WBCS INTERVIEW MATERIAL

Contents
 NATIONAL ISSUES………………………………………………………………. 3

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES……………………………………………………. 69

 ECONOMIC ISSUES …………………………………………………………….. 87

 Budget 2022-23 ………………………………………………………………… 111

 SOCIAL ISSUES……………………………………………………………………. 123

 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES…………………………………………………… 137

 WB CURRENT AFFAIRS……………………………………………………….. 143

 WEST BENGAL IMPORTANT FACTS…………………………………….. 150

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NATIONAL CURRENT EVENTS

Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

Context
 A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court by a majority of 3:2 has upheld the validity of the 103rd
Constitutional Amendment Act.
 Petitioner arguments: The amendment violates the basic structure of the Constitution. However, there is no clear
definition of basic structure.
o It violates the Supreme Court‘s 1992 ruling in Indra Sawhney & Ors v Union of India, which restricted
reservations to 50%. The court held that economic backwardness cannot be the sole criterion for identifying a
backward class.
 Government Arguments: The government argued that under Article 46 of the Indian Constitution, the state
must protect the interests of economically weaker sections: ―The state shall promote with special care the
educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.‖
 Arguments by the judges in favour of EWS reservation;
o Reservation based only on economic criteria does not damage the basic structure of the Constitution.
o Treating EWS as a separate class would be a reasonable classification, and treating unequals equally would
violate the principle of equality under the Constitution.
 Arguments by the judges in against EWS reservation;
o While reservation on economic criteria is not violative of the basic structure of the Constitution, excluding
SC/ST/OBC from the purview of EWS is a clear violation of the basic structure.

Details
 In 2019, The Indian parliament has passed the 103rd Amendment act that inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) in the
Constitution of India to provide up to 10% reservation to the economically weaker sections (EWS) among non-
OBC and non-SC/ST sections of the population.
o The amendment introduced a quota for the poor among the so-called ‗forward castes‘ or ‗general category‘.
 The 10% EWS quota is available in admissions to higher educational institutions, and initial recruitment in central
government jobs.
 The amendment also empowered state governments to provide reservations based on economic backwardness.

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Basic Structure of the Constitution

 In the Shankari Prasad case (1951), the constitutional validity of the 1st Amendment Act (1951), which trimmed
the right to property, was challenged.
o The Supreme Court ruled that the Parliament‘s power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 also
includes the power to amend Fundamental Rights.
o Therefore, the Parliament can shorten or take away any of the Fundamental Rights by enacting a
constitutional amendment act.
 In the Golak Nath case (1967), the constitutional validity of the 17th Amendment Act (1964), which inserted
certain state acts in the 9th Schedule, was challenged.
o The Supreme Court ruled that the Fundamental Rights are given a ‗transcendental and immutable‘ position
and hence, the Parliament cannot shorten or take away any of these rights.
 The Parliament reacted to the Supreme Court‘s judgement in the Golak Nath case (1967) by enacting the 24th
Amendment Act (1971).
o It declared that the Parliament has the power to shorten or take away any of the Fundamental Rights under
Article 368.
 In the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), the Supreme Court overruled its judgment in the Golak Nath case
(1967).
o The Court stated that Parliament is empowered to shorten or take away any of the Fundamental Rights. At the
same time, it laid down a new doctrine of the ‗basic structure‘ (or ‗basic features‘) of the Constitution.
o It ruled that the power of Parliament under Article 368 does not allow it to alter the ‗basic structure of the
Constitution.
 In the Minerva Mills case (1980), the court held that: ―Since the Constitution had conferred a limited amending
power on the Parliament, the Parliament cannot under the exercise of that limited power enlarge that very power
into absolute power.
 The current position is that the Parliament under Article 368 can amend any part of the Constitution including
the Fundamental Rights but without affecting the ‗basic structure‘ of the Constitution.

Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in India is a subcategory of people belonging to the Economy Based Un-
Reserved Category having an annual family income of less than ₹8 lakh and who do not belong to any category
such as SC/ST/OBC across India.
o Candidates who do not fall under SC/ST/OBC and fulfil the EWS economic criteria are to be part of the EWS
category.
 In January 2019, the Union Council of Ministers approved a 10% reservation in government jobs and educational
institutions for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in the General category.
o The cabinet decided that this would be over and above the existing 50% reservation for SC/ST/OBC
categories.
 The 103rd Amendment of the Constitution of India amended articles 15(6) and 16(6) of the Constitution of
India to permit 10% reservations to the EWS category students among the unreserved category or General
category students.
o Several state cabinets approved the law and announced their intention to implement the 10% EWS
reservations.

Eligibility Criteria under EWS Reservation

 The eligibility to get the EWS certificate is not only purely based on annual family income but also based on
the held property.
 The central government has set the income limit for admission to central government-owned colleges and jobs
offered by the central government.
o State governments are given the authority to change the eligibility criteria and also to extend the income limit
further for candidates seeking reservation under the EWS category, which will be valid only in state-owned
colleges and state government jobs as deemed fit for the respective states.

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 Criteria for identifying EWS quota;

o The candidate's annual family income must be less than Rs. 8 lakhs per annum.
o Their family must not own more than 5 acres of agricultural land.
o The residential flat area should be below 1000 sq ft.
o The residential plot's area should be below 100 square yards if in a notified municipality sector.
o The residential plot's area should be below 200 square yards if in a non-notified municipality sector.

Significance of EWS Reservation

 People belonging to the Economically Weaker Section now get 10% reservation in education and government jobs
in India (vertical reservations) similar to OBC, SC, and ST.
 This reservation weakened the pace of many reservation agitations such as the Jat reservation movement, the
Patidar reservation movement, and the Kapu reservation movement.

Concern
 Aspirants from the EWS category are not fully satisfied with this reservation because it does not include many
benefits like age relaxation, fee relaxation, etc.
 In Indra Sawhney's Judgement, a nine-judge bench had struck down a provision that provided 10%
reservation for the economically backward on the ground that economic Criteria Cannot be the Sole basis to
determine backwardness.
 In Nagaraj's judgment, a Constitution Bench ruled that equality is part of the basic structure of the
Constitution. It is said the 50% ceiling, among other things, was a constitutional requirement without which the
Structure of equality of opportunity would Collapse.
 Another issue is whether reservations can go to a Section that is already adequately represented in Public
Employment.
 One of the Criteria has an income limit of less than 8 lakh Per Annum, National Sample Survey Shows that the
annual per Capita expenditure for 99% of households fall under this limit, even if we apply all the other Criteria
for exclusion the bill would Still Cover over 95% of households.

Way Forward
 The general problem faced by children and youth of so-called Socially Advanced Castes who are poor is that they
are not able to afford education. This problem needs to be resolved by the scheme of scholarships and educational
loans so that no child or youth of any caste has to drop out of education at any stage due to financial incapacity.
 Future economic growth in India is going to come from the Private Sector and entrepreneurship. To ensure
that all Indians, regardless of caste, class and religion, can take part in economic growth, we must focus on
basic skills. We need to focus on reducing inequalities where they 1st emerge, within primary Schools.
 The Provision of Reservation to some communities aims at empowering them and ensuring their participation in
the decision-making process of the State and enabling them to contribute to Nation building.

Voting Rights for NRI

Context
 The Attorney General of India stated in the Supreme Court that the government is in the process to facilitate
non-resident Indians (NRI) to cast their votes remotely while ensuring the integrity of the electoral process of
Indian Democracy.

Details
 India has the largest diaspora population, with nearly 1.35 crore non-resident Indians (NRI) spread across the
globe.
o Many of them are in the Gulf countries, the U.S. and the U.K.
 In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 99,844 NRIs registered as voters and 25,606 electors turned up to vote, with a
majority hailing from Kerala (25,534).

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 A major reason for low NRI registration and voting is the condition that they have to visit the polling booth in
person.
 In 2014, The Election Commission of India (ECI) formed a Committee to explore the options for overseas electors.
The committee suggested 2 remote voting options; e-postal ballot and proxy voting.
o e-Postal Ballot System involves the NRI voter sending an application to the returning officer in person or
online.
 The returning officer will send the ballot electronically.
 The voter can then register their mandate on the ballot printout and send it back with an attested
declaration.
 The voter will either send the ballot by ordinary post or drop it at an Indian Embassy where it would be
segregated and posted.
o Proxy voting enables voters to appoint proxies to vote on their behalf.
 Currently, both ETPBS and proxy voting are available to only service voters, like those in the armed forces or
diplomatic missions.

NRI Voter
 Citizen of India, who is absent from the country owing to employment, education etc, and has not acquired
citizenship of any other country are known as Overseas Voters and are eligible to be registered as a voter at the
address mentioned in their Indian passport.
 According to the provisions of Section 19 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, an NRI could join the
electoral rolls as an elector.
o However, till 2010, NRIs settled in other countries were not permitted to exercise their right to vote during the
elections.
o It was a simple amendment to the Representation of People (Amendment) Act, 2010 that crystallized voting
rights for non-resident Indians, even though they had to be physically present in the constituency.

Significance of Overseas Indian

 Remittances close to 90 billion dollars make an invaluable contribution by aiding in socio-economic
development, poverty reduction and changes in consumption behaviour in rural areas.
 NRIs are more prone to donate to domestic charities because of the strong cultural and emotional feelings that
they experience.
 Diaspora acts as 'agents of change' facilitating and enhancing investment, accelerating industrial development,
and boosting international trade and tourism.
 They act as ―bridge-builders‖ between their home and adopted countries. The migration of labour (especially to
West Asia) has also helped in bringing down disguised unemployment in India.
 The migration of skilled labourers to foreign countries and their eventual success bolstered the nation‘s image.
Diaspora‘s motives to invest in India are in contrast to non-diaspora FDI. Their investments are long-lasting as
many of them wish to establish a long-term base in India.

How NRIs get voting rights

 They should be Indian and not citizens of the foreign country where they live; that means they must possess a
valid Indian passport.
 They must be at least 18 years old as of January 1st of the year in which the electoral roll is published.
 Once they fulfil these conditions, they may register themselves as an overseas voter.
 Offline registration
o Step 1: If they wish to apply for an NRI Voter ID offline, they need to visit their constituency.
o Step 2: Visit the Election Registration Office.
o Step 3: Fill out form 6A for being registered in the roll for the constituency pertaining to the locality in which
his place of residence in India as mentioned in the passport is located.
o Step 4: Submit documents, including a recent passport-size coloured photograph, self-attested photocopies of
relevant passport pages, address in India, and visa endorsement.
o Step 5: They need to show their original passport for verification.

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 Online registration
 Visit the ECI website.
 Choose your state or union territory and go to the State Election Commission of India division.
 Find form 6A and download it, Print out the form, and Fill in the details.
 Check that the details are the same as those mentioned in the documents and passport.
 Scan the form as well as the documents required: One recent passport-sized coloured photograph, duly
affixed in Form 6A; self-attested photocopies of the relevant pages of the passport containing the photograph,
your address in India, all other particulars and also the page of your passport containing the valid visa
endorsement.
 To submit, create a login ID with a password if the online registration is supported for your area.
 Upload the scanned documents and apply online.
 The application will be scrutinized and posted to screen for objections over a week.

About Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)

 Overseas Indians, officially known as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are people of Indian birth or ancestry who live
outside the Republic of India.
o An Indian citizen who is ordinarily residing outside India and holds an Indian Passport
 According to a Ministry of External Affairs report, there are 32 million NRIs residing outside India.
o Every year 2.5 million (25 lakhs) Indians migrate overseas, which is the highest annual number of migrants
in the world.
 If an individual has been in India for a minimum of 182 days in the previous financial year is deemed to be a
Resident of India. Anyone who does not meet the conditions will be considered an NRI for the previous financial
year.
o In simple terms, an Indian citizen residing outside India for a combined total of at least 183 days in a financial
year is considered to be an NRI.
 NRIs are eligible to vote, and only the income that they have earned in India is taxable in India.
o Therefore, any income earned outside India is not taxable in India.
 They are entitled to all benefits available to Indian citizens subject to notifications issued by the Government
from time to time.
 They don‘t require a visa for visiting India.
 They can adopt children in India, appear in competitive exams, purchase or sale of immovable property barring
agricultural land and farmhouses, and pursue professions such as doctors, lawyers, architects, and chartered
accountants.
 They have parity with Indian nationals in the matter of domestic airfares, and entry fees to monuments and public
places.
 They are exempted from registration with the Foreigners‘ Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) for any length
of stay in India.
o Foreigners visiting India who hold long-term visas (more than 180 days) are required to register their presence
in India with the Foreigners‘ Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
 Fundamental Rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 20, 21, 21A, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 are available to all persons
whether citizens or foreigners.
o The Fundamental Rights guaranteed by Articles 15, 16, 19, 29, and 30 are available only to citizens of India
and NRIs.
 In case an NRI wishes to take up foreign citizenship, he/she will have to give up Indian citizenship as the Indian
constitution does not allow dual citizenship.
o A person cannot hold Indian as well as foreign citizenship simultaneously.

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UNIFIED DISTRICT INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR EDUCATION PLUS

(UDISE+) REPORT
Context
 The Union Ministry of Education released a report titled ‗Unified District Information System for Education
plus (UDISE+) 2021-22‘ on school education in India.

Key Points of the UDISE+ 2020-21 Report

 In 2021-22 total number of students enrolled in school education from primary to higher secondary increased as
compared to the enrollment in 2020-21.
o 25.57 crore students enrolled in 2021-22 as compared to 25.38 crores in 2020-21
 Enrolment of Students from Scheduled castes increased to 4.82 Crore in 2021-22 as compared to 4.78 Crore in
2020-21.
o Enrolment of Students from the Scheduled Tribe increased to 2.51 crore in 2021-22 from 2.49 crore in 2020-21.
o Enrolment of Students from other backward groups also increased to 11.48 crore in 2021-22 from 11.35 crore in
2020-21.
 The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) which measures the general level of participation has improved in 2021-22
at all levels of school education compared to 2020-21.
o GER in higher secondary has increased from 53.8% in 2021-21 to 57.6% in 2021-22.
 In 2021-22, the Total enrolment of Children with Special Needs (CWSN) stands at 22.67 lakh as compared to 21.91
lakh in 2020-21.
 During 2021-22, nearly 95.07 lakh teachers were engaged in school education out of which more than 51% are
female teachers.
 In 2021-22, the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) stood at 26 for primary, 19 for upper primary, 18 for secondary and 27
for higher secondary.
o In 2018-19, the PTR for primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary was 28, 19, 21, and 30
respectively.
 In 2021-22, more than 12.29 crore girls were enrolled in primary to higher secondary.
 The Gender Parity Index (GPI) shows the representation of females in school education is in line with the
representation of girls in the population.
 In 2021-22, the total number of schools stood at 14.89 lakhs as compared to 15.09 lakhs in 2020-21.
o The decline in total schools is mainly due to the closure of private and other management schools and the
grouping/ clustering of schools by various States.
 The availability of basic infrastructure facilities in schools;
o Electricity connection in 89.3% of schools.
o Drinking water in 98.2% of schools
o Girls' toilets in 97.5% of schools
o Playground in 77% of schools
o Library/ Reading room/ Reading corner in 87.3% of schools
o Only 27% of schools have special toilets for children with special needs (CSWN).
 Kitchen Gardens in 27.7% of schools
 Rain Water Harvesting in 21% of schools.
 Only 44.85% of schools had computer facilities, and nearly 34% had an internet connection.

About UDISE+
 The UDISE+ system of online data collection from the schools was developed by the Department of School
Education and Literacy in the year 2018-19.
 It aims to overcome the issues related to the practice of manual data filling in paper format and then feeding them
on computers at the block or district level in the UDISE data collection system since 2012-13.
 In the UDISE+ system, improvements have been made particularly in the areas related to data capture, data
mapping and data verification.
 In UDISE+ 2021-22, additional data on a digital library, peer learning, hard spot identification, the number of
books available in a school library, etc have been collected for the first time.
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UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

Context
 The Union Government has informed the Supreme Court that the matter of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will
be placed before the 22nd Law Commission.
 The government highlighted that ―Part IV of the Indian Constitution creates an obligation upon the State to
secure for citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the country under its Article 44‖.

About Uniform Civil Code

 Uniform Civil Code comes under Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which lays down that the state shall
aspire to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
 It calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would apply to all religious communities in matters such as
marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.

Origin of Uniform Civil Code

 The origin of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) dates back to the colonial period when the British government
submitted its report in 1835 stressing the need for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to crimes,
evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that the personal laws of Hindus and Muslims be kept outside
such codification.
 An increase in legislation dealing with personal issues at the far end of British rule forced the government to
form the B N Rau Committee to codify Hindu law in 1941.
o The Hindu Law Committee was formed to examine the question of the necessity of common Hindu laws.
o The committee, in accordance with scriptures, recommended a codified Hindu law, which would give equal
rights to women.
o The committee recommended a civil code of marriage and succession for Hindus.
 The Hindu Code Bill
o The draft of the Rau Committee report was submitted to a select committee chaired by B.R Ambedkar that
came up for discussion in 1951 after the adoption of the Indian Constitution.
o While discussions continued, the Hindu Code Bill lapsed and was resubmitted in 1952.
o The bill was then adopted in 1956 as the Hindu Succession Act to amend and codify the law relating to
intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
o The Act reformed the Hindu personal law and gave women greater property rights, and ownership.
o It gave women property rights in their father's estate. The daughter is allotted the same share as is allotted
to a son.

Arguments in Favour of the Uniform Civil Code

 A Secular republic needs a Common law for all Citizens rather than differentiated rules based on religious
Practices.
 Courts also Suggested in their judgements that the government should move toward a uniform civil code
including the judgment in the Shah Bano Case.
 It will address the discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise diverse cultural groups across the
country.
 Ensure gender justice, and promote women's empowerment.
 The code will simplify the complex laws around marriage ceremonies, inheritance, succession, and adoptions
making them one for all. The same civil law will then apply to all citizens irrespective of their faith.
 Dr B R Ambedkar, while formulating the Constitution had said that a UCC is desirable but for the moment it
should remain voluntary, and thus it was added as a part of the Directive Principles of the State Policy in part IV
of the Constitution of India as Article 44.

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Arguments against Uniform Civil Code

 Cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for
a threat to the territorial integrity of the nation.
 Diversity, both religious and regional, Should not get subsumed under the louder voice of the majority.
 Article 25 of the Indian constitution preserves the freedom to practise and propagate any religion that gets into
conflict with the concepts of UCC.
o Fundamental Rights v/s DPSPs: Fundamental rights are justiciable whereas DPSPs are non-justiciable and
optional for the state.
 The demand for a uniform civil code has been framed in the context of communal politics. A large section of
society sees it as majoritarianism under the garb of social reform.

21st Law Commission on Personal Law

 Uniform Civil Code is neither necessary nor desirable at this stage.
 Cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for a
threat to the territorial integrity of the nation.
 The difference does not always imply discrimination.
 Diversity, both religious and regional should not get subsumed under the louder voice of the majority.
 Codification of all personal laws so that prejudices and Stereotypes in every religion would come to light.
 Certain measures in marriage and divorce should be uniformly accepted in the personal laws of all religions.
 18 years be the minimum legal age for men and women to get married, and different ages of marriage between
adults must be abolished as it contributes to the Stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands.
 Need to recognize the role of women in a household. Women should get an equal part of the property gained after
marriage in the event of divorce.

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Way Forward
 Discriminatory practices within a religion should be eliminated.
 The achievement of a uniform civil code becomes more desirable when it comes to the diversity of the
matrimonial laws, simplifying the Indian legal system and making Indian society more homogeneous. The
uniform civil code will envisage uniform provisions that will apply to everyone and will be based on social justice
and gender equality in family matters.
 By Codification of different Personal laws, we can arrive at certain universal Principles that promote equity.
 The UCC aims to protect vulnerable sections as envisaged by Ambedkar including women and religious
minorities.
 The code will simplify the complex laws around marriage ceremonies, inheritance, succession, and adoptions
making them one for all. The same civil law will then apply to all citizens irrespective of their faith.

THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE (IDENTIFICATION) ACT, 2022

Context
 Recently the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the rules governing The Criminal Procedure
(Identification) Act, 2022.
o An Act can be implemented or come into force when rules are notified.
 The Act provides a legal sanction to law enforcement agencies for ―taking measurements of convicts and other
persons for identification and investigation of criminal matters.
 The Union government stated that the sole purpose is to improve the conviction rate in the country and to
safeguard the human rights of law-abiding citizens.

Details
 The 2022 Act replaced the Identification of Prisoners Act, of 1920, as the 1920 Act‘s scope was confined to
capturing finger impressions, footprint impressions and photographs of convicted prisoners and a certain
category of arrested and non-convicted persons on the Magistrate orders.
 The main objective of the 2022 Act is to enable police and central investigating agencies to collect, store and
analyze physical and biological samples of arrested persons.
 Under the new Act, The Measurements and photographs for identification would serve 3 main purposes;
o Establish the identity of the culprit against the person being arrested.
o Identify suspected repetition of similar offences by the same person.
o Establish a previous conviction.

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Provisions under the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920;

 The police have powers of arrest, but that does not give them the right to search a person.
o The police needed legal sanctions to search the person and collect evidence. These legal sanctions were
designed to maintain a balance between the rights of an individual and the interests of society.
o It became essential when the recording of newer forms of evidence such as fingerprints, footprints and
measurements became more accurate and reliable.
 Over the years, many legal experts and activists have demanded to amend/update of the Identification of
Prisoners Act, of 1920.
 In 1980, the 87th Report of the Law Commission of India recommended several amendments;
o Amend the Act to expand the scope of measurements to include ―palm impressions‖, ―specimen of signature
or writing‖ and ―specimen of voice‖.
o Allowing measurements to be taken for proceedings other than those under the Code of Criminal Procedure
(CrPC).

Key Features of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022.

 It would allow the police and prison authorities to collect, store and analyse physical and biological samples,
including retina and iris scans.
 It would empower the police to collect finger impressions, palm print impressions, footprint impressions, iris and
retina scans, footprint impressions, physical, and biological samples and their analysis, and behavioural attributes
including signatures, handwriting or any other examination.
 Biological samples can be forcibly collected from the convicted or persons arrested for crimes against women or
children, or in case the crime attracts a minimum of 7 years in jail.
 It can also be taken on the order of a magistrate to assist in the investigation.
It also seeks to apply the above provisions to persons held under any preventive detention law.
 As per the provisions of the act any person convicted, arrested or detained under any preventive detention law
will be required to provide the above-mentioned measurements to the police or a prison official.
If any person resists or refuses to allow the taking of such measurements, it shall be lawful for the police
officer or prison officer to take such measurements in such manner as may be prescribed.
 Resistance to or refusal to allow the taking of measurements under this Act shall be deemed to be an offence
under section 186 of the Indian Penal Code.
It would authorize the police to take and preserve records of convicts and other persons for identification and
investigations.
It would repeal the existing Identification of Prisoners Act, of 1920.

Implementing body
 The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs will be the repository of
physical and biological samples, signatures and handwriting data that can be preserved for at least 75 years.
 The State Government and Union territory Administration may notify an appropriate body to collect preserve and
share the measurements in their respective jurisdictions.

Arguments in favour of the Act

 It will Protect the Human rights of the law-abiding victims of crime
 It will improve the conviction rate in the country.
 It will ensure a foolproof mechanism to prevent any data leak or misuse.
 Providing the sample will be voluntary for a person detained under any preventive law, they could not be forced
to give the sample.
 No analysis or brain-mapping test would be performed without the person‘s approval.

Arguments against the Act

 The issue of data protection.
 Possible misuse of the proposed law.
 Violation of the citizen‘s right to privacy and other fundamental rights.

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Way Forward
 The Identification of Prisoners Act, of 1920 was colonial legislation, its repetition in the Criminal Procedure
(Identification) Act, of 2022 has raised some concerns related to fundamental rights.
o According to some activists, the act violet the right to privacy as per the Puttaswamy case judgment.
o Concerns that data processing may go beyond the recording of core measurements, and fear of data leakage or
data theft.
 The Government needs to take concrete steps to redress the grievances raised by different stakeholders to
ensure smooth implementation of the law, and also needs to balance the National security needs and Privacy
concerns of the citizens.

CONVERSION THERAPY
Context
 The National Medical Commission (NMC) has called ‗conversion therapy‘ a ―professional misconduct‖ and
released guidelines to all State Medical Councils to ban the therapy.
o NMC has also empowered the State bodies to take disciplinary action against medical professionals who
breach the guideline.
 The guidelines highlighted that the NMC is following the Madras High Court order to issue an official
notification listing conversion therapy as wrong, under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct,
Etiquettes and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.

Details
 Madras High Court ruling prohibited any attempt to medically ―cure‖ or change the sexual orientation of
LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or of any other orientation) people.
 The court instructed the authorities to take action against professionals involved in any form or method of
conversion therapy, including the cancellation of their medical licence.
 The court gave an order to the National Medical Commission mandating it to ―issue an official notification by
enrolling ‗Conversion Therapy‘ as a professional misconduct.‖

Conversion Therapy
 Conversion therapy is a medical procedure that is aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity
of an individual with the use of either psychiatric treatment, drugs, exorcism or even violence, with the aim
being to make the individual a heterosexual.
 It also includes steps to change the core identity of a person whose gender identity is incompatible with their
sexual anatomy.
 Often, the therapy is offered by quacks with little expertise in dealing with the issue.
 According to health experts, the therapy poses the risk of causing or exacerbating mental health conditions, like
anxiety, stress and drug use which sometimes even lead to suicide.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL
Context
 Recently the Chief Minister of Delhi launched a virtual school, and he also announced that students from
across the country will be eligible for admission.
 The Chief Minister highlighted that the Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS) will be for classes 9-12 and also for
students preparing for competitive exams like JEE, NEET and CUET.
o Any child aged between 13 and 18 who has completed class 8 from any recognized school can apply for
admission to class 9.
o The school will not charge any fee and there will be an attendance tracking system in-built into the online
platform used for classes.
o All classes will be online, the Online classes will be recorded so that students who are unable to attend the live
classes can watch them in their free time."
o For the exams, students will be required to physically come to Delhi.

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Challenges in Indian Education System

 India has achieved universal enrolment at the elementary level. This is a great achievement, but getting Students
to School is only the beginning of human Capital formation.
 Poor quality of facilities, Shortage of qualified faculty.
 Date Curriculum, Limited university-industry Partnership.
 Indian-origin Scientists have won the Nobel Prize, but post-independence work done in India has not led to a
Science novel. If Indians Studying and working abroad can have a great impact, then obviously the problem has
to do with our Systems of education and research.
 Broken Governance System. There are few rewards for being a good teacher and few Punishments for being a
Careless one.
o Need more effective and accountable governance Systems.
 The greed of Private Colleges to earn the maximum from every Student puts traumatic Pressure on Students
which results in mental breakdown.
 More girls than boys drop out of School. While boys drop out to work, girls usually Stay at home and help
with domestic Work. Social Conception of gender roles is an important factor.
 Learning loss due to pandemics and the digital divide.

Steps taken by the Government

 The 86th Constitution Amendment provides the Fundamental right to free and compulsory education under
Article 21A includes a Common education System where the ―rich and Poor are educated under one roof".
 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan provides funding to eligible State higher educational institutions.
 Declaration of Educational Institutions as institutions of Eminence, to provide world-class education to Indian
Students within the Country.
 Creation of a Higher Education Financing Agency, for high-quality infrastructure in Premier educational
institutions.
 National Institution Ranking Framework for ranking our higher education institutions.
 GIAN Initiative invites distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, and experts from premier
institutions across the world to teach in higher educational institutions in India.
 SWAYAM Portal for Online Courses.
 SWAYAM Prabha provides HD educational Channels through DTH on a 24X7 basis.
 Sodhganga to develop a national repository of universities in India, and digital Study material for higher
education.
 Samagra Shiksha Scheme to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.

Way Forward
 School closures during lockdown had negatively impacted students, family structures, and learning outcomes (in
reading, writing, and arithmetic).
o Assessing learning outcomes to understand learning gaps.
o Developing expert-led bridge courses and accelerated learning programmes to address learning gaps.
o Institute personalized remedial classes for students with learning gaps.
 A sustainable model of digital learning needs to create communication channels (mandatory Helpline Centres,
WhatsApp groups, etc) to clear doubts.
o Need to Increase investment in electrical (including non-conventional sources), communication (satellite TV
and radio), and digital infrastructure to enable access to digital education.
o Distribute subsidized internet connections and content pre-loaded devices to students from backward sections
of society.
 Need to develop a long-term strategy to ensure continued access to digital education.

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National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)‘S 2021 REPORT

Context
 Recently data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) highlighted that as compared to the
lockdown period, the year 2021 experienced an increased number of violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping,
atrocities against children, and robberies across India.

Highlights of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2021

 Murders cases registered increased in 2021.
 Increased the number of registered rape cases from 28,046 in 2020 to 31,677 in 2021.
 Cases related to kidnapping and abduction fell to 84,805 in 2020 from 1, 05,036 cases in 2019 but again rose to 1,
01,707 in 2021.
 The overall registered cognisable crimes decreased by 7.6% falling from 66 lakh in 2020 to 60.9 lakh in 2021.
 The crime rate (crimes per 1 lakh people) also decreased from 487.8 in 2020 to 445.9 in 2021.
 The decline in overall crimes in 2021 can be attributed to a sharp decrease in cases registered over violations of
COVID-19 norms.
 The rate of violent crimes (per 1 lakh people) among major States was the highest in Assam in 2021, followed
by Delhi and West Bengal at 48.7.
o The rate was the lowest in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
o The biggest increase in the rate of violent crimes was recorded in Odisha.
 A total of 1, 49,404 cases of crime against children were registered in 2021, showing an increase of 16.2% over 2020
(1, 28,531 cases).
 A total of 26,110 cases were registered for committing crimes against Senior Citizens (aged above 60 years),
showing an increase of 5.3% in registration over 2020 (24,794 cases).
 A total of 52,974 cases were registered under Cyber Crimes, showing an increase of 5.9% in registration over 2020
(50,035 cases).
 During the year 2021, a total of 64,471 cases were registered under Environment-Related Offences as compared to
61,767 cases in the year 2020, showing an increase of 4.4%.
 A total of 2,189 cases of Human Trafficking were registered in 2021 as compared to 1,714 cases in the year 2020,
showing an increase of 27.7%.
 State/UT reporting the highest Charge-sheeting Rate under IPC Crimes is Gujarat (95.9%), Puducherry (93.0%)
and Andhra Pradesh (92.9%).

About National Crime Records Bureau

 National Police Commission in 1977.
o The Commission was set up to look into all aspects of policing in the country and make recommendations to
bring about the required organizational, procedural and cultural changes in the State Police to bring it in tune
with the national aspirations of a democratic and welfare State.
 Committee on Crime Records in 1978.
o The Committee was set up to review the existing crime records and associated procedures and to recommend
changes to enable the police forces to meet the present-day requirements of crime and criminal information.
 Accepting the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977), the Ministry of Home Affairs
constituted a Task Force in 1985 to work out the modalities for setting up the National Crime Records Bureau
(NCRB).
 The Government accepted the recommendations of the Task Force and constituted the NCRB with headquarters
in New Delhi in January 1986.

Significance of NCRB
 NCRB functions as the house of information on crime and criminals including those operating at National and
International levels.
 Stores, coordinates and shares information with States and national investigating agencies.
 Collects and processes crime statistics at the National level.
 Coordinate, guide and assist the functioning of the State Crime Records Bureau.

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 Function as the National storehouse of fingerprint (FP) records of convicted persons including FP records of
foreign criminals.
 Advises Central and State Governments on matters related to fingerprints and footprints, and conducts training
courses for fingerprint experts.

HC JUDGES VACANCIES
Context
 Supreme Court collegium led by the Chief Justice of India (Justice N V Ramana) has made more than 250
recommendations for high court judge appointments. This helps in bringing down vacancies to their lowest level
since 2016.
 According to the latest data from the Ministry of Law and Justice, as of 1st August; there are 380 vacancies against
the sanctioned strength of 1,108 judges in 25 high courts.
 CJI Ramana‘s tenure also saw the most appointments being cleared by the government.

Appointment of the High Court Judges

 According to Article 217, the Chief Justice of a High court is appointed by the President in consultation with the
Chief justice of India as well as the Governor of the state.
 A Collegium headed by the CJI makes a recommendation to the government for the appointment of judges.
 The Collegium recommends the eligible names to the law ministry which after scrutinizing recommended to the
president.
 The president either approves the names or returns the names for reconsideration by the Supreme Court.
o If the Supreme Court sends the names 2nd time then the president appoints the recommended persons.
 Qualification
o He should be a citizen of India.
o He should have held a judicial office in the territory of India for 10 years or Should have been an advocate of
the high court(s) for 10 years.
o No minimum age is fixed for High Court judges.
 A High Court Judge holds the office till the age of 62 years.
 The salaries and allowances of the Chief Justice of the High Court and Other High Court Judges are decided by
the parliament by law, from time to time.
 Salaries and other expenses are charged from the consolidated fund of the State.
o Pension comes from the Consolidated Fund of India.
 A Judge of the High Court can be removed from office only for proven misbehaviour or incapacity and only in the
same manner in which a Judge of the Supreme Court is removed.

Collegium System
 Under the Collegium System, appointments/elevation of judges/lawyers to the Supreme Court and transfers of
judges of High Courts and Apex Court are decided by a panel of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-
most judges of the Supreme Court.‘
 The word ‗Collegium‘ is nowhere mentioned in the Indian Constitution, it has come into force as per Judicial
Pronouncement.

Evolution of Collegium System

 Under the Constitution, The Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president. The chief justice is
appointed by the president after consultation with such judges of the Supreme Court and high courts as he deems
necessary.
o The other judges are appointed by the president after consultation with the chief justice and other judges of
the Supreme Court and the high court as he deems necessary.
o Consultation with the chief justice is obligatory in the case of the appointment of a judge other than the Chief
justice

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 First judges case (1982): The Supreme court held that consultation does not mean agreement and it only means an
exchange of views.
 Second judges case (1993): The court changed its earlier ruling and changed the meaning of the word consultation
to consensus.
o It ruled that the advice tendered by the CJI is binding on the President in matters of appointment of SC judges.
But any such advice would be tendered after CJI consults with two of his most senior judges.
 Third judges case (1998): The consultation process should be based on the plurality of judges.
o CJI should consult a Collegium of four senior-most judges before making a recommendation to the
President and even if two judges give an unfavourable opinion, he should not send the proposal to the
President.

PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT 1991

Context
 Recently the Places of Worship Act of 1991 was Context due to several Religious and Political events.

The Places of Worship Act, 1991

 The Places of Worship Act 1991 was passed by parliament during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
 The Act was introduced to promote peace, harmony and brotherhood.
 The main objective of the Act is to maintain the religious character of any such place as it existed on the 15th
day of August 1947 (at the time of Independence).
 The act prohibits conversion of any place of worship or changing the religious character of any place from its
status at the time of Independence.
 The main purpose behind the Act was to check and control communal hatred and promote peace and harmony in
the country.
 The 1991 Act covered all disputed sites to which religious groups had raised a claim.
o The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri case was excluded from the provision of the Act.
 Section 4(2) of the Act says that any legal proceeding concerning the conversion of the religious character of any
place of worship existing on August 15, 1947, pending before any court, shall be dropped and no fresh suit or
legal proceeding shall be initiated.

Way Forward
 India was not a constitutional democracy before August 15, 1947. There was no rule of law during the medieval
period when a temple was allegedly destroyed.
 In the past, the rule of law did not exist and the polity was characterized by an expansionist attitude.
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o The medieval polity was quite different from the modern Indian political entity.
o But today, we live in a modern democracy with constitutional values and follow rule of law.
 The recent incidents appear to be a part of an agenda to create deep communal divides and serious injuries to
peace and harmony and undermine the country‘s social and political fabric.
 The Supreme Court in the demolition of the Babri Masjid case has described it as a criminal act.
o The court said that ―the State has a constitutional commitment and constitutional obligations to uphold the
equality of all religions and secularism which is a part of the basic features of the Constitution‖.
o The Court concluded that the Places of Worship Act 1991 is necessary for upholding our commitment to
secularism under the Indian Constitution.
 The Government, Administration and Courts must decide the case based on law and constitutional values
instead of emotions and Majoritarianism political pressure.

REMISSIONS
Context
 The state government of Gujarat has released 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano murder and gang rape case of 2002.
o They were released under the remission and premature release policy of the state government.

Law on Remissions
 Under Articles 72 and 161 of the Indian Constitution, the President and Governors have the power to pardon,
suspend, remit, or commute a verdict passed by the courts.
 Since prisons are a state subject, state governments also have authority under Section 432 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to remit sentences.
 Section 433A of the CrPC puts certain limitations on state government powers of remission:
o Where a sentence of life imprisonment is imposed on a person for an offence for which death is one of the
punishments provided by law.
 Such a person shall not be released from prison unless he had served at least fourteen years of imprisonment.
 Prisoners are usually released on the birth and death anniversaries of prominent leaders and other important
events (Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti, etc).

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Grounds for remission

 Many States have set up their Sentence Review Board to exercise the powers under Section 432 of the CrPC.
o The policy varies from state to state; broadly the grounds for remission considered by the Board are the same.
 The Supreme Court has highlighted that states cannot arbitrarily exercise the power of remission and they
must need to follow due process.
 The following factors need to be considered before granting remission;
o The seriousness of the crime.
o The status of the co-accused.
o Conduct of accused in jail.
 The Supreme court in the ‗Laxman Naskar v. Union of India‘ (2000) case verdict has laid down 5 grounds on
which remission is considered:
o Whether the offence is an individual act of crime that does not affect society.
o Whether there is a chance of the crime being repeated in future.
o Whether the convict has lost the potential to commit a crime.
o Whether any purpose is being served in keeping the convict in prison.
o Socio-economic conditions of the convict‘s family.
 Jail manuals contain rules that allow certain days of remission every month for the good behaviour of convicts.
o However, convicts serving life sentences are entitled to seek remission only after serving a minimum of 14
years.

OPERATION MEGH CHAKRA

Context
 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under operation code-named ―Megh Chakra‖ searched across 20 States
and one Union Territory, to curb the circulation and sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
 Operation ―Megh Chakra‖ was conducted following the inputs received from Interpol.
 During the raids, CBI seized the electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, belonging to the
suspects.

Related News
 Recently India‘s Central Bureau of Investigation has joined Interpol‘s International Child Sexual Exploitation
(ICSE) initiative that will allow it to collaborate with investigators in other countries for detecting child sexual
abuse online and identifying abusers, victims, and crime scenes from audio-visual clips using specialised
software.
 India is the 68th country to have access to this database and software.
Interpol is the world‘s largest international police organisation with 195 member countries and is headquartered
in Lyon, France.
 Each member country hosts an Interpol National Central Bureau that connects their national law enforcement to it
and in India, the CBI is that nodal agency.

Steps taken by the Indian Government to curb online child sex abuse
 India reported over 24 lakh instances of online child sexual abuse from 2017 to 2020, with 80% of victims being
girls below the age of 14 years, according to Interpol data.
 More than 60% of unidentified victims were prepubescent, including infants and toddlers.
 Around 65% of unidentified victims were girls, but severe abuse images were more likely to have boys
 In 2019, the CBI set up a special unit called the ‗Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Prevention/Investigation (OCSAE)‘, for tracking and monitoring posting, circulation and downloads of CSEM
online.
 Based on intelligence developed by the unit, the CBI started a country-wide operation against the alleged peddlers
of online CSEM in India last year
 Back in 2020, the cyber wing of the Maharashtra Police had acquired software from Interpol to track child sex
abuse captured on video and in photos.

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 In 2019, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, a US-based non-profit organisation, started
sharing tip-offs about child sex abuse with Indian agencies. Received by the National Crime Records Bureau, this
information was passed on to the states where the incidents took place, to boost the detection of those sharing
such content.

Other measures to prevent cyber crimes against children

 The Government has ordered all the intermediaries to adopt a strong grievance redressal mechanism including
time-bound disposal of grievances against Child abuse.
 Social media Intermediary need to take measures to identify child sexual abuse material.
 The Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) program of the Union Government has been
creating awareness and highlighting the importance of following ethics while using the Internet.
 The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 was amended in 2019 to provide more severe
punishment.
 The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is implementing Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children
(CCPWC) under Nirbhaya Fund.
 The Government has launched the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to enable the public to report incidents
pertaining to all types of cyber crimes, with a special focus on cyber crimes against women and children.
 A toll-free number has been operationalised to assist in lodging online cyber complaints.
 The Government has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to provide a framework and
eco-system for LEAs to deal with the cyber-crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
 The Central Government supplements the initiatives of the State Governments through advisories and financial
assistance.
 The Central Government also takes measures such as issuance of alerts/ advisories, capacity building/ training of
law enforcement personnel/ prosecutors/ judicial officers, improving cyber forensic facilities and spreading
awareness about cybercrimes.

DEATH PENALTY IN INDIA

Context
 The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is in the process to decide a set of guidelines to provide a
―meaningful, real and effective‖ hearing to an accused in death penalty cases.

Details
 The Supreme Court of India highlighted the need for a holistic view of prisoners facing the death sentence.
 The Supreme Court stated that for decades, conviction hearings have covered only primary details like the
convict‘s family structure, educational qualifications and work.
o The Supreme Court also mentioned that ``No effort was made to consider information like unfavourable
childhood experiences, history of physical and mental health issues, exposure to traumatic events and
other social and cultural factors‖.
 Though the death sentence is seen only in the rarest of rare cases, even in these cases the courts should be well-
informed about the convict.

About Capital Punishment or Death Penalty in India

 Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal penalty for some crimes under the Indian Penal Code or other
laws.
 In the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898 death was the default punishment for murder and mandated
the judges to give reasons in their judgment if they desired to give life imprisonment instead of the death
penalty.
o The CrPC was created for the first time in 1882 and then amended in 1898.
 By an amendment to the CrPC in 1955, the requirement of written explanations for not imposing the death
penalty was terminated.
 With the amendment of CrPC in 1973, life imprisonment became the norm and the death penalty was to be
imposed only in extraordinary cases and required ‗special reasons.
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o The amendment also divided a criminal trial into two stages; one for conviction and another for sentencing.
o The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, also contains a provision that the court must write "Special reasons"
justifying the sentence and mention why an alternative sentence would not meet the ends of justice.
 In India, as per the current position of law, capital punishment is awarded only in the 'rarest of cases' and the
primary method of execution as given under Section 354(5) of the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 is "Hanging
by the neck until dead".

Process of Death Penalty

 Trial Court
o After the proceedings as specified by the Code of Criminal Procedure, the judge pronounces the judgement.
 High Court
o After the decision by the Session Court, a high court needs to confirm the death sentence.
o The high court may confirm the death sentence or pass any other sentence or annul the conviction.
o The High Court also has the power to withdraw a case pending before a subordinate court and conduct the
trial and may award the sentence of death.
 Special leave petition
o After the death sentence is confirmed by the High Court, an appeal by Special Leave Petition under Article
136 of the Constitution may be filed with the Supreme court.
o Under Article 136, the Supreme Court decides whether the special leave petition deserves to be heard as an
appeal or not.
 Curative petition
o The Supreme Court may allow a curative petition to reconsider its judgement or order if it is established that
there was a violation of principles of natural justice or suspicion of bias in the role of a judge.
o The curative petition would be circulated before the same bench which decided on the review petition.
 Mercy Petition
o Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution give power to the President of India and the Governor to grant pardons
and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases.
o The president or the governor may consider the case of the convict and may pardon the death sentence.
 Death warrant
o In cases where the death sentence is awarded, the convict should be allowed to use all the legal remedies
available such as appeal, review and mercy petitions.
o The Supreme Court guidelines are needed to be followed before issuing the death warrant.
 Execution
o The death sentence or death penalty is a punishment approved for committing the offence.
o The act of carrying out a death sentence is known as an execution.

Arguments in support of Capital punishment

 All Guilty people deserve to be penalised in proportion to the severity of their crime.
 Real justice requires people to suffer in a way suited to the crime. Every criminal must get what their crime
deserves and in the case of murder they deserve death.

Arguments against capital punishment

 Capital punishment is revenge rather than punishment and is a morally doubtful concept.
 Against Real or Proportional justice, as the criminal suffers for many years before execution, it makes the
punishment more severe.
 There is always a risk of executing the innocent due to mistakes or defects in the justice system.
 The death penalty doesn't seem to deter people from committing serious crimes.
 The Law Commission of India recommended abolishing the death penalty, except in terror cases.

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Way Forward
 In India, the current position regarding death sentences is quite a balanced one. But the broad judicial discretion
given to the court has resulted in an extremely uneven judgment in similar cases; this does not represent a good
picture of the Indian Judiciary.
 The principle laid down in cases like Bachan Singh or Machhi Singh has to be strictly followed so that the
person convicted for an offence of identical nature is awarded a punishment of an identical degree.

NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY

Context
 The Union Minister of Home and Cooperation has inaugurated the office of the National Investigation Agency
(NIA) at New Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
 The Minister has highlighted that the NIA has achieved a conviction rate of nearly 94 %.
 NIA has extended its operations in 18 States. The Minister has set a target that by May 2024 the NIA will make its
presence in all states.

National Investigation Agency

 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act of 2008 established the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
 It is a central agency charged with investigating and prosecuting crimes:
o Harming India's sovereignty, security, and integrity, as well as state security and amicable ties with other
countries.
o Oppose nuclear and atomic power plants.
o High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Smuggling.
 Its goal is also to fight terrorism in India.
 The Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency is in charge of it.

Concern
 Legal Requirements:
 In the Indian judicial system, no provision allows a domain expert to be a formal member of the evidence-
gathering team.
 In the absence of such a provision, the prosecution risks being charged with evidence tampering if any agency
uses a domain expert, as the Criminal Procedure Code only allows the police to gather evidence.
Inducement of experts:
 Domain expertise was also required for the efficient use of the instruments used to investigate such crimes.
 Investigative agencies often suggested inducting specialists and providing necessary staff training during the
UPA era.
Cross-border investigation:
 Problems involving many countries demand more skilled and effective teams.
 Such team formations necessitate a change in the legislation as well as the government's willingness to make the
change.
Police – the state subject:
 The preservation of public order and police forces are listed as matters of state in Schedule VII of the Constitution.
 Criminal law, on the other hand, is on the concurrent list, while national security is on the union list.

Way Forward
 Given that cross-border investigations are frequently required in cybercrime cases, a mechanism of cooperative
investigations involving investigators from India and the nations involved should be implemented.
 The need for team inquiry should be emphasised.
 It is widely used in many nations. For example, crimes like the ransomware assault on a pipeline network in the
United States were probed by teams of police officers and professionals in the disciplines.

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OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA

Context
 Outrage over the allegations of a leaked objectionable video of women students of Chandigarh University.

Steps taken by government agencies to tackle objectionable media content

 The first step for the investigation agency is to identify the social media intermediary through which the
objectionable content (Picture, video, voice message, etc) is being spread.
o Generally, investigation agencies depend on the information of the first arrested accused, who discloses the
first method through which the content was shared.
o In complex cases in which the content is being shared on multiple social media platforms, the investigating
agencies communicate with all social media intermediaries including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter etc.
 Once the social media intermediaries are identified, the investigation agency communicates with the
regulating authorities/headquarters of these intermediaries. There are two methods for communication.
o Routine matters in which there is no urgency are pursued through Emergency disclosure methods in which
the agency seeks the phone number and IP address of a device which was used to create/record the
objectionable/vulnerable content.
o Matters related to national security, threats to human lives and child abuse are followed through
Emergency response methods; in this case, the regulating authorities of social media take prompt decisions
over applications sent by the investigation agency.
 The Union Government has recently notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital
Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 to deal with the objectionable content on social media.

About Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021
 The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, was notified
by the Central government on February 25, 2021, relates to digital news publishers, including websites, portals
and YouTube news channels, and Over The Top (OTT) platforms, which stream online contents such as web
series and films.
 It is jointly administered by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
 The Rules provide for a code of ethics to be followed by digital news publishers and OTT platforms; A three-tier
grievance redress mechanism, which includes:
o Self-regulation by publishers at the first level
o Self-regulation by Self-regulating bodies of the publishers
o An oversight mechanism by the Central government

Key Features of the Rules

 Social media intermediaries, with registered users in India above a notified threshold, have been classified as
significant social media intermediaries.
o They are required to appoint certain personnel for compliance, identification of the first originator of the
information on its platform, and identify certain types of content.
o They need to appoint a Nodal Contact Person for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. Such a
person shall be a resident of India.
o Appoint a Resident Grievance Officer who shall perform the functions mentioned under the Grievance
Redressal Mechanism. Such a person shall be a resident of India.
o Publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken on the
complaints.
 The Rules prescribe a framework for the regulation of content by online publishers of news and current affairs
content and audio-visual content.
 A 3-tier Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Social media intermediaries shall appoint a Grievance Officer to deal
with complaints and share the name and contact details of such officers.

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o The grievance Officer shall acknowledge the complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve it within 15 days
from its receipt.
 Ensuring Online Safety and Dignity of Users, Especially Women Users: Intermediaries shall remove or disable
access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of contents that expose the Privacy of individuals.
o Such a complaint can be filed either by the individual or by any other person on his/her behalf.
 Voluntary User Verification Mechanism: Users who wish to verify their accounts voluntarily shall be provided
with an appropriate mechanism to verify their accounts and provided with a demonstrable and visible mark of
verification.
 Giving Users An Opportunity to Be Heard: Users must be provided with an adequate and reasonable
opportunity to dispute the action taken by the intermediary.
 Removal of Unlawful Information: An intermediary upon receiving actual knowledge should not host or publish
any information which is prohibited under any law in relation to the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of
India, public order, friendly relations with foreign countries etc.
 This Code of Ethics prescribes the guidelines to be followed by OTT platforms and online news and digital media
entities.
 Self-Classification of Content: The OTT platforms would be required to self-classify the content into five age-
based categories; U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).

REGISTERED UNRECOGNISED POLITICAL PARTIES

Context
 The Election Commission of India delisted 86 non-existent Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs)
and declared an additional 253 as ‗Inactive RUPPs‘.
 These Political parties have been reported inactive, as they have not responded to the letter/notice delivered to
them and have not contested a single election either to the General Assembly of a State or the Parliament
Election 2014 & 2019.
o Many RUPPs are non-existent either after a physical verification carried out by the respective Chief Electoral
Officers of concerned States/UTs or based on the report of undelivered letters/notices from the Postal
Authority sent to the registered address of the concerned RUPP.

Details
 Under section 29A of the Representation of the People Act of 1951, every political party has to communicate any
change in its name, head office, office bearers, address, and PAN to the Election Commission without delay.
 Any party dissatisfied with the action of ECI may approach the concerned Chief Electoral Officer/Election
Commission within 30 days of the issue of this direction along with all evidence of existence, and other legal and
regulatory compliances including year-wise annual audited accounts, contribution reports, expenditure report,
updating of office bearers including authorized signatories for financial transactions (including bank account).

Registered Unrecognized Political Parties

 There are 2,360 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India and about 97.50% of them are
unrecognized parties.
 Unrecognized Political Parties are those newly registered parties which have not secured enough percentage of
votes in the assembly or general elections to become a state party, or which have never contested elections since
registered.
 They don‘t enjoy the benefits extended to the recognized parties.
A Political Party is called a Recognized Political Party if it meets certain conditions.
 Won a certain percentage of valid votes or a certain number of seats in the State legislative assembly or the Lok
Sabha in the last election.

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AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, THE GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM

AND REPRESENTATIVES OF 8 ADIVASI GROUPS
About
 The Union Minister of Home Affairs headed over the signing of an agreement between the Government of India,
the Government of Assam and representatives of 8 Adivasi Groups in New Delhi.
 The agreement was signed to end the decades-old problem of Adivasis and tea garden workers in Assam.
o In the agreement, provisions have been made to protect the social, cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity of
Adivasi groups as well as to further strengthen them.
o The agreement also provides for the establishment of a Tribal Welfare and Development Council to ensure
the speedy and focused development of tea gardens.
o The agreement also provides for the rehabilitation and resettlement of armed cadres and measures for the
welfare of tea garden workers.
o A special development package of Rs.1000 crore (Rs.500 crore each by the Government of India and the
Government of Assam) will be provided over 5 years for infrastructure development in villages/areas with
tribal populations.
 The Union Home Minister highlighted that this agreement will prove to be an important landmark and is in the
direction of the government's vision of a peaceful and prosperous North East and making North-East
extremism free by 2025.
 The Minister stated that the government has taken many efforts in the direction of making the Northeast peaceful
and developed by;
o Promoting and developing the rich culture of the region.
o Settling all disputes.
o Establishing peace and accelerating development in the Northeast to make it peaceful and prosperous.
o NLFT agreement in 2019.
o BRU-REANG and Bodo accord in 2020.
o Karbi Anglong agreement in 2021.
o Assam-Meghalaya Inter-State Boundary Agreement in 2022.
 The Home Minister announced that the Union Government has decided that before 2024, all border disputes
between the North Eastern states and all disputes related to armed groups will be resolved.

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2022

Context
 Indore is the cleanest city in India, while Madhya Pradesh is the cleanest State in the country.
o Surat (Gujarat) is the 2nd cleanest city.
o Chhattisgarh is the 2nd cleanest State.
 Tirupati received the best city award in the Safai Mitra Suraksha category.
 Haridwar (Uttarakhand) received the best Ganga town award in more than one lakh population cities categories.

Details
 The field assessment for Swachh Survekshan was launched on 1st March 2022 by the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
 Swachh Survekshan 2022 is targeted toward capturing the initiatives of cities for the overall welfare and well-
being of Sanitation workers.
 This year another new indicator ‗Swachh Technology Challenge‘ has been added.
 To expand the Survekshan footprint, district rankings have been introduced.
 The scope of the survey has been expanded to now cover 100% of wards, as compared to 40% in previous
years.

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Swachh Survekshan
 Swachh Survekshan was initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2016 as a competitive
framework to encourage cities to improve the status of urban sanitation.
 Swachh Survekshans are conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
 It has promoted a spirit of healthy competition among cities and towns in India.
 The Primary goal of Swachh Survekshans is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness
amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities
better places to reside in.
 The performance of each city is evaluated on six parameters:
o Municipal solid waste, sweeping, collection and transportation.
o Municipal solid waste, processing, and disposal of solid waste.
o Open defecation free and toilets.
o Capacity building and e-Learning.
o Provision of public toilets and community toilets.
o Information, education and communication, and behaviour change.

Swachh Bharat Mission

 Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to
eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management.
 It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.
 Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.
 Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020–21 and 2024–25.
 The mission aimed to achieve an "open-defecation-free" (ODF) India by 2nd October 2019, the 150th
anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi through the construction of toilets.

 The objectives of the first phase of the mission:

o Eradication of manual scavenging.
o Generating awareness and bringing about a behaviour change regarding sanitation practices.
o Building capacity at the local level.
 The second phase of the mission aims to sustain the open defecation-free status and improve the management
of solid and liquid waste, while also working to improve the lives of sanitation workers.
 Under the scheme, the Government provides subsidies for constructing toilets, waste management structures, and
awareness campaigns to bring behaviour change.
 The campaign is financed by the Government of India and state governments.
 The mission is split into two: Rural and Urban.
o In rural areas "SBM – Gramin is financed and monitored through the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
o In Urban areas "SBM - Urban is overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Present Status
 According to the dashboards maintained by ministries, more than 100 million individual household-level
toilets have been constructed in rural areas and 6 million household toilets in urban areas.
 Nearly 6 million community and public toilets have also been constructed in urban areas.
 More than 4,200 cities and more than 600,000 villages across the country have declared themselves open
defecation-free (ODF).
 More than 81.5 thousand wards in urban areas now have 100% door-to-door collection of solid waste and nearly
65 thousand wards practice 100% segregation of waste at source.
 According to UNICEF, the number of people without a toilet has been reduced from 550 million to 50 million.
 The World Bank reports that 96% of Indians who have a toilet use it.
 A study concluded that the construction of toilets under the program led to a reduction in the incidence of
sexual assault against women.

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SC STEPS ON TRANSPARENCY
Context
 The Supreme Court of India has decided to live to stream its proceedings in important Constitution Bench
cases.

Present status of live streaming of judicial proceedings in India

 In 2018, a Supreme Court bench had agreed to hear a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) aspiring live streaming of
judicial proceedings on important matters of constitutional and national importance.
 The Supreme Court approved a set of guidelines and also did not allow live streaming in the cases involving:
o Matrimonial matters.
o Matters involving juveniles or the protection and safety of the private life of young offenders.
o Matters of National security.
o To ensure that victims, witnesses or defendants can depose truthfully and without any fear. Special protection
must be given to vulnerable or intimidated witnesses.
 It may provide for face distortion of the witness if she/he consents to the broadcast anonymously.
 To protect confidential or sensitive information, including all matters relating to sexual assault and rape.
o Cases which may provoke sentiments and arouse passion and provoke enmity among communities.
 Currently, the Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Patna High Courts are live to stream
their proceedings.

