Headlines

ED arrests Kejriwal in excise policy case - Page No.1 , GS 2

CJI raps Tamil Nadu Governor - Page No.1 , GS 2
Water, an instrument to build world peace - Page No.8 , GS 3
Should judges accept official posts after retirement? - Page No.9 ,
GS 2
Great Indian Bustard - Page No.14 , GS 3
Inequality in India – Value Addition

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SAKHI, a multi-purpose app, was in news recently, was developed by

(a) National Informatics Centre

(b) National Crime Records Bureau
(c) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
(d) Bureau of Indian Standards
Ans: (c)

• Explanation:
• Context: The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has developed
SAKHI, a multi-purpose app for astronauts on the Gaganyaan space
flight mission.
• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram
developed the system for the Gaganyaan mission. It aims to
support astronauts by monitoring their health, ensuring
communication with Earth, and maintaining mission logs in various
formats. It also reminds astronauts about hydration, dietary
schedules, and sleep patterns.
• ISRO aims to launch the Gaganyaan mission in 2025, with the crew
assisted by SAKHI during their journey.
Consider the following pairs[Exercise Name: Nations involved]

1. Yudh Abhyas – India and France

2. Vajra Prahar – India and USA
3. Cope India – India and Seychelle
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer A
Part IV of the Constitution of India covers a wide range of principles,
including
1. Promotion of international peace and security
2. Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry
3. Protection and improvement of the environment
4. Securing of equal justice and free legal aid to citizens

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) Only three
d) All four
Solution: d)

Part IV (Articles 36-51) covers a wide range of principles, including

(apart from the UCC),

the securing of equal justice and free legal aid to citizens (Art 39A),

participation of workers in the management of industries (Art 43A),

organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry (Art 48),

protection and improvement of the environment

and safeguarding of forests and wildlife (Art 48A),

promotion of international peace and security (Art 51), etc

Consider the following statements.
1. The Kamakhya Temple is a significant pilgrimage site located on
the Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam.
2. The Kamakhya Temple is also the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an
annual festival.
3. PM-DevINE is a Central Sector scheme that aims to fund
infrastructure projects and support social development initiatives in
the North-East Region (NER).

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None
Solution: c)

• The Kamakhya Temple is a significant pilgrimage site and one of the

largest Shakti shrines in India. It is located on the Nilachal hills in
Guwahati, Assam.
• The temple is dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya and is a centre of
Tantric practices. It is also the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual
festival that celebrates the goddess’s menstruation.

• PM-DevINE is a Central Sector scheme introduced in the Union Budget

2022-23. It aims to fund infrastructure projects and support social
development initiatives in the North-East Region (NER).

• Implemented by the Ministry of Development of the North-East Region, it

focuses on ensuring connectivity, addressing critical issues, and
empowering youth and women in the NER.
Consider the following statements regarding Corruption Perceptions
Index (CPI).
1. Corruption perceptions index (CPI) is released by the World Bank.
2. The index lists countries by their perceived levels of public sector
and private sector corruption.
3. In the CPI for 2023, western Europe and the European Union
remained the top-scoring regions.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None
Solution: a)

• Only Statement 3 is correct.

• INDIA ranked 93 out of 180 countries on the corruption perceptions index (CPI)
for 2023, according to the latest report released by Transparency International.

• The index, which lists countries by their perceived levels of public sector
corruption, ranked Denmark at the top, followed by Finland, New Zealand and
Norway.
• The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very
clean.

• In 2023, India’s overall score was 39 while in 2022, it was 40. India’s rank in 2022
was 85. In the Asian region, Singapore ranked at the top, scoring 83 and
occupying the fifth slot.

• Western Europe and the European Union remained the top-scoring regions.
Pg no. 1 GS 2
• Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)
on Thursday on charges of corruption and money laundering in
connection with the formulation and execution of the government’s
excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

• Mr. Kejriwal will be produced before a special court on Friday.

