20 January 2024

• Economy: the Competition Commission of India's role in digital markets came under scrutiny following the Competition Amendment Bill 2022.
• Agriculture: yellow rust disease threatened wheat crops in North India due to favourable wet and warm conditions.
• Technology: INSAT satellites including the planned INSAT 3DS were highlighted for their role in fog and weather analysis.
• Governance: coaching centre guidelines took effect as suicide rates among students in coaching hubs remained a concern.

GS area: Economy, Governance (statutory bodies)

The Competition Commission of India's limitations in addressing competition in digital markets came into focus as the Competition Amendment Bill 2022 was assessed.

• CCI: a statutory body established in 2009 under the Competition Act, 2002. It operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Mandate: prevent anti-competitive practices, regulate mergers and acquisitions that could harm market competition, and undertake competition advocacy.
• Notable actions: imposed Rs 522 million penalty on BCCI for abuse of dominant position; fined 11 cement companies Rs 63.07 billion for cartelisation (2012); ordered investigation against Google for Android abuse.
• Digital gap: the Competition Amendment Bill 2022 improved transparency and enforcement but critics argue it does not adequately address market concentration by large digital platforms.
• Concept of dominance: a firm is dominant when it can act independently of competitive forces. Digital platforms achieve dominance through network effects and data advantage.

Static linkage: competition law, regulatory bodies, digital economy.

GS area: Economy, Agriculture

Favourable conditions in January 2024, including recent rainfall, temperature rise, and humidity, created a risk of yellow rust disease spreading across wheat crops in North India and the Himalayan foothills.

• Yellow rust (stripe rust): a fungal disease caused by Puccinia striiformis. It creates yellow stripes on wheat leaves and reduces photosynthesis and grain size, lowering yield.
• Preferred conditions: cool and wet weather, which January conditions in North India can occasionally provide.
• Distribution: prevalent in northern hill zones and north-western plains.
• Management: application of Propiconazole or Tebuconazole fungicides at the first sign of infection. Alternate fungicides if resistance develops.
• ICAR advisory: farmers were advised to monitor fields and apply preventive treatment.

Static linkage: agriculture, crop diseases, food security.

GS area: Science and Technology (space, meteorology)

India's INSAT geostationary satellites play a key role in monitoring fog formation over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a significant winter disruption to transport.

• INSAT 3D and 3DR: operational satellites at 82° East and 74° East longitudes. Use RGB imaging to distinguish fog from cloud, snow, and bare land using solar reflectance and brightness temperature.
• Day microphysics and night microphysics: the two imaging modes allow 24-hour fog tracking.
• INSAT 3DS: the next generation geostationary weather satellite, scheduled for launch in February 2024. It carries upgraded imager and sounder payloads.
• Kalpana-1: India's first dedicated meteorological satellite, operational from 2002 to 2017.

Static linkage: space technology, meteorology, geostationary orbit.

GS area: Environment, Economy (sustainable industry)

Bamboo composites were highlighted as an eco-friendly industrial material, with applications in construction and furniture.

• Process: bamboo is cut, split, chemically treated, and converted into fibre, then compacted under heat and pressure into composite panels.
• Bamboo advantages: matures in 3-4 years (compared with 20-30 years for timber trees). Sequesters carbon faster than most trees.
• Applications: panel boards, beams, pillars, and doors. The resulting material has properties comparable to teak.
• Relevance: India is the second-largest producer of bamboo globally. The National Bamboo Mission promotes value-added uses.

Static linkage: environment, sustainable materials, livelihoods.

• Chancay Port, Peru: a $3 billion deep-water port project in Peru, with majority Chinese ownership through Cosco Shipping, was highlighted as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The port provides China direct access to resource-rich South America and a strategic foothold in the Pacific.
• Traditional buffalo fight (Moh-Juj), Assam: Assam revived the traditional buffalo fighting practice at Ahatguri, Nagaon district, during Magh Bihu after a nine-year ban following a 2014 Supreme Court ruling. The wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.