24 January 2023

• Culture: Kerala became the first state to grant menstrual leave to female students in state universities, with attendance sealed at 73 per cent.
• Polity: Union Budget constitutional basis (Article 112), parliamentary stages and budget trivia were in focus ahead of the 1 February 2023 presentation.
• Environment: Light pollution skyglow increased by 9.2 to 10 per cent annually between 2011 and 2022. India's first International Dark Sky Reserve was established at Hanle, Ladakh in 2022.
• Defence: INS Vagir (fifth Kalvari-class submarine) was commissioned. Charaideo Moidams in Assam was nominated for UNESCO World Heritage inscription for 2023-24.

GS area: Society, Governance (education policy)

Kerala became the first state in India to grant menstrual leave to female students aged 18 and above in state universities. The policy seals attendance at 73 per cent for days of menstrual leave.

• Duration: Up to 60 days of leave per year in a two-year Master's programme. The attendance calculation excludes menstrual leave days.
• Context: Menstrual pain and related symptoms affect a significant proportion of women and can interfere with study and work.
• International precedents: Japan introduced menstrual leave in 1947. South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia also have similar provisions. Several Indian private companies (Zomato, Swiggy, Byju's) introduced informal policies.
• Bihar first (1992): Bihar was the first state to introduce menstrual leave for government employees. The Menstrual Benefits Bill, 2017 proposed a national framework but was not passed.
• Debate: Critics worry the policy may create a two-tier workforce perception and lead employers to be reluctant to hire women. Supporters argue it acknowledges biological realities.

Static linkage: Society, gender issues (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Polity (Parliament, fiscal policy)

With the Union Budget scheduled for 1 February 2023, the constitutional and procedural framework came under attention.

• Article 112: Defines the "Annual Financial Statement." The document shows receipts and expenditure of the Government of India, classified as "charged" (non-votable) and "voted" expenditure.
• First budget of independent India: Presented by R.K. Shanmukham Chetty on 26 November 1947.
• Rail Budget merged: The railway budget was merged with the Union Budget in 2017, ending an 88-year-old practice.
• Parliamentary stages: Presentation (traditionally on 1 February since 2017) → General Discussion → Departmental Standing Committee review → Voting on Demands for Grants → Passage of Appropriation Bill → Finance Bill.
• Fiscal deficit: The difference between total government expenditure and total receipts (excluding borrowings). The key fiscal indicator measured as a percentage of GDP.

Static linkage: Parliament, fiscal policy (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Art and Culture, History

The Charaideo Moidams in Assam were India's nomination for UNESCO World Heritage List inscription for 2023-24.

• Charaideo: A sacred site of the Ahom dynasty in eastern Assam, about 28 kilometres from Sibasagar.
• Moidams: Royal burial mounds. The Ahom rulers were interred in these mound-like structures with their possessions, servants and horses. About 90 royal burials exist.
• Ahom dynasty: Ruled Assam for approximately 600 years (1228-1826 CE). The only dynasty to have successfully repelled Mughal invasions multiple times.
• Description: Called the "Pyramids of Assam" for their visual similarity to Egyptian pyramids. Unique heritage combining Tai-Ahom burial tradition with Indo-Islamic architecture influences in later moidams.
• Significance for prelims: Connects to Assam history, intangible cultural heritage, and UNESCO nomination processes.

Static linkage: Art and culture, medieval history (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Environment (human-wildlife conflict)

Kerala has one of India's lowest rates of elephant mortality despite having a significant wild elephant population.

• Population: Of India's total 30,000 wild elephants (2017 census), Kerala has about 5,700.
• Mortality data: Between 2018 and 2021, Kerala accounted for only 81 of 2,036 elephant deaths (about 4 per cent), despite hosting 19 per cent of the national population.
• Root causes of conflict nationally: Habitat fragmentation from roads, railways and settlements; agricultural expansion into forest edges; invasive species reducing natural forage.
• Kerala's approach: Maintaining wilderness-civilisation boundaries without encroachment into core forest areas. Changing agricultural practices in forest-edge areas (coffee and pepper, which elephants do not prefer, replacing crops that attract them).
• Project Elephant: India's central scheme for elephant conservation. Launched in 1992. Covers habitat management and corridor protection.

Static linkage: Biodiversity, human-wildlife conflict (GS Papers 1 and 3).

GS area: Environment, Science and Technology

Research published in January 2023 found that artificial skyglow (light pollution from urban areas scattered by the atmosphere) increased by 9.2 to 10 per cent annually between 2011 and 2022 globally.

• India's exposure: 19.5 per cent of India's population experiences significant light pollution. Europe saw 6.5 per cent annual increase and North America 10.4 per cent.
• Ecological impacts: Disrupts nocturnal animals, insects that navigate by moonlight, and fish that use light cues for spawning. About a quarter of global electricity consumption powers outdoor lighting.
• Hanle Dark Sky Reserve: Located in Ladakh. Designated by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2022 as India's first International Dark Sky Reserve. Ideal due to high altitude (4,500 metres), dry air and minimal human settlement.
• Indian Astronomical Observatory: Located at Hanle. Operates the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) and High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR).

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

• Andaman Islands renaming: The government named 21 previously unnamed Andaman Islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees in January 2023, continuing its policy of using culturally significant names for geographical features.
• INS Vagir: Fifth Kalvari-class submarine. Commissioned on 23 January 2023 at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai. The sixth (INS Vagsheer) was undergoing sea trials.
• Buddhist monastery (Bharatpur, West Bengal): A large stupa and five Buddha sculptures in Bhumisparsha Mudra were discovered. Chalcolithic pottery also found, indicating long occupation of the site.