India must build awareness on population control

• A private members’ Bill aimed at population control was introduced in the Lok Sabha recently.
• The bill came up after the United Nations raised a concern that the population of India can surpass China, becoming the world’s most populous country.
• It stated that population rise is the most significant reason for India’s slow rate of development and argued for an immediate need for population control.

Objective to bring Population Control Bill

• It aims to amend Article 47 by adding Article 47A to the Indian Constitution.
• It proposes that -
  • The State shall promote small family norms by offering incentives in taxes, employment, education, etc., to its people who keep their family limited to two children.
  • The State shall withdraw every concession from and deprive such incentives to those not adhering to small family norm, to keep the growing population under control.

Key provisions

• Two-child policy: It proposes to introduce a two-child policy per couple.
• Incentivizing adoption: Through various measures such as educational benefits, taxation cuts, home loans, free healthcare, and better employment opportunities.
• Birth spacings: It also proposes to ensure healthy birth spacing through measures related to augmenting the availability, accessibility and affordability of quality reproductive health services.
• Penalties for couples: Couples not adhering to the two-child policy will be debarred from contesting in elections; becomes ineligible for government jobs, subsidies on various facilities, goods given by the government, etc.

Earlier attempts at population control

• India was among the first nations to address its population problem as early as 1951, raising awareness about the ills of overpopulation.
• Population Control Bill or Two Child Policy has been introduced in the Parliament 35 times since independence, but not passed yet.
• In 2017, the Assam government passed the ‘Population and Women’s Empowerment Policy’.
  • It specified that individuals with two children would only be eligible for public employment, and that present government employees had to adhere to the two-child family standard.
• In 2021, the Law Commission of Uttar Pradesh came up with a proposal where any person having more than two children will be barred from getting government subsidies. The draft bill in this regard is still under consideration.

Steps taken by government for population control

• Mission Parivar Vikas: For substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in high fertility districts with TFR of 3 and above.
• New Contraceptive Choices: g., Injectable contraceptive and a new method of IUCD (Intrauterine Devices) insertion immediately after delivery i.e., post-partum IUCD has been introduced.
• Awareness building: The packaging for Condoms, emergency contraceptive pills, etc., has been redesigned so as to increase their demand alongside 360-degree media campaign.
• Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors: Health Ministry provides compensation for loss of wages to the beneficiary and also to the service provider (and team) for conducting sterilizations.
• Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs: At doorstep of beneficiaries.
• Family Planning Logistic Management and Information System (FP-LMIS): A dedicated software to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.
• National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS): The clients are insured in the eventualities of death, complication and failure following sterilization.

How are disputes among states resolved in India

• The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka is intensifying, with both states hardening their stance.
• Recently, both Houses of the Maharashtra Assembly passed a unanimous resolution to support a legal battle to resolve the dispute.

• The Maharashtra and Karnataka boundary dispute has its origins in the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines via the State Reorganisation Act, 1956.

  • This Act, which took effect from 1 November, 1956, divided states on linguistic lines.

• Since its creation on May 1, 1960, .

  Maharashtra has claimed that 865 villages, including Belagavi (then Belgaum), Carvar and Nipani, should be merged into Maharashtra

  • Maharashtra claims that these are the regions where Marathi is the dominant language, should remain in Maharashtra.

• Karnataka, however, has refused to part with its territory.

Mahajan Commission:

• In October, 1966, the Centre constituted the Mahajan Commission headed by the then Supreme Court Chief Justice Meher Chand Mahajan, at the insistence of Maharashtra.
• Commission’s recommendations –
  • While rejecting Maharashtra’s claim over Belagavi (then Belgaum), the commission recommended 247 villages/places, including Jatt, Akkalkote and Solapur, to be made part of Karnataka.
  • It also declared 264 villages /places, including Nippani, Khanapur and Nandagad, to be made part of Maharashtra.
• However, the commission’s report was outrightly rejected by Maharashtra, and in 2004, it moved the Supreme Court.
• Centre as a neutral mediator

  • Attempts are often made to resolve inter-state disputes with the cooperation of both sides, with the .