Live streaming of judicial proceedings around the Globe

 In USA: The US Supreme Court has rejected appeals for the broadcast of its proceedings, but since 1955 allowed
audio recording of oral arguments.
 In Australia: Live or delayed broadcasting is allowed but the practices differ across courts.
 In Brazil: Since 2002, live video and audio broadcasts of court proceedings is allowed.
 In Canada: Court Proceedings are broadcast live on Parliamentary Affairs Channel.
 In the United Kingdom: Court Proceedings are broadcast live with a one-minute delay on the court‘s website, but
coverage can be withdrawn in sensitive appeals.

Significance of live streaming of judicial proceedings

 Broadcasting court proceedings will ensure transparency and greater access to the justice system.
 Citizens have a right to know what arguments are made and the responses of the judges as their judgements
bind us all.
 The principle "justice should not only be done but seen to be done".
 Live Steaming would empower, and provide access to citizens who cannot personally come to court due to
social, economic, health, or physical disability-related limitations.
 It would enable citizens to have first-hand information on case proceedings on issues of constitutional importance
that affect them directly or indirectly.

Concern
 The individuality of judges is more likely to become a subject of public debate through live-streaming,
creating problems of its own.
 Lawyers aspiring to publicize themselves through their addresses to the Bench.
 It will affect the normalcy of the proceedings.
 Video clips of court proceedings are already on social media platforms with sensational titles and little context,
such as ―HIGH COURT super angry on IAS/IPS officer‖. This irresponsible use of content could spread
disinformation among citizens.

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Way Forward
 Live streaming is neither required in all types of matters nor in all courts.
 Live streaming or videography could be avoided in the matters which have a privacy dimension, such as family
matters or criminal matters.
 Any Kind of Misuse of court proceedings video must be dealt with strict law and also need to formulate
guidelines to promote the positive impact while curbing the negative one.

SHOONYA CAMPAIGN
Context
 Recently NITI Aayog has organized an event to INITIATE Shoonya Campaign, India‘s zero pollution e-mobility
campaign.
 Shoonya is a consumer awareness campaign to reduce air pollution by promoting the use of electric vehicles
(EVs) for ride-hailing and deliveries.
o The campaign has more than 130 industry partners, including ride-hailing, delivery and EV companies.

Electric Vehicles
 An electric vehicle uses electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered by a battery (sometimes
charged by solar panels).
 Electric vehicles are vehicles that are either partially or fully powered by electricity.
 Electric vehicles have low running costs as they have fewer moving parts for maintenance and also are very
environmentally friendly as they use little or no fossil fuels (petrol or diesel).
 Electric Vehicles are easy and cheaper to maintain because of their simple structure and operations.
 Another benefit that an EV can deliver is the silent functioning capability.
 Switching to Electric Vehicles will improve the overall energy security situation as the country imports over 80%
of its total crude oil requirements, and also save valuable foreign reserves. This will help India in achieving the
goal of ‗Atmanirbhar Bharat‖.
 Increasing demand for EVs is also expected to boost the local EV manufacturing industry, this will support the
―Make in India‖ programme.

Present Status
 Government efforts resulted in a 2.5 times increase in charging stations in 9 mega cities in the last four months.
 These 9 cities (Surat, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai) account
for about 940 of India's 1640 public EV chargers.
 Oil Marketing Companies to set up 22,000 EV charging stations across the country in prominent cities and
highways.
 In 2020-21, around 1.59 lakh EVs were sold in India, which is 0.8% of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) sales
in the same period (1.79 crores).

Steps taken by Government to promote Electric Vehicles

 The government has taken various initiatives to promote the manufacturing and adoption of electric vehicles in
the country.
 Government of India to expand Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure across the nation.
 The government is working with private and public agencies to increase public EV charging infrastructure.
 The faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India Scheme (FAME) was
launched in 2015 to promote the manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles.
 The Ministry of Power released guidelines about installing charging stations.
 The efforts undertaken by the government through various implementing agencies have increased the number of
public EV charging infrastructures.
 After ensuring adequate EV infrastructure in megacities, the government is planning to expand the coverage to
other cities.

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 The Department of Heavy Industry has sanctioned Public Charging Stations for 25 Highways and
Expressways, EV charging stations must be located within every 25 km of range on these expressways and
highways.
 Cabinet approved a Production-linked incentive scheme for the automotive sector to boost the manufacturing of
electric vehicles.
 NITI Aayog Released Handbook to Guide EV Charging Infrastructure in India.
 Goods and Services Council decided on 5% GST on Electric vehicles.
 Government Launched ‗e-AMRIT‘ portal: One-stop platform for information on electric vehicles.

Challenges
 Many residents park their vehicles in open or uncovered parking slots as they have no dedicated parking space.
So, how would they set up their charging infrastructure?
 In India, more than 90% of Workers are engaged in the unorganized sector and even organizations in the
organized sector lack dedicated parking infrastructure. Organizations in both the Organized and unorganized
sectors that don‘t have dedicated parking spots will face the problem.
 Lack of charging infrastructure, disruption in power supply, inadequate dedicated service centres, doubts over
the sustainability of Electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, long charging hours, etc are the key challenges,
which need to be addressed.

Way forward
 The availability of adequate charging infrastructure is the key element for accelerating the adoption of electric
vehicles in India.
 Many states have notified dedicated EV policies, while many are in process of drafting their policies. The Central
Government needs to align the policies at the central and state level and create a national-level policy for
promoting EVs in the country.
 Promote local manufacturing, Provide adequate Support to the local manufacturing ecosystem to lower the price
of EV vehicles.
 Improve the research and development to promote indigenous manufacturing and reduce dependency on
imports.

BS VI VEHICLES
Context
 The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has allowed retro fitment of compressed natural gas
(CNG) and Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) kits in petrol and diesel vehicles that are compliant with the BS-VI
emission norms.
o Currently, such modifications are only permitted in BS-IV emission norms-compliant vehicles.
 The Ministry highlighted that Compressed natural gas (CNG) is an environment-friendly fuel and will reduce
the emission levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, particulate matter and smoke as compared to petrol and
diesel engines/

BS Norms
 Bharat stage (BS) emission standards were adopted to regulate air pollutants from internal combustion engines,
and engine equipment, including motor vehicles.
o The Bharat stage (BS) standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control
Board under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
o All new vehicles manufactured have to be compliant with the regulations.
 The Bharat Stage (BS) Standards are based on European regulations that were first introduced in India in 2000,
and with time more strict standards were adopted.
o With the introduction of the first Bharat Stage (BS-1) standards, the catalytic converter became mandatory for
petrol vehicles and unleaded petrol was introduced in the Indian market.
 In 2016 Indian government announced that it would skip the BS-V and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

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o The Supreme Court has banned the sale and registration of motor vehicles fitting with Bharat Stage IV
emission standards in the entire country from 1 April 2020.
 While the higher Standard norms help in bringing down pollution levels, they also increase vehicle costs due
to improved technology and higher fuel prices.
 BS-VI Standards
 BS-VI emission norms set the maximum permissible levels for pollutants that an automotive or a two-wheeler
exhaust can emit.
 Sulphur content in BS-IV fuel has five times lower (10ppm) as compared to sulphur content in BS-IV fuel
(50ppm).
 The nitrogen oxide emission level for diesel engines and petrol engines will decline by 70% and 25% with the
BS-VI standards.
 The introduction of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

REVENUE POLICE SYSTEM

Context
 The state cabinet of Uttarakhand has cleared a proposal to replace the ―Revenue Police‖ system with the
regular police.
 In Uttrakhand, Regular police force jurisdiction does not extend to several hilly areas.
o Currently, the revenue police jurisdiction covers over 50% of the state in terms of area, and about 25% of the
population.

The Revenue Police System in Uttrakhand

 The British government introduced the system of revenue police in Uttrakhand; the motive was to save money
and resources by not deploying regular police, as the crime rate was low in the hilly areas.
 Under the system, civil officials of the revenue department have the powers and functions of the regular police.
o The revenue police of the area file an FIR investigate the case, arrest the accused and also file a charge sheet
in the local court.
 Heinous crimes like murder, rape, or crimes against Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), are
transferred to the regular police.

 The main criticism of the system is that the revenue officials are given the additional task of policing without
any adequate training.
o The prevention of crime, either by collecting intelligence or creating a fear of law and order, cannot be done by
the revenue officials, as they are not trained to do these added responsibilities.
 In 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court ordered the state government to abolish the revenue police system.
 In other states, the core function of revenue officials is to maintain land, cultivation and revenue records of
villages, and collect revenues on behalf of the government.
o Revenue officials like patwari collect data on crop production, perform election-related duties and collect
census and literacy data.
o They are also given the duty of implementing government schemes and preparing birth, death, and caste
certificates.

ANTI-CONVERSION BILL
Context
 The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has recently passed the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of
Religion Bill, 2022, (popularly called the anti-conversion Bill).
 The State Government stated that the Right to Freedom of Religion is guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian
Constitution are subject to public order, morality and health and to other provisions of part III of the
Constitution.
o The State government highlighted that the Supreme Court had held that the ―right to propagate‖ under
Article 25 did not include the right to convert to another person.

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Details
 The legislation envisages stringent provisions for ―forced‖ or ―induced‖ conversions.
 It prohibits conversion by ―misrepresentation, force, allurement, fraudulent means, or marriage‖.
 It proposes maximum imprisonment of 10 years for the forcible conversion of persons from Scheduled Caste or
Scheduled Tribe communities, minors, and women to another religion.

Lawmaking process at the State level

 Step 1 - The State cabinet approves the draft of the Bill.
 Step 2 - The State government introduces the bill in the State Assembly or Vidhan Sabha.
 Step 3 - Discussion on the bill in the state assembly, members give their suggestions, and at the end, voting is
done.
 Step 4 - Once the state assembly passes a bill, it is sent to the Governor for his final assent. Once the Governor
gives his assent, it shall be enacted as law and implemented across the state.

Arguments in Favor of the anti-conversion bill

 These laws only ban and punish forceful religious conversion.
 Fundamental rights under Article 25 ‗Right to propagate a religion‖ did not extend to forced conversions.
 There is no fundamental right to convert another person to one's religion.

Arguments against the anti-conversion bill

 According to some activists ―, such laws are used to target religious minorities and interfaith couples‖.
 These laws would be used to target even voluntary conversions and curb the fundamental rights of ―Freedom of
conscience‖ under Article 25.
 These Acts do not satisfy the test of reasonableness and fairness and also go against the fundamental rights
under Article 14 and Article 21‖ of the Constitution.

Way forward
 Anti-conversion laws have been challenged in courts ever since Odisha moved the first such legislation in 1967.
However, the courts have a mixed record defending the freedom of choice concerning religion, ruling in favour
of individual liberty in some cases but not in others.
 The High Court on many occasions clearly said that while a person has the right to believe and the right to change
their beliefs, they also have a right to keep their ideas secret.

CASE PENDENCY IN LOWER COURTS

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Context
 According to data compiled from the National Judicial Data Grid, more than one lakh cases are pending in
district and taluka courts for 30 years.
 Over 90% of these cases are pending in just 4 states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Bihar.
o Uttar Pradesh leads the list with more than 41,000 cases and is followed by Maharashtra with nearly 23,500
cases.
o Nearly 91,000 cases in just 4 states. They all are large states, but they only have about 42% of India‘s
population.
o Among large states, Haryana has the lowest number with only 14 such cases.
 There are no pending cases over 30 years in Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh,
Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
 There is nearly 5 lakh pending cases for 20 to 30 years and 28.7 lakh that are pending cases for 10-20 years.

Details
 Over 31 million cases are pending in Subordinate Courts across the country.
 The high pendency of Cases in Some tribunals indicates that the objective of setting them is not achieved.
 The government, including PSUs and other autonomous bodies, are party to around ―46%‖ of 3.14 crore court
cases pending in various courts in the country, making it the biggest litigant in the country.

Concern
 Case pendency Hurts investors‘ confidence.
 Economic activity is getting affected by high pendency and delays across the legal system.
 It adds a burden on Courts and collaterally harms other litigants.
 It increases project costs and delays projects.
 Slows down administrative processes, delaying decision-making.
 Diversion of precious resources.
 Effects ease of doing business.

Steps to reduce Pendency by Government

 Adoption of ―National Litigation Policy 2010‖ to transform the government into an Efficient and Responsible
litigant.
 All states formulated state litigation policies after National Litigation Policy 2010.
 Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS), was created in 2015 with the objective of tracking
cases to which the government is a party.
 The Supreme Court advised the centre that criminals sentenced to imprisonment for 6 months or a year should
be allocated social service duties rather than be sent to further choke the already overflowing prisons.

Steps need to be taken

 National Litigation Policy should be revised.
 Address all 3 stages of dispute:
o Pre-litigation
o Litigation
o Post litigation stage.
 Establish Fair accountability mechanisms, Consequences for violation must be provided.
 Appointment of a Nodal Officer to regularly monitor the status of the cases in every department.
 Promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to encourage mediation.
 Coordinated action between government and judiciary.
 Judicial capacity should be strengthened in the lower courts to reduce the burden on higher courts.
 Increase expenditure on the judiciary.
 Improve court case management and court automation system.
 Create subject-specific benches.
 Tax departments must limit their appeals as their success rate is less than 30% at all three levels of the judiciary.

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 Robust internal dispute resolution mechanisms

 Step-by-step online dispute resolution must be adopted as done by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
 Judges should write Shorter and more Pointed judgments.

Way Forward
 Courts need to monitor the progress of Cases based on urgency and type of Case.
 Courts must set a time limit to dispose of certain types of Cases.
 Understand why Some Courts perform well despite a Shortage of judges and adopt Such Courts as role models.
 Analytics tools Can be developed in a manner that helps the judges monitor Cases based on parameters Such
as how long an accused has been in judicial custody, Cases that Can affect the General public, and Cases that
have been long pending.
 Alternative methods should be used for dealing with non-criminal offenders and petty criminals.

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIA

Context
 The President of India has appointed R. Venkataramani as the new Attorney-General (A-G) for three years.
 Mr Venkataramani will succeed K.K. Venugopal as Attorney-General of India.

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIA

 The Indian constitution under Article 76 has provided for the office of the Attorney General for India.
 He is the highest law officer in the country.
 He is appointed by the President of India.
 He must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court.
 The term of office of the AG is not fixed by the constitution. Further, the constitution does not contain the
procedure and grounds for his removal.
 He holds office at the pleasure of the president.
o This means that he may be removed by the president at any time.
o He may also quit his office by submitting his resignation to the president.
 Conventionally, he resigns when the government (council of ministers) resigns or is replaced, as he is
appointed on its advice.
 The remuneration of the AG is not fixed by the constitution. He receives such remuneration as the President
may determine.
 The Attorney General is not a full-time counsel for the Government.
o He does not fall into the category of a government servant. Further, he is not debarred from private legal
practice.

Duties and Functions

 Advise the Union Government upon such legal matters, which are referred to him by the president.
 Perform such other duties of a legal character that are assigned to him by the president.
 Discharge the functions conferred on him by the constitution or any other law.
 President has assigned the following duties to the AG: To appear on behalf of the Government of India in all
cases in the Supreme Court in which the Government of India is concerned.
 He represents the Union Government in any reference made by the president to the Supreme Court under Article
143 of the constitution.
 He appears (when required by the Union Government) in any high court in any case in which the Union
Government is concerned.

Rights and Limitations

 While performing his official duties, the Attorney General has the right to an audience in all courts in the
territory of India.
 He has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament or their joint
sitting and any committee of the Parliament of which he may be named a member but without a right to vote.
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 He enjoys all the privileges and immunities that are available to a Member of Parliament.
 The following limitations are placed on the Attorney General to avoid any complication and conflict of duty:
o He should not advise or hold a brief against the Government of India.
o He should not advise or hold a brief in cases in which he is called upon to advise or appear for the
Government of India.
o He should not defend accused persons in criminal prosecutions without the permission of the Government of
India.
o He should not accept an appointment as a director in any company or corporation without the permission of
the Government of India.

BANDHAVGARH FOREST RESERVE

About
 Recently the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ministry of Culture discovered important
archaeological remains in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
o Remains of 26 ancient temples/relics of the Kalachuri period (9th century CE to 11th Century CE).
o Remains of 26 caves (2nd Century CE to 5th century CE mostly Buddhist in nature).
o Remains of 2 monasteries, 2 stupas, 24 Brahmi inscriptions (2nd century CE to 5th century CE), 46 sculptures,
20 scattered remains and 19 water structures (2nd CE-15th CE) are recorded.
 Among the 46 sculptures, the Varah sculpture is the largest one.

BANDHAVGARH FOREST
 Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Vindhya Hills of the Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh.
o Mythologically the name ―Bandhavgarh‖ means (Bandhav = Brother and Garh = Fort) and was acquired the
name Bandhavgarh with the name of the fort. This fort was built and given to brother Lakshman by Lord
Rama, to keep a watch on Lanka.
 Bandhavgarh was declared a National park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993.
 The Park consists of mixed vegetation ranging from tall grasslands to thick Sal forest and is the perfect habitat
for a variety of animals and birds.
 This park lies in the Monsoon type with a Dry Winter Climate.
o The mean temperature and precipitation of this park are 23 degrees C and 101 cm respectively.
o May is the hottest month while December is the coldest month having mean maximum temperatures of 41.6
degrees C and 4.2 degrees C respectively.
o August is the wettest month it receives 30.4 cm of rainfall.
 Bandhavgarh is best known for its Evergreen Sal forest and Mixed forest about 515 species of Plant are found
there and is also home to 242 species of Birds and many species of reptiles and insects are found there.
o The Major Mammals of Bandhavgarh are Tiger, Leopard, Wild dog, Wild cat, Hyena, Wolf, Chital, Sambar,
Black Buck, Rojda etc
 The park is the home of;
o Leopards, deer, Bengal tiger, etc.
o More than 35 species of mammals.
o More than 250 species of birds.
o About 80 species of butterflies, and a number of reptiles.
 Bandhavgarh has a very high density of tigers within its jungles.
 The forest is also densely populated with other species:
o The gaur or Indian bison
o Sambar and barking deer
o Nilgai
o Indian wolf
o Striped hyena
o Caracal

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RYTHU BHAROSA KENDRAS

Context
 An Ethiopian delegation visited Andhra Pradesh to study the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and to
understand how they work.
 The Ethiopian delegation will possibly sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government
and Centre to transfer the knowledge.

Rythu Bharosa Kendras

 They are unique seeds-to-sales, single-window service centres for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
 They sell pre-tested quality seeds, certified fertilizers and animal feed.
 Farmers can purchase or hire farm equipment, and even sell their produce at the prevailing Minimum Support
Price (MSP).
 They also provide services like soil testing and also make recommendations; on which crops to sow, and the
quantity and type of fertilizer to be used.
 The state government pays crop insurance, procures grains and makes payments to farmers through these
Kendras.
 The state government set up more than 10,700 centres.
 Objectives:
o Increase in Agriculture output.
o Improve the quantity and quality of yields.
o Reduce production costs.
o Provide newer skills to farmers.

Significance
 They encourage interaction between farmers, agriculture scientists, and agriculture officers at the village level.
 They display new farm equipment and also provide training to farmers.
 They provide information about soil and weather conditions, which help farmers to change their cropping
patterns and reap benefits.
 They eliminate spurious seeds and uncertified or harmful fertilizers, which can cause crop damage and failures.
 These centres are staffed by agriculture and horticulture graduates and they help farmers to decide the crops
they should cultivate scientifically.
 They aid farmers in selling their produce at MSPs, through supporting systems of e-cropping, and geo-tagging.

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MULTI-STATE COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES (Amendment) Bill, 2022

Context
 The Union Cabinet approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
 The amendment bill aims to make the governance of multi-State cooperative societies more democratic,
transparent and accountable.
 The Bill has the provisions of the 97th Constitution Amendment act which provides Constitutional status and
protection to cooperative societies.
 It has the provision to set up a cooperative election authority, an information officer and an ombudsman.

Cooperative Societies in India

 A Cooperative Society can be defined as a voluntary association of individuals united voluntarily to meet their
common economic, social, and cultural Interests.
o It aims to serve the interest of society through the principle of self-help and mutual help.
 The roots of cooperative Societies in India were sown when the first Cooperative Societies Act was passed in
1904.
 The Government Passed the Co-operative Societies Act of 1912.
 In 1958, the National Development Council (NDC) recommended a national policy on cooperatives and the
setting up of Cooperative Marketing Societies.

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 National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was set up under the National Cooperative
Development Corporation Act, of 1962.
 Union Government announced a National Policy on Cooperatives in 2002.
 The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2011 granted constitutional status and protection to cooperative
societies. This Amendment introduced 3 changes in the constitution:
o It made the right to form cooperative societies a fundamental right (Article 19 ).
o It included a new Directive Principle of State Policy on the promotion of cooperative societies (Article 43B).
o It added Part IX-B in the Constitution ―The Co-operative Societies‖ (Articles 243-ZH to 243-ZT).
 Provisions under Indian Constitution
o Indian Constitution under Part IX-B contains various provisions related to cooperative societies.
o The state legislature may make provisions for the incorporation, election, regulation and winding-up of
cooperative societies.
 Organisation Structure
o The board shall consist of some directors as may be provided by the state legislature, but, the maximum
number of directors of a cooperative society shall not exceed 21.
o The state legislature shall provide for the reservation of one seat for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled
Tribes and two seats for women on the board of every cooperative society having members from such a
category of persons.
 The functional directors of a cooperative society shall also be the members of the board and such members shall
be excluded to count the total number of directors (21).
 The term of office of elected members of the board and its office bearers shall be 5 years from the date of the
election.

Significance of Cooperative Societies

 The village cooperative societies provide important inputs for the agricultural sector.
 Consumer societies meet their consumption requirements at concessional rates.
 Marketing societies help the farmer to get remunerative prices.
 The Cooperative processing units help in value additions to the raw products.
 They also help in building up storage, warehouse, cold storage, rural roads and in providing facilities like
irrigation, electricity, transport, education and health.
 They play the role of a balancing factor between the public and private sectors and also supplement the work of
the government and its agencies.
 Many Cooperative societies have Successfully promoted rural development
o National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)
o National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)

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o AMUL and Co-operative Rural Development Trust (CORDET)

 They play an important role in poverty reduction, promoting women's empowerment, and improving literacy
rate and skill development.

Concern
 Cooperative Societies usually do not come forward to organise cooperatives of their consensus, many times it is
done by the government or local administration.
 The cooperatives have limited resources.
 They grant loans only for agricultural operations. Farmers approach the money lenders to meet their other
requirements.
 Lack of co-operation, as the people rarely understand the importance of cooperation in their lives. The absence
of willing cooperation on their part hinders the growth of the cooperative movement.
 Political interference acts as a barrier to the growth of cooperative societies. The selection of beneficiaries is
mostly done on political relations.
 The cooperative credit structure is criticized on the ground that it is mostly managed by landlords and large
farmers.
 Poor performance, increasing debt and overdue, inefficient administration and management of Cooperative
societies.

Way Forward
 Need to ensure transparency in the processes and independence in the functioning of Boards.
 Good Cooperative management includes setting up clear objectives, accountability, sound planning, and
establishing performance evaluation measures.
 The objectives of the cooperative societies must be recognized in their long-term strategy.
 Increase access to competitive and affordable external financing.
 Better operational and financial performance through improved strategic decision-making.
 Take a comprehensive approach including working with the government, other institutions, and the public.
 Take a practical, ground-level approach.
 Improve the decision-making process, and introduce specialists at the board meeting.
 Put the right people in the right place, and don't let internal organizational structures be politically
influenced.

POLL PROMISES

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Context
 The Election Commission of India has proposed changes to manifesto guidelines under the model code of
conduct regarding poll promises.
 The proposed change requires political parties to specify how they will arrange resources for the implementation
of the poll promises.
 The Election Commission proposed disclosures about the promises and their implementation that would help
voters make informed choices.
 The proposal comes as the result of the debate over freebies, the Supreme Court also hearing a petition seeking
regulation of freebies.

Details
 During election time, Political parties make promises to the voters to provide free electricity/water supply,
monthly allowance for the unemployed, laptops, smartphones, etc.
 These steps are justified as there has been rising inequality in our country, therefore some kind of relief to the
population needs to be provided.
 It promotes socio-economic Growth: Public Distribution System, employment guarantee schemes, and support
for the social sector: education and health.

Concern
 Freebies can hurt macroeconomic stability, it distorts expenditure priorities.
 Negative impact on the public exchequer and most of the states of India do not have strong financial health.
 Against Free and Fair Election
 It would lead to the overuse of natural resources, Ex- Free water, electricity, etc.

Way Forward
 Need to understand the socio-economic impact of state support on the economy, life quality, and social cohesion
in the long run.
 Need to Differentiate between Subsidies and Freebies, as targeted subsidies are justified to promote socio-
economic development and reduce inequality and for promoting sustainable development, however, irrational
freebies need to be regulated as they could challenge the economic stability of the nation.

PROJECT SALT
About
 The World Bank has extended an unconditional loan of $250 million to Support Andhra‘s Learning
Transformation (SALT) project.
o The SALT project is the first project in the school education sector to be financed by the World Bank
without any precondition.
 It is an innovative project for teachers' training, promoting state-level assessment and establishing effective
education management and information system.
 It would focus on important key areas such as;
o Strengthening the foundation of learning.
o Teacher-student interactions.
o Improving the quality of teaching.
o Organizational capabilities
o Providing quality services
o Strengthening the involvement of social organisations.
 The scheme is integrated with the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
 An IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer and a joint director-level officer would be appointed to supervise
the scheme.
 Steps would be taken to set up schools in all districts across the state for physically challenged children.

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REGULATION OF ONLINE GAMING

Context
 A task force set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has prepared a final report of its
recommendations to regulate the online gaming industry in India.
 For this, it has proposed the creation of a central regulatory body for the gaming sector, clearly defining what
games of skill and chance are, and bringing online gaming under the purview of the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002, among other things.

What is the need for a Central level Law?

Failure of State Governments
 Online gaming so far has been a state subject, but state governments have said they find it extremely difficult to
enforce certain rules like geo-blocking certain apps or websites within the territory of their state.
 Also, there is a concern that rules passed in one state are not applicable in another, which has caused
inconsistency in how the online gaming industry is regulated in the country.
 State governments also do not have enough blocking powers like the Centre to issue blocking orders for
offshore betting sites.

Suicides
 Stakeholders have highlighted several societal concerns that can arise from the proliferation of online games in the
country. There have been several reported incidents of people losing large sums of money on online games,
leading to suicides in various parts of the country.

Impact of gaming on health

 Research shows that gaming disorders can also be linked with anxiety, depression, obesity, sleeping disorders,
and stress.
 People, who remain physically inactive for long periods because of gaming may also be at higher risk of obesity,
sleep disorders, and other health-related issues.
 While time spent online is still not as high as in other countries, almost a quarter of adult Indian gamers had
missed work while playing games during this pandemic.
 Gaming addictions cause physical, social and emotional damage, impairing sleep, appetites, careers and social
lives.

Lack of Regulatory Framework

 There is currently no regulatory framework to govern various aspects of online gaming companies such as
having a grievance redressal mechanism, implementing player protection measures, protecting data and
intellectual property rights, and prohibiting misleading advertisements.

For online gaming businesses, the inconsistency has led to uncertainty. The thinking within the government is to have
a nodal agency that will address all issues related to online gaming, including introducing a uniform law to determine
what forms of online gaming are legally allowed.

Recommendations of the task force

Central-level law for online gaming
 According to the Task Force‘s Report, a central-level law for online gaming should apply to real money and free
games of skill, including e-sports, online fantasy sports contests, and card games among others.
 Casual games with no real money element in the form of stakes may be kept outside the scope of such rules,
unless they have a high number of users in India, or permit the publication or transmission of information like
any inappropriate content like violence, nudity, addictive content or misleading content.

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The regulatory body for the online gaming industry

 It has also recommended creating a regulatory body for the online gaming industry, which will determine what
qualifies as a game of skill or chance, and accordingly certify different gaming formats, seek compliance and
enforcement.

The three-tier dispute resolution mechanism

 A three-tier dispute resolution mechanism, similar to that prescribed under the Information Technology Rules,
2021 for online streaming services, consisting of a grievance redressal system at the gaming platform level, a self-
regulatory body of the industry, and an oversight committee led by the government should be put in place for
online gaming.

‗Reporting Entities‘ under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002,

 Any online gaming platform – domestic or foreign– offering real money online games to Indian users will
need to be a legal entity incorporated under Indian law. These platforms will also be treated as ‗reporting
entities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, and will be required to report suspicious
transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit-India.

Which ministry will be in charge of the regulation?

 The task force has suggested that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) may act as
the nodal ministry to regulate online gaming, except for the e-sports category on which the Department of Sports
can take the lead.
 The scope of the regulation by MeitY should only cover online gaming, that is, games of skill, and the issues of
online betting and gambling being games of chance in nature should be excluded from its scope.
 Certain other aspects of online gaming such as advertisements, code of ethics relating to content classifications
etc. could be regulated by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, while the Consumer Affairs Ministry can
regulate the sector for unfair trade practices.

What did the task force say about offshore betting apps?
 On the aspect of prohibiting games of chance, gambling websites or apps being played online, the proposed
Digital India Act can include it in the list of prohibited user harms that will not be permitted, the task force has
said.
 Many offshore betting and gambling websites which are illegal in India have become popular among Indian
users. Despite being based outside India, some of these websites are widely advertised in Indian newspapers and
TV channels, and allow users to transact in Indian rupees through popular digital payment modes such as
internet banking, UPI and popular wallets,‖ the task force is learnt to have said in its report.

Online Gaming Market in India

 A 2019 survey by the U.S.-based Limelight Networks found that India had the second-largest number of gamers
after South Korea.
 The revenue of the Indian mobile gaming industry is expected to exceed $1.5 billion in 2022 and is estimated to
reach $5 billion in 2025.
 The industry in the country grew at a CAGR of 38% between 2017-2020, as opposed to 8% in China and 10% in the
US.
 It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% to reach Rs 153 billion in revenue by 2024. India‘s percentage of new
paying users (NPUs) in gaming has been the fastest growing in the world for two consecutive years, at 40% in
2020 and reaching 50% in 2021.
 According to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), transaction-based
games‘ revenues grew 26% in India, with the number of paying gamers increasing by 17% from 80 million in 2020
to 95 million in 2021.
 In India, there has been a rise in the gaming industry, as well as recognition by the government of the benefit
of revenue by investing in the gaming industry leading to the development of draft guidelines for the
regulation of games such as the ―Online fantasy sports platforms‖ in India. There are also plans to set up a

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Center of Excellence for Gaming. However, how these guidelines and centres of excellence will have an impact on
problematic Internet use needs to be examined further.
 Government policies restrict the timings children and adolescents indulge in online, especially in gaming, for
example, the ―gamer guard‖ policy in Thailand, the ―fatigue system‖ policy in China, and the ―shut down‖ policy
in South Korea.
 Harm reduction initiatives concerning Internet addiction involve displaying warning messages and restrictions on
advertisements or gaming, regulation of product development, etc.
 There is also a need for multisectoral coordination – there should be the involvement of public health experts,
behavioural addiction experts, and experts from the department of education, information, and technology to
promote responsible Internet use.
 The setting up of a Central Level Regulatory Body as envisaged by the Task Force is a step in the right
direction.

Way Ahead
 Many countries — including Australia, China, Japan, India, Italy, Japan, Korea and Taiwan— already officially
recognize tech addiction as a disorder, some even going so far as to declare the issue a public health crisis,
leading governments and healthcare providers to develop a series of major initiatives to curb the problem. India
needs to take a cue from them.
 The live streaming of unauthorized video games was banned in China, signalling stricter enforcement of rules as
part of its broad crackdown on the gaming industry aimed at purging content the government does not approve
of.
 Awareness needs to be generated among the youth and their parents about internet addiction and educate them
about the use of the internet in a responsible manner.

BALAKRISHNAN PANEL
Context
 The Government of India has formed a three-member Commission under Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, the former
Chief Justice of India.
o The Commission will examine whether the Scheduled Caste (SC) status can be accorded to Dalits who have
converted to religions other than Sikhism or Buddhism.

Details
 Recently several petitions were filed before the Supreme Court related to SC to reservation benefits for Dalits
who converted to Christianity or Islam.
 The Indian Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, under Article 341 of the Indian constitution
mentioned that no person professing a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism can be
supposed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.
o On the recommendation of the Kalelkar panel, the order was amended in 1956 to include Sikhs, and in 1990 to
cover Buddhists.
 The proposed commission will also study the impact of adding more members to the current SC list.
 According to some activists, ―a person can‘t be punished or deprived of benefits only based on his/her faith, as
this would violate the Right to freedom of religion, which is a fundamental right under the Indian
constitution.

Constitutional Articles related to Freedom of Religion

 Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess,
practice and propagate religion.
o Freedom of conscience: Inner freedom of an individual to frame his relation with God or Creatures in
whatever way he desires.
o Right to Profess Declaration of one‘s religious beliefs and faith openly and freely.
o Right to Practice: Performance of religious worship, rituals, ceremonies and exhibition of beliefs and ideas.

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o Right to Propagate: Transmission and promotion of one‘s religious beliefs to others. But, it does not include a
right to convert another person to one‘s religion.
o Article 25 covers religious beliefs and also religious practices (rituals).
 Article 26: Freedom to Manage Religious Affairs, every religious denomination or any of its sections shall have
the following rights:
o Right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.
o Right to manage its affairs in matters of religion.
o Right to own and acquire movable and immovable property.
o Right to administer such property under the law.
 Article 27 - Freedom from Taxation for the Promotion of a Religion
o No person shall be forced to pay any taxes for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or
religious denomination.
o The State should not spend the public money collected by way of tax for the promotion or maintenance of
any particular religion.
o This provision prohibits the State from favouring and supporting one religion over the other. This also
means that taxes can be used for the promotion or maintenance of all religions.
o This provision prohibits only the levy of a tax and not a fee.
 Article 28 - Freedom from Attending Religious Instruction
o No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State
funds.
o No person attending any educational institution recognised by the State or receiving aid out of State funds
shall be required to attend any religious instruction or worship in that institution without his consent.
 Article 29 - Protection of Interests of Minorities
o It provides that any section of the citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct language, script or
culture of its own, shall have the right to conserve the same.
o No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid
out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, or language.
 These rights are subject to public order, morality, health and other provisions relating to fundamental rights.
o The State is permitted to regulate or restrict any economic, financial, political or other secular activity
associated with religious practice.

Way Forward
 There is no religion-specific mandate for STs and OBCs. According to the Department of Personnel and
Training website ―The rights of a person belonging to a Scheduled Tribe are independent of his/her religious
faith,‖
 In 2007, the Ranganath Misra Commission in its report recommended that SC status be completely delinked
from religion and be made religion-neutral like STs.
 A study commissioned by the National Commission for Minorities in 2007 concluded that Dalit Christians and
Dalit Muslims need to be accorded SC status.
 Any decision in future to change the status of these groups must be taken after due consideration of all the
relevant factors, consulting with all stakeholders and must be based on ground-level studies.

RTI Pleas
Context
 According to a report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan, nearly 3.15 lakh complaints and appeals are pending before
26 information commissions across India.
 The highest number of pending cases (99,722) was in Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Details
 The report says information commissions in Jharkhand and Tripura have been not functioning for 29 months and
15 months respectively.
 Only 5% of all positions in commissions are occupied by women.

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 Several information commissions, including the Central Information Commission, are working with a shortage of
manpower.
 Out of the total of 165 posts of information commissioners, 42 are vacant, including two chief State information
commissioners.

Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005

 The Right to Information Act requires timely responses to citizen requests for Public authority.
o There is no defined format of application for pursuing information.
o The information seeker is not required to provide reasons for asking for information.
 The main objective is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the
Government, curb corruption, etc.
 Under the act, Information is any material in any form.
o It includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports,
papers, samples, models, and data.
 A ―Public authority‖ means any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted;
o by or under the Indian Constitution.
o by any other law made by the Indian Parliament.
o by any other law made by State Legislature.
o by notification issued or order made by the Government, and includes any body owned, controlled or
substantially financed.
 Public Authorities publish the rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records.
o He publishes facilities available to citizens for obtaining information.
o He provides reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions to affected persons.
 Types of information exempted from RTI
o Which would affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic
interests of the State, and affect the relation with foreign States.
o Which may constitute contempt of court.
o Anything under the Official Secrets Act, of 1923.
o Intelligence and security organisations are specified in the 2nd Schedule.

Central Information Commission

 It is the statutory body constituted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
 They are the final appellate authority for RTI Act.
 Central Information Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than 10 Information
Commissioners (IC).
 They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of;
o The Prime Minister.
o The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
o A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM.
 They shall not be Members of Parliament or Members of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory as the
case may be, or hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carry on any business or
pursue any profession.
 They are not eligible for reappointment.
 The tenure, salary and allowances of the information commissioners are not fixed.
o RTI Amendment Act, 2019 has empowered the Central Government to notify them.
 They are required to submit annual reports to the Parliament through the Ministry of Personnel and Training.

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‗GENERAL CONSENT‘ FOR CBI

Context
 The State government of Maharashtra has reversed the decision of the previous government and restored
general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases in Maharashtra.
About General consent
 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is governed by the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act,
1946, and it must mandatorily obtain the consent of the state government before beginning to investigate a
crime in a state.
 General consent is normally given by states to help the CBI in a seamless investigation of cases of corruption
against central government employees in their states.
 In the absence of general consent, CBI would have to apply to the state government in every case, and before
taking even small actions.

About Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Later, it was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel.
o The Special Police Establishment setup in 1941 was also merged with the CBI.
 The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption
(1962–1964).
 The CBI is not a statutory body. It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, of 1946.
 The CBI is the main investigating agency of the Central Government. It plays an important role in the prevention
of corruption and maintaining integrity in administration.
 It also assists the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal.
 The CBI investigates crimes of corruption, economic offences and serious and organized crime other than
terrorism.
o For terrorism: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been constituted after the Mumbai terror attack
in 2008 mainly for investigation of incidents of terrorist attacks, funding of terrorism and other terror-related
crime.
 CBI is headed by a Director. He is assisted by a special director or an additional director.
 The Central Government appoints the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a three-member committee
consisting of;
o The Prime Minister as Chairperson
o The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha
o The Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him.

Cases Investigated by the CBI

 Anti-Corruption Crimes - Investigate cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Public officials and
the employees of the Central Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Corporations or Bodies owned or
controlled by the Government of India.
 Economic Crimes - Investigate major financial scams and serious economic frauds, including crimes relating to
Fake Indian Currency Notes, Bank fraud and Cyber Crime, and Smuggling of narcotics, antiques, cultural
property and smuggling etc.
 Special Crimes - Investigate serious and organized crime under the Indian Penal Code and other laws at the
requests of State Governments or on the orders of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
 Suo Moto Cases - CBI can suo-moto take up investigation of offences only in the Union Territories.
 The Central Government can authorise CBI to investigate a crime in a State but only with the consent of the
concerned State Government.
 The Supreme Court and High Courts, however, can order CBI to investigate a crime anywhere in the country
without the consent of the State.

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SUTLEJ YAMUNA LINK (SYL) CANAL

Context
 The Chief Ministers of Haryana and Punjab to discuss the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.
 Recently the Supreme Court had asked Punjab Chief Minister to meet with his Haryana counterpart to find a
solution for the SYL issue.

Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal

 The canal will resolve the water dispute between the rivers Ravi and Beas between Punjab and Haryana.
 The water dispute emerged in 1966 at the time of the reorganization of Punjab and the formation of Haryana.
o The Punjab assembly has opposed the proposal of Water sharing of the two rivers with Haryana.
 In 1982, the Prime Minister initiated the construction of the SYL Canal, but the political parties in Punjab were
against the construction of the canal.
o Incidence of Violence pressured the government to stop the construction of the Canal.
 Arguments of Punjab
o Many areas in Punjab may go dry after 2029.
o The groundwater level is declining.
o Punjab need water for irrigation purposes and for ensuring food security
o As per the study, water in about 79% of the state‘s area is over-exploited.
 Arguments of Haryana
o The Haryana government stated that providing water for irrigation is getting tough for the state.
o Declining groundwater level.
o The problem of drinking water.

Sutlej River
 Sutlej River is the easternmost tributary of the Indus River.
 It rises in the Kailash Mountain near Mansarover Lake from Rakas lake in Tibet.
 The Bhakra Nangal Dam is built on the river Sutlej.
o It provides irrigation and other facilities to the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.
 The Sutlej water is allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.
 The drainage basin in India includes the states and union territories of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Ladakh and
Haryana.

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Yamuna River
 The Yamuna is the 2nd-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India.
 Yamuna river originates from the Yamunotri Glacier at the Bandarpunch peaks of the Lower Himalaya in
Uttrakhand.
 It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, which is also a site of the Kumbh Mela.
 It flows through several states: Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Uttarakhand and later Delhi.
 The important tributaries of the Yamuna River are Tons, Chambal, Hindon, Betwa and Ken.

Constitutional Provisions and Water

 Entry 17 of the State List deals with water; water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, dams, water storage and
water power.
 Entry 56 of the Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state
rivers and river valleys.

Inter-State Water Dispute in India

 Article 262 of the Indian Constitution provides for the adjudication of interstate water disputes.
o Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute concerning the use, distribution and
control of waters of any inter-state river and river valley.
o Parliament may also provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court is to exercise jurisdiction in
respect of any inter-state water dispute.
 The Parliament has enacted two laws;
o The River Boards Act (1956)
o The Inter-State Water Disputes Act (1956).
 Under the River Boards Act, a river board is established by the Central government for the regulation and
development of Inter-state Rivers and river valleys.
 The Inter-State Water Disputes Act of 1956 authorizes the Central government to set up an ad hoc tribunal for
the adjudication of a dispute between two or more states in relation to inter-state water disputes.
o The judgment of the tribunal would be final and binding on the parties to the dispute.

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OFFICE OF PROFIT
Context
 The Election Commission of India (ECI) expressed its decision to the Governor of Jharkhand in an office-of-
profit complaint against the Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
o According to the unofficial source, ECI had recommended his disqualification as Minister of the Legislative
Assembly (MLA).

Office of Profit
 Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), as members of the legislature,
hold the government accountable for its work.
 Under the Representation of People Act holding an office of profit is grounds for disqualification.
 The rationality behind the disqualification under the office of profit law is that if legislators hold an ‗office of
profit‘ under the government, they might influence the government, and may not discharge their
constitutional duty.
o Disqualification under ―office of profit‖ ensures that there should be no conflict between the duties and
interests of an elected member.
 Disqualification based on the office of profit upholds the principle of separation of power between the
legislature and the executive; an essential feature of the Indian Constitution.
 Under Article 102 (1) and Article 191 (1) of the Indian Constitution, an MP or an MLA (or an MLC) is barred from
holding any office of profit under the central or state government, but Indian Constitution or any law does not
clearly define what constitutes an office of profit, the definition has evolved over the years with various court
judgments.
o An office of profit is defined as a position that brings to the officeholder some financial gain, advantage, or
benefit.
 The Supreme Court ruled that Several questions need to be considered in deciding the matter of office of
profit:
o Whether the government is the appointing authority.
o Whether the government has the power to terminate the appointment.
o Whether the government determines the remuneration.
o What is the source of remuneration.
o The power that comes with the position.

Another reason for the Disqualification of the member

 If he holds any office of profit under the Union or state government.
 If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a court.
 If he is an undercharged insolvent.
 If he is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign state or is under any
acknowledgement of allegiance to a foreign state.
 If he is so disqualified under any law made by Parliament.
 The Parliament has prescribed several additional disqualifications in the Representation of People Act (1951).
o He must not have been found guilty of certain election offences or corrupt practices in the elections.
o He must not have been convicted for any offence resulting in imprisonment for two or more years. But, the
detention of a person under a preventive detention law is not a disqualification.
o He must not have failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time.
o He must not have any interest in government contracts, works or services.
o He must not be a director or managing agent nor hold an office of profit in a corporation in which the
government has at least a 25% share.
o He must not have been dismissed from government service for corruption or disloyalty to the state.
o He must not have been convicted for promoting enmity between different groups or for the offence of
bribery.
o He must not have been punished for preaching and practising social crimes such as untouchability, dowry
and sati.

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 To decide whether a member has become subject to any of the above disqualifications, the governor‘s decision is
final.
o However, Governor should obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and act accordingly.
 Indian Constitution also lays down that a person shall be disqualified from being a member of either House of
state legislature if he is so disqualified on the ground of defection under the provisions of the 10th Schedule.
o The question of disqualification under the 10th Schedule is decided by the Chairman, in the case of the
legislative council and, Speaker, in the case of the legislative assembly (and not by the governor).
o The decision of the Chairman/Speaker is subject to judicial review.

Way forward
 In modern polity, the concept of separation of power becomes too thin because the government function becomes
so wide that the government can't work in its limited power which is given to the government.
 We must bear in mind the objective of the disqualification under ‗the office of profit‘ is to avoid conflict between
the different branches of the state.
 The need of the hour is to enact a comprehensive national law to clearly define the ‗office of profit‘.

ELECTION SYMBOL
Context
 The Election Commission of India has banned both the groups led by former Maharastra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray and State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from using the Shiv Sena party name and symbol in
the upcoming Bye-elections till the final decision.
 The Commission said that both groups may choose symbols from the list of free symbols notified by the Election
Commission for the current bye-elections.

Election Symbols
 The Election Commission of India is authorized to recognize political parties and allot symbols to them under
the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.
 Electoral symbols were introduced to encourage voting, as illiterate people can‘t read the party name, but they
can easily identify the party with their symbols.
 Electoral symbols allocated to political parties are used by them during election campaigning and are present on
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
 The Election Commission of India grants the status of National or state parties based on the party's electoral
performance.
o They are known as Recognized political parties and they enjoy certain privileges like allocation of the party
symbols, provision of time for political broadcasts on television and access to electoral rolls.
o A Political Party is called a Recognized Political Party if it meets certain conditions.
 Won a certain percentage of valid votes or a certain number of seats in the State legislative assembly or
the Lok Sabha in the last election.
 There are 2,360 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India and about 97.50% of them are
unrecognized parties.
 Unrecognized Political Parties are those newly registered parties which have not secured enough percentage of
votes in the assembly or general elections to become a state party, or which have never contested elections since
registered.
 They don‘t enjoy the benefits extended to the recognized parties.
 The Election Commission is the only authority to decide issues on a dispute related to electoral symbols.

Election Commission of India

 It is a permanent constitutional body.
 Article 324 of the constitution establishes the Election Commission of India.
 It was established on 25th January 1950.
 It supervises the conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and elections to the offices of
President and Vice-President of India.

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 It consists of the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

o Originally, there was only Chief Election Commissioner, there were no Election Commissioners.

Appointment of Election Commissioners

 The President appoints Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
 Tenure of 6 years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
 The status, salary and perks of election commissioners are equivalent to Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
 The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament.
o Other members can be removed by the President in consultation with the Chief Election Commissioner.
 The President may appoint Regional Election Commissioners in consultation with the CEC before elections to the
Parliament or Assemblies.
 The Chief Election Commissioner cannot hold any office of profit after retirement.
 The Commissioner cannot be reappointed to the post.

Powers of the Election Commission

 The EC enjoys complete autonomy and is insulated from any interference from the Executive.
 It also functions as a quasi-judicial body regarding matters related to elections and electoral disputes.
 Its recommendations are binding on the President of India.
 However, its decisions are subject to judicial review by High Courts and the Supreme Court acting on electoral
petitions.
 During the election process, the entire Central and state government machinery (including paramilitary and
police forces) is deemed to be on deputation to the Commission.
 The Commission takes effective control of government personnel and movable and immovable property for the
successful conduct of elections.

Functions of the Election Commission

 Demarcation of constituencies.
 Preparation of electoral rolls.
 Issue notification of election dates and schedules.
 Establish and enforce a code of conduct.
 Scrutiny of nomination papers of candidates.
 Scrutiny of election expenses.
 Allot symbols and accord recognition to political parties.
 Render advice to the President and Governors regarding the disqualification of MPs and MLAs.
 Allot schedules for broadcast and telecast of party campaigns.
 Grant exemptions to persons from disqualifications imposed by judicial decisions.

HATTI COMMUNITY
Context
 Recently the Union Government announced bringing the Hatti community under the Scheduled Tribes list.
 The demand to declare the Trans-Giri region as a tribal area is old, and the demand is linked with another
demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Hatti community which lives in the Trans-Giri region.
 The list of Major STs in Himachal Pradesh includes;
o Gaddis
o Gujjars
o Kinnaras (Kinnauras)
o Lahaulas
o Pangwalas, and some other smaller tribes.
 The bulk of the tribal population lives in remote, high-altitude areas in the districts of Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, and
Chamba.
 The tribal population of the state was 3.92 lakh (about 6% of the total) in 2011.

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Hatti community
 The Hattis are a close-knit community.
 Harris people take their name from their traditional occupation of selling home-grown crops, vegetables, meat,
and wool at small-town markets known as ‗haats‘.
 Hatti men traditionally dress in distinctive white headgear on ceremonial occasions.
 In Himachal Pradesh, Hattis people live in 154 panchayat areas, and according to the 2011 census; members of the
community are around 2.5 lakh.
o The present-day population of the Hattis is around 3 lakh.
 They live near the Himachal-Uttarakhand border area in the basin of the Giri and Tons rivers, both these rivers
are tributaries of the Yamuna.
 The Tons River marks the border between the two states.
o Hattis live in the Trans-Giri area in Himachal Pradesh and Jaunsar Bawar in Uttarakhand.
o Both have a similar tradition, and inter-marriages are common among them.
 A rigid caste system operates in the community;
o The Bhat and Khash are so-called upper caste people.
o The Badhois are so-called lower caste people.
o Inter-caste marriages between these 2 castes are discouraged.
 The Hattis people are governed by a traditional council called ‗khumbli‘ which is similar to the ‗khaps‘ of
Haryana, they decide community matters.

Tribal Area
 The Indian Constitution states two types of areas:
o Scheduled Areas in terms of the 5th Schedule of the Constitution.
o Tribal Areas in terms of the 6th Schedule.
 ―The ―Tribal Areas‖ are also mentioned under Article 244(2) of the Constitution.
 For the declaration of Scheduled Areas, the criteria followed are:
o The predominance of the tribal population.
o Closeness and reasonable size of the area.
o Presence of a viable administrative unit such as a district, block or taluk.
o Economic backwardness of the area as compared to neighbouring areas.

GOVERNOR
Context
 The Governor of Kerala said that the Finance Minister of the state has ceased to enjoy the Governor‘s pleasure in
continuing in office as he had ―stoked regionalism and challenged national unity‖.
 Last week the Governor‘s decision to ask the Vice-Chancellors of 11 universities to resign over the process of
appointments led to a controversy.
 Recent decisions and statements made by the state Governors have started a debate related to the power and
limitations of the State Governor.

Governor
 Part VI of the Indian constitution deals with the state executive under Articles 153 to 167.
o The Governor, the chief minister, the council of ministers, and the state's attorney general comprise the state
executive.
 Article 153 of the Indian constitution requires that there shall be a Governor for each State.
o Normally, each state has its governor, but the 7th the constitutional Amendment Act of 1956 made it easier
to appoint the same individual to serve as governor of two or more states.
 Article 154 vests the executive power of the State in the Governor.
 Article 155 says that the Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and
seal.
 Article 156 provides that ―The Governor shall hold office at the pleasure of the President.

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 Article 157 lay down two qualifications for the office of the Governor:
o He should be a citizen of India.
o Must have completed the age of 35 years.
 The term of the Governor is prescribed as 5 years.
o He can quit at any time by writing the President a letter of resignation.
 Article 158; Conditions of the Governor‘s office as the following:
o Shall not be a member of either House of Parliament or State Legislature, and if such a member is appointed
Governor, he shall be deemed to have vacated his seat in that House on the date on which he enters upon his
office as Governor.
o Shall not hold any other office of profit.
 The Governor has to take oath/affirmation before entering upon his office, in the presence of the Chief Justice of
the High Court exercising jurisdiction to the State, or, in his absence, the senior-most Judge of that Court available
to faithfully discharge the functions.

Executive Powers of Governors

 The Governor is the chief executive of the state; all executive actions must be conducted in his or her name.
 The executive power of the state is vested in the Governor.
 He exercises it either directly or through officers subordinate to him.
 It has been held that ministers are officers subordinate to them.
 The executive power of the state extends to all matters concerning which the State Legislature has the power to
make laws.
 All executive is expressed to be taken in the name of the Governor.
 All orders, instruments, etc are authenticated in the manner specified in the rules made by the Governor.
 Appoints the Chief Minister and other ministers are appointed by him on the advice of the Chief Minister.
 Appoints the Council of Ministers, Advocate General, Chairman and the members of the State Public Service
Commission.
 He has the power to nominate 1/12th of the members of the Legislative Council of State.
 The persons to be nominated are required to have special knowledge and practical experience in respect of
Literature, Science and Arts etc.

Legislative Powers of Governors

 The Governor is a part of the state legislature (Art. 168). He undertakes the following legislative tasks in this
capacity:
o The legislative Assembly is summoned, prorogued, and then dissolved.
o Right to speak to and send messages to the legislature.
 No Bill can become law unless it receives the Governor's approval.
 He has the option of giving his consent, withholding his assent, or exercising his pocket veto over a state bill.
 He has the power of causing to be laid the legislature, the Annual Financial Statement (Budget) and reports of
the State Finance Commission.
 Without his recommendation, no demand for a grant can be made by the legislature.
 May reserve Bills for the assent of the President made by the Legislature.

Financial Power of Governors

 The annual financial statement is put before the legislature (Art-202).
 Without the Governor's permission, a money bill cannot be introduced in the State Legislative Assembly.
 In the name of the Governor, the annual and supplemental budgets are introduced in the Assembly.
 No grant request can be made unless he recommends it.
 The State Contingency Fund is under the jurisdiction of the Governor, and it cannot be used without his
approval.

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Judicial Power
 When the president appoints judges to the State High Court, he consults him.
 According to Article 161, the Governor has the authority to suspend, remit, or commute the sentence of anyone
guilty of violating the law that the state's executive power extends.
 Pardon: the accused is fully free of any consequences.
 Reprieves are temporary halts in the execution of the punishment.
 Respite is a reduction of the severity of a penalty for a specific reason.
 Remission: a reduction in the length of a sentence without changing its nature.
 Commutation is the process of substituting one form of punishment for a less severe one.

Concern
 Misuse of discretionary powers: States allege that the Governor acts on behalf of the Union government for
political gains.
 Appointment by Centre: The post has become a retirement package for politicians.
 Arbitrary removal before the expiration of their tenure: Even after the Supreme Court Judgement in B.P. Singhal
v/s Union of India, a fixed tenure for Governors to encourage neutrality and fairness in the discharge of their
duties, is not being implemented on the ground.

Way Forward
 Punchhi Commission elaborated that the governor should follow ―Constitutional Conventions‖ in a case of a
hung Assembly.
 Bommai Case mentioned that the discretion of the Governor does not apply to hung assembly but it emphasized
floor tests in the house within 48 hours.
 Sarkaria Commission recommended that;
o The governor must be an important figure.
o He must be a distant person who has no strong political ties or has not recently participated in politics.
o He must not be a member of the ruling party.
o If possible, the governor's term should be five years.
o He should only be dismissed before his term for reasons stated in the constitution, or for reasons such as his
morality, dignity, or constitutional order.
 The constitution does not allow the governor to run a parallel government and does not hold him personally
responsible for his actions as governor.
 The governor must be a high constitutional authority, function within the terms of the constitution, and be a
friend, philosopher, and leader of his government.

GOVERNMENT APPELLATE COMMITTEES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Context
 The Union government plans to set up three-member grievance appellate committees to redress users'
grievances against how social media platforms initially addressed their complaints regarding content and other
issues.

Details
 The panels will be constituted by amending the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital
Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
o The Amendments may require social media platforms to acknowledge user complaints within 24 hours and
resolve them within 15 days.
o The complaints could vary from child sexual abuse material to nudity to trademark and patent infringements,
misinformation, impersonation of another person and content threatening the unity and integrity of the
country.
o Any person aggrieved by a decision of the grievance officer of social media platforms may prefer an appeal to
the appellate committee within 30 days.

