17 June 2023

• Gender: The UNDP Gender Social Norms Index 2023 found that 9 out of 10 people globally still hold biases against women, with no improvement over a decade.
• Defence: The Cabinet approved the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the US for India's three armed forces.
• Environment: Russia deployed tactical nuclear warheads to Belarus, the first nuclear deployment outside Russia since the Soviet era.
• Rights: Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers whistleblower, died at 92.
• Literature: Arundhati Roy received the 45th European Essay Prize for her collection "Azadi."

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GS area: Society, Social Justice

The UNDP released its second Gender Social Norms Index, covering over 80 countries and tracking gender biases over a decade.

• Main finding: No meaningful improvement in gender biases globally over the past decade.
• Scale of bias: 9 out of 10 people globally hold at least one bias against women.
• Political dimension: 50 per cent believe men make better political leaders.
• Economic dimension: 40 per cent think men make better business executives.
• Violence: 25 per cent believe a husband is justified in beating his wife.
• Structural gap: Women hold fewer than a third of managerial positions globally. A 39 per cent gender income gap persists even when women have equivalent or higher education than men.
• Four dimensions measured: Political participation, educational attainment, economic activity, and physical integrity.

Static linkage: Society; social justice; gender.

GS area: International Relations, Defence

The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian armed remotely piloted aircraft from the US company General Atomics.

• Numbers: 15 for the Indian Navy and 8 each for the Army and Air Force.
• Specifications: Endurance over 27 hours; ceiling 50,000 feet; can carry Hellfire missiles and precision-guided munitions.
• Primary role: Maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, and strike capability in the Indian Ocean and the line of actual control.
• Significance: India's first approved acquisition of armed long-endurance drones. The procurement was discussed during PM Modi's White House meeting in June 2023 (announcement came ahead of the visit).
• INDUS-X: The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem announced at the same time sets up a bilateral defence innovation and co-development channel.

Static linkage: International relations (India-US); science and technology (defence).

GS area: Government Schemes, Science and Technology

The government announced VAIBHAV (Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik) Fellowships for 75 Indian-origin researchers working abroad.

• Purpose: Bring accomplished Indian-origin scientists and technologists back to India for collaborative research.
• Focus areas: Quantum technology, health, agriculture, and clean energy.
• 75 fellowships: Marking India's 75 years of independence.
• Predecessor: The GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) programme had already brought foreign faculty to Indian institutions for short courses.

Static linkage: Government schemes; science and technology.

GS area: Economy (consumer protection), Governance

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) issued guidelines against "dark patterns" in digital advertising, effective 1 September 2023.

• Dark patterns: Deceptive interface designs that manipulate users into purchases or subscriptions without explicit informed consent.
• Types identified:
  • Drip pricing: Hidden charges revealed only at checkout.
  • Disguised ads: Advertisements designed to look like editorial content.
  • Bait and switch: Showing one product at checkout and delivering another.
  • False urgency: Countdown timers or fake "limited stock" messages.
  • Sneaking: Automatic subscriptions added to carts without consent.
• ASCI role: ASCI is a self-regulatory body for advertising in India. It is not a statutory regulator. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 provides the statutory framework.
• Consumer Protection Act 2019: Establishes the Central Consumer Protection Authority with powers to recall products and prohibit misleading advertisements.

Static linkage: Economy (consumer protection); governance.

• Belarus nuclear deployment: Russia moved tactical nuclear warheads to Belarus in June 2023. Belarus is a landlocked country in eastern Europe bordering Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. This was the first nuclear weapons deployment outside Russian territory since the Soviet era ended in 1991.
• Texas fish kill: Thousands of fish washed ashore on Texas beaches. The cause was low dissolved oxygen in warm water. Scientists linked the phenomenon to warmer ocean temperatures and climate change.
• Leela Row Dayal: The first Indian woman to win a match at Wimbledon (in 1934) was recalled on the occasion of a sports heritage event. She later became a documentarian of classical Indian dance forms.

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