28 February 2023

• Science: researchers confirmed Earth has a distinct innermost inner core: a solid iron-nickel ball approximately 800 miles (1,287 km) in diameter at the planet's centre.
• Health: India's maternal mortality ratio (MMR) improved to 113 per 100,000 live births (SRS 2018-20). The SDG target is below 70 by 2030.
• Society: Spain became the first European country to introduce statutory paid menstrual leave. Only Bihar and Kerala have similar state laws in India.
• Polity: Aurangabad city in Maharashtra was officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Osmanabad was renamed Dharashiv.
• International: the Fab 4 (Chip 4) semiconductor alliance (USA, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea) held discussions on supply chain resilience.

GS area: Science and Technology (Earth sciences)

Australian geophysicists published research in Nature Communications confirming that Earth has a fifth distinct layer:

• Earth's layers: crust (continental and oceanic), mantle, outer core (liquid iron-nickel), inner core (solid iron-nickel), and now confirmed: an innermost inner core.
• The discovery: seismic wave analysis of earthquakes. Compressional waves (P-waves) travel through the inner core in different directions at different speeds. This anisotropy is sharper at the innermost layer.
• Innermost inner core dimensions: approximately 800 miles (1,287 km) in diameter. Located at the planet's very centre.
• Temperature and pressure: estimated temperature of approximately 5,400 degrees Celsius (similar to the Sun's surface). Pressure approximately 360 gigapascals.
• Why this matters: understanding Earth's core structure improves models of the planet's geomagnetic field (which protects life from solar wind), seismic activity, and planetary formation.
• Seismic waves used: two types cross the Earth. P-waves (primary/compressional) travel through solids and liquids. S-waves (secondary/shear) travel only through solids. The presence of S-waves in the inner core confirms it is solid.

Static linkage: Physical Geography (Earth's interior, seismic waves).

GS area: Governance (health), Society

The Sample Registration System (SRS) 2018-20 report showed India's MMR at 113 per 100,000 live births:

• MMR definition: the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. A maternal death is the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of delivery.
• Progress: India's MMR has declined sharply from 254 in 2004-06 and 130 in 2014-16. The 2018-20 figure of 113 represents significant improvement.
• SDG target: Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 calls for a global MMR below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. India needs further reduction.
• State variation: Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have MMRs below 20. Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have MMRs above 150. This inter-state disparity is a key concern.
• Key interventions: Janani Suraksha Yojana (cash incentives for institutional delivery), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (maternity benefit), and LaQshya (quality of labour rooms in district hospitals).
• SRS: the Sample Registration System is conducted by the Registrar General of India. It is the primary source for fertility and mortality data in India.

Static linkage: Governance (health policy, MMR, SDGs, maternal health schemes).

GS area: Society, Governance (labour law)

Spain's parliament passed a law granting paid menstrual leave:

• Spain's law: grants women with severe dysmenorrhoea three to five days of paid menstrual leave per month. It is funded by the state social security system. Spain is the first European country to do this.
• Global context: Japan has had a menstrual leave provision since 1947 (unpaid, by employer decision). Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea also have legal frameworks.
• India's national level: no national menstrual leave law. The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 covers maternity leave but not menstrual leave.
• Indian states with provisions: Bihar introduced ten days of menstrual leave for state government employees in 1992. Kerala, through a Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments order, provides menstrual leave for private sector workers.
• Zomato policy: Zomato (India's food delivery platform) introduced paid menstrual leave for all employees (including delivery partners) in 2020 as a corporate policy, not a legal requirement.
• Constitutional context: equality jurisprudence under Article 14 may require scrutiny of any policy that differentially applies to women. The broader framing is that biological needs are not special treatment but reasonable accommodation.

Static linkage: Society (women's rights, labour law, menstrual leave, gender equality).