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About Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021
 The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, was notified
by the Central government on February 25, 2021, relates to digital news publishers, including websites, portals
and YouTube news channels, and Over The Top (OTT) platforms, which stream online contents such as web
series and films.
 It is jointly administered by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
 The Rules provide for a code of ethics to be followed by digital news publishers and OTT platforms; A three-tier
grievance redress mechanism, which includes:
o Self-regulation by publishers at the first level
o Self-regulation by Self-regulating bodies of the publishers
o An oversight mechanism by the Central government

Key Features of the Rules

 Social media intermediaries, with registered users in India above a notified threshold, have been classified as
significant social media intermediaries.
o They are required to appoint certain personnel for compliance, identification of the first originator of the
information on its platform, and identify certain types of content.
o They need to appoint a Nodal Contact Person for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. Such a
person shall be a resident of India.
o Appoint a Resident Grievance Officer who shall perform the functions mentioned under the Grievance
Redressal Mechanism. Such a person shall be a resident of India.
o Publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken on the
complaints.
 The Rules prescribe a framework for the regulation of content by online publishers of news and current affairs
content and audio-visual content.
 A 3-tier Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Social media intermediaries shall appoint a Grievance Officer to deal
with complaints and share the name and contact details of such officers.
o The grievance officer shall acknowledge the complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve it within 15 days
from its receipt.
 Ensuring Online Safety and Dignity of Users, Especially Women Users: Intermediaries shall remove or disable
access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of contents that expose the privacy of individuals.
o Such a complaint can be filed either by the individual or by any other person on his/her behalf.
 Voluntary User Verification Mechanism: Users who wish to verify their accounts voluntarily shall be provided
with an appropriate mechanism to verify their accounts and provided with a demonstrable and visible mark of
verification.
 Giving Users An Opportunity to Be Heard: Users must be provided with an adequate and reasonable
opportunity to dispute the action taken by the intermediary.
 Removal of Unlawful Information: An intermediary upon receiving actual knowledge should not host or publish
any information which is prohibited under any law in relation to the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of
India, public order, friendly relations with foreign countries etc.
 This Code of Ethics prescribes the guidelines to be followed by OTT platforms and online news and digital media
entities.
 Self-Classification of Content: The OTT platforms would be required to self-classify the content into five age-
based categories; U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).

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Concerns
 Intermediaries include telecom service providers, internet service providers, search engines, online marketplaces,
payment sites, cyber cafes, messaging services, and social media sites. While many intermediaries are mere
storage providers, where they are unaware of the content being transmitted or stored on their platform, other
intermediaries may be aware of the user-generated content on their platform. This raises the question that to what
extent intermediaries should be held liable for the user-generated content on their platform.
 There are growing concerns around the misuse of these platforms for the proliferation of illegal or harmful
content such as child sex abuse material, content provoking terrorism, misinformation, hate speech, and voter
manipulation.
 Some platforms have been self-regulating the publication of such content. However, this has raised concerns
about arbitrary actions taken by these platforms which could affect freedom of speech and expression.
 Certain grounds for restricting content may affect freedom of speech, some of these restrictions are subjective and
overbroad, and may adversely affect the freedom of speech and expression of users of intermediary platforms.
 The 2021 Rules do not restrict the extent or type of information that may be sought. For example, the
information sought may be personal data of individuals such as details about their interactions with others. Such
powers, without adequate safeguards, may adversely affect the privacy of individuals.
 The Rules require significant social media intermediaries, to enable the identification of the first originator of
information within India.
o Identifying the first originator of information on a messaging platform will require the service provider to
permanently store certain additional information:
o The Rules also do not specify any timeline in terms of how far back in time the messaging service will be
required to check for determining the first originator.
 Overall, this requirement will lead to the retention of more personal data by messaging services which goes
against the principle of Privacy and Data minimization.

Way Forward
 Government can facilitate the Reform Process. The government may pass a law that any violation will face legal
action or criminal action, but the media needed a strong policy of Self-regulation and at the same time
independent regulation, as excessive regulation could result in eroding the independency of media and goes
against the right to privacy of citizens.
 Privacy is one of the fundamental freedoms of people and it is essential to liberty and human dignity. Therefore
government needs to balance our security concerns with Privacy concerns.

ELECTORAL BONDS

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Context
 According to Right to Information (RTI) replies from the State Bank of India (SBI); the Union government of India
printed 10,000 electoral bonds worth Rs 1 crore each sometime between August 1 and October 29.
o Most of the recent electoral bonds went on sale in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
 The last time the Union Government printed electoral bonds was in 2019 when bonds worth Rs 11,400 crore in
different denominations were printed.

Electrol Bonds
 The Electoral bonds were introduced with the Finance Bill (2017).
 The Union Government has notified the detailed guidelines about the Electoral Bonds Scheme in January
2018, with the objective to cleanse the system of political funding in the country.
 The Electoral Bond is a bearer instrument like a Promissory Note and an interest-free banking instrument.
o A bearer instrument is a document that authorizes the holder with the right of ownership or title of the
property, such as Currency, shares or bonds.
o Unlike normally registered instruments, no record is kept about the owners of bearer instruments or the
transfer of ownership.
o Whoever physically holds the bearer document is assumed to be the owner of the property.
 Electoral bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or established in India.
o An individual can buy electoral bonds either singly or jointly with other individuals.
o The Electoral Bond does not carry the name of the payee.
 Electoral bonds would be issued/purchased for any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000 from the specified branches
of the State Bank of India (SBI).
o Electoral Bonds have a validity of 15 days.
 Political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and also secured a
minimum of 1% of voters polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative
Assembly of the State are eligible to receive electoral bonds.
 The Electoral Bonds shall be available for purchase for 10 days each in January, April, July and October, as may be
specified by the Central Government.
o An additional period of 30 days shall be specified by the Central Government in the year of the General
election to the House of People.
 Electoral Bonds can be encashed by an eligible political party only through their bank accounts with the
authorised bank.
o The bonds do not have the name of the donor or the receiving political party.
o It only carries a unique hidden alphanumeric serial number as an in-built security feature.
 Electoral bonds protect the identity of political donors and parties receiving contributions.
o Donors who contribute less than Rs 20,000 to political parties through the purchase of electoral bonds need
not provide their identity details such as PAN, etc.

Finance Bill (2017)

 Before the bill came into force;
o A company donating to a political party could contribute a maximum of 7.5% of the average net profits in the
last three financial years.
o It was required to disclose the details of the contributions made to any political parties along with the name of
the political parties to which such contributions were made.
 The Finance Bill (2017) introduced new provisions;
o It removed the maximum limit set on the companies for donations to political parties, now there is no limit on
companies for donating to political parties.
o It also removed the requirement for a company to disclose the name of the political parties to which it was
donating.
 The bill adds that "contributions will have to be made only through a cheque, bank draft, electronic means, or any
other scheme notified by the government to make contributions to political parties."

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Arguments in favour of the Electoral Bond

 It promotes transparency in funding and donation received by political parties.
 It is an important ―electoral reform‖ toward a ―cashless-digital economy‖.
 It is a tool to eradicate black money in political funding.

Arguments against Electrol Bond

 The bonds increase the anonymity of political donations, Citizens will not be able to know who is donating
how much money to which political party.
 Promoting corruption and lack of transparency in the accounts of all political parties.
 The electoral bonds scheme has opened floodgates to unlimited corporate donations to political parties and
anonymous financing by Indian as well as foreign companies which is a threat to Indian democracy.

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Concern
 The Election Commission and the Reserve Bank of India objected to electoral bonds and had advised against the
issuance of electoral bonds as a mode for donation to political parties.
 It alleged that almost 99% of electoral bonds purchased are of value one crore and 10 lakh denominations which
shows that it is not individual citizens but large corporations which are purchasing these bonds with a view to
receiving kickbacks from the government.
 The Election Commission of India filed an affidavit in 2019, saying the government‘s scheme for political
funding has legalized anonymity.
 Many major political parties have not disclosed the amount they received through electoral bonds.
 As the bonds are sold through a public sector bank, the government would easily know who is funding which
political party.

It is important to fill the gaps in the present laws to make the entire electoral process more accountable and
transparent. There is a need for effective regulation of political funding along with courageous reforms to break the
vicious cycle of corruption and improve the quality of democratic polity in India.

AADHAAR-VOTER ID LINKING
Context
 The Supreme Court of India has issued notice to the Union Government on a petition challenging the power of
the Election Commission of India (ECI) to link the Aadhaar database with voter ID cards.
o The petition challenged the constitutional validity of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 that amended
the Representation of People‘s Act, 1950 and the Representation Act, 1951 to implement certain electoral
reforms, including Aadhaar-Voter Card linkage.

Background
 The Indian Parliament passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2021 to amend the Representation of the
People Act, of 1950 and the Representation of the People Act, of 1951 to implement certain electoral reforms.
o The 1950 Act provides for the allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies for elections, qualifications
of voters, and preparation of electoral rolls.
o The 1951 Act provides for the conduct of elections, and offences and disputes related to elections.

Key features of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2021

 Linking Voter list with Aadhaar
o The electoral registration officer may ask a person to provide their Aadhaar number for verifying their
identity.
o If their name is already on the electoral roll, then the Aadhaar number may be required for authentication.
o Persons will not be refused inclusion in the electoral roll or have their names deleted from the roll if they are
unable to furnish an Aadhaar number.
 Such persons may be permitted to furnish alternate documents prescribed by the central government.
 Date for enrolment in Voter list
o Under the 1950 Act, the qualifying date for enrolment is 1st January of the year.
o The 2021 act amended the earlier provisions and provide 4 qualifying dates in a calendar year: January 1,
April 1, July 1, and October 1 to enrol under the voter list.
 Gender equality
o The 1950 Act permits service voters, such as members of the armed forces or central government employees
posted outside India.
 The 1951 Act enables the wife of a person holding a service qualification to vote either in person or by
postal ballot.
o The recent amendment replaces the term ‗wife‘ with ‗spouse‘ in both the Acts.

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The argument in Favor of Aadhar-Voter ID Linkage

 The Election Commission conducts regular exercises to maintain an updated and accurate voter list.
o As part of this exercise, the officials weed out duplication of voters.
 Linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs will ensure that only one Voter ID is issued per Indian citizen and will also
upload the constitutional principles of ―One Person-One Vote‖.
 At the end of 2021, 99.7% of the adult Indian population had an Aadhaar card. This range exceeds any other
officially valid document such as driver‘s licence, ration cards, PAN cards etc.
 Aadhaar allows for biometric authentication, Aadhaar authentication and verification are considered more
reliable, quicker and cost-efficient.

Concern
 This goes against the verdict of the Puttaswamy case (Right to Privacy).
 The preference for Aadhaar to decide valid voters is confusing as an Aadhaar is only a proof of residence and
not a proof of citizenship.
o This could solve the problem of duplication of voters but it will not remove voters who are not citizens of
India from the electoral rolls.
 Error rates in the biometric-based authentication system. As per the Unique Identification Authority of India in
2018, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication had a 12% error rate.
o The Supreme Court of India stated in Puttaswamy's judgement that a person would not be denied benefits in
case Aadhaar-based authentication could not take place.
o This concern is also valid in the case of using Aadhaar as a tool to clean electoral rolls.
 Several social activists and civil society have raised concerns that linking electoral rolls and Aadhaar could lead to
the violation of the right to privacy and encourage surveillance measures by the government.

Way Forward
 Aadhaar card for authentication or verification must not violate individuals' informational autonomy (right to
privacy), People must have the right to decide which official document they want to use for verification and
authentication.
 In Lal Babu Hussein (1995), the Supreme Court held that the Right to vote cannot be disallowed by demanding
only limited identity proof, voters can use any other identity proof to practice their right to vote.
 Election Commission and Government need to address the concerns related to ―the Violation of Right to
Privacy and creation surveillance state‖, the government also need to enforce data protection principles that
regulate how official data will be used.
 Other means of verification and authentication must be allowed if the person does not hold an Aadhaar card.

NEWS BROADCASTING STANDARDS

Context
 The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), has fined a News channel for diverting a
news debate on hijab into a ―communal issue‖ and not sticking to guidelines.
o The NBDSA held that the News programme violated the principles of impartiality, neutrality, fairness and
decency.
o The NBDSA highlighted that, they did not have any problem with the subject of debate but with the narrative
of the debate.
 The issue has raised a debate related to the working of Media in a democracy.

News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA)

 The NBDSA is an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA); it serves
as a representative of private television news, current affairs and digital broadcasters.
o It promotes itself as ―the collective voice of the news, current affairs and digital broadcasters in India.‖
 Though it is not a government or legal organization, its rulings matter within the industry.

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 The NBDA has 26 news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 119 news and current affairs channels) as its
members.
o It is funded entirely by its members.
 It aims to protect all its members from persons carrying unfair and/or unethical practices or who discredit
television news broadcasters, digital news media and other related entities.
 It carries out activities to promote, protect and secure the interests including the right of freedom of speech and
expression of the news broadcasters, digital news media and other related entities.
 It lay down and fosters high standards, ethics and practices in Context broadcasting, including entertaining and
deciding complaints against or in respect of broadcasters.
 It includes a Chairperson who is to be an eminent jurist, and other members such as news editors, and those
experienced in the field of law, education, literature, public administration, etc. nominated by a majority of the
Board.
 It may initiate proceedings on its own and issue notice or take action with respect to any matter which falls
within its regulations.
o It can impose a fine up to Rs. 1 lakh and such a fine shall be recovered from the concerned broadcaster.

Significance of Media
 Media refers to all means of Communication, everything ranging from a Phone Call to the news on TV.
o TV, radio and newspapers are a form of media. Since they reach millions of people across the world they are
Called Mass Media.
 A balanced report is essential in media which has to
report independently.
 Media plays a very important role in providing news
and discussing events taking place in the Country and
the world.
o News Stories in the media inform people about
important events in the Country.
 Media by focusing on particular issues influences and
Shapes our thoughts. It is said the media sets the
agenda for People.
o Opinions, attitudes, and Conduct of persons are
dependent upon the information available to them.
o Most of our knowledge of Contemporary events comes from newspapers, Radio, Television and movies.
o Our emotions and attitudes are also formed or influenced to a large extent by the media.
 The media tell us about the working of the Government and create awareness about the welfare programmes.

Concern
 The media is far from being independent. This is because of the Control of the Government over the media Called
Censoring and because big business houses Control the media.
 Corporate Funding - A lot of money is spent on maintaining People and getting the latest technology. To meet
this Cost, it needs money.
o Media, therefore, uses advertising as a tool to raise revenue.
 Manipulating News for TRPs is not only a financial scam but also morally and ethically wrong.
 Some Channels are spreading a hate narrative which is a violation of the fundamental right of the citizen to know
the truth through the media.
 The media has become a source of disinformation, and this is also an ethical issue.
o Both legal and ethical dimensions are equally serious

Way Forward
 The democratic way of life depends upon the existence of free agencies of mass media.
 The Media must act in a Responsible and Independence manner; they need to promote Sincerity, Truthfulness,
Accuracy, and Impartiality in their work.

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 News reporting must be factual and objective.

 Programs relating to Controversial public issues are needed to give fair representation to both sides of the issue.
 Children‘s programs are to be educative rather than merely entertaining.
 Advertising of hard liquor, and fortune-telling, must be avoided.
 Privacy is one of the fundamental freedoms of people and it is essential to liberty and human dignity.
 A journalist must be held accountable for the consequences of the reporting.
 Need to promote a Free and Responsible Press.
 The technique of murder must be presented in a way that will not inspire imitation.
 Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail.
 The media should not report the glorification of war, over-sentimentality, unnecessary brutality or killing,
passionate love scenes, undue sympathy for immoral or criminal behaviour, or superficiality.
 Government can facilitate the Reform Process. The government may pass a law that any violation will face legal
action or criminal action, but the media needed a strong policy of Self-regulation and at the same time
independent regulation.

PREVENTIVE DETENTION
Context
 The Supreme Court of India has raised concern that the provisions under preventive detention rules negatively
affect personal liberty.
o The Supreme Court highlighted that protection provided under the Indian Constitution must be strictly
followed.
 The Court stated that ―preventive detention is designed to protect society. Its object is not to punish a man for
having done something but to intercept before he does it and to prevent him from doing it‖.

Preventive Detention
 Article 22 of the Indian Constitution grants protection to persons who are arrested or detained. Detention is of
two types:
o Punitive detention
o Preventive detention
 Punitive detention is to punish a person for an offence committed by him after trial and conviction in a court.
 Preventive detention means the detention of a person without trial and conviction by a court.
o Its purpose is not to punish a person for a past offence but to prevent him from committing an offence in the
near future. Thus, preventive detention is only a precautionary measure and it is based on suspicion.
 Article 22 of the Indian Constitution has two parts;
o One Part deals with the cases of ordinary law.
o The second part deals with the cases of preventive detention law.
 A person who is arrested or detained under ordinary law has the following rights:
o Right to be informed of the grounds of arrest.
o Right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner.
o Right to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours including the journey time.
o Right to be released after 24 hours unless the magistrate authorizes further detention.
 These above safeguards are not available to an enemy alien or a person arrested or detained under a preventive
detention law.
 Article 22 also grants protection to persons who are arrested or detained under a preventive detention law. This
protection is available to both citizens as well as aliens and includes the following:
o The detention of a person cannot exceed three months unless the advisory board reports sufficient cause for
extended detention. The board is to consist of judges of a high court.
o The grounds of detention should be conveyed to the detained person However; the facts considered to be
against the public interest need not be disclosed.
o The detained person should be allowed to make representation against the detention order.

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 The Constitution authorized the Parliament to prescribe;

o The circumstances and the classes of cases in which a person can be detained for more than three months
under a preventive detention law without obtaining the opinion of an advisory board.
o The maximum period for which a person can be detained in any case under a preventive detention law.
o Procedure to be followed by an advisory board in an inquiry.
 The Constitution has divided the legislative power related to preventive detention between the Parliament and
the state legislatures.
o Both the Parliament and state legislatures can concurrently make a law on preventive detention.
o The Parliament has exclusive authority to make a law of preventive detention related to defence, foreign
affairs and the security of India.
o State legislatures can make a law of preventive detention for reasons connected with the security of a state, the
maintenance of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community.

Concern
 Preventive detention is the act of detaining an individual who has not committed any wrong but on mere
suspicion that he/she is likely to commit a crime in future.
 It violates the right of personal liberty and fundamental rights.

Way Forward
 Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees ―the right to life, liberty, and security of
person‖. It says that detention must be carried out in conformity with the law, and not arbitrarily.
 Preventive Detention must be according to the law, reasonable and also lawful.
o Detainees must have the right to be informed of the reasons for the arrest and the charges framed against
them.
o The detainee must have the right to get a lawyer of his/her own choice.
 It is essential to have an independent body outside the control of the executive to determine the legality of
preventive detention.
 Just like two faces of a coin, preventive detention also has its own merits and demerits. It is the responsibility of
the legislature and executive to use it according to the law without shifting from the core value of the Indian
Constitution.

SECTION 66A of IT Act

Context
 The Supreme Court of India has asked the chief secretaries of states to withdraw the cases registered under
Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000 within three weeks.
o Under section 66A of the IT Act, a person posting offensive content could be imprisoned for up to 3 years and
also fined.
o The court struck down the provision as unconstitutional and a violation of free speech in the Shreya Singhal
Case in 2015.
 The Supreme Court has scrapped the registration of FIRs under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
o The court highlighted that ―the public‘s right to know is directly affected by Section 66A of the Information
Technology Act.
o The section conflict with the rights granted under Articles 19 (free speech) and 21 (right to life) of the Indian
Constitution.
o Local authorities could proceed arbitrarily on the order of their political masters.
 The Supreme court did not strike down section 69A of the Information Technology Act and stated that it can
remain enforced with certain restrictions.

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Section 69A of the IT Act 2000

 Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act empowers the government to restrict access to any online
content to protect the interest of;
o Sovereignty and Integrity of the Nation.
o Security of the State.
o Friendly relations with foreign states.
o Public order.
 All orders to restrict information or content must be recorded in writing.
 Social media intermediaries failing to comply with the rules and regulations are liable to be monetarily penalized
along with an imprisonment term which may extend up to 7 years.
 The procedures for executing the provisions of the act are mentioned in the Information Technology (Procedure
and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.
o Step 1: It mentioned that an officer along with an examination committee reviews the content in question
within 48 hours of receiving the takedown request.
o Step 2: Provide an opportunity to the author or originator of the content for clarification.
o Step 3: The recommendations are then sent to the Secretary of the Dept of Information Technology for
approval and then a request is forwarded to the social media intermediary for restricting access.
 Emergency provisions specify that clarification is required within 48 hours after the content has been blocked for
specified reasons.
o Blocking Orders can be revoked after review or examination.
 Rule 16 of the act states that strict confidentiality should be maintained on all requests and actions taken, but
without compromising transparency and accountability.
 The Act complies with Article 19 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and
expression. However, Clause 2 of the article allows the state to impose reasonable restrictions for the same
reasons as those for Section 69A.

Concern
 The Confidentiality Clause under the act is preventing legal challenges to content-blocking orders; it is difficult
to understand the Governments reasoning.
 It doesn't come under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI), recently Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) rejected many RTI requests that asked for the list of blocked websites.
 The lack of transparency, Clear guidelines and a monitoring mechanism under the act means that there are
various forms of arbitrary behaviour involved.
 The concerns are raised mainly when the orders are aimed at blocking individual accounts and not the specific
content.

Way Forward
 The Supreme Court in the Superintendent, Central Prison, Fatehgarh vs Ram Manohar Lohia (1960) case has
stated that restrictions made in the public interest must include a reasonable connection with the purpose
being achieved.
 In Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2012) the Supreme Court stated a mandatory hearing for the author of the
content as well as the intermediary. It is also guaranteed under Rule 8 of the act.
 India needs clarity about the rationality behind limitations and restrictions of free speech which may also
guide legislative drafting and judicial decisions in the future.
 We need to balance the National security concerns and the Fundamental Rights of our Citizens.

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DISQUALIFICATION OF LEGISLATORS
Context
 Recently 2 legislators from Uttar Pradesh (UP) were convicted of criminal charges, and one of them has been
disqualified from the state assembly and the State‘s Legislative Assembly secretariat declared his seat vacant.

Details
 Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, contains provisions to decriminalize electoral
politics. There are two categories of criminal cases that attract disqualification upon conviction.
 Under Category 1 - Disqualification for 6 years upon any conviction.
o If the punishment is fine, the 6-year period will start from the date of conviction, but if there is a prison
sentence, the disqualification will start on the date of conviction and will continue up to the completion of 6
years after the date of release from jail.
o Major offences under this category:
 Making speeches that cause enmity between groups.
 Bribery during elections and other electoral offences.
 Offences relating to rape and cruelty to women by husbands and relatives.
o Special laws such as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, Customs Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
Laws for prevention of Sati, corruption, terrorism and insult to the national flag and national anthem etc, are
among the category of offences that entail disqualification regardless of the period of punishment.
 All other criminal provisions fall in the 2nd category under which at least 2 years in prison is needed for
disqualification.

State Assembly
 Articles 168 to 212 under the Part VI of the Indian Constitution deal with the organisation, composition,
duration, procedures, powers, etc of the state legislature.
 There is no uniformity in the structure of state legislatures.
 22 states have only the lower House or Legislative Assembly (unicameral system).
 Only 6 states have two Houses (bicameral system): Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Maharashtra and Karnataka.
 Both the lower house or Legislative Assembly and the Upper House or Legislative Council.
Legislative Assembly;
 Members are directly elected by the people.
 Its maximum strength is fixed at 500 and minimum strength at 60. The strength varies from 60 to 500 depending
on the population of the state.
 However, in the case of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Goa, the minimum number is fixed at 30 and in the case
of Mizoram and Nagaland, it is 40 and 46 respectively.
 Some members of the legislative assemblies in Sikkim and Nagaland are also elected indirectly.
 The term of a member is 5 years.
Legislative Council;
 Members are indirectly elected.
 The minimum strength of the council is fixed at 40 and the maximum strength is fixed at 1/3rd of the total
strength of the assembly.
 The size depends on the size of the assembly of the concerned state.
 The term of a member is 6 years.
Election of a legislative council:
 1/3rd of members are elected by the members of local bodies in the state like municipalities, district boards, etc.,
 1/12th of members are elected by graduates of three years standing and residing within the state.
 1/12th of members are elected by teachers of three years standing in the state, not lower in standard than
secondary school.
 1/3rd of members are elected by the members of the legislative assembly of the state from amongst persons who
are not members of the assembly.
 1/6th of the members are nominated by the governor of the State.

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Qualifications for membership of the State Legislature

 He must be a citizen of India.
 He must make and subscribe to an oath or affirmation before the person authorised by the Election Commission
for this purpose. In his oath or affirmation, he swears;
 To bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India.
 To uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India.
He must be at least 30 years of age in the case of the legislative council and at least 25 years of age in the case of
the legislative assembly.
He must possess other qualifications prescribed by Parliament.
Parliament has laid down additional qualifications in the Representation of People Act (1951):
 A person to be elected to the legislative council must be an elector for an assembly constituency in the concerned
state and to be qualified for the governor‘s nomination, he must be a resident in the concerned state.
o A person to be elected to the legislative assembly must be an elector for an assembly constituency in the
concerned state.
o He must be a member of a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe if he wants to contest a seat reserved for them.
However, a member of scheduled castes or scheduled tribes can also contest from the General seat (not
reserved).

Disqualifications of the member

 If he holds any office of profit under the Union or state government.
 If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a court.
 If he is an undercharged insolvent.
 If he is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign state or is under any
acknowledgement of allegiance to a foreign state.
 If he is so disqualified under any law made by Parliament.
 The Parliament has prescribed several additional disqualifications in the Representation of People Act (1951).
o He must not have been found guilty of certain election offences or corrupt practices in the elections.
o He must not have been convicted for any offence resulting in imprisonment for two or more years. But, the
detention of a person under a preventive detention law is not a disqualification.
o He must not have failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time.
o He must not have any interest in government contracts, works or services.
o He must not be a director or managing agent nor hold an office of profit in a corporation in which the
government has at least a 25% share.
o He must not have been dismissed from government service for corruption or disloyalty to the state.
o He must not have been convicted for promoting enmity between different groups or for the offence of
bribery.
o He must not have been punished for preaching and practising social crimes such as untouchability, dowry
and sati.
 To decide whether a member has become subject to any of the above disqualifications, the governor‘s decision is
final.
o However, Governor should obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and act accordingly.
 Indian Constitution also lays down that a person shall be disqualified from being a member of either House of
state legislature if he is so disqualified on the ground of defection under the provisions of the 10th Schedule.
o The question of disqualification under the 10th Schedule is decided by the Chairman, in the case of the
legislative council and, Speaker, in the case of the legislative assembly (and not by the governor).
o The decision of the Chairman/Speaker is subject to judicial review.

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SC ABORTION RULING
Context
 The Supreme Court of India stated that differentiating between married and unmarried women for allowing
termination of pregnancy on certain exceptional grounds is unconstitutional.
 The Court remark came in the case of a 25 years old pregnant woman who moved to the Supreme Court to allow
abortion after the Delhi High Court declined her request last week.
 She has challenged the Medical termination of pregnancy rules 2003, which allows only specific categories of
women for termination of pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks.

Abortions law in India

 In the 1960s, the Union government constituted Shantilal Shah Committee to prepare a draft for the legalisation
of abortion in India.
 In 1971, the Medical Termination of
Pregnancy (MTP) Act was enacted to
reduce maternal mortality due to unsafe
abortions.
o It set an upper limit of the gestation
period to which a woman can seek a
medical abortion to 20 weeks.
o Abortion is to be performed only by
doctors with specialisation in
gynaecology or obstetrics.
 Under section 312 of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC), a person who ―voluntarily
causes a woman with child to miscarry‖
will be jailed for up to 3 years or fined
or both.
o The only exception from
punishment is when it was done to
save the life of the pregnant
woman.
 The MTP Act was amended in 2003 to
allow the use of the abortion medicine
misoprostol, to medically terminate a
pregnancy for up to 7 weeks.
 The MTP Act was again amended in 2021, it increased the upper limit of the gestation period to which a woman
can seek a medical abortion to 24 weeks from the 20 weeks permitted in the 1971 Act. But the new upper limit can
only be applied in specific cases.
o Abortion up to 20 weeks of gestational age can be done after the opinion of a single registered medical
practitioner.
o From 20 weeks up to 24 weeks, the opinion of two registered medical practitioners is required.
 Under the 2021 amendment Act, medical termination of pregnancy is permitted if it is based on medical
opinion and fulfil at least one of the following reasons;
o If the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman.
o If pregnancy results in any injury to the woman‘s physical or mental health.
o If f unborn child suffers from a serious physical or mental abnormality.
 The pregnancy can be terminated up to 24 weeks of gestational age under any of these conditions;
o If the woman is either a survivor of sexual assault or rape.
o If she is a minor.
o If her marital status has changed during the ongoing pregnancy (widowhood or divorce).
o If she has major physical disabilities or is mentally ill.
o If foetal malformation was incompatible with life or after birth, it would be seriously handicapped.

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 If the pregnancy has to be terminated beyond the 24-week gestational age, it can only be done on the grounds of
foetal abnormalities and only after clearance from a four-member Medical Board.
 In the K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India and other cases, the Supreme Court had held that the decision taken
by a pregnant person related to pregnancy is part of her right to privacy under article 21.

Concern
 According to the Lancet study, 15.6 million abortions were conducted every year in India.
 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare‘s 2019-20 report indicates that there is a 70% shortage of obstetrician-
gynaecologists in India.
 As the law does not permit abortion at will, it pushes women to adopt unsafe, illegal and dangerous ways of
abortion.
 According to a study, every year more than 8, 00,000 unsafe and illegal abortions are performed in India and
many of them result in maternal mortality.

NATIONAL GAMES
About
 The Prime Minister of India inaugurated the 36th National Games in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
 National Games anthem 'India will join, India will win'.
 The official mascot of the National Games 'Sawaj' was launched.
 The Prime Minister highlighted that the progress of any country and its respect in the world is directly related to
its success in sports, The soft power of sports makes the identity of the country.
 Traditional Indian sports like 'Kalaripayattu' and Yogasana are also included in the National Games.
 Recently, the Sports Ministry included 4 indigenous martial art forms in the National Games.
o Kalaripayattu of Kerala
o Mallakhamb of Central India
o Gatka of Punjab

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ONLINE NEWS DISSEMINATION

Context
 Recently, the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) approached the Competition Commission of
India (CCI) against Google.
o NBDA has raised concern that Google had deprived them of their justifiable revenue acquired from news
dissemination on the tech giant‘s platforms.

Concerns raised by News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA)

 Google controls 94% of the search engine market share in India and People shifting towards news consumption
online or app-based consumption.
 In India, the traditional newspaper industry sustained itself on a business model wherein advertisement revenue
accounts for two-thirds of its total revenue.
o With the increasing number of online news platforms, there is an increased dependency of news publishers
on digital advertisement revenues.
 More than 50% of the total traffic on news websites is routed through Google. Its algorithms determine which
news websites would be prioritized in the search list.
 Google is dominant in both markets; online web search services and digital advertising services.
 Google‘s conflicts of interest, as Google represents the buyer and the seller in the same transaction.

Google‘s arguments: Like every organization, Google also needs revenues to manage ―a complex and evolving
business‖ such as maintaining data centres, further technological investments, enabling innovations that increase
publisher revenue and maximizing advertiser return on investment, among other things.

Steps taken by other countries

 The European Publishers Council filed an anti-trust complaint against Google with the European Commission,
challenging its existing ―ad tech stranglehold‖ over press publishers.
 Australia introduced the ‗Media Bargaining Code‘ to address Google‘s control of Search engines.

Way Forward
 Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet transmissions equally,
offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of content, website, platform, application,
type of equipment, source address, a destination address, or method of communication.
 Internet content must ensure freedom of speech and democratic participation, promotes competition and
innovation, and prevents dubious services.
 Need to regulate and prevent Internet content from being misused, ensure open standards, transparency, lack of
Internet censorship, and low barriers to entry.
 In the year 2018, the Indian Government unanimously approved new regulations supporting net neutrality,
guaranteeing free and open Internet.

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INTERNATIONAL CURRENT EVENTS

Super Typhoon ‗Hinnamnor‘
News
 The strongest tropical storm of 2022, dubbed Super Typhoon ‗Hinnamnor‘, has been barrelling across the western
Pacific Ocean.
 The category 5 typhoon — the highest classification on the scale — was about 230 km away from Japan‘s
Okinawa. The storm moved over parts of Southwestern Japan, Eastern China and South Korea.

Tropical Storms
 Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all types of tropical storms. But are given different names depending on
where they appear.
 Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific.
 Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and the Indian Oceans.
 Typhoons are formed over the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Conditions for the development of Tropical Cyclones

 Sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures (higher than 26º C).
 Atmospheric instability.
 High humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere.
 Enough Coriolis force to sustain a low-pressure centre.
 A pre-existing low-level focus or disturbance.
 Low vertical wind shear.

TURKEY‘S DISINFORMATION LAW

About
 The Parliament of Turkey adopted the ‗disinformation law‘, the law has provision to jail terms of up to three
years for social media users and journalists for spreading ‗disinformation‘.
 The law includes 40 articles that would amend several other laws.
 It designates it an offence to publicly spread misleading information about the country‘s internal and external
security, public order and general well-being to cause fear or panic among the people.
 The Turkish government has argued that it would curb sharing of illegal content under fake names and where
anonymous accounts defame individuals of differing political thought, religion or ethnicity.
 To implement the law, Social media platforms could be asked to hand over user data to Turkish courts.

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 Critics have criticized the unclear interpretation of ‗disinformation‘. The legislation also lacks clarity on how
the individual shall be deemed guilty of sharing or manufacturing the information in an offline space.

WORLD BANK‘S REPORT ON GLOBAL POVERTY

Context
 According to a new World Bank report, titled ―Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022: Correcting Course‖, the
Covid pandemic has been the biggest setback to global poverty alleviation in decades.

Details
 The World Bank's Poverty and Shared Prosperity series provide the latest estimates and trends in global poverty
and shared prosperity.
 Poverty and Shared Prosperity is a biennial series that explores a central challenge to poverty reduction and
boosting shared prosperity, assessing what works well and what does not in different settings. By bringing
together the latest evidence, this corporate flagship report provides a foundation for informed advocacy around
ending extreme poverty and improving the lives of the poorest in every country in the world.
 The 2022 edition provides the first comprehensive look at the landscape of poverty in the aftermath of an
extraordinary series of shocks to the global economy.

Findings of the Report

 The world is unlikely to meet the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 absent history-defying rates of
economic growth over the remainder of this decade.
 COVID-19 dealt the biggest setback to global poverty-reduction efforts since 1990 and the war in Ukraine
threatens to make matters worse.
 The pandemic pushed about 70 million people into extreme poverty in 2020, the largest one-year increase since
global poverty monitoring began in 1990. As a result, an estimated 719 million people subsisted on less than $2.15
a day by the end of 2020.
2020 marked a historic turning point—when the era of global income convergence yielded to divergence. The
poorest people bore the steepest costs of the pandemic: income losses averaged 4% for the poorest 40%, double the
losses of the wealthiest 20% of the income distribution. Global inequality rose, as a result, for the first time in
decades.
The new report is the first to provide current and historical data on the new global extreme-poverty line, which
has been adjusted upward to $2.15 a day to reflect the latest 2017 purchasing-power-parity data.
Extreme poverty fell dramatically across the world from 1990 through 2019, the latest year for which official data
are available. But progress slowed after 2014, and policymakers now confront a tougher environment: Extreme
poverty is concentrated in parts of the world where it will be hardest to eradicate—in Sub-Saharan Africa, in
conflict-affected areas and rural areas.
Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for 60% of all people in extreme poverty—389 million, more than any other
region. The region‘s poverty rate is about 35%, the world‘s highest.
Government spending and emergency support helped avert even bigger increases in poverty rates, the report
showed, but the economic recovery had been uneven, with developing economies with fewer resources spending
less and achieving less.

Status of Poverty in India

 The World Bank in its latest report has used a consumption survey; According to this update on Indian
poverty, the new poverty line is $2.15 per day.
 In other words, anyone living on less than $2.15 a day is considered to be living in extreme poverty. About 648
million people globally were in this situation in 2019.
 This international poverty line is revised periodically to account for rising prices of goods and services over time.
 According to the report, India still has the largest number of poor people worldwide at 22.8 crores, followed by
Nigeria at 9.6 crores.
Nearly 600 million Indians survive at less than $3.65 (Rs 84) a day level of expenditure.

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Reasons behind Poverty in India

 Illiteracy and lack of quality education: Despite more than 15 million graduates being produced every year, there
are no jobs available for them due to the lack of quality education. Most of these graduates are studying outdated
educational syllabi and hence cannot be productively employed anywhere.
 A vicious trap of poverty: Prevalence of massive malnourishment, stunting and wasting amongst children which
negatively impact their physical and mental potential pushing them deeper into the vicious trap of poverty for the
rest of their lives.
 Sub-standard health outcomes: More than 60% of the household incomes in many families are devoted towards
health expenditure. This out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare is one of the biggest pull factors for poverty.
 Administrative Bottleneck: Certain government policies favour one sector over the other. Also, there is a lack of
rule of law and enforcement of laws such as the Minimum Wages Act.
 Income Inequality: According to Oxfam, the top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national
wealth. 73% of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1%, while 67 million Indians who comprise the
poorest half of the population saw only a 1% increase in their wealth.
 Discrimination: Discrimination and poverty go hand in hand. Discrimination can both cause poverty and be a
hurdle in alleviating poverty. Ex: Discrimination against women, SC, ST, Disabled, Old age people etc is one of the
major causes of poverty among them.
 Nature of job: Approximately 56% of the total working population is in the agricultural sector. Which is marked
by poor landholding, low productivity and disguised unemployment.
 The issue of low employment growth within industrial and service sectors has contributed to stagnant or
declining standards of living.
 Inadequate public infrastructure: Lack of accessibility to primary health care centres, quality public schools,
research institutions, roads, waterways, rural markets, etc. act complementary for the rise and sustenance of
poverty in India.
 Poor policy structure: Given the vicious cycle of poverty, government hand-holding is needed to support those
above the poverty lines to prevent them from slipping below the line.

Learning from China

 The World Bank found that between 1978 and 2019, China‘s poverty headcount dropped from 770 million to 5.5
million people.
 China lifted 765 million (76.5 crores) people from extreme poverty in the last four decades.
In China, Rapid economic growth, supported by economic transformation, provided new economic
opportunities for the poor and raised their average incomes and improved their standard of living.
 Reforms introduced in the agricultural sector benefited people directly from productivity improvements.
o The development of low-skilled, labour-intensive industries provided a source of employment for workers
released from agriculture.
o Urbanization helped migrants take advantage of the new opportunities in the cities, and migrants transferred
their incomes to the villages.
o Public investment in infrastructure improved living conditions in rural areas and also connected them with
urban and export markets.

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Way Forward
 Countries should boost cooperation, avoids broad subsidies, focus on long-term growth and adopt measures
such as property taxes and carbon taxes that could help raise revenue without hurting the poorest people.
 National policy reforms can help restart progress in reducing poverty, the report finds. Stepped-up global
cooperation will also be necessary. In fiscal policy, governments should act promptly on three fronts:
 Avoid broad subsidies, and increase targeted cash transfers: Half of all spending on energy subsidies in low-
and middle-income economies go to the richest 20% of the population who consume more energy. Cash transfers
are a far more effective mechanism for supporting poor and vulnerable groups.
 Focus on long-term growth: High-return investments in education, research and development, and
infrastructure projects need to be made today. In a time of scarce resources, more efficient spending and
improved preparation for the next crisis will be key.
 Mobilize domestic revenues without hurting the poor. Property taxes and carbon taxes can help raise revenue
without hurting the poorest. So can broaden the base of personal and corporate income taxes. If sales and excise
taxes do need to be raised, governments should minimize economic distortions and negative distributional
impacts by simultaneously using targeted cash transfers to offset their effects on the most vulnerable households.

India-Bangladesh River Pact

Context
 Following a meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Details
 After holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the visiting leader described India as the ―most
important and closest neighbour that is bound with Bangladesh through 54 common rivers and 4,000 km of
border.
 The two sides signed seven agreements covering railways, science and technology, space cooperation, media, and
water sharing.
 The two sides, however, made a significant beginning in river-water sharing by reaching an agreement — a first in
28 years — on drawing water from the common border river Kushiyara for supplying to parts of lower Assam as
well as Sylhet in Bangladesh.
 PM Modi highlighted the values that made India and Bangladesh put up a joint fight in the Liberation War of
1971 and said, ―To keep the spirit of 1971 alive, we must confront those forces that want to hurt our common
values.
 The pact over the Kushiyara was the first river-related agreement that the two sides reached 28 years after the
conclusion of the Ganga Waters Agreement of 1996.
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 India had extended the period of sharing flood water-related information in real-time that would help Bangladesh
counter the annual floods.
 The Ministries of Railways of India and Bangladesh signed an agreement on training personnel of the Bangladesh
Railway in India.
 In a bid to help Bangladesh deal with the energy crisis, the two leaders unveiled Unit 1 of the Maitree power
plant, a 1,320-MW supercritical coal-fired thermal power plant, at Rampal in the Khulna division of Bangladesh.
 The two sides also inaugurated the Rupsha rail bridge, which will help in connecting Khulna with Mongla port
and Petrapole and Gede in West Bengal.

Trade
 In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest
destination for Indian exports worldwide.
 Exports to Bangladesh grew more than 66 per cent from $9.69 billion in FY 2020-21 to $16.15 billion in FY 2021-
22.
 India is Bangladesh‗s second-biggest trade partner and its largest export market in Asia. Despite Covid-19-related
disruptions, bilateral trade grew at an unprecedented rate of almost 44 per cent from $10.78 billion in 2020-21 to
$18.13 billion in 2021-22.
 India‗s main exports to Bangladesh are raw cotton, non-retail pure cotton yarn, and electricity, and its main
imports from the country are pure vegetable oils, non-knit men‗s suits, and textile scraps.
 While informal talks on CEPA have been happening since 2018, officials said that the pandemic has brought
urgency.
 Chinese investments in Bangladesh were an initial trigger for India, but Delhi and Dhaka want to step up the pace
following the economic shock faced by the two economies.
 The CEPA is likely to focus on trade in goods, services, and investment, with a key objective being the reduction
of the trade gap between the two countries.
 As Bangladesh prepares to graduate into a developing nation by 2026 — after which it may no longer qualify for
trade benefits that it currently enjoys as a least-developed country — it is keen to clinch the CEPA in a year.

What is the status of the Teesta dispute?

 The 400-odd-km-long Teesta rises in the Pauhunri mountain and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before
entering Bangladesh near Mekliganj, downstream of Jalpaiguri.
 The Teesta, which joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh, carries a significant volume of water; it is the second
largest river of West Bengal after the Ganga.
 India and Bangladesh have been in negotiations to determine the share of each country in the waters of the river
since the early 1980s.
 The two countries had reached a water-sharing agreement in 2011, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was
about to sign the deal on what was billed as a historic visit to Bangladesh in September of that year.

How has the relationship with Bangladesh evolved over the years?
 India has a robust relationship with Bangladesh, which it has carefully cultivated especially since Prime Minister
Hasina came to power in 2009.
 Over this period, India has benefited greatly from the security relationship with Bangladesh, and the Hasina
government‗s crackdown against anti-India outfits, which has helped New Delhi maintain peace and security in
India‗s eastern and Northeastern states.
 Bangladesh too has benefited from its economic and development partnership with India.
 It is India‗s biggest trade partner in South Asia, and bilateral trade has grown steadily over the last decade:
Bangladesh‗s exports to India have gone from only $304.63 million in 2009-10 to $1.28 billion in 2020-21, while its
imports from India during this same period have risen from $2.3 billion to $8.6 billion.
 India grants some 15-20 lakh visas every year to Bangladeshi nationals who visit for medical treatment, tourism,
work, and entertainment. It is fairly common for the Bangladeshi elite to make a weekend shopping trip to
India.
 For India, Bangladesh has been a key partner in the neighbourhood first policy — and possibly the only success
story in bilateral ties among its neighbours.
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Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

Context
 The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States, as a result of the meeting of the Council of
Heads of State in the city of Samarkand on 16 September 2022, gave the Samarkand declaration.

Details
 The member states oppose grouping and ideological and confrontational approaches to solving international and
regional issues.
 The declaration reaffirms that it is of great practical significance to work together to build a new type of
international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice as well as a win-win cooperation.
 They reaffirm that disputes between countries should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.
 The leaders of the member states adopted the Comprehensive Plan for the Implementation of the SCO Treaty on
Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for 2023-2027.
 The member states reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to combating terrorism, separatism and extremism.
 The member states said they will strengthen cooperation among their national authorities in the field of digital
literacy to bridge the digital divide.
 It also calls for continuously expanding cooperation in local currency settlement, creating conditions for e-
commerce development, supporting MSME enterprises in SCO member states to tap the potential of their e-
commerce, strengthening cooperation on the establishment of high-end industrial chain and deep processing, and
advancing investment cooperation in digital economy and green, sustainable development.
 They expressed firm opposition to the militarization of information and communication technologies.
 The member states stressed the importance of forming a common and balanced position on combating the illicit
trafficking of narcotic drugs and their precursors.
 The member states that are signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are committed
to strict compliance with the provisions of the treaty.
 The member states support the prevention of the weaponization of outer space.
 The SCO member states support Afghanistan to become an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful
country, which is free of terrorism, war and drugs.
 Member states signed a memorandum of obligations on Iran's SCO membership. The member states stressed the
importance of the decision to start the procedure for Belarus' accession.
 The member states reaffirmed the importance of continuing to improve the global economic governance system.
 They adopted a document for the infrastructure development of the SCO member states.
 They will carry out cooperation in environmental protection, joint disaster relief and rescue exercises, education,
food security, agriculture, science and technology, women, culture, tourism, media and sports.
 India will assume the next SCO rotating presidency and hold the next Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of
the SCO in 2023.
 The member countries support Tajikistan's proposal to name 2025 The International Year for Preservation of
Glaciers.

What is SCO?
 It is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance.
 The original five nations, with the exclusion of Uzbekistan, were previously members of the Shanghai Five group.
 Since then, the organisation has expanded its membership to eight countries when India and Pakistan joined SCO
as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
 The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO.
 It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering
three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.
 The SCO is widely regarded as the "alliance of the East", due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been
the primary security pillar of the region.
 The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of
the SCO, which serves to promote the cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism,
separatism and extremism.

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Criticisms of the SCO

 It is used by member states to shield each other from international criticism regarding human rights violations.
 Even after 19 years, the SCO is struggling to emerge as a cohesive organisation because it lacks coherence on
account of China‗s pre-pondering influence.

India-SCO
 It is the only regional grouping in the vast Eurasian space.
 The specific advantage for India lies in the SCO providing a robust platform for connecting with countries of
Central Asia, which comprise our extended neighbourhood and with whom India shares millennia of vibrant,
multifaceted linkages.
 Central Asia and Afghanistan are vital for India‗s security, meeting its energy requirements, connectivity, trade
and economic progress and growth.
 India through its active participation has strengthened greater trade, economic and cultural cooperation within
SCO by putting human beings at the centre of SCO activities.
 It has fostered greater peace and prosperity in the region.
 India‗s initiatives have emphasised its commitment to expanding its partnership with SCO by playing a proactive,
positive and constructive role in the organisation.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT: GLOBAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

Context:
 The Russia-Ukraine conflict has upended commodity markets from oil to gas and wheat leading to the prospects
of an increase in inflationary pressure on countries trying to revive their economic growth after the pandemic.
 Crude oil prices continue to rise and oil companies like Shell and BP are winding up their operations in Russia.
 Russia is the world‘s third-biggest oil producer and the second-most influential member of the OPEC+
alliance behind Saudi Arabia.
 Sanctions imposed by the US and other western countries on Russia particularly banning some Russian banks
from the SWIFT global financial payment system are expected to make it cumbersome for many companies to
do any kind of business with Russia.
 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently said that the Centre govt was seized of the matter and
discussions were on for a complete assessment of the issue.

Impact of sanctions:
 War has immediate consequences for global trade, capital flows, financial markets and access to technology.
 There are five areas where the impact was visible: A sharp tanking of the Russian ruble, a looming fear of a run on
its banks, a panic reaction by the Russian central bank to suspend the execution of all orders by foreigners to sell
securities indefinitely, a looming shortage of most consumer goods that Moscow sources from the West, and a
worsening of terms of trade on future imports.
 Also, the global commodity markets are seeing an upsurge, with crude, gas and metals spiking.
 Currency impact: The Russian ruble tanked 30 per cent versus the dollar in offshore trading.
 Suspension of sell orders of Russian securities: Reacting to the plans announced by the US and European Union
nations to sanction Moscow‘s central bank and cut off some financial institutions from the SWIFT messaging
system, Russia‘s central bank ordered professional stock market participants ―to suspend the execution of all
orders by foreign legal entities and individuals‖ to sell Russian securities.
 Consumer goods shortage: The impact of some of these measures would end up hurting middle-class Russians,
given that the country remains highly dependent on the West for many of its consumer goods.
 Bank run: The US, EU, United Kingdom and Canada had announced that the assets of Russia‘s central bank will
be frozen, which would make it difficult for it from selling them overseas to support its banks and companies.
Also, some Russian banks are to be excluded from the SWIFT payment network.
 Oil surge: Brent crude surged past $104 a barrel in the wake of the fresh sanctions on Russia, one of the top global
producers of oil, gas, metals and agricultural products.

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Impact on the global economy:

 A rising concern: Russia‘s attack on Ukraine could cause dizzying spikes in prices for energy and food and could
spook investors. The economic damage from supply disruptions and economic sanctions would be severe in some
countries and industries and unnoticed in others.
 The cost of energy: Oil prices already are the highest since 2014, and they have risen as the conflict has escalated.
Russia is the third-largest producer of oil, providing roughly one of every 10 barrels the global economy
consumes.
 Gas supplies: Europe gets nearly 40 per cent of its natural gas from Russia, and it is likely to be walloped with
higher heating bills. Natural gas reserves are running low, and European leaders have accused Russia‘s president
of reducing supplies to gain a political edge.
 Food prices: Russia is the world‘s largest supplier of wheat and, together with Ukraine, accounts for nearly a
quarter of total global exports. In countries like Egypt and Turkey, that flow of grain makes up more than 70 per
cent of wheat imports.
 Shortages of essential metals: The price of palladium, used in automotive exhaust systems and mobile phones,
has been soaring amid fears that Russia, the world‘s largest exporter of the metal, could be cut off from global
markets. The price of nickel, another key Russian export, has also been rising.
 Financial turmoil: Global banks are bracing for the effects of sanctions designed to restrict Russia‘s access to
foreign capital and limit its ability to process payments in dollars, euros and other currencies crucial for trade.
Banks are also on alert for retaliatory cyberattacks by Russia.

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Impact on India:
Inflation risks
 Rising oil prices could speed up already rising inflation.
 India imports more than 80% of its oil requirement, but the share of oil imports in its total imports is around 25%.
 Rising oil prices will also impact the current account deficit, which is the difference between the values of
goods and services imported and exported.
 A recent surge in global crude could intensify the pressure on state-owned oil retailers.
 Calibrating price hikes is now more complex, given the cascading inflation impact that could follow the increase.
 India imports most of its requirement of sunflower oil from Ukraine, and the two countries now at war are
also two of the world‘s biggest producers of wheat.

Economic recovery
 The rise in crude prices poses inflationary, fiscal, and external sector risks.
 Oil-related products have a share of over 9% in the WPI basket — and a 10% increase in crude would lead to an
increase of around 0.9% in WPI inflation.
 A larger oil import bill will impact India‘s external position; it is also likely to increase subsidies on LPG and
kerosene, pushing up the overall subsidy bill.

FPI sentiment, rupee

 Foreign portfolio investors have been selling their holdings in Indian equities over the last four months. This
outflow is likely to continue over the coming days.
 As FPIs pulled out, domestic institutions emerged as net investors.
Equity investors
 While markets may remain volatile, retail investors should look at the DII investment pattern. If DIIs are investing
amid the sharp fall in markets, retail investors too should not panic — and should increase their investments if
they are underweight in equities.
 Experts say that the current geopolitical concerns will not impact the long-term fundamentals and prospects of
businesses, and investors should take the fall in markets as an opportunity to invest in mutual funds and high-
quality blue chip companies.

Gold Outlook
 In times of uncertainty and inflation, gold emerges as the asset class of choice for investors. It is important to note
that at a time when equities have been falling, gold has risen sharply.

Trade
 India runs a trade deficit with Russia, with exports declining while imports are increasing. Oil forms a major part
of our import basket from Russia.
 8 per cent of our total imports have been imported from Russia in FY22 so far.
Banking
 The banking sector has remained resilient to the Russia-Ukraine conflict so far.
 Profitability, asset quality and capital adequacy have risen to a new peak with the profitability of banks in the
Dec‘21 quarter, as well as YTD FY22 seen touching new highs.

Concern
 India will see an immediate impact on inflation (already ruling at high levels) with the rise in fuel and food
prices.
 Other prices will also rise as supply bottlenecks get aggravated due to sanctions and the war situation.
 The investment climate will deteriorate due to uncertainty.
 Capital flows into the country will decline to lead to a further decline in the stock markets. The P/E ratio was
already ruling at high levels and such a big shock was bound to hit stock prices.
 Demand for gold is likely to increase leading to its increased import. This along with the high bill for petro
goods will mean that the import bill will rise.

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 Exports are likely to be hit due to the decline in growth in the world economy and deglobalisation.
 With capital flows declining the Balance of Payment which was already turning adverse will deteriorate
further. Consequently, the rupee will weaken compared to the dollar which will aggravate inflation further.
 All these factors, uncertainty, demand, investment, inflation and BOP, will reduce the rate of growth of the
economy which was badly hit by the pandemic.
 Budgetary arithmetic will also be impacted.
 Expenditures will increase while real revenues will be hit due to slow down and other difficulties. The already
high fiscal deficit will increase further and in such circumstances, it is the social sector and capital account
expenditures that are curtailed. The support for the poor then declines.
 It will face difficulty in procuring defence equipment already contracted since both the rich countries and the
Russians will delay deliveries, given their requirements.

Way forward for India:

 India will have to strengthen its economy on its own.
 The public sector will have to play an important role since the private sector will not be able to boost itself on its
own when demand is short.
 The country will have to strengthen its R&D.
 Social sectors will have to receive a much higher priority so that the productivity of workers rises and their
degrading living conditions improve. That will not only provide a market for the growth of the Indian economy
but strengthen the country.

THE ECONOMIST‘S DEMOCRACY INDEX

Context
 According to the Democracy index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit ―USA is categorized as a ―flawed
democracy,‖.
o The USA falls short of being a top-rated ―full democracy‖ in large part because of a fractured political culture.

Details
 The Democracy Index is released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the index attempts to measure the
state of democracy in 167 countries.
 The index is based on 60 indicators grouped into five different categories:
o Electoral process and pluralism
o Civil liberties
o Functioning of government
o Political participation
o Political culture
 Full democracies are countries where civil liberties and fundamental political freedoms are respected and
reinforced by a political culture that promotes democratic principles. These nations have a valid system of
governmental checks and balances, an independent judiciary whose decisions are enforced, governments that
function adequately, and diverse and independent media.
 Flawed democracies are countries where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties are honoured but may
have issues (e.g. media freedom infringement and minor suppression of political opposition and critics).
 Authoritarian regimes are countries where political pluralism is nonexistent or severely limited. These nations are
often absolute monarchies or dictatorships and may have some conventional institutions of democracy but with
meagre significance.

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Significance of Democracy
 For long People have struggled for their Rights. It is generally believed that democracy is the best System to give
Rights to People.
 Most modern States include People of different religions, languages, and Cultural traditions. But the National
identity of a democratic State is Supposed to Provide Citizens with a Political identity that Can be Shared by all
the members of the State.
o The democratic States usually try to define their identity So that it is as inclusive as possible, which allows all
Citizens to identify themselves as Part of the Nation.
 Why Democracy?
o It Promotes equality among Citizens.
o Enhances the dignity of the individual.
o Improves the quality of decision-making.
o Provides a method to resolve Conflicts.
o Allows room to Correct mistakes.
o The Countries which have formal Constitutions, hold elections and form governments.
o Guarantee the Rights of Citizens.
o Solves the Social, Political and Economic Problems of the Country.
 Ending of Racial Discrimination;
o In South Africa, After Several decades of Struggle, the Policy of Racial discrimination toward blacks Came to
an end in 1994 with Nelson Mandela being Sworn in as a Black President.
 Participation;
o For a Successful democracy, People need to Participate in its Governance.
o Participation through voting in elections. Other ways of Participation are Dharna, Rallies, Strikes, Signature
Campaigns and other forms of Protests.
o Mass media like TV, Newspapers, Magazines and other agencies also play a major role in highlighting Public
issues and moulding Public opinion.

