26 January 2024

• Republic Day: India celebrated the 75th Republic Day. French