• AAP said it has moved the Supreme Court for quashing the arrest,
and asked for an urgent hearing.

• Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court declined to grant any
immediate protection to Mr. Kejriwal from coercive action in the
excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Enforcement Directorate (ED)?

About
• The Enforcement Directorate was established in the year 1956 as an
‘Enforcement Unit’ under the Department of Economic Affairs.
• Later, in 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.
• Administrative control
• Presently, it is under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue
(under the Ministry of Finance) for operational purposes.

Functions
• ED is responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act,
1999 (FEMA), and certain provisions under the PMLA.
• ED has the power to attach the asset of the culprits found guilty of the violation of
FEMA.
• It has also been empowered to undertake, search, seizure, arrest, prosecution
action, and survey, etc. against the offences committed under PMLA.
Pg no. 1 GS 2
• Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday slammed
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi for “defying the Supreme Court” by
refusing to re-induct Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K.
Ponmudy as Minister despite an apex court order suspending his
conviction in a disproportionate assets case.

• The court gave the Governor overnight to “set the constitutional

position right”.

• Mr. Ravi has refused to administer oath to Mr. Ponmudy as Higher

Education Minister, saying it is against “constitutional morality”.
The Governor has argued that the court’s stay of the conviction on
March 8 did not rub off the fact that Mr. Ponmudy had been
convicted of moral turpitude.
• Part VI of the Constitution of India deals with the state executive.
The state executive consists of the governor, the chief minister, the
council of ministers and the advocate-general of the state
• Governor is the nominal head at the state level

Appointment of governors

• The governor is appointed by the president under his hand and seal
• The SC in 1979 said that the office of governor is not an
employment under the central government. It is an independent
constitutional office and is not under the control of or subordinate
to the central government
Qualification

• He should be a citizen of India

• He should have completed the age of 35 years

Conventions that have developed while appointing a

governor

• He should be not from a state where he is appointed

• While appointing the governor, the president is required
to consult the CM of the state concerned
Pg no. 8 GS 3
• World Water Day is celebrated on 22nd March Every Year to
highlight the importance of water.

• The theme this year is “Water for Peace”.

• The Day aims to support the achievement of Sustainable

Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

• The idea for this international day goes back to 1992, the year in
which the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio
de Janeiro took place.

• That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a

resolution by which 22nd March of each year was declared World
Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.
• As everyone knows, there was a time when clean water was
available in wells, ponds, streams, rivers and other sources, but the
situation is vastly different now. There is a problem of water
availability with respect to quantity or quality.

• This water crisis may be physical or economic based on multiple

factors such as rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, unsustainable
agricultural practices, climate change, erratic rainfall patterns,
water overuse and inefficient water management, pollution,
inadequate infrastructure, a lack of ‘belongingness’ among
stakeholders, runoff due to high rain along with soil erosion and
sedimentation.

• According to the World Resources Institute, 17 countries face

‘extremely high’ levels of water stress which is threatening to result
in conflict, unrest and peace among people.
• In almost every State and in the main cities of India, there is
groundwater table depletion. The example of Bengaluru is one
prominent example.

• There is a lack of proper surface and groundwater management.

Rainfed regions in India which comprise over 48% of land area
produces nearly 45% of the gross agricultural product.

• The vital role of rainwater harvesting

• The government’s emphasis on ‘per drop more crop’, ‘Gaon ka pani

gaon mein’, ‘Khet ka pani khet mein’, ‘Har Medh per ped’ under
various programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee
Yojana (PMKSY), watershed management, Mission Amrit Sarovar and
the Jal Shakti Abhiyan programmes.
• Under the ‘World Water Assessment Programme’, UNESCO led the development
of the 2024 edition of the flagship United Nations World Water Development
Report, “Water for Prosperity and Peace” as a part of UN Water (an interagency
coordination mechanism on water and sanitation of 35 UN entities along with 48
other international partners).