 Resolve Conflicts;
o In any Country, Problems may result in Conflicts and lead to Social Tension.
o There may arise a situation when two people or two groups feel that they are not being treated fairly or are
being discriminated against on grounds of Culture, Region, Religion, Economic background, Caste, Race, etc.
o It is the Government‘s responsibility to resolve these Conflicts. EX- Interstate Rivers dispute.
 Equality and Justice;
o Ensure Justice and equality for all, they are two different Sides of the Same Coin and are essential in a
democracy.
o Without Justice and equality democracy would remain meaningless and directionless.
 Accountable Government;
o Democracy is accountable because it is the government of the People and made by the People and for the
People.
o Representatives elected by the People are responsible to them. If the People are not happy, they can change
the leaders in the coming elections.
 Responsive Government;
o A Citizen has the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This type of transparency is
not available in non-Democratic Governments.
o Ex - In the USA Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s restored the dignity of Afro-Americans based on Color.
 Legitimate Government;
o A democratic government is a legitimate government.
o It may be slow, less efficient, and not always very responsive or clean. But a democratic Government cannot
ignore the needs of the People.

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HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI)

Context
 India ranked 132 out of 191 countries in the recently released Human Development Index (HDI) 2021 by the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
o India‘s rank declined from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2021.
 The performance of nearly 90% of the countries has declined in human development due to multiple crises such
as COVID-19, the Ukraine war, violent conflicts, Climate changes, environmental challenges, etc.
 India with an HDI score of 0.633 is in the medium Human Development category.
o Decline in HDI from 0.645 in 2018 to 0.633 in 2021.
o Falling life expectancy at birth from 70.7 years in 2018 to 67.2 years in 2021.
 Gender inequality increased by 6.7% globally.
o In the latest report, India has shown a slight improvement in its Gender Inequality Index value as compared
to the 2020 index.
 The report raised concern over the increasing polarisation which is deteriorating democratic freedom and human
rights in many parts of the world.

Human Development Index

 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published its first Human Development Report (HDR) in
1990.
o The report had a human development index (HDI) which was the first attempt to define and measure the level
of development of economies.
 The ‗index‘ was a product of a select team of leading scholars, development practitioners and members of the
Human Development Report Office of the UNDP.
o The first such team which developed the HDI was led by Mahbub ul Haq and Inge Kaul.
 The HDR measures development by combining three indicators;
o Health: Measured by the life expectancy at birth.
o Education: Measured by the mean of years of schooling.
o Standard of Living: Measured by GNI (Gross National Income/Product) per capita at ‗Purchasing Power
Parity in US Dollars (PPP $) instead of GDP per capita (PPP $) of the past.
 The scores for the three HDI dimension indices are then aggregated into a composite index using the geometric
mean. The HDI facilitates instructive comparisons of the experiences within and between different countries.
 The HDI sets a minimum and a maximum for each dimension, called goalposts, and then shows where each
country stands to these goalposts, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (the index is prepared on the scale of
one).

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 The UNDP ranked the economies by their achievements on the above-given three parameters on a scale of one
(0.000–1.000). As per their achievements, the countries were broadly classified into three categories with a range of
points on the index:
o High Human Development Countries: 0.800–1.000 points on the index.
o Medium Human Development Countries: 0.500–0.799 points on the index.
o Low Human Development Countries: 0.000–0.499 points on the index.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Context
 More than 70,000 Czech Republic citizens have gathered in a protest against their government‘s failure to control
increasing energy prices.
 The demonstration was the most extensive display of public dissatisfaction against the cost-of-living crisis due to
increasing energy prices that have been exacerbated in Europe due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
 The protesters demanded:
o Military neutrality.
o Direct gas supply contracts, including with Russia.
o Denial of permanent settlement to Ukrainian refugees.

Czech Republic
 The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
 It is bordered by:
o Austria in the South.
o Germany in the West.
o Poland in the Northeast.
o Slovakia to the Southeast.
 The Czech Republic has mostly temperate continental and oceanic climates.
 Prague is the capital and largest city.
 The Czech Republic has a developed, high-income, export-oriented economy based on services, manufacturing
and innovation.

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Emergency in Srilanka
 India and Sri Lanka have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction and the relationship
between the two countries are more than 2500 years old. Buddhism is one of the strongest pillars connecting the
two nations and civilizations from the time of the Great Indian Emperor Ashoka.
 Sri Lanka is going through an economic Crisis, which is affecting millions of people as they are struggling to buy
food, medicine, fuel and other daily essentials.

How Sri Lanka Fell into Economic Crisis

 Since its Independence, there were a lacked foreign currency; the country cannot afford to pay for imports of
staple foods and fuel.
 The root of the present crisis lies in economic mismanagement.
 The covid-19 Pandemic has affected the exports of tea, rubber, spices and garments.
 The tourism industry was negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a huge decline in
foreign reserves and rises in the current account deficit, further credit rating agencies downgraded Sri Lanka and
effectively locked it out of international capital markets.
 The government‘s ban on chemical fertilizers to become the first country to fully adopt organic farming backfired,
as it affected the productivity of crops.
 As of February 2022, the country was left with only $2.31 billion in its reserves but faces debt repayments of
around $4 billion in 2022.

India‘s Support to Sri Lanka in the present Crisis

 India has extended financial assistance to the tune of $2.4 billion in the last three months to Sri Lanka, which
includes a $400 billion RBI currency swap, deferral of a $500 million loan and a $1.5-billion credit line for
importing fuel, food and medicines.
 A diesel shipment under a $500 million credit line signed with India.
 Sri Lanka and India have signed a $1 billion credit line for importing essentials, including food and medicine.

Sri Lanka is a geopolitically important country and India wants a stable neighbourhood to counter increasing
Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region, but at the same time, India doesn‘t want to get involved in any regional
Politics. Therefore India clearly stated that ―India will continue to provide Sri Lanka with economic support but not
political support‖ to ensure peace and stability in the region.

I2U2 grouping
 I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE and the US, and It is also frequently referred to as the ‗West Asian Quad‘.
The objective is to discuss ―common areas of mutual interest, to strengthen the economic partnership in trade and
investment in our respective regions and beyond‖.

Role of I2U2:
 The Grouping have mutually recognized 6 areas of association to encourage joint investments in these areas:
water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security. It aims to Strengthen the relationship between
Israel and Gulf partners of the I2U2 grouping.

Significance of the ‗I2U2‘ for India

 It will Strengthen India‘s relations with Israel and West Asian countries or Gulf partners. It will help India to close
the diplomatic gap between Israel and the Gulf countries.
 It will Safeguard and promote India‘s interests; as UAE and Saudi Arabia are important oil exporters to India and
Israel is India‘s important defence partner.
 It will strengthen India‘s ties with the USA; India and the USA now have two platforms to engage; QUAD and
I2U2 group.
 With the help of ―private sector capital and expertise‖, India will look to modernize infrastructure, explore low-
carbon development avenues for industries, improve public health, and promote the development of critical
emerging and green technologies.

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West Asia region is infamous for diplomatic tension and mistrust, to make the group effective and efficient; there is a
need to take confidence-building measures between Israel and the Arab countries as they have historical trust issues
due to frequent conflicts between them.
I2U2 grouping is a good opportunity for India to deepen its economic and diplomatic relations with other members,
and India can also act as a communication channel to build trust between Israel and the Arab countries.

GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING (GEM) REPORT 2022

Context
 The Global Education Monitoring Report 2022 was released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Key Points of the Report

 South Asia has experienced fast education expansion in the past 30 years, and India is working as the driving
nation in this region.
 In India, in the last 8 years, of every 10 new schools established, 7 are private independent schools.
 The report highlighted that inadequate supply and quality of public education, combined with parental
aspirations, have driven private education growth in India.
 The report says that in India ―Only 46% of adults agreed that providing school education is the primary
responsibility of the government, this is the lowest share amongst 35 middle-and high-income countries
globally.‖
 The report highlighted that in India, there is a mass increase in the rates of private tutoring, with nearly 61% of
secondary school students taking private tutoring due to the poor quality of school education.
 The report stated that nearly 75% of students in India and Pakistan, and 25% in Nepal are in private schools that
receive no state support.
 In India, there are nearly 4,139 unrecognized madrasas that educate over 500,000 students.
 The report mentioned that there are regulations and guidelines against teachers providing tutoring to their
students, and at present no licensing or registration is required to set up private tutoring.
 The survey found that;
o 73% of parents chose private schools as public schools did not meet quality standards and did not provide
quality education.
o 12% of parents chose private schools as they offered English-medium education.
o 10% of parents chose private schools because public schools were not available

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UNESCO
 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the
United Nations (UN).
 It aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences
and culture.
 It has 193 member states, headquartered in Paris, France.
 UNESCO was founded in 1945 to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights by facilitating
collaboration and dialogue among nations.

THE BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE

Context
 The deal, brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul in July 2022.
o The central idea was to calm markets by ensuring an adequate supply of grains, thereby limiting food price
inflation.

Why was the grain export deal signed?

 Ukraine is one of the world‘s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia‘s invasion of the
country and naval blockade of its ports has halted shipments.
 Some grain is being transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but the prices of vital commodities like
wheat and barley have soared during the nearly five-month war.
 Ukrainian and Russian military delegations reached a tentative agreement on a U.N. plan that would also allow
Russia to export its grain and fertilizers.

What is the grain export deal?

 The deal makes provisions for the safe passage of ships.
 It foresees the establishment of a control centre in Istanbul, to be staffed by U.N., Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian
officials, to run and coordinate the process.
 Ships would undergo inspections to ensure they are not carrying weapons.
 No Russian ship would escort vessels and there would be no Russian representative present at Ukrainian
ports.
 Ukraine was expected to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in
Black Sea ports due to the war.

ANNA MAY WONG

Context
 Late Hollywood actress and fashion icon Anna May Wong became the first Asian American to feature on the
United States (US) currency.
 A quarter-dollar coin featuring Wong‘s face will be circulating from 24th October 2022.

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Anna May Wong

 Wong Liu Tsong (1905 – 1961), was known professionally as Anna May Wong. She was born in Los Angeles to
second-generation Chinese-American parents.
 She was an American actress, considered the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood.
 She acted in silent film, sound film, television, stage, and radio.
 She started her film career at the age of 14 years.
 She became a fashion icon and achieved international stardom in 1924.
 Discouraged by the stereotypical supporting roles in Hollywood, Wong left for Europe in 1928, where she starred
in several notable plays and films.
 During World War II, she devoted her time and money to helping the Chinese cause against Japan.
 She died in 1961, at the age of 56, from a heart attack.

GENDER GAP
Context
 India ranked 135 among 146 countries in the recently released Global Gender Gap Index 2022.
o In 2021, India ranked 140 out of 156 nations.
 Iceland ranked at the top and it is the only country to have closed more than 90% of its Gender gap.
 Global Gender Gap Index was released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
 In the sub-index of ―health and survival‖, India has ranked (146th) as the worst performer in the world.
 According to the report, India will take more than 132 years to reach gender equality.
 India has ranked poorly among its neighbours and it is behind:
o Bangladesh (71)
o Nepal (96)
o Sri Lanka (110)
o Maldives (117)
o Bhutan (126).
 In South Asia, only the performance of Iran (143), Pakistan (145) and Afghanistan (146) was worse than India.
 India‘s scored 0.629 (out of 1), and this was the 7th-highest score in the past 16 years.
 The report mentioned that the labour force participation shrunk for both men (by 9.5%) and women (3%).

Steps taken by the Indian Government to ensure gender equality

 The Union Government is implementing several schemes/programs to ensure welfare, rehabilitation,
empowerment, education and generating employment opportunities for women.
 SwadharGreh Scheme aims to provide shelter, food, clothing, counselling, training, clinical and legal, and
rehabilitation in difficult circumstances; homeless due to family discord, crime, violence, mental stress, social
ostracism or being forced into prostitution, etc.
 A Home for widows has been set up in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh to provide a safe place to stay, health services,
nutritious food, and legal and counselling services.
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, to address the declining Child Sex Ratio.
 PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) Providing Cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant
and nursing mothers.
 Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims at girls in the age group 11-18, to empower and improve their social status
through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training
 Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme to promote community participation through the involvement of
Student Volunteers for the empowerment of rural women
 National Creche Scheme to provide daycare facilities to children of the age group of 6 months to 6 years of
working women who are employed.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) to provide micro-credit to poor women for various livelihood support and
income-generating activities at concessional terms.
 Ujjawala is a Comprehensive Scheme for the prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration
and repatriation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

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 Working Women Hostels for ensuring safe accommodation for women working away from their place of
residence.
 One-Stop Centre (OSC) and Women Helpline (WH) are being implemented to facilitate access to an integrated
range of services including medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/ case management, psychosocial counselling
and temporary support services to women affected by violence.
 The gender Budgeting Scheme is being implemented as a tool for mainstreaming gender perspective at various
stages of planning, budgeting, implementation, impact assessment and revisiting of policy/programme objectives
and allocations.
 Panic Button on Mobile Phones.
 Emergency Response Support System Set up under Nirbhaya Fund.
 Mahila Police Volunteers, to report the incidences of violence against women.
 Inclusion of Acid Attack as a disability.
 Training for Women Heads of Panchayats.
 Extending Maternity Leave duration From 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, Providing micro-credit to Poor women through NGOs, SHGs.
 Mahila e-Haat, online digital marketing Platform for women.
 New Passport Rules, Submission of the father's name is not mandatory and Does not need to submit her/his
marriage/divorce Certificates.
 The dowry Prohibition Act, of 1961, Penalizes Giving and taking.
 SABLA Scheme, Provides life Skills and Supplementary nutrition to out-of-school girls.
 Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box).
 The national database on Sexual offenders includes the name, addresses, photographs and fingerprint details of
those Convicted in Sexual assault Cases.

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ECONOMIC ISSUES
FOREIGN CONTRIBUTION REGULATION ACT (FCRA)

Context
 The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of
the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) for alleged violations of the
provisions of the FCRA Act.

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act

 The FCRA was enacted in 1976 to regulate foreign money into the country through independent organizations.
 The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was amended by the Indian Parliament in 2010.
o To effectively regulate the foreign contribution by individuals or associations or companies.
 The Union Minister of Home Affairs introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill in 2020,
which made several changes.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020

 The Act regulates the acceptance and utilization of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and
companies.
o Foreign contribution is the donation or transfer of any currency, security or article (of beyond a specified
value) by a foreign source.
 Prohibition to accept foreign Contributions: Certain persons are prohibited to accept any foreign contribution.
These include:
o Election candidates, editors or publishers of a newspaper, judges, government servants, members of any
legislature, and political parties, among others.
o The Bill adds public servants (as defined under the Indian Penal Code) to this list. A public servant includes any
person who is in service or paid by the government or remunerated by the government for the performance of
any public duty.
 Transfer of foreign Contributions
o Foreign contributions cannot be transferred to any other person unless such person is also registered to accept
foreign contributions (or has obtained prior permission under the Act to obtain foreign contributions).
 The Act prohibited the transfer of foreign contributions to any other person. The term ‗person‘ under the Act
includes an individual, an association, or a registered company.

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 Aadhar for registration

o Any person seeking registration (or renewal of such registration) or prior permission for receiving a foreign
contribution must make an application to the central government in the prescribed manner.
o The Act adds that any person seeking prior permission, registration or renewal of registration must provide
the Aadhar number of all its office bearers, directors or key functionaries, as an identification document.
o In the case of a foreigner, they must provide a copy of their passport or the Overseas Citizen of India card
for identification.
 FCRA Account
o Foreign contributions must be received only in an account designated by the bank as an ―FCRA account‖ in
such a branch of the State Bank of India, New Delhi, as notified by the central government.
o No funds other than the foreign contribution should be received or deposited in this account.
o The person may open another FCRA account in any scheduled bank of their choice for keeping or utilizing the
received contribution.
 Restriction in the utilization of foreign contribution
o The Government may restrict the usage of unutilized foreign contributions for persons who have been granted
prior permission to receive such contributions.
 Renewal of licence
o Every person who has been given a certificate of registration must renew the certificate within 6 months of
expiration.
o The Act provides that the government may conduct an inquiry before renewing the certificate.
 Reduction in the use of foreign contributions for administrative purposes
o A person who receives a foreign contribution must use it only for the purpose for which the contribution is
received.
o They must not use more than 20% of the contribution for meeting administrative expenses (earlier it was
50%).
 Suspension of Registration
o Earlier governments may suspend the registration of a person for a period not exceeding 180 days.
o The Act adds that such suspension may be extended up to an additional 180 days.
 The Union government reserves the right to cancel the FCRA registration of any NGO if it finds it to violate the
Act.
o Registration of the NGO can be cancelled for a range of reasons. Once the registration is cancelled, it is not
eligible for re-registration for three years.
o All orders of the government can be challenged in the High Court.

Way Forward
 NGOs must be made an essential part of the development process by simplifying the regulatory process. They can
play a major role in providing a voice to the grievances of the poor, tribals and other marginalized section of
society and make them aware of their rights. They could work with the government to achieve socioeconomic
development goals.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION

Context
 The Vice-President of India has launched Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS) Toolkit 2023.
o On this occasion, he described ―quality, quantity and continuity‖ as the core principles of the Jal Jeevan
Mission for ensuring a strong and credible accountability mechanism in the implementation of this people-
centric program.
 The toolkit has been developed by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to help the States/ UTs understand the
assessment criteria.

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Jal Jeevan Mission

 The Mission was launched on August 15, 2019.
 Implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti
 To provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections by 2024 to all rural
households and public institutions; Gram Panchayat building, Primary Schools, Anganwadi centre, Health and
wellness centres, etc.

Features
 The Mission ensures community participation and also includes an Awareness, Education and Communication
Campaign.
 Development of water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household.
 Development of drinking water sources to ensure the long-term sustainability of the water supply system.
 Other features; Providing training, establishing water quality laboratories, Strict water quality testing and
surveillance, Promoting Research work, starting a knowledge centre, a programme for capacity building of
communities, etc.

Significance of the Mission

 Jal Jeevan Mission has brought socio-economic benefits to the rural population.
 Regular tap water supply relieves people, especially women and young girls, from carrying heavy bucket loads of
water to meet their daily household needs.
 The saved time can be used for income generation activities, learning new skills and supporting children‘s
education.

Concern
 India has adequate fresh water. The problem is inefficient and wasteful use.
 Law and policy measures to address it remain insufficient. The primary source of domestic water and irrigation is
groundwater but the media and policymakers still and often focus on surface water.
 The reason for the excessive use of groundwater is the legal framework governing access to the
resource; landowners see groundwater as their own and as a resource, they can exploit without considering the
need to protect
 The present framework remains mostly top-down and is incapable of addressing local situations adequately.
 Water usage for major crops in India is two to four times that in other large farming nations due to wasteful flood
irrigation, mostly in northern India.
 The present subsidy structure ―encourages using more inputs such as fertilizer, water and power. Most states
provide electricity either for free or at a flat rate. This leads to wasteful water extraction.
 About 80 Crore Indians face water Scarcity and about 2 lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to
Safe water.
 The population of India will be more than 1.5 billion people by 2030. Achieving food Security for this rising
Population becomes more difficult with water Scarcity.
 No Indian City Supplied 24x7 water to its entire urban Population, and only 35% of urban households in India
had piped water.
 Water Shortages Can hamper industrial operations
 Biodiversity is impacted by human activities undertaken to Create additional water Sources. These activities
include dam Construction and river diversion which Can lead to Changes in water flow, Salinity levels, and
monsoon Patterns.

Steps by the Government for water management

 The government of India launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan with a mission mode approach intended to improve
water availability including groundwater conditions in the water-stressed blocks in India.
 National Water Policy (2012) has been formulated by the Department of Water Resources for the conservation of
rivers, river bodies and infrastructure in a scientifically planned manner through community participation.

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 Central Ground Water Authority has been constituted under the ―Environment (Protection) Act, 1986‖ for
regulation and control of groundwater development and management in the Country.
 Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater 2020 has been prepared in consultation with States/UTs.
 Construction of watershed management structure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme.
 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana promotes water conservation and management, water harvesting, soil
and moisture conservation, groundwater recharge, flood protection, and land development.
 Atal Bhujal Yojana for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation is being taken
up in the identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Way Forward
 Need to adopt innovative approaches to Sustainable Operation and Maintenance. Involve community members
at all Stages, and ensure effective Communication among all stakeholders.
 Government and administration should work with local communities to revive traditional water bodies, and
design and construct cost-effective groundwater recharge structures; such as check dams, ponds, farm ponds,
tanks, recharge wells, etc.
 The Water Management program focuses on recharging underground aquifers and promoting rainwater
harvesting. This improves the availability and quality of groundwater in the long run and provides water security
to all.
 India has one of the largest watershed management programs in the world. This programme will enhance this
progress by adopting and applying scientific technologies, decision-support tools, and knowledge exchanges.

BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO SCHEME

Context
 The Union Government announced the inclusion of the skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL)
under the ‗Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ scheme.
 The scheme will now also focus on increasing the enrolment of girls in secondary education, particularly in STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.

Background
 The Census of 2011 reflects a declining trend in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) between 0-6 years with an all-time low
at 918.
 A decline in CSR reflects:
 Pre-birth discrimination through gender-biased sex selection.
 Post-birth discrimination against girls (in form of their health, nutrition, and educational needs).

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme

 In 2015, the Union Government has launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme.
 It is a tri-ministerial effort of;
 Ministry of Women and Child Development.
 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
 Ministry of Education (Earlier Ministry of Human Resource Development).
Since 2021 the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Minority Affairs have also
been added as partners.
The programme only focuses on awareness campaigns and no provision of individual cash transfers by the
Government.
The scheme is now subsumed into Mission Shakti.
Objectives of the Scheme;
 Prevent gender-biased sex selective elimination.
 Ensure the survival and protection of the girl child.
 Ensure the education and participation of the girl child.

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 Increase girls' participation in the fields of sports.

The scheme aims to achieve:
 Improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) by 2 points every year,
 Improvement in the percentage of institutional deliveries sustained at the rate of 95% or above.
 1% increase in enrolment at the secondary education level and skilling of girls/women per year.
 To check the dropout rate among girls at secondary and higher secondary levels.
 Raising awareness about safe menstrual hygiene management (MHM)

The Union Government is implementing several schemes/programs to ensure welfare, rehabilitation, empowerment,
education and generating employment opportunities for women
 SwadharGreh Scheme aims to provide shelter, food, clothing, counselling, training, clinical and legal, and
rehabilitation in difficult circumstances; homeless due to family discord, crime, violence, mental stress, social
ostracism or being forced into prostitution, etc.
 A Home for widows has been set up in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh to provide a safe place to stay, health services,
nutritious food, and legal and counselling services.
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, to address the declining Child Sex Ratio.
 PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) Providing Cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant
and nursing mothers.
 Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims at girls in the age group 11-18, to empower and improve their social status
through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training
 Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme to promote community participation through the involvement of
Student Volunteers for the empowerment of rural women
 National Creche Scheme to provide daycare facilities to children of the age group of 6 months to 6 years of
working women who are employed.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) to provide micro-credit to poor women for various livelihood support and
income-generating activities at concessional terms.
 Ujjawala is a Comprehensive Scheme for the prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration
and repatriation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
 Working Women Hostels for ensuring safe accommodation for women working away from their place of
residence.
 One-Stop Centre (OSC) and Women Helpline (WH) are being implemented to facilitate access to an integrated
range of services including medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/ case management, psychosocial counselling
and temporary support services to women affected by violence.
 The gender Budgeting Scheme is being implemented as a tool for mainstreaming gender perspective at various
stages of planning, budgeting, implementation, impact assessment and revisiting of policy/programme objectives
and allocations.
 Panic Button on Mobile Phones.
 Emergency Response Support System Set up under Nirbhaya Fund.
 Mahila Police Volunteers, to report the incidences of violence against women.
 Inclusion of Acid Attack as a disability.
 Training for Women Heads of Panchayats.
 Extending Maternity Leave duration From 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, Providing micro-credit to Poor women through NGOs, SHGs.
 Mahila e-Haat, online digital marketing Platform for women.
 New Passport Rules, Submission of the father's name is not mandatory and does not need to submit her/his
marriage/divorce Certificates.
 The dowry Prohibition Act, of 1961, Penalizes Giving and taking.
 SABLA Scheme, Provides life Skills and Supplementary nutrition to out-of-school girls.
 Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box).
 The national database on Sexual offenders includes the name, addresses, photographs and fingerprint details of
those Convicted in Sexual assault Cases.

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FOOD SECURITY
Context
 The Supreme Court of India has directed the Union government to expand the coverage under the National
Food Security Act (NFSA).
o The main objective of the verdict was to provide benefits to needy persons and citizens under the provisions
of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
 The Supreme Court also directed the States to register unorganized workers, including migrant labourers, on
the e-Shram portal within 6 weeks.

Food Security
 The basic concept of food security is to ensure that all people, at all times, should get access to basic food.
 The right to food is part of the fundamental right to life enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
 The government enacted the National Food Security Act, of 2013 to shift the approach from welfare to a rights-
based approach.
 National Food Security Act, 2013
 The National Food Security Act, of 2013 was notified to provide food and nutritional security.
 The objective of the Act is to provide food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach, by
ensuring access to an adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices for people to live a life with dignity.
 The Act provides for coverage of up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population for
receiving subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-
thirds of the population.
 The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 Kg of foodgrains per person per month at subsidized prices of Rs.
3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
 The existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will continue
to receive 35 Kg of foodgrains per household per month.
 Corresponding to the all-India coverage of 75% and 50% in the rural and urban areas, State-wise coverage is
determined by the Central Government.
 The work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs.
 Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years are entitled to meals
as per prescribed nutritional norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal
(MDM) schemes.
 Children up to 14 years of age are entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case
of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive a food security allowance.
 Besides meals to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after childbirth, such
women are entitled to receive maternity benefits of not less than Rs. 6,000.
 The eldest woman of the household age 18 years or above be the head of the household to issue ration cards.
 Grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels. States will have the flexibility to use the existing
machinery or set up separate mechanisms.

PM GARIB KALYAN ANN YOJNA (PMGKAY)

Context
 The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY-
Phase VII) for the next 3 months (October to December 2022).
 Under PMGKAY, 5 kg of food grain per person per month is provided free of cost for all the beneficiaries covered
under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
 PMGKAY is in operation for 25 months;
o Phase I and II: April‘20 to Nov.‘20
o Phase-III to V: May‘21 to March‘22
o Phase-VI: April‘22 to Sept.‘22

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Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

 Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a food security welfare scheme announced by the
Government of India in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
 The program is implemented by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
 Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a scheme as part of AtmaNirbhar Bharat to supply
free food grains to migrants and the poor.
 The objective of the Scheme is to support the poorest citizens of India by providing grain through the Public
Distribution System.
 The scale of this welfare scheme makes it the largest food security program in the world.
 PMGKAY provides 5 kg of rice or wheat (according to regional dietary preferences) per person and 1 kg of pulses
to each family holding a ration card.

Beneficiaries
 Families belonging to the Below Poverty Line, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH)
categories will be eligible for the scheme.
o PHH are to be identified by State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as per criteria evolved by
them.
o AAY families are to be identified by States/UTs as per the criteria prescribed by the Central Government.
 Households headed by widows or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of
subsistence or societal support.
 All primitive tribal households.
 Landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen such as potters, tanners, weavers,
blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers, and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector
like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers,
cobblers, destitute and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
 All eligible Below Poverty Line families of HIV-positive persons.

Present Status
 The government has spent approximately Rs 2.6 lakh crore so far and another Rs 80,000 crore will be spent over
the next six months till September 2022, taking the total expenditure under PM-GKAY to nearly Rs 3.4 lakh crore.
 The scheme covers 80 crore ration cardholders across the countries who are supplied 5 kg of rice or wheat and
one kg of pulses per person per month.
 The benefit of the free ration can be availed through Ration card portability by any migrant labourer or
beneficiary under the One Nation One Ration Card plan from nearly five lakh ration shops across the country.
o So far, over 61 crore portability transactions have benefited the beneficiaries away from their homes.
 Phase-I and Phase-II of this scheme were operational from April to June 2020 and July to November 2020
respectively.
o Phase III of the scheme was operational from May to June 2021.
o Phase IV of the scheme is currently operational for July-November, 2021.
o Phase-V of the scheme from December 2021 to March 2022.
o Phase VI of the scheme from April 2022 to September 2022.
Steps by the Government to reduce Poverty and Hunger
 The government launched an Action Plan on ‗Undernourishment frees India‘ by 2022.
 National Nutrition Strategy has set targets for 2022 and Poshan Abhiyan has Specified 3-year targets to Reduce
Stunting, undernutrition and low birth weight by 2% each year and to reduce anaemia by 3% each year.
 The public Distribution System (PDS) under NFSA (National Food Security Act), 2013 Provides food grains to
67% of India‘s Population at Subsidised Prices.
o The Beneficiaries are entitled to 5 kilograms per person per month of cereals at the following prices: Rice at ₹3
per kg, Wheat at ₹2 per kg, and coarse grains at ₹1 per kg.
o Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free cereals.

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o Pregnant women and lactating mothers will also be entitled to receive maternity benefits of not less than Rs.
6,000.
o The eldest woman of the household age 18 years or above be the head of the household to issue ration cards.
o Provision for food security allowance to entitled beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled food grains or
meals.
 Operation Green to reduce Price volatility, Provide vegetables to Consumers at Affordable Prices.
 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) guarantees the ―right to work‖ to
adult members of any rural household at Statutory minimum wage, 100 days of employment.
 Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission.

Concern
 Approx 200 million people in India sleep hungry every night.
 The green revolution turned India into a Food Surplus nation, but a large part of the Population is Still Poor
and Malnourished.
 Challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in rural areas.
 Evidence Confirms that increased income does not necessarily translate into improved diets and nutrition.

Steps need to be taken to reduce Poverty and Hunger

 Ensure Sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
 Investing in people to build human capital.
 Providing Safe Water and Sanitation for all.
 Better transport Connectivity.
 Partnership with the Private Sector on infrastructure.
 Boosting agriculture to Create jobs.
 Supporting Children, adolescent girls, and women.
 Facilitating women‘s economic empowerment.
 Promoting universal Social Protection.
 Addressing the growing risks of Violence, Disasters and Climate Change.
 Raising agricultural Productivity and Promoting Climate-Smart agriculture.
 Ensure access to affordable and reliable energy.
 Investing in education to boost job Skills.
 Promote regional integration.
 Ensuring food and nutritional Security through alleviation of poverty and hunger.
 Integrating Agri Production, Nutrition and health.
 Sustainable use of traditional Crops, vegetables, and fruit trees, as well as greater livestock diversity, to increase
income and improve food and nutrition security in rural India.
 Bio-fortification is important in overcoming hidden hunger Caused by micronutrient deficiencies Such as iron,
iodine, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B12.
 Continue to identify issues and seek evidence-based solutions through research. Improve Connections between
agricultural and nutritional research.
 Decrease food loss and waste through more efficient distribution Systems.
 Address the dual burdens of under-nutrition and obesity to ensure full human potential.

Way Forward
 Poverty is a condition in which an individual or household lacks the financial resources to afford a basic
minimum Standard of living. PM-GKAY would help us to fulfil the national goal of freedom from hunger and
will ensure them a minimum standard of living and a minimum standard of public health.
 Even though COVID-19 cases have declined and economic activities are gathering momentum, this PM-GKAY
extension would ensure that no poor household goes to bed without food during this time of recovery.

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GROSS NON-PERFORMING ASSETS

Context
 The Gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) of Indian banks are expected to decline to 5% this fiscal year, and
to 4% by March 31, 2024, as the economy is showing a strong post-pandemic economic recovery and higher credit
growth, according to a study released by Crisil Ratings.
 The asset grade of the Indian banking sector also benefits from the sale of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) to the
National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. (NARCL).
 The study also raised concerns about the highly unequal recovery in various sectors.
o Maximum improvement was seen in the corporate sector, where gross NPAs may decline to 2% in the next
fiscal year from 16% NPAs in March 2018.
o However, Gross NPAs in the MSME sector may increase to 10-11% by March 2024 from 9.3% in March 2022.

Non-Performing Assets (NPAs)

 A non-performing asset (NPA) is a classification used by financial institutions for loans/credits/advances on
which the principal is due and no interest payments have been paid for a period.
 In easier words, if the clients do not repay the principal amount and interest for a certain period, then such loans
are classified as Non-Performing Assets (NPAs).
An account will be classified as NPA if the interest payment remains overdue for more than 90 days.
 In the banking sector, accounts are classified as NPAs on the day the account becomes overdue for more than 90
days.
 However, in many Non-Banking Financial companies (NBFC), this classification is made after the end of 90 or 180
days.

Types of NPAs
 Standard Assets: It is a kind of performing asset on which principal and interest are due for anywhere from 90
days to 12 months. These assets carry a normal risk and are not NPA in the real sense.
 Therefore, no special provisions are required for standard assets.
Sub-Standard Assets: Loans and advances which are non-performing assets for 12 months, fall under the
category of Sub-Standard Assets.
Doubtful Assets: Assets are classified as doubtful when principal and interest for more than 12 months are
known as Doubtful Assets.
Loss Assets: All those assets which cannot be recovered by the lending institutions are known as Loss Assets.

Concern
 The problem of NPAs in the Indian banking system had impacted the Indian Economy and negatively affected
its Growth potential.
 It reduced the profitability and credit growth of the banks.
 According to the Basel norms, banks are required to maintain a Capital Adequacy Ratio of 8%.
 Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the ratio of a bank‘s capital in relation to its risk-weighted assets and current
liabilities. CAR is decided by central banks and bank regulators of a country.
 In India, as per RBI guidelines, Indian banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9% while Indian public sector
banks have to maintain a CAR of 12%.
 Every increase in the NPAs level adds to risk-weighted assets which require banks to increase their capital under
Capital Adequacy Ratio.
To maintain profitability, banks decrease the interest rates on deposits and charge high-interest rates on
loans/credit/advances. This negatively affects economic growth.
The credibility of the Indian banking system might decline due to higher NPAs levels because it directly affects
public trust.

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Steps to Manage NPAs

 Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC)
 Asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) are specialized financial institutions that buy NPAs from banks and
financial institutions and aid them in cleaning up their balance sheets.
 They function under the regulatory supervision of the Reserve Bank of India.
 ARCs save the time and effort of banks in going after defaulters and thus allow them to focus on normal banking
activities.
Bad Bank
 A bad bank is a corporate structure that isolates high-risk assets or non-performing loans held by a bank or a
financial organization.
 Bad Bank aimed at easing the stressed assets burden of banks and allowing them to lend more actively.
 It generally does not have a primary purpose of generating profits. It will mainly focus on resolving and
restructuring accounts.
 It works by demarcating assets into good assets (that are repaid within time) and toxic or bad assets (defaulted
loans).
 Such toxic assets are meant to be transferred from the books of banks to bad banks at a price below their book
value, for the sole purpose of recovery of risky assets.
National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd
 It is India‘s first-ever Bad Bank, which was set up in 2021, and RBI has recently granted permission under the
SARFAESI Act 2002.
 If the bad bank is unable to sell the bad loan or has to sell it at a loss, then the government guarantee will be
invoked.
 To manage assets with the help of market professionals and turnaround experts, the Government will also set up
India Debt Resolution Company Ltd. (IDRCL) along with NARCL.
 The IDRCL is a service company or an operational entity wherein public sector banks (PSBs) and PFIs will hold a
maximum of 49% stake and the rest will be with private-sector lenders. When the assets are sold, with the help of
IDRCL, the commercial banks will be paid back the rest.

Way Forward
 There must be a sunset clause in the resolution process. It is necessary to develop time-bound strategies for the
resolution of assets, or else the bad bank will be reduced to a mere parking space for bad loans.
 Bad Banks should have a suitable mechanism in place that can facilitate funding for maintaining the quality of
assets till their resolution.
Banks have to accept losses on loans (or ‗haircuts‘). They must do voluntarily; without any fear of harassment by
investigative agencies.
Recently The Indian Banks‘ Association has set up a six-member panel to oversee the resolution plans of lead
lenders. To expedite resolution, more such panels are required.
There is an urgent need to set up a Loan Resolution Authority, if necessary through an Act of Parliament. Also,
the government must infuse at one go whatever additional capital is needed to recapitalize banks — providing
such capital in multiple instalments is not helpful.
Concerns and loopholes raised over bad banks (NARCL) must be readdressed to promote transparency and
accountability in the mechanism and to ensure its independence.
Global experiences show that the recovery process for NPSs must be made flexible as per the needs of the
business and economic sectors.

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PM-SHRI Yojana
Context
 On the occasion of Teacher's Day, the Prime Minister highlighted that under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For
Rising India (PM-SHRI) Yojana, the government will develop and upgrade14, 500 schools across India.
 The Prime Minister stated that the PM-SHRI yojana would benefit lakhs of students across India and also
support the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).

New Education Policy-2020

 The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was released in July 2020.
 NEP 2020 will replace the National Policy on Education, 1986.
 It aims at ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12.
 It Ensures quality early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years.
 It introduced a New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4).
o 5 years of foundational stage (for ages 3 to 8).
o 3 years of preparatory stage (for ages 8 to 11 or classes 3 to 5).
o 3 years of middle stage (for ages 11 to 14 or classes 6 to 8).
o 4 years of secondary stage (for ages 14 to 18 or classes 9 to 12).
 No strict separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, and between
vocational and academic streams.
 To establish a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
 Promoting multilingualism and Indian languages.
 Reform in Assessment of Board Exams. Setting up a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance
Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development).
 Special priority is given to socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups.
 A separate Gender Inclusion fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups;
 A transparent process for recruitment of teachers and merit-based performance assessment.
 Ensuring availability of all resources through school complexes and clusters.
 Setting up of the State School Standards Authority.
 Promoting Vocational education in school and higher education systems.
 Increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50%.
 Multidisciplinary Education with multiple entry/exit options.
 Establishment of Academic Bank of Credit
 Setting up of Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities.
 Setting up of the National Research Foundation.
 Expansion of open and distance learning to increase GER.
 Teacher Education - 4-year integrated stage-specific, subject-specific Bachelor of Education
 All higher education institutions (HEIs) will be restructured into 3 categories:
o Research universities focus equally on research and teaching.
o Teaching universities focus primarily on teaching.
o Degree-granting colleges primarily focused on undergraduate teaching.
 Multiple mechanisms with checks and balances will combat and stop the commercialization of higher education.
 All education institutions will be held to similar standards of audit and disclosure as not-for-profit entities.
 The Centre and the States will work together to increase public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of
GDP at the earliest.
 Strengthening of the Central Advisory Board of Education to ensure coordination to bring overall focus on quality
education.

Challenges in Indian Education System

 India has achieved universal enrolment at the elementary level. This is a great achievement, but getting Students
to School is only the beginning of human Capital formation.
 Poor quality of facilities, Shortage of qualified faculty.
 Date Curriculum, Limited university-industry Partnership.

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 Indian-origin Scientists have won the Nobel Prize, but post-independence work done in India has not led to a
Science novel. If Indians Studying and working abroad can have a great impact, then obviously the problem has
to do with our Systems of education and research.
 Broken Governance System. There are few rewards for being a good teacher and few Punishments for being a
Careless one. Need more effective and accountable governance Systems.
 The greed of Private Colleges to earn the maximum from every Student puts traumatic Pressure on Students
which results in mental breakdown.
 More girls than boys drop out of School. While boys drop out to work, girls usually Stay at home and help
with domestic Work. Social Conception of gender roles is an important factor.
 Learning loss due to pandemics and the digital divide.

Steps taken by the Government

 The 86th Constitution Amendment provides the Fundamental right to free and compulsory education under
Article 21A includes a Common education System where the ―rich and Poor are educated under one roof".
 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan provides funding to eligible State higher educational institutions.
 Declaration of Educational Institutions as institutions of Eminence, to provide world-class education to Indian
Students within the Country.
 Creation of a Higher Education Financing Agency, for high-quality infrastructure in Premier educational
institutions.
 National Institution Ranking Framework for ranking our higher education institutions.
 GIAN Initiative invites distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, and experts from premier
institutions across the world to teach in higher educational institutions in India.
 Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to Provide Personalised instructions based on Student needs.
 The government needs to work on improving digital infrastructure and ensure that students have access to
mobile phones or laptops.
 SWAYAM Portal for Online Courses.
 SWAYAM Prabha Provide HD educational Channels through DTH on a 24X7 basis.
 Sodhganga to develop a national repository of universities in India, and digital Study material for higher
education.
 Samagra Shiksha Scheme to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.
 The government is encouraging Open Online Courses via Swayam Platforms So that Students Can have access to
quality lectures online.

SMILE 75 INITIATIVES
Context
 The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the ‗SMILE-75‘ initiative.
 The main objective of the scheme is to ensure comprehensive rehabilitation of baggers in 75 identified
municipalities as a part of the 75th year of Independence day celebrations.
 The initiative is a part of the Ministry‘s ongoing SMILE project.

Details
 The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched an umbrella scheme ―SMILE: Support for
Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise‖ to cover several comprehensive measures including
welfare measures for both transgender persons and persons who are engaged in the act of begging.
 The Ministry allocated Rs 265 cr under Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons, and Rs
100 cr under Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons engaged in the Act of Begging for the years 2021-22 to
2025-26.

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About SMILE Scheme

 The Scheme aims to provide welfare and rehabilitation to the Transgender community and the people engaged in
the act of begging.
 The 2 sub-schemes of SMILE are:
o Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons.
o Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation engaged in the act of Begging‘.
 It aims to provide comprehensive welfare and rehabilitation measures to the Transgender community and the
people engaged in the act of begging.
 The scheme aims to ensure social security through multiple dimensions of identity, medical care, education,
occupational opportunities and shelter.

 The Ministry has allocated Rs. 365 Crore for the scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
 It has provisions for Skill Development and Livelihood under the PM-DAKSH scheme.

Expected Outcome of the Scheme

 Through Composite, Medical Health aims to provide a comprehensive package in convergence with PM Jan
Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) supporting Gender-Reaffirmation surgeries through selected hospitals.
 Providing Housing facilities in the form of ‗Garima Greh‘ to ensure food, clothing, recreational facilities, skill
development opportunities, recreational activities and medical support etc. to the Transgender community and
the people engaged in the act of begging.
 The Provision of a Transgender Protection Cell in each state will monitor cases of offences and ensure timely
registration, investigation and prosecution of offences.
 The National Portal and Helpline will provide necessary information and solutions to the Transgender
community and the people engaged in the act of begging when needed.

Concerns
 Transgender face numerous forms of discrimination and injustice, exclusion from participation in social and
cultural life, education, and economic sphere, and political and decision‐making processes.
 Issues with Current legislations:
o Discretionary powers to Police to arrest.
o No distinction between beggars and the homeless.
o Different definitions in different States.
 The problem of beggary, like any other social problem, is multi-dimensional. Its roots are found in the diverse
patterns of its intertwined and interlocked social fabrics.
 According to an estimate, 3 lakh children across India are forced to beg, using everything from addiction to drugs,
to threats of violence and actual beating.
 In India, there is a lack of adequate provision for treatment and social rehabilitation of the blind, deaf, dumb
or physically handicapped. In the absence of any reasonable alternative, such persons are forced to beg.
 Economic factors generally prompt people to take to begging. Among these factors poverty, unemployment,
under-employment and loss of income are important.

Way forward
 These are Social problems and have to be seen in a Holistic manner as there are numerous contributory factors
such as poverty, unemployment, disability and migration.
 Rehabilitate through rehabilitation centres, Setting up Counseling Committees to interact with them and assist
them.
 Sensitizing people and authorities, Coordination of stakeholders such as Civil Society, Government, media,
police and Citizens are needed to end this.
 As a progressive and developing society, we must respect the identity and dignity of all sections of society.
 The Ministry has ensured that every need of the Transgender community and persons engaged in the act of
begging is taken care of in a most professional way.

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 The provision under the SMILE initiative will provide necessary information and solutions to the problems of
the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.

herSTART
Context
 The President of India launched the 'herStart' -- a start-up platform of Gujarat University for women
entrepreneurs.
 On the occasion, the President highlighted that ―If the states move forward by learning and adopting each other's
successful models, then India will ensure its place as a developed country during the Amrit Kal‖.
The President also inaugurated various projects related to education and tribal development at Gujarat
University.
The president said that the 'HerStart' initiative will link women entrepreneurs with various private and
government platforms.

Women Entrepreneurs in India

 Nearly 3 million micro, small, and medium enterprises with full or partial female ownership contribute more than
3 % of industrial output and employ over 8 million people
 78% of women's enterprises belong to the services sector.

Concerns
 The social status of women and prevalent social norms in India influence financial institutions and the ability
of women entrepreneurs to access finance.
 Absence of collateral security and guarantee/support.
 Limited financial awareness and understanding of financial products/ services.
 Bank branches are unwelcoming to women customers.
 Lack of confidence or hesitation to approach financial institutions.
 The lack of reliable information about financial management makes women entrepreneurs less attractive to
financiers.

Way Forward
 Access to finance is key to the growth of the MSME sector in India.
 Microfinance plays a key role in expanding access to finance for low-income women aspiring to become
entrepreneurs.
 Training programs on human resources, financial management, business management, marketing, and financing
the venture.
 Learning from Global Best Practices for Women-owned Enterprise Financing; Westpac Banking Corporation
(AUSTRALIA), American Express (USA).
 DFCU BANK in UGANDA created a ―land loan‖ specifically for women. Women can take a loan to purchase
property that they can later use as collateral for business loans.
 Ensure access to business and financial management training through the bank‘s partnerships with local
universities.
 Simplify the approval process to reduce the number of visits to branches.
 Explore the potential for ―doorstep financial delivery model‖ branchless banking and other innovative delivery
systems tie-ups with NGOs, microfinance institutions, and SHGs.
 Remove dependence on male members of the family as a prerequisite to access finance.
 Promote a friendlier environment for women customers.
 Governments should promote Equal rights to property, joint property registration, and land ownership of
women.
 Formulate women-focused policies to promote women-owned enterprises. Create online customer care support.

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INDIRA GANDHI URBAN EMPLOYMENT SCHEME

Context
 The State government of Rajasthan has launched an urban employment guarantee scheme.
 The scheme is inspired by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA),
and it would provide guaranteed work to people in distress.

Details
 The main objective of the scheme is to provide economic support to the poor and needy families living in the
cities through the work on-demand principles for 100 days a year.
o Work for people aged between 18 and 60 years in eligible families.
 A Janaadhar card or its registration slip would be necessary for the registration, which will be done at e-Mitra
centres.
 More than 3.5 lakh people across the State got themselves registered under the scheme and job cards were issued
to 2.25 lakh of them.
 The State government had appointed several committees at various levels for the effective implementation of the
scheme.
 It would provide livelihood opportunities to the pandemic-affected families and also ease the burden of high
inflation.
 It will reduce the unemployment rate in urban areas.
 Eligible people would get employment in areas such as;
o Environment and water conservation.
o Cleanliness and sanitation.
o Stopping defacement of property.
o Service-related works.
o Convergence work and heritage conservation.
o Tree plantations.
o Cleaning ponds.
o Collecting garbage.
o Catching stray animals.
 The programme will provide economic security and also create urban assets.
 It will also help in protecting the environment, reducing migration and promoting social equity, etc.
 It focuses on the economic and social empowerment of women.
 It provides ―Green‖ and ―Decent‖ work.
 Works under the scheme would help to address the climate change vulnerability and protect the urban area from
such risks and conserve natural resources.

Significance of the Step

 It will provide a 'right to work‖ in accordance with Article 41 which directs the State to secure for all citizens
the right to work.
 It also protects the environment through sustainable urban works, which is consistent with Article 48A which
directs the State to protect the environment.
 Article 21 guarantees the right to life with dignity to every citizen of India, this act promotes dignity among the
rural people through an assurance of livelihood security.
 Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and prevents the State from
discriminating against anyone in matters of employment on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent,
place of birth, place of residence or any of them.
 It will also follow Article 46 which requires the State to promote the interests of and work for the economic uplift
of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and protect them from discrimination and exploitation.
 Article 40 mandates the State to organize village panchayats and award them with such powers and authority as
may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.

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Way Forward
 The major problem right now is low consumption demand due to a decline in income, and businesses cannot sell
their goods, which means that they have no reason to hire. The less consumer demand results in less job
generation. And less job generation results in less demand.
 The government tries to increase spending, by supporting businesses, promoting ease of doing business,
increasing capital expenditure, and providing several socio-economic benefits through several schemes such as
UJJWALA, PM-KISAN, PM-Garib Kalyan etc. By doing this the government creates demand in the economy,
which in turn expands business and creates new jobs.
 Employment programs play an important role in the economy by protecting workers‘ incomes, improving their
standard of living, and supporting the economy during recessions.

NAMASTE PROJECT
Context
 The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is in the process to start a nationwide survey to list all
people engaged in the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
 The Ministry also highlighted that the practice of manual scavenging no longer takes place in the country as all
manual scavengers had been enrolled on the rehabilitation scheme.

Details
 The Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs has announced the ‗NAMASTE scheme‘ for
cleaning sewers and septic tanks.
 NAMASTE (National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem) Scheme is a joint venture between;
o The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
o The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
o The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
 The main objective of the scheme is to ensure;
o Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India.
o No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter.
o All Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers have access to alternative livelihoods.
 The Ministry has announced that;
o They have shortlisted the types of machinery and core equipment required for maintenance works and Safety
gear for Safai Mitras.
o Skill Development and training of Safai Mitras are to be conducted with the help of the Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment through the National Safai Karamchari Finance Development Corporation.

Sanitation workers in India

 Despite the various laws, Sanitation workers in India constantly face stigma and are devoid of fundamental rights.
 During the 1990s, various civil societies started a movement to abolish dry latrines.
 This movement has always demanded the abolition of the dehumanising practice of the manual removal of
human excreta.
 In the present time, the focus shifted to manhole deaths and the requirement of safety equipment for sanitation
workers.
The Union government has enacted an Act in 1993, the act restrict the construction of unsanitary dry latrines
and employing manual scavengers.
 With time, the construction of dry latrines has reduced, but the number of deaths in manholes, sewers and septic
tanks continues to remain high.
According to the data released by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, a total of 971 people lost their
lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993, the year law prohibiting the employment of manual
scavengers was passed.
The occupation of sanitation work is tied with the caste in India. All kinds of cleaning are considered lowly and
are assigned to people from the so-called lowest caste of the social hierarchy.

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 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) released in 2015, states that there were around 18 million manual
scavenging households in rural areas.
 Statistics show that 80% of India‘s sewage cleaners die before they turn 60, after contracting various infectious
diseases.
 Data show the manual scavengers' reluctance to take up self-employment, even if they try to switch jobs; they face
social discrimination due to their caste.

Concern
 Even though manual scavenging is banned in India, the practice is still prevalent in many parts of the country.
 Only in 30% of cases of Compensation awarded after death, hardly anyone receives the Rehabilitation or
Alternative jobs to which they are entitled by law.
 Employers and local authorities are not providing Protective measures.
 When the Government builds toilets through its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, it is not taking into account the
question of who will have to clean the septic tank.
 Rehabilitation has been Slow because they are mostly illiterate and have no Skill to do any work other than
Sanitation related activities.
 Most sanitation staff hardly has any ID cards, protection of medical insurance policies, etc.
 The workers in sanitation departments are recruited through open competition. The local administration usually
approaches particular cast members during such hiring.
 The situation is so alarming that while we find volunteers to distribute food and undertake rescue operations
during natural calamities, hardly any volunteer offers to do clean-up work or dispose of dead bodies.
There are no vehicles for sanitation workers to travel to their designated workplace, and they have to either
walk for kilometres or use garbage vehicles. This is a forced choice and is connected to the dignity of a worker.
There are hardly any exclusive trade unions for sweepers, and unlike other sections in the government or private
workforce, their problems are expressed by mainly those who are not associated with sanitation work (Civil
society or NGOs).
Despite the laws, manual scavenging was reported in many states. In 2021, the National Human Rights
Commission observed that the eradication of manual scavenging as claimed by state and local governments is far
from over.

Steps by the Government

 Sanitation is a State subject as per the 7th Schedule.
 In 2013 Delhi announced that they were banning manual scavenging, making them the first state in India to do
so.
 District magistrates are responsible for ensuring that no manual scavengers are working in their district.
"The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993", drafted by the
Ministry of Urban Development was passed by Parliament in 1993.
 The act punishes the employment of scavengers or the construction of dry (non-flush) latrines with imprisonment
for up to one year and/or a fine of Rs 2,000.
In 2007 the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers was passed to help in the
transition to other occupations.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013.
Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
 The Bill calls for complete mechanization of cleaning sewers and septic tanks.
Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to make sewer
cleaning mechanized.
 ‗Swachhta Abhiyan App‘ has been developed to identify and Geotag the data of insanitary latrines and manual
scavengers so that the insanitary latrines can be replaced with sanitary latrines and rehabilitate all the manual
scavengers to provide dignity of life to them.
 In 2014, the Supreme Court order made it mandatory for the government to identify all those who died in
sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

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Way Forward
 India‘s Supreme Court has ruled that the practice of manual scavenging violates international human rights law,
including protections found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), and the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
 India is also a party to other international conventions that reinforce obligations to end manual scavenging.
Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the Right to Life and that also with dignity.
Need to ensure proper implementation of the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers,
and promote Alternative opportunities or Jobs.
Ensure that rehabilitation entitlements under the 2013 Act—including financial assistance, scholarships,
housing, alternative livelihood support, and other important legal and programmatic assistance—are available
to manual scavenging communities.

HEALTH EXPENDITURE IN INDIA

Context
 India‘s total health expenditure went down from 3.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013-14 to 3.2%
in 2018-19, according to the latest national health estimates- National Health Accounts Estimates 2018-19 Report.

Details
 Total health expenditure is the money spent by the government, people, private entities and external funding.
 The trend was reflected by the Union government, whose expenditure on healthcare went down to 1.28% of the
GDP in 2018-19 from the previous year‘s figure of 1.35%.
 As the total healthcare expenditure has increased from 29% in 2014-15 to 40.6% in 2018-19, the decline is even
more pronounced.
 Out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare by households — a key reason pushing Indians into poverty — has
declined by 16%; from 64.2 % to 48.2% in the same period.
o In Uttar Pradesh, out-of-pocket health expenditure accounts for 71.3% of the state‘s total health expenditure.
 The economic burden of healthcare in India is largely borne by households that contribute Rs 3, 24,717 crores to
the current healthcare expenditure.
o While the Union government‘s share is Rs 63,256 crore, the state government's share is Rs 1, 06,056 crore and
local bodies contribute Rs 5,451 crore.
o Non-governmental organisations spend Rs 8,484 crore, while external/donor funding contributes about Rs
2,493 crore.
 These statistics are critical because they answer important policy questions such as what are the sources of
healthcare expenditures, who manages these, who provides healthcare services, and which services are utilised.

Present Status of India‘s healthcare:

 Data shows that India has 1.4 beds per 1,000 people, 1 doctor per 1,445 people, and 1.7 nurses per 1,000 people.
 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India ranks 184 out of 191 countries in health spending.
 The US spends over 16% of its total GDP on healthcare, while Japan, Canada, Germany etc. spend over 10% of
their GDP on healthcare.
 India has a dual burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases and many of these diseases can
be prevented by early diagnosis, providing health education, timely referral and management.
 Nearly 8 lakh cases of cancer are detected each year and around 60-80% of the cases are diagnosed late.
 Lack of awareness and poor health-seeking behaviour is the major underlying causes of many diseases.
 Inadequate Quality, Accessibility and Affordability of Health Services.
 High out-of-pocket expenses.
 Shortage of Infrastructure, Equipment and Skilled Manpower.
 Rigid regulatory Framework Combined with Corrupt enforcement.
 Primary Health Care Centres are not Present in many villages and wherever Present they lack basic facilities.
 Inefficiencies in Procurement Process result in both Shortages and Wastage.
 Nearly 70% of Healthcare delivery is through Private Players which are largely regulated.
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 Lack of Sanitation, disease Surveillance, Political will and Public Health response.
 The government spends less than 1.5% of the GDP on Public Health Care.
 Rising incidence of non-Communicable diseases with income growth, lifestyle changes and environmental
degradation, resulting in a rising total burden of disease.

