19 February 2023

• Internal security: Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De, stormed the Ajnala police station in Punjab with supporters armed with swords and guns, demanding the release of an associate. An FIR was registered.
• Operation Dost wind-down: the Indian Army's medical team began preparing to return from Iskenderun, Turkey. All teams returned by 20 February after two weeks of rescue and medical operations.
• Governance: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) report's second edition, released by Dr Bibek Debroy this week, set a target of universal foundational learning by 2026-27.
• Climate: India faced unseasonably early heat in February, with temperatures 5 to 11 degrees Celsius above normal in northern and western India.

GS area: Internal Security

Amritpal Singh, who leads the organisation Waris Punjab De, came to national attention in February 2023:

• Waris Punjab De: ("Heirs of Punjab") an organisation that projects itself as a Sikh rights body. Amritpal Singh, who had lived in Dubai, took over leadership after the death of its founder Sidhu Moosewala.
• Ajnala incident (February 2023): Amritpal Singh's supporters marched on the Ajnala police station with firearms and swords, demanding the release of a jailed associate. An FIR was registered against Amritpal and six associates.
• Khalistan movement: a separatist movement seeking an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan, primarily in Punjab. Rooted in pre-independence demands for a Sikh state. Suppressed through Operation Blue Star (1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986, 1988).
• Designated groups: the Khalistan Tiger Force was designated a terrorist organisation under UAPA in February 2023. Amritpal himself was not designated at this stage.
• Subsequent events: a police crackdown on Waris Punjab De was launched in March 2023. Amritpal evaded arrest for over a month before being arrested in April 2023 and detained under the National Security Act (NSA).
• National Security Act (NSA) 1980: allows preventive detention without trial for up to 12 months. Requires no formal charges. Subject to review by an Advisory Board.

Static linkage: Internal Security (Khalistan, internal security, NSA, UAPA).

GS area: Disaster Management, International Relations

India's Army medical teams returned from Turkey on or around 20 February 2023:

• Duration: approximately two weeks in the field (7 to 20 February 2023).
• Achievement: the 30-bed Army Field Hospital in Iskenderun treated hundreds of patients. The teams operated without requesting any facilities from Turkey, demonstrating self-sufficiency.
• Diplomatic capital: India's rapid and generous response to Turkey was acknowledged by Turkish officials. India was among the first countries to offer help, arriving before most European nations.
• NDRF multi-hazard training: NDRF teams deployed in Turkey are trained for multiple disaster types (flood, earthquake, chemical spill). The Turkey deployment tested their earthquake-specific protocols in a real major event.
• PM recognition: the Prime Minister personally lauded the returning teams for their service to humanity.

Static linkage: Disaster Management (NDRF, humanitarian assistance, India's soft power).

GS area: Education, Governance

The second FLN Report (released February 2023) assessed progress on foundational learning:

• Target: every child in India to achieve basic reading and arithmetic skills by the end of Grade 3, and by 2026-27.
• NIPUN Bharat Mission (2021): National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy. Launched to operationalise the NEP 2020 target for foundational learning.
• Key initiatives: DIKSHA platform for teacher training, NISHTHA teacher professional development programme, and the Jadui Pitara play-based learning materials for early childhood.
• What the FLN crisis means: if a child cannot read a simple sentence or do basic arithmetic by Grade 3, they fall behind in every subsequent subject. Learning poverty at the foundational level cascades into school dropout and low productivity in adulthood.
• ASER report: the Annual Status of Education Report consistently shows that a large percentage of Grade 5 students cannot read Grade 2 level text. The FLN Mission targets exactly this gap.

Static linkage: Education (NEP 2020, foundational learning, government schemes).

GS area: Environment, Geography

Northern and western India experienced temperatures 5 to 11 degrees Celsius above normal in February 2023:

• Heat wave definition (IMD): an event where the maximum temperature is at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains and 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, AND the departure from normal is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius. A "severe heat wave" is 6.5 degrees or more above normal.
• February 2023 cause: an anticyclonic formation over south Gujarat pushed warm air northward. The simultaneous end of the La Nina phase (which had been keeping temperatures relatively cool) and the warming effect of the Indian Ocean contributed.
• Agricultural impact: the February heat damaged early rabi crops in Punjab and Haryana, particularly wheat. High temperatures reduce photosynthesis and grain filling in the final growth stages.
• Long-term trend: India's heat seasons are beginning earlier and lasting longer. The 2022 heatwave began in March, the earliest in decades.

Static linkage: Environment (climate change, IMD, agriculture, heat stress).

GS area: International Relations

19 February 2023 was approaching the one-year mark of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (24 February 2022):

• India's position: strategic autonomy. India abstained on UN resolutions condemning the invasion. India continued to purchase Russian oil at discounted prices, significantly increasing its share of Russian oil imports.
• China's position: China announced a "Position Paper" on the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis on 24 February 2023. The 12-point document called for ceasefire negotiations without condemning Russia's invasion.
• Energy import shifts: India's Russian oil imports rose from near zero before the invasion to approximately 35 to 40 per cent of total oil imports by late 2022 to early 2023.
• G20 presidency: India used its G20 Presidency (January to December 2023) to keep channels open with both Russia and the West. The G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting (March 2023) was unable to agree on a Russia-Ukraine statement.

Static linkage: International Relations (India's strategic autonomy, Russia-Ukraine, G20).

• National Security Act 1980: allows preventive detention for up to 12 months (extendable). No formal charges needed. Reviewed by an Advisory Board headed by a sitting High Court judge. Used for individuals deemed threats to national security or public order.
• ASER (Annual Status of Education Report): published annually by Pratham NGO. Tracks learning outcomes (reading and arithmetic) across rural India from primary through secondary school. A major input into education policy.
• Water Sensitive Cities: urban planning concept integrating water management with city design. Emphasises green-blue infrastructure (wetlands, urban parks, permeable surfaces) over grey infrastructure (concrete drains and pipes). Relevant to smart cities and urban planning GS questions.