Context: International Monetary Fund(IMF) suggests heavy investment in education and health for India’s growing, young population.

Key Suggestions:

• To equip the labor force with the right skills to compete in the job market.
• Despite challenges like high youth unemployment, IMF projects a 6.8% growth rate for India’s economy in FY25.
• Concern: Growth is driven by public investment and private consumption, but crowding of private investment.
• Recent upticks in private investment and increasing consumption amid lower inflation offer positive signs for India’s economic future.

Context: “Navchetana”, an activity-based curriculum aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, emphasizes continuous learning.

National Framework of Early Childhood Stimulation 2024:

• Emphasizes learning from birth to age three.
• Involves month-by-month activities for parents, Anganwadi staff, and ASHA workers.
• Activity-based curriculum aligned with the National Education Policy 2020.
• Highlights that 75% of brain development occurs in the first three years.
• Aim: at reaching developmental milestones and developing early language, literacy, and numeracy.

Context: The Supreme Court hearing petitions demanding 100% verifications of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips with EVMs(Electronic Voting Machine).

Justification:

• Supreme Court addresses transparency pleas, including cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips.
• Manual counting of VVPAT slips deemed cumbersome due to time constraints.
• Fall sensor in VVPATs prevents mismatches.
• Increase in polling stations and registered voters noted from 2019 to 2024.
• Units sealed post-elections in the presence of candidates or agents for 45 days.

Prelims Connect(Terminology in news)  

Context: World Health Organisation introduced the term “Infectious Respiratory Particles” (IRPs) for airborne pathogens.

Infectious Respiratory Particles:

• Includes COVID-19, influenza, measles, MERS, SARS, and TB.
• New terminology eliminates strict distinctions between aerosols and droplets.
• Descriptor “through the air” used for airborne or direct deposition transmission.
• Next steps involve further research and exploring implementation implications.

Prelims Connect(Institutions in news)

Context: Randomised Control trials(RCT) transformed Tuberculosis(TB) treatment.

Randomized Control Trials(RCT):

In an RCT, participants are randomly assigned to one of two or more groups:

• An intervention group: This group receives the new treatment or approach being studied.
• A control group: This group receives the standard treatment or a placebo (an inactive substance).
• By comparing the outcomes of the two groups, researchers can determine whether the new treatment is safe and effective.

• Streptomycin is the first effective antibiotic for TB.
• Sir Austin Bradford Hill’s RCT implementation,optimized streptomycin dosage and regimen.
• RCT success in TB treatment set the standard for clinical trials across medical fields.

Prelims Connect(Diseases in news)

New FDI policy for space sector:

• India’s liberalized FDI rules aim to position the country as a space power.
• The policy allows up to 74% FDI for satellite manufacturing and data products, 49% for launch vehicles and spaceports, and 100% for manufacturing components.

Factors that necessitated a new policy:

• India’s evolving space program, including missions like Chandrayaan and plans for sending astronauts,
• Private companies such as Skyroot Aerospace are making substantial contributions to the space sector.
• The government’s ambition to increase India’s share of the global space economy to over 10% by 2030 requires a significant investment of $22 billion.

Conclusion:

• The Space Policy of April last year acknowledged the significance of private sector engagement and redefined ISRO’s role.
• The liberalized FDI regime seeks to encourage greater investment, offer regulatory clarity, and foster increased participation by private entities.
• Space technology remains vital for various welfare and national security goals.
• India’s space economy demands a balance between regulatory oversight and market freedom, with the liberal FDI regime serving as an initial measure.

Source: Indian Express

Context: India’s merchandise exports reached a 12-month peak.

Key concerns for India’s trade and external sector:

• The World Trade Organisation(WTO) downgraded its global trade volume growth projection to 2.6% from 3.3%.
• A healthy monsoon in India is expected to boost domestic demand, including for discretionary imports.
• Disruptions on key shipping routes and geopolitical tensions.
• Rising shipping costs pressure exporters to raise prices, exposing them to competition.
• Prolonged friction in the Strait of Hormuz could threaten trade and macroeconomic balances.
• Any spike in global energy and food prices could derail hopes of global interest rate cuts and improved demand.

Source: The Hindu

Context: 29 Maoists were killed in Bastar region in Chattisgarh.

Trends in war against Maoist insurgency:

• The war against the Maoists has settled into a pattern, with recent blows to the insurgents by security forces.
• The Maoists have diminished as a political-ideological force but retain the ability to target security forces.
• Security forces use unconventional tactics and new routes to target Maoist cadres.
• Maoists remain a threat due to difficult terrain and support from some discontented tribals.
• Indian state strategy involves military action and winning over tribals with welfare measures.
• Previous tactics, like arming tribals, backfired, leading to a change in approach.
• Expansion of the welfare state has reduced Maoist propaganda about state exploitation.
• Some tribals have deserted the Maoists due to fatigue with warfare and violence.
• In Chhattisgarh, constant warfare has allowed Maoists to tap into discontent.
• Civil society and peace activists have tried ceasefire talks, but Maoists refuse to give up violent ideology.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Private investment, as measured by private Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is not picking up

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GCFC):

• Indicates the growth in the size of fixed capital in an economy, including private and public investment.
• Fixed capital, such as buildings and machinery, contributes to economic growth by increasing productivity and output.

Reasons for low private investment:

• Some economists attribute low private investment to low private consumption expenditure, suggesting boosting consumer spending to stimulate investment.
• However, historical data in India shows an inverse relationship between consumption and investment, suggesting that higher savings and investment come at the cost of lower consumption.
• Structural problems and policy uncertainty are cited as significant reasons for the decline in private investment.

Conclusion:

• Low private investment could lead to slower economic growth, affecting output.
• Government investment may compensate for low private investment but can lead to inefficiencies and tax burdens.

Source: The Hindu

Targeted killing of terrorists:

• There’s no clear legal definition of targeted killings in international law, but three factors are conventionally considered:
• Terrorist designation, difficulty in extradition, and ongoing threat.
• Targeted killings often involve self-defense and preemptive action, sanctioned under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
• The criteria for targeted killings may vary based on the perceived threat and international acceptance of terrorist designation.
• The U.S. and Israel have conducted targeted killings with less scrutiny, often without meeting all three criteria.
• Political dynamics and ties between countries influence responses to allegations of targeted killings.

The way ahead:

• A more proactive approach to strategic messaging and public relations is needed to enhance India’s international image.
• Politics and bilateral ties influence international reactions to targeted killings.
• Allegations may impact India-U.S. ties but broader strategic interests will likely prevail.

Source: The Hindu

Evolution of India’s South China Policy:

• New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific engagement began with the Look East Policy, emphasizing economic integration and energy security.
• PM Narendra Modi’s administration shifted to the Act East Policy, prioritizing strategic partnerships and security cooperation.
• The Act East Policy involves expanded security cooperation with Indo-Pacific nations such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
• India bolstered its capabilities through forward positioning, deployments, and enhanced maritime domain awareness.
• India’s stance on the South China Sea is influenced by its complex relationship with China, characterized by border disputes and the Galwan Valley incident.
• India demonstrated its deterrence capabilities by sending a frontline warship to the South China Sea.

Conclusion:

• New Delhi’s strategic recalibration is prompted by the critical importance of the South China Sea to regional security and the global maritime order.
• Disputes in the South China Sea affect freedom of navigation, crucial for India’s trade and energy transportation.
• India, as a responsible stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific, must take clear positions on such crucial matters.
• India’s nuanced approach in the South China Sea demonstrates its commitment to regional stability, security, and respect for international law in the Indo-Pacific.

Source: The Hindu