30 January 2023

• History: 30 January is Martyrs' Day, the 75th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (assassinated 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse at Birla House, New Delhi).
• Education: AISHE 2020-21: Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education rose to 27.3 with 4.13 crore students enrolled. Gender Parity Index improved to 1.05.
• Economy: Coal India plans to produce Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) from mining overburden waste material at its mines.
• Security: Exercise Veer Guardian 2023 concluded: first bilateral air exercise between India and Japan, 16 days, Jodhpur.
• Environment: Noble's Helen Butterfly, sighted for the first time in India at Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, was identified as a swallowtail species.

GS area: Modern History, Society

30 January 2023 marked 75 years since the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

• Martyrdom: Mahatma Gandhi was shot and killed by Nathuram Godse on 30 January 1948 at Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), New Delhi. He was 78.
• National Martyrs' Day: Observed every year on 30 January. The President, Vice-President and Prime Minister pay tribute at Raj Ghat, Gandhi's samadhi on the Yamuna bank in New Delhi.
• Raj Ghat: The primary memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. A simple black marble platform marks the spot of his cremation. An eternal flame burns at the site.
• Gandhi Smriti: The former Birla House where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. Managed by the Ministry of Culture.
• 30 January across India: Two-minute silence observed at 11 am. The tricolour flown at half-mast. Major intersections across the country hold inter-faith prayer meetings.
• Gandhi's legacy for UPSC: Non-violent resistance (Satyagraha), Ahimsa, Swaraj, Khadi and village industries as economic self-reliance, and his role in Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930), and Quit India Movement (1942).

Static linkage: Modern Indian history (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Governance, Society

The Ministry of Education released the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21, covering all recognised higher education institutions in India.

• Total enrolment: 4.13 crore (41.3 million) students enrolled in higher education in 2020-21, a 7.5 per cent increase over 2019-20's 3.85 crore.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): 27.3 for 18-23 age group, up from 26.3 in 2019-20. NEP 2020 target is 50 GER by 2035.
• Gender Parity Index (GPI): 1.05, meaning 105 women enrolled for every 100 men. India has achieved gender parity in higher education at the national aggregate.
• Scheduled Tribe enrolment: Increased by 3 lakh over the previous year, a significant improvement in tribal access.
• Scheduled Caste enrolment: GER for SC students improved to 23.4 per cent, versus 17.2 per cent for ST students.
• Faculty: Total teaching staff 15.52 lakh. Female faculty constitute 43 per cent.
• Number of institutions: 1,113 universities, 43,796 colleges, 11,296 standalone institutions. Private unaided institutions constitute 60 per cent of total colleges.

Static linkage: Education policy, social issues (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Economy, Environment

Coal India Limited (CIL) planned to produce Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) from the overburden (waste rock and soil) removed during open-cast coal mining.

• Overburden: In open-cast mining, the soil and rock covering the coal seam must be removed before mining. This material is typically stockpiled in waste dumps, occupying large land areas.
• M-Sand: Artificially produced sand by crushing rocks or mining waste. Used as a substitute for river sand in construction.
• River sand crisis: Unregulated river sand mining has depleted river beds, caused bank erosion, and disrupted aquatic ecosystems. India faces a severe river sand shortage.
• Benefit: Coal India's initiative converts a waste material into a construction commodity, earns revenue, reduces the environmental footprint of overburden dumps, and contributes to sand supply without river extraction.
• Scale: Coal India manages over 300 open-cast mines. The overburden generated is enormous, making the M-Sand potential significant.
• Policy context: The Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines (2016) from the Ministry of Environment promote alternatives to river sand.

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

GS area: Environment (biodiversity)

The Noble's Helen Butterfly discovery at Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh renewed attention on this biodiversity-rich protected area.

• Location: Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, near the India-Myanmar border.
• Area: Approximately 1,985 sq km, making it one of India's largest national parks.
• Four felines: The only Indian park to have all four large feline species: tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
• Holongapar Gibbon Sanctuary: Not Namdapha; Holongapar in Jorhat district, Assam, houses the only eastern hoolock gibbon population.
• Biodiversity: Namdapha spans altitude from 200 m to 4,571 m, encompassing tropical forests to alpine meadows. Extremely high plant and animal diversity.
• UNESCO tentative list: Namdapha has been on India's UNESCO World Heritage tentative list.
• Noble's Helen: Papilio noblei, a swallowtail butterfly, previously found only in Myanmar, China and Vietnam. Its presence in India is the westernmost record.

Static linkage: Biodiversity, environmental studies (GS Paper 3).

GS area: International Relations, Security

Veer Guardian 2023 concluded on 26 January 2023 after 16 days. It was the first bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF).

• Location: Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan for the IAF component.
• Aircraft: IAF deployed Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Tejas. JASDF deployed F-2 and F-15J.
• Significance: Japan's Constitution Article 9 restricts its military to self-defence. Exercise participation reflects Japan's gradual shift toward a more active security role.
• Japan 2022 defence policy: Revised National Security Strategy allowing "counter-strike capability." Defence budget to double to 2 per cent of GDP.
• India-Japan defence ties: GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement) and ACSA (Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement) signed in 2015 and 2020 respectively. India and Japan also participate in Dharma Guardian (joint army exercise).

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

• Shumang Leela: Traditional courtyard theatre of Manipur. Male performers play women's roles. Performed without a fixed stage. Themes include social satire and humanism. An intangible cultural heritage of the Northeast.
• Mental illness and welfare law: The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987. Guarantees the right to mental healthcare as a fundamental right under Article 21. Key provision: decriminalises suicide attempt (a reversal of Indian Penal Code Section 309).
• World Leprosy Day 2023: Observed on 29 January. India contributes over 50 per cent of new global leprosy cases annually. India declared leprosy elimination (less than one case per 10,000 population) in 2005 at the national level, but many districts remain endemic.