Concern
 Shortage of Staff and Equipment;
 Overall there was a shortfall of 86.5% surgeons; 74.1% obstetricians &gynaecologists; 84.6% general physicians
and 81% paediatricians in the country.
Healthcare infrastructure is heavily skewed in favour of urban areas.
 The evidence shows that the private healthcare market occupies a large share of hospitals (75%), hospital beds
(50.7%) and medical institutions (54.3%) largely located in urban areas.
 Almost half (48%) of the large private hospitals and two-thirds of corporate hospitals are located in five million
plus cities in India.
Inter-State and Intra-state variations
 In a few states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi; the public health facilities play their intended role of being
the first point of care and proactively delivering essential services while in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
and Jharkhand primary health care is not available to masses and they are highly dependent on the private sector
with their expenditure.
 While the private facility is highly urban-centric covering a few districts of India, there is a dearth of both public
and private health care facilities in many of the districts and there are many parts/areas/districts where no one is
to serve people.
No proper regulatory mechanism and monitoring
 According to a WHO report published in 2016, 31.4% of those calling themselves allopathic doctors were educated
only up to class 12 and 57.3% of doctors did not have a medical qualification.
 Due to poor regulatory mechanisms and monitoring, private health care services and doctors are following
unethical practices treating medical services as a business and hospitalisation as a source of profit, writing
unnecessary diagnostic tests, high-rate medicines instead of generic ones, and organ theft (kidney racket) etc. even
denying treatment to poor people though getting land from the government on a subsidised rate.
Lack of Affordability
o The contribution of the private sector to healthcare expenditure in India is around 80 % while the rest 20% is
contributed by Public Sector.

Steps taken by the Government

 Promotion of Institutional deliveries through Cash incentives under Janani Suraksha Yojana.
 Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram: Free ante-natal Check-ups, Post-natal Care and treatment of Sick infants till
one year of age.
 Providing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Services, the establishment of Special
Newborn Care Units.
 Mission Indradhnaush: Expanding full immunisation Coverage, the introduction of new vaccines.
 PM Swasthya Suraksha Yojana for strengthening the tertiary health Sector.
 POSHAN Abhiyaan to address Malnutrition.
 Iron and folic acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Anaemia, home visits by ASHAs to promote
breastfeeding and promote the use of ORS and Zinc for the management of diarrhoea in children.
 Capacity building of Health Care Providers: Training is being conducted under the National Health Mission to
build and upgrade the Skills of Health Care Providers.
 National Health Resource Repository: Create a reliable, unified registry of the Country‘s healthcare resources
showing the distribution pattern of health facilities and Services between Cities and rural areas. ISRO is a
Technology Partner for providing data Security.
 Allowed 100% FDI in the Medical devices Sector to promote Make in India.
 Kayakalp initiative to Promote Cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health facilities.

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Way forward:
 Primary health Centres need to be strengthened as 80-90% health needs of a person in a lifetime can be provided
by primary health care centres.
 Increase the expenditure on health to 2.5% of GDP as envisaged in NHP 2017 to improve infrastructure in health
centres.
 To meet the shortage and availability of trained staff, preference should be given to local people. Skills of good
performing ASHA, and ANM workers and nurses should be upgraded and they should be posted in their own
rural and remote areas of the Health centre.
 To remove misallocation, new medical colleges whether it is private or public should be opened strictly only in
rural and remote areas. Special focus should be on large populous northern states or backward states.
 There should be proper regulation and monitoring against all the malpractices prevalent in the health sector.
Stringent laws and punishment should be there for all those who do unethical practices in this field.
 The use of technology can help a lot to reduce the cost as well as improve facilities in the healthcare area.
 A National Health Regulatory and Development Framework need to be made for improving the quality (for
example registration of health practitioners), performance, equity, efficacy and accountability of healthcare
delivery across the country.
 Increase the Public-Private Partnerships to increase the last-mile reach of healthcare.
 Generic drugs and Jan Aushadi Kendras should be increased to make medicines affordable and reduce the major
component of Out of Pocket Expenditure.
 The government‘s National Innovation Council should encourage a culture of innovation in India and help
develop policy on innovations that will focus on an Indian model for inclusive growth.

Gati-Shakti Yojana
 Gati Shakti yojana is India‘s national master plan for the development of multi-modal connectivity to ensure
better infrastructure development in economic zones and boost last-mile connectivity. The programme aims to
unite the infrastructural initiatives planned and started by different Union ministries and departments.
 Gati-Shakti targets to promote socio-economic growth and sustainable development in; Railways, Roads, Ports,
Waterways, Airports, Mass Transport, and Logistics Infrastructure.

Significance of Gati Shakti

 Gati Shakti targets to cut logistic costs, increase cargo handling capacity and reduce transportation time.
 It will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various Ministries and Departments with one centralized
portal.
 Different Departments will be able to prioritize their projects through continuous interactions.
 It will assist different ministries in planning for projects after the identification of critical gaps.
 It will provide the entire data in one place with GIS-based spatial planning and analytical tools.

The success of the initiative depends on the level of coordination between the Government and the Private sector.
Better Coordination is needed to:
 Improve quality and efficiency of service delivery.
 Ensure investments and Finance availability.
 Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and technology development.
 To Maximise utilization of government investment and infrastructure.

Gati Shakti yojana aims to strengthen the infrastructure and logistics sector. Reduced logistics costs and increased
logistic efficiencies will fuel the economy in multiple ways and take us closer to the goal of emerging as a global
manufacturing powerhouse.

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NATIONAL MOBILE MONITORING SYSTEM

Context
 Months after the Union government‘s order making it mandatory to record attendance of MGNREGA workers
through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), some States; including Tamil Nadu, Odisha and
Assam are asking to make it universal.
o However, the majority of the States are still concerned about it.
 The Union Rural Development Ministry data shows that only 8 States have recorded usage of the app at 90% or
more worksites. They are;
o Assam (93.42%)
o Odisha (92%)
o Tamil Nadu (93%)
o Karnataka (92%)
o Kerala (91.5%)
o Tripura (91%)
o Uttarakhand (91%)
o Puducherry (99%).
 The app can record the attendance even if there is no Internet connectivity and it will get uploaded whenever
they reach a place which has the necessary signal strength.

Background
 Recently the Union government has introduced the mandatory implementation of a national mobile monitoring
system for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
 The National mobile monitoring system was initiated to capture attendance through the mobile system at
worksites with more than 20 workers.
 The new system has resulted in the delay of wage payments to workers.
o According to some social activists, the new system was launched without addressing various technical issues.
o Many districts are unable to process wage payments.
o Inability to upload attendance data.
 Critics say that the Union government has implemented these changes unilaterally without studying the ground
reality.
 Several Social activists and organizations have requested the Union Rural Development Ministry to withdraw its
order to suspend manual attendance for MGNREGS work sites and use a Mobile application for recording
attendance.
o The Mobile app wants MGNREGA workers to upload two photos daily.
 They raised concern over the guidelines that made it mandatory to upload two time-stamped photos daily.
o Many women from poorer households do not have access to smartphones.
o The app has been completely designed in English and there is no technical help available to redress problems.
 According to the officials this step will;
o Promote Transparency and Accountability.
o Reduce financial mismanagement
o Curb Corruption
o Protome rural development
o Ensure timely payment of wages.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005

 The MGNREGA is Indian labour law and social security programme that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'.
 It provides a legal right for 100 days of employment in every financial year to at least one member of every
rural household whose adult members agree to do unskilled manual work.
 The Ministry of Rural Development is monitoring the implementation of this scheme.
 Women were guaranteed one-third of the jobs made available under the MGNREGA.
 The MGNREGA programme also helps in creating durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds and wells).
 Work is to be provided within 5 km of workers' residence and minimum wages are to be paid.

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 Right to get unemployment allowance in case employment is not provided within 15 days of applying.
 MGNREGA is implemented mainly by gram panchayats. Adult members of rural households submit their details
to the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Panchayat registers households after making an enquiry and issues a job card.
The job card contains the details of the adult member enrolled and his /her photo
 The involvement of contractors is banned.
 The Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which ensures accountability and transparency.

Constitutionality of MGNREGA
 MGNREGA provides a 'right to work in accordance with Article 41 which directs the State to secure for all
citizens the right to work.
 It also protects the environment through sustainable rural works, which is consistent with Article 48A which
directs the State to protect the environment.
 Article 21 guarantees the right to life with dignity to every citizen of India, this act promotes dignity among the
rural people through an assurance of livelihood security.
 Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and prevents the State from
discriminating against anyone in matters of employment on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent,
place of birth, place of residence or any of them.
 NREGA also follows Article 46 which requires the State to promote the interests of and work for the economic
uplift of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and protect them from discrimination and exploitation.
 Article 40 mandates the State to organize village panchayats and award them with such powers and authority as
may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.

Significance of MGNREGA
 The programme is providing economic security and creates rural assets.
 It also helps in protecting the environment, reducing rural-urban migration and promoting social equity, etc.
 It focuses on the economic and social empowerment of women.
 It provides ―Green‖ and ―Decent‖ work.
 Works under MGNREGA help to address the climate change vulnerability and protect the farmers from such risks
and conserve natural resources.

PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA

Context
 The Union Ministry of Rural Development has decided to impose penalties on the State governments for the
delay in the completion of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).
 According to a recent report, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Assam, are the leading four States who are
far behind their targets.
o The initial deadline for the scheme was March 2022, which was extended by another two years till March
2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The Ministry sent a circular to all States listing that if a house construction is delayed for more than one month
from the date of issue of the target, the State government will be penalized Rs 10 per house for the first month
of delay and Rs 20 per house for each subsequent month of delay.

Related News
 The Union Ministry of Rural Development has decided to impose penalties on the State governments for the
delay in the completion of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).
 According to a recent report, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Assam, are the leading four States who are
far behind their targets.
o The initial deadline for the scheme was March 2022, which was extended by another two years till March
2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The Ministry sent a circular to all States listing that if a house construction is delayed for more than one month
from the date of issue of the target, the State government will be penalized Rs 10 per house for the first month
of delay and Rs 20 per house for each subsequent month of delay.

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Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

 The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation launched Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in 2015.
 The Programme was initiated with the objective of ‗Housing for All by 2022‘.
 Providing housing Facilities to rural poor and urban poor including slum dwellers
 Financial assistance is provided to eligible beneficiaries for the construction of pucca houses.
 The Centre and States share the Cost of the houses made under the scheme.
 The mission has 2 Components: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural).
 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) was formerly called the Indira Awas Yojana and was renamed in March
2016.
o It is targeted at promoting accessibility and affordability of housing for all of rural India with the exceptions of
Delhi and Chandigarh.

 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Programme

o In Situ Slum Redevelopment: A slum rehabilitation grant of Rs. 1 lakh per house, on average, would be
admissible for all houses built for eligible slum dwellers in all such projects. Slums so redeveloped should
compulsorily be denotified.
o Affordable Housing through Credit Linked Subsidy: Under Credit Linked Subsidy, beneficiaries of the
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG) can seek housing loans from Banks,
Housing Finance Companies and other such institutions for new construction and enhancement of existing
dwellings as incremental housing.
o Affordable Rental Housing Complexes: It will be a mix of single/double bedroom Dwelling Units and a
Dormitory of 4/6 beds including all common facilities which will be exclusively used for rental housing for a
minimum period of 25 years.
 Aadhar Card is mandatory to take benefit of the scheme.
 Economically weaker sections and Middle-Income Groups are also eligible for financial assistance under the
Missions.
 Priority is given to SCs, STs, OBSs, differently-abled persons, senior citizens, minorities, single women,
transgender and other Socio-economic weaker sections of society.
 Identifying beneficiaries eligible for assistance and their prioritization to be done using information from the
Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) ensures total transparency and objectivity.
 The ownership of houses is provided in the name of female members or joint names.
 Houses made under the scheme would ensure basic facilities like salutation, tap water connection, etc.
 Under the scheme, the Government promoted Training to Rural Masons under Rural Mason Training (RMT)
programme to make a pool of trained rural masons available for faster construction of quality houses.

Objectives of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

 To promote the empowerment of citizens, the Ownership of a house is one of the key indicators of socio-economic
development.
 They are ensuring Women's empowerment through the Scheme, as the ownership of the house is provided in
the name of a female member or joint ownership.
 To Promote Cooperative Federalism, Autonomy is given to States/UTs to decide the list of beneficiaries and
adopt innovative methods to implement housing projects.

Present Status
 The Prime Minister has said that the Government has provided pucca houses to 2.5 crore families across the
country — of these, 2 crore houses are in rural areas.
 To achieve the target of ―Housing for All‖, the Union Government is implementing Pradhan Mantri Awaas
Yojana.
 According to the data released by the government, more than 69% of houses constructed under the Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) are either wholly or jointly owned by women in rural areas.

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 It aims to assist eligible rural households with an overall target to construct 2.95 crore pucca houses with basic
amenities by March 2024.

PM-DevINE
Context
 The Union Cabinet has approved Prime Minister‘s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-
DevINE) for the remaining 4 years of the 15th Finance Commission (2022-23 to 2025-26).

About Prime Minister‘s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)
 The PM-DevINE initiative was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, to address development gaps in the
North Eastern Region (NER).
 It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% central funding and implementation by the Ministry of Development of
the North Eastern Region (DoNER).
o It will be implemented through North Eastern Council or Central Ministries/ agencies.
 The Scheme will have an outlay of Rs.6, 600 crores for the four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
 It will create infrastructure, support industries, social development projects and create livelihood activities for
youth and women, thus leading to employment generation and socio-economic development in the North-East
region.

Objectives of PM-DevINE
 To Fund infrastructure and create new economic opportunities.
 Support social development projects based on local needs.
 Provide livelihood activities for youth and women;
 Fill the development gaps in different sectors.
 To ensure that there is no duplication of project support under PM-DevINE with any of the other schemes of
MDoNER or those of any other Ministry/Department.

Concern
 Geographical challenges: Very high rainfall, shifting river courses, poor drainage systems, and landslides in the
North East.
o Inaccessible Hilly terrain and underdeveloped transport.
 Low participation of the Private sector due to geographical and political reasons.
 Large scale Migration from Bangladesh resulted in socioeconomic and socio-Political problems
 Poor financial condition and lack of development increased their dependence on central devolution.
 The poor state of basic infrastructural facilities like roadways, railways, educational institutions, health facilities
etc.

Steps taken by the Government

 The Union Government established the Ministry of Development of North East Region (MDoNER) in 2001.
o It deals with matters related to the socio-economic development of the Northeast region.
o It promotes coordination between Central Ministries/ Departments and the State Governments.
 NITI Forum for North East to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and to recommend
appropriate interventions for the development of the Northeast.
 North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme to create infrastructure to ensure water supply, power
connectivity, education and health.
 North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) to promote MSME Sector.
 Act East Policy to connect the Northeast with the East Asian countries to promote development.
 Government Increased Infrastructure Investment in the region through various schemes.
 Increase air connectivity to the Northeast Region.

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Budget 2022-23
Key Points of Budget 2022-23
 India‘s economic growth in the current year is estimated to be 9.2%, the highest among all large economies.
 This Budget seeks to lay the foundation and give a blueprint to steer the economy over the Amrit Kaal of the next
25 years – from India at 75 to India at 100.
 We are marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, and have entered into Amrit Kaal, the 25-year-long lead-up to
India@100.

The government‘s focus has been on the empowerment of citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized.
1. Measures have included programmes that have provided housing, electricity, cooking gas and access to water.
2. Programmes for ensuring financial inclusion and direct benefit transfers.

Vision for India@100. By achieving certain goals during the Amrit Kaal, the government aims to attain the vision.
They are:
1. Complementing the macro-economic level growth focus with a microeconomic level all-inclusive welfare focus.
2. Promoting digital economy & fintech, technology-enabled development, energy transition, and climate action.
3. Relying on a virtuous cycle starting from private investment with public capital investment helps to crowd-in
private investment.
4. Productivity Linked Incentive in 14 sectors for achieving the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat has received an
excellent response, with the potential to create 60 lakh new jobs, and additional production of ‗30 lakh crore
during the next 5 years.
5. Towards implementation of the new Public Sector Enterprise policy, the strategic transfer of ownership of Air
India to the Tata group has been completed.

The budget provided a blueprint for the Amrit Kaal, which is futuristic and inclusive.
 This will directly benefit our youth, women, farmers, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
 Big public investment for modern infrastructure, readying for India at 100.
 This shall be guided by PM Gati Shakti.

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PM Gati Shakti
 It is a transformative approach to economic growth and sustainable development.
 The approach is driven by 7 engines, namely, Roads, Railways, Airports, Ports, Mass Transport, Waterways, and
Logistics Infrastructure.
 The approach is powered by Clean Energy and Sabka Prayas – the efforts of the Central Government, the state
governments, and the private sector together - leading to huge job and entrepreneurial opportunities for all,
especially the youth.

PM GatiShakti National Master Plan

 The scope of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan will encompass the seven engines for economic transformation,
seamless multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
 It will also include the infrastructure developed by the state governments as per the GatiShakti Master Plan.
 The 4 focuses will be on planning, financing including through innovative ways, use of technology, and speedier
implementation.
 The projects of these 7 engines in the National Infrastructure Pipeline will be aligned with the PM GatiShakti
framework.

Road Transport
 The National Highways network will be expanded by 25,000 km in 2022-23.
 For this `20,000 crores will be mobilized through innovative ways of financing to complement the public
resources.

Railways
 Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium
Enterprises, besides taking the lead in the integration of Postal and railway networks to provide seamless
solutions for the movement of parcels.
 The ‗One Station-One Product‘ concept will be popularized to help local businesses & supply chains.

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 As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of the network will be brought under Kavach, the indigenous world-
class technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.
 Four hundred new-generation Vande Bharat Trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience
will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.

Agriculture
 Chemical-free Natural Farming will be promoted throughout the country, with a focus on farmers‘ lands in 5 km
wide corridors along the river Ganga.
 2023 has been announced as the International Year of Millets. Support will be provided for post-harvest value
addition, enhancing domestic consumption, and branding millet products nationally and internationally.
 To reduce our dependence on the import of oilseeds, a rationalised and comprehensive scheme to increase the
domestic production of oilseeds will be implemented.
 The use of ‗Kisan Drones‘ will be promoted for crop assessment, digitization of land records, spraying of
insecticides, and nutrients.
 States will be encouraged to revise the syllabus of agricultural universities to meet the needs of natural, zero-
budget and organic farming, modern-day agriculture, value addition and management.
 A fund through NABARD to finance Startups for agriculture & rural enterprise, relevant for farm produce value
chain.

Parvatmala: National Ropeways Development Programme

 As a preferred ecologically sustainable alternative to conventional roads in difficult hilly areas, National
Ropeways Development Programme will be taken up on PPP mode.
 The aim is to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism.
 This may also cover congested urban areas, where conventional mass transit systems are not feasible.
 Contracts for 8 ropeway projects for a length of 60 km will be awarded in 2022-23.

Skill Development
 Skilling programmes and partnerships with the industry will be reoriented to promote continuous skilling
avenues, sustainability, and employability. The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned
with dynamic industry needs.
 Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood – the DESH-Stack e-portal – will be launched. This aims to
empower citizens to skill, re-skill or upskill through online training.
 Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‗Drone Shakti‘ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service
(DrAAS). In select ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling will be started.

Education
 Due to the pandemic-induced closure of schools, our children, particularly in the rural areas, and those from
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and other weaker sections, have lost almost 2 years of formal education.
 The ‗One class-one TV channel‘ programme of PM e-VIDYA will be expanded from 12 to 200 TV channels. This
will enable all states to provide supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12.
 750 virtual labs in science and mathematics, and 75 skilling e-labs for simulated learning environments, will be set
up in 2022-23.
 High-quality e-content in all spoken languages will be developed for delivery via the internet, mobile phones, TV
and radio through Digital Teachers.
 A Digital University will be established to provide access to students across the country for world-class quality
universal education with a personalized learning experience at their doorsteps.

The National Digital Health Ecosystem will be rolled out.

 It will consist of digital registries of health providers and health facilities, a unique health identity, a consent
framework, and universal access to health facilities.

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National Tele Mental Health Programme

 The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages.
 To improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a ‗National Tele Mental Health
Programme‘ will be launched.
 This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence.

Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0

 By the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
 The schemes, namely, Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 were launched
recently to provide integrated benefits to women and children.
 Saksham Anganwadis are a new generation of anganwadis that have better infrastructure and audio-visual aids,
are powered by clean energy and provide an improved environment for early child development. Two lakh
anganwadis will be upgraded under the Scheme.

Prime Minister‘s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)

 It will be implemented through the North-Eastern Council.
 It will fund infrastructure, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti, and social development projects based on the felt needs
of the Northeast.

Aspirational Blocks Programme

 Our vision to improve the quality of life of citizens in the most backward districts of the country through the
Aspirational Districts Programme has been translated into reality in a short period.
 95% of those 112 districts have made significant progress in key sectors such as health, nutrition, financial
inclusion and basic infrastructure. They have surpassed the state average values.
 However, in those districts, some blocks continue to lag. In 2022-23, the programme will focus on such blocks in
those districts.

Vibrant Villages Programme

 Border villages with sparse populations, limited connectivity and infrastructure often get left out of the
development gains. Such villages on the northern border will be covered under the new Vibrant Villages
Programme.
 The activities will include the construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourist centres, road connectivity,
provisioning of decentralized renewable energy, direct-to-home access for Doordarshan and educational channels,
and support for livelihood generation.
 Additional funding for these activities will be provided. Existing schemes will be converged.

Urban Development
 By 2047, nearly half our population is likely to be living in urban areas. To prepare for this, orderly urban
development is of critical importance.
 This will help realize the country‘s economic potential, including livelihood opportunities for the demographic
dividend.
 For this, on the one hand, we need to nurture the megacities and their hinterlands to become current centres of
economic growth.
 On the other hand, we need to facilitate tier 2 and 3 cities to take on the mantle in the future.
 This would require us to reimagine our cities into centres of sustainable living with opportunities for all,
including women and youth.
 A high-level committee of reputed urban planners, urban economists and institutions will be formed to make
recommendations on urban sector policies, capacity building, planning, implementation and governance.
 For developing India-specific knowledge in urban planning and design, and to deliver certified training in these
areas, up to five existing academic institutions in different regions will be designated as centres of excellence.
These centres will be provided endowment funds of `250 crore each.

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Battery Swapping Policy

 Considering the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up charging stations at scale, a battery-swapping
policy will be brought out and interoperability standards will be formulated.
 The private sector will be encouraged to develop sustainable and innovative business models for ‗Battery or
Energy as a Service. This will improve efficiency in the EV ecosystem.

Land Records Management

 States will be encouraged to adopt Unique Land Parcel Identification Numbers to facilitate IT-based management
of records.
 ‗One-Nation One-Registration Software‘ will be promoted as an option for a uniform process for registration and
‗anywhere registration‘ of deeds & documents.

Animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) Sector.

 AVGC Sector offers immense potential to employ youth.
 An AVGC promotion task force with all stakeholders will be set up to recommend ways to realize this and build
domestic capacity for serving our markets and the global demand.

Export Promotion
 Special Economic Zones Act will be replaced with new legislation that will enable the states to become partners in
the ‗Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs‘.

To mark 75 years of our independence, it is proposed to set up 75 Digital Banking Units (DBUs) in 75 districts of
the country by Scheduled Commercial Banks.
 Digital banking involves taking all traditional banking activity online and doing away with paperwork like
cheques, pay-in slips, demand drafts and so on.
 Digital banks would primarily work on the internet and other proximate channels to offer their services, instead
of physical branches.
 These proposed banks will help mitigate the financial deepening challenges being faced in the country.

Telecom Sector
 A scheme for design-led manufacturing will be launched to build a strong ecosystem for 5G as part of the
Production Linked Incentive Scheme.
 To enable affordable broadband and mobile service proliferation in rural and remote areas, 5% of annual
collections under the Universal Service Obligation Fund will be allocated. This will promote the R&D and
commercialization of technologies and solutions.
 The contracts for laying optical fibre in all villages, including remote areas, will be awarded under the Bharatnet
project through PPP in 2022-23. Completion is expected in 2025.
 Measures will be taken to enable better and more efficient use of optical fibre.

Solar Power
 Facilitate domestic manufacturing for the ambitious goal of 280 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030.

Carbon Neutral Economy

 5 to 7 % biomass pellets will be co-fired in thermal power plants resulting in CO2 savings.
 Pilot projects for coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals required for the industry will be set up to
evolve technical and financial viability.
 The policies and required legislative changes to promote agroforestry and private forestry will be brought in.
 Financial support will be provided to farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who want to
take up agro-forestry.

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Green Bonds
 As a part of the government‘s overall market borrowings in 2022-23, sovereign Green Bonds will be issued for
mobilizing resources for green infrastructure.
Infrastructure Status
 Data Centres and Energy Storage Systems including dense charging infrastructure and grid-scale battery systems
will be included in the harmonized list of infrastructure.
 An International Arbitration Centre will be set up in the GIFT City (Gujarat) for the timely settlement of disputes
under international jurisprudence.

Digital Rupee
 Digital Rupee, is an electronic record or digital token to represent the virtual form of a currency.
 The digital rupee will allow users to transfer purchasing power from deposit accounts into Smartphone app
wallets in the form of online tokens, which like cash will be a liability of the Reserve Bank of India.
 The introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will give a big boost to the digital economy.
 Digital currency will also lead to a more efficient and cheaper currency management system.
 It is, therefore, proposed to introduce Digital Rupee, using blockchain and other technologies, to be issued by the
Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23.

The issuance of e-Passports using embedded chips and futuristic technology will be rolled out in 2022-23.

AtmaNirbharta in Defence
 Reducing imports and promoting AtmaNirbharta in equipment for the Armed Forces.
 68 % of the capital procurement budget will be earmarked for the domestic industry in 2022-23, up from 58 % in
2021-22.
 An independent nodal umbrella body will be set up for meeting wide-ranging testing and certification
requirements.

Circular Economy
 The action plans for ten sectors such as electronic waste, end-of-life vehicles, used oil waste, and toxic &
hazardous industrial waste is ready.
 The focus now will be on addressing important cross-cutting issues of infrastructure, reverse logistics, technology
Upgradation and integration with the informal sector.
 This will be supported by active public policies covering regulations, extended producers‘ responsibilities
framework and innovation facilitation.

Introducing new ‗Updated return‘

 Some taxpayers may realize that they have committed omissions or mistakes incorrectly estimating their income
for tax payments.
 To provide an opportunity to correct such errors, the Government proposed a new provision permitting taxpayers
to file an Updated Return on payment of additional tax.
 This updated return can be filed within two years from the end of the relevant assessment year.

Scheme for taxation of virtual digital assets

 Any income from the transfer of any virtual digital asset shall be taxed at the rate of 30 %.
 No deduction in respect of any expenditure or allowance shall be allowed while computing such income except
the cost of acquisition.
 A gift of a virtual digital asset is also proposed to be taxed in the hands of the recipient.

Reduced Alternate minimum tax rate and Surcharge for Cooperatives

 Currently, cooperative societies are required to pay an Alternative Minimum Tax at the rate of 18%. However,
companies pay the same at the rate of 15%.
 To provide a level playing field between cooperative societies and companies.
 Propose to reduce this rate for the cooperative societies also to 15%.
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 Reduce the surcharge on co-operative societies from the present 12% to 7% for those having a total income of
more than `1 crore and up to `10 crores.

Financial Assistance to States for Capital Investment

 For 2022-23, the allocation is `1 lakh crore to assist the states in catalyzing overall investments in the economy.
 These fifty-year interest-free loans are over and above the normal borrowings allowed to the states.
 This allocation will be used for PM GatiShakti-related and other productive capital investments of the states.
 It will also include components for Supplemental funding for priority segments of PM Gram Sadak Yojana,
including support for the states‘ share.
 Digitisation of the economy, including digital payments.
 Reforms related to building bye-laws, town planning schemes, transit-oriented development, and transferable
development rights.
 Following the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, the states will be allowed a fiscal deficit of 4%
of GSDP of which 0.5% will be tied to power sector reforms.

2022-23 Budget Estimates

 Total expenditure is estimated at ` 39.45 lakh crore.
 Total receipts other than borrowings are estimated at `22.84 lakh crore.
 The fiscal Deficit in 2022-23 is estimated at 6.4% of GDP, the target is to reach a fiscal deficit level below 4.5% by
2025-26.

 The Ministry of Defence has been allocated a total budget of Rs 5.25 lakh crore, which is 13.31% of the total
budget.

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MSME Sector
 Udyam, e-Shram and ASEEM portals will be interlinked. Their scope will be widened.
 These services will relate to credit facilitation, skilling, and recruitment to further formalise the economy and
enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for all.
 Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) has provided much-needed additional credit to more than
130 lakh MSMEs. This has helped them mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic.
 Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme will be revamped with a required
infusion of funds. This will facilitate additional credit of ‗2 lakh crore for Micro and Small Enterprises and expand
employment opportunities.
 The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with dynamic industry needs.

Accelerated Corporate Exit

 Facilitate and speed up the voluntary winding-up of these companies from the currently required 2 years to less
than 6 months.

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Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood – DESH-Stacke-portal will be launched.

 This aims to empower citizens to skill, re-skill or upskill through online training.
 It will also provide API-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and
entrepreneurial opportunities.

Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‗Drone Shakti‘ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service
(DrAAS).

Gems and Jewellery

 Customs duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones is being reduced to 5%.

Anytime – Anywhere Post Office Savings

 In 2022, 100% of 1.5 lakh post offices will come on the core banking system enabling financial inclusion and access
to accounts through net banking, mobile banking, ATMs, and also providing online transfer of funds between
post office accounts and bank accounts.
 This will be helpful, especially for farmers and senior citizens in rural areas, enabling interoperability and
financial inclusion.

Economic Survey 2021-22

The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2021-
22 in Parliament today. The highlights of the Economic Survey are as follows:

Economic Development
 The central theme of this year‘s Economic Survey is the ―Agile approach‖, implemented through India‘s economic
response to the COVID-19 Pandemic shock.
 The Economic Survey projected Gross Domestic Product to grow by 8%-8.5% in 2022-23.
 World Bank and Asian Development Bank‘s forecasts of real GDP growth of 8.7% and 7.5% respectively for 2022-
23.
 As per International Monetary Fund‘s latest World Economic Outlook projections, India‘s real GDP is projected to
grow by 9% in 2022-23, which would make India the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
 Agriculture and allied sectors are expected to grow by 3.9%, industry by 11.8% and the services sector by 8.2% in
2021-22.
 The combination of high foreign exchange reserves sustained foreign direct investment, and rising export
earnings will provide an adequate buffer against possible global liquidity tapering in 2022-23.
 The economic impact of the ―second wave‖ was much smaller than that during the full lockdown phase in 2020-
21, though the health impact was more severe.
 The government of India‘s unique response consisted of safety nets to cushion the impact on vulnerable sections
of society and the business sector, a significant increase in capital expenditure to spur growth and supply-side
reforms for a sustained long-term expansion.
 The government‘s flexible and multi-layered response is partly based on an ―Agile‖ framework that uses feedback
loops, and the use of eighty High-Frequency Indicators (HFIs) in an environment of extreme uncertainty.
 The Contribution of Various sector to GDP;
o Agriculture sector – 18.8%
o Industry Sector -28.2%
o Service Sector – 53%

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Fiscal Position
 The Central Government debt has gone up from 49.1% of GDP in 2019-20 to 59.3% of GDP in 2020-21.

 India‘s merchandise exports and imports rebounded strongly and surpassed pre-COVID levels during the current
financial year.

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 There was a significant pickup in net services with both receipts and payments crossing the pre-pandemic levels,
despite weak tourism revenues.
 India‘s external debt crossed US $ 590 billion.
 India's foreign exchange reserve crossed US$ 630 billion.
 As of end-December 2021, India was the fourth-largest forex reserves holder in the world after China, Japan and
Switzerland.

Domestic Inflation
 The decline in the Consumer Price Index (inflation measure) was due to the easing of food inflation.
 Reduction in central excise and subsequent cuts in Value Added Tax by most States helped ease petrol and diesel
prices.
 Wholesale inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rose to 12.5% during 2021-22.

Banking Sectors
 RBI's Repo rate was maintained at 4% in 2021-22.
 The Gross Non-Performing Advances ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) declined to 6.9% at the end of
December 2021.

Sustainable Development
 India‘s overall score on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index and Dashboard improved to 66 in 2020-21 from 60 in
2019-20.
 India has the tenth-largest forest area in the world.
 In 2020, India ranked third globally in increasing its forest area from 2010 to 2020.

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 In 2020, the forests covered 24% of India‘s total geographical area, accounting for 2% of the world‘s total forest
area.
 The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, was notified which is aimed at phasing out single-use
plastic by 2022.
 The Prime Minister, as a part of the national statement delivered at the 26 th Conference of Parties (COP 26) in
Glasgow in November 2021, announced ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030 to enable further reduction in
emissions.
 The need to start the one-word movement ‗LIFE‘ (Lifestyle for Environment) urging mindful and deliberate
utilization instead of mindless and destructive consumption was underlined.

Agricultural Sector
 The Agriculture sector experienced buoyant growth in the past two years, accounting for a sizable 18.8% (2021-22)
in Gross Value Added (GVA) of the country registering a growth of 3.6% in 2020-21.
 The Minimum Support Price (MSP) policy is being used to promote crop diversification.
 Allied sectors including animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries are steadily emerging to be high-growth sectors
and major drivers of overall growth in the agriculture sector.
 The Livestock sector has been a stable source of income across groups of agricultural households accounting for
about 15% of their average monthly income.
 Government facilitates food processing through various measures of infrastructure development, subsidized
transportation and support for the formalization of micro food enterprises.
 India runs one of the largest food management programmes in the world.
 The government extended the coverage of the food security network through schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan
Yojana (PMGKY).

Industrial Sector
 The extent of road construction per day increased substantially in 2020-21 to 36.5 Kms per day from 28 Kms per
day in 2019-20 – a rise of 30.4 %.
 Introduction of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, a major boost provided to infrastructure-both
physical as well as digital, along with measures to reduce transaction costs and improve ease of doing business,
would support the pace of recovery.

Service Sector
 Rail freight crossed its pre-pandemic level while air freight and port traffic almost reached their pre-pandemic
levels, domestic air and rail passenger traffic are increasing gradually – showing the impact of the second wave
was much more muted as compared to during the first wave.
 India has become the 3rd largest start-up ecosystem in the world after the US and China.

Social Sector
 According to Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data, the formalization of jobs continued during
the second COVID wave; the adverse impact of COVID on the formalization of jobs was much lower than during
the first COVID wave.
 Expenditure on social services (health, education and others) by the Centre and States as a proportion of GDP
increased from 6.2 % in 2014-15 to 8.6% in 2021-22.
 Increased allotment of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) to
provide a buffer for unorganized labour in rural areas during the pandemic.
 The total Fertility Rate (TFR) came down to 2 in 2019-21 from 2.2 in 2015-16.
 The Survey observes a decline in drop-out rates at primary, upper primary and secondary levels.

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SOCIAL ISSUES
CHILD MARRIAGE
Context
 An international steering panel by the United Nations Population Fund and United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund (UNFPA-UNICEF) Global Programme to end Child Marriage is visiting India to
witness state initiatives which helped in declining the incidents of child marriages.
o They visited to learn from India‘s successes in reducing the incidence of child marriage.

Details
 The panel estimates that as a result of the pandemic nearly 10 million children could become child brides
globally.
o In India, child marriage reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to 23.3% in 2020-21, according to the National
Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS 5) data.
 According to UNICEF, every year nearly 12 million girls are married before they turn 18 years of age, and it is
estimated that more than 150 million additional girls will marry before 18 years by 2030. Therefore steps must be
taken to end the practice.
 In the past decade, some progress has been made in South Asia, where a girl‘s risk of marrying before she is 18
has from nearly 50% to below 30%, but it is not enough, and also the progress has been uneven.

Related news
 Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has launched a nationwide campaign against child marriage.
o He requested Citizens to start collective action against child marriage.
 The Kailash Satyarthi Children‘s Foundation (KSCF) leading the campaign.
 70,000 women and girls led people in lighting lamps, and torchlight processions in around 10,000 villages from
over 500 districts in 26 states, as part of the campaign.
 The campaign has three main objectives:
o To ensure the strict implementation of the law.
o To enhance the participation of children and women and to ensure their empowerment by providing them
with free education till the age of 18.
o To provide safety to children against sexual exploitation.

Child Marriage in India

 As per Census 2011, over 12 million child marriages were reported in the country.
 Child Marriage is defined as a marriage of a girl or boy before the age of minimum legal age (18 years).
 According to the data released by National Family Health Survey-5
o In India, 8 States have a higher prevalence of child marriage than the national average; West Bengal, Bihar and
Tripura top the list with more than 40% of women aged 20-24 years married below 18.
o States with a large population of tribal poor have a higher prevalence of child marriage. In Jharkhand, 32.2%
of women in the age bracket 20-24 got married before 18 years.
o Infant mortality stood at 37.9%
o 65.8% of women in the 15-19 years age bracket are anaemic.
o Assam too has a high prevalence of child marriage (31.8% in 2019-20).
o States with high literacy levels and better health and social indices have performed much better; In Kerala,
women who got married before the age of 18 years stood at 6.3% in 2019-20.
 The reason behind Child Marriage
o It is a widely practised social custom.
o Poverty and Illiteracy of a Child's parents.
o Social and Economic Condition of the family including the Cultural values of the family and the Surrounding
Society.
o Lack of awareness about the harmful effects Lack of easy access to Schooling.

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o Political Patronage: Due to Social acceptance politicians find it difficult to oppose the practice of child
marriage as it may mean losing votes and Support.
 Child marriage is also widely reported to be used to traffic girls from poor and tribal families for either the Sex
trade or as cheap labour.
 It is more prevalent in rural areas.
 Rates of Child marriage are highest in the Central and Western parts of India and lower in the eastern and
southern parts of India.
 Result of Child Marriage;
o It Restricts access to education and better opportunities in the future.
o It limits the freedom of decision and promotes socio-economic and gender inequality.
o It is associated with multiple health risks, limited Knowledge and access to, and use of, Contraception and
reproductive health services and information.

Concern
 Child marriage violates children‘s rights, and also results in more infant and maternal deaths. Children born to
adolescent mothers have a greater possibility of seeing stunted growth as they have low weight at birth.
According to NFHS-5, the prevalence of child stunting is 35.5% in 2019-21.
 About a quarter of 20-24-year-old women are married before the age of 18 years, despite that being the
minimum age of marriage since 1978.
o The limited success of the current law raises the question of whether an increase in the minimum age would
have any significant impact on reducing the incidence of child marriage
 According to NFHS-5 (2019-21), the prevalence of underage marriages remains high, with 23% of women
between 20 and 24 years of age married before the age of 18. At the same time, the detection of such marriages
remains low, with only 785 cases registered under the law in 2020.
o This raises the question of whether the increase in the minimum age would have any significant impact on
reducing child marriages.
 Increasing the legal age for marriage for women will increase the number of marriages performed underage
and render young adults without legal protection.

Steps by Government
 Indian Parliament enacted several laws including the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, to protect the human rights of Children.
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to address the declining Child Sex Ratio.
 PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) Providing Cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant
and nursing mothers.
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 Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims at girls in the age group 11-18, to empower and improve their social status
through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training
 Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme promotes community participation through the involvement of
Student Volunteers for the empowerment of rural women
 National Crèche Scheme to provide daycare facilities to children of the age group of 6 months to 6 years of
working women who are employed.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) to provide micro-credit to poor women for various livelihood support and income-
generating activities at concessional terms
 Swadhar Greh provides relief and rehabilitation to destitute women and women in distress.
 Ujjawala is a Comprehensive Scheme for the prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration
and repatriation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
 Working Women Hostels for ensuring safe accommodation for women working away from their place of
residence.
 One-Stop Centre (OSC) and Women Helpline (WH) are being implemented to facilitate access to an integrated
range of services including medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/ case management, psychosocial counselling
and temporary support services to women affected by violence.
 Emergency Response Support System set up under Nirbhaya Fund.
 Mahila Police Volunteers, to report the incidences of violence against women.
 The dowry Prohibition Act, of 1961, Penalizes Giving & taking.
 SABLA Scheme, Providing life Skills and Supplementary nutrition to out-of Schoolgirls.
 The national database on Sexual offenders includes the name, addresses, photographs and fingerprint details of
those Convicted in Sexual assault Cases.
 National Policy for Women, 2016
o Addresses women's issues throughout life-Cycle, issues from education, health, economic participation,
decision making, violence, Creation of an enabling environment etc.
 In 2020, the Union government has set up a task force under Ms Jaya Jaitly, it suggested increasing the age of
marriage for females to 21.
 The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to increase the minimum age of marriage for
females to 21 years.

Way Forward
 The issue of increasing the age of marriage for women must be supported with other measures that help delay
underage marriages such as access to education and improving women‘s safety.
 The practice of child marriages is largely due to the overall social customs, tradition, illiteracy, poverty, low
status of women in society, and lack of awareness. These issues cannot be tackled by legislative interventions
alone.
 There is a need for improved access to education, skill training and employment opportunities, safety for women
and strengthening maternal health services to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
 Need to adopt a comprehensive approach to curb the factors closely related to child marriage, including
poverty eradication, better education and public infrastructure facilities for children and raising social awareness
on health, nutrition, regressive social norms and inequalities.

SUPERSTITIONS IN INDIA
About
 The recent incident of brutal murders of two women as part of ―ritualistic human sacrifices‖ in Kerala has started
a debate about superstitious beliefs and witchcraft in India.

Present Status
 As per the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2021, a total of 6 deaths were linked to
human sacrifices, while witchcraft was the motive for 68 killings.
o The maximum number of witchcraft cases were reported from Chhattisgarh (20), followed by Madhya
Pradesh (18) and Telangana (11).

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o Kerala saw two cases of human sacrifice.

 India saw 88 deaths due to witchcraft and 11 died as part of ‗human sacrifices, In 2020 as per the NCRB report.
 According to the National Crime Records Bureau report of 2021: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana
accounted for 49 out of the 68 registered cases of witchcraft in the country.
 In India, no Union law criminalizes actions that promote the belief in witchcraft; however, several states had
made laws.

States' law
 In 1999, Bihar became the first state to introduce a law on the subject.
o It defined Witches as women who were thought by society members to possess the power of harming others
through the art of black magic, evil eyes, or ―Mantras‖ (chants).
 Bihar passed the Prevention Of Witch Practices Act, of 1999, which provides effective measures to prevent witch
practices and identification of a woman as a witch and their oppression mostly prevalent in Tribal areas and to
eliminate the woman‘s torture, humiliation and killing by the society.
o The act defined it as a cognizable and non-bailable offence; meaning a police officer could make an arrest
without a warrant, and bail is not automatically given.
o It has a provision of jail term extending up to 3 months or a fine of Rs 1,000 for those who caused harm to a
woman by branding her a witch.
 In 2001, Jharkhand also made a law. According to the law identification of ‗witches‘, lead to horrific crimes
against women…including death, inhumane treatment, rape, etc.
 In Chhattisgarh; Provision of punishment of up to 3 years of jail for identifying any person as a witch.
 The Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices
and Black Magic Act, 2013 criminalises practices related to black magic, human sacrifices, the use of magic
remedies to cure ailments and other such acts which may exploit people's superstitions.
 Odisha passed a law in 2013 to provide effective measures to tackle the menace of witch-hunting.
 Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017 bans several
practices related to black magic and superstition, like forcing a person to walk on fire at religious festivals and the
practice of piercing rods from one side of the jaw to the other.
 In 2018, Assam passed a law to prevent the sharing of harmful information and to ensure the protection or
shelter home the possible victims.

Way Forward
 Witch-hunting and superstition-related crimes violate basic fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15,
and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
 These acts also violate provisions of several International legislations to which India is a signatory, such as;
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966.
 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979.
 Illiteracy, misleading information, Orthodox and superstitious mindset of the people are the main reasons
behind this evil practice.
 Strict implementation of the law and promotion of education and social awareness could help us to get rid of
this social evil.

HATE SPEECH
Context
 The Supreme Court of India expressed concern over rising incidents of hate speeches, the Court directed the
police to take suo motu action against the culprits by registering criminal cases without waiting for formal
complaints.
o The court alerted the authorities that ―any hesitation to act in accordance with this direction will be viewed
as contempt of court and appropriate action shall be taken against the erring officers‖.

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Details
 The court said that hate speech cases must be dealt with IPC Sections 153A, 153B and 295A and 505, etc.
o IPC Section 153A deals with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place
of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony.
o IPC Section 153B speaks about imputations, and assertions prejudicial to national integration.
o IPC Section 295A refers to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class
by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.
o IPC Section 505 deals with statements conducing to public mischief.

Hate Speech
 Hate speech can be defined as ―Any kind of communication; in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses
derogatory or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group based on their religion, ethnicity,
nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factors.‖
 It is an act of using threatening words or Signs within the hearing or sight of a person to create fear.
 It has become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of law and our democratic structure.
 Hate speech is a serious global challenge; Recently Facebook, in its Transparency Report, disclosed that it ended
up taking down 3 million hateful posts from its platform while YouTube removed 25,000 posts in one month
alone.

Concern
 The criminal law or the Constitution does not define hate speech.
 Hate Speech is the root of many forms of violence that are being committed.
 One of the most visible effects of hate speech is growing electoral mobilization along communal lines.
 It not only negatively affects human rights values but also affects the socioeconomic development of the nation
and also undermines constitutional values.
 Hate speech has reached a systemic presence in the media and the internet, from electoral campaigns to
everyday life.
 Abusive speech directed against minority communities, disinformation campaigns on TV channels and Social
Media, trolling and fake news is becoming the new normal.
 In 2019, the Supreme Court criticized the Election Commission, dubbing it ―toothless‖ for not taking action
against candidates engaging in hate speech during the election campaigns.

Provisions under Present laws to deal with Hate Speech

 There are many laws to curb hate speech.
 Sections 153A, 295A and 298 of the Indian Penal Code, criminalize the promotion of hostility between different
groups of people on grounds of religion and language.
 Section 125 of the Representation of People Act states that any person during an election campaign promoting
feelings of hostility and hatred on grounds of religion and caste is punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years
and a fine or both.

Suggestions to curb the menace of Hate Speech

 Monitoring and analyzing hate speech trend
o Authorities must recognize, monitor, collect data and analyze hate speech trends.
 Addressing root causes, drivers and actors of hate speech
o Government should adopt a common understanding of the root causes and drivers of hate speech to take
relevant action to best address and/or mitigate its impact.
o Government should also identify and support actors who challenge hate speech.
 Engaging and supporting the victims of hate speech
o Government should show solidarity with the victims of hate speech and enforce human rights-centred
measures which aim at countering hate speech and the escalation of violence.
 Promote measures to ensure that the rights of victims are upheld, and their needs addressed, including through
advocacy for remedies, access to justice and psychological counselling.

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 The government must also engage private sector actors, including social media companies, to address and
counter hate speech, encouraging partnerships between government, industry and civil society.
 Raise awareness about respect for human rights, non-discrimination, tolerance and understanding of other
cultures and religions, as well as gender equality, including in the digital world.
 We should promote intercultural, interfaith and interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding.
 Citizens' support must be used to address, counter and mitigate the impact of hate speech, as well as
counteract its bearing, without restricting the right to freedom of expression.

Way Forward
 Hate speech must be condemned and the law must take action. It must be treated as a violent act.
 The Law Commission recommended the introduction of new provisions within the Indian Penal code that
specifically punish provocation to violence in addition to the existing ones.
 Addressing hate speech requires a coordinated response that tackles the root causes and drivers of hate speech,
as well as its impact on victims and societies more broadly.
 Tackling hate speech is the responsibility of all – governments, societies, and the private sector, starting with
individual women and men. All are responsible, all must act.
 Hate Speech promotes hatred and rift in our society; it hurt the socio-economic development of the country
and also goes against the secular spirit of the Indian Constitution.
 The Indian Constitution envisages Bharat as a secular nation and fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual
and unity and integrity of the country is the guiding principle enshrined in the Preamble. There cannot be
fraternity unless members of the community drawn from different religions or castes of the country can live in
harmony.

HIJAB ROW VERDICT

Context
 The Supreme Court of India expressed a divided opinion in the Karnataka hijab ban case.
o Now, the matter is to be placed before the Chief Justice of India.
 Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the requests challenging the Karnataka High Court order, however Justice
Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed them.
 The Court defined that it is a question of Article 19(1)(a) and 25(1).

Details
 In 1986, a Supreme Court bench in the Bijoe Emmanuel case held that forcing children to sing the anthem
violated their fundamental right to religion.
 The Supreme Court held that ―Article 25 (right to practice and propagate your religion) under Indian Constitution
ensure minority to find their identity under the Constitution‖.
 The SC highlighted that ―our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our constitution
practices tolerance‖.

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Constitutional Articles related to Freedom of Religion and educational rights

 Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess,
practice and propagate religion.
o Freedom of conscience: Inner freedom of an individual to frame his relation with God or Creatures in
whatever way he desires.
o Right to Profess Declaration of one‘s religious beliefs and faith openly and freely.
o Right to Practice: Performance of religious worship, rituals, ceremonies and exhibition of beliefs and ideas.
o Right to Propagate: Transmission and promotion of one‘s religious beliefs to others. But, it does not include a
right to convert another person to one‘s religion.
o Article 25 covers religious beliefs and also religious practices (rituals).
 Article 26: Freedom to Manage Religious Affairs, every religious denomination or any of its sections shall have
the following rights:
o Right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.
o Right to manage its affairs in matters of religion.
o Right to own and acquire movable and immovable property.
o Right to administer such property in accordance with the law.
 Article 27 - Freedom from Taxation for the Promotion of a Religion
o No person shall be forced to pay any taxes for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or
religious denomination.
o The State should not spend the public money collected by way of tax for the promotion or maintenance of
any particular religion.
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o This provision prohibits the State from favouring and supporting one religion over the other. This also
means that taxes can be used for the promotion or maintenance of all religions.
o This provision prohibits only the levy of a tax and not a fee.
 Article 28 - Freedom from Attending Religious Instruction
o No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State
funds.
o No person attending any educational institution recognised by the State or receiving aid out of State funds
shall be required to attend any religious instruction or worship in that institution without his consent.
 Article 29 - Protection of Interests of Minorities
o It provides that any section of the citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct language, script or
culture of its own, shall have the right to conserve the same.
o No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid
out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, or language.
 These rights are subject to public order, morality, health and other provisions relating to fundamental rights.
o The State is permitted to regulate or restrict any economic, financial, political or other secular activity
associated with religious practice.

How to Draw the Line between Matters of Religion and Matters Other Than Religion?
 The ‗essential practice‘ doctrine can be traced to a 1954 decision of the Supreme Court in the ‗Shire Mutt‘ case. In
this case, the Court said: ―In the first place, what constitutes the essential part of a religion is primarily to be
decided with reference to the doctrines of that religion itself.‖
 In 2004, the Supreme Court held that the Ananda Marga sect had no fundamental right to perform the Tandava
dance in public streets since it did not constitute an essential religious practice of the sect.
 In 2016, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the discharge of a Muslim airman from the Indian Air
Force for keeping a beard.
 In the Sabarimala case (2018), the majority ruled that the bar on entry of women in the age group of 10 to 50 was
not an essential or integral part of the religion, and denied the status of a separate religious denomination of
devotees of Lord Ayyappa.

Argument in Support of the Hijab Ban

 Hijab is not an essential religious practice and the freedom of religion can be subjected to reasonable
restrictions under constitutional provisions for maintaining institutional discipline.
 Educational institutions can impose dress codes/uniforms prohibiting religious dress to ensure secular
education.
 Public places are meant to be secular, religion has to be kept out of them.
 The right to practice religion is subject to several restrictions and rules of public morality.
 The spirit behind a dress code is of ensuring homogeneity in a classroom and obliterating the visible class or
caste divide.

Argument against Hijab Ban

 Constitutional Right - Wearing of hijab is their fundamental right under the right to freedom of religion under
article 25, and also wearing a hijab is an expression protected under Article 19 of the Constitution which
guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression.
 Irrational restrictions - Government has the right to restrict fundamental rights to protect the sovereignty and
integrity of India, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to
contempt of courts.
o But, Students silently wearing a hijab/headscarf and attending class cannot in any manner be said to be a
practice that disturbs ―public order‖.
 While Hijab is being attacked for disrupting the ‗uniform style of clothes, no other religious symbols displayed on
the body (Turban, Bindi, Sindur, Mangasutra, etc) are being questioned.
 The Kerala High Court and the Madras High Court concluded that purdah or burkha may not be an essential
religious practice but a hijab/headscarf is.

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 India is a land of diversity, and the diversity in the classroom must reflect this social reality, as this helps
students to know about different diverse groups and they learn to respect diversity. If the classroom becomes
homogeneous then students could feel uncomfortable in a Heterogeneous Indian Society.
 When the President, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, officials, etc, could follow their constitutional duties while
publicly following their own religious identity and values, then why can‘t a common man be allowed to do so?

Concerns
 Negative effect on the students, this whole controversy emerged when only a few months left before their final
examination.
 Negative impact on students‘ Mental and Psychological health, as female students are already struggling at
home to get an education, and now they are also struggling outside their homes. This 2 front struggle could
result in an increasing dropout rate and go against the Vision of Women's empowerment.
 This controversy is promoting hatred and discrimination and goes against the constitutional value of
‗Brotherhood‘.
 The female students are seeing that students from other religions are allowed to wear a turban, bindi, mangal
sutra, sindoor, etc. but they are not, in the long run, this could promote division in our society and hamper peace
and harmony in the nation.

Way forward
 The Law Commission in its report mentioned that ‗Cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that
our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for threat to the unity and integrity of the nation‘.
 The difference does not always imply discrimination. Diversity, both religious and regional should not be
subsumed under the louder voice of the majority.
 Codification of all religious laws is necessary to avoid controversies related to what is and what is not essential
religious practices under the Right to freedom of religion guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
 There are some protocols developed for regulating educational institutions, any amendment to them must be
made after consulting all stakeholders, and once a decision is made then there must be a time limit to implement
them, for example, any change introduced in the dress code must be made from next academic year and not in the
middle of the year so that parents and students could plan.

BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO SCHEME

Context
 The Union Government announced the inclusion of the skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL)
under the ‗Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ scheme.
 The scheme will now also focus on increasing the enrolment of girls in secondary education, particularly in STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.

Background
 The Census of 2011 reflects a declining trend in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) between 0-6 years with an all-time low
at 918.
 A decline in CSR reflects:
 Pre-birth discrimination through gender-biased sex selection.
 Post-birth discrimination against girls (in form of their health, nutrition, and educational needs).

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme

 In 2015, the Union Government has launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme.
 It is a tri-ministerial effort of;
 Ministry of Women and Child Development.
 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
 Ministry of Education (Earlier Ministry of Human Resource Development).
Since 2021 the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Minority Affairs have also
been added as partners.
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The programme only focuses on awareness campaigns and no provision of individual cash transfers by the
Government.
The scheme is now subsumed into Mission Shakti.
Objectives of the Scheme;
 Prevent gender-biased sex selective elimination.
 Ensure the survival and protection of the girl child.
 Ensure the education and participation of the girl child.
 Increase girls' participation in the fields of sports.
The scheme aims to achieve:
 Improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) by 2 points every year,
 Improvement in the percentage of institutional deliveries sustained at the rate of 95% or above.
 1% increase in enrolment at the secondary education level and skilling of girls/women per year.
 To check the dropout rate among girls at secondary and higher secondary levels.
 Raising awareness about safe menstrual hygiene management (MHM)

INDIA DISCRIMINATION REPORT 2022

Context
 Gender-based discrimination is the reason for 98% of the employment gap between males and females in
urban India, an extensive analysis by Oxfam India has found.

Key Findings of the India Discrimination Report 2022

 Labour force participation rate (LFPR)
 LFPR of women in India was just 25% in 2021. It is broadly lower than Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
 LFPR of women was 42.7% in 2004-05, and the significant decline indicates the withdrawal of women from the
workforce despite rapid economic growth during the same period.
 The low participation was largely due to gender discrimination in wages and opportunities.
Wage Gap
 Self-employed urban males earn 2.5 times more than their female counterparts. 83%of this wage gap is attributed
to gender-based discrimination.
 The research found that discrimination against women in India is so high that there is hardly any difference
observed across religious and caste-based sub-groups. All women, regardless of their socio-economic position, are
highly discriminated against.
 In rural areas, 93% of the gap in earnings between men and women is due to gender discrimination.
Discrimination delinked with educational qualifications
 The employment status of women does not depend on their educational qualifications. This leads to the
alarming result emerging from a mathematical model that gender discrimination is almost total in the country.
This is partly because women candidates are not selected by employers due to their gender-linked prejudices.
Social Norms
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 A sizable segment of qualified women is not available in the labour market because of ―family responsibilities‖ or
the need to conform to social norms, status within the caste hierarchy and community, family traditions, etc, that
are often at odds with participation in the labour force.
 Women in well-educated and economically better-off households often withdraw from the labour force due to
socio-cultural reasons.
 Women do not enter the labour market due to ―family reasons,‖ a lack of safety associated with travelling and
timing requirements of jobs in addition to esoteric reasons ranging from ―societal norms‖ and practices that
associate respectability with staying out of the workforce for women."
Lack of salaried jobs
 60% of urban men are engaged in salaried jobs or are self-employed, whereas this figure is reduced to a mere
19% for women.
 While 53.8% of the 15+ population of men is engaged in salaried or self-employed work in rural areas, the figure
for women is 23.3% only.
Scenario in rural areas
 In rural areas, any ―social capital‖ gains, in terms of the education of the heads of households, reduce women‘s
probability of participation in regular salaried or self-employed work, implying that women from such
households are less likely to seek and get jobs.
Exception of SC, ST communities
 There is a deviation for women belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, as observed by
the Oxfam India study.
 SC and ST women start working at an early age without any formal education due to desperate socio-economic
conditions, the report noted. This means that more than educational qualifications or age, social factors are
greater determinants for rural women stepping out – or keeping away – from work.
 Notably, persons belonging to SC and ST communities earn Rs 5,000 less than the national average.