    Centre working as a facilitator or a neutral mediator

  • For example, in current case between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Union Home Minister met both the Chief Ministers and asked them to form a six-member team to address all boundary issues.

  • If issues are resolved amicably, Parliament can bring a law to alter state boundaries.

    • Eg., Bihar-Uttar Pradesh (Alteration of Boundaries) Act of 1968 and the Haryana-Uttar Pradesh (Alteration of Boundaries) Act of 1979 was brought in similar fashion.
• Judicial redressal
  • The Supreme Court in its original jurisdiction decides disputes between states.
    • Article 131 of the Constitution allows SC to have original jurisdiction in any dispute:
      • between the Government of India and one or more States; or
      • between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or
      • between two or more States.
• Inter-state Council

  • Article 263 of the Constitution gives powers to the President to set up an Inter-state Council .

    for resolution of disputes between states

  • The Council is envisaged as a forum for discussion between the states and the Centre.

  • In 1988, the Sarkaria Commission suggested that the Council should exist as a permanent body, and in .

    1990 it came into existence through a Presidential Order

  • In 2021, the Centre reconstituted the Inter-state Council and the body now has 10 Union Ministers as permanent invitees.

    • The standing committee of the Council has been reconstituted with Home Minister as Chairman.

Fatal road accidents: National highways most deadly in India

• According to a report published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, at least 8 out of every 10 occupants, nearly 83%, killed in accidents across India were not wearing seatbelts.

Major Highlights of the Report:

• As per the report, there were 4.12 lakh unfortunate incidences of road accidents during 2021 which claimed 1,53,972 lives.
  • Young adults in the age group of 18-45 years accounted for 67.6% of victims during 2021.
• During the previous year 2020, country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities and injuries.
  • This was due to the unusual outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and resultant stringent nation-wide lockdown particularly during March-April, 2020.
• Major indicators related with accidents have performed better in 2021 when compared to 2019.
• Road accidents decreased by 8.1 percent and injuries decreased by 14.8 percent in 2021 compared to 2019.
  • Fatalities, however, on accounts of road accidents increased by 1.9 percent in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019.
• State-wise data –
  • Uttar Pradesh accounted for the largest share of fatalities at 13.8%, followed by Tamil Nadu (10%), Maharashtra (8.8%), Madhya Pradesh (7.8%), and Rajasthan (6.5%).
  • Of these, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have seen a rise in their share of fatalities as compared to 2019.
• Death due to not wearing Helmets/Seatbelts –
  • At least 8 out of every 10 occupants, nearly 83%, killed in accidents across India were not wearing seatbelts.
  • Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum deaths of car occupants for not wearing seatbelts.
  • Also, 2 out of every 3 who died in road crashes on two-wheelers were not wearing helmets.

Remote voting for migrants will deepen democracy in India:

• The Election Commission (EC) announced that it is ready to pilot remote voting for domestic migrants, so they don’t have to travel back to their home states to vote.

• For this, the commission has developed a prototype for a

  Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM).

• The ECI will demonstrate the functioning of the remote EVM on January 16 to the eight national and 57 state political parties.

Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM)

• In order to enable remote voting for domestic migrants, a technological solution was proposed in the form of Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM).
• RVM relies on the creation of a robust electoral roll and identification mechanisms (to stop duplicate voting), and allow voters to vote remotely, in a safe and controlled environment.
• It was developed with the assistance of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). It is based on the currently used EVM system.

RVM working

• The RVMs are , effectively providing the voter the same experience as currently used EVMs.

  stand alone, non-networked systems

• They will be set up in remote locations outside the state under similar conditions as current polling booths.

• The unique feature of RVMs is that a single Remote Ballot Unit (RBU) will be able to cater to multiple constituencies (as many as 72) by using a dynamic ballot display board instead of the usual printed paper ballot sheet on EVMs.

