The Bihar government took an initiative to promote the Kesariya Stupa, as a major tourist attraction worldwide.

Kesariya Stupa:

• The Kesariya Stupa is a significant Buddhist monument. It is also a pilgrimage site for Buddhists worldwide.
• Location: Kesariya village, Patna,  Bihar
• Significance:It’s known for being the largest and tallest Buddhist stupa in the world.

Stupa:

• Stupa is a burial mound made of dirt and stones.
• It often keeps religious relics and sacred items of Buddha.
• This spot is used for meditation too.

Types of Stupas:

• The Relic stupa: It contains remains of Buddha and its disciples
• The object stupa: It contains belongings of  Buddha and its disciples
• The commemorative stupa: This Stupa marks events in Buddha’s life.
• The symbolic stupa: It represents the teachings of Buddhism.
• The votive stupa: This stupa was erected on relics for dedication.
• The Kesariya Stupa is a testament to India’s rich culture and religion.
• It is a symbol of Buddhism, its values, and teachings.
• Construction Period: This Stupa was Built in the 3rd century BCE under the Mauryan Empire by the legendary emperor Ashoka.
• Construction Belief: The stupa was constructed to commemorate the spot where Lord Buddha delivered his 22nd sermon and also to mark the place where he announced his impending death.

Discovery of Kesariya Stupa in British Era:

• Colonel Colin Mackenzie, who later became India’s first surveyor-general, visited Kesariya Stupa in 1814.
• Excavation by Alexander Cunningham: Alexander Cunningham, the first head of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), conducted a small-scale excavation near the site in 1861.
• ASI Excavation: The ASI excavated significantly at Kesariya Stupa in 1998.

Features:

• Impressive Height: This Stupa is 104 feet tall, making it the world’s tallest Buddhist monument.
• It is of a circular base with a diameter of 123 metres.
• Circular Design: Built in a circular shape using bricks, mud, and lime mortar.
• Outer Surface: Covered with white plaster, enhancing its visual appeal.

Architectural Features:

• Dome and Chamber: The Kesariya Stupa has a solid hemispherical dome with a small chamber.
• It is believed to have held relics of Lord Buddha.
• Harmika: It is Crowned by an umbrella-like structure called Harmika.
• The crown is adorned with intricate stone carvings.
• Terrace: The stupa has six terraces or layers with small rooms for Buddha statues.
• On the top of the structure, there is a huge cylindrical drum.
• Balustrade and Gateways: The stupa is enclosed by a balustrade with four gateways.
• These gateways are decorated with carvings of Buddha’s life scenes.
• Helical Staircase:  In Stupa, there is a helical staircase that leads to the top of the stupa.
• The staircase has 80 steps, and is thought to have been utilized by monks for circling around the stupa.
• Eight smaller replicas of famous tourist attractions will encircle the Kesariya Stupa. These tourist points are the Mahabodhi Temple, ancient Nalanda and Vikramshila universities, Ashokan Pillar of Vaishali, Vikramshila University, Barabar Caves, Sujata Stupa, Gurpa Hills Buddhist site, and the Vishva Shanti Stupa.

CBDT signs record number of 125 Advance Pricing Agreements in FY24.

Advance Pricing Agreements by CBDT:

• In the fiscal year 2022-23, the CBDT signed 95 APAs, consisting of 63 unilateral and 32 bilateral agreements. This includes partnerships with countries such as Finland, the UK, the US, Denmark, Singapore, and Japan.
• For the fiscal year 2023-24, the numbers increased to 125 APAs, with 86 unilateral and 39 bilateral, marking the highest count since the program began in 2012.

Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs):

• APAs are designed to establish transfer pricing methodologies for a taxpayer’s international transactions.
• This initiative was launched in India in 2012 as part of the Finance Act. It is regulated under Sections 92CC and 92CD of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
• The agreements help confirm the arm's length price or the method for determining it for transactions between independently acting parties.