• Within India, a total of 70% of the rural population relies on water to run their
households, where agriculture remains the principal source of livelihood. This is
even more striking as we know that agriculture also accounts for 70% of the total
freshwater use, globally.

• the National Sample Survey 78th round multiple indicator survey (2020-21)
suggests that over 41% of rural households lack access to safely managed
drinking water within their households, and geographical disparities in
household access to safe water, though declining, continue to persist.

• The distance to the principal source of drinking water for these households falls
in the range of 0.2 to 1.5 km or more. India makes up 18% of the world’s
population, with a share of water resources of less than 5%.
Pg no. 9 GS 2
• No legal Bar

• The Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct (2002)

• Sometimes judges may decide rightly, but the public may believe that
since the judgment has come on the verge of retirement, it has been
tainted by some expectation of a post-retiral benefit.

• Ordinary citizens are frequently up against the state, which is the largest
litigant in India.

• Some people disapprove of the practice of judges holding official posts

after retirement; they believe that this may impinge upon the
independence of the judiciary. Others, including those in the government,
have pointed out that such posts often require judicial personnel of the
highest integrity and there is no Constitution bar to this effect.
Pg no. 14 GS 3
• The Supreme Court on Thursday constituted an expert committee
to balance the conservation and protection of the endangered Great
Indian Bustard bird population with the country’s international
commitments to promote renewable sources of energy.

• The large-winged birds are on the brink of extinction, and one of the
causes is the frequent collision with high-powered power cables
running adjacent to its core habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

• Distribution: The species has a current viable population of 100-

150 individuals in India and mainly survives in the Thar Desert of
Rajasthan that holds about 100 individuals.

• Habitat: It inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands.

• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
• Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972: Schedule 1
• CITES: Appendix 1

• Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh.
Inequality in India
• Gap between the rich and the poor has widened rapidly
in the last two decades - Shows the 'Income and Wealth
Inequality in India' report published by the World
Inequality Lab, highlighting the concerning trends of
income disparity within the country.
Income Inequality Trends:
• In 2022, 22.6% of India's national income was
garnered by the top 1% of earners, marking a
significant increase from 11.5% in 1951 and 6% in
the 1980s.

• Top 10% Share: The top 10% of Indians saw their

share of national income rise from 36.7% in 1951 to
57.7% in 2022, indicating a growing concentration
of wealth among the affluent.
Income Inequality Trends:
• Top 10% Share: The top 10% of Indians saw their share of
national income rise from 36.7% in 1951 to 57.7% in 2022,
indicating a growing concentration of wealth among the
affluent.

• Bottom 50% and Middle 40% Share: Conversely, the

bottom 50% of Indians earned only 15% of the national
income in 2022, down from 20.6% in 1951.

• The middle 40% also experienced a decline, with their

share falling from 42.8% to 27.3% during the same period.
Income Inequality Trends:

• Income inequality has widened rapidly over the past two

decades, with the wealthiest 1% of Indians reaching a
historic peak in their share of national income,
surpassing levels seen in developed countries like the
United States and the United Kingdom.
Chart 1: Income Group-wise Share in National Income and Adult
Population (2022-23)

• Close to one crore adults belonged to

the top 1% income bracket, ten crore
in the top 10%, 36 crore in the middle
40%, and 46 crore in the bottom 50%.

• The top 0.001% of earners,

approximately 10,000 individuals,
earned 2.1% of the national income.

• Further breakdown: the top 0.01%

earned 4.3%, and the top 0.1% earned
9.6% of the national income.
Chart 2: Historical Income Disparity Trends
• In the 1950s and 60s, income gap between
the top 10% and the middle 40% was
negligible.

• In the 1980s, the bottom 50% saw a slight

increase in their share to bridge the gap.

• Post-liberalisation in the 1990s, the top

10% experienced a surge in income share,
while the other groups saw declines.

• This trend continued into the 2000s, with

the curves stabilizing by the early 2010s.
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