10 April 2023

• Polity: IT Amendment Rules 2023 for online gaming and fact-checking intermediaries came under close scrutiny; the Shreya Singhal precedent was central to the debate.
• Economy: PM Mudra Yojana marked eight years with Rs 23 lakh crore sanctioned across 41 crore accounts; 69 per cent of beneficiaries are women.
• Space: The Indian Space Policy 2023 was finalised, restructuring ISRO, NSIL and IN-SPACe and opening the sector to private players.
• Environment: Project Elephant at 30 years: India hosts 27,000 Asian elephants, 60 per cent of the global population.
• History: The Good Friday Agreement turned 25 years; US President Biden was in Belfast for the anniversary commemorations.

GS area: Economy (Credit, Financial inclusion, Government schemes)

The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana marked eight years since its April 8, 2015 launch. Cumulative sanction: Rs 23 lakh crore across 41 crore loan accounts.

• Three tiers:
  • Shishu: Loans up to Rs 50,000. Micro-enterprises in the earliest stage.
  • Kishore: Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh. Businesses seeking to expand.
  • Tarun: Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Growing businesses requiring larger credit.
• Beneficiary profile: 69 per cent of accounts are held by women borrowers. 51 per cent belong to SC/ST/OBC categories. Both figures reflect deliberate targeting at the margins.
• Employment generation: A SKOCH survey estimated that 1 crore net additional jobs were created between 2015 and 2018 from MUDRA-financed enterprises. About 62 per cent of new jobs went to women.
• MUDRA and banks: Loans are extended by scheduled commercial banks, RRBs, microfinance institutions and NBFCs. MUDRA Ltd (a subsidiary of SIDBI) provides refinancing and guarantee support rather than lending directly.
• NPA concern: MUDRA's NPA rate has been higher than the system average, partly because borrowers are often first-time credit users without credit history.
• Stand-Up vs MUDRA: MUDRA covers up to Rs 10 lakh. Stand-Up India takes over from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Together they form a credit continuum from micro to small enterprise finance.

Static linkage: Financial inclusion, MSME credit, PSB priority sector lending.

GS area: Environment (Wildlife conservation)

Project Elephant was launched in February 1992, thirty-one years before April 2023.

• Coverage: 33 elephant reserves across 14 states. 101 corridors identified for movement between habitats.
• Population: India hosts approximately 27,000 Asian elephants, representing about 60 per cent of the global wild population. The Asian elephant is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
• State distribution: Karnataka leads with 6,049 elephants, followed by Assam and Kerala.
• Human-elephant conflict: With fragmented habitats and increased agricultural expansion, human-elephant conflict is one of India's most serious wildlife management challenges. Each year over 500 humans and 100 elephants die in such conflicts.
• Elephant corridors: The 101 identified corridors include many that cut through human-dominated landscapes. The Wildlife Trust of India maps these under the Elephant Family programme.
• Legal protection: Elephants are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, giving them the highest level of protection. The Elephant (Preservation) Act 1879 is the historical precursor.
• Project Elephant vs Project Tiger: Both are centrally sponsored schemes under the Ministry of Environment. Project Tiger was launched in 1973; Project Elephant in 1992. Tiger reserves have a stronger statutory backing under the WPA 1972 (Chapter IVB) compared to elephant reserves.

Static linkage: Wildlife conservation, biodiversity, elephant corridors.

GS area: Science and Technology (Space), Economy

The Indian Space Policy 2023 was officially released in April 2023, formalising the framework briefed in earlier days.

• ISRO's new role: ISRO focuses exclusively on research and development, technology development and the transfer of mature technologies to industry. It no longer needs to be a commercial launcher.
• NSIL (NewSpace India Limited): The commercial arm. Takes ISRO-developed technologies and commercialises them. Handles production of launch vehicles (like the PSLV-C series) through industry contracts. Manages satellite-based services.
• IN-SPACe: The regulator. Any NGE wishing to build satellites, establish ground stations or launch from India must get IN-SPACe authorisation. IN-SPACe also promotes and enables private space sector growth.
• Private rights: NGEs can now undertake end-to-end space activities. This covers design, manufacturing, launching and operation of satellites and launch vehicles.
• Resource recovery: The policy explicitly permits NGEs to engage in space resource recovery (asteroid mining, lunar resource utilisation). India joins the US, Luxembourg and UAE in having such provisions.
• Target: Increase India's space economy share from 2 per cent to 10 per cent of the global market. Global space economy: approximately $550 billion.

Static linkage: ISRO, space policy, science and technology governance.

GS area: Polity (Fundamental rights, Digital regulation)

The IT Amendment Rules 2023 were examined against the Shreya Singhal (2015) Supreme Court judgment.

• Shreya Singhal case: The Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act 2000, which penalised "offensive" online content. The Court held it was unconstitutionally vague and violated Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression).
• The 2023 government fact-checker provision: The PIB Fact Check Unit is designated to flag government-related false content. Platforms that continue hosting flagged content lose Section 79 safe harbour immunity.
• The similarity: Critics argued that determining what constitutes "false" information about the government is inherently subjective and could suppress legitimate dissent, echoing the 66A criticism.
• Bombay High Court: The Bombay HC later granted a stay on this specific provision, pending further examination.
• Article 19(2): The right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) is not absolute. Article 19(2) allows reasonable restrictions on grounds of sovereignty, security of state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, morality, contempt of court, defamation and incitement. "False information" is not explicitly listed as a permissible ground for restriction.

Static linkage: Fundamental rights, free speech, IT regulation.

GS area: World History, International Relations

US President Biden arrived in Belfast on 11 April 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The pre-visit discussions and significance were covered on April 10.

• The 1998 deal: Ended Northern Ireland's Troubles. Created a power-sharing executive, cross-border cooperation bodies, decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, and early prisoner releases.
• Brexit complication: The UK's exit from the EU created a border problem because Northern Ireland borders EU member Ireland. The Northern Ireland Protocol and subsequent Windsor Framework attempt to balance the peace deal's open-border commitment with UK customs independence.
• Biden connection: Biden descended from Irish immigrants and had a long personal interest in the peace process. His visit underlined US commitment to the GFA.
• UPSC relevance: The Good Friday Agreement is a model studied in conflict resolution literature. Questions about ethnic conflict, federalism and peace processes often draw on Northern Ireland.

Static linkage: World history, post-conflict governance.

• C.R. Rao: Indian statistician C.R. Rao, considered one of the greatest statisticians of the 20th century, was awarded the 2023 International Prize in Statistics. He was a recipient of India's Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
• Ramakrishna Math 125th anniversary: The Ramakrishna Math and Mission marked 125 years, with events at Belur Math in West Bengal. Founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897.
• Genome India Project: Over 10,000 Indian genomes had been sequenced, with 7,000 complete sequences. About 3,000 were publicly available for research. The project aims to build a reference dataset of India's genetic diversity.