GS area: Polity (constitutional process), Society

The Maharashtra government's official renaming of two major cities was notified:

• Aurangabad renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar: named after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) who was executed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1689.
• Osmanabad renamed Dharashiv: reviving a pre-colonial name.
• Constitutional process for renaming: renaming a city is a state subject (Entry 5, List II: local government). Renaming a railway station involves the Railway Ministry's concurrence. Renaming an airport requires the Airports Authority of India.
• Political dimension: the renaming has electoral and identity significance in Maharashtra, particularly with Maratha and Shiv Sena political narratives.
• Other recent renamings: Allahabad renamed Prayagraj (2018); Faizabad renamed Ayodhya (2018); Bangalore became Bengaluru (2014).
• Procedure: the state passes a government resolution (GR), publishes in the state gazette, and writes to the central government for updating of central records, maps and postal codes.

Static linkage: Polity (state subjects, renaming procedures), Society (cultural heritage, Maharashtra).

GS area: International Relations, Economy (technology)

The Chip 4 (also called Fab 4) semiconductor alliance continued its discussions:

• Members: United States, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. These four together dominate the semiconductor value chain.
• Taiwan: TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) produces more than 90 per cent of the world's most advanced chips (below 10 nm).
• South Korea: Samsung and SK Hynix are the world's leading DRAM (memory chip) producers.
• Japan: dominates semiconductor equipment and materials (photoresists, silicon wafers, high-purity chemicals).
• USA: leads in chip design (Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, AMD) and intellectual property.
• Strategic context: China is the world's largest chip consumer but is behind in advanced manufacturing. US export controls (imposed from October 2022) restrict China's access to advanced chips and chip-making equipment.
• India's semiconductor aspirations: India announced a Rs 76,000 crore semiconductor PLI scheme (Semicon India Programme). Vedanta-Foxconn and ISMC are among the proposed fab projects (though the Vedanta-Foxconn project later ran into difficulties).

Static linkage: International Relations (US-China tech rivalry, supply chains), Economy (semiconductor policy, India's PLI).

GS area: International Relations, Governance

As February 2023 ended, the FATF suspension of Russia remained in focus at the G20 discussions:

• FATF's 39 Recommendations (now 40): cover customer due diligence, reporting of suspicious transactions, beneficial ownership transparency, and international cooperation in AML/CTF investigations.
• Grey list countries: as of February 2023, the FATF grey list included Pakistan, UAE, Turkey (the UAE and Turkey had recently been added in 2022), Myanmar, Syria, and others.
• India's progress: India had been on the FATF grey list from 2010 to 2014. Since then India has consistently been rated as "largely compliant."
• FATF and RBI: the RBI's AML/KYC regulations and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 are the domestic implements of FATF obligations.
• Geopolitical implication: Russia's suspension from FATF limits its access to international financial intelligence and may complicate bilateral banking with neutral countries, potentially affecting India-Russia trade settlements.

Static linkage: International Relations (FATF, financial governance, Russia sanctions).

GS area: Environment, Governance

The E-Waste Management Rules 2022 (notified August 2022, effective February 2023) replaced the 2016 rules:

• Scope: covers electronic and electrical equipment including IT equipment, telecom, consumer electronics, and solar PV panels (new addition in 2022).
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): the core principle. Manufacturers, producers and importers are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products.
• Key change from 2016 rules: the 2016 rules allowed producers to outsource EPR to Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs). The 2022 rules created a digital platform. EPR certificates are tradeable, removing PRO intermediaries.
• Targets: phased collection targets. The rules set annual e-waste collection targets that increase to 60 per cent by 2026-27.
• Urban mines: India generates approximately 1.6 million tonnes of e-waste per year (third largest globally after China and USA). Most is recycled by the informal sector under hazardous conditions.
• Solar PV inclusion: a new category in the 2022 rules. As India scales up solar capacity, end-of-life panels require formal recycling frameworks.

Static linkage: Environment (e-waste, extended producer responsibility, solid waste management).