19 January 2023

• Education: ASER 2022 found school enrolment at a record 98.4 per cent but foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) declined sharply since 2018.
• Environment: Eco-Sensitive Zone regulations were contested by Kerala, where 48 per cent of the state is covered by the Western Ghats.
• Space: India's private space sector crossed 100 registered companies and raised 110 million dollars in 2023. IN-SPACe is the authorisation body.
• Security: Two rare birds sighted: Greater Scaup in Loktak Lake, Manipur after 90 years, and Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl for the first time in Seshachalam forest, Andhra Pradesh.

GS area: Education, Society

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 by Pratham was released in January 2023. It surveyed rural school-going children across India.

• Enrolment: School enrolment reached 98.4 per cent (up from 97.2 per cent in 2018). Girls aged 11 to 14 not enrolled dropped to 2 per cent from 10.3 per cent in 2006.
• Government school surge: Government school enrolment rose to 71.7 per cent from 65 per cent in 2018. Private school enrolment fell correspondingly, partly a COVID-19 effect as families could not pay fees.
• Learning decline: Class 3 students who could read a basic text fell from 27.2 per cent in 2018 to 20.4 per cent in 2022. Basic subtraction ability in Class 3 dropped from 28.2 to 25.9 per cent.
• Private tuition: 30.5 per cent of children in government schools now use private tuition, up from 26.4 per cent in 2018.
• Policy connection: NEP 2020's NIPUN Bharat mission targets universal foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3 by 2026-27. The ASER data shows the baseline is worse than assumed.

Static linkage: Education, social issues (GS Papers 1 and 2).

GS area: Environment (conservation), Polity

Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are areas notified around Protected Areas (national parks and sanctuaries) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 to act as a buffer against development.

• Coverage: India's Protected Areas cover 5.26 per cent of land (108 national parks, 564 sanctuaries). ESZs cover about 3.4 per cent. Combined Protected Area and ESZ cover is 8.66 per cent.
• Notification status: 341 ESZs notified; 85 more await notification across 29 states and 5 Union Territories.
• Kerala controversy: 48 per cent of Kerala's land is part of the Western Ghats, 30 per cent is forested, and population density is around 900 persons per square kilometre. ESZ notifications affect livelihoods of communities living at the forest edge.
• Forest Rights Act conflict: ESZ restrictions sometimes conflict with the Forest Rights Act, 2006 which gives tribal communities rights to use forest land. PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 1996) also guarantees community rights in forest zones.
• Supreme Court order (2022): The SC had directed a 1-kilometre minimum ESZ around all protected areas. Kerala and other states challenged this as impractical.

Static linkage: Environment, constitutional law (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy

India's private space sector showed rapid growth in early 2023, with more than 100 companies registered with IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre).

• IN-SPACe: Established in 2020. Acts as a single-window authority for private entities seeking to participate in the Indian space sector. Authorises launches, satellite operations and use of ISRO facilities.
• NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL): ISRO's commercial arm. Handles technology transfer from ISRO to industry and manages commercial satellite launches.
• Small satellite economics: Small satellites (below 500 kg) cost roughly 10 crore rupees versus 400 crore rupees for a full INSAT-class satellite. They are the primary product line of new private space companies.
• Funding: The sector raised 110 million dollars in 2023. India's total space budget is 1.7 billion dollars compared to the US at 30 billion dollars and China at 14 billion dollars.
• Projection: 70,000 to 1 lakh small satellites are expected to be launched globally between 2023 and 2038, of which more than 80 per cent will weigh less than 500 kg.

Static linkage: Space policy, science and technology (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Society, Governance

India's first comprehensive report on online child sexual exploitation documented the scale of the problem and legal framework.

• Vulnerable group: Adolescents aged 14 to 18 from lower-income strata are the most vulnerable.
• Parent awareness: Only 16 per cent of parents were aware of laws related to online child sexual abuse material.
• Reporting: Only 30 per cent of parents would report to police.
• Legal framework: POCSO Act, 2012 (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences). Section 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 criminalises transmitting child sexual abuse material.
• Response mechanisms: "Aarambh India" is India's first online reporting portal for child sexual abuse material. CBI operations "Megh Chakra" and "Carbon" targeted online child exploitation networks.

Static linkage: Child protection, polity (GS Papers 2 and 4).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity)

Two rare bird sightings were reported in January 2023.

• Greater Scaup (Sadangman): A diving duck sighted at Loktak Lake in Manipur after 90 years. Loktak is the largest freshwater lake in northeast India and a Ramsar wetland. The bird's IUCN status is Least Concern globally but it is extremely rare as a visitor to India.
• Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl: Sighted for the first time in India's Seshachalam biosphere in Andhra Pradesh. Previously recorded in Myanmar, China and Vietnam. This is the westernmost-known occurrence of the species.
• Significance: Both sightings indicate that healthy wetland and forest ecosystems are critical for retaining avifaunal diversity. Climate-related range shifts may also be driving the owl westward.

Static linkage: Biodiversity, wetlands (GS Paper 3).

• PARAKH: India's first national assessment regulator, created under the National Curriculum Framework within NCERT. Advises school boards on assessment reform and benchmarks state assessments for comparability. Established under NEP 2020.
• AI-AQMS v1.0: An artificial intelligence-based air quality monitoring system that tracks PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2 and CO simultaneously. Deployed in Indian cities.
• Pan-transcriptome: A reference database combining individual transcriptome (expressed genes) and pangenome (all genetic variation in a population) data, enabling more precise study of genetic diversity across human populations.