- Indian Heritage
- Culture
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
Allweather road gives a strategic fillip to Ladakh
The latest feat of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Ladakh, connecting Himachal Pradesh and Leh through the NimmuPadamDarcha road, has come as a shot in the arm for security forces stationed in the region, and added significantly to India’s strategic depth in the hostile border neighbourhood.
The BRO’s breakthrough, achieved on March 27, has paved the way to open up the faroff Zanskar Valley for the safest ordnance depot, away from the prying eyes of China and Pakistan, officials privy to the development told The Hindu.
The NimmuPadamDarcha road allows surface movement from Leh to LahaulSpiti through the world’s highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass at 16,580 feet, which is under construction.
“It will be the first allweather road connecting Ladakh to the rest of the country,” an official said.
The tunnel is likely to be completed by 2025.
Maintaining logistics in the absence of allweather roads to the region, especially during Ladakh’s harsh winters, has always been a concern to security strategists. At present, security forces stock ration and ammunition months in advance to maintain a vigil on the borders. China, on the other hand, has already developed allweather road networks close to the Line of Actual Control.
‘Much faster, safer’
Once the Shinkula tunnel is thrown open in western Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley, the mobilisation of troops to Ladakh will be much faster and less exposed than the current routes passing close to the northern and eastern areas, surrounded by Pakistan and China.
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
ECI leverages power of social media to engage young and urban voters for enhanced participation in GE 2024
As the country gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has embarked on an innovative journey to engage citizens through unique campaigns like ‘Turning 18’ and ‘You are the One’ on social media platforms, employing a tailored messaging strategy within the overarching theme of ‘Chunav Ka Parv, Desh Ka Garv’. Currently ECI has social media presence on major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube with recent additions of Public App, WhatsApp Channel, and LinkedIn.
‘Turning 18’ Campaign
The Commission has on various occasions identified urban apathy and youth apathy as a cause for concern in its quest to improve voter turnout. ECI campaign ‘Turning 18,’ in the run-up to the 18th Lok Sabha Elections, specifically targets young and first-time voters. The primary objective is to galvanize youngsters to participate in the upcoming elections and address the critical issues of urban and youth apathy noticed in previous elections.
The ‘Turning 18’ campaign employs various compelling themes and strategies to capture the attention of its audience. The strategy involves branding of individual series with thematic logos for easy identification and association. Additionally, the campaign portrays a comparison of past and recent elections, as ‘then vs. now’ to underscore the progress made over time. By emphasizing the significance of voting immediately upon turning 18, the campaign seeks to inspire a sense of civic responsibility among young voters. Furthermore, infographics, highlighting the growing participation of the women electorate, especially in the age bracket of 18-30 showcases the inclusivity of India’s democratic process.
The impact of the ‘Turning 18’ campaign is substantial, with widespread amplification facilitated by State Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) and the national public broadcaster, DD News and Akashvani. Moreover, ECI has collaborated with its popular network of National and State SVEEP icons to have a multiplier effect. This concerted effort helps disseminate the campaign’s message across diverse segments of society, effectively reaching its target audience and generating significant momentum for the forthcoming poll days.
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
CAA Rules allow dual citizenship: pleas in SC
The Rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act do not require foreign applicants to effectively renounce the citizenship of their native country, creating a possibility for dual citizenship which is directly violative of the Citizenship Act, petitioners have argued in the Supreme Court.
Written submissions filed by the petitioners ahead of the April 9 hearing of their plea to stay the CAA Rules said that Section 9 of the Citizenship Act of 1955 and Article 9 of the Constitution both clearly and explicitly prohibit the acquisition of dual citizenship.
The petitioners, led by the Indian Union Muslim League, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Haris Beeran, said that the 2024 Rules are rife with defects, and have even overlooked the fact that “effective renunciation of citizenship was an important prerequisite for granting citizenship in cases where the nationality of another country is clearly attributable to the applicant”.
‘Manifestly arbitrary’
“Allowing dual citizenship, one of them being Indian, makes the Rules both “ultra vires and manifestly arbitrary,” they submitted.
The petitioners noted that a presumption of religious persecution is inherent in the CAA. The Union government views the law as a succour for refugees who fled persecution from the target countries with state religions.
But only a “selected group” of such migrants are eligible for the benefits of CAA, the petitioners said. Excluded refugee groups continue to remain illegal migrants, barred from seeking Indian citizenship under any mode.
11. Social Justice
B Health
A. Welfare schemes
Yoga Mahotsav – 75 Days countdown to International Day of Yoga 2024 organized at Pune, Maharashtra
The ‘Yoga Mahotsav,’ held in celebration of the 75-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga, witnessed an overwhelming turnout at Wadia college Sports Ground, Pune (Maharastra) jointly organized by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga and National Institute of Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India by thousands of participants gathered for the gala event, actively engaging in the practice of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP). This remarkable display of enthusiasm and participation underscores the growing importance of Yoga in fostering personal and societal betterment.
C. Education
D. Human Resources
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
IMF staff consistently inaccurate on India’s growth forecasts’
India’s former Chief Economic Advisor, now serving as its executive director on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), hit out at the Fund’s staff on Saturday for putting out ‘consistently inaccurate’ growth estimates for the country in recent years, two days after the IMF distanced itself from his assertions that India can grow at 8% till 2047.
In a statement on X, Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian, India’s representative on the IMF board since November 2022, said his ‘predictions’ about India’s growth had been accurate in contrast to IMF staff estimates. He was responding to a post about a report on the IMF spokesperson’s comments made at a briefing on Thursday.
Asked for the IMF’s take on Mr. Subramanian projecting a growth of 8% for India, which was different from the Fund’s projections, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack sought to explain the different roles at IMF and stressed that as of January, it expected the country’s medium term growth to be about 6.5%, which may be revised in the coming weeks.
“First, I will just explain the different roles at IMF. We do have an executive board that is made up of executive directors who are representatives of countries… And that is distinct, of course, from the work of the IMF staff. So, the views conveyed in the particular article by Mr. Subramanian were in his role as India’s representative at the IMF,” Ms. Kozack had pointed out.
“Our growth projections as of January were for medium term growth of 6.5%,” she had said.
In a terse response, the former CEA said IMF staff ’s estimate of India’s growth rate has been “consistently INACCURATE” as all staff estimates have been of less than 7%, while India’s growth has been more than 7% during his tenure. “In contrast, I’ve made accurate predictions. See my Sep21 prediction Expect more than 7% growth for India this decade: Actual growth FY2122=9.7%; FY2223=7.0%; FY2324 (estimate)=7.6%. The Data speaks!” he said.
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
B. industrial
E.issues
14. Technology
15. Environment
States offer thousands of hectares of ‘degraded’ forest land for green credits
Weeks after the Union Environment Ministry announced the rules for its Green Credit Programme (GCP), 10 States have identified parcels of degraded forest land, totalling about 3,853 hectares, that will be available for individuals, groups, public and private sector units to earn — and potentially trade — green credits.
A perusal of public documents by The Hindu suggests that Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh alone account for up to 40% of the forest land made available.
Under the scheme, registered and approved entities can pay to finance afforestation projects in specific tracts of degraded forest and wasteland. The actual afforestation will be carried out by State forest departments.
Two years after planting — and following an evaluation by the International Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), an autonomous body of the Environment Ministry — each planted tree could be worth one ‘green credit’.
16. Security
17. Disaster Management