Effect of COVID-19: Key Findings

 Women during the first quarter of the pandemic (April-June 2020) recorded a massive increase in their
unemployment rate, similar to that of men in urban areas. However, in rural areas, the unemployment rate for
women was less than that of men over the same period. The diminished effect of COVID-19 and subsequent
lockdowns on women's employment in rural areas could be due to women being engaged in agriculture and
home-based activities in rural areas.
 The urban unemployment rate for women did not rise above men because a large segment of women workers was
engaged as domestic help and in unskilled jobs, regularly, which saw less impact.
 The pandemic-induced lockdowns constrained the mobility of women much more than men, resulting in high
employment losses in urban areas.

Recommendations to address the discrimination

 Actively enforce legislation for the protection of the right to equal wages and work.
 Work to actively incentivize the participation of women in the workforce, including enhancements in pay,
upskilling, job reservations, easy return-to-work options, particularly after maternity leave, and the option to
work from home, wherever possible.
 Work to ensure a more equitable distribution of household work and childcare duties between women and men.
 Implement ―living wages‖ as opposed to minimum wages, particularly for all informal workers, and formalize
contractual, temporary, and casual labour as much as possible.

Challenges faced by Women Workforce in India

 More women in the rural area in the labour force Compared to Urban areas.
 Gender wage gaps remain in every employment.
 The double burden on women: Balancing employment and domestic responsibilities (including household
chores and caregiving).
 Safety concerns, Sexual harassment at the workplace.
 Migration, Unfair Sex ratio, and Environmental degradation have added to women‘s vulnerability.

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 India is a male-dominated Society in which the Economic, Political, Religious, Social and Cultural institutions
are largely controlled by men.
 Control over women‘s livelihood Choices and Sexuality has existed and evolved over Centuries through various
discriminatory Social Practices and Institutions.
 Despite laws, gender-based discrimination against women continues in Indian Society. Clearly shows the laws
and gaps in their implementation.
 The structure of judicial remedies is still insufficient to serve the needs of women, Particularly Poor and
marginalized women, in accessing justice.
 Development Programmes introduced to bring gender equality have produced mixed results. Legislative
Changes have faced resistance in their implementation due to Social, Cultural and religious Customs.
 There is no comprehensive policy support and there is a lack of effective implementation.
 There is a lack of match between the aspirations of more educated women and the quality and availability of
jobs. Further, there is a lack of salaried opportunities available for women with moderate levels of education.
 Insufficient formal wages and poor job opportunities are other reasons for the decline.
 While social norms and family commitments are important issues, factors such as terms of employment, working
conditions, mobility limitations, and hiring practices also make things difficult.
 Women‘s workforce participation is declining in rural India and is low and stagnant in urban India, primarily
due to the shrinking of the agriculture sector.
 The lack of formal enterprises and the absence of 200 cities with 30-minute safe commutes explain a lot, if not
most, of this tragedy.
 A large proportion of the women who left the labour market are
 Many women who join the workforce are unable to re-join after having a child.
 If women's perceived productivity at home is greater than their returns in the labour market, women are likely
to withdraw from the labour force.
 Barriers to migration for women, Discrimination, in the Workplace are other factors.

Steps taken by Government to improve women's labour force participation

 Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims at girls in the age group 11-18, to empower and improve their social status
through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training
 Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme promotes community participation through the involvement of
Student Volunteers for the empowerment of rural women
 National Crèche Scheme to provide daycare facilities to children of the age group of 6 months to 6 years of
working women who are employed.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) to provide micro-credit to poor women for various livelihood support and
income-generating activities at concessional terms
 Working Women Hostels for ensuring safe accommodation for women working away from their place of
residence.
 SABLA Scheme, Providing life Skills and Supplementary nutrition to School girls.
 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013 -Cover all women, of all ages, both in the public and private
sector, whether organized or unorganized.
 The Government enhanced paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, provision for mandatory crèche
facilities in establishments having 50 or more employees, permitted women workers in the night shifts with
adequate safety measures, etc.
 The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 now subsumed in the Code on Wages, 2019 provides that there shall be no
discrimination in an establishment on the ground of gender in matters relating to wages by the same employer, in
respect of the same work or work of similar nature done by any employee.
 To enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a
network of Women's Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional
Vocational Training Institutes.

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ATROCITIES AGAINST SCs/STs

Context
 A Class 7 Dalit boy was allegedly beaten by his school teacher after that the student fell unconscious.
o Several Dalit organisations protested against the teacher and school management and following that the
accused teacher was taken into custody.
 Recently, a nine-year-old Dalit student was allegedly beaten by a teacher for touching a pot in the school, the
child died during treatment.

Related News
 The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has expressed serious concern over the increasing trend of crimes against
the oppressed sections, especially Dalits.
 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory to the States/Union Territories for identifying areas
prone to atrocities against Dalits.
 The Ministry has also suggested deploying adequate manpower/infrastructure to safeguard the life and
property of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.
 The guidelines have also highlighted the need for strong enforcement of the statutory provisions and laws relating
to offences against SC/ STs.

Dalits in India
 According to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.
o Crimes against scheduled tribe (ST) communities increased by 9.3% to a total of 8,272 cases registered in 2020.
o Crime against Scheduled caste (SC) communities increased by 9.4% to a total of 50,291 cases registered in 2020.
 They face Social discrimination in their day-to-day life, which in turn limit their Education, health, economic
opportunities, liberty, freedom, etc, and erode their chance to live a life of dignity, as they face different kind of
stereotype like in the case of theft, crime, etc they came in the circle of doubt and were also arrested by police.
 Many people hide their caste identity by adopting a different name, or title, or they migrate to another place and
start a new life by hiding their caste identity, by doing this they can save themselves from social discrimination
and lead a life of dignity, and take benefit of economic opportunities and improve the standard of living.
 India is a democratic country; governments at every stage have tried to readdress these discriminations and
ensured certain rights and protection for different groups of people, provided equal opportunities to all citizens,
and also prohibited any kind of discrimination based on religion, caste, gender etc.
o Through Constitutional equality, they provided all people with the same level of opportunities and a proper
mechanism to get justice.
 They mainly face violence due to their so-called lower caste status in the social Caste System hierarchy.

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Steps taken to ensure socio-economic equality for Dalits, and other marginalized sections of the
society.
 Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes Untouchability.
 Article 46 requires the State ‗to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker
sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and to protect them
from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
 Article 335 provides that the claims of the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall be
taken into consideration, consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration, in the making of
appointments to services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or a State.
 Article 15(4) refers to the special provisions for their advancement.
 Article 16(4A) speaks of ―reservation in matters of appointment/promotion‘
 Article 338 provides for a National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with duties to
investigate and monitor all matters relating to safeguards provided for them.
 Article 330 and Article 332 of the Constitution respectively provide for the reservation of seats in favour of the
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People and the legislative assemblies of the States.
 Part IX of the Indian Constitution relating to the Panchayats and Part IXA of the Constitution relating to the
Municipalities provides reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in local bodies.
 The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is the nodal Ministry to oversee the interests of the Scheduled
Castes.
o The Scheduled Castes Development (SCD) Bureau promotes the welfare of Scheduled Castes through their
educational, economic and social empowerment.
 Pre-Matric Scholarships.
 Scholarships for obtaining Higher Education and Coaching Scheme.
 The Protection of Civil Rights Act, of 1955 was enacted to provide punishment for the practice of untouchability.
 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
 Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995.
 Enactment of ―Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.
 The ‗Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013‘.

Way forward
 In democratic Societies there is nothing to legally stop a Person from the most deprived Class and Caste from
reaching the highest Position, but these legal rights also need socioeconomic support from the government as
affirmative action.
 Education can play an important role in reducing caste rigidity in our society.
 Governments need to take effective affirmative action based on strong data to ensure the socio-economic
development of marginalized people living at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
 People also need to understand that our Sources of knowledge about the past and especially the ancient Past are
inadequate. It is difficult to be very certain about what things were like at that time, or the reasons why some
institutions and Practices came to be established.
o But even if we knew all this, just because something happened in the Past or is Part of our tradition, it is not
necessarily right or wrong forever.
o Every age has to think afresh about such questions and Come to its own Collective decision about its Social
institutions.
 Discrimination is an evil present in every society, which limits the political, social, economical, and cultural
opportunities of people and promotes a sense of insecurity among them stereotypes push them to that limit where
they see violence as the only option to fight against discrimination.
 Therefore, it is necessary for all the society to get rid of this evil, to create a sustainable peaceful and tolerant
society, where everyone could equally contribute in Nation building.

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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
BLUE FLAG BEACHES
Context
 International eco-label "Blue Flag‖, has been accorded to two new Indian beaches; Minicoy Thundi Beach and
Kadmat Beach- both in Lakshadweep, with this the number of beaches certified under the Blue Flag certification
increased to 12 in India.

BLUE FLAG
 It is an internationally recognized eco-label that is accorded based on 33 criteria. These criteria are divided into
4 major heads namely; Environmental education and information, Bathing water quality, Environmental
management, and Conservation and safety services on the beaches.
 Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches in the world.
 It is accorded by the international jury composed of eminent members - United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Denmark-based NGO Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
 The mission of Blue Flag is to promote sustainability in the tourism sector, through environmental education,
environmental protection and other sustainable development practices.

BEAMS program
 Under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate
Change (MoEFCC) has piloted the Beach Environment & Aesthetic Management Service (BEAMS)
Programme.
 The objective of the BEAMS program is to abate pollution in coastal waters, promote sustainable development of
beach facilities, protect & conserve coastal ecosystems & natural resources, and seriously challenge local
authorities & stakeholders to strive and maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene & safety for beachgoers in
accordance with coastal environment & regulations.
 Under this programme, various activities related to pollution abatement, beach awareness, aesthetics, safety,
surveillances services and environmental education, etc., have been done at identified beaches aimed to achieve
international standards for Blue Flag Beach Certification.
 A total of 12 beaches situated in 6 States and 4 Union Territories have been developed at par with the best
international beaches with safe and ecologically sustainable infrastructure, acceptable bathing water quality, self-
sustaining energy supply and environmentally sound services/management measures.
 Beaches that have been conferred with internationally recognized Blue Flag Certification are;
1. Shivrajpur, Devbhumi Dwarka District, Gujarat
2. Ghoghla (Diu) Dadara Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
3. Padubidri, Udupi District, Karnataka
4. Kasarkod, Karwar District, Karnataka
5. Kappad, Kozhikode District, Kerala
6. Kovalam, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
7. Eden, Puducherry District, Puducherry
8. Rushikonda, Vishakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh
9. Golden, Puri District, Odisha
10. Radhanagar (Havelock), Andaman & Nicobar Islands
11. Minicoy Thundi Beach in Lakshadweep
12. Kadmat Beach in Lakshadweep

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HEATWAVES
Context
 According to a new United Nations Children‘s Fund (UNICEF) report ―Nearly all the world‘s children will be
exposed to more frequent and severe heatwaves by 2050‖.
 The report highlighted that even under a low greenhouse gas emission scenario ―virtually every child on earth‖
will face severe heat waves.

Key Points of the Report

 Heatwaves with longer duration pose more risks for children as they spend more time outdoors than adults for
sports and other activities.
 Nearly 25% of children live in areas where the average heatwave event lasts 4.7 days or longer in 2020. This
percentage will rise to over 75% by 2050.
 Children in southern, western and south-eastern Asia, eastern and southern Europe and northern Africa
experience heatwaves for a longer duration.
 Children are affected by heat; Risks to health and well-being and Social and educational risks.
o Heatwaves lead to poor health and nutrition among children and are linked to lower academic performance
and attendance.
o High temperatures and lower hydration affect children‘s ability to concentrate.
 Heatwave increase health risks; heat stroke, heat stress, allergy, chronic respiratory conditions, asthma,
mosquito-borne disease, cardiovascular disease, under-nutrition and diarrhoea.
 High temperatures are linked to increased mental health problems in children and adolescents, including post-
traumatic stress disorder and depression.
 The report stated that extreme heat affects children‘s education and future livelihoods.
 Heatwaves also threaten children‘s safety. Communities are forced to search for new resources. The resulting
migration, displacement and conflict expose children to serious physical harm and violence risks.
 The report stressed adopting adaptation and mitigation strategies. The report said the countries must:
o Protecting children from climate devastation by encouraging social services.
o Preparing children to live in a climate-changed world.
o Prioritising children and youth in climate finance and resources.
o Preventing a climate catastrophe by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

What is a Heat Wave?

 A heatwave is a period of excessively hot weather, with high humidity, especially in oceanic climate areas.
 Heatwaves are usually measured relative to the usual weather in the area and relative to normal temperatures for
the season.
 The definitions of heatwave vary from region to region. Temperatures that people from a hotter climate consider
normal can be called a heatwave in a cooler area if they are outside the normal climate pattern for that area.
 Severe heatwaves have caused catastrophic crop failures, thousands of deaths from hyperthermia and
widespread power outages due to increased use of air conditioning.
 A heat wave is considered extreme weather that can be a natural disaster and a danger because heat and sunlight
may overheat the human body.
 Heatwaves can usually be detected using forecasting instruments so that a warning call can be issued.
 Climate models reveal that future heatwaves will have a more intense geographic pattern. The world will
experience more intense, more frequent, and longer-lasting heat waves in the second half of the 21st century.
 Increased anthropogenic activities causing increased greenhouse gas emissions show that heat waves will be more
severe.
 Heatwaves and droughts, as a result, minimize ecosystem carbon uptake. Carbon uptake is also known as carbon
sequestration.
o This will cause changes in the ecosystem's carbon cycle feedback because there will be less vegetation to hold
the carbon from the atmosphere, which will only contribute more to atmospheric warming.

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How do heat waves form?

 A heatwave is formed when static high pressure is generated in the upper atmosphere over a region for several
days up to several weeks.
 This static high pressure generates a hot mass of air, which is stagnant for many days and weeks, which results in
the trapping of more heat that also reduces the convection currents.
 The high pressure acts as a barrier and forces the mass of air to sink to the surface of the land that preventing
heat from rising.
 This hot mass of air accumulates only heat and humidity without any trace of precipitation that causes
abnormally high temperatures. It is very common during the summer season, from May to November in the
northern hemisphere.
 The seal keeps out convection currents that form clouds and eventually rain clouds, both of which would help the
area affected cool off.
 Instead, the result is a heatwave that has both high heat and high humidity near the ground.
 These heat waves can last from days to weeks.

 A heatwave occurs when a system of high atmospheric pressure moves into an area and lasts two or more days.
o In such a high-pressure system, air from the upper levels of our atmosphere is pulled toward the ground,
where it becomes compressed and temperature increases.
 This high concentration of pressure makes it difficult for other weather systems to move into the area, which is
why a heatwave can last for several days or weeks.
o The longer the system stays in an area, the hotter the area becomes.
 The high-pressure system also prevents clouds from entering the region; sunlight can become punishing,
heating the system even more.
 The combination of all of these factors comes together to create the exceptionally hot temperatures we call a
heatwave.
 This is common in summer (in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres) as the jet stream 'follows the sun'.

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Heatwave in India
 In India, a region or locality is considered to be under the influence of a heatwave if the maximum temperature
reaches or exceeds;
 40 degrees Celsius in the plains.
 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions.
 37 degrees Over the coastal regions
 When the maximum temperature departure ranges between 4.5 and 6 degrees, the India Meteorological
Department (IMD) declares a heatwave.
 For example; If the normal temperature of a locality should be 40 degrees, and the actual recorded temperature is
45 degrees, the locality is under a heatwave.
 A severe heatwave is declared when the recorded maximum temperature of a locality departure from normal is
over 6.4 degrees.
 In India, heat waves occur from March to June, occasionally in July. The peak heatwave events have been reported
in May.
 As per the IMD, the most heatwave-prone states are Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,
West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Vidarbha, and parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, and occasionally over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Implications of Heat Waves

Social impacts
 Extreme heat can lead to heat-related illness and death, particularly in elderly populations, the poor, outdoor
workers, and urban areas.
 Heatwaves exacerbate the urban heat island effects, amplifying temperatures in built environments, and
resulting in poorer air quality due to the creation of ozone that negatively impacts health.
 Heat-related mortality is expected to be higher in cities, particularly those characterised by high population
density, inequalities, limited access to health care, high pollution levels and fewer green spaces.

Economic impacts
 Multiple areas of the economic sector experience reduced worker productivity during heatwaves, especially
agriculture and construction.
 Globally, 2% of total working hours are projected to be lost every year, either because it is too hot to work or
because workers have to work at a slower pace.
 Lost productivity from heat stress at work, particularly in developing countries, is expected to be valued at $ 4.2
trillion per year by 2030, driving more inequality.
 The agricultural sector, where 940 million people earn their livelihood, is set to be harder hit by hotter
temperatures, pushing workers, crops and livestock past their physiological heat and drought tolerances.
 This will result in lost labour, smaller harvests for farmers and higher prices for consumers, and negative
impacts on livelihoods.
 A World Bank report suggests that by 2050, about 600 million Indians will live in places that could experience a
loss of living standards, which could cost 2.8% of the GDP, stalling efforts to pull large parts of the population out
of poverty.
 Increasing energy demand for cooling also comes as an extensive economic cost to residents, businesses, and
governments.
 With these extreme heat events, the need for access to cooling should be viewed as a basic necessity – not just for
health and productivity reasons but, in some cases, even for survival.

Ecological impacts
 Heatwaves, without concomitant increases in precipitation, can lead to water shortages and increased stress for
plants, particularly in arid regions.
 This has the effect of reducing plant growth, the basis of energy production and the food chain, with an overall
drying-out of the landscape.

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 For example, the 2003 European heatwave resulted in a 10% loss in glacier mass in Europe, which was five times
more than the average annual loss.
o Similar impacts were reported for the French Alps in 2019.
 Over time, such deep permafrost warming and thawing could cause landslides and rockfalls, continuing the
negative ecological impacts.

Health Impacts of Heat Waves

 The health impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and/or heat
stroke.
 Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
 Vegetable vendors, cab drivers, construction workers, police personnel, roadside kiosk operators and mostly
weaker sections of society have to work in the extreme heat to make ends meet and are extremely vulnerable to
the adverse impacts of heatwaves such as dehydration, heat and sunstrokes.

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

 The Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies are intended to mobilise individuals and communities to help protect
their neighbours, friends, relatives, and themselves against avoidable health problems during spells of very hot
weather.
 Government agencies need to play a critical role in preparing and responding to heat waves at a local level,
working closely with health and other related departments on a long-term strategic plan.
 Establish Early Warning System and Inter-Agency Coordination to alert residents on predicted high and
extreme temperatures. Who will do what, when, and how is made clear to individuals and units of key
departments, especially for health.
 Capacity building/training programme for health care professionals at the local level to recognize and respond
to heat-related illnesses, particularly during extreme heat events.
 These training programmes should focus on medical officers, paramedical staff and community health staff so
that they can effectively prevent and manage heat-related medical issues to reduce mortality and morbidity.
 Public Awareness and community outreach - Disseminating public awareness messages on how to protect
against the extreme heatwave through print, electronic and social media and Information, Education and
Communication materials such as pamphlets, posters and advertisements and Television Commercials on Do and
Don‘t and treatment measures for heat-related illnesses.
 Collaboration with non-government and civil society to improve bus stands, build temporary shelters, wherever
necessary, improve water delivery systems in public areas and other innovative measures to tackle Heatwave
conditions.
 Identifying heat hot spots through appropriate tracking of meteorological data and promoting timely
development and implementation of local Heat Action Plans with strategic inter-agency coordination, and a
response which targets the most vulnerable groups.
 Review of existing occupational health standards, labour laws and sectoral regulations for worker safety in
climatic conditions.
 Policy intervention and coordination across three sectors health, water and power are necessary.
 Expedite the rollout of the National Action Plan on Climate Change and Health.
 Preventing temperature-related morbidity and mortality could be a key programme under this mission.
 Ensure an adequate supply of water. Timely access to drinking water can help mitigate this escalation.
 Further research using sub-district level data to provide separate indices for urban and rural areas to enable more
targeted geographical interventions.
 Provision of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
 Promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
 Popularisation of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and
insulating housing materials.
 Advance implementation of local Heat Action Plans, plus effective inter-agency coordination is a vital response
that the government can deploy to protect vulnerable groups.

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WB CURRENT AFFAIRS
National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a penalty on the West Bengal government
Context
 The National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of Rs 3,500 crore as environmental compensation for its
failure in the treatment of solid and liquid waste.
 The green bench order said that for failure in liquid waste management processing, the "liability of the state is to
pay compensation of Rs 2,980 crores, rounded off to Rs 3,000 crore given continuing damage."
o "Final amount of compensation under the two heads (solid and liquid waste) is assessed at Rs 3500 crore.

National Green Tribunal

 It is a Statutory Body under National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act 2010.
 It ensures environmental justice.
 It is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by principles of natural justice.
 Disposal of applications within 6 months.
 Currently, 10 expert members and 10 judicial members (the Act allows for up to 20 of each).
 Only a Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of a High Court Can be appointed as Chairman.
 Members are chosen by a Selection Committee (headed by a sitting judge of S(C).
o Judicial members are chosen from applicants who are serving or retired judges of High Courts.
o Expert members are Chosen from applicants who are either serving or retired bureaucrats, not below the rank
of an Additional Secretary.
 Expert members must have a doctorate in a related field.
 Chairman and members term of 5 yrs and are not eligible for re-appointment.
 NGT pass orders or provides Compensation under;
o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
o Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, Forest (Conservation) Act.
o Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
o Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
o Public Liability Insurance Act 1991.
o Biological Diversity Act 2002.
 The act proposed to Set up 5 places for Sittings:
o New Delhi
o Bhopal
o Pune
o Kolkata
o Chennai

West Bengal bagged International Travel Award

 West Bengal has bagged the International Tourism award for ‗best destination for culture‘.
 The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association, an affiliate of the UN World Tourism Organization, will confer West
Bengal with the International Travel Award 2023 for ‗Best Destination for Culture‘.
 The award will be presented in Berlin, Germany at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders‘ Summit in March
2023.
 Banerjee will attend the award ceremony in Berlin next year. She had earlier gone to the UN to receive
appreciation for the ‗Kanyashree‘ welfare scheme.
 The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) is a professional travel writers' organization established in
1998.

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Tajpur deep sea port

 West Bengal State Government has approved a proposal for issuing a letter of intent (LoI) to Adani Ports and
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for the development of a Greenfield deep sea port at Tajpur, Purba Medinipur
district, West Bengal.
 The cost of the project is around Rs 25,000 crore.
 The port would entail an investment of Rs 15,000 crore.

Purba Medinipur District

 The headquarters is in Tamluk.
 It was formed in 2002 after the Partition of Midnapore into Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur which lies
at the northern and western border of it.
 The Tamluk town in present-day West Bengal is identified as the site of the Port city of Tamralipti.
 Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain and Eastern coastal plains.
 The major rivers are Haldi, Rupnarayan, Rasulpur, Bagui, and Keleghai, flowing in the north-to-south or
southeast direction.
 It is ranked first in literacy in comparison to other districts of West Bengal.
 Digha is a seaside resort town in the Purba Medinipur district.
 Haldia oil refinery is one of the ten refineries of the Indian Oil Corporation. It was commissioned in 1975.
 The oil refinery in Haldia was built with French collaboration and the Lube sector with Romanian collaboration.
 Famous Personalities: Matangini Hazra (Famous As Gandhi Budhi)

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

 The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park of Darjeeling, West Bengal has been recognized as the best zoo
in India.
 The ranking list was released by the Central Zoo Authority
 Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (also known as Darjeeling Zoo) was established in 1958.
 The park is internationally recognized for its breeding and conservation programs of endangered animal species
including the Snow Leopard and the Red Panda.

World‘s largest religious monument

 World's largest religious monument Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal.
 The project cost around $100 million and it is expected to open in 2024.
 The temple will be the headquarters of the ISKON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness).
 It will be one of the tallest Hindu temples in the world.

India International Seafood Show

 The Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) and the Marine Products Export Development Authority
(MPEDA) will host the 23rd India International Seafood Show (IISS) in Kolkata.
 MPEDA Chairman Dr K.N. Raghavan announced that the biennial showpiece event in the seafood sector will be
organized in February 2023.

La Ganesan
 La Ganesan was appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal.
 Governor of Manipur La Ganesan got the additional charge of West Bengal after the resignation of Dhankhar.
 He was born in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.

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CREATION OF DISTRICTS
Context
 The State cabinet of West Bengal headed by the Chief Minister has approved the creation of 7 new districts in the
state.
 This will increase the number of districts in West Bengal from the existing 23 to 30.
The Chief Minister stated that;
 A new Sundarban district will be carved out of the South 24-Parganas district.
 2 new districts will be created out of the North 24-Parganas district.
 A new district in Basirhat.
 A new district will be carved out of the existing Bankura district.
 2 new districts will be created out of the Murshidabad district.

Creation of New Districts

 States keep creating new districts from time to time to make governance easier and to bring the government and
the administration closer to the people.
 Sometimes, the decision to create a new district is influenced by local demands.
 In April 2022, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister announced 13 new districts to fulfil his election promise.
 He believes that the decentralisation and smaller administrative units will bring better and more transparent
governance and smoother and more effective delivery of welfare.
 The same reasons would apply to West Bengal too.
As per Census 2011 figures, on average 4 million people live in each of the 23 districts in West Bengal.
 This is among the highest in the country.
The Power to decide on creating or scrapping districts or changing their boundaries lies with the state
governments, who can pass a law in the Assembly or simply issue an order and notify it in the gazette.
 The Union government does play a role, however, when a change of name of a district or railway station is
changed.
 The request of the state government is sent to several central government departments to get a no-objection
certificate.

Districts in Indian
 The number of districts around the country is increasing with time.
 The 2001 Census recorded 593 districts, which increased to 640 in 2011.
 Currently, India has more than 775 districts.
Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of districts (75) in the country, with Madhya Pradesh (52) in the 2nd
position.
Goa has only 2 districts.
The Kachchh district of Gujarat is the largest in the area.
Mahe district of the Puducherry union territory is the smallest district in the area.
The largest district by population is Thane (Maharashtra).
Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh is the lowest populated district of India.

Kolkata
 Kolkata is the first metro city in the country to prepare a detailed register of biodiversity.
 It was prepared by the biodiversity management committee (BMC) of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Jute Industry
 West Bengal is experiencing a crisis that has led to the closure of several Jute Mills.
 India is the largest producer of jute followed by Bangladesh.
 Major jute-producing states are West Bengal and Bihar.
 Jute is known as golden fibre.
 The first jute mill was established at Rishra (Bengal - now in West Bengal), on the river Hooghly near Calcutta in
the year
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 India is the world's largest producer of raw jute and jute goods. West Bengal is the largest producer of jute in
India.
 West Bengal alone accounts for over 50 % of raw jute production.
 Jute is grown in major parts of the lower Ganges plains, especially in the districts of Medinipur, Bardhaman, 24
Paraganas, Malda, Murshidabad etc.

Darjeeling zoo to release Red Panda in Singalila National Park.

 Singalila National Park is one of the highest protected areas in West Bengal
 Darjeeling Zoo has initiated an ambitious programme to expand the wild red panda population.
 The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling will release 20 Red Pandas into the forests.
In recent decades, the number of red pandas has declined in the wild.
Singalila and Neora Valley National Parks in West Bengal are the two protected areas where the red panda is
found, even in these protected areas the panda population has declined.
 According to recent studies, there are 38 of them in Singalila and 32 in Neora.
The Padmaja Naidu park is at a height of about 2,000 metres above sea level, is one of the high-altitude zoos in the
country and has been quite successful in captive breeding of the Panda.
Red pandas are categorised as an endangered species as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Red pandas are shy, solitary and arboreal animals and are regarded as an important indicator species for
ecological change.

Singalila National Park

 Singalila National Park is located on the Singalila Ridge at an altitude of more than 7000 feet above sea level.
 It is in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
 It is bordered on the north by Sikkim and on the west by Nepal.
 The park is part of the Eastern Himalayas.
 The Singalila Ridge runs roughly from North to South and it separates Himalayan West Bengal from the other
Eastern Himalayan ranges.
 The two highest peaks of West Bengal: Sandakphu (3630 m) and Phalut (3600 m), are located inside the park.
 Rammam river and Srikhola River flow through the park.
 Flora - Thick bamboo, oak, magnolia, rhododendron and numerous orchids.
 Sandakphu is also known as the "mountain of poisonous plants" due to the presence of large numbers of
Himalayan cobra lilies (Arisaema).
 Fauna - Red panda, leopard cat, barking deer, wild boar, pangolin, Himalayan black bear, leopard, clouded
leopard, Tigers, Himalayan Vulture, scarlet minivet, parrotbills, golden-breasted fulvetta, etc.

Internet Exchange Points at Durgapur and Bardhaman

 The Internet exchanges were launched under Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Digital India vision to connect
every Indian with open, safe & trusted and accountable internet and the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology‘s (MeitY) vision 1000 days.
 Internet exchanges in states are expected to contribute to the enhancement and improvement of Internet and
Broadband services in West Bengal and neighbouring regions.

West Bengal and Sikkim have signed an agreement to promote tourism

 The State governments of West Bengal and Sikkim have signed an agreement to help tourists to
travel between the two neighbouring states with ease in a bid to boost tourism.
 The agreement was signed between West Bengal transport minister Firhad Hakim and Sikkim tourism minister
Sanjit Kharel.
 The agreement will allow West Bengal-registered commercial vehicles to drop tourists at their hotels in different
destinations in Sikkim.
 At Present, after getting down at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri railway station in West Bengal, people have
to take Sikkim-registered vehicles to reach the state, as there were restrictions on West Bengal-registered vehicles
in the Himalayan state.

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 The two governments also agreed to increase the number of vehicles being operated between Siliguri and the
popular tourist destinations in Sikkim.

Chief Minister as the Chancellor of State Universities

 The government of West Bengal is to introduce 6 legislations in the Assembly to make Chief Minister the
Chancellor of all the State-run universities.
 Recently the Cabinet passed a resolution to appoint the Chief Minister as Chancellor of all State universities.
 Generally, the post of Chancellor is held by the State‘s Governor.
 The State government has accused the Governor of interfering in the working of state universities.
 The Governor had also indicated that he is not ready to allow the government to enact the legislation.

SKOCH Award
 West Bengal government has bagged the SKOCH award for ‗ease of doing business‘.
 West Bengal has topped nationally in the ‗Ease of Doing Business‘.
 The Chief Minister has said that this award is being given for the initiatives taken by us in introducing around 100
new online services, reducing and rationalisation around 500 business-related compliance burdens on the
industry, developing department-wise dashboards, etc. Egiye Bangla.
 The state has recently won a SKOCH award for education.

In West Bengal, 78.9% of the households have bicycles, the highest in the country, as per the
National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).
 While the National average is 50.4%.
 Uttar Pradesh holds the second rank with 75.6% of the households owning a bicycle.
 A senior West Bengal government official said the top spot could be bagged because of the state government's
'Sabooj Sathi' scheme.

Sabooj Sathi
 Hon‘ble Finance Minister, in his Budget Speech of 2015-2016, announced a scheme for the distribution of bicycles
to an estimated 40 lakh students studying in classes IX to XII in Government Government Aided Schools and
Madrasahs of the State.
 The scheme is well-known as ―Sabooj Sathi‖ as coined by the Hon‘ble Chief Minister herself and it reflects her
desire to see young students empowered to achieve new feats in the future through the bicycles provided under
the scheme.
 Chief Minister has also created the scheme logo which is firmly attached to the basket in front of the bicycle.
Hon‘ble CM flagged off the distribution in October 2015 from Paschim Medinipur.
 Till May 11, 1, 03,97,444 students have received bicycles in West Bengal under the 'Sabooj Sathi' scheme.

Swasthya Sathi health card

 West Bengal CM stated that strict action will be taken against hospitals that refuse to accept the Swasthya Sathi
health card.
 It is a health scheme launched by Ms Mamta Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal.
 Swasthya Sathi Scheme aims to benefit 7.5 crore, people of the state, by providing financial health support of Rs 5
lakh to every family.
 The Scheme offers the citizens of West Bengal, a smart card through which they can avail of healthcare benefits
covering up to 5 Lakh.
 The scheme was announced for the first time in February 2016 and was officially launched on 30th December 2016
by the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
 It is a cashless health Scheme to get all the health-related cost benefits.

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Bengal Global Business Summit

 To showcase to the world that ‗Bengal Means Business‘ and explore more business opportunities, and forge
partnerships and collaboration, the state is organizing the 6th edition of Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS)
on April 20-21, 2022.
 West Bengal is the 6th largest state of India in economic size with a GSDP of INR 14.44 lakh crore (US$ 206.64
billion) in 2020-21.
 The State has witnessed a positive growth rate of 1.2% despite the pandemic in 2020-21.
 The Bengal Global Business Summit is an ideal platform for forging alliances, tying up partnerships, and
acquiring a clear vision of the opportunities that the state provides for expanding business, making new
investments, setting up green field manufacturing projects and associated activities.
 BGBS 2019 attracted the participation of over 4000 delegates including 450 international delegates from 35
countries. The business proposed in the earlier five editions of BGBS amounts to INR 12,35,578 crore.
 The 6th edition of BGBS has FICCI and CII as its Business Partners and KPMG, EY, PWC and CRISIL as its
Knowledge Partners.
 This forum offers free-flowing and seamless interactions for the stakeholders to explore investment possibilities
and potential in the state and to become partners in our growth story.
 The business proposed in the earlier five editions of the Bengal Global Business Summit amounted to ₹1,235,578
crore, according to data shared by the state government.

Alipurduar district
 An adult red kangaroo was rescued from Kumargram near the West Bengal-Assam border in the Alipurduar
district.
 The Discovery of kangaroos in West Bengal raises questions about animal trafficking by Indian zoos.
 Alipurduar District was made a district in 2014 after splitting from the Jalpaiguri District.
 The district headquarters Alipurduar is situated on the east bank of the Kaljani River in the foothills of the
Himalayas.
 Buxa Tiger Reserve (IUCN category II national park), Jaldapara National Park, and Chilapata Forests are located
in Alipurduar District‗

Bhasha Shaheed Barkat Memorial in Murshidabad

 The West Bengal government has announced the building of the Bhasha Shaheed Barkat Memorial in Babla
village in Murshidabad.
 This announcement was made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a function organised in Kolkata.
 Abul Barkat was a protester killed during the Bengali language movement which took place in East Pakistan
(present-day Bangladesh) in 1952.
 He is considered a martyr in Bangladesh.

Murshidabad District
 The city of Murshidabad is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River.
 The main river Bhagirathi divides the district into two parts namely 'BAGRI' on the eastern side and ‗RARH' on
the western side
 The grand celebrations of 'Bera Utsav' are conducted at Lalbagh, on the banks of river Bhagirathi, near the palace
of Nawabs.
 The skill of gifted craftsmen can be seen in the district markets.
 Sandalwood etching has become more popular than ivory carving now. Murshidabad is famous for brass and bell
metalware also.
 Ivory carving has been patronized since the Nawabs' time and about 99% of the total production of ivory is
exported, which draws a significant amount of Murshidabad's income.
 The brand "Murshidabad silk" Is not only famous across India but also has great demand throughout the world.
Sericulture Industry is the principal agro-based rural industry in Murshidabad.

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Metro Ride Kolkata

 The Kolkata Metro has launched a new app "Metro Ride Kolkata", developed by the Centre for Railway
Information Systems.
 Commuters can now recharge their cards from their homes.
 The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation has also assigned colours to the city's corridors and their extensions.
 The new colours will help passengers to identify the direction of travel.

Government of India, Govt of West Bengal, World Bank sign $125 million loan
 The Government of India, the Govt of West Bengal, and the World Bank have signed a $125 million loan.
 The loan will support efforts to help poor and vulnerable groups access social protection services in West Bengal.
 West Bengal runs more than 400 programs that provide social assistance, care services, and jobs.
 Most of these services are offered through an umbrella platform called Jai Bangla.

Matua Community
 The Prime Minister of India virtually addressed the Matua community during the opening of ‗Matua Dharma
Maha Mela 2022‘.
 The Mela is being organised by All India Matua Mahasangha at Shreedham Thakurnagar in West Bengal‘s
North 24 Parganas district on the occasion of the 211th birth anniversary of Shree Shree Harichand Thakur.
 Matua is a sect of depressed-class Hindus who are Namasudras, a Scheduled Caste group.
 Originally from East Pakistan, the Matuas migrated to India during Partition and after the creation of Bangladesh.
However, a sizable number are yet to get Indian citizenship

CBI probe into Birbhum violence

 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the accused in the violent incident at Birbhum district‘s
Bogtui village in which eight people, including women and children, were fired to death following the murder of
a Panchayat representative.

Birbhum District
 The district comprises three subdivisions: Suri Sadar, Bolpur and Rampurhat.
 The district headquarters is in Suri.
 Often called "the land of red soil.‖
 The Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan, established by Rabindranath Tagore on the bank of the river
Kopai, is one of the places Birbhum is internationally renowned for.
 Many festivals are celebrated in this culturally rich district, including the notable Poush Mela.
 In the district, there is only a hilly area of natural rock formation situated near Dubrajpur town called Mama
Bhagne Pahar (Hill).
 Several rivers flow across Birbhum. Some of these are Ajay, Mayurakshi, Kopai, Shal, Bakreswar, Brahman,
Dwarka, Hinglo, and Chapala.
 Birbhum is a major centre of cottage industries.
 Bakreswar is also a place of geological interest with many hot springs.
 The bauls of Birbhum, their philosophy, and their songs form a notable representation of the folk culture of the
district.
 Ballabhpur Wildlife Sanctuary near Santiniketan was declared a sanctuary in 1977.
 Famous Personalities: Somnath Chatterjee, Pranab Mukherjee.

West Bengal Budget Analysis 2022-23

 The West Bengal Minister of State for Finance, Ms Chandrima Bhattacharya, presented the Budget for the state
for the financial year 2022-23 on March 11, 2022.
 The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of West Bengal for 2022-23 (at current prices) is projected to be Rs
17,13,154 crore.
 This is a growth of 11.5% over the revised estimate of GSDP for 2021-22 (Rs 15,36,681 crore).
 The fiscal deficit for 2022-23 is targeted at Rs 62,397 crore (3.64% of GSDP).

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 The state government has exempted payment of the Rural

Employment Cess and the Education cess for the tea industry
for the next financial year (2022-23).
 The Agricultural Income cess has been waived off for 2022-
23 to provide relief for small tea gardens.
 To incentivise electric vehicles (two-wheelers and four-
wheelers), the Registration Fees and Road Tax has been
exempted for two years, from 2022-23.
 This will also apply to all categories of CNG vehicles.
Widow pensions will be provided to new eight lakh
applicants received through ‗Duare Sarkar‘ from April 1,
2022.
 More than 21 lakh widows will be covered under the
scheme.
 Education: West Bengal has allocated 16.8% of its total
expenditure for education in 2022-23. This is higher than the average allocation (15.2%) for education by all states
(as per 2021-22 Budget Estimates).
 Health: West Bengal has allocated 6.9% of its total expenditure on health, which is higher than the average
allocation for health by states (6%).
 Agriculture: The state has allocated 4.9% of its total expenditure towards agriculture and allied activities. This is
lower than the average allocation for agriculture by states (6.2%).
 Rural development: West Bengal has allocated 8.8% of its expenditure to rural development. This is higher than
the average allocation for rural development by states (5.7%).
 Police: West Bengal has allocated 4% of its total expenditure on police, which is marginally lower than the average
expenditure on police by states (4.3%).
 Roads and bridges: West Bengal has allocated 2.1% of its total expenditure on roads and bridges, which is lower
than the average allocation by states (4.7%)

CM Mamata Banerjee launches first e-locker in West Bengal

 West Bengal will have its e-locker called Banglar ICloud where one can get all kinds of certificates one needs.
 This was launched by CM Mamata Banerjee at the meeting of the West Bengal Industry Promotion Board.
 The name and the logo of the e-locker were designed by CM herself.

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WEST BENGAL IMPORTANCE

West Bengal: The Land of Geographical, Ecological, and Cultural Diversity
Context
 Located in Eastern India, the 4th most populous state in the country is widely considered the Melting pot of
Cultures.
 West Bengal borders the 5 Indian states that are Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam.
 West Bengal has international boundaries with Bangladesh in the east, Bhutan in the North, and Nepal in the
northwest.
o West Bengal with 2,217 km (2,545-mile) shares the longest border with Bangladesh
 Himalayan ranges in the north and the Bay of Bengal in the south, Bengal has every geographical feature.
 In the North, one of the most magnificent hill stations in the world, Darjeeling has often been dubbed the Queen
of the Hills. Renowned for its tea plantations, Darjeeling tea is one of the most sought-after in the world.
 With its broad network of rivers and geographical features, West Bengal is celebrated for having the largest
mangrove forest in the world in the Sunderbans.
o Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sundarbans is universally acclaimed for housing globally
endangered species such as the Royal Bengal Tiger.
 Apart from possessing some of the finest hill stations, Bengal also offers some of the best beachfront locations.
 Places like Digha and Mandarmani are perfect getaways that offer pristine beaches and accommodations for every
traveller.
 Once the capital of British India, Kolkata is a blend of Western and Indian cultures. It houses Hindu temples,
mosques, and churches, as well as British monuments like the Victoria Memorial.
o The people of different castes, races and colours all live in perfect harmony, celebrating festivals like Id,
Christmas and the Pujas in equal fervour and enjoying cuisines of different kinds.
 After India gained independence from the British, Bengal played the most important role in the emerging
renaissance in the field of social, cultural, political and educational reforms.
o Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose were at the forefront of the freedom movement.
 West Bengal has also been home to world-famous figures like Mother Teresa who is described as a metaphor for
selfless devotion and holiness by the Vatican.
o Satyajit Ray, the first academy award winner in India and winner of 32 National Film Awards, changed the
face of cinema around the globe.
o Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel prize in 1913 and showcased Bengali Literature to the world.

West Bengal Basic Information

 West Bengal is one of the 28 Indian states. There were officially 29 states in India until August 6, 2019. However,
when Jammu & Kashmir was awarded Union status, the total number of states has fallen by one, to 28.
 It is India's fourth most populated state, accounting for 7.80 % of the country's total population.
 With a population density of 1028 people per square kilometre, West Bengal is the 2nd most densely
populated state in India, after Bihar (1106 people per square kilometre).
 It ranks 12th in terms of area but 4th in terms of population proportion.
 West Bengal, a major agricultural producer, contributes the sixth most to India's net domestic product.
 On the west, it is bordered by Orissa, Jharkhand, and Bihar; on the north, it is bounded by Sikkim; and on the east,
it is bounded by Assam.
 It shares international boundaries with Bhutan and Nepal to the north, as well as Bangladesh to the east.

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Districts Of West Bengal

West Bengal is divided into 23 districts, which are subdivided into 5 divisions:
1. Burdwan Division
2. Malda Division
3. Jalpaiguri Division
4. Presidency Division
5. Medinipur Division

Burdwan Division
 Hooghly district
 Purba Bardhaman district
 Paschim Bardhaman district
 Birbhum district

Malda Division
 Malda district
 Uttar Dinajpur district
 Dakshin Dinajpur district
 Murshidabad district

Jalpaiguri Division
 Alipurduar district
 Cooch Behar district
 Darjeeling district
 Jalpaiguri district
 Kalimpong district

Presidency Division
 Howrah district
 Kolkata district
 Nadia district
 North 24 Parganas district
 South 24 Parganas district

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Medinipur Division
 Purba Medinipur district
 Paschim Medinipur district
 Jhargram district
 Purulia district
 Bankura district

Darjeeling District
 Darjeeling is the headquarters of the Darjeeling District which has a partially autonomous status within the state
of West Bengal.
 The name Darjeeling comes from the Tibetan words "Dorje", which is the thunderbolt sceptre of the Hindu deity
Indra, and "ling'', which means "a place" or "land". Thus Darjeeling means "land of the thunderbolt."
 The hills of Darjeeling are part of the Lesser Himalayas.
 The Lloyd's Botanical Garden preserves common and rare species of plants, while the Padmaja Naidu
Himalayan Zoological Park specializes in conserving and breeding endangered Himalayan species.
 A conservation centre for red pandas opened at Darjeeling Zoo in 2014, building on a prior captive breeding
program.
 The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or Toy Train, 1999, UNESCO declared DHR a
World Heritage site.
 Tea planting in Darjeeling began in 1841 by Archibald Campbell, a civil surgeon of the Indian Medical
Service. Darjeeling tea is available in black, green, white and oolong traditional Chinese tea.
 Cinchona is grown in Darjeeling District.

Kalimpong District
 It was formed in 2017, after splitting from the Darjeeling district as the 21st district of West Bengal.
 The district has its headquarters at Kalimpong.
 Kalimpong district is home to the Neora Valley National Park. It is the land of the elegant red panda. Clouded
leopards are seldom seen and are likely to be present in the park.
 The forests consist of mixed species like rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal, etc. The valley also has numerous
species of orchids.

Jalpaiguri District
 A major stretch of the area is bordered in the north by Bhutan and hence the name - Dooars/Dooars which means
- Door of Bhutan.
 The city is located on the banks of the Teesta River.
 Apart from Gorumara National Park, the district contains Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary.
 Dolomite is found in the Jalpaiguri district.
 Jalpaiguri‗s very own Folk form is the 'Chor Chunni'. 'Dham Gaan' is another popular folk song of Jalpaiguri. It
revolves around the rise and fall of mythological characters.
 'Bhawaiya' the folk song of the Rajbanshis, depicts the love of both God and Man.
 'Bisha-Hara Pala' is another very popular stage drama of Jalpaiguri.

Alipurduar District
 It was made a district in 2014 after splitting from the Jalpaiguri District.
 The district headquarters Alipurduar is situated on the east bank of the Kaljani River in the foothills of the
Himalayas.
 Buxa Tiger Reserve (IUCN category II national park), Jaldapara National Park, and Chilapata Forests are
located in Alipurduar District‗

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Cooch Behar District

 Cooch Behar is a district under the Jalpaiguri Division of the state of West Bengal.
 During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of a princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch
dynasty.
 Six rivers that cut through the district are the Teesta, Jaldhaka, Torsha, Kaljani, Raidak, Gadadhar and Ghargharia.

North Dinajpur District

 It comprises two subdivisions: Raiganj and Islampur.
 Raiganj on the banks of the River Kulik is the District Headquarters where the "Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary"(Kulik
Wildlife Sanctuary), the second-largest bird sanctuary in Asia, is situated.
 The major native dialect is called locally Surjapuri or Rangpuri (or even Dinajpuri) and is one of the sweet dialects
of the Bengali language in the North Bengal region.
 Tulaipanji paddy is traditionally grown in Uttar Dinajpur (Kaliaganj, Raiganj, and Hemtabad). Tulaipanji rice was
granted the GI Tag certificate.

South Dinajpur District

 The district headquarters (Sadar) of the district is situated at Balurghat. It comprises two subdivisions: Balurghat
and Gangarampur.
 As of Census 2011, it was the least populous district of West Bengal.
 The district is drained by north-south flowing rivers like Atreyee, Punarbhava, Tango, and Jamuna Rivers.

Malda District
 Mango, jute, and silk are the most notable products of this district. A special variety of mango (Fazli) is produced
in this region.
 The folk culture of gombhira is a feature of the district, being a unique way of representing joy and sorrow in the
daily life of the common people.
 The district headquarters is English Bazaar, also known as Malda, which was once the capital of Bengal.
 The district maintains the traditions of the past in culture and education.
 Old Malda, the town which lies just east of the confluence of the Mahananda and Kalindi rivers, is part of the
English Bazaar urban agglomeration.
 The town rose to prominence as the river port of the old capital of Pandua.
 Malda is the largest producer of excellent quality jute in India.
 Mulberry plantations and mango orchards occupy large areas; mango trade and silk manufacture are the main
economic activities.
 Malda is called the gateway of North Bengal. It was once the capital of Gour-Banga with its 3,733 square
kilometres lay of land classified Into Tal, 'Nara, and Barind.

Murshidabad District
 The city of Murshidabad is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River.
 The main river Bhagirathi divides the district into two parts namely 'BAGRI' on the eastern side and ‗RARH' on
the western side
 The grand celebrations of 'Bera Utsav' are conducted at Lalbagh, on the banks of river Bhagirathi, near the palace
of Nawabs.
 The skill of gifted craftsmen can be seen in the district markets.
 Sandalwood etching has become more popular than ivory carving now. Murshidabad Is famous for brass and bell
metalware also.
 Ivory carving has been patronized since the Nawabs' time and about 99% of the total production of ivory is
exported, which draws a significant amount of Murshidabad's income.
 The brand "Murshidabad silk" Is not only famous across India but also has great demand throughout the world.
Sericulture Industry is the principal agro-based rural industry in Murshidabad.

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Nadia District
 Krishnanagar is the district headquarters of Nadia.
 It is located on the bank of the Jalangi River. Krishnanagar is named after Raja Krishnachandra Roy.
 Nabadwip, a town in the Nadia district, is often referred to as the "Oxford of Bengal".
 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486- 1534 CE) was born in Nabadwip.
 One of the Indian schools of logic (Tarka sastra) called the Navya Nyaya system was developed in Nabadwip,
which produced great logicians in the 15th century
 Kalyani is another important city. During the period of World War II, Kalyani was the site of an American
Airbase, known by the name of Roosevelt Town or Roosevelt Nagar.
 It was developed as a planned town in the early 1950s by the Government of West Bengal at the behest of
Bidhan Chandra Roy.
 Ranaghat, situated north of Kolkata on the bank of the Churni River, is famous for its railway communication.
 Bethuadahari is an important town in this district. This place is very much famous for Bethuadahari Wildlife
Sanctuary.
 Palashi is a historic town of Nadia adjacent to the Murshidabad District. This place is famous for the Battle of
Plassey.
 Famous Personalities: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Jatindranath Mukhopadhyay (Bagha Jatin), Jhulan Goswami, etc.

Hooghly District
 The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsurah.
 There are four subdivisions: Chinsurah Sadar, Serampore, Chandannagar, and Arambagh).
 Hooghly is one of the most economically developed Bengal. It is the main jute cultivation, jute industry, and west
jute trade hub in the state.
 The Hindustan Motors plant is situated in Uttarpara.
 The historical triple cities of Chandannagar-Chinsurah-Serampore are called Little Europe as these were all
European colonies.
 In 1954 Chandannagar was integrated into the state of West Bengal.
 Famous Personalities: Prafulla Chandra Sen, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Shri Ramkrishna Paramahansa, K.C Nag, etc.

Howrah district
 The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.
 Howrah district has two subdivisions: Howrah Sadar and Uluberia.
 Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (formerly Bengal Engineering & Science University,
Bengal Engineering College), over 150 years old, among the oldest and most prestigious engineering institutes in
the country, is located in the city.
 Often termed Sheffield of the East, Howrah is known today as an engineering hub, mainly in the area of the light
engineering industry.
 Howrah Station: The British architect Halsey Ricardo designed the new station. It was opened in 1905.
 The British established the Indian Botanical Gardens in 1786 between the Great Banyan tree and the Hooghly
River.
 Belur Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a
chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of the Hooghly River, Belur.
 Howrah Bridge is a bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River; Commissioned In 1943, the bridge
was originally named the New Howrah Bridge because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking
the two cities of Howrah and Kolkata (Calcutta). In 1965, it was renamed Rabindra Setu.
 Vidyasagar Setu also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge was commissioned in 1992. 1t is a cable-stayed bridge.
 Vivekananda Setu (also called Willingdon Bridge and Bally Bridge) was opened in 1932. It is a multi-span steel
bridge.
 Nivedita Setu (also called Second Vivekananda Setu) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hooghly River that was
opened to traffic in 2007. The bridge is India's first multi-span, single-plane cable-supported extra-dosed bridge.

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Purba Bardhaman District

 It was formed in 2017 after the bifurcation of the erstwhile Bardhaman district and its headquarters in Bardhaman.
 Purba Bardhaman district is a flat alluvial plain area.
 The district comprises four subdivisions: Kalna, Katwa, Bardhaman Sadar North and Bardhaman Sadar South.
 The oxbow lake of Purbasthali is located In the Kalna subdivision.
 Gobindo Bhog Rice of Purba Bardhaman was granted the GI tag certificate.

Paschim Bardhaman District

 Paschim Bardhaman district is a predominantly urban mining-industrial district in West Bengal.
 The headquarters of the district Is Asansol. It was formed in 2017 after the bifurcation of the erstwhile Bardhaman
district as the 23rd district of West Bengal.
 The rocky undulating topography with laterite soil found in Paschim Bardhaman district is a sort of extension of
the Chota Nagpur plateau.
 The district comprises two subdivisions: Asansol Sadar and Durgapur.
 Coal Mining in India first started in the Raniganj Coalfield in 1774.
 Chittaranjan Locomotive Works is a state-owned electric locomotive manufacturer based in India. It is located
at Chittaranjan in Asansol.
 Founded in 1950 the Indian Railway-owned industrial unit is named after the Indian freedom fighter Chittaranjan
Das.
 IISCO Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited is an integrated steel plant located at Burnpur, Established in
1918.
 Durgapur Steel Plant is one of the integrated steel plants of Steel Authority of India Limited, located in Durgapur.
It was set up with the help of the UK In 1955. There is an alloy steel plant at Durgapur.
 Durgapur Barrage was built by Damodar Valley Corporation in 1955 and handed over, along with the canal
network, to the Government of West Bengal in 1964.
 Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in Churulia, Asansol.
 Hindustan Cables was founded at Rupnarayanpur in Asansol, West Bengal in 1952. The present headquarters is in
Kolkata.
 Durgapur has the only operational dry (inland) port in Eastern India.
 Durgapur was planned by two American Architects Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk in 1955.
 Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport is a domestic airport located in Andal. it is part of the country's first private sector
Aerotropolis, being developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL). The airport was officially
inaugurated in 2013.
 Panagarh Airport was constructed in 1944, during the Second World War. It serves as a base for the Indian Air
Force. In 2016, it was renamed Air Force Station, Arjan Singh.

Bankura District
 The district headquarters is located in Bankura town.
 The district comprises three subdivisions: Bankura Sadar, Khatra and Bishnupur.
 The district has been described as the "connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota
Nagpur plateau on the west."
 The western part of the district has poor, ferruginous soil and hard beds of laterite with scrub jungles and sal
woods.
 The hills of the district consist of outliers of the Chota Nagpur plateau and only two are of any great height —
Biharinath and Susunia.
 The principal rivers are Sall, Gandheswari, Kukhra, Birai, oamonar, Dwarakeswar, Shilabati, Kangsabati,
Thypanda, and Bhairahbanki.
 The Kangsabati Project was started during the Five-Year Plan period (1956-61).
 Stone-crushing, Weaving, Oilseed-crushing, handicraft units like Dokra, Terra-cotta, and Baluchari Sari (It was
mainly produced in Murshidabad but presently Bishnupur and its surrounding places of West Bengal is the only
place where authentic Baluchari sarees are produced.), etc. plays a key economic role of the district.
 Darakeshwar, Gandheswari, and Kangsabati are the major rivers that flow through the district.

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 Jaipur forest is the only forest in the plains of Southern Bengal.

 Bankura Sammilani Medical College is the oldest medical college in this area.

Birbhum District
 The district comprises three subdivisions: Suri Sadar, Bolpur and Rampurhat.
 The district headquarters is in Suri.
 Often called "the land of red soil.‖
 The Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan, established by Rabindranath Tagore on the bank of the river
Kopai, is one of the places Birbhum is internationally renowned.
 Many festivals are celebrated in this culturally rich district, including the notable Poush Mela.
 In the district, there is only a hilly area of natural rock formation situated near Dubrajpur town called Mama
Bhagne Pahar (Hill).
 Several rivers flow across Birbhum. Some of these are Ajay, Mayurakshi, Kopai, Shal, Bakreswar, Brahman,
Dwarka, Hinglo, and Chapala.
 Birbhum is a major centre of cottage industries.
 Bakreswar is also a place of geological interest with many hot springs.
 The bauls of Birbhum, their philosophy, and their songs form a notable representation of the folk culture of the
district.
 Ballabhpur Wildlife Sanctuary near Santiniketan was declared a sanctuary in 1977.
 Famous Personalities: Somnath Chatterjee, Pranab Mukherjee.

