9 August 2023

• Parliament: The Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 after the Lok Sabha passed it on 7 August.
• Health: Three new health regulatory Bills were introduced or passed: the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, the National Dental Commission Bill, and the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill.
• Polity: The Supreme Court stayed the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the Modi surname defamation case, restoring his Lok Sabha membership.
• International: ECOWAS completed its preparedness assessment but continued to pursue diplomatic options over the Niger coup.

GS area: Polity, Governance, Technology

The Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 on 9 August 2023. It was then sent for Presidential assent. The Act creates India's first comprehensive personal data protection law.

• Data Principal: The individual whose personal data is processed. They must provide specific, informed consent.
• Data Fiduciary: Any entity that determines the purpose and means of processing personal data.
• Significant Data Fiduciary: Entities designated by the government based on the volume and sensitivity of data they process. They carry additional obligations.
• Data Protection Board: The adjudicating body. It can impose fines up to 250 crore rupees per violation and up to 500 crore rupees in total for a single incident.
• Rights of Data Principal: Right to information about processing, right to correction and erasure, right to grievance redressal, and the right to nominate another person to exercise rights on their death or incapacity.
• Government exemptions: The government can exempt itself from provisions of the Act in the interest of national security, sovereignty, and public order.
• RTI amendment: The Act amends Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 to expand the definition of "personal information" exempt from disclosure. Critics say this will allow government officers to refuse RTI applications by claiming personal information protection.

Static linkage: Fundamental rights (right to privacy), technology governance (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Governance, Health

The Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 was introduced in Parliament. It will replace the Indian Nursing Council established under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.

• National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC): The proposed apex regulatory body. It will regulate nursing and midwifery education and practice.
• State counterparts: State Nursing and Midwifery Councils will be constituted to implement standards at the state level.
• Key changes: Fixed tenures for Commission members, a focus on technology integration, and encouragement of specialised courses and soft skills.
• Healthcare relevance: India has a significant shortage of trained nurses. The WHO recommends a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:1 in critical care. India's overall nurse-to-population ratio is below global standards.

Static linkage: Health governance, regulatory bodies (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Economy (fisheries), Governance

The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 amends the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005. Its primary change is to decriminalise certain offences and replace jail sentences with fines.

• Fine ceiling: Maximum fine of 1 lakh rupees for violations.
• New aquaculture modes: The Bill expands the definition of coastal aquaculture to include cage culture, seaweed cultivation, and ornamental fish culture.
• Coastal Aquaculture Authority: Regulates aquaculture in coastal zones including the area between the high and low tide lines and the territorial sea.
• India's fish production: India ranks second globally in fish production, contributing 7.5 per cent of global output. It is the fourth-largest fish exporter. The nodal ministry is Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Blue economy context: The government has a Blue Economy Policy. Coastal aquaculture is a component of the blue economy that generates livelihoods for coastal communities.

Static linkage: Blue economy, fisheries, coastal governance (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Social issues, Governance

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment released a report on drug abuse in India.

• Scale: The last national drug use survey (2018 by NDDTC, AIIMS) estimated approximately 37 crore people aged 10 to 75 years use drugs or alcohol across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra.
• NDDTC: The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi. It is the apex institution for drug dependence treatment and research.
• NCORD: The Narco-Coordination Centre was established in 2016 as the coordinating mechanism for anti-narcotics operations across agencies.
• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: Launched in August 2020. It covers 272 most-affected districts across India with awareness and de-addiction programmes.
• NAPDDR: The National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (2018-2025) is the overarching policy framework for demand reduction.
• Committee recommendation: Conduct a fresh national survey to update the 2018 data and better target interventions.

Static linkage: Drug abuse, social welfare schemes (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Science and Technology (palaeontology)

Scientists discovered fossil remains of a new dinosaur species in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Named Tharosaurus indicus, the species is about 167 million years old.

• Classification: Tharosaurus is a sauropod dinosaur of the dicraeosaurid family. It is the first dicraeosaurid dinosaur found in India.
• Age: Dating to the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 167 million years ago.
• Location significance: Jaisalmer's geological formations preserve fossils of marine invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates. This find expands understanding of Gondwana-era biodiversity.
• Name origin: Named after the Thar Desert where it was found, and the suffix "-saurus" from the Greek for lizard. The species name indicus refers to India.

Static linkage: Fossil record, India's geological heritage (GS Paper 3).

• Rahul Gandhi conviction stay: The Supreme Court stayed the Surat sessions court conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case regarding the "Modi surname" remark. With the conviction stayed, the Lok Sabha disqualification that had been imposed under the Representation of People Act, 1951 became inoperative.
• OS Maya: The Ministry of Defence adopted OS Maya, an open-source operating system based on Ubuntu Linux, as a replacement for Microsoft Windows in Defence Ministry computers. The move aims to improve cybersecurity and reduce dependence on proprietary software.
• Omkareshwar Reservoir solar: A floating solar power project of 80 MW was tendered for the Omkareshwar reservoir in Madhya Pradesh. India's largest existing floating solar installation is 100 MW at NTPC Ramagundam, Telangana.