Types of Advance Pricing Agreements

• Unilateral APA: This agreement involves just the taxpayer and the tax authority from the taxpayer's own country.
• Bilateral APA (BAPA): This type involves the taxpayer, an associated enterprise in a foreign country, and both their respective tax authorities.
• Multilateral APA (MAPA): This agreement includes the taxpayer, two or more associated enterprises in different countries, and multiple tax authorities.

Benefits of APAs

• Ease of Doing Business: APAs simplify and stabilize tax regulations for cross-border transactions.
• Resolving Transfer Pricing Disputes: These agreements complement Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements to reduce conflicts over transfer pricing.
• Predictable Tax Obligations: APAs provide certainty in tax liabilities for up to nine years, minimizing risks related to audits and disputes.

The UNFPA’s State of World Population report 2024 “Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”.

Highlights of the Report:

• Population: India leads globally with an estimated population of 1.44 billion, followed by China at 1.425 billion, according to the report.
• India’s population was recorded at 1.21 billion during the last census, conducted in 2011.
• Demographic Profile: The report provided a demographic breakdown that shows around 24% of the population is aged 0-14, 17% are aged 10-19, and 26% fall in the 10-24 age range.
• The largest demographic, 68%, is the working-age group of 15-64, while seniors aged 65 and above constitute 7% of the population.
• Life expectancy at birth is 71 years for men and 74 years for women.
• Social Issues: The prevalence of child marriage remains high with 23% of marriages involving underage individuals between 2006-2023.
• Health Issues: The report highlights health issues, specifically of women
• Maternal Health: Maternal mortality rates have significantly decreased but still present vast inequities across different regions.
• The report highlighted that out of India’s 640 districts nearly a third achieved the sustainable development goal of reducing maternal mortality ratio below 70 per 100,000 live births, however 114 districts still have ratios of 210 or more.
• The highest MMR of 1,671 per 100,000 births is seen in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, a rural area with a high proportion of indigenous peoples.
• Healthcare Access: Marginalized groups, including women with disabilities, migrants and refugees, ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ and those from lower castes like Dalits, often have limited access to necessary health services.
• For instance, nearly half of Dalit women do not receive antenatal care.

Socioeconomic Challenges:

• Gender-Based Violence: Women with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience gender-based violence, up to 10 times more than those without disabilities.
• Furthermore, the violence is aggravated by caste based discrimination. Dalit women, have high rates of gender-based violence are considered a means of oppression and control.
• Economic Dependency: Economic constraints force many women into cycles of poverty, exacerbating poor health outcomes and continued reliance on inadequate healthcare.
• Increased Vulnerability: The vulnerability of women is further compounded by climate change, humanitarian crises, wards and mass migration, which have a disproportionate impact on women.
• Legal and Social Protections: The report advocates for legal protections to combat caste-based discrimination in workplaces and educational institutions, highlighting the need for policies that specifically protect vulnerable women from systemic injustices.
• Global Health Trends: Globally, progress on key health measures for women is slowing or completely stalled, with 800 women still dying daily from childbirth-related causes and many lacking autonomy over their sexual and reproductive decisions.
• In 40 percent of countries with data, the report said women’s bodily autonomy is diminishing.
• Inequitable health benefits in India: India has made progress in healthcare accessibility and quality. However these benefits have been cornered by wealthier women and those belonging to ethnic groups that already had better access to health care.

UNFPA:

• It is a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly and works as a sexual and reproductive health agency.
• Establishment: It was established as a trust fund in 1967 and began operations in 1969.
• In 1987, it was officially renamed the United Nations Population Fund but the original abbreviation, ‘UNFPA’ for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities was retained.
• Objective: UNFPA works directly to tackle Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG3), education (SDG4) and gender equality (SDG5).
• Funding: UNFPA is entirely supported by voluntary contributions of donor governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector and foundations and individuals, not by the United Nations regular budget.

The Arctic’s Plastic Crisis.

• Published by: Toxic Threats to Health, Human Rights, and Indigenous Lands from the Petrochemical Industry was launched by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) on April 15.
• Context: Released in anticipation of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4) in Ottawa, Canada.
• The Arctic is a ‘hemispheric sink’ for chemicals & plastics accumulating in the region from local as well as global sources.

