23 January 2023

• History: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti on 23 January. India named 21 unnamed Andaman Islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
• Energy: India's coal-heavy power sector faces a difficult energy transition: average plant age is 13 years, yet coal still accounts for 70 per cent of power generation.
• Health: India missed its 2023 measles and rubella elimination deadline, having previously missed the 2020 and 2015 targets.
• International: Sri Lanka's 13th Amendment and India's long-standing call for devolution to Tamil provinces were discussed in the context of India-Sri Lanka relations.

GS area: Modern History, Art and Culture

India observes Parakram Diwas on 23 January to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (born 23 January 1897, died 18 August 1945 in a plane crash near Taipei according to official records).

• Indian National Army (INA): Bose reorganised and led the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) from 1943. The INA fought alongside Japanese forces against the British in the Imphal-Kohima campaign of 1944.
• Azad Hind government: Bose proclaimed a provisional government of free India on 21 October 1943.
• Slogans: "Jai Hind" (victory to India). He was the first to publicly address Gandhi as "Father of the Nation."
• Andaman Islands renaming: In January 2023, the government named 21 previously unnamed islands of the Andamans after Param Vir Chakra awardees. Ross Island was renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island in 2018.
• Param Vir Chakra: India's highest military honour for valour in the face of the enemy in wartime. Instituted in 1947; last awarded in 1999 (posthumously, to Captain Vikram Batra).

Static linkage: Modern history, culture (GS Papers 1 and 2).

GS area: Economy (energy), Environment

A policy discussion in January 2023 highlighted the structural difficulty of India's energy transition.

• Current dependence: Coal accounts for 44 per cent of India's primary energy consumption and about 70 per cent of electricity generation.
• Plant age: Average age of coal-fired power plants in India is 13 years. At a typical 40-year lifespan, these plants will continue operating until the 2050s without early retirement.
• Non-fossil fuel electricity target: 50 per cent non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030 (NDC commitment). India is making progress on installed renewable capacity, but generation share lags because renewables run fewer hours per year.
• Finance gap: Only 17.5 per cent of bank lending to the power sector supports renewables. High-carbon industries (power, chemicals, steel, aviation) account for 10 per cent of outstanding bank debt.
• Net-zero target: 2070.
• Just transition: Coal-dependent states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha need alternative employment frameworks before mines and plants close.

Static linkage: Energy policy, environment (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Health, Government schemes

India missed its 2023 target for eliminating measles and rubella. Earlier targets set for 2020 and 2015 had also been missed.

• Disease burden: Measles kills more than 1 lakh children globally each year. Rubella causes congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in babies born to infected mothers during pregnancy.
• Elimination target: The required immunisation coverage is 95 per cent or above. India's coverage has risen but not consistently maintained this threshold.
• Programme history: 2010-2013: Phased catch-up campaign vaccinated 119 million children in 14 states. 2014: Mission Indradhanush launched to cover zero-dose children. 2017-2021: National measles-rubella elimination plan.
• Mission Indradhanush: Intensified immunisation drive to reach children missed by routine services. Uses outreach sessions in hard-to-reach areas.
• Current status: While national coverage has improved, certain states and districts consistently underperform. Urban poor and migrant communities are the hardest groups to reach.

Static linkage: Public health, government schemes (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: International Relations, Polity

India's long-standing position on Sri Lanka's ethnic reconciliation includes support for full implementation of the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution.

• 13th Amendment (1987): Certified 14 November 1987. Part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement signed between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President JR Jayewardene.
• Provisions: Made Tamil an official language alongside Sinhala. Created Provincial Councils with devolved powers in education, health, agriculture and police (police powers have never been fully transferred).
• Indian interest: About 8 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils of Indian origin have historical roots in tea plantations. India's Tamil Nadu has strong political and cultural ties with Sri Lankan Tamils.
• Sri Lanka's position: Successive governments have resisted full implementation of police powers to provincial councils, fearing it enables Tamil separatism.
• Current context: Sri Lanka's economic crisis (2022) created diplomatic space for India to press for 13A implementation as part of its humanitarian and diplomatic support.

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

GS area: Environment (wetlands)

Bhoj Wetland in Bhopal is a Ramsar-designated site that serves as drinking water for over 1 million people. In January 2023, motorised cruise operations on the lake were flagged as a violation.

• Ramsar Convention: The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. India has 75 Ramsar sites.
• Bhoj Wetland: Two lakes (Upper and Lower) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The upper lake is the main drinking water source for the city.
• Violation: Motorised cruise operations violate the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and Ramsar Convention guidelines for wetland management.
• Significance: Ramsar sites receive international recognition but enforcement depends on domestic law. The EPA 1986 gives authorities powers to regulate activities in ecologically sensitive water bodies.

Static linkage: Wetlands, international environmental conventions (GS Paper 3).

• Swami Sahajanand Saraswati: Founded the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha in 1929 and became the first president of the All India Kisan Sabha in 1936. A key figure in the peasant rights movement against zamindari exploitation in colonial India.
• Exercise Cyclone-I: The first India-Egypt joint military exercise in Jaisalmer (began 14 January 2023) focuses on counter-terrorism operations in desert terrain.
• Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS): Established in 1954. Provides comprehensive healthcare to central government employees, pensioners and their families across 75 cities. Being integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.