15 February 2023

• Polity: Supreme Court issued notices on vacant Deputy Speaker positions in the Lok Sabha and five state assemblies. Article 93 says the Speaker and Deputy Speaker "shall" be elected. That word is mandatory.
• Economy: the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2023 was introduced. Reduces merger approval timelines, extends penalties to global turnover, and expands cartel liability.
• Environment: AeroIndia 2023 highlighted India's defence exports reaching Rs 14,000 crore in 2021-22. The IAF revised its doctrine for holistic integration with Army, Navy and civil aviation.
• Health: AYUSH sector growing at 8.6 per cent annually. CAGR data and regulatory gaps in the sector highlighted.

GS area: Polity

The Supreme Court issued notices asking the Lok Sabha Secretariat and five state legislatures to explain the continued vacancy in the Deputy Speaker's position:

• Article 93: "The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker." The word "shall" makes this mandatory, not discretionary.
• Current position: the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's position had been vacant since July 2019, when the 17th Lok Sabha was constituted. No election was called.
• Powers of the Deputy Speaker: identical to the Speaker's when presiding over the House. Also presides over joint sittings of Parliament.
• Government's argument: there is no specific deadline in the Constitution. "As soon as may be" allows flexibility.
• Court's reasoning: the obligation is mandatory. The word "shall" in Article 93 means the House must elect a Deputy Speaker. Procedural convenience cannot override a constitutional imperative.
• Five state assemblies: Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura and Goa also had vacant Deputy Speaker positions.

Static linkage: Polity (Parliament, Speaker, constitutional provisions).

GS area: Economy (competition policy)

The Competition (Amendment) Bill 2023 proposed significant changes to India's competition law framework:

• Merger approval timeline: reduced from 210 days to 150 days. Faster approval encourages business activity.
• Penalty scope expanded: fines can now be 10 per cent of global turnover (previously 10 per cent of "relevant turnover," meaning only India sales). This matters for large multinationals operating globally.
• Cartel liability broadened: the word "active" was removed from the definition of a cartel facilitator. Previously only active participants could be penalised. Now a person who facilitates a cartel passively can also face liability.
• New threshold for combinations: value-based test. If a merger's total deal value exceeds Rs 2,000 crore, it must be notified to the CCI even if asset and turnover thresholds are not met. Targeted at digital sector acquisitions where companies have high value but low revenues.
• Concern: deviates from Standing Committee recommendations; risks over-enforcement because global turnover penalties are disproportionate for Indian market behaviour.

Static linkage: Indian Economy (competition law, CCI, mergers and acquisitions).

GS area: Security, Economy

AeroIndia 2023 (held in Bengaluru) provided a platform for India's defence export achievements and IAF doctrine revision:

• Defence exports: Rs 14,000 crore in 2021-22. The government targets Rs 35,000 crore (approximately $5 billion) in defence exports by 2024-25.
• IAF revised doctrine: adopts a "holistic approach" integrating the Air Force with Army, Navy, civil aviation, and space operations in both conventional and non-conventional warfare scenarios.
• Key shift: from a support role to an independent warfighting capability. The doctrine addresses asymmetric threats including terrorism and insurgency alongside conventional warfare.
• AeroIndia significance: India's biennial defence and aerospace exhibition. Platform for showcasing indigenous defence products (LCA Tejas, Pralay missile, DRDO platforms) and attracting foreign investment under the FDI liberalisation in defence (74 per cent automatic route).

Static linkage: Security (defence policy, IAF, make in India in defence).

GS area: Health, Governance

The AYUSH sector's growth trajectory and regulatory shortcomings were examined:

• Growth: the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy) sector growing at 8.6 per cent CAGR. India is a major AYUSH product exporter to the US, Germany and France.
• Regulatory gaps: absence of a comprehensive regulatory mechanism comparable to the drug regulation system for allopathic medicine. Issues include quacks practising without qualifications, non-standard product compositions, and illegal addition of allopathic drugs to AYUSH formulations.
• Government response: Ministry of AYUSH created in 2014. National AYUSH Mission launched to improve access and quality.
• Scientific validation: calls for robust clinical research to validate AYUSH treatments before making therapeutic claims.
• National Commission for Indian System of Medicine: established under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act 2020. Regulates medical education in AYUSH disciplines.

Static linkage: Health (AYUSH, traditional medicine regulation).

GS area: Environment, Governance

The draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill 2022 generated comment:

• Purpose: protect geological sites of national importance from damage and encroachment.
• Geo-relics defined: sediments, rocks, minerals, meteorites, or fossils that carry scientific, educational or aesthetic significance.
• 32 geo-heritage sites identified: across 13 states, including Fossil Parks (Madhya Pradesh), Lonar Lake (Maharashtra), Barren Island (Andaman), and various dinosaur sites.
• Prohibitions: construction within protected zones; removal or export of geo-relics without permission.
• Nodal authority: the Geological Survey of India (GSI). Critics note that giving GSI both regulatory and scientific roles creates a conflict of interest.
• Community concern: local communities in some geo-heritage areas fear restrictions on land use and livelihood.

Static linkage: Environment (geological heritage, GSI, conservation law).

GS area: Polity (local governance)

The Supreme Court ruling on MCD Delhi mayoral elections is now settled:

• Ruling: nominated members (aldermen) cannot vote in the election of the Mayor. Only elected councillors can vote.
• IFFCO Nano Urea: being manufactured at Aonla and Phulpur plants. Nano Urea is a liquid fertiliser sprayed on leaves. It has 85 to 90 per cent efficiency versus 25 per cent for conventional urea (most of which is lost to leaching and volatilisation). Relevant to the Budget's PM-PRANAM scheme for reducing chemical fertiliser use.

• DHARA initiative: River Cities Alliance platform for 95 Indian cities to manage urban water resources sustainably. Connects river-front cities for water governance best-practice sharing.
• Filariasis campaign: mass drug administration in 10 states targeting elimination of lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) by 2027. One of India's few neglected tropical disease elimination programmes on track.
• Agasthyarkoodam: a peak in the Western Ghats on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Site of a historic magnetic observatory. Located within the Agasthyamalai UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.