Key Findings:

• The Arctic is a hemispheric sink for global pollutants, including plastics and chemicals, transported via atmospheric and oceanic currents through a process known as global distillation or the “grasshopper effect.”
• Grasshopper Effect is the geochemical process by which certain chemicals are transported from warmer to colder regions of the Earth, particularly the poles and mountain tops.
• The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, exacerbated by global fossil fuel use.
• Toxic chemicals such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and bisphenols are accumulating in the Arctic, posing serious health risks like cancer and obesity to Arctic peoples.
• The issues of plastics, toxic chemicals, and climate change in the Arctic are interconnected and stem from fossil fuel production.
• Environmental degradation is causing displacement and threatening food security for indigenous groups such as the Aleut, Yupik, and Inuit.

Recommendations:

• End Subsidies: End government subsidies to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.
• Support Renewables: Advocate for support towards clean, renewable energy and a toxics-free materials economy.
• Stop Expansion: Recommend halting the expansion of the petrochemical industry in the Arctic.
• Cultural Preservation: Encourage strengthening of traditional Indigenous values and practices in Alaskan communities.
• Policy Integration: Adopt the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals, integrate Just Transition framework principles, and ensure strong implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
• Global Action: Support the adoption of a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.

South Korea launches its 2nd military spy satellite amid animosities with North Korea.

• The satellite was deployed using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), enabling it to capture images regardless of weather conditions.

Military spy satellites:

• Military spy satellites, also known as reconnaissance satellites or intelligence satellites, are artificial satellites used for military surveillance and reconnaissance.
• They are either Earth observation satellites or communications satellites deployed for military or intelligence applications.
• They provide information on enemy forces and their capabilities, and are used for military observation missions.
• They are capable of intercepting and recording radio and radar transmissions as it passes over a country.
• The most common missions for military satellites are: Intelligence gathering, Navigation, and Military communications.
• Countries such as the US (with the Keyhole series, known as KH), China (with the Yaogan series), and Russia (with the Persona series) have deployed numerous reconnaissance satellites.

Types:

• Optical imaging satellites: Use light sensors to detect missile launches and "see" enemy weapons on the ground.
• Radar-imaging satellites: Use radar technology to observe the Earth through cloud cover.
• Signals-intelligence or ferret satellites: Use radio receivers to capture radio and microwave transmissions from any country on Earth.
• Missile early warning: Detects ballistic missile launches.
• Nuclear explosion detection: Detects nuclear detonations from space.
• Electronic reconnaissance: Intercepts stray radio waves.

Concerns:

• Militarization of Space: The deployment of military assets in space raises the risk of weaponization and conflict escalation beyond Earth's atmosphere.
• Promotion of Mistrust: Military satellite deployments can exacerbate tensions between nations, as seen in the case of North and South Korea, heightening suspicion and leading to potential arms races.
• Dual-Use Technology: Satellite technology, while serving civilian purposes like communication and navigation, can also be repurposed for military applications, including orbital weapons capable of targeting ground installations.
• Intelligence Gathering: Advanced reconnaissance satellites, such as those developed by China, have the capability to gather sensitive military intelligence, potentially posing security risks for other nations like India.

Indian reconnaissance satellites:

• RISAT-2: India's first dedicated reconnaissance satellite, designed for border surveillance, counter-terrorism, and anti-infiltration operations.
• The satellite was decommissioned in October 2022.
• RISAT-2B: The third satellite in the series, launched in May 2019, with an X-Band radar that takes high-resolution spot images.
• EMISAT: India's first Electromagnetic Intelligence Gathering Satellite, launched in April 2019 that provides information and locations of enemy radars.
• GSAT: India has two dedicated military satellites, the GSAT-7 (Rukmini) for the Navy and the GSAT-7A (Angry Bird) for the Air Force.
• Domestic private sector satellite: Manufactured by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), this satellite has sub-meter resolution imagery capabilities and is expected to launch in 2024.
• The satellite will be controlled from a ground station in India, which will keep the coordinates monitored by the armed forces secret.