Purba Medinipur District

 The headquarters is in Tamluk.
 It was formed in 2002 after the Partition of Midnapore into Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur which lies
at the northern and western border of it.
 The Tamluk town in present-day West Bengal is identified as the site of the Port city of Tamralipti.
 Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain and Eastern coastal plains.
 The major rivers are Haldi, Rupnarayan, Rasulpur, Bagui, and Keleghai, flowing in the north-to-south or
southeast direction.
 It is ranked first in literacy in comparison to other districts of West Bengal.
 Digha is a seaside resort town in the Purba Medinipur district.
 Haldia oil refinery is one of the ten refineries of the Indian Oil Corporation. It was commissioned in 1975.
 The oil refinery in Haldia was built with French collaboration and the Lube sector with Romanian collaboration.
 Famous Personalities: Matangini Hazra (Famous As Gandhi Budhi)

Paschim Medinipur District

 It was formed in 2002 after the Partition of Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur.
 In 2017, the Jhargram subdivision was converted into a district.
 Medinipur is the district headquarters.
 The district with the next highest number of villages, Mayurbhanj, is in the state of Odisha.
 Joint Forest Management site Arabari is situated in Paschim Medinipur.
 Famous Personalities: Sahid Kshudiram Basu.

Jhargram District
 The district was formed in 2017, after bifurcation from the Paschim Medinipur district as the 22nd district of West
Bengal.
 The only subdivision, the Jhargram subdivision, has its headquarters at Jhargram.
 The important rivers of this division are the Kangsabati (popularly known as Kasai), the Tarafeni, the
Subarnarekha, and the Dulong.
 Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve (henceforth MER) is the only elephant reserve in Eastern India.
 The reserve is located in parts of Paschim Medinipur district, Bankura district, and Jhargram district of West
Bengal.

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Purulia District
 In 1956 Manbhum district was partitioned between Bihar and West Bengal under the States Reorganization
Act and the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act 1956 and the present Purulia district was
created on 1st November 1956.
 Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal.
 Among small-scale industries, the Lac industry and sericulture industry is another major source of income for this
district.
 Purulia produces 90% of the lac produced in WB.
 Tourism is another source of income for this district. Forests, Hillocks, to be Rivulets, Streams, Wild Life, and
Flora & Fauna have tremendous scope explored by tourists.
 The prominent districts like Ajodhya Hills, Matha, Murg Darn and Kullapal Forests, Jaychandi Pahar, Panchakote
Raj, Duarsini Hills, and Forests attract quite a good number of visitors to Purulia every year.
 The district comprises three subdivisions: Purulia Sadar, Jhalda, and Raghunathpur.
 Purulia has a distinct folk culture of Jhumur, Tusu, and Bhadu songs. It is also the birthplace of the martial dance
of Bengal Chhau.
 Santaldih Thermal Power Station is situated in the Purulia district.

North 24 Parganas District

 In 1983, an administrative reform committee under the chairmanship of Dr Ashok Mitra suggested splitting the
district into two and as per the recommendation of the committee in 1986,1 March two districts—North 24
Parganas (24 PGS N) and South 24 Parganas (24 PGS S) were created.
 Barasat is the district headquarters of North 24 Parganas.
 North 24 Parganas is West Bengal's most populous district and (following the splitting of the Thane district of
Maharashtra in 2014) the most populated district in the whole of India.
 There are many other rivers, which include the Ichhamati, Jamuna, and Bidyadhari.
 It is also home to the Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary, which was established in 1985.
 Famous Personalities: Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Taradas Bandyopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee,
Titumir, M. N. Roy, etc.

South 24 Parganas District

 South 24 Parganas is a district of West Bengal State, headquartered in Alipore.
 It is the largest district of West Bengal State by area and second-Largest by population.
 In 1984, the South 24 Parganas district became home to Sundarban National Park, which has an area of 1,330 sq.
km.
 It shares the park with the North 24 Parganas district and is also home to four wildlife sanctuaries: Haliday Island,
Lothian Island, Narendrapur, and Sajnekhali.

Kolkata
 Kolkata, Bengali Kalikata, formerly Calcutta, city, capital of West Bengal state, and former capital (1772– 1911) of
British India.
 It is one of India‗s largest cities and one of its major ports.
 The city is centred on the east bank of the Hugli (Hooghly) River, once the main channel of the Ganges (Ganga)
River, about 154 km upstream from the head of the Bay of Bengal
 According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the seventh most populous city; the city had a population of 4.5 million,
while the suburban population brought the total to 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan
area in India.
 The city, nicknamed the "City of Joy" is widely regarded as the "cultural capital" of India and as of 2019, 6 Nobel
Laureates have been associated with the city.
 Famous Personalities: Swami Vivekananda, Satyajit Ray, Rabindranath Tagore, P C Mahalanobis, Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee, Abhijit Banerjee (Nobel Prize winner), Sourav Ganguli, Sukumar Ray, and others.

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Geography of West Bengal

 The state's physical location extends between latitudes 21°38' and 27°10' north, longitudes 85°50' and 89°50'
east, at the head of the Bay of Bengal, in the eastern part of the country.
 The mighty Himalayas guard the north with rampart-like parts up to 800 feet high. The entire Bengal basin is that
portion of the enormous Indian shield that spreads 87° E longitude and vanishes underneath the Gangetic
alluvium blanket.
 West Bengal is largely an alluvial plain.
 The Ganga delta encompasses a large chunk of southern Bengal.
 Only 1% of the state's land is mountainous, located in the extreme north.
 The plateau fringe and Purulia triangle of highlands near the western border account for about 6% of the total
land area.
 The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata.
 Asansol is the second-largest city & urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata.
 The highest rainfall occurs in Buxa Dooars in Jalpaiguri.
 Durgapur is known as the Ruhr of India
 Murshidabad is famous for the silk industry
 West Bengal is 623 km wide from north to south and nearly 320 km from east to west
 In West Bengal, the Tropic of Cancer passes through 5 District:
o Nadia
o Purba Bardhaman
o Paschim Bardhaman
o Bankura
o Purulia
 The narrowest part is 9 km wide in Chopra of North Dinajpur (also called chicken neck)
 State boundary with West Bengal
o Jharkhand - 500 km
o Bihar - 300 km
o Odisha - 150 km
o Assam - 90 km
o Sikkim - 60 km
o Bangladesh - 900 km
o Bhutan - 150 km
o Nepal - 90 km

Districts 23
Formed On 26-Jan-50
Coordinates 22.9868° N, 87.8550° E
Language Bengali, Hindi, Urdu
Natural Vegetation Tropical dry moist deciduous
 Ganga in 4 districts
Major Rivers  Bhagirathi-Hooghly (Heart & Soul of Bengal)
 Teesta from Zemu Glacier

Major Art Forms  Dance: Chhau Dance, Tusu, Bhaduriya Saila, Jhumar, Ashariya Jhumar, Raibense
 Music: Bishnupur Gharana,
 Rabindra Sangeet

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 Chemicals & fertilizers

 Wagons
Industry  Ships, Automobiles
 Electronics
 Paper
 Jute & Cotton textiles

 Coal, fireclay, China clay

 limestone, Copper
Minerals & Ores  Iron, wolfram
 manganese & dolomite
Agriculture  Rice, Wheat, Potatoes, Tea
 Sugarcane Oilseeds, Jute, Mangoes

 Darjeeling Tea, Nakshi Kantha

Geographical  Shantiniketan Leather Goods
Indications  Laxman Bhog Mango, Himsagar, Fazli Mango
 Santipur Saree, Baluchari Saree
 Dhaniakhali Saree, Joynagarer Moa
 Bardhaman Sitabhog, Bardhman Mihidana

State Animal Fishing Cat

State Bird White-breasted kingfisher
State Tree Chatian
State Flower Shephali
World Heritage Sites Sunderbans
Ramsar Sites East Calcutta Wetlands
 Chintamoni Kar BS
 Thasrana BS
Bird Sanctuaries  Raiganj WLS

 Gorumara NP
 Buxa NP
 Neora Valley NP
National Parks  Singalila NP
 Jaldapara NP
 Sundarbans NP

 Sunderbans
 Ballavpur WLS
 Bethuadahari WLS
 Bibhuti Bhusan WLS
Biosphere Reserve  Buxa WLS
 Chapramari WLS
 Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary

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 Haliday Island WLS

 Jorepokhri Salamander WLS
 Lothian Island WLS
 Mahananda WLS
Wildlife Sanctuaries  Raiganj WLS
 Ramnabagan WLS
 Sajnekhali WLS
 Senchal WLS
 West Sunderban WLS

Tiger Reserve  Sunderbans

 Buxa

 Mayurjharna
Elephant Reserve  Eastern Dooars

 Sundarbans
 West Sundarbans
Marine Protected  Haliday Island
Area  Sajnekhali
 Lothian Island

West Bengal can be classified into seven physical regions based on these characteristics:
 The Northern Mountain
 The Western Plateau
 The Plains - The Northern Plains, The Southern Plains
 Terai Region
 Rarh Region
 The Sundarban Delta
 The Coastal plain

The Northern Mountain

 The Eastern Himalayan range includes the northern mountain region, which is located in the northwestern part of
West Bengal.
 Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks make up this area.
 This northern section is surrounded by rising Himalayan mountain ranges and downslope to hills on the
Jalpaiguri district border, which may burn to rolling wet plains known as the Dooars.
 The Teesta River separated the western and eastern sides of this region.
 The Teesta River's eastern reaches are lower than its western reaches.
 This region is home to the well-known Kalimpong town.
 The Dooars region, at the foot of the Himalayas, also has a few hills.
 The Buxa-Jayanti Hills, which are remnants of the Siwalik mountain ranges, may be found in the Jalpaiguri
district.

The Teesta River split the Northern Mountain Region into two parts:
 Western Mountains
 Eastern Mountains

Western Mountains
 It is in the higher part of the Darjeeling Himalayan range, with an average height of 2200m.
 Most of the highest mountain ranges can be found in the Teesta River's western region.
 It is spread from Nepal's borders to the Teesta River.

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 In this part, two main ranges are observed - the Singalila range and the Darjeeling range.
1. Singalila range:
o The Singalila range is located along the border of Darjeeling and Nepal.
o It separates West Bengal from Nepal.
o It has four important peaks higher than 3000 m – Sandakphu (3636m), Phalut (3595m), Sabargram (3543m)
and Tonglu (3036m).
o Sandakphu, at 3,636 metres (11,929 ft), is the highest peak in West Bengal.
o Kanchenjunga (the world's 3rd highest peak), Mount Everest (the world's highest peak), and Makalu
can be seen from the Singalila range.
2. Darjeeling range:
o Ghum railway station (2258m) in this range is the highest rail station in India.
o The famous Tiger hill (2567m) is situated in the middle of this mountain chain. Tiger hill is a viewpoint
from where Kanchenjunga (the world's 3rd highest peak), Mount Everest (the world's highest peak),
and Makalu can be seen.

Eastern Mountains
 It is the lower part of the Darjeeling Himalayan mountains with an average altitude of 1900m. Durpin Dara and
Chola are two major mountain chains in this part.
 Durpin Dara (1,372 m) chain holds the highest peak in the eastern part.
 Renigango (1885m) and chhoto Sinchula (1726m) to the north of Jalpaiguri district.
 Buxa hill is located at the east end of this region. Sangchuli is the highest peak of the Buxa hills.

Terai Region
 The Terai ("moist land") is a band of marshy grasslands, savannas, and woods that stretches southwards for about
38 kilometres at the base of the Himalayas range.
 Above the Terai belt lies the Bhabar, a forested belt of rock, gravel, and soil eroded from the Himalayas.
 The Terai zone is composed of alternate layers of clay and sand, with a high water table that creates many
springs and wetlands.
 The Terai and Dooars region politically constitutes the plains of Darjeeling District, the whole of Jalpaiguri
and Alipurduar district and the upper region of Cooch Behar District in West Bengal.
 The slope of the land is gentle, from north to south. The general height of the land is 80 to 100 m.
 The entire region is made up of sand, gravel and pebbles laid down by the Himalayan rivers like the Teesta,
Torsa, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Sankosh, Mahananda and several other small rivers.
 The Teesta has divided the area into two parts- the western part is known as the Terai whereas the eastern part
is known as the Dooars or Duars.
 The Dooars region can be further subdivided into the Siliguri or Western Dooars, the middle or Jalpaiguri Dooars
and the eastern or Alipur Dooars.

The Plains of Bengal or North Bengal plains

 The southern parts of the district Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Malda, Alipurduar, and the
southern part of Cooch Behar districts constitute this geographical region, made of new alluvium deposited by
numerous rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Sankosh, and several other small rivers.
 The North Bengal plain starts from the south of the Terai region and continues up to the left bank of the Ganga
River.
 The Ganga River separates the plain into northern and southern parts as it travels from west to east. This plan is
primarily made up of alluvium from the Ganga River and its tributaries.
 The Mahananda Corridor, a narrow landmass in the North Dinajpur district, extends from north to south and
connects Malda in the plains of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.
 Mahananda River divides the district of Malda into two parts.
o The Eastern part consists of plains and is made up of old alluvium and is a part of the Ganga delta. It is
also known as Barind or Barendra bhumi.

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o The Western part is made up of new alluvium and here River Kalindi joins the Mahananda River. The part of
Malda lying to the north of river Kalindi is known as Tal.
o This is a lowland area with swamps and beels (small water bodies), but the diara region to the south of the
Kalindi is a productive zone.

Western plateau and highlands

 This region is located in West Bengal's western part.
 It forms the eastern part of the Chota Nagpur plateau.
 This area is made up of Archaean-era igneous rock granite and gneiss, as well as Carboniferous-era coal-bearing
mudstone and quartzite rocks.
 The area has a slope from the west to the east.
 The altitude in the area ranges from 500 to 100 m. Gorgaburu in the Ayodhya Hills (677 m) is the highest point
in the region.
 The entire landscape has been changed into Peneplains (Because of long and continuous erosion) interspersed by
little Monadnocks known locally as Tila as a result of lengthy and continual erosion.

Rarh Region
 This area lies between the southern Ganges delta and the western plateau.
 From north to south, the Rarh region stretches between the 50-meter contour in the east and the 100-meter contour
in the west.
 The districts of Birbhum, Barddhaman, Bankura, Murshidabad, and Medinipur make up this region.
 The soil from the Deccan plateau is said to have formed this location.
 Laterite soil predominates in this area.

Coastal Plain
 A small coastal region is in the extreme south of the state.
 The coastal plain is the part of Purba Medinipur, which runs along the Bay of Bengal.
 The beach at Digha in this region is rapidly expanding as a sea resort and a popular tourist destination.
 This emergent coastal plain is made up of sand and mud deposited by rivers and by the wind.

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Deltaic Sundarban
 The Sundarban Delta is the world's largest mangrove forest situated in the South 24 Parganas district.
 The delta spread between India and Bangladesh, with about 60 % delta under Bangladesh territory.
 This location is known as 'Sundarban' because of the presence of 'Sundari' trees.
 It is made up of the Hooghly river estuary and the Ganga delta, which features tidal creeks, mud-plain, and newly
built islands.
 The Sundarban and Sundarban National Parks are both inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as
Mangrove Forests.
 This area was formed by the deposition of silt by the Hooghly, Malta, Jamira, Gosaba, Saptamukhi, and
Haribhanga rivers, as well as their tributaries.
 This area is famous for Royal Bengal Tiger, also home to a variety of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles, and
snakes.

Ganges Delta
 The Ganges delta consists of the whole of Nadia, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and the
Eastern half of Murshidabad district.
 It passes through this vast area and divides into three distinct parts – the old delta, the mature delta and the active
delta.
 The old delta consists of the districts of Murshidabad and Nadia. The formation of the delta is complete and the
rivers here are heavily silted and many have even dried up in due course of time.
o Silted rivers, swamps, beels and oxbow lakes form the area. This area is also known as the Bagri region.
 The districts of Kolkata and North 24 Parganas form the mature delta region. The rivers are slow and meandering
and frequently shift their courses.
 The district of South 24 Parganas is known to be the active delta of the Ganges, where the formation of the delta is
still an ongoing process.

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Drainage Systems of West Bengal

 The patterns generated by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a drainage basin are known as drainage systems or
river systems.
o They are influenced by the land's topography, whether a region is dominated by hard or soft rocks and the
land's gradient.
 The Ganga divides the state into two unequal hubs: the North and South Bengal.
 West Bengal is the only state of India that extends from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the
south.
 Near Rajmahal, the Ganges enters West Bengal and flows in a south-easterly direction.
o It splits in two near Dhulian, in the Murshidabad district.
 One branch reaches Bangladesh as the Padma, while the other runs in a southerly direction through West Bengal
as the Bhagirathi River and Hooghly River.
 The Bhagirathi is West Bengal's primary river, flowing through Murshidabad, Baharampur, Nabadwip,
Chinsurah, Chandannagar, Srirampur, Howrah, Kolkata, Diamond Harbour, and Haldia, among other places.
o In the South 24 Parganas, it discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island.
 The Mayurakshi, Ajay, Damodar, Kangsabati, Rupnarayan, and their tributaries rise in the Western plateau and
highlands and flow eastward through West Bengal's several districts, eventually joining the Bhagirathi on the
right bank.
 The Mayurakshi meets the Bhagirathi at Kalna by river Babla, which is nourished by tributaries Brahmani,
Dwarka, Bakreswar, and Kopai.
 The Ajay, which begins in the highlands of Jharkhand and is joined by the Kunur, flows down the plateau edge,
marking the border between Bardhaman and Birbhum districts, and meets the Bhagirathi near Uluberia with its
little meandering distributaries, minor streams, Khari, Banka, and Behula.
 After the creation of the Damodar Valley Project, the Damodar, also known as Bengal's grief, is now under
control.
 Rupnarayan is formed by the confluence of the Darakeswar and Shilabati rivers, and the Haldi is formed by the
confluence of the Kangsabati and Keleghai rivers.
 In the Purba Medinipur district, the Rupnarayan and Haldi are part of the Bhagirathi.
 The Subarnarekha River enters Orissa from Jharkhand and flows for a short distance into West Bengal before
returning to Jharkhand.
o These rivers deliver a lot of water, ensuring that the Bhagirathi River has enough water all year.
 This silting is producing a lot of problems for the Kolkata Port, and it frequently results in flooding during wet
years.
 The Padma River's tributaries, including the Bhairab, Jalangi, and Mathabhanga rivers, reach West Bengal and
join the Bhagirathi on its left bank.
 The Bhagirathi meets the Churni, while the other flows south to join the Kalindi.
 Numerous estuaries and streams, mostly distributaries of major rivers, run through the Sundarban region.
 Tidal flows feed the interlinked rivers. Hooghly, Matla, Gosaba, Saptamukhi, Haribhanga, Piyali, Thakuran/
Jamira, Raimangal, Kalindi, and Ichhamati are the prominent rivers in the area.
 In the mountainous Darjeeling district, the Teesta cuts deep gorges from north to south; it joins the plains at
Sevoke and rushes in a strong stream in a straight path towards the south-east till it empties its water into the
Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.
 The rivers Torsa, Jaldhaka, Kaljani, Raidak, Sankosh, and Mahananda originate in the Himalayas and run
southward through the districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and North and South Dinajpur before
entering Bangladesh.
 Because the majority of the rivers are snow-fed, they are perennial and frequently overflow during the rainy
season. These rivers have deposited sand, gravel, and pebbles throughout the region.
 The Mahananda originates in the Dow Hills forest near Darjeeling and is supplied by similar minor rivers such as
the Mahanadi, Balason, and Mechi. It flows in a zig-zag pattern through the Malda district until joining the Padma
in Bangladesh.

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 The Mahananda is the primary river in the central region. The lowlands give rise to the Tangon, Punarbhabha,
and Atrai, which merge and flow into the Mahanadi, while the Atria flows into the Padma.
 The Brahmaputra, Ganga, and Subarnarekha drainage systems, respectively, divide the state into three different
drainage basins.
 The following are the area distributions of the state's major basins:
o Basin of the Brahmaputra (11,860 sq. km)
o Subarnarekha Area and the Ganga Basin (74,732 sq. km)
o Basin of Subarnarekha (2160 sq. km)
o The Brahmaputra Basin Drainage System covers 11,860 square kilometres, accounting for roughly 14% of the
State's total land area.
 This basin area is speckled with several drainage channels that connect the region's main drainage arteries, such
as the rivers Teesta, Torsa, Raidak, Manasi, and Jaldhaka.
 All of these rivers originate in the Himalayas in Bhutan/Sikkim, run through the Terai region, reach the Bengal
plains, and then flow into Bangladesh, eventually joining the Brahmaputra River.

RIVERS OF BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN IN WEST BENGAL

The Torsa River
 The river Torsa originates at an elevation of 7065 metres in the Chumbi Valley in southern Tibet.
 Tibet, Bhutan, West Bengal, and Bangladesh are all crossed by this river.
 It splits into two channels, Sil-Torsa and Char-Torsa, just below Hasimara Bridge on NH-31. At Patla Khowa
jungle, they reconcile.
 The river runs through Coochbehar and is joined by the Kaljani and Raidak-I rivers.
 The combined flow empties into the Brahmaputra near Nageswari, Bangladesh.

The Jaldhaka River

 The river Jaldhaka originates around 4400 metres above sea level in Sikkim's Bitang Lake.
 It passes through Sikkim, Bhutan, West Bengal, and Bangladesh on its way to Bangladesh.
 The river feeds into river Dharala after being joined by a variety of streams and tributaries in both mountainous
and sub-mountainous regions, and the united system, known as Dharala, eventually empties into the
Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.

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The Teesta River

 The North Bengal River rises from the North Sikkim glaciers at a height of 6400 metres and is produced by the
confluence of two streams, Lachen and Lachung, at Chungthang in Sikkim.
 It enters West Bengal at Rangpo and runs to Mechi, forming the West Bengal-Sikkim border.
 Two of its tributaries, the Great Rangit and the Rammam, act as a natural border between the two states.
 The river eventually empties into the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh's Rangpur district.

The Ganga Basin

 The Ganga is formed when the two holy rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, which originate in the Himalayan
glaciers at an altitude of 7000 meters, merge near Dev Prayag.
 Rishikesh, Uttaranchal, is where it emerges into the plains.
 It receives the flow of the Yamuna, the main tributary, near Allahabad after flowing entirely through Uttaranchal
and Uttar Pradesh.
 The Ganga forms a 110-kilometre border between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, after which it enters Bihar and flows
more or less through the central part of the state.
 Following its confluence with the Kosi, the Ganga flows eastward for roughly 40 kilometres in Bihar before
entering West Bengal.
 The river swings around the Rajmahal hill range as it reaches West Bengal and then flows practically due south.
 About 40 kilometres below Farakka, the river splits into two arms.
 The Padma, the left arm, travels eastward into Bangladesh, while the Bhagirathi, the right arm, flows south
through West Bengal.
 The river Ganga's total length from its point of origin to its point of outfall into the Bay of Bengal near Sagar
Island is about 2575 km (measured along the Bhagirathi and the Hooghly), of which 1450 km is in Uttaranchal and
Uttar Pradesh, 110 km along the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border, and 445 km in Bihar.
 Within the state of West Bengal, the Ganga system covers a total area of 74,732 square kilometres.

RIVERS OF GANGA BASIN IN WEST BENGAL

The Mahananda River
 Ghoom, near Darjeeling town, in the Darjeeling district, is the source of the Mahananda River.
 At Barsoi in Bihar, the river splits into two sections.
 One of the two branches, known as Fulahar, goes to Bihar, while the other, known as Mahananda, goes through
West Bengal.
 The river Mahananda, which drains into the Ganga from the north-western bank near Godogari ghat, just
downstream of the point where Ganga departs the West Bengal border, carries the discharge of four tributaries:
Nagar, Kalindri, Tangon, and Punarbhabha.

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The Jalangi-Bhairab River System

 The river Jalangi begins in the Murshidabad district, 165 kilometres downstream of Farakka, on the right bank of
the river Padma.
 Except when it rains, when it receives water from the Padma, Jalangi is dead for all intents and purposes.
 The river finally concludes its trip by dropping into the Hooghly River in Nabadwip town in West Bengal's
Nadia district.
 The river Bhairab begins its voyage in Murshidabad's P.S. Lalbag, where it joins the Ganga.
 It is almost completely dry presently, though it receives water from the Padma during the rainy season.

The Ichhamati-Churni River System

 The river Mathabhanga originates from the mouth of the Jalangi of Padma
 It is not a significant river at present because it primarily flows in Bangladesh. Within the Nadia district, it flows
for barely a few kilometres.
 At this point, the river splits into two streams: the eastern course flows southeast through the districts to meet
Bhagirathi under the name Churni and the western route flows under the name Ichhamati.
 Ichhamati receives a small supply from the Padma and thrives on tidal flow washout.

The Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System

 In terms of water resources, the Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna river system is one of the world's major river
systems.
 The Ganga, which originates in India's Himalayas, drains a large region. It splits into two channels near its
deltaic head at Farakka, the Bhagirathi-Hooghly and the Padma.
 The Bhagirathi-Hooghly flows through West Bengal before emptying into the Bay of Bengal, while the Padma
enters Bangladesh and joins the Brahmaputra at Goalundo.
 The Bhagirathi River separates the Murshidabad district into two sections. The Bagmari-Pagla, the
Mayurakshi, and the Ajoy are three right bank tributaries.
 It receives the Jalangi from the left slightly upstream of Nabadwip town. The Bhagirathi becomes the Hooghly
after it merges with the Jalangi.
 The Bhagirathi-Hooghly is the state's principal river and the main drainage artery for the state's southern regions,
draining nearly the whole region.
 The Ganga's main flow was down the Bhagirathi-Hooghly before the 12th century. As a result, the main flow was
shifted eastward along the current route of Padma. Due to runoff releases from several eastern and western
tributaries, the flow of the Bhagirathi increases downstream.
 It also serves as a dividing line between the districts of 24-Parganas and Hooghly.

The Mayurakshi-Babla River System

 The River Mayurakshi is a native of the Santhal Parganas highlands.
 It is the district of Birbhum's principal river. The Mayurakshi's lower sections are home to several spill channels,
including the Manikarnika, Kana Mor, Gambhira, and others.
 All of these rivers flow through the Murshidabad district's bottom pocket called Hijal Beel.
 The river Babla begins its voyage from the Beel and eventually drains into the Bhagirathi.
 The level of depression caused by the river Bhagirathi has a significant impact on the drainage and flood
magnitude in the Hijal Beel.

The Ajoy River

 The river Ajoy originates from the hills near Deoghar in Jharkhand. Hinghlow, Kunoor, Pathro, and Jayanti are
the river's major tributaries. It is indicated by several researchers that the flow of the river has been tremendously
guided and influenced by a fault line.

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The Damodar River

 The river Damodar originates in Jharkhand's Palamau hills and splits into two channels around Beguahana.
 The major flow of water passes through the Mundeswari channel and into Rupnarayan.
 The Amta channel, on the other hand, carries flow during high floods and empties into the river Hooghly.

The Darakeswar-Silabati and Rupnarayan River System

 Darakeswar emanates from the highlands of the Purulia district of West Bengal
 The Ganddheswari River, which originates in the Bankura district, meets with the Dwarakeswar river after
passing a meagre flow of a few kilometres.
 Rupnarayan is formed when Bankura town, which receives water from streams like Arkasha and Berai, enters the
Hooghly district and meets Silabati to form Rupnarayan. The river Silabati also originated in the Purulia district.
 It travels through the Medinipur district.
 Rupnarayan is formed when the river takes water from Joypanda and joins Darakeswar.
 Rupnarayan is an accumulated flow of several small tributaries and sub-tributaries.
 Rupnarayan is the tidal reach below the confluence of the river Darakeswar and Silabati.
 After receiving the main flow of Damodar through Mundeswari and a branch of Kangsabati, it empties into the
Hooghly.
 Throughout its whole length, the river is tidal.

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National Parks in West Bengal

SI. Name of National Park District Year of Total Area(km²)
N Notification
o.
1 Buxa National Park Alipurduar 1992 117.10

2 Gorumara National Park Jalpaiguri 1992 79.45

3 Neora Valley National Park Kalimpong 1986 159.89

4 Singalila National Park Darjeeling 1986 78.60

5 Sundarban National Park South 24 1984 1330.10

Parganas

6 Jaldapara National Park Alipurduar 2014 216.51

Wildlife Sanctuaries in West Bengal

SI. No. Name of Wildlife Sanctuary District Established Year Area (In km²)
(WLS)

1 Ballavpur WLS Birbhum 1977 2.02

2 Bethuadahari WLS Nadia 1980 0.67

3 Bibhuti Bhusan WLS North-24 Parganas 1980 0.64

4 Buxa WLS Jalpaiguri 1986 267.92

5 Chapramari WLS Jalpaiguri 1976 9.6

6 Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary South-24 Parganas 1982 0.07

7 Haliday Island WLS South-24 Parganas 1976 5.95

8 Jorepokhri Salamander WLS Darjeeling 1985 0.04

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9 Lothian Island WLS South-24 Parganas 1976 38

10 Mahananda WLS Darjeeling 1976 158.04

11 Raiganj WLS North Dinajpur 1985 1.3

12 Ramnabagan WLS Bardhaman 1981 0.14

13 Sajnakhali WLS South-24 Parganas 1976 362.4

14 Senchal WLS Darjeeling 1976 38.88

15 Pakhi Bitan (Bird Sanctuary) Jalpaiguri 2013 556.45

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Sundarban National Park

 Sundarban has got the world‘s largest coastal mangrove forest (an area of about 10,000 sq. km, with enormous
beauty, shared between India (4,000 sq. km) and Bangladesh (6,000 sq. km).
 The Sundarban are a part of the world‘s largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna.
 Islands: The forest on the Indian side has 102 islands, out of which 54 are inhabited and the rest of the area is
covered with forest.
 Established in 1984 as a national park.
 District: South 24 Parganas
 Famous for: Mangrove forests, Sundari trees, one of the largest reserves for the Royal Bengal tiger.
 It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987.
 It has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2019.
 It is considered a UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve) since 2001.
 Flora-Fauna: Sea Anemones, Horseshoe crabs and small Octopuses.
 Endangered species: River Terrapins, Olive Ridley Turtles, Gangetic Dolphins, Ground Turtles and Hawksbill
Turtles.
 Reptiles: Pythons, King Cobras, Rattlesnakes, Chequered kill backs, monitor lizards and estuarine crocodiles.
 Animal Species: Chita, Pangolin, Indian Grey Mongoose, Fishing Cats, Leopard Cats, Jungle Cats and Flying Fox

Interesting Facts about Sundarban Forest

 Sundarban Biosphere Reserve is considered to be India‘s Largest Fishery Board because of its brackish water fish
production and marine fisheries.
 Sundarban Jungle has been named after the large mangrove trees Sundari (Heritiera littoralis).
 Sundarban Tiger Reserve is estimated to have 400 majestic and fiery Royal Bengal Tigers.
 Gosaba (13 ft from sea level) is the biggest and last inhabited island on Sundarban (Indian part).
 Sundarban was declared as a core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve in the year 1973, a National Park on 4th May
1989 and recently Sundarban has been enlisted among the finalists in the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Jaldapara National Park

 The Jaldapara National Park in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and on the Bank of the Torsa River is one of
the newly built national parks in India.
 District: Alipurduar
 Established: Jaldapara has declared a sanctuary in 1941.
 Animal species: Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, Spotted Deer, Hog Deer, Wild Boars, and Bisons.
 Birds: Pied Hornbill, Bengal Florican, Crested Eagles, Pallas‗s Fish Eagles, Finn‗s Weavers, Peafowls and
Partridges.
 Reptiles: Pythons, Monitor Lizards, Kraits, and Cobra.

Gorumara National Park

 With the influence of the Jaldhaka River, Murti River, and Raidak River, the Gorumara National Park forms a
major watershed between the Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems.
 District: Jalpaiguri.
 Endangered Species: The Indian Rhinoceros, Pygmy Hog and Hispid Hare
 Animal species: Gaurs, Asian Elephants, Sloth Bears, Chital, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, and Wild
Boars.
 Birds: Brahminy Duck and Indian Hornbill.
 Reptiles: Pythons and the King Cobra.

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Neora Valley National Park

 Neora Valley National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
 District: Kalimpong
 Endangered Species: Leopards, Red Pandas, and Musk Deer.
 Animal species: Black Bear, Sloth Bear, Golden Cat, Leopard Cat, Goral, Barking Deer, Sambar and Himalayan
Flying Squirrel.
 Birds: Rufous-throated Partridge, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Golden-throated Barbet, Brown Wood Owl,
Mountain Hawk Eagle, Chestnut Headed Tesia, Babblers, Dark-breasted Rosefinch.
 Reptiles: King Cobra, Green Pit Viper and Lizards.

Singalila National Park

 Singalila National Park is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu- Phalut that runs through it.
 District: Darjeeling
 Vegetation: Thick bamboo, Oak, Magnolia and Rhododendron forests, poisonous Himalayan Cobra Lilies.
 Endangered Species: Red Panda, Himalayan Black Bear and Leopards.
 Animal species: Leopard Cat, Barking Deer and Pangolin.
 Birds: Scarlet Minivet, Kalij Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Rufous-vented Tit and Golden-breasted
Fulvetta.

Buxa Tiger Reserve

 The Buxa Tiger Reserve lies close to the international border and shares a border with Bhutan.
 Other attractions in Buxa Tiger Reserve are Buxa Fort and Mahabaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.
 District: Alipurduar
 Endangered Species: Tigers, Asian Elephants, Leopard Cats, Bengal Florican, Regal Pythons, Hispid Hares, and
Hog Deer.
 Animal species: Gaur, Wild Boar, Sambar, Civets, Chital and Elephants.
 Birds: Slender-billed Vultures, Great Hornbills, Wagtails, Common Teals, Black Stork, Large Whistling Teal and
Minivets.

Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary

 District: South 24 Parganas
 Located in the Sundarban Wildlife Reserve, the Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over 38 square
kilometres.
 It is home to Estuarine Crocodiles, Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, Spotted Deer, Jungle Cats and Rhesus Macaque.
 The wildlife sanctuary is located at the confluence of the River Saptamukhi and the Bay of Bengal.

Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary

 District: South 24 Parganas
 Spread over an area of 362 square kilometres in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, the Sajnakhali Wildlife
Sanctuary mainly comprises mangrove forests and houses a rich population of animals, birds, fish and
amphibians.
 Some of the major wildlife attractions are Water Fowl, Herons, Pelican, Spotted deer, Rhesus Macaques, Wild
Boar, Monitor Lizard, Fishing Cat, Otters, Crocodiles and Batagur Terrapins.

Haliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary

 District: South 24 Parganas
 It is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries in India that is located in the Deltaic region of West Bengal.
 It mainly comprises Wild Boar, Barking Deer, Spotted Deer and Monkeys.

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Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary

 District: Burdwan Home to Spotted Deer, Common Langurs and Black Bucks, the Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary
in Burdwan

Rasikbil Bird Sanctuary

 District: Cooch Behar
 A paradise for bird lovers, the Rasikbil Bird Sanctuary houses several species of birds including Cormorants,
Storks, Ibis, Spoonbill, Kingfisher, Parrots and many more.
 Other attractions include a large aquarium, Deer Park and Crocodile Rehabilitation Center.

Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary

 One of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in India is located in the Darjeeling district.
 The Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 39 square kilometres and ranges from an elevation of 1,500
meters to 2,600 meters.
 The sanctuary is home to many common animal species like Rhesus Monkey, Assam Macaque, Himalayan Flying
Squirrel, Barking Deer and Wild Boar.
 As for endangered species found in the sanctuary, the prominent ones include the Leopard, Jungle cat and
Himalayan Black Bear.

CLIMATE OF WEST BENGAL

 The climate of West Bengal experiences great variation, mainly under the topography and location of the area
being referred to.
 For instance, while south Bengal experiences a tropical savanna climate, the north witnesses humid subtropical
weather conditions.
 The seasons here can broadly be divided into five main categories: spring, summer, rainy season, autumn, and
winter. The autumn here is comparatively shorter than in other parts of India, lasting only from the beginning of
October to the middle of November.

Summer Temperature: Maximum 40° C, Minimum 20° C

Water Temperature: Maximum 15° C, Minimum 8° C

Average Rainfall: 175 cm

Best time to visit: October to February (Deltas and Plains)

March to June and September to December (Mountains)

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SOILS OF WEST BENGAL

 Soil is the natural medium for the growth of plants under favourable conditions. In general, the soils of West
Bengal are broadly divided into four types:
o Mountain soils
o Alluvial soils
o Red soils
o Saline soils.
 But in modern classification, the soils of West Bengal have been divided the State into seven broad classes which
are further subdivided into small groups. These are:
o Brown forest soils
o Terai soils
o Alluvial soils.
o Colluvial and skeletal soils
o Laterite and lateritic soils
o Red soils
o Coastal saline soils

Brown Forest Soils

 Found in the Darjeeling district.
 Landslides occur during the rainy season.
 Have high fertility status but the crop performance is not satisfactory due to low soil depth, high acidity, low
temperature and inadequate sunshine.

Terai Soils
 Found in the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal.
 These soils are derived from the mountain regions of the Himalayas.
 Their colour varies from deep black to grey-black.
 Due to heavy leaching, soils are acidic with a pH ranging between 4.7 and 5.8.
 As a whole, the soil is poor in available plant nutrients.

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Alluvial Soils
 Occupy the major areas drained by innumerable rivers.
 The soils of the alluvial tract are divided into three groups depending upon the nature of the parent material.
 These soils are the most fertile.
 They may be divided into sand, silt, loam or clay according to texture depending upon the type of alluvial matter
brought by the floodwater.

Colluvial and skeletal soils

 Occupy the western part of the State.
 This is physiographically linked with the Rajmahal and Chotanagpur plateaus.
 This area is undulating; hence the upper convex slope has poor soil depth and is skeletal whereas the lower part
of the valley has good soil depth and is Colluvial in nature.

Laterite and lateritic soils

 They are red and formed over Laterite beds with typical honey-combed structures and are produced under humid
tropical conditions.
 The soils are acidic, and poor in organic matter, nitrogen, available phosphorus and calcium but the soil is rich in
iron.
 In West Bengal, Laterite soils are found in wide areas in the districts of Birbhum, Barddhaman, Bankura,
Medinipur and Purulia.

Red Soils
 This type of soil is not only found in the western part of the State but also in the northern part, especially in the
Barind tract. Red soils are mainly developed on ancient crystalline rocks.
 These soils are coarse-textured, mildly acidic (pH 5.5-6.5), and poor in organic matter and other plant nutrients.
 The %age of base saturation is more than the Laterite and Lateritic soils and they are loamy in texture.

Coastal Saline Soils

 Occur near the Bay of Bengal.
 This area is influenced by the saline tidal water of the Bay.
 Here the earthen embankments are provided to save the land from saline water.

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NATURAL VEGETATION OF WEST BENGAL

 Climate is a major determinant of forest types and in a broad sense; rainfall is a major factor though temperature,
soil, topography etc., play a dominant role.
 In West Bengal, the total forested area is somewhat above 12,000 sq. kilometres which is a little less than 14% of
the total area of the State.
 Some of this forested area is intersected by broad rivers. So leaving the space occupied by rivers makes actual
forest cover only 11 %.
 Four types of forests exist in the State, these are:

Mountain Temperate forest

 These types of forests are mainly related to altitude and aspect and are concentrated in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri
districts.
 Here between 1000 to 1500 metres, subtropical forests are found, while temperate forests occur between 1500 to
3000 metres and contain some varieties of oaks and conifers.
 Above 3000 metres, silver fir is very common.
 Higher up are Alpine meadows, small bushes and flowering plants.
 Again, the humid montane region of the northern slope of the Darjeeling Himalaya is characterized by montane
wet temperate forest and many other temperate floras.

Tropical mixed evergreen forests of the foothills

 Tropical moist evergreen forests occur in the Terai regions of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.
 Sal (Shorea robusta) is the most common species grown here through other types of trees such as Champa
(Michelia champagne), Chilauni (Schima wallichii), Khair (Acacia catechu), and Gamar (Gmelina Arborea) are less
frequently found. ∙ Bamboo is also common here.

Deciduous forests of the plateau fringe

 The dry deciduous forests of the plateau fringe mainly occur in Medinipur, Bankura, Puruliya, Barddhaman and
Birbhum districts.
 This forest mainly bears Sal which is different from the Sal bearing forest of the northern region in size,
undergrowth and other aspects.
 Here the dry Sal Forest has been mostly kept as coppiced fuel jungle in which other fire-resistant varieties such as
Palash (Butea frondosa), Mahua (Bassia latifolia) etc. are also grown.
 The tropical moist deciduous forest occurs in the western part of Medinipur, west of the Subarnarekha River.

Tidal forests of Sundarban

 The tidal forests are localized in the Sundarban.
 Here the forests consist of trees of evergreen species of shrubs and plains.
 Among the trees grown, 'Sundari' is very common. It grows- best on the drier lands near the streams where the
salinity is moderate.

AGRICULTURE IN WEST BENGAL

 The total cultivable area of this state is about 56 lakh hectares which are 63% of its geographical area and has 62%
irrigation area of the net cropped area.
 The agricultural economy is greatly dependent on monsoons and floods, land erosion, drought and other natural
calamities often affect production in agriculture.
 At present West Bengal ranks first in the production of Rice, Jute and Vegetables.
 It stands second in potato production (after Uttar Pradesh).
 West Bengal is predominantly an agrarian State.
 There are 71.23 lakh farm families of whom 96% are small and marginal farmers. The average size of landholding
is only 0.77 ha.
 It is also the leading producer of jute, pineapple, litchi, mango and loose flowers.

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 Cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and maize is also picking up fast.

 The net cropped area is 52.05 lakh ha which comprises 68% of the geographical area and 92% of arable land.

Crop Pattern
 Different types of Crops of Agriculture in West Bengal.
 The principal food crop cultivated in West Bengal agriculture is rice.
 Other food crops of West Bengal include maize, pulses, oilseeds, wheat, barley, potatoes, and vegetables.
 The most vital cash crop of West Bengal is Tea and it is also exported every year.
 Darjeeling tea is most well-known all over India
 West Bengal agriculture supplies about 66 % of the jute requirements of India.
 The soil and heavy rainfall witnessed by India are perfect for jute cultivation.
 The two other crops that are cultivated highly in the agricultural sector in West Bengal are tobacco and sugarcane.
 West Bengal is also the second-largest fish-producing state. (First- Andhra Pradesh)

Rice
 The cultivation of rice requires a hot and moist climate.
 It is a Kharif crop and is sown in March-April and harvested in autumn.
 Sufficient water must cover the fields.
 Temperature: Rice requires hot and humid conditions. The temperature should be fairly high i.e. 24°C mean
monthly temperature with an average temperature of 22°C to 32°C.
 Rainfall: Rainfall ranging between 150-300 cm. is suitable for its growth in areas of Punjab, Haryana and Western
Uttar Pradesh where rainfall is less than 100 cm. Rice is cultivated with the help of irrigation.
 Soil: Rice is grown in varied soil conditions but deep clayey and loamy soil provides the ideal conditions. Rice is
primarily grown in plain areas.
 Burdwan is the highest rice-producing district of West Bengal.

Wheat
 It is a Rabi crop and its plant requires a cool and somewhat moist climate in the beginning and warm and dry
weather at the harvest time.
 The average rainfall should be between 50 to 70 cm and that too at intervals.
 It is sown in August and harvested in March and April.
 Nadia and Murshidabad is the highest Wheat producing district of West Bengal.
 Uttar Pradesh is the largest Wheat producing state in India.

Jute
 Jute crop requires a humid climate with temperatures fluctuating between 24 degrees Celsius and 38 degrees
Celsius. The minimum rainfall required for jute cultivation is 1000 mm.
 The new grey alluvial soil of good depth receiving silt from the annual flood is most suitable for jute growth.
However, Jute is grown in sandy loams and clay loams.
 Jute is generally sown from March to May depending on the nature of the land and atmospheric condition.
 The first jute mill was established at Rishra (Bengal - now in West Bengal), on the river Hooghly near Calcutta in
the year 1855, by Mr George Aclend.
 Mr George Ackland brought jute spinning machinery from Dundee (U.K). In 1959, the first power-driven weaving
factory was set up.
 India is the world's largest producer of raw jute and jute goods.
 West Bengal is the largest producer of jute in India.
 West Bengal alone accounts for over 50 % of raw jute production.
 Jute is grown in major parts of the lower Ganges plains, especially in the districts of Medinipur, Bardhaman, 24
Parganas, Malda, Murshidabad etc.

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Pulses
 As they have fewer sources of proteins in comparison to those who consume meat and fish.
 They also serve as excellent forage and grain concentrate in cattle feed.
 Apart from that, these leguminous crops can fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and are normally rotated with
other crops to maintain and restore soil fertility.
 A large variety of pulses are found in India.
 These are gram, tur or arhar (Pigeon Pea or Red Gram), urad (black gram), mung (green gram), Masur (lentil),
kulthi (horse gram), matar (peas) etc. But among these above-mentioned varieties only gram and tur or arhar are
more important pulses.
 Gram:
o It is the most important of all the pulses.
o It accounts for about 37% of the production and about 30% of the total area of pulses in India.
o Rabi crop is sown between September and November and is harvested between February and April.
o It is either cultivated as a single crop or mixed with wheat, barley, linseed or mustard.
o Temperature: It is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions. Mild cool and comparatively dry climate with
20°C-25°C temperature.
o Rainfall: 40-45 cm rainfall is favourable for gram cultivation.
o Soil: It grows well on loamy soils.
 Nadia is one of the highest pulses-producing states of West Bengal.

Tobacco
 It requires a warm and moist climate and rich soil containing lime.
 The largest tobacco-producing district of WB is Cooch Bihar.

Oilseed
 Rape Seed, Mustard, linseed, sesame, toria, and cottonseed are the chief varieties of oil seeds.
 They require a hot and moist climate.
 Nadia, Bankura and North 24 Parganas are major oil-seeds-producing districts.

HORTICULTURE in WEST BENGAL

 With a production of 26.68 m. MT of horticulture produces from an area of 1.78 m. ha.
 West Bengal is the largest producer of horticultural crops accounting for 9.6% of total horticultural production
in the country.
 West Bengal is the fifth largest producer of guava and accounts for 5.1% of the total production of guava in the
country.
 West Bengal accounts for 2.3% of the total production of mango in the country.
 Commercial mango varieties are grown in the states of Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himsagar, Kishen Bhog, Langra and
Bombay Green, Zardalu, Amrapali, Pusa Arunima, and Surya.
 West Bengal is the sixth-largest producer of papaya and accounts for 6 % of the total production of papaya in the
country.
 West Bengal is the leader in the production of brinjal and accounts for 23 % of the total production of brinjal in the
country.
 West Bengal is the leader in the production of cabbage and accounts for 24 % of the total production of
cabbage in the country.
 West Bengal is the leader in the production of cauliflower and accounts for 22 % of the total production of
cauliflower in the country.
 Neel Kranti Mission (Associated with fishing) in West Bengal.
 The goat is known as a Poor man‘s cow in India and is a very important component in the dryland farming
system.

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Mineral Resources Of West Bengal

 The state of West Bengal has an important position in the mineral production of the country. In terms of value, the
state accounts for 3.8% of mineral production in India and occupies the seventh position.
 Various metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits have been located both in the Peninsular and Extra-

 peninsular parts of the State and some of them viz. coal, china clay, fire clay, apatite, dolomite, limestone, silica
sand, base metals, and wolframite have economic importance.

Apatite
 The apatite-magnetite mineralization occurs in the southern part of the Purulia district.
 Apatite deposit is being exploited by the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Ltd.
(WBMDTCL) since 1975 and marketed as a direct application in the fertilizer industry.

Asbestos
 Discontinuous and irregular veins of asbestos occur along the shear planes and diagonal joints within meta-
dolerites, especially along with their contacts with the schists and phyllites of the Singhbhum Group around the
Birmadal and Chirugora areas of Medinipur District.

Barytes
 Baryte veins occur persistently along a 12 Km. long E-W trending belt in the Purulia district extending from
Malthal in the East to Ukma in the West.

Base Metals
 Occurrences of base metals are reported in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Purulia districts.
 The most important base metal deposits are lead and zinc in the Himalayan terrain near Gorubathan, Darjeeling
district are reported from Khar Khola, Mal Khola, Daling Chu and Sukha Khola blocks.

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Coal
 It is well known that the Raniganj coalfield of West Bengal holds the earliest known coalfield in the country.
 During the last 10-12 years, the Birbhum coalfield has been discovered.
 Besides these two large coalfields, there are a few minor coalfields and outliers of coal-bearing rocks, like
Darjeeling, Barjora, Hetampur and Tangsuli.
 Except for Barjora which holds some promise, others are of academic interest at present.
 To date, the Raniganj coalfield is the only coal-producing area in the state.
 Coals in the Indian peninsular coalfields are contained in the Lower Gondwana Group of sediments where two
formations are known to be coal-bearing.
 Raniganj Formation holds the larger share of the total coal reserves.

Wolframite
 The occurrences of Wolframite are located in the Chhendipada and Porapahar areas of the Bankura district.
 Occurrences of wolframite and scheelite have also been reported from the Mansang area of the Darjeeling district.

Dolomite
 Extensive deposits of dolomite occur in the
 Jaintia area of Jalpaiguri district. However, the entire dolomite deposits are within the Buxa Tiger Reserve.
 Due to the non-availability of forestry clearance, the exploitation of dolomite in the Jaintia area is completely
stopped at present.

Glass Sand
 Good-quality glass sands are rather scarce in the State. They are mostly impure, mixed with iron oxides and
suitable for coloured glasses.
 In the Bankura district, fairly large occurrences of quartzite of the Proterozoic are available which may be suitable
for its utilisation in the glass.

Limestone
 The Geological Survey of India has carried out a preliminary investigation of the reported limestone occurrences
in West Bengal since the late 1940s.
 The occurrences of limestone around Kudagra, Tutu Pahar, Subarnarekha river, and Dankagarha Nala.

Ochre
 Occurrences of ochres, bluish grey and yellow mottled clays are found in association with lateralized sandstones
and grits of Durgapur beds in the eastern part of Raniganj coalfields in Bardhaman district.
 Ochre deposits are also found in Medinipur and Purulia districts.

Silica Sand
 A huge reserve of sand is available from the beds of many rivers in the western and northern parts of the State.
 The sands of the Damodar and Ajoy rivers are in great demand for stowing in the coal mines of the Raniganj
Coalfield.

China Clay
 Extensive deposits of clay have been located in the different parts of Birbhum, Bankura, Medinipur and Purulia.

Fire Clay
 The Fireclay deposits are generally associated with the coal seams over a wide area in the Raniganj coalfield of the
Bardhaman district and some areas of the coalfield of the Birbhum district.

Kyanite
 Discontinuous bodies of Kyanite-quartz rocks are located in the district of Purulia.

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Arsenopyrite
 An occurrence of Arsenopyrite has been recorded on the northern flank of Sampthar hill, Darjeeling district.

Beryl
 Pale green hexagonal crystals of Beryl have been reported from Sulung Lohar and Belamu hill of the Purulia
district.

Corundum
 Dark blue stumpy Corundum crystals, varying in size from a fraction of a centimetre to about 2.5 cm in diameter
are occurring within the mica-schist in Salbone, Paharpur and Bhagabandh areas of the Purulia district.

Fluorite
 The occurrences of Fluorites within pegmatites have been reported from Suling Lohar, east of Maramou and the
southern flank of Belamu hill of the Purulia district.

Gold
 Show of placer gold is present in the streams/rivers flowing through the Proterozoic volcano-sedimentary pile of
rocks in the Purulia, Bankura and Medinipur districts.

Graphite
 A vein of Graphite, about 1m in thickness, occurs within mica schist in Bangora, Purulia district.
 Another occurrence of graphite has been recorded near Gobag, Purulia district.
 The presence of graphite has been noted in the graphite schist of Daling Group in Rakti River and as carbonaceous
material (main graphite) in Sukheapukh-Tanglu road, Darjeeling district.

Iron Ore
 In the Purulia district, titaniferous Iron Ores occur in pegmatites and quartz veins around Manbazar, Gaurangdih,
Tiluri and Jhalda.
 In the Bankura district, magnetite ore occurs as interlaminated bands within quartzite and gneisses, varying in
thickness from 7cm to 1m and extending for 24 km in length.

Manganese Ore
 Lateritoid Manganese occurs in the form of thin bands, lenses, lenticels, concretions etc. and a variety of collform
structures in the schits and quartzites of the Singhbhum Group.

Mica
 Small blocks of Ruby Mica and also ordinary mica have been reported from Adabana, Bhursa, and Kumargarh in
the Purulia district and Kaduria, Pirrabani area of the Bankura district.

Pyrite
 Occurrences of Pyrite are found with other sulphides within graphite-bearing mica-schist of the Chotanagpur
Gneissic Complex in the Karcha and Talmu areas of the Purulia district.

Talc and Steatite

 In the Darjeeling district, occurrences of Talc and Steatite are located at Ramouk Khola.
 Steatite has been reported from Lepachaks War Buxa in the Jalpaiguri district.
 Several occurrences of steatite are reported from Khusbani, Puklunkata and Haludbani in the Purulia district and
Matgoda, Maula Kuldiah and Panchpathar in the Bankura district.

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Titanium Ore
 Titanium-Iron Oxide Minerals 'Ilmenite and Rutile' have been found in several localities within a radius of about
10 km of Gaurangdih in the Purulia district.
 Ilmenite also occurs in pegmatite and quartz veins near the Manbazar and Jhalda areas of the Purulia district

Irrigation And Hydropower Projects in West Bengal

Kangsabati Reservoir Project
 Kangsabati Reservoir Project was started in the year 1956-57.
 Has been created in the districts of Bankura, Midnapore and Hooghly through this Project.

Mayurakshi Reservoir Project

 Mayurakshi Reservoir Project was taken up for execution in 1951.
 This Project has been completed in all respects in the year 1985.
 The irrigation potential created through the completion of this project comes to 2, 50,860 ha. In the districts of
Birbhum, Murshidabad and Burdwan.
 Irrigation water is also supplied to the state of Jharkhand from this reservoir to an area of about 6,000 ha.
 This Project is adjudged to be one of the best-performing irrigation projects in India. The project was planned
originally for giving water to Kharif and Boro seasons.
 The industrial requirement of the Bakreswar Thermal Power project is also now made from this project.

Damodar Valley Corporation

 The river Damodar has a basin area of 58,480 sq. km. of which 32,110 sq. km. is in Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar).
 A comprehensive programme of flood control, irrigation and power generation was planned under a corporation
with the participation of Bihar, West Bengal and Govt. of India.
 DVC was formed in 1948.
 Four dams situated in Jharkhand are complete though the acquisition of some flood storage areas remains
incomplete.
 The irrigation and canal system of DVC was handed over to the Govt. of West Bengal in1964.
 An irrigation potential of 4, 83,500 ha. Out of its ultimate irrigation potential of 5, 10,110 ha. It was created through
the project in the districts of Burdwan, Bankura, Hooghly and Howrah.

Teesta Barrage Project

 Teesta Barrage Project is one of the largest irrigation projects not only in West Bengal but also in the entire eastern
region. It will create 9.22 lakh ha. Of irrigation potential in six northern districts of West Bengal and 67.50 MW of
hydropower from canal falls.
 The Project has three different phases and the Project envisages utilisation of the potential of the Teesta River in
the field of irrigation hydropower generation, navigation and flood moderation.

Subarnarekha Barrage Project

 A tripartite agreement was concluded between the Governments of undivided Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal in
August 1978 regarding the Subarnarekha River.
 The infrastructure development programme of the project has already been taken up. The project has been
proposed for obtaining assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Govt. of
India.
 District- Paschim Medinipur

Medinipore Canal
 West Bengal happened to be a pioneer in the field of irrigation in India.
 The earliest one, namely Midnapore Canal was taken up in 1866 and irrigation commenced in 1871.
 The canal originally was part of the Orissa Canal Scheme.
 It was intended to have a high canal providing a navigational route between Cuttack and Calcutta.

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Jaldhaka Hydel Project

 Jaldhaka Hydel Project is one of the foremost hydroelectric projects in the country which serves as a bridge to go
across Bhutan.
 The site is encircled by walls and visitors are required to get approval from the West Bengal State Electricity Board
(WBSEB) authorities.
 Moreover, tourists can also visit the forest cottage which is located in Jhalong near the Jaldhaka River.

Massanjore Hydroelectric Project

 Massanjore Dam is a hydropower-generating dam over the Mayurakshi River located at Massanjore near Dumka
in the state of Jharkhand, India.
 The Massanjore dam (also called Canada Dam), across the Mayurakshi, was commissioned in 1955.
 It was formally inaugurated by Lester B. Pearson, Foreign Minister of Canada. Massanjore dam is about 38
kilometres (24 mi) upstream from Suri in West Bengal.
 It is 47 metres (155 ft) high from its base and 660 metres (2,170 ft) long.

