14 November 2023

• Environment: An OECD report projects a 50 per cent increase in plastic leakage into the environment by 2040 without policy action. 124 countries have signed a UN resolution for a legally binding plastics agreement.
• Governance: The Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2023 proposes to replace the Cable Television Networks Act 1995, extending regulation to OTT and digital platforms.
• Economy: India completed its first Financial Year 2024 issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds, financing solar and wind projects and lowering capital costs.
• Technology: India's first GPS ankle bracelet monitoring was used for a UAPA detainee in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Defence: The 4th edition of the EX-BONGOSAGAR bilateral naval exercise between India and Bangladesh was conducted in the northern Bay of Bengal.

GS area: Environment (Pollution, International Policy)

An OECD report titled "Towards Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040" found that 21 million tonnes of plastics leaked into the environment in 2022. Without policy action, this will increase by 50 per cent by 2040.

• Cost of action: coordinated global action would cost 0.5 per cent of global GDP. This could reduce plastic waste generation by a quarter below the business-as-usual baseline by 2040.
• International law context: 124 countries signed a UN resolution in 2022 launching negotiations for a legally binding international agreement to end plastic pollution. Negotiations were ongoing.
• Current measures: 68 countries have bans on plastic bags. India banned specific single-use plastics from July 2022.
• Plastic lifecycle problem: most plastic pollution analysis focuses on production. The OECD report emphasises that collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure deficits are the core gap.

Static linkage: Environment (Pollution, International Negotiations).

GS area: Governance (Media Regulation)

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting proposed the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2023 to replace the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995. The 1995 Act predates digital broadcasting, OTT services and streaming platforms.

• Coverage extension: the Bill covers Direct-to-Home (DTH), IPTV, OTT platforms (video-on-demand, streaming), and integrated broadcasting models.
• Content Evaluation Committees: industry bodies that self-certify content before broadcast. A departure from the current pre-certification model.
• Broadcast Advisory Council: a self-regulatory body operating over the Content Evaluation Committees.
• Penalties: linked to the entity's financial capacity rather than fixed amounts, creating proportionate deterrence.
• Why the 1995 Act is inadequate: it was designed for cable TV and cannot address internet-delivered content, algorithmic recommendation, user-generated content, or live streaming.

Static linkage: Governance (Media, Technology Policy).

GS area: Economy (Green Finance)

India completed its first Sovereign Green Bond issuance for Financial Year 2024. The five-year maturity bonds were auctioned successfully. Proceeds finance environmentally sustainable projects. India's first-ever green bond deal (FY2023) funded solar, wind and decentralised solar projects.

• Green bonds generally: debt instruments where proceeds are ring-fenced for climate or environmental projects. Lower capital costs compared to conventional bonds because of higher demand from ESG investors.
• Sovereign green bond advantage: government creditworthiness reduces the yield demanded by investors, making green project financing cheaper.
• SEBI framework: SEBI issued its Green Debt Securities framework in 2017 and has updated it to align with international green bond principles.

Static linkage: Economy (Green Finance, Environment).

GS area: Science and Technology (Governance, Criminal Justice)

India's first GPS ankle bracelet monitoring was used for a UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) detainee in Jammu and Kashmir. Prisoner Ghulam Mohammad Bhat became the first person in India to wear a GPS ankle device as a condition of bail.

• Device function: a small wearable ankle device transmitting real-time location. Tamper-proof with alarm activation upon tampering.
• International use: common in the USA, UK and Malaysia as an alternative to detention for bail conditions, house arrest and parole.
• India first: novel for India as of November 2023. Courts in Europe have used such devices to manage supervision of individuals charged under terror-related laws without prolonged pre-trial detention.
• UAPA context: the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act allows for long pre-trial detention. GPS monitoring as a bail condition offers an alternative that manages risk without indefinite detention.

Static linkage: Science and Technology (Governance, Criminal Justice).

GS area: International Relations (Defence)

The fourth edition of the India-Bangladesh bilateral naval exercise EX-BONGOSAGAR was conducted in the northern Bay of Bengal. The fifth Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) session was conducted concurrently.

• Indian Navy ships: INS Kuthar and INS Kiltan, with a Maritime Patrol Aircraft Dornier.
• Bangladesh Navy ships: BNS Abu Bakr and BNS Abu Ubaidah, with an MPA.
• New element: maiden Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) drills were incorporated for the first time.
• India's bilateral exercises: Indra (India-Russia), Yudh Abhyas (India-USA), Hand-in-Hand (India-China), Shakti (India-France) are the other key bilateral exercises to remember.
• Bay of Bengal significance: the northern Bay of Bengal is where several major South Asian rivers, including the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system, drain. Disaster response cooperation is essential.

Static linkage: International Relations (India-Bangladesh, Defence).

GS area: Geography (Geology)

Iceland recorded over 1,400 earthquakes in 24 hours and more than 24,000 earthquakes in the Reykjanes Peninsula since late October 2023. The Fagradalsfjall volcano, which had been dormant for 800 years before erupting from 2021 to 2023, was showing renewed magma activity.

• Geological location: Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Iceland is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth because this divergent plate boundary sits over a hotspot.
• Fagradalsfjall: described as the "world's newest baby volcano." Its series of eruptions attracted global scientific attention as a rare example of an accessible eruption from a long-dormant system.
• Earthquake swarms: clusters of many earthquakes in the same location over a short period, often precursors to volcanic activity as magma moves through the crust.

Static linkage: World Geography (Geology, Volcanology).

• Tamil Nadu women in manufacturing: Tamil Nadu employs 43 per cent of India's manufacturing women workforce. Companies like Titan, Ola and Ashok Leyland have built women-first production lines by providing competitive wages, safe transport, maternity leave and creches. Ashok Leyland's first all-women production line has 80 skilled women workers.
• Cloud seeding: researchers proposed cirrus cloud thinning and sulphate aerosol injection as potential geoengineering interventions to reduce global warming. Cloud seeding for artificial rain uses silver iodide particles. Geoengineering remains controversial as it does not address root causes of emissions.