3 September 2023

• Space: Aditya-L1, launched the previous day, began its journey out of Earth's gravitational influence toward the L1 point.
• Economy: Global Biofuels Alliance details were formalised ahead of the G20 summit, with India positioning itself as the host and a key proponent.
• Environment: India's rice export restriction measures were tightened: a ban on non-basmati white rice exports remained in force alongside the 20 per cent parboiled rice duty.
• Polity: Discussion continued on the Kovind Committee's terms of reference for simultaneous elections.

GS area: Economy (energy), International Relations

India finalised the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) at the G20 leaders' summit on 9-10 September 2023. The GBA was one of the signature outcomes India sought under its G20 presidency.

• Purpose: to accelerate adoption of sustainable biofuels by facilitating technology transfer, policy guidance and capacity building among member nations.
• Founding members: India, the United States and Brazil are the principal founders. Brazil produces more than 40 per cent of the world's ethanol, the US produces about 40 per cent, and India is the third-largest producer.
• India's ethanol blending programme: India has blended ethanol in petrol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol programme and set a target of 20 per cent blending by 2025.
• Biofuels and SDGs: the alliance frames biofuels as a pathway to Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) and Goal 13 (climate action). The criticism is that biofuels compete with food crops for land and water.
• Secretariat: to be hosted in India.

Static linkage: energy (biofuels, ethanol blending), international organisations (G20).

GS area: Economy (agriculture, trade)

India maintained its ban on non-basmati white rice exports and the 20 per cent export duty on parboiled rice. The restrictions began in July and August 2023 as domestic food security concerns grew.

• India's position: the world's largest rice exporter with approximately 45 per cent of global rice trade. Any Indian export restriction triggers significant price movements in global markets.
• Reasons cited: a 14 per cent decline in kharif rice production in Rabi 2022-23, rising domestic inflation, the depletion of buffer stocks beyond norms, and the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana free grain scheme.
• PMGKAY: provides five kg of free grain per person per month to roughly 800 million beneficiaries. Maintaining this required tighter control over domestic supply.
• Global impact: the restrictions raised rice prices in West Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, which rely heavily on Indian rice exports.
• Enforcement challenge: misclassification of non-basmati white rice as parboiled rice to circumvent the duty was flagged as a compliance problem.

Static linkage: agriculture (food security), trade policy, schemes (PMGKAY).

GS area: Science and Technology (space)

Following the 2 September launch, Aditya-L1 was in an Earth-bound manoeuvre phase. ISRO planned four orbit-raising manoeuvres around Earth before the trans-Lagrangian injection.

• Earth-bound phase: the spacecraft was placed in an elliptical orbit around Earth initially. A series of apogee burns raise the orbit progressively. This is the same technique used for Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter missions.
• Transfer duration: the journey to L1 takes approximately 125 days after the final Earth escape burn. Arrival was expected in early January 2024.
• Why not a direct trajectory: a direct transfer would require more fuel. The phased approach uses Earth's gravity to progressively boost the spacecraft, saving propellant for the halo orbit insertion.
• Scientific advantage at L1: uninterrupted solar observation means no 90-minute day-night cycle interruption that low Earth orbit satellites face.

Static linkage: science and technology (space science, ISRO missions).

GS area: Geography (geomorphology, plate tectonics)

A major earthquake struck Morocco on 8 September 2023. However, the geological setting was already in national discussion by early September. The Atlas Mountains are part of the Alpine orogenic belt formed by the convergence of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.

• Atlas Mountains: a fold mountain range across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The High Atlas peaks exceed 4,000 metres.
• Plate boundary: the Eurasian-African plate convergence runs roughly east-west through the Mediterranean and North Africa. This is the same tectonic setting that created the Alps and the Himalayas.
• Shallow earthquakes: earthquakes at depths below 70 km are classified as shallow. Shallow quakes transmit more energy to the surface and are more destructive for a given magnitude.

Static linkage: physical geography (plate tectonics), world geography (North Africa).

GS area: Polity (Parliament)

The government announced a special session of Parliament for 18 to 22 September 2023. The term "special session" is not defined in the Constitution. Its legal basis matters for prelims.

• Constitutional provision: Article 85 empowers the President to summon each House of Parliament at such times as deemed fit, with no more than six months between two sessions. There is no definition of "special," "budget" or "winter" session in the text.
• Sessions vs. sittings: a session is the period between summons and prorogation. Within a session, each sitting is a day's proceedings. Parliament can be adjourned to a later date without ending the session.
• Historical use: special sessions have been called to pass specific legislation (Goods and Services Tax in 2017), to mark milestones, and for addresses.
• The 2023 special session: was announced to mark the 75th anniversary of India's Parliament. The new Parliament building had been inaugurated in May 2023 and this session was slated to begin proceedings there.

Static linkage: Parliament and state legislatures (Polity), constitutional provisions.

• Onam: the harvest festival of Kerala was observed across the state and by the Kerala diaspora. Onam celebrates the legendary return of King Mahabali to his kingdom. The festival is tied to the month of Chingam in the Malayalam calendar and marks the peak of the kharif harvest in Kerala.
• Logistical performance: India ranked 38th out of 139 countries in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index 2023, up from 44th in 2018. Logistics costs in India stand at 13-14 per cent of GDP against 8 per cent in developed economies. The government targets 8 per cent by 2030.
• LIGO-India: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory's Indian site in Hingoli district, Maharashtra continued construction monitoring. LIGO first detected gravitational waves in 2015.