9 July 2023

• E-governance: The National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2023, third edition, was launched by DARPG.
• Culture: India and Singapore extended their cooperation on public administration through 2028.
• Space: NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) signed an MoU with US-based Voyager Space for launch cooperation using SSLV and PSLV.
• Environment: A joint ocean research expedition involving India, Bangladesh, and Mauritius was coordinated through INCOIS.
• Welfare: The Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY) for insured workers facing unemployment was extended with improved rates.

GS area: Governance, Science and Technology

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) launched the third edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2023.

• Purpose: Evaluates the depth and quality of e-governance mechanisms from the citizen's perspective.
• Coverage: Assesses 59 mandatory services per state or UT, and 37 services per central ministry.
• New parameters added (2023): Open Government Data, E-Participation, and Emerging Technologies.
• Framework: NeSDA tracks whether digital services are accessible, usable, and citizen-centric, going beyond simple portal availability.

Static linkage: Digital India, e-governance, DARPG.

GS area: International Relations, Governance

India and Singapore extended their cooperation agreement on public administration and public service reform through 2028.

• Scope: Administrative reforms, e-governance, capacity building, and talent development.
• Signatories: V. Srinivas (Secretary, DARPG) and Simon Wong (Singapore's High Commissioner to India).
• Singapore's relevance: Singapore is consistently ranked among the world's most efficient bureaucracies. The MoU is part of India's structured learning from high-performing governance systems.

Static linkage: Administrative reforms, India-Singapore ties.

GS area: Economy, Government schemes

The Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY), which provides unemployment relief to workers covered by the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) scheme, was extended by two more years through June 2024.

• Enhanced rate: The relief rate was raised to 50 per cent of average wages, up from the previous 25 per cent.
• Reduced waiting period: The waiting period before accessing the benefit was reduced from 90 days to 30 days after losing employment.
• Background: ABVKY was introduced in 2018 under the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). It targets insured workers in the organised sector who lose their jobs.
• Cumulative beneficiaries: 66,013 employees had benefited with disbursements of 87.83 crore rupees since July 2018.
• ESIC: A statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, administering the ESI scheme for health and social security.

Static linkage: Labour welfare, social security, ESIC, organised sector employment.

GS area: Science and Technology, International Relations, Environment

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) coordinated a joint ocean research expedition involving India, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.

• Research vessel: Sagar Nidhi, operated by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
• Sagar Nidhi's capability: Can navigate blue-water conditions and has previously operated in Antarctic waters.
• INCOIS: Located in Hyderabad. It provides ocean information and advisory services for various sectors including fisheries, ocean safety, and climate.
• Research focus: Ocean data collection, marine environmental changes, and biodiversity monitoring in the Indian Ocean region.

Static linkage: Indian Ocean, maritime research, India-Mauritius-Bangladesh ties.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, signed an MoU with Voyager Space (US) for satellite launch cooperation.

• Launch vehicles: SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) and PSLV.
• SSLV: Designed to launch satellites up to 500 kg to low-earth orbit on an on-demand basis.
• Commercial context: ISRO is transferring SSLV technology to the private sector after two successful test flights. India's commercial satellite sector is projected to contribute 13 billion US dollars by 2025.
• Scope of MoU: Joint R&D on space-qualified components, manufacturing, deployment, and operations.

Static linkage: Space commercialisation, ISRO, SSLV.

GS area: Governance, Health

Kerala's Forest Department developed the Sarpa mobile application to reduce deaths from snakebites.

• Function: Collects species-specific snakebite incidence data to identify high-risk hotspots. Connects people who encounter venomous snakes with a network of 1,720 trained rescue volunteers.
• Impact: Annual snakebite deaths in Kerala were reduced from approximately 110 to about 40 in 2022.
• Target species: Cobra, krait, Russell's viper, and saw-scaled viper, the four species responsible for most lethal bites in India.
• Broader context: India records one of the world's highest snakebite mortality rates. WHO classified snakebite as a neglected tropical disease in 2017.

Static linkage: Digital governance, public health, biodiversity.

• IAU minor planet honours: Four Indian scientists had minor planets (asteroids) named after them by the International Astronomical Union at a conference in Arizona. The names: Aswin Sekhar, Ashok Kumar Verma, Kumar Venkataramani, and Rutu Parekh.
• Odisha Ama Pokhari scheme: A 120-crore-rupee initiative to rejuvenate 2,000 water bodies across 115 urban areas, implemented in partnership with Mission Shakti women self-help groups.
• Gujarat MISHTI mangrove MoUs: Six private companies signed MoUs to restore 3,006 hectares of mangroves under the MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) scheme.
• Manipur situation: Violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, ongoing since early May, continued to claim lives. Over 100 deaths and tens of thousands displaced.