitamma Loddi, Gattusingaram, in Peddapalli district, Telangana.

Mesolithic Period

• About: The Mesolithic, known as the Middle Stone Age, bridges the gap between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, marking an ancient cultural stage.
• Timeframe: This era is generally recognized to have spanned approximately 12,000-10,000 years ago.
• Transition in Tool Usage: People shifted from large chipped stone tools to smaller chipped stone tools, known as microliths.

oMicroliths were likely affixed to bone or wood handles, creating tools like saws and sickles.

oConcurrently, older tool varieties persisted in usage.

• Shift in Lifestyle: The Mesolithic Age witnessed a transition from group hunting of large herds to a more hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
• Introduction of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry: Towards the era's conclusion, agricultural practices and animal husbandry emerged.

oDomestication of dogs occurred during the Mesolithic Age.

• Variety in Settlements: Permanent Mesolithic settlements ranged from villages with huts to walled cities.
• Development of Artistic Expressions: Humans in the Mesolithic period created cave paintings, engravings, and ceramics, providing insights into their daily lives.

oCertain regions produced a diverse range of pottery during this era.

Mesolithic Sites in India

• Noteworthy Mesolithic sites in India include Bagor in Rajasthan, Sarai Nahar Rai in Allahabad, and Jharkhand's Chhota Nagpur plateau.
• In Orissa, major Mesolithic sites include Mayarbbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundugarh.
• South India, particularly Godavari bases, is rich in microliths during the Mesolithic Age.

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8. BLUE ECONOMY 2.0 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The interim budget speech delivered by Union Finance Minister of India provided a boost to Blue Economy 2.0 with the announcement of a new scheme “for restoration and adaptation measures, coastal aquaculture, and mariculture with an integrated and multi-sectoral approach”.

Blue Economy 2.0: Promoting Climate Resilient Activities

• About: The blue economy presents immense opportunities for sustainable growth. 
• Aim: To promote climate resilience in the blue economy, a scheme for restoration and adaptation measures, as well as coastal aquaculture and mariculture, will be launched. 
• This integrated and multi-sectoral approach will contribute to the growth of the sector while ensuring environmental sustainability.
• Aquaculture: Farming of aquatic plants and animals.
• Mariculture: Rearing and harvesting marine creatures in salt water.

Blue Economy

• About: The Blue Economy revolves around the sustainable utilization of ocean resources to foster economic growth, enhance livelihoods, and generate employment opportunities.
• Origin: The idea was first introduced by Gunter Pauli in his 2010 book, "The Blue Economy: 10 years, 100 innovations, 100 million jobs."
• Objectives and Focus: The concept advocates for the implementation of eco-friendly strategies in ocean development, aiming for increased productivity while simultaneously ensuring the preservation of the ocean's overall health.
• India's Maritime Landscape: India boasts a coastline stretching 7,500 km, with 9 out of 29 states having coastal boundaries.

oThe country is home to 1,382 islands.

oIndia's Exclusive Economic Zone extends over 2 million square kilometers.

• Significance of the Blue Economy for India

oSocio-Economic Opportunities: The expansive scope of India's blue economy presents a significant socio-economic opportunity, allowing the responsible utilization of ocean resources for the benefit of society.

oSynergy With SDG: The concept aligns seamlessly with all of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular emphasis on contributing to SDG14, which focuses on 'life below water.'

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9. AMU MINORITY STATUS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context:  The Supreme Court concluded the hearings in the case to decide if Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) can claim minority status under Article 30 of the Constitution.

Effect of A Statute On Minority Status

• Background: Article 30(1) of the Constitution of India states “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.”
• Legal Pronouncement in 1967: In the legal case of S Azeez Basha v Union of India (1967), the Supreme Court ruled that the establishment of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) occurred through the enactment of the Aligarh Muslim University Act, 1920.
• AMU's Non-Qualification for Minority Status: As per the court's interpretation, the legal establishment of AMU through a legislative act negated its eligibility for minority status, as it was not founded solely by the Muslim community.
• University Status: In 1920, the institution attained university status, with all assets of MOA College transferred to it. 

oThe AMU Act incorporated a teaching and residential Muslim University at Aligarh. However, the dispute over the university’s minority character arose in 1967 during a legal review of amendments to the AMU Act in 1951 and 1965.

Should The 1981 Amendment Be Considered In This Case?

• 1981 Amendment: The 1981 amendment to the AMU Act included provisions emphasizing the Muslim community's role in establishing the university and stressing the promotion of cultural and educational advancement for Muslims in India.
• Allahabad High Court's Ruling: In 2005, the Allahabad High Court declared the 1981 amendment void, asserting that the AMU was not a minority institution based on the Azeez Basha precedent. The court suggested that the amendment was an attempt to overturn the Azeez Basha decision.
• Challenges and the Supreme Court's Involvement: The Allahabad HC's ruling was contested in the Supreme Court, leading to a referral to a larger bench by a two-judge bench in 2006. This move indicates the complexity and significance of the legal issues surrounding the 1981 amendment.

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10. FISCAL CONSOLIDATION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Chief Economic Advisor emphasized that the Centre's adherence to the fiscal consolidation path indicates its commitment to the medium-term glide path, a point which rating agencies should recently take note of.

Fiscal Consolidation 

• About: It refers to a series of government policies aimed at diminishing deficits and restraining the accumulation of debt. These policies are typically assessed as a percentage of nominal GDP.
• Deficit Reduction Strategies: The reduction of deficits can be achieved through enhanced economic growth, resulting in increased revenues and reduced expenditures. Fiscal consolidation involves a dual approach of boosting income and trimming expenses.
• Significance of Fiscal Deficit: The fiscal deficit stands as a pivotal indicator of the government's financial well-being. It mirrors the amount of government borrowing within a specific fiscal year.
• Government's Dual Deficits: The two primary deficits of the government are the Revenue Deficit and the Fiscal Deficit, each playing a distinct role in financial management.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUDGET MANAGEMENT ACT (FRBM ACT), 2003

• About: The FRBM Act, 2003, establishes financial discipline to reduce fiscal deficit.
• Aim: To introduce transparency in India's fiscal management systems. 
• The Act’s long-term objective is for India to achieve fiscal stability and to give the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) flexibility to deal with inflation in India. 
• Enacted:  To introduce more equitable distribution of India's debt over the years.
• The FRBM Act made it mandatory for the government to place the following along with the Union Budget documents in Parliament annually:

oMedium Term Fiscal Policy Statement

oMacroeconomic Framework Statement

oFiscal Policy Strategy Statement 

• FRBM Act exemptions: On grounds of national security, calamity, etc, the set targets of fiscal deficits and revenue could be exceeded.

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