10 January 2023

• Polity: The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL challenging state-level UCC committees. Article 44 makes UCC a Directive Principle, not a justiciable right.
• Economy: India's diaspora of 4.7 crore sends remittances expected to cross 100 billion dollars. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held in Indore.
• Energy: Europe's shift to liquefied natural gas amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict drew attention to the environmental costs of LNG as a transition fuel.
• Polity: Article 176 mandates the Governor to address the state legislature at the first session after each general election and at the first session of each year.

GS area: Polity (personal laws, constitutional provisions)

The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL challenging the formation of UCC committees by Gujarat and Uttarakhand state governments, holding that states have the constitutional authority to consult on the subject.

• Article 44: Places the Uniform Civil Code in Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy). It reads: "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India." DPSPs are not enforceable as rights.
• State power: Article 162 (executive power of states) and Entry 5 of the Concurrent List (marriage, divorce, transfer of property) give states authority to commission studies on this subject.
• Scope of UCC: Would govern marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, guardianship and succession uniformly across communities, replacing personal laws of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others.
• Existing example: Goa is the only state with a Uniform Civil Code, inherited from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 and retained after Goa's integration.
• Law Commission view: The 21st Law Commission stated in 2018 that a UCC was "neither necessary nor desirable at this stage" given India's diversity.
• Constitutional arguments against: Article 25 (freedom of religion), tribal customary laws (protected under Fifth and Sixth Schedules).

Static linkage: Directive Principles, personal laws, religion (GS Paper 2).

GS area: International Relations, Economy

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held in Indore in January 2023. India's diaspora of 4.7 crore is the world's largest and sends remittances expected to exceed 100 billion dollars for the first time.

• Categories: NRI (Non-Resident Indian): holds Indian passport. OCI (Overseas Citizen of India): special status introduced 2006, enjoys most rights except political. The earlier PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card was merged with OCI in 2015.
• Top recipients globally: India, China, Mexico, Philippines, Egypt. India is consistently number one by volume.
• Historical waves: First wave: indentured labour to the Caribbean, Fiji and Malaya in the 19th century. Third and fourth waves: skilled professionals to the US and workers to Gulf states after the 1973 oil boom.
• World Bank projection: Remittances provide a more stable external flow than FDI or portfolio investment during global downturns.

Static linkage: Diaspora, foreign policy, economy (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Economy (energy), Environment

The Russia-Ukraine conflict drove Europe to cut dependence on Russian pipeline gas and accelerate imports of liquefied natural gas, primarily from the United States.

• LNG basics: Natural gas is liquefied by cooling it to -161 degrees Celsius. This reduces its volume to one-600th of the original, enabling ocean transport in specialised tankers.
• Environmental cost: LNG emits roughly twice as much greenhouse gas as conventional natural gas when the full supply chain is counted, including methane leaks during production, liquefaction and regasification.
• Climate contradiction: Germany's additional LNG import costs could reach 200 billion euros by the end of the decade. Locking in LNG infrastructure creates long-term fossil fuel dependence that contradicts Paris Agreement commitments.
• India angle: India is also expanding LNG import capacity. Petronet LNG operates the Dahej terminal. The import mix and terminal expansion have implications for India's net-zero commitment by 2070.

Static linkage: Energy security, climate change (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Science and Technology, Health

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive muscle-wasting condition affecting over 5 lakh patients in India.

• Cause: A defect in the gene encoding the protein dystrophin, which anchors muscle fibres during contraction. Without dystrophin, fibres tear and are replaced by fat and scar tissue.
• Pattern: The condition almost exclusively affects boys. Girls carry the gene but rarely show symptoms due to the compensating second X chromosome.
• Treatment research: IIT Jodhpur and AIIMS Jodhpur are developing more affordable treatments. Approaches include Utrophin Modulators (a related protein that can partially compensate) and Antisense Oligonucleotide therapies that skip faulty exons.
• No cure currently: Existing treatments slow progression but do not reverse it. The disease is progressive and typically fatal in early adulthood without cardiac and respiratory support.

Static linkage: Science and technology (GS Paper 3).

GS area: International Relations, Governance

The India-UK Young Professionals Scheme, formalised under the 2021 Migration and Mobility MoU, allows degree-holders aged 18 to 30 from each country to live and work in the other for two years.

• Capacity: 3,000 places per country per year.
• Eligibility: Citizens aged 18 to 30 with a recognised degree from their home country.
• Significance for India: Gives Indian graduates access to UK professional experience. For the UK, it provides a controlled, skills-based migration route with India, an important diplomatic and economic relationship.
• Context: The India-UK Free Trade Agreement was under negotiation throughout 2022-23.

Static linkage: International relations, diaspora (GS Paper 2).

• Article 176: Mandates the Governor to address the state legislature at the commencement of the first session after each general election and at the first session of every year. The President's equivalent is Article 87.
• Goa's Portuguese Civil Code: The only state with a Uniform Civil Code, applied to all residents regardless of religion. It governs marriage, divorce and inheritance uniformly.
• OCI card: Does not grant voting rights, the right to hold constitutional positions (President, Vice President, Supreme Court judge), or government employment. It provides a visa-free, lifelong stay with near-citizen rights otherwise.