• The Ballot Unit Overlay Display (BUOD) will show the requisite candidates based on the constituency number read on the voter’s Constituency card.

• A barcode scanning system will be used to read these cards.

Voting process under RVM

• The voting process will be as follows: after verifying a voter’s identity, their constituency card will be read with a public display showing the constituency details and candidates.
• This will also be displayed privately, on the BUOD in the RVM’s RBU.
• The voter will then vote and each vote will be stored constituency-wise in the control unit of the voting machine.
• The VVPAT system is expected to work along the same lines with the new technology.

Benefits of RVM

• Many times, migrants are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as:

  • frequently changing residences,
  • not enough social and emotional connect with the area of migration,
  • unwillingness to get their name deleted in electoral roll of their home/native constituencies as they have permanent residence/property etc.

• The remote voting initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots. It will also result in .

  better voter turnouts

Challenges that would be faced by RVM

• There is no accurate number of migrants. Also, in 2017, the ECI had told the SC that it was not feasible to track movement of domestic migrants to allow remote voting.
• Also, migrants are not a uniform and defined class, with fluid identities, locations and situations.

Geospatial policy to foster startup ecosystem, incentivize creation of digital twins of cities

• Geospatial Technology is an emerging field of study that includes Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Global Positioning System (GPS).
• It has applications in almost every domain of the economy ranging from -
  • Agriculture to industries,
  • Development of urban or rural infrastructure,
  • Administration of land,
  • Economic activities of banking and finance, resources, mining, water, disaster management, social planning, delivery services, etc.
• It enables government systems, services, and initiatives to be integrated using ‘location’ as a common and underpinning reference frame.
• Geospatial data is now widely accepted as a critical national infrastructure and information resource with proven societal, economic and environmental value.

The National Geospatial Policy, 2022:

• Background:
  • In 2021, the DST issued “Guidelines for acquiring and producing Geospatial Data and Geospatial Data Services including Maps”.
  • The Guidelines deregulated the Geospatial sector by liberalising Geospatial data acquisition/ production/ access, with an aim to promote private sector participation through continued enhancements of Ease of Doing Business in the sector.
  • The 2022 Policy takes it further by laying down an overarching framework for holistic development of the Geospatial ecosystem.
  • It comes at a time when India''s geospatial economy is expected to cross Rs 63,000 crore by 2025 at a growth rate of 12.8%
• About: It is a citizen-centric policy that seeks to strengthen the Geospatial sector to support national development, economic prosperity and a thriving information economy.

• Vision and goals:
  • To make India a World Leader in Global Geospatial space with the best in the class ecosystem for innovation.
  • To develop a coherent national framework in the country and leverage it to move towards a digital economy and improve services to citizens.
  • To develop Geospatial infrastructures, Geospatial skill and knowledge, standards, Geospatial businesses.
  • To promote innovation and strengthen the national and sub-national arrangements for generation and management of Geospatial information.
• Significance:
  • To make geospatial technology and data as agents of transformation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Bringing efficiency in all sectors of economy and instilling accountability and transparency at all levels of governance.

Deadly blizzard leaves more than 60 dead across US

• A deadly blizzard (snowstorm) has gripped the United States & Canada, leading to multiple deaths and complete disruption of normal life.

• Scientists have once again started to discuss .

  if the rising temperatures of the Arctic are responsible for extreme cold conditions in some of the areas of the Northern Hemisphere

• Recently, a study was published in Science.org, revealing that the .

  rapid warming of the Arctic might be allowing frigid air in the region to move southward more frequently than ever before

  • However, scientists said they need more data to arrive at a consensus about the claim.

• The study largely focused on something called the polar vortex, which is a mass of cold, low-pressure air that consistently hovers over the Arctic region.

What is a Polar Vortex?

• The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles.

• It ALWAYS exists near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter.

• The term "vortex" refers to the anti-clockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air near the Poles.

