18 April 2023

• Society: Heat stroke deaths in Navi Mumbai from an outdoor event prompted review of NDMA heat wave guidelines and the wet bulb temperature concept.
• Polity: The Supreme Court Constitution Bench continued hearings on same-sex marriage petitions; the Centre reiterated the legislative primacy argument.
• Security: India's narcotics landscape was examined, highlighting the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle threat flanking India.
• Cyber security: CERT-In data showed a 53 per cent rise in ransomware attacks in 2022 versus 2021, with the IT/ITeS sector the most targeted.
• Environment: Bhitarkanika in Odisha recorded population data for the Mangrove Pitta bird; the Global Buddhist Summit scheduled for 20-21 April was previewed.

GS area: Security (Internal security), Geography

India's position between the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle makes it a transit and consumption market for illicit drugs.

• Golden Crescent: Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The world's largest opium and heroin production zone. Afghanistan supplies approximately 90 per cent of global heroin. Trafficking routes enter India through Rajasthan, Punjab and J&K.
• Golden Triangle: Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Traditionally dominated by heroin; now also the world's largest methamphetamine production zone. Trafficking enters India through Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.
• NCB and NDPS Act: The Narcotics Control Bureau was established in 1986 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. The NDPS Act sets penalties including death penalty for a second offence of trafficking large quantities.
• NCORD: The Narco-Coordination Centre, formed in 2016, coordinates anti-narcotic efforts across 14 central agencies and state police forces. It is chaired by the Union Home Secretary.
• Darknet: CERT-In data indicated 62 per cent of drug trafficking connections used the darknet for payments and communications. Cryptocurrency (particularly Monero) is the preferred payment medium.
• Operation Gear Box: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence ran "Operation Gear Box" targeting heroin concealed in vehicle parts arriving through maritime routes.
• Punjab dimension: Punjab's proximity to Pakistan has made it a primary entry point for heroin from the Golden Crescent. The Punjab police's STF (Special Task Force) has been the main enforcement agency.

Static linkage: Internal security, narcotics, border management.

GS area: Science and Technology (Cyber security), Polity (Governance)

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team's Ransomware Threat Landscape 2022 report found a 53 per cent increase in ransomware incidents compared to 2021.

• Ransomware: A form of malware that encrypts a victim's files or systems and demands a ransom payment (usually cryptocurrency) for the decryption key.
• LockBit: The most prevalent ransomware variant targeting Indian organisations in 2022. LockBit operates as Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), where the malware developer licences the tool to affiliates who conduct attacks and share the ransom.
• Sectoral targeting: IT and ITeS companies were the most targeted sector. Critical infrastructure (power, healthcare) and government entities were also targeted.
• Recovery timeline: Average time to restore operations: 10 days. Average ransom demand: several million dollars, though many Indian victims refused to pay.
• CERT-In: Established in 2004 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. CERT-In is India's nodal cybersecurity agency, responsible for monitoring threats, responding to incidents and coordinating with sectoral CERTs.
• I4C: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, established in 2018 under the Home Ministry, coordinates law enforcement responses to cybercrime. It is separate from CERT-In's technical response function.
• CERT-In's 2022 direction: CERT-In issued a controversial direction in April 2022 requiring all entities to report cybersecurity incidents within 6 hours, maintain logs for 180 days and register VPN users. The direction was criticised for compliance burden on MSMEs.

Static linkage: Cyber security, digital infrastructure, IT governance.

GS area: Polity (Judiciary, Fundamental rights)

The five-judge Constitution Bench continued hearings on April 18. The day's arguments focused on whether the Special Marriage Act can be read to include same-sex couples.

• The SMA's text: The Special Marriage Act 1954 uses the word "husband" and "wife" in several provisions. Petitioners argued these gendered terms reflect the social context of 1954 and should be read neutrally. The government argued the gendered terms are definitional and cannot be read neutrally without Parliament changing them.
• KS Puttaswamy link: The 2017 Privacy judgment's articulation of decisional autonomy was the petitioners' anchor. The Court held that personal choices in matters of intimacy are constitutionally protected.
• NALSA judgment (2014): The Supreme Court recognised transgender persons as a third gender and directed the government to ensure them full constitutional rights. The 2023 petitions built on this by arguing that sexual orientation is similarly a protected characteristic.
• State governments' position: Several state governments (including Delhi, Tamil Nadu) filed affidavits supporting recognition. Others remained neutral or opposed.
• The Court's eventual holding: In October 2023 the Court declined to grant the right, holding 3-2 that courts cannot rewrite legislation. The majority held Parliament must act; the minority (Chandrachud CJ and Kaul J) held the SMA could be read to include same-sex couples.

Static linkage: Judiciary, fundamental rights, LGBTQ rights, family law.

GS area: Environment (Biodiversity, Ecology)

A census in Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha recorded 179 individual Mangrove Pitta birds.

• Mangrove Pitta: Scientific name Pitta megharencha. IUCN status: Near Threatened. Distinctive for its brilliant plumage including blue wings, red belly and white throat.
• Bhitarkanika: The second-largest mangrove ecosystem in India (after Sundarbans). Located in Kendrapara district of Odisha, at the mouths of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. A major saltwater crocodile breeding ground. World's largest known concentration of saltwater crocodiles in a protected area.
• Mangrove significance: Mangroves are coastal forests adapted to saline conditions. They protect coastlines from storm surges, serve as nurseries for marine fish, sequester carbon at high rates and support unique biodiversity.
• Olive Ridley turtles: Bhitarkanika is also important for Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting. The nearby Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary hosts the world's largest mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles.
• Ecological sensitivity: Bhitarkanika is a Ramsar site and an eco-sensitive zone. Industrial development in the buffer zone has been a persistent concern.

Static linkage: Mangrove ecology, wildlife, biodiversity hotspots.

GS area: International Relations (Soft power), Society

The government previewed the Global Buddhist Summit, scheduled for New Delhi on 20-21 April, hosted by the Ministry of Culture with the International Buddhist Confederation.

• Theme: "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis."
• Expected participants: Delegations from 30+ countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia. Buddhist scholars and monastics from Tibetan, Theravada, Zen, Pure Land and other traditions.
• The India-Buddhism connection: The four holiest Buddhist sites (Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Lumbini) include three in India. The Buddhist Circuit tourism programme connects these sites.
• Soft power dimension: India's Buddhist diplomacy targets South, Southeast and East Asian nations, countering Chinese influence over Buddhist institutions (particularly through the Dalai Lama question and China's selection of the 11th Panchen Lama).
• New Delhi Declaration: Would call for environmental stewardship and ethical approaches to AI, alongside traditional themes of peace and harmony.

Static linkage: India's soft power, cultural diplomacy, Buddhist heritage.

• Pralay missiles: India's first tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 150 to 500 km and a quasi-ballistic trajectory (path-changing in flight to evade missile defences). Developed by DRDO and inducted by the Army in 2023.
• Supercritical CO2: Carbon dioxide above 31 degrees Celsius and 73 atmospheres of pressure behaves as a supercritical fluid. Applications include enhanced oil recovery, carbon sequestration and as a coolant in next-generation nuclear reactors.
• Trojan asteroids: Jupiter's trojan asteroids share Jupiter's orbit at the L4 and L5 Lagrange points. NASA's Lucy mission is studying 8 trojan asteroids in a flyby sequence through the 2030s. These ancient bodies preserve material from the early solar system.