19 March 2023

• Millets day two: The Global Millets Conference continued in New Delhi, with India presenting MIIRA as a proposed multilateral research and awareness body for millet crops.
• Digital payments milestone: UPI crossed 800 crore transactions in January 2023, worth approximately USD 200 billion, demonstrating India's position as a global leader in real-time payments.
• Vaikom at 99: Commemorations marking the approach of the centenary of the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraha highlighted the enduring relevance of social reform movements in Indian history.
• ITLOS advisory opinion: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea was formally asked to render an advisory opinion on states' climate obligations under UNCLOS.

GS Paper III: Agriculture, Food Security, International Institutions

The two-day Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 March, concluded on 19 March 2023, with member nations discussing institutional architecture to sustain the millets movement beyond the International Year of Millets.

• MIIRA: The Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness was proposed as a new multilateral platform to coordinate research, seed conservation, varietal development, and global promotion of millets.
• India's share: India accounts for approximately 20% of global millet production, and is the single largest producer worldwide.
• Government programme: The National Food Security Mission-Coarse Cereals (NFSM-Coarse Cereals) supports millet cultivation in 14 states including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
• Nutritional argument: Millets are rich in protein, dietary fibre, iron, calcium, and are entirely gluten-free. Their low glycaemic index makes them suitable for populations with high diabetes prevalence.
• Climate resilience: Millets require 30 to 40% less water than wheat and rice, fix atmospheric nitrogen in some varieties, and grow in poor soils under rain-fed conditions.
• PM POSHAN: The government has included millets in school mid-day meal menus under PM POSHAN to boost consumption among children and create a domestic demand base.

GS Paper III: Economy, Digital Infrastructure, Financial Inclusion

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed 800 crore (8 billion) transactions in January 2023, valued at approximately USD 200 billion, consolidating India's status as the world's leading real-time digital payments market.

• UPI architecture: Built on the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) infrastructure, UPI enables interoperable fund transfers across banks using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) without sharing bank account details.
• NPCI: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), established in 2008 under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, operates UPI. UPI was launched in 2016 with 21 member banks.
• Scale: India accounts for over 46% of global real-time digital transactions.
• International adoption: UPI has been integrated with Singapore's PayNow (bilateral linkage allows users of both systems to transfer money), and bilateral arrangements exist with the UAE, Malaysia, and France. India signed MoUs with 13 countries for UPI adoption.
• JAM Trinity: The Jan Dhan (over 46 crore accounts)-Aadhaar (1.3 billion unique IDs)-Mobile (JAM) Trinity provides the foundational infrastructure for UPI's reach into unbanked populations.
• Micro-payments: Over 50% of UPI transactions are micro-payments below Rs 200, demonstrating penetration into everyday small-ticket commerce.

GS Paper I: Modern Indian History, Social Reform Movements

The Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924-25, one of the first organised movements against untouchability in princely India, was approaching its centenary, drawing renewed scholarly and political attention to the struggle for social equality in Travancore.

• What it was: A non-violent agitation in Travancore (present-day Kerala) against the denial of access to roads adjacent to the Siva temple at Vaikom to lower-caste Hindus. The roads were owned by the temple trust and the princely state.
• Leadership: T.K. Madhavan, a prominent Ezhava social reformer and journalist, was a central organiser. The Akali Dal, Sikh volunteers, and eventually Mahatma Gandhi lent support, making it a nationally resonant movement.
• Gandhi's role: Gandhi visited Vaikom in 1925 and negotiated with the Travancore Divan, lending the agitation national visibility without formally leading it. He saw it as a precursor to wider temple-entry reform.
• Significance: It was the first major Satyagraha specifically targeting caste-based exclusion from public spaces. It preceded the broader Guruvayur and Travancore temple-entry proclamations of 1936.
• Outcome: Partial success: three of the four roads were opened; the road directly in front of the temple remained closed until the 1936 Temple Entry Proclamation by the Travancore royal family.
• Centenary year: The centenary falls in 2024, but public commemorations began in 2023.

