4 August 2023

• Polity: The Supreme Court began five-judge Constitution Bench hearings on the constitutional validity of the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
• Governance: Internet shutdowns in India numbered 84 in 2022, the fifth consecutive year India topped the global list. Jammu and Kashmir alone accounted for 49 of those shutdowns.
• Energy: India's three-stage nuclear programme, designed in the 1950s, is progressing. The first 500 MW Pressurised Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam remains under commissioning.
• Cooperatives: The National Cooperative Development Corporation launched the Sahakar 22 initiative for rural and agricultural prosperity through cooperatives.

GS area: Polity, Constitutional provisions

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court began hearings on the constitutional validity of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The Bench is led by the Chief Justice of India.

• Article 370: Granted special autonomous status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. It allowed J&K to have its own Constitution, its own flag, and its own definition of permanent residents.
• Abrogation, August 2019: The President's Order, 2019 declared Article 370 inoperative. Parliament simultaneously bifurcated the state into two Union Territories: J&K (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without).
• The core legal question: Article 370(3) allows the President to declare Article 370 inoperative with the concurrence of the "Constituent Assembly" of J&K. That Assembly was dissolved in 1957. Petitioners argue the provision cannot be activated after 1957 without that Assembly's concurrence.
• Government's position: Parliament, acting as the state legislature of J&K during President's Rule, could give the concurrence required under Article 370(3).
• Two routes of challenge: One set of petitions challenges the procedural method. A separate set challenges the bifurcation of the state.

This is a landmark constitutional case. The outcome will clarify the extent of Parliament's power to alter the constitutional status of a state, and whether temporary provisions in the Constitution can become permanent through disuse.

Static linkage: Federalism, special provisions for certain states (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Governance, Fundamental Rights

India enforced 84 internet shutdowns in 2022, the fifth consecutive year it topped the global list of countries ordering shutdowns. J&K accounted for 49 of these.

• Legal framework: Shutdowns are ordered under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 framed under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
• Anuradha Bhasin case (2020): The Supreme Court held that the right to access the internet is protected under Articles 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech) and 19(1)(g) (right to practise a profession). Shutdowns must meet the tests of necessity and proportionality.
• November 2020 amendment: The Rules were amended to cap shutdowns at 15 days without a review.
• SFLC.in data: The Software Freedom Law Centre tracks internet shutdowns. India has been the global leader in reported shutdowns since 2012.
• Constitutional protection: The freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) includes the medium of communication, including internet-based speech.

Static linkage: Fundamental rights, telecommunications law (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Science and Technology, Energy, Security

India's nuclear power programme follows a three-stage plan designed by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s, built around the country's limited uranium but abundant thorium reserves.

• Stage 1: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural uranium. These are operational and form the base of India's nuclear power fleet.
• Stage 2: Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) using plutonium from spent Stage 1 fuel. The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, built by BHAVINI, is under commissioning.
• Stage 3: Advanced Heavy Water Reactors using the thorium-uranium-233 cycle. India's estimated thorium reserves are among the largest in the world.
• Current nuclear power: India generates approximately 6.7 GW from 22 nuclear power plants. This is 1.8 per cent of total energy generation.
• Nuclear doctrine: India follows Credible Minimum Deterrence with a No-First-Use (NFU) policy.
• Key timeline: 1974 first test (Pokhran I, "Smiling Buddha"); 1998 Pokhran II (Operation Shakti); 2008 Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal ratified by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Static linkage: India's energy mix, nuclear security, science and technology (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy, Governance

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) launched the Sahakar 22 initiative to promote rural and agricultural prosperity through the cooperative sector.

• NCDC: Established in 1963 under the Ministry of Cooperation. It funds and promotes programmes through cooperatives.
• Ministry of Cooperation: A new Ministry formed in 2021. Amit Shah holds the portfolio. Its creation reflects the government's emphasis on cooperatives as a third development sector alongside the public and private sectors.
• Sahakar 22 components:
  • FOCUS 222: Targets 222 aspirational districts.
  • PACS HUB: Strengthens Primary Agricultural Credit Societies as service hubs.
  • AENEC: Agricultural Entrepreneurship for New Economy through Cooperatives.
  • CEMtC: Cooperative Entrepreneurship with Mentoring through Cooperatives.
  • SAHAKAR PRAGYA: A training initiative.
• Constitutional basis: Article 43B (added by the 97th Amendment, 2011) directs the state to promote cooperative societies. A separate Part IX B was added to regulate cooperatives, though the Supreme Court later struck down much of this as an overreach into state subjects.

Static linkage: Cooperative sector, rural economy, constitutional amendments (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

India hosts nine species of vultures. Their population collapsed dramatically in the 1990s and 2000s because of the veterinary drug diclofenac. Vultures that fed on livestock carcasses treated with the drug suffered fatal kidney failure.

• Diclofenac ban: Veterinary diclofenac was banned in India in 2006. Despite this, populations have been slow to recover.
• New additions to the ban: The government moved to ban aceclofenac and ketoprofen for veterinary use. Both are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with similar toxicity to vultures.
• India's first captive breeding: Assam State Zoo achieved the first successful captive breeding of Himalayan Vultures in India. The birds were rescued from poisoning incidents in Assam in 2011 to 2012.
• Schedule I protection: Vultures are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Static linkage: Biodiversity conservation, wildlife law (GS Paper 3).

• AYUSH Visa category: India introduced a dedicated visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment in Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy systems. This is part of the "Heal in India" initiative. The AYUSH sector is projected to reach 70 billion dollars by 2025.
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP): The government directed pharmaceutical manufacturers to comply with WHO-aligned GMP standards. Only approximately 2,000 of 10,500 drug manufacturing units are currently compliant. The compliance deadline is six months for companies with over 250 crore rupees in turnover.
• BRICS Summit confirmation: Prime Minister Modi confirmed attendance at the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg (22-24 August 2023). Expansion of BRICS to new members was expected to be the headline agenda item.