Purulia Pumped Storage Project

 Purulia Pumped Storage Project of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL)
envisaged 4 units of 224 MW each.
 This project can generate 900 MW of power instantly by discharging stored water from the Upper dam to Lower
Dam through a reversible pump turbine and generator motor.
 The project located in Ajodhya Hills in Baghmundi village of Purulia district was commissioned in February 2008
and was dedicated to the nation by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal on 6th April 2008.

Rammam hydroelectric project

 This project is a run-the-river scheme and is located at a distance of about 50 km from Ghoom (Siliguri-Darjeeling
road) and 130 km from Siliguri.
 The nearest railhead is at New Jalpaiguri and the nearest airport is at Bagdogra.
 The diversion structure is located just downstream at the confluence of the Rammam river with Lodhama Khola
near Lodhama village and the powerhouse site is located near the village Barbatia on the right bank of river
Rammam.

Sidrapong Hydroelectric Power Station

 Located at the foothills of Arya Tea Estate 12 km (7.5 mi) from Darjeeling town is the oldest hydel power station
or hydroelectric power plant in India.
 Commissioned on 10 November 1897, its original capacity was 2 × 65 kW, which was expanded in phases for
increased demands to a total of 1000 kW in 1916.
 Having reached the limit of the water supply, the machinery was replaced in 1931 for more-efficient triple-phase
transmission

TRANSPORT IN WEST BENGAL

 The total length of road in West Bengal is 92,223 Kilometers (57,180 miles).
 Among these national highways are 2,377 kilometres (1,477 miles), and state highways are 2,393 kilometres (1,487
miles).
 The road density of the state is 103.69 kilometres per 100 square kilometres.
 The national density is 74.7 kilometres per 100 square kilometres.
 The total length of the railway line in the state is 3,825 kilometres (2,377 miles).
 Indian Railway's Eastern Railway zone and South Eastern Railway Zone Headquarters are located in Kolkata.
 Kolkata Metro is India's first underground metro rail service, Started in 1984.
 The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of the Northeast Frontier Railway, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 Expressway is the fastest communication system in this state. The main expressway of West Bengal is the
Durgapur Expressway, Kalyani Expressway, Kona Expressway and Belghoria Expressway.

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 National Highway 19 (National Highway 2) has moved from Kolkata to Delhi.

 National Highway No. 6 passes through Kolkata from Kharagpur to Surat and Mumbai.
 National Highway No. 4 connects North Bengal with South Bengal.
 Currently, the expansion of National Road No. 34 Road work is progressing in four lanes.
 National Highway No. 35 with Kolkata, Habra, and Chandpara Petrapole Port of Bongaon on the border city is
well connected.
 National Highway No. 31 is part of the North-South and East-West Corridor.

Rail Transport
 Kolkata is the headquarters of three zones of the Indian Railways — Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway
and the Kolkata Metro which is the newly formed 17th Zone of the Indian Railways.
 The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) plies in the northern parts of the state.
 The Kolkata Metro is the country‗s first underground railway.
 The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of NFR, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kolkata Metro (India‘s First Metro Railway)

 With the opening of the Metro Railways in Kolkata on October 24, 1984, India became the fifth country in Asia
and the 82nd in the world, to possess the prestigious Underground Railways System.
 Metro rail facilities were made available to passengers commuting from DumDum to Belgachia in the north and
from Esplanade to Bhawanipur in the south in 1984.
 In 1986, the Esplanade-Bhawanipur section was extended by another 4.0 km. up to Tollygunge, the southern
terminus.
 It has 17 stations including the Terminals at DumDum and Tollygunge. While the two terminals, viz DumDum
and Tollygunge are on the surface, the remaining 15 stations will be underground.

Trams in Kolkata
 The tram system in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, operated by West Bengal Transport Corporation
(WBTC) after Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was dissolved, is the only tram network operating in India.
 Being the oldest operating electric tram system in Asia, it has been running since 1902.
 The first horse-drawn trams in India ran for 2.4 miles (3.9 km) between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street on 24
February 1873.
 The route was inaugurated by the Viceroy, Lord Ripon.
 The first electric tramcar in India ran from Esplanade to Kidderpore on 27 March 1902.
 In 1951, the government of West Bengal entered an agreement with the Calcutta Tramways Company and the
Calcutta Tramways Act of 1951 was enacted

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

 The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft. (610 mm) gauge railway
that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.
 Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long.
 On 2 December 1999, UNESCO declared the DHR a World Heritage Site.
 Ghum, the line's summit, is India's highest station. The station building includes a first-floor museum, with larger
exhibits in the old goods yard.

Airways in West Bengal

 Kolkata is well connected to the rest of India and all other prime locations of the world by the Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose International Airport.
 There is another airport at Bagdogra, which links Siliguri with the important destinations within the country.
 The importance of Bagdogra airport has increased with Siliguri becoming the gateway to the North Eastern States
and a vital trade and logistics hub for the entire region.

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Kolkata: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport

 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the only international airport in Kolkata.
 It was inaugurated in 1924 and since then, it has served as the international terminal for all the Northeastern states
of India.

Behala Airport, Balurghat Airport, Cooch Behar Airport, Bagdogra Airport.

 Bagdogra Airport is a domestic airport in Bagdogra city, which is about 14 km from the city of Siliguri.
 The airport had earlier served as a base for the Air Force of India. After the Air Force shifted its base to Hasimara,
in the Dooars region of North Bengal, the airport was allowed to run domestic flights.
 Bagdogra Airport serves as an important base for those who desire to access the northeastern states of India.

Asansol-Durgapur
 Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (India‗s first Aerotropolis and first privately managed airport, located in Andal (a sub-
div of Durgapur, Asansol) developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited. West Bengal‗s second-largest
airport.)

Waterways in West Bengal

 The Government of India has declared the entire stretch of the Ganges between Haldia and Allahabad as a
National Waterway (NW1).
 The 560 km Haldia – Farakka stretch of NW1 in West Bengal will be developed as a part of the multimodal system
for cargo tariffs from Nepal, Bhutan, and North Bengal & North Eastern States.
 The Kolkata Port Trust manages the Kolkata and the Haldia docks.
 There is a passenger service to Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and a cargo ship service to ports in
India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India.
 The ferry is a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarban area.
 Kolkata is the only city in India to have trams as a mode of transport and these are operated by the Calcutta
Tramways Company.

Demographic Profile of West Bengal

 The Demographic Profile of West Bengal comprises Rural-Urban Population, Population Density, Population
Growth, Sex Ratio, Child sex ratio, literacy rate, etc.

Literacy rate of West Bengal

 The average literacy rate of West Bengal is 76.26%.
 The male literacy rate in West Bengal is 81.69%.
 The female literacy rate in West Bengal is 70.54%.
 The total literates in West Bengal are 61,538,281 people.
 Male literates in West Bengal are 33,818,810.
 Female literates in West Bengal are 27,719,471.

Population Density of West Bengal

 Population Density per sq. km. of West Bengal.
 Square Kilometer: Average density of West Bengal is 1,028 per sq. km. 2nd highest after Bihar.
 The total area of West Bengal is 88,752 square kilometres in the census 2011.

The population of West Bengal

 The total population of West Bengal in the 2011 census is 9.13 Crores approximately.
 The population growth rate of West Bengal was 13.84% during the 2001-2011 period.
 The actual Population of West Bengal is 91,276,115 as per the census 2011.
 The male Population of West Bengal is 46,809,027.
 The female Population of West Bengal is 44,467,088.

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 West Bengal's population is 7.54 %of the total population of India.

Sex Ratio of West Bengal

 The female Sex ratio of West Bengal is 950 females per 1000 males.

Child Sex Ratio

 The child sex ratio of West Bengal is 956 females per 1000 males.
 Children under the age group of 0-6 are considered children.

Scheduled Castes Population

 Rajbanshi and Namasudra have more than 32 lakhs population each constituting 35.8 % of the total SC population
of the state.
 North 24 Pargana, South 24 Pargana, and Barddhaman districts account for one-third of the total SC population of
the state.

Scheduled Tribe Population

 In the southern, western, and northern parts of the state.
 Santhal (51.8%) and Oraon (14%)

WEST BENGAL CENSUS 2011: Population Data

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WEST BENGAL CENSUS 2011: Urban-Rural Population

WEST BENGAL CENSUS 2011: Metropolitan/City Data

Political Structure of West Bengal

Historical Developments
 The origins of the word Bengal or Banga are uncertain, while the term Vanga appears as a caste and a geographical
identity in early Sanskrit literature such as Aitareya and Aranyaka, and the Arthashastra of Kautilya.
 It is possible that the word came from the Sanskrit word 'Vanga.'
 Bengal was ruled by a mighty monarchy named Gangaridai at the time of Alexander's conquest.
 Sasanka, the first independent monarch of Bengal, reigned in the early 17th century and is claimed to have played
a significant influence in northern India.
 Gopala replaced him and established the Pala dynasty, which lasted for 400 years.
 The Pala dynasty was succeeded by the Sena dynasty, which was brought to an end by an Islamic invasion during
the 13th century and the Mughals' eventual settlement in the 16th century.
 After the Mughals, the arrival of English traders marks the beginning of modern Bengal history.
 When the English secured a solid foothold in Bengal and India as a whole, the battle of Plassey in 1757 changed
the course of history.
 By 1765, the Bengal Presidency had been founded, which eventually included the British colonies.
 In 1772, Calcutta was designated as India's capital.

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 In 1862, under the Indian Councils Act of 1861, a separate 12-member Bengal Legislative Council for Bengal was
founded by the Governor-General of India with the Lt Governor of Bengal and some nominated members. The
strength of this council was gradually increased After the Indian Councils Act of 1919 the number was raised to
125 members.
 The unsuccessful Indian insurrection of 1857 resulted in the British crown transferring responsibility to the Viceroy
of India.
 Barnes Peacock was the first Chief Justice of the High Court. He assumed the charge when the High court was
founded on 1 July 1862.
 It was partitioned in 1905 to obtain some political gains, but a growing people's movement led to reunification in
1911. As a result of the failed partition attempt in Bengal, India's capital was moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
 The Bengal Legislative Council constituted under the Act of 1919 was formally inaugurated on 1 February 1921 by
the Duke of Connaught.
 The National Freedom struggle resulted in independence and Partition in 1947.

Present-day Status
 After 1947, the native princely states reorganized in 1956 (as per the recommendations of the States Reorganization
Act, 1956).
 Ishwar Das Jalan (1947-52) was the first speaker of the West Bengal legislative assembly after independence. He
was appointed under the Government of India Act 1935.
 Saila Kumar Mukherjee (1952 - 57) was the first speaker of the West Bengal legislative assembly under the
constitution of India.
 West Bengal was established on 1st November 1956.
 The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature. No upper house or legislative council in West
Bengal.
 At Present, West Bengal is divided into 23 Districts, the newest and 23rd district created was Paschim Bardhaman,
which was formed in 2017 after the bifurcation of the former Bardhaman district.
 Official language: Bengali, English, Hindi, Odia, Santali, Urdu, Punjabi, Kamtapuri, Rajbansi, Kurmali, Nepali.
 State Animal: Fishing Cat.
 State Bird: White-throated Kingfisher.
 State Flower: Jasmin.
 State Tree: Blackboard tree or Devil Tree.
 The head of state of West Bengal is the Governor, appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Central
Government. The post is largely formal. The Governor is the Nominal head of the state. 'Jagdeep Dhankhar''
serving as the Governor of West Bengal.
 The Chief Minister is the real head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers.
 Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, houses the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
 The Calcutta High Court is located in Kolkata and has jurisdiction over the whole of West Bengal and the Union
Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island.
 The present Legislative Assembly of West Bengal is Unicameral, consisting of 294 Members of the Legislative
Assembly (MLA). Its term is 5 years, unless sooner dissolved.
 42 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal
 16 Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal.
 The Current Chief Minister is Mamta Banerjee, who is in office since May 2011. She is the founder and leader of
the All India Trinamool Congress Party, which formed the government's 3rd term by winning 215 seats (out of
294) in the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.
 The West Bengal government headed by Mamata Banerjee has 41 ministers.

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ECONOMY of WEST BENGAL

Introduction of West Bengal Economy
 West Bengal is the primary business and financial hub of Eastern India.
 The State is primarily dependent on agriculture and medium-sized Industry.
 West Bengal has a Jute industry and a Tea industry. Also rich in minerals like Coal.

Agriculture and Livestock Sector

 Agriculture accounts for the largest share of the labour force. It contributed around 18.8% to the gross state
domestic product (GSDP) in 2014–15. Pluralities of the state‘s population are peasant farmers.
 Rice and Potatoes are considered to be the principal food crops.
 West Bengal is the largest rice-producing state in India.
 West Bengal is the second-largest producer of Potatoes in India.
 West Bengal is also the second-largest fish-producing state. Andhra Pradesh at 1st position.
 Apart from these, jute, sugarcane and wheat are the top crops of the state.
 Tea is another important cash crop. Darjeeling is globally recognised for tea plantations.
 West Bengal is also the second-largest tea-producing state in India, accounting for 27.8 % of the country's total tea
production.
 The state is the largest vegetable-producing state in India.
 West Bengal accounts for nearly 10% of the country's edible oil production.
 West Bengal is the third largest meat-producing state in the country (including poultry) after Uttar Pradesh and
Andhra Pradesh.
 West Bengal is the largest producer of goat meat.

Industry Sector
 State industries are mostly localised in the Kolkata region, the mineral-rich western highlands, and the Haldia
port region.
 There are up to 10,000 registered factories in the state and the West Bengal state government has opened Shilpa
Sathi, a single-window agency to provide investors with all kinds of assistance in establishing and running
industrial units.
 Kolkata is known as one of the major centres for industries including the jute industry.
 There are numerous steel plants in the state apart from the alloy steel plant at Durgapur.
 Many industries are in the areas of tea, sugar, chemicals, and fertilizers.
 Natural resources like tea and Jute in and nearby parts have made West Bengal a major centre for the Jute and tea
industries.
 West Bengal is at the forefront of leather processing and leather goods manufacturing
 Kharagpur has numerous industries of various types such as ironworks, cement, chemicals, etc.
 The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–81, declining to 5% by 1997–98. However, the
service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate.
 West Bengal is one of the country's leading exporters of finished leather goods.
 The state accounted for around 70% of India's dried flower exports.
 The state is also a leading exporter of shrimp and tea.

Service Sector
 As of 2011, West Bengal has a total road length of 92,023 kilometres (57,180 mi), with a road density of 1.04 km per
sq. km.
 Central government augmenting the state's national highways' length to supplement India's plan of seamless
BBIN connectivity through Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh.
 The Eastern railways zone, South-eastern railways zone and N.F Railway zone of Indian Railways run operations
in West Bengal.
 Kolkata is a major river port in eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the
Haldia docks.
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 The 560 km long Haldia- Farakka stretch in West Bengal is part of the stretch of the Ganges between Haldia and
Prayagraj declared as the National Waterway (NW1).
 5 STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) earth stations in Kolkata, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Haldia and Siliguri.
 Digha has been selected as the cable landing station for the submarine cable laying project connecting India and
South East Asia.
 At Dumdum, the newly modernised Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is the fifth busiest
international airport in India in respect of aircraft movement (after Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai).
 The current Kolkata Metro expansion plans include two new lines to the airport for better connectivity.
 Bagdogra airport near Siliguri is another significant airport in the state.
 Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, the country's first private Greenfield aerotropolis project spread over 650 acres, under
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL).
 Foreign direct investment has mostly come from the manufacturing and telecommunication sectors.

The GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 guarantees state compensation for five years (till 2022) for any
revenue loss arising due to GST implementation.
 The Act guarantees state a 14% annual growth in their GST revenue, failing which compensation grants are
provided to states to meet the shortfall.
 These grants are funded through the GST compensation cess levied by the centre.

Important SCHEMES
Lakshmir Bhandar:
 The scheme will provide monthly financial support of Rs 1,000 to women from scheduled caste/tribe households
and Rs 500 to general category women through direct bank transfer.

Student Credit Card Scheme

 Low-interest loans will be provided to students at 4% and there will be a moratorium till one year after the
completion of the course of study.

Akanksha
 Considering the hardship faced by the State Government employees in the construction of their houses/flats for
their accommodation, the Government announced the 'Ákanksha' scheme for House Building Loan to State
Government Employees.
 The Government will provide suitable land free of cost to the Housing Department for the construction of flats,
which will be identified by the Land and Land Reforms Department of West Bengal.

Amar-Fasal, Amar-Gola
 To provide financial assistance to marginal farmers of the State so that they can have their storehouses and
vending carts.
 This project will facilitate those farmers who wish to directly sell their products to end users.
 The subsidies would be directly credited to the bank accounts of those farmers who own Kisan Credit Cards.

Anandadhara
 The Government of India has launched The National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of
Rural Development (MoRD).
 In West Bengal, NRLM has been launched as ANANDADHARA by the Chief Minister.
 The agenda is to mobilize the rural poor and vulnerable people into self-managed, cooperative institutions and
support them for livelihood collectives.

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Gatidhara
 The scheme was implemented by the transport department.
 The objective of the scheme is to generate self-employment in the Urban and Rural areas of the state through the
promotion of transport services.

Geetanjali & Amar Thikana

 To provide proper shelters to the economically weaker section of society as well as to create additional
employment opportunities for construction workers, etc.
 Panchayat and Rural Development Department are implementing the scheme 'Amar Thikana'.
 The motto of the Government is to provide "SabarMatharUpareChhad".
 "AMAR THIKANA" has been merged with "GEETANJALI" and the only Scheme in the name "GEETANJALI" is
being implemented through District Magistrates.

Kanyashree
 West Bengal has an adolescent (10-19 years) population of 1.73 Crores, out of which 48.11% are girls. During this
period of adolescence, child marriage and trafficking are issues of major social concern which adversely affect the
education, health, nutritional status, growth and development of girls.
 KanyashreePrakalpa is an innovative scheme of the Government of West Bengal with the power of creating an
enabling environment to elevate the education, health and nutrition status of women and children throughout the
State.
 It encourages the education of girl children in Secondary and Higher Secondary classes and those undergoing
vocational training or sports training through scholarships.
 It helps in reducing the incidence of dropouts, especially among girls from poor families.
 The project improved the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by delaying the age of
marriage and consequently increasing the median age of first birth. It eradicates the undernutrition and
malnutrition of girl children. It also prevents trafficking and exploitation of the girl child.

Karmashree
 Karmashree is a combination of several other schemes under the Labour department.
 The government would train 10 lakh youths for skill development, through Karma Tirtha marketing hubs.

Karmatirtha
 To promote sustainable entrepreneurship and generate employment.
 Karmatirtha is a scheme to strike coordination between the abundance of natural resources and the availability of
a skilled workforce and thereby move toward sustainable entrepreneurship.
 The State government provides infrastructure support including training and finance, allowing individuals, self-
help groups, cooperative enterprises, artisans, and weavers to avail of the benefits of the scheme.
 The objective is to set up at least one 'Karmatirtha' in every block of the State.

Lokprasar Prakalpo
 Introduced by the Department of Information & Cultural Affairs.
 Dignity to folk artists by issuing them identity cards.
 To Promote the traditional folk forms of Bengal.
 To uplift the socio-economic conditions of artists associated with folk culture.
 Arranging for the minimum income by engaging them in the public campaign programme on development
projects.

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Madhur Sneha
 Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched Eastern India's first and country's most modernized "Human Milk
Bank" in Kolkata.
 It is equipped with pasteurization and the most advanced milk collection, screening, processing, testing and
storage facilities.
 Babies who are prematurely born, or are of very low birth weight, or those babies whose mothers are unable to
feed directly can be recipients of banked milk from "Madhur Sneha".

Matir Katha
 'Matir Katha' is an agriculture-based portal involving 5 Departments which are Agriculture, Agricultural
Marketing, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Horticulture.
 Useful information about different Agricultural Sectors is available through this portal.

Muktidhara
 To create and maintain the sustainable livelihood of Self Help Group members. The project is being implemented
in association with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Pathasathi
 The Government is constructing PATHASATHI (consisting of Pay & use the toilet, Waiting room, Night shelter
and Restaurant under one roof) at every 50 Km of National Highway, State Highway and Other important roads
throughout the State.

Pran Dhara
 The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) introduced bottled water named Pran Dhara.
 Packaged Drinking Water Plants have been installed in different locations in West Bengal.

Pratyasha
 Housing project named "PRATYASHA" for Police Personnel (from Inspectors to Constables) working in the West
Bengal Police to materialize their dreams of owning houses.
 The West Bengal State Police Housing Corporation to construct various types of flats with the financial assistance
of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) and all Police Personnel would be
welcome to fill in forms for their required housing assistance.

Sabar Ghare Alo

 The State Government announced the 'universal electrification of households namely "SarbaGriha Deep Prakalpa"
(SabarGhareAlo) to achieve 100% household electrification in backward districts of West Bengal.

Sabooj Sathi
 The government of West Bengal introduced a scheme titled "Sabooj Sathi" for the distribution of bicycles to the
students of classes IX to XII in all Govt. run/ Govt. aided/ Govt. sponsored schools.
 The objective of the scheme is to encourage students in higher education and to reduce dropouts.
 The Chief Minister has created the logo for the project as well. It consists of a school student running, with two
spinning bicycle wheels alongside his legs.

Krishak Bandhu (Assured Income and Death Benefit) Scheme

 To give financial support to the farmers including Bhagchasi (sharecropper) for agriculture purposes and also to
provide social security to the family of the farmer and Bhagchasi in the event of his death due to any cause
including natural death, the State Government has decided to introduce Krishak Bandhu Scheme with two
components:-
1. Krishak Bandhu (Assured Income) Scheme under which every farmer including recorded Bhagchasi
(ShareCropper) will be eligible to get financial support: a. Rs. 5000/- (Rupees Five thousand) only for up to 1

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(one) acre of land per year. The financial support will be paid in two instalments once for the Kharif season
and 2nd time for Rabi crops.
2. The Krishak Bandhu (Death Benefit) Scheme under which, in the event of any type of death including the
natural death of a farmer/ Bhagchasi (sharecropper) in the age group of 18-60 years, the nominee/family
member of the deceased will get a one-time grant of Rs. 2,00,000/- (Rupees Two Lakh) only.

Samajik Mukti
 The government issued 'Samajik Mukti' (Social Freedom) cards to unorganised sector workers of the State for
Provident Fund & Other Social Benefit schemes.

Shikshashree
 The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to the scheduled caste (SC) students reading in
classes V to VIII to improve their participation in Pre-matric stages and minimize the incidence of drop-out,
especially in the case of girls students.

Sufal Bangla
 "Sufal Bangla" is an initiative of the Govt of West Bengal to ensure fresh vegetables at a reasonable price at their
doorstep.
 Sufal Bangla, a competitive retail daily use prime vegetable outlet, important for ensuring food and nutritional
security for the hundreds of millions of people that still live below the poverty line in our state besides it also help
for raising rural incomes and generating millions of on-farm and non-farm employment opportunities,
eradication poverty and usher in a prosperity movement throughout beautiful rural Bengal.
 The project also aims to provide benefits to the farmer through an arrangement of procurement by the
Government. Another aspect of this initiative is to provide employment opportunities to the unemployed who
would be associated with this programme.

Yuvasree
 Yuvasree is a financial assistance scheme of the Government of West Bengal for the unemployed youth of West
Bengal.
 This scheme was previously known as Yuva Utsaha Prakolpo (YUP). This scheme was implemented by the
Labour Department of West Bengal.
 The motto of Yuvasree is to provide employment assistance to the unemployed youths of West Bengal for
increasing their employment ability and skill.

West Bengal Budget Analysis 2022-23

 The West Bengal Minister of State for Finance, Ms Chandrima Bhattacharya, presented the Budget for the state for
the financial year 2022-23 on March 11, 2022.
 The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of West Bengal for 2022-23 (at current prices) is projected to be Rs
17,13,154 crore.
o This is a growth of 11.5% over the revised estimate of GSDP for 2021-22 (Rs 15,36,681 crore).
 The fiscal deficit for 2022-23 is targeted at Rs 62,397 crore (3.64% of GSDP).
 The state government has exempted payment of the Rural Employment Cess and the Education cess for the tea
industry for the next financial year (2022-23).
o The Agricultural Income cess has been waived off for 2022-23 to provide relief for small tea gardens.
 To incentivise electric vehicles (two-wheelers and four-wheelers), the Registration Fees and Road Tax has been
exempted for two years, from 2022-23.
o This will also apply to all categories of CNG vehicles.
 Widow pensions will be provided to eight lakh applicants received through ‗Duare Sarkar‘ from April 1, 2022.
o More than 21 lakh widows will be covered under the scheme

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 Education: West Bengal has allocated 16.8% of its total expenditure for education in 2022-23. This is higher than
the average allocation (15.2%) for education by all states (as per
2021-22 Budget Estimates).
 Health: West Bengal has allocated 6.9% of its total expenditure
on health, which is higher than the average allocation for health
by states (6%).
 Agriculture: The state has allocated 4.9% of its total expenditure
towards agriculture and allied activities. This is lower than the
average allocation for agriculture by states (6.2%).
 Rural development: West Bengal has allocated 8.8% of its
expenditure to rural development. This is higher than the
average allocation for rural development by states (5.7%).
 Police: West Bengal has allocated 4% of its total expenditure on
police, which is marginally lower than the average expenditure
on police by states (4.3%).
 Roads and bridges: West Bengal has allocated 2.1% of its total expenditure on roads and bridges, which is lower
than the average allocation by states (4.7%)

Land reforms in West Bengal after Independence

Introduction
 In West Bengal, the origin of the Land Reform and Land Reforms Department can be traced back to the setting up
of the Board of Revenue.
o The Board of Revenue was set up by the British with the primary aim of revenue collection and maximization
in accordance with ‗permanent settlement' enacted under the Regulation Act of 1793.
o The Permanent Settlement in Bengal was brought into effect by the East India Company headed by
Governor-General Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
 After independence, the focus shifted from revenue administration to welfare administration.
 The concept of land reforms included;
o Abolition of intermediaries such as zamindars.
o Equitable distribution of land.
o Ensuring food and livelihood security
o Enhancing Agricultural production.
 Land reform ensures Socioeconomic justice; that land must not be in the hands of a few and should be
distributed judiciously amongst the landless.

History of Land Tenure

 West Bengal had a land tenure system known as Permanent Settlement which promoted absentee landlords called
Zamindars.
 The lowest strata of actual cultivators were the sharecroppers, known mainly as Bargadars
 After Independence in 1947, Zamindars were replaced by new landlords called Jotedars.
o They are also not the actual cultivators in general and many of them were also absentees.
 The rights of the Bargadars, despite various land reform measures, remained insecure till the late seventies.
o Most of them were unrecorded, having no hereditary rights of cultivation.
o Threats of eviction always kept the sharecroppers on the defensive.
 The significant movement of Sharecroppers to ensure 2/3rds share of the crop was backed by the communist-
dominated Peasants' organisation All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).
o The Congress party, which had socialist leanings but was a centre-left party, ruled since independence and
had the supporting the jotedars.
o The First non-congress communist-dominated government was installed in 1967.

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 The present Communist Party of India (Marxist) led left front came to power in the 1977 general election.
o In 1977, an amendment to the land reforms Act was made Sharecroppers were provided heritable rights and
the place of crop share was shifted to sharecroppers' plots.
 In 1978, the Registration of names of sharecroppers started on an unprecedented scale under the name
―Operation Barga‖ along with the redistribution of ceiling-surplus land.

Step by West Bengal Government

 West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was enacted in 1953.
o It abolished the zamindari system and Set a ceiling on land holdings
o Surplus land was distributed among the landless.
o The Act also aimed to protect tenants and bargadars.
 The West Bengal Land Reforms Act was enacted in 1955
o To simplify the procedures of distribution of ceiling surplus land, survey and settlement and maintenance of
land records.
 Bringing Bureaucracy close to the Villages
o Replacement of traditional Revenue Court approach to register names of sharecroppers by the Rural Camp
Method.
 Operation Barga (1978) aimed to record the names of the sharecroppers (Bargadars), who formed a major part
of the agrarian population in West Bengal and to educate them about their cultivation rights.
o Operation Barga depended heavily on collective action by the sharecroppers and was qualitatively different
from the traditional Revenue Court approach, which was biased in favour of the richer and more influential
landowner
 A New scheme "NIJO GRIHA NIJO BHUMI PRAKALPA" was launched in 2011
o To ensure secured land tenure ownership of land which is crucial for the transformation of a family from
poverty to prosperity and to infuse self-respect, dignity and peace
o The Scheme provide up to 5 decimals of land to each identified eligible beneficiary family i.e. to all landless,
homeless and agricultural labourers/artisans/fishermen of rural areas.
o More than 2 lakh beneficiaries have been covered under the scheme since its inception.
 The land records in most of the blocks are now being maintained on web-based e-Bhuchitra application software
from where the live data of land records in respect of those blocks which have migrated to the online system is
being displayed for public access on the departmental website at http://banglarbhumi.gov.in.
 A robust ICT platform is the backbone of modern land record management.

Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation

 The influx of refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan was a major event in Indian history.
 The census figures of 1971 show the population of displaced persons in the state at nearly 60 lakhs as reported to
the planning commission in 1974 by the Govt. of West Bengal.
 According to the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee Report, the number was assessed at 80 lakhs in
1981.
 The Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Department was set up to cope with the sudden influx of refugees and
address the problems of the immigrants.
 In 2016, the Department of Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation was merged with the Land and Land Reforms
Department to ensure greater harmonization and systemic efficiency improvement in delivering services to the
people.
 The department is now focusing on the distribution of freehold title deeds and infrastructure development of the
Rehabilitation and Resettlement colonies.

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Way Forward
 Quasi-property rights granted to the sharecroppers improved their socioeconomic situation and improved their
standard of living.
 It ensured a better balance of power in the rural areas.
 Promoted active involvement of local-level elected governments in developmental works, especially the
construction of roads and excavation of canals and Tanks.
 To sustain the fruits of land reforms, there is a need to promote diversification of the agricultural products and an
increase in non-farm activities. Along with that, serious steps need to be taken to strengthen democracy at the
local level.

Culture of political violence

Introduction
 In many countries across the world, democracy and political violence can be inseparable. Even the most advanced
western democracies have not escaped this surprise.
 In India, Political violence is commonly linked to electoral politics.
 States like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala, have had a long history of violence during elections.
 The culture of political violence in West Bengal is more endemic than in other Indian states.

Political Violence
 India‘s political system is regularly marked by various kinds of conflicts, which at times culminate into incidents
of violence.
 West Bengal has seen governments led by different political parties since Independence, including the Indian
National Congress (INC) that ruled for more than two decades, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left
Front for over three decades and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC or TMC) that heads the present
government.
o The culture of violent clashes between workers of political parties, especially in rural areas.
 Political violence is largely linked to political party rivalry, weak institutions, selective enforcement of the rule
of law, and other structural factors.
 Violence has been used to obtain electoral benefits, maintain political dominance, capture scarce state resources,
and monopolise the democratic space.
 Even in democratic societies, those in power sometimes use violence against those who aim to widen inclusion
in the power structure or move forward with more power-sharing.
o People in the higher position in the socio-political order try to maintain the structure, while people in the
lower position try to change the situation to get some or more power.
o This Situation where some people want to maintain structure while some people want to change the
structure result in conflict and sometimes violence.
 Political violence is understood as the use of physical force to achieve a change like the political order or to defend
that order in its existing form.
o Political violence is thus defined as distinct from criminal violence since that is carried out for personal gain.
o Political violence is here understood as challenging or defending particular policies or more generally the
nature of the political regime in question.
 Political violence presents a challenge not only to the institutions and procedures of liberal democracies but also to
the processes of democratisation themselves.
 Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are known for the criminal mafias that control certain districts, and which are used by
politicians to eliminate rivals from other parties or even competitors from their ranks.
 Gujarat, UP, and Maharashtra, among other states, have also witnessed communal flare-ups that were widely
perceived as politically instigated.
 Caste violence has also been prevalent in many states, especially in Rajasthan, UP, and Bihar.
 India has also witnessed violent ethnic, religious and ideological insurgent movements in the north-eastern
region, in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and Maoist insurgency in some states of eastern and
central India.
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 According to the latest NCRB report of 2021, West Bengal has recorded the highest number of political
murders in the country, and the rates are also notable in states like Kerala, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

History of Political Violence in West Bengal

 Bengal has a historical legacy of political violence.
 Secret societies such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar were formed to mount an armed revolt against the colonial
rulers.
 There were also communal conflicts in the state, such as the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946.
 Post-Independence, there was the Naxalbari rebellion of 1967, which was an effort by radical communist forces
to overthrow the state administration, and which saw both mindless killings by insurgents and brutal police
repression.
 Violent clashes between the workers of the political parties became a routine affair.
 Municipality and Panchayats emerged as a key areas of competition among the principal parties.
 Workers and supporters of opposition parties were routinely harassed, had their houses burnt down, or else were
killed, by the ruling party cadres.
 The highest point of political violence expressed was in the Nandigram village of Purba Medinipur district.
o Following a tussle over land acquisition by the government for industrial purposes, more than 50 people were
killed over 2007-8.

Concern
 Violence is Against rule of law and also against human rights.
 It Fuel Communalism and Casteism.
 It shows the loss of public faith in the judicial/democratic system.
 Political parties and Powerful people use violence to achieve narrow political gains.
 It promotes intolerance and polarization.
 Misinformation and Propaganda spread through platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.
 These incidents are Covered by National and International Media, giving West Bengal a bad image and can hurt
tourism and also an investment.

Way Forward
 Intolerant citizens violating the freedoms of fellow citizens have no right to be ‗Indians‘ as it goes against the
Core values and ethos of India, Core Indian values and ethos have no place for intolerance due to which all the
major religions of the world are flourishing in India.
 The focus is needed on social/attitudinal change.
 Strengthening administration and governance to ensure public confidence in state institutions.
 Holding Social media platforms accountable.

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 Designate a senior Police officer in each district for taking measures to prevent incidents of violence.
 Identify districts, sub-divisions and villages where instances of violence have been reported in the recent past.
 Broadcast on radio, television and other media platforms about the serious consequences of violence.
 State Governments shall prepare a violence victim compensation scheme.
 Need for a Strict anti-Violence law, At present, no law Criminalises mob killings.
 Study the incidents of past incidents of violence in West Bengal and formulate measures to address these
problems.

Teesta water dispute

 Teesta is the lifeline of North Bengal and almost half a dozen of districts of West Bengal are dependent on the
waters of Teesta.
 Sharing the waters of the Teesta river is the most aggressive issue between two friendly neighbours, India and
Bangladesh.
o Disputes over the allocation of Teesta water have remained a subject of conflict between India and Bangladesh
for almost 35 years, with several bilateral agreements and rounds of talks failing to produce results.
o Negotiations have been going on since 1983.
o In 1983, a temporary solution had been worked out— Bangladesh would get 36%, India would get 39%
while the rest of the water remained unallocated.
 Teesta River originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal to merge with the
Brahmaputra in Assam and (Jamuna in Bangladesh).
o The river covers nearly the entire floodplains of Sikkim.
o For West Bengal, Teesta is equally important, considered the lifeline of half-a-dozen districts in North Bengal.
o Bangladesh has sought an ―equitable‖ distribution of Teesta waters from India, on the lines of the Ganga
Water Treaty of 1996.
 Indian Government and Bangladesh Government tried to sign the Teesta water-sharing treaty, but it is still
pending as the Chief Minister of West Bengal objected to the Teesta water-sharing agreement.
o West Bengal Chief Minister's objection is connected to ―global warming.‖
o Many of the glaciers in the Teesta basin have retreated.
 The West Bengal Chief Minister opposed an arrangement in 2011, by which India would get 42.5% and
Bangladesh 37.5% of the water during the lean season, and the plan was postponed.

Teesta River
 Tso Lhamo lake is one of the highest lakes in the world, located at an altitude of 5,100 m.
o It is situated in North Sikkim, India, about 4 km southwest of the international border with China.
o It is fed by waters from the Zemu glacier, Kangtse glacier or Pauhunri glacier, and is the source of the Teesta
river.
 Teesta River is a 414 km long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of the eastern Himalayas.
 It flows through Sikkim and West Bengal and Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.
o The river flows further down through Mekhliganj and Haldibari in the Cooch Behar district, here the river
completes its journey in India and enters Bangladesh in Dahagram, Rangpur Division,
 In West Bengal, it flows through Kalimpong district, Darjeeling District, Jalpaiguri District, Cooch Behar
districts and the cities of Rangpo, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj.
 It joins Brahmaputra River at Phulchhari Upazila in Bangladesh.
 305 km (190 mi) portion of the river lies in India and the rest in Bangladesh.
 Teesta is the largest river of Sikkim and the second largest river of West Bengal after the Ganges.

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Major Tributaries of Teesta River

Left-bank Tributaries Right-bank Tributaries

1. Lachung Chhu 1. Zemu Chhu

2. Chakung Chhu 2. Rangyong Chhu
3. Dik Chhu 3. Rangit River
4. Rani Khola
5. Rangpo Chhu

The left bank tributaries originate from semi-permanent and Right-bank tributaries drain heavily
much smaller snowfields as compared to the right bank glaciated areas with large
tributaries. snowfields.

Sharda scam
 The Saradha scam, also known as Saradha Group financial scandal, was a major financial scam that surfaced in
2013.
o Investigation into the multi-crore Ponzi scheme has been on since then.
 The scheme, run by the Saradha Group, was launched in the early 2000s by businessman Sudipto Sen.
o Aimed at small investors, the scheme became popular in a very short time as it promised high returns.
o The money was collected through a wide network of agents, who were paid commissions of over 25%.
 The Saradha Group raised about Rs 2,500 crore in a few years.
 The company used varied marketing means to build its brand.
o Apart from popular marketing techniques like celebrity endorsements, the company used to sponsor cultural
events such as Durga Puja and invest in popular football clubs to attract more investors.
 The scheme soon expanded to Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, and the number of investors reached close to 1.7
million.
 Problems started in the company in 2012
o when SEBI asked the group to stop accepting money from investors and obtain the regulator's permission to
run its schemes.
 By January 2013, the company was in a deep crisis when for the first time Saradha Group‘s cash inflows were
found to be lower than its outflows.
o The scheme collapsed by April, prompting agents and investors to file police complaints.
 The West Bengal government initially set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by the then Kolkata Police
Commissioner, Rajeev Kumar, to probe the case.
 The case was transferred to the CBI in 2014 at the direction of the Supreme Court.

Gorkhaland issue
Introduction
 In the 1980s, Subhash Ghisingh raised the demand for the creation of a state called Gorkhaland within India to be
carved out of the hills of Darjeeling and areas of Dooars and Siliguri terai bordering Darjeeling.
 The Gorkhas have been demanding separation from West Bengal since 1907 because they are culturally, and
ethnically different from West Bengal.
o The demand took a violent turn, which led to the death of over 1,200 people.
 This movement culminated with the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988.
o The DGHC administered the Darjeeling hills with some degree of autonomy.

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 A new violent movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland was started in 1986 by Gorkha National Liberation
Front (GNLF) led by Subhash Ghisingh.
 The agitation ultimately led to the establishment of a semi-autonomous body in 1988 called the Darjeeling
Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) to govern certain areas of the Darjeeling district.
 In 2007, a new party called the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) raised the demand for a separate state of
Gorkhaland once again.
 The demand for Gorkhaland is still strong in Darjeeling.

Proposed Gorkhaland State

Gorkhaland movement
 The Gorkhaland movement is a campaign to create a separate state of India in the Gorkhaland region of West
Bengal for the Nepali-speaking Gorkha people.
 The proposed state includes the hill regions of the Darjeeling district, Kalimpong district and Dooars regions that
include Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and parts of the Coochbehar districts.
 The proposed Gorkhaland will have an area of over 7,500 sq km and it would be bigger than the Indian states of
Goa and Sikkim.
 The proposed state doesn't have a Gorkha majority.
o Gorkhas constitute only around 35% of the total population in the proposed state.
o Around 15-20 % in the Dooars and Terai regions have stated Nepali as their mother tongue.
o The rest of the population would be Rajbongshis (25%), Adivasis (20 %), Bengalis (15%) and around 5 % others
(Totos, Mechs and Biharis).

The reason behind the demand for a separate region/State

 If any state/region had felt that it was being culturally dominated or discriminated against.
 Regional economic inequality.
 Low rate of economic growth, fluctuating growth.
 The socioeconomic and political organisation of states, inadequate land reforms and the feudal mentality
persists, vote bank politics and scams.
 A lower level of infrastructural facilities in backward states, power distribution, irrigation facilities, roads, and
modern markets for agricultural produce.
 Low level of social expenditure by states on education, health and sanitation.
 Political and administration failure, create tension also weakens the confidence of private players and does not
attract investors to the states.
 ―Son of the soil‖ doctrine.

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WAY FORWARD
 Develop each region of West Bengal, through devolution of power to local governments and empowering
people for their participation in decision-making.
 Development of Transport and Communication.
 Government need to find out alternative resources of energy, and source of employment for local people, and
use technology in governance, planning and agriculture development.
 ―Faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth―, for balanced regional growth.

Odisha and West Bengal border dispute

Context
 Border dispute between Odisha and West Bengal (WB) over sand mining from river Subarnarekha in Balasore
district, Odisha.

Details
 Odisha and West Bengal have disputes over 27 plots in the Balasore District and some areas in the
Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
 Mayurbhanj district is known for its iron ore reserves and Chhau dance (a tribal dance in which dancers wear
colourful masks).
 3 districts of West Bengal share a boundary with Odisha;
o Paschim Medinipur
o Purba Medinipur
o Jhargram

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Background of the border dispute

 Territorial conflict between Jaleswar Tehsil in Balasore district and Dantul tehsil in WB‘s Paschim Medinipur
district dates back to 1926 over rampant sand mining by the latter from river Subarnarekha in Odisha.
 On 22 March 1912, both Bihar and Orissa divisions were separated from the Bengal Presidency as Bihar and
Orissa Province.
o On 1 April 1936, the province was partitioned into Bihar and the Orissa Provinces.
 Odisha was carved out of the Bengal-Bihar-Odisha province on 1st April 1936, but the inter-state border
disputes continue even today.
o Odisha continues to have unresolved border disputes with four neighbouring States in its 8 out of 30 districts.
o 14 of the 30 districts share borders with Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
 The National Green Tribunal directed both Odisha and WB governments to take immediate measures for a
clear delineation of the inter-State boundary.
 To resolve long-standing border disputes between Odisha and West Bengal, officials of both states made a joint
review of remote sensing maps.

Steps to Resolve Border Dispute

 Form a Committee to study the whole issue and concern.
 Form a Joint committee and also include members from the disputing party.
 Take the help of scientific technology like remote sensing, and geo-tagging, and demarcate a clear boundary line.

Culture of West Bengal

ART & CRAFT
 From embroidery to sculpture, sketching to metal crafts, the art and craft culture of Bengal has a unique rustic and
mystic charm about it.
 The most famous form of embroidery, Kantha is used on Saris, Dhotis, and Kurtas.
 The art of engraving ornamental images on natural shells obtained from the ocean is known as Conch Shell Craft.
o Found and sold in infinite quantities at beach destinations, these glamorous-looking decorative pieces are
extremely auspicious in Hindu mythology.
 Scroll Painting, a rare form of art that comes from regions of eastern India, particularly West Bengal, originated
centuries back.
o An important device through which Oral and Written Epics are narrated is; scroll paintings featuring
single image paintings or long vertical multi-panelled scrolls known as Patachitra.
 Dokra Metal Craft is one of the most popular forms of art practised in Bengal.
o This rare art is the practice of creating statues, idols, jewellery and other pieces with the help of clay, wax and
molten metal.
o The unique feature of this craft is that it is completely original and no complete replica of it can be produced.
 Bankura Horses made from terracotta are considered the best in West Bengal. They are used during Bengali
festivals and can be found adorned in any Bengali household.
 Sholapith craft is a milky white sponge wood that is used for crafting decorative pieces.
o Sholapith is popularly used to craft headwear for bridal couples, garlands, and images of gods and goddesses,
especially as backdrops during important festivals.

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

 West Bengal has a unique blend of various religions, languages, customs, traditions and lifestyles. With this
traditional multi-racial and multi-lingual culture, various festivals like Christmas, Durga Puja, Id and others
festivals are celebrated with equal fervour by all.
 In the literary field, eminent scholars like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and others have
been internationally acclaimed the world over.
 West Bengal is also known for world-renowned figures like Mother Teresa, Satyajit Ray, Pandit Ravisankar,
Amartya Sen and many others.

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 The works of ancient philosophers such as Atisa and Tilopa have been sacredly preserved in libraries in Tibet,
China and Central Asia.
 The Tagore family's contribution to Bengali literature, art and culture immensely influenced the Bengal
Renaissance.
 Rabindranath Tagore set up Shantiniketan (Birbhum district) in 1901, which is still one of the best open art and
literature schools in the country.
 Abanindranath Tagore was the principal artist and creator of the "Indian Society of Oriental Art".
 In 1992, Satyajit Ray became the first academy award winner in India, he was born in Bengal and won
honourable awards in international film festivals held in Moscow, Berlin and San Francisco.
o Satyajit Ray won 32 National awards and forever revolutionised the art of filmmaking in India.
 Raja Ram Mohan Roy set up the BrahmoSamaj and helped to abolish Sati, an obsolete practice where a widow
immolates herself shortly after her husband's death.
 Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the first person to start a widow remarriage.

MUSIC
 From classical to rock and folk to devotional along with a wide range of emotions- sadness, anxiety, love,
devotional and spiritual that goes hand in hand with it, music in Bengal encompasses and surpasses every genre.
 Classical Bangla Music like the classical music forms of India is sculpted on the musical nodes called Ragas.
 Many of the Ragas that are native to classical Bangla music can also be found in the Hindustani classic or Carnatic
classical music.
 The most popular form of Bengali music is the Rabindra Sangeet developed by Noble Laureate Rabindranath
Tagore.
o This highly prophetic and intellectual music form is popular among the educated factions of society.
o It is made up of a collection of over two thousand songs and is considered to be the most defining expression
of Bangla music.
 Developed by the great revolutionary Kazi Nazrul Islam, the Nazrul Geeti is extremely motivational and
revolutionary and gained prominence during the freedom struggle.
o Even though it wasn't used for commercial purposes like the Rabindra Sangeet was, it gained immense
popularity among the people due to its revolutionary feel and powerful tone.
 A popular form of Bengali folk music is the Baul Sangeet, very similar to modern western folk music.
o The BaulSangeet acts as a medium to interact with God with its aim to assist man to find God in himself.
o The lyrics are highly intellectual and spiritual.
 Adhunik Sangeet translates into "modern songs".
o During the period just before independence, several new genres emerged mainly in the form of playback
songs for movies.
o Most band music and Bengali rock come under this genre.

DANCE
 The Brita dance is a traditional folk dance of West Bengal performed by women who seek blessings from the
Gods so the wishes of their children are fulfilled.
o The dance is also performed when a person or their loved ones recover from a contagious or life-threatening
disease.
 The Gambhira dance is a dance performed mainly during festivals in the state.
o The theme of this devotional folk dance is based on social, political and moral problems of contemporary
society.
o Popular in the north Bengal districts, the dance is a solo performance in which the participant wears a mask
while performing.
 The Santhal dance is an extremely vibrant and cheerful dance that is performed by both men and women of
the Santhali tribe.
o The theme of the dance is related to gender issues and land rights.
o It is performed to celebrate the spring festival in which the glory of nature is praised.

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 One of the most well-known forms of dance is the Lathi dance.

o Performed in the first ten days of the Muslim festival of Muharram, it expresses the different emotions of
human life like remorse, celebration, anger, pain and love.
 The Chhau is one of the most widely practised tribal dance forms in the state.
o The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, aerobics, and athletics to a structured dance with religious
themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism.
o The stories enacted by the dances are taken from the great epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Literature
 The earliest works in Bengali can be traced back to the 10th and 12th Centuries AD.
 Literary movements in Bengal commenced with large translations of the great Sanskrit epics.
 The 16th Century was followed by religious reforms inaugurated by Chaitanyaand and the study of
philosophy and sacred law promoted by Raghunath and Raghunandan.
 The 17th century saw original compositions by Mukunda Ram who was dubbed the "Chaucer of Bengal".
 The 18th century produced the master of verse, Bharat Chandra and Ram Prasad, the master of Song.
 In the 19th century, Bengali Literature gained prominence and momentum when great laureates like Raja Ram
Mohan Roy and Vidyasagar started actively participating in its development.
 During the freedom struggle, newspapers like 'SamvadKaumudi' by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, 'SomPrakash' by
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, 'BandeMataram' by Aurobindo Ghosh
 Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first outstanding product of an English Education in India.
 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee created a new school of fiction and brought Bengali prose to its present state of
perfection.
 Poems by Rabindranath Tagore, Michael Madhusudan Dutta, Sukanta Bhattacharya and KajiNazrul Islam
pioneered the revolution which ultimately led to their freedom.
 Slogans like 'Jai Hind' by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and 'Vande Mataram' by Bankim Chandra
Chattopadhyay motivated the entire country and stirred the liberation movement.
 Our National Anthem 'Jana GanaMana', composed by Rabindranath Tagore and our National song 'Vande
Mataram' by Bankim Chandra have both emerged from Bengali poets.
 Tagore himself won the Nobel Prize in 1913 and showcased the literature of Bengal to the world.
 West Bengal has a rich legacy of amazing literature with great authors like Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay contributing their fair share to
Bengali literature as well as to world literature.
 There has been a long tradition of folk tales like the Thakurmar Jhuli, stories of Gopal Bhar and much more which
in their popularity bear a great resemblance to famous stories like Arabian nights and the Panchatantra.
 Bengalis have played a significant role in modernising the course of Indian literature.
 Rabindranath Tagore even went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his collection of poems ‗Gitanjali‘.

Theatre and Films

 West Bengal has a long-standing tradition of folk drama known as Jatra.
o It is a musical drama that depicts some story in a melodious manner even while acting it out on stage.
o It used to be one of the ways to spread the story of Lord Krishna to people.
o The dialogues are all dramatic, and nowadays the play is usually preceded by a musical concert to attract the
audience.
 West Bengal has its film industry known as 'Tollywood' as it is based in the Tollygunge region of West Bengal.
o It has a long list of acclaimed filmmakers both nationally and globally, including the Academy Award-
winning film director Satyajit Ray.
o Other famous contemporary filmmakers include Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Nandita Roy etc.

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Fine Arts
 Bengal is credited to be the leader of modern contemporary art with famous artists like Abanindranath Tagore,
Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Rabindranath Tagore promoting modern art in the country.
 Abanindranath Tagore is sometimes referred to as the 'Father of Modern Indian Art', and he went on to
establish the Bengal School of Art to promote artistic styles out of European influence.
 Even before the advent of modernisation, there are numerous references to terracotta art and Kalighat paintings
which show that art was loved for a long time in the region.

Architecture
 Architectural influences from different periods continue to be a part of the region. There are buildings of public
and private use that show influences of Terracotta, Indo-Islam and British.
 The city of Calcutta used to be the Capital of India during the British reign and so it has a lot of buildings
reflecting the British culture.
 There are various temples, mosques, churches, and rajbaris (The home of the aristocratic people in the olden
times).
 Calcutta was once known as the 'City of Palaces'.

Music and Dance

 Baul singing is perhaps the most famous of all the traditional singing.
o This involves singing a folk song about God, and one can see the powerful emotions that such type of singing
evokes.
o The singer has his/ her eyes closed, completely lost in the moment-
 There are other forms of folk singing too like Gombhira, Bhawaiya and kirtans etc.
 The region also has certain influences from Indian Classical Music and Rabindrasangeet.
 Traditional dance forms like Chau originated in the state of West Bengal, where people wear huge colourful
masks and dance.

Folk music and song

 The musical tradition of Bengal is lyrics-based, with minimal instrumental complement.
 Gitika means ballads though it tends to be longer than western ballads. Gitika is of two types: Purbabanga-Gitika
& Nath Gitika.
o Purbabanga-Gitika: Collection of folk ballads from the region of Mymensingh and around Bangladesh.
Chandra Kumar De and Dinesh Chandra Sen were the collectors and editors; the collection was published at
Calcutta University, along with another similar publication named Purbabanga-Gitika.
o Nath Gitika - Based on stories of the conversion of Prince Gopi Chandra and the miracles of the Nath guru.

Folk Tales
 Folk tales are stories that are handed down orally from one generation to another. They can be simple or complex.
 Based on subject, meaning and form, folk tales are fairy tales, mythical tales, religious tales, adventure stories,
heroic stories, sage tales, historical tales, legends, animal stories, fables, or comic stories.
 The lead character of Bengali folk tales are fate and divinity-dependent and execute magical power rather than
intellect, wisdom, labour, struggle or work.

Folk Drama
 Folk drama is a combination of dance, song, music, and acting called Bhasan, jatra, pala gan, ghatu, Gambhira,
alkap, kavigan, puppetry, etc.
 It can be for entertainment or educational purposes.
 Jatra is the most popular form of Folk drama.
o In Jatras, legendary plays of heroism, mythological stories, folktales of love and tragedy, and similar
countless themes are enacted in the open-air theatre.
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 While some folk dramas emphasise songs, others stress dancing or acting.
 Folk dramas are commonly based on stories of Rama and Sita, Arjun and Draupadi, Radha and Krishna,
 Folk dramas usually have a mythical, historical, religious and political flavour.
 Many proverbs are found in the Vedas and the Upanishads as well as in the charyapada, the oldest specimen of
Bengali literature.
 Folk Literature refers not to written, but to oral traditions. It may be in prose or verse, often mythological or
historical, it can be narrative epic, occupational verse, ritual verse, or praise poems to rulers and other prominent
people.
o Whatever it may contain it highlights the exemplary wisdom of illiterate peoples.

Steps by West Bengal Government to Promote Culture

 The Information and Cultural Affairs Department comprises 4 Directorates;
o Information
o Culture
o Films
o Archaeology and Museums.
 The principal objectives of these departments are;
o To spread information about the activities & achievements of the state government through different media.
o To promote & preserve the cultural heritage of Bengal (including the folk culture).
o To preserve West Bengal's archaeological heritage.
o Coordinate with important personalities and facilitate all activities related to films, theatre, art, etc., organize
state ceremonies, and extend hospitality to visiting Indian and foreign dignitaries.
 These departments also organise the Kolkata International Film Festival, Children‘s Film Festival, and Film
Appreciation courses.
 These departments are actively involved in setting up integrated Film Cities and other related activities for the
overall development of the film industry in the state.
 Digitization of Manuscripts
o Digitization of manuscripts and letters of eminent authors of Bengal has been completed.
 The West Bengal Tableau having the theme of Chhou Dance of Purulia in the Republic Day Parade 2014 in
New Delhi has been selected as the best and ranked first.
 Revitalization of Folk Art
o To revitalize the Folk Arts of Bengal, thousands of folk artists across the State have been identified and
registered and Identity Cards have been issued to them.
o Financial Assistance and retainer fee have been provided to thousands of distressed folk artists all over the
state.
 Recognition of various languages as official languages
o By an amendment in the concerned law, Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Alchiki, Oriya, Santhali and Gurmukhi
(Punjabi) languages have been enlisted as official languages.
 New Comprehensive Cultural Hub
o A Master Plan has been prepared for the building up of a new comprehensive cultural hub incorporating
the precincts of Rabindra Sadan-Nandan-Bangla Academy etc.
 The Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy, set up in Cooch Behar, has started functioning.
 The Birsa Munda Academy has also been set up at Jhargram and Sidhu-Kanu Academy at Suri, Bribhum is
under process.
 The State Govt. provided pensions under the Literary and Cultural Pension Scheme.
 Renovation of Roy Villa and Ancestral Houses of Sarada Ma, Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita:
o Roy Villa, associated with the memory of Sister Nivedita in Darjeeling has been renovated
 Roy Villa, associated with the memory of Sister Nivedita has been declared a Heritage Site by the West Bengal
Heritage Commission.
 2 Integrated Film Cities through the PPP model, at Dabgram in Jalpaiguri and Baruipur in South 24 Parganas.
 Nandan is West Bengal's premier film centre and the pride of cine lovers.

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 Health Insurance for Cine and Television artists and workers

• District Museums are being looked after by the Govt. of West Bengal with regular financial and technical support;
o Acharya Jogesh Chandra Purakirti Bhavan (Bankura District Museum) at Bishnupur.
o Malda District Museum at Malda.
o Dakshin Dinajpur District Museum at Balurghat.
o Uttar Dinajpur District Museum at Raiganj
o Murshidabad District Museum at Jiaganj
o Bagnan Ananda Niketan Kritishala (Howrah District Museum)

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