GS Paper II: International Relations, International Law, Environment

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), an independent intergovernmental organisation established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), was formally requested in early 2023 to render an advisory opinion on the obligations of states to prevent marine pollution caused by climate change.

• What is ITLOS: Created under UNCLOS (1982, entered into force 1994), ITLOS is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It adjudicates disputes related to the interpretation or application of UNCLOS.
• Request origin: A coalition of small island developing states, led by Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu (COSIS), submitted the request. Small island nations face existential threats from sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
• Legal significance: The advisory opinion, though non-binding, would clarify the legal obligations of major emitting states under UNCLOS to protect the marine environment from greenhouse gas-induced warming and acidification.
• India's position: India's coastline of 7,516 km and 1,382 islands make it acutely interested in UNCLOS-based governance, though India has traditionally emphasised development rights in climate negotiations.
• UNCLOS Article 194: Requires states to take measures to prevent, reduce, and control pollution of the marine environment, potentially applicable to climate emissions.

GS Paper III: Economy, Social Sector, Financial Inclusion

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), India's flagship financial inclusion programme, had enrolled approximately 48.65 crore beneficiaries by early 2023, making it the world's largest financial inclusion initiative.

• Launch: Announced by PM Modi on 15 August 2014 from the Red Fort and formally launched on 28 August 2014.
• Core features: Zero-balance savings accounts with a RuPay debit card, accidental insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh (for accounts opened after 28 August 2018), life cover of Rs 30,000 (for accounts opened before 26 January 2015), and an overdraft (OD) facility of up to Rs 10,000.
• Coverage pillars: Banking access, savings, credit, insurance, and pension, bringing the unbanked population into the formal financial system.
• Women-centric: 55% of Jan Dhan accounts are held by women; 67% of accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas.
• JAM Trinity link: PMJDY accounts are seeded with Aadhaar and linked to mobile numbers, enabling Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of subsidies directly into beneficiary accounts, plugging leakages.
• PM-KISAN and COVID relief: During COVID-19, Rs 500 per month was transferred to women PMJDY account holders as emergency relief, demonstrating the programme's utility as a social safety net.

GS Paper III: Environment, Biodiversity, Protected Areas

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, located in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, exemplifies the intersection of biodiversity conservation and ecological connectivity in one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots.

• Core areas: The reserve's core zone comprises Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park, two contiguous protected areas. The buffer zone includes forest and revenue lands.
• Western Ghats hotspot: The Western Ghats is one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (2012) across six states.
• Tiger population: Sahyadri has historically had a low tiger density but is ecologically connected to Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary and the forests of Karnataka and Goa.
• Threats: Human-wildlife conflict with leopards and elephants, habitat fragmentation from roads and dams, and encroachment are primary concerns.
• Project Tiger: Sahyadri is one of 53 Tiger Reserves in India under Project Tiger (launched 1973), administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

GS Paper I: Science and Technology, Indian Scientists, Awards

National Science Day is observed on 28 February every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman on 28 February 1928 at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in Kolkata.

• Raman Effect: When monochromatic light (such as a laser) is scattered by a molecule, a small fraction of the scattered light has a different wavelength from the incident beam. This inelastic scattering, caused by the molecule's vibrational states, is the Raman Effect. It allows identification of molecular composition without destructive testing.
• Nobel Prize: C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, becoming the first Asian scientist to receive the Nobel Prize in the sciences.
• 2023 Theme: "Global Science for Global Wellbeing," reflecting the global role of science in addressing shared challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and food security.
• IACS: Founded in 1876 in Kolkata, IACS is one of India's oldest scientific research institutions.
• Applications of Raman spectroscopy: Used in pharmaceuticals (drug identification), geology (mineral analysis), art conservation (pigment dating), and forensic science.