• Many times, .

  during winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward with the jet stream

  • Jet stream is the area of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere that surrounds the polar vortex.

• This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the United States & Canada.

• Portions of Europe and Asia also experience cold surges connected to the polar vortex.

• Polar vortexes are not something new.

• The term “polar vortex” has only recently been popularized, bringing attention to a weather feature that has always been present.

• By itself, the only danger to humans is the magnitude of how cold temperatures will get when the polar vortex expands, .

  sending Arctic air southward into areas that are not typically that cold

Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

• The 205 anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima was celebrated at the Jaystambh in Pune’s Perne village amidst heavy police deployment.
• One person was killed and several others were injured in violence in the Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018.
• Every year since then, the district administration and police machinery has been taking stringent steps to prevent any law-and-order situation in the area.

Battle of Koregaon Bhima

• A small village in Pune district of Maharashtra, Bhima-Koregaon is associated with an important phase of Maratha history.
• The people of Dalit communities gather in Bhima Koregaon on 1 January every year to pay tribute to the Dalit heroes who died in the war between the British and the Peshwas on 1 January 1818.
• The Peshwas were defeated in this battle of Bhima Koregaon.

Battle of 1818

• The battle of Bhima Koregaon was fought on January 1, 1818, between Peshwa Bajirao II and British army commanded by Captain F F Staunton of the East India Company.
  • The battle was a part of the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
• The British army was largely dominated by Mahars - the most populous of the Dalit sub-castes in Maharashtra.
• The Dalit-dominated British Army had defeated a Peshwa army
• It resulted in losses to the Maratha empire, then under Peshwa rule, and control over most of western, central and southern India by the British East India Company.

Koregaon Pillar (Jaystambh)

• In the memory of Battle, the British built squared-pillar to pay homage to the martyr soldiers, which is popularly known as ‘Koregaon Pillar’.
• The pillar symbolises the courage of Mahar Regiment.
• The names of the martyred soldiers were engraved on the pillars and soldiers were honoured with a medal by the British in 1851.

Significance

• Mahar relates this battle to their self-respect because they were insulted by the Peshwa Baji Rao II on their identity and caste when they offered their services to the Peshwa.

• Many historians have termed this incident as the , which happened almost two hundred years ago.

  first historic step towards making India free of caste

• After Dr. Ambedkar visited the site on January 1, 1927, it became a place of pilgrimage for Dalits, an assertion of pride. In recent years, attendance has been in the lakhs, with Dalits coming from all over India.

Croatia to switch to euro, enter passport-free Schengen zone

• Croatia adopted the European Union’s common currency, the euro, and joined the Schengen Area, Europe’s visa-free travel area, on January 1.
• With this, Croatia became the fully integrated member of EU. The country had joined the EU in 2013.
  • It was the last time a country was admitted as a new member nation of EU.

Eurozone

• All European Union Member States are part of  and coordinate their economic policy-making to support the economic aims of the EU.

  Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)

• However, a number of Member States have taken a step further by .

  replacing their national currencies with the single currency – the euro

• These Member States form the euro area, also known as eurozone.

• In other words, it is a geographic and economic region that consists of the European Union countries that have .

  fully incorporated the euro as their national currency

• As of January 2023, the eurozone consists of 20 countries in the European Union (EU):

  • Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

Requirements for joining the eurozone?

• In order to join the eurozone and use euro as their currency, EU nations must meet certain criteria consisting of four macroeconomic indicators that focus on:

  • Price stability by demonstrating sustainable price performance and average inflation no more than 1.5 percent above the rate of the three best-performing member states.

  • Sound and sustainable public finances - the government must run a budget deficit  and hold public debt no greater than 60% of GDP.

    no greater than 3% of GDP

  • The durability of convergence – It is assessed through its long-term interest rates, which cannot be more than 2 percent above the rate in the three member states with the most stable prices.

  • Exchange rate stability - The nation must demonstrate exchange rate stability by participating in the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) II for at least two years without severe tensions and without devaluing against the euro.

