6 January 2024

• Polity: 17 new GI tags were awarded across Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, J&K, and Gujarat.
• Governance: new rules for Registered Unrecognised Political Parties took effect from 11 January, requiring audited accounts and expenditure statements.
• Finance: Aadhaar Enabled Payment System frauds accounted for 11 per cent of cyber financial fraud complaints in 2023, with Bihar and Jharkhand as hotspots.
• Environment: Indore, Bhopal, and Udaipur became India's first cities nominated for the Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation.
• Infrastructure: the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, connecting Tawang, was reported as the world's longest bi-lane tunnel above 13,000 feet.

GS area: Environment, Governance

India nominated Indore, Bhopal, and Udaipur for the Wetland City Accreditation framework of the Ramsar Convention, becoming the first Indian cities to enter the process.

• Ramsar Convention: an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. India has 75 Ramsar sites as of 2023. Tamil Nadu has the highest number at 14. The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest at about 11,000 sq km.
• Wetland City Accreditation: established at Ramsar COP12 in 2015. Cities with Ramsar-listed wetlands within or adjacent to them can apply. Accreditation is valid for six years.
• City-site links: Indore is linked to the Sirpur Wetland and Yashwant Sagar; Bhopal to the Bhoj Wetland; Udaipur to Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.

Static linkage: wetlands, Ramsar Convention, biodiversity.

GS area: Art and Culture, Economy

The government awarded 17 new Geographical Indication tags in January 2024.

GI protection lasts for 10 years and is renewable. In India it is governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, administered by the Registrar of Geographical Indications under DPIIT.

Static linkage: GI tags, traditional industries, art and craft.

GS area: Governance, Economy (digital payments security)

Data showed that the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System accounted for 11 per cent of cyber financial fraud complaints in 2023. Bihar and Jharkhand were identified as hotspots.

• AePS: the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System allows customers to perform basic banking transactions using Aadhaar authentication at a point-of-sale terminal. It is administered by the National Payments Corporation of India.
• Fraud types: criminals clone biometric data (fingerprint and iris) from ration shop registers and use them to authorise fraudulent withdrawals.
• Preventive measures: the Aadhaar Lock feature allows users to lock biometric use. UIDAI has also worked on biometric redaction amendments to reduce misuse.

Static linkage: digital payments, cyber security, Aadhaar governance.

GS area: Infrastructure, Internal Security (border connectivity)

The Sela Tunnel, being constructed below the Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, is reported to be the world's longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude above 13,000 feet. It will provide all-weather road connectivity to Tawang.

• Strategic importance: Tawang district borders China and Bhutan. Connectivity to the town is currently disrupted by snow for several months each year. The tunnel bypasses the Sela Pass at 4,200 metres.
• Builder: the Border Roads Organisation, under the Ministry of Defence.
• Technology: CSIR-CRRI developed a bio-oil-based asphalt modifier called Rejupave for road construction in sub-zero, high-altitude conditions. It was applied on roads near the tunnel and the LAC.

Static linkage: border infrastructure, BRO, India-China relations.

• Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs): new Election Commission rules effective 11 January 2024 required RUPPs to submit audited accounts for the last three years, expenditure statements for the last two elections, and appoint an authorised signatory for symbol allocation. Only 30 per cent of RUPPs participated in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: the Global Nuclear Order came under renewed discussion as nine nuclear-armed states modernised arsenals. Globally approximately 12,512 warheads exist; Russia and the US hold about 90 per cent. India holds a no-first-use doctrine, adopted formally in 2003, and has not signed the NPT or CTBT.