Context: India’s direct tax collections have exceeded 97% of the revised target for 2023-24.

• Total borrowings for the fiscal year are expected to be lower than projected.

Impact:

1. Increased borrowing by states led to liquidity pressures, causing bond yields to rise.
2. A bond yield is the return an investor expects to receive on a bond investment each year, expressed as a percentage
3. The gap between central and State government bond yields widened.
4. Rising bond yields are expected to increase borrowing costs for both central and State governments.

Syllabus: GS-II, Subject: International Relations  Topic: Global issues, Issue: War crimes

Context: Palestinians in Gaza are facing crisis levels of hunger, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.

Synopsis:

• United Nations human rights accused Israel of using starvation as a “weapon of war.”
• Israel’s restrictions on aid to Gaza, coupled with its military offensive, could constitute a war crime.

Context: A report titled “Profits and poverty: The economics of forced labour” released by ILO.

Highlights (Data for mains)

• An estimated 27.6 million people engage in forced labour globally, with an increase of 2.7 million between 2016 and 2021.
• Forced commercial sexual exploitation generates 73% of total illegal profits, despite only 27% of victims being involved.

Recommendations:

• Urgent international action is needed addressing the role of forced labour in perpetuating poverty and exploitation.
• Investment in enforcement, legal frameworks, official training.
• A comprehensive approach including tackling root causes, safeguarding victims, and promoting fair labor practices.

Context: INCOIS unveils the Water Quality Nowcast System (WQNS) for east and west sea coastlines.

Key Functions:

• To monitor natural and industrial influences on coastal water quality in real time.
• Uses moored buoys with sensors for 22 parameters like currents, pH, and nutrients.
• Preliminary results show short-term changes during monsoon periods, such as
  • depleted oxygen off Kochi and
  • high carbon dioxide off Visakhapatnam.

Prelims Connect:(Institutions in news)

Syllabus: GS-III ; Subject: Current affairs ; Topic: Indices and reports, Issue: Most polluted city.

Context: Delhi ranked as the most polluted capital city globally and the third most polluted city in India.

Highlights:

• India ranked third globally in PM 2.5 levels, with over 66% of its cities reporting levels exceeding 35 µg/m3.
• Prolonged exposure to PM 2.5 particles poses health risks such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

Prelims Connect(Terminology in news)

Syllabus: GS-III; Subject: Current affairs, Topic: Schemes/Policies/Programmes, Issue: Lab Testing for finding pathogens.

Context:  FSSAI establishing 34 labs for pathogen testing.

Key points :

• Aim:To tackle foodborne illnesses like diarrhoea and food poisoning.
• Initiative targets enhanced food safety via targeted pathogen testing.
• To address underreported food-related illnesses, safeguarding public health.

Prelims Connect(Institutions in news)

Context: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirms that 2023 was the warmest year on record, and the decade from 2014 to 2023 was the warmest ever.

Key points:

• Global mean surface temperature in 2023 was 45°C higher than pre-industrial levels.
• Greenhouse gas concentrations reached new records in 2022.
• Extreme weather events caused socio-economic losses worldwide.

Prelims Connect(Institutions in news)

Context: The central government plans to introduce a policy to encourage private steelmakers to use domestic coking coal.

Coal washing is a process of cleaning raw coal to remove impurities like rock, sand at a coal preparation plant (called a washery) to improve the quality of the coal.

 Greenfield Washery Development Policy:

• Aim:Decrease reliance on coking coal imports, and promote domestic coal usage.
• Monetization of abandoned washeries to boost coal washing capacity.
• Incentives:
  • Long-term lease on land for setting up washeries.
  • Assured supply of coking coal.

Prelims Connect (Terminology in news)

Key issues in the digital ecosystem:

• India has 904.54 million broadband subscribers, but growth is uneven, favouring urban, male, and upper-income groups.
• Despite the Telecommunications Act of 2023, internet shutdowns persist, affecting lower-income Indians heavily reliant on smartphones.
• Lack of political focus on digital issues hampers democratic representation and separates digital society development from public discourse.

 The way ahead:

• Political discourse should address the inequitable distribution of internet connectivity and propose solutions for social justice through digitization.
• Policy debates on internet access, surveillance, data breaches, and digital rights need mainstream attention and careful regulation.
• Digital technologies, essential for employment, health, and modern living, should be prioritised in party manifestos.
• Political parties should offer an alternate digital vision to engage voters.

Source: Indian Express

Defamation:

• Defamation involves damaging one’s reputation publicly and communicating defamatory statements to others.
• Civil defamation encompasses libel (written) or slander (spoken), as per tort law.
• In criminal cases, defamation must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, as per Section 499 and 500 of IPC.

Relevant case laws:

• In ‘Subramanian Swamy vs. Union of India’, SC upheld IPC Sections 499 and 500, citing protection of reputation under Article 21.
• ‘Kaushal Kishore vs Union of India’ emphasised restrictions on free speech must align with Article 19(2).
• Section 66A of The IT Act, 2000 was invalidated in ‘Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India’ due to ambiguity and violation of Article 19(1)(a).

Retweeting and defamation:

• Retweets can amplify online abuse, leading to significant harm due to rapid spread.

The Delhi High Court held that retweeting defamatory content can be liable under Section 499 IPC.

Source: Indian Express

Basis of India Bhutan relationship:

• Mutual respect and sovereignty recognition are fundamental.
• India respects Bhutan’s identity and supports its economic development.
• Bhutan trusts India without sovereignty
• This trust lead to a unique level of mutual understanding and cooperation.

Examples:

• The Gelephu project of Bhutan is an ambitious plan to build a massive new city on India’s border with significant involvement from India.
• India’s contribution of ₹5,000 crore to Bhutan’s 12th Five Year Plan.
• Hydropower cooperation is fundamental to India-Bhutan relations providing clean electricity to India and revenue to Bhutan.

The way ahead:

• Start direct flights between Mumbai/Delhi and Gelephu for improved connectivity.
• Provide Indian technology and expertise for building infrastructure in Gelephu.
• Promote visits by high-end Indian tourists and business persons to Gelephu.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Appointment of two election commissioners.

Key issues in the appointment process

• The process fell short of the independence mandated by the Supreme court in Anoop Baranwal judgement.
• An interim arrangement was implemented with the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India until Parliament enacted a law.
• The government’s law replaced CJI with a Union Minister with potential executive dominance, raising concerns about independence.

Conclusion:

The Court is currently deliberating whether an executive-majority committee can uphold ECI’s independence effectively.

Source: The Hindu