Schengen area

• Schengen Area signifies a zone where 27 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people.
  • Croatia became the 27th nation in the passport free Schengen zone.
• Member of this area include: 23 of the 27 EU member states and all members of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
• Being part of this area means that countries:
  • do not carry out checks at their internal borders, except in cases of specific threats;
  • carry out harmonised controls at their external borders, based on clearly defined criteria.

International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 kick starts

• Recently, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM), a proposal sponsored by the Government of India to promote these "nutri-cereals."
• The declaration will be helpful to the Government of India in articulating its goal of making IYM 2023 a "People''s Movement" as well as presenting India as the "Global Hub for Millets," as India produces one-fifth of the world''s millets.

Millets

• Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food.
• They are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries.
• This crop is favoured due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions (hardy and drought-resistant crops).
• Millets are a powerhouse of nutrients, which score over rice and wheat in terms of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibre content, as well as amino acid profile.
• Though rich in both iron and zinc, wheat’s protein content comprises glutens, known to trigger gastrointestinal and autoimmune disorders in many people.
• Bajra (pearl millet), on the other hand, has iron, zinc, and protein levels comparable to that of wheat, but it’s gluten-free and has more fibre and which significantly addresses the problem of “hidden hunger.”

Status of millets in India:

• They were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization.
• In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples.
• The main millet-growing states in India are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh

Issues

• Rice and wheat no longer remain aspirational foods. Thanks to the Green Revolution and the National Food Security Act of 2013.
• Millets are not the first choice either of consumers or of farmers.
  • For farmers, low per-hectare yields (1 tonne for jowar, 1.5 for bajra and 1.7 for ragi, as against 3.5 tonnes for wheat and 4 tonnes for paddy) are a disincentive.
  • Also, access to assured irrigation, made farmers switch to rice, wheat, sugarcane, or cotton.
  • For consumers, the gluten proteins make the wheat dough more cohesive and elastic and the resultant breads come out light and fluffy, which isn’t the case with bajra or jowar.

Steps taken 

• Pusa-1201: A hybrid bajra that gives an average grain yield of over 2.8 tonnes and potential of 4.5 tonnes per hectare.
  • It matures in 78-80 days and is resistant to downy mildew and blast, both deadly fungal diseases.
• Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of India (in 2018),
  • Rebranded Millets as “Nutri Cereals”
  • Declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation

Uzbekistan links child deaths to India cough syrup

• Uzbekistan has claimed that at least 18 children in the country have died after allegedly taking an India-manufactured cough syrup.
• The health ministry of Uzbekistan said that the children who died had consumed cough syrup Dok-1 Max - manufactured by Noida-based Marion Biotech.
• After the incident in Gambia, the current incident may harm the India’s reputation as the pharmacy of the world.

Pharmaceutical industry in India

• The Indian Pharmaceuticals industry plays a prominent role in the global pharmaceuticals industry.

• India ranks 3rd worldwide for production by volume and 14th by value.

• India is the  globally, occupying a 20% share in global supply by volume.

  largest provider of generic medicines

  • The pharmaceutical industry in India offers 60,000 generic brands across 60 therapeutic categories.

• It is the leading vaccine manufacturer globally. 60% of the world’s vaccines comes from India.

Tragedy in Gambia

• It was alleged that 69 children died in the African nation after consuming cough syrup exported by an Indian firm.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a medical product alert in the matter stating that samples of the cough syrup had been found to contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
• India, however, slammed the WHO saying the deduction that India-made cough syrup was responsible for the death of children in Gambia was premature.

India’s image might take a hit

• Experts believe that repeated reports of such incidents may harm the country’s reputation as the pharmacy of the world.

• Therefore, renewed efforts are being made by the government to strengthen regulatory mechanisms for drug manufacturers.

• Recently, the government said it had prepared an action plan for  which are identified to be at the risk of manufacturing Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)/adulterated/spurious drugs.

  nationwide inspection of manufacturing units