19 September 2023

• Polity: The Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19 September, the first day proceedings were held in the new Parliament building.
• History: 75th anniversary of Operation Polo, the Indian Army's 1948 police action that integrated Hyderabad State into the Indian Union.
• Environment: Three Hoysala temples and Santiniketan confirmed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
• Science: Pralay ballistic missile and Dhanush artillery gun in the news as defence indigenous items.

GS area: Polity (Parliament, gender, constitutional amendment)

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, formally named the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19 September 2023. The introduction came on the first day of proceedings in the new Parliament building.

• What the Bill does: amends the Constitution to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, all State Legislative Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women.
• Sub-reservation: the one-third includes a proportionate sub-reservation for SC and ST women within their existing reserved constituencies.
• Articles inserted: Article 330A (Lok Sabha reservation) and Article 332A (state assembly reservation) were inserted.
• Anglo-Indian reservation removed: the Bill also removed the provision for nominated Anglo-Indian members in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies (Articles 331 and 333). That provision had lapsed in 2020 when Parliament did not renew it.
• When it takes effect: the reservation will operate only after the next census (expected 2024-25) is conducted and a delimitation exercise is completed. This created political controversy, as opponents argued the government was deferring implementation.
• Historical context: the Women's Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996 under H D Deve Gowda's government. It lapsed repeatedly over six Parliaments before this passage.

Static linkage: polity (Parliament, constitutional amendment, gender representation).

GS area: History (post-Independence, Hyderabad)

19 September 2023 marked the 75th anniversary of the completion of Operation Polo (13-18 September 1948), the Indian Army police action against the Nizam of Hyderabad.

• Background: the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, refused to accede to India after Independence in August 1947. Hyderabad was a large princely state surrounded by Indian territory.
• Standstill Agreement: India and Hyderabad signed a Standstill Agreement in November 1947 to maintain existing arrangements while negotiations continued. The Nizam sought to delay accession or gain independence.
• Razakars: a paramilitary force of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen that carried out communal violence against Hindus in Hyderabad State and resisted integration.
• Operation Polo: the Indian Army under General J N Chaudhuri entered Hyderabad on 13 September 1948. The Nizam surrendered in five days. The code name "Polo" came from the fact that Hyderabad had the largest number of polo grounds in the world.
• Outcome: Hyderabad was merged into India. It remained a state before the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 divided it into three: Andhra Pradesh (Telugu-speaking areas), Karnataka (Kannada-speaking) and Maharashtra (Marathi-speaking). Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

Static linkage: history (post-Independence, integration of princely states).

GS area: International Relations, Geography

The concept of the Global North-South divide was discussed in the context of India's G20 presidency positioning. The Brandt Line is a visual representation of this divide.

• Brandt Line: drawn by the Brandt Commission (1980 report titled "North-South: A Programme for Survival") to illustrate the economic divide between developed Northern nations and developing Southern ones. The line runs roughly at 30 degrees north latitude but bends below Australia and New Zealand.
• Criticism: the line is over 40 years old. China's rise, India's growth and other changes mean the economic geography no longer maps neatly onto the line. The concept of "Global South" is now used more loosely to denote developing and emerging economies.
• India's positioning: India used its G20 presidency to brand itself as a Global South voice, organising the Voice of the Global South Summit in January 2023 before the G20 cycle.

Static linkage: international relations (Global South), world geography (development).

GS area: Economy (food, inflation)

India's food inflation remained elevated through September 2023, driven by tomato, onion and pulse prices. The government deployed several stabilisation measures.

• Tomato prices: reached over 250 rupees per kilogram in July-August 2023 before correcting. The spike was caused by unseasonal rains damaging crops in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• Onion export ban: the government banned onion exports in August 2023 to prevent domestic prices from rising. India exports about 5-6 million tonnes of onions annually.
• Price Stabilisation Fund: a government mechanism to procure and release onion and pulse stocks to moderate retail prices. The National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) was activated to procure stocks.
• Dal (pulses) prices: tur dal prices were elevated due to lower kharif production. The government released buffer stocks and removed import duties on tur and urad dal.
• CPI food weight: food and beverages constitute approximately 46 per cent of India's Consumer Price Index basket.

Static linkage: economy (food inflation, price stabilisation), agriculture.

GS area: Economy (fiscal policy, pensions), Governance

The Reserve Bank of India cautioned state governments against reverting to the Old Pension Scheme from the National Pension System, calling it "fiscally unsustainable."

• NPS: the National Pension System was introduced for central government employees joining from January 2004. It replaced the defined-benefit Old Pension Scheme with a defined-contribution system where the employee and government both contribute to a corpus invested in markets.
• OPS: the old scheme guaranteed 50 per cent of last drawn salary as a monthly pension for life. The government bore the entire risk. Pensions have no upper cap and grow with dearness allowance.
• Reversion demand: several states (Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab) reverted to OPS to win elections. The employees' unions had lobbied for it.
• RBI concern: the actuarial liability of OPS is estimated to increase state pension outgo significantly over the next 20 years, crowding out development spending.
• Centre vs states: pensions is a state subject. The Centre cannot compel states to stay on NPS.

Static linkage: economy (fiscal policy, pensions), governance (state finances).

• Phosphorus shortage: a geopolitical concern given that phosphate rock reserves are concentrated in Morocco, China and a few other countries. Phosphorus is irreplaceable in fertilisers and cannot be produced synthetically. India imports most of its phosphate.
• Hydrological geography: the Cauvery Water Management Authority met amid a distress-sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The CWMA was established per a 2018 Supreme Court direction to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's 2007 award.
• Pralay missile export: India was reported to be in advanced discussions with several countries about exporting the Pralay quasi-ballistic missile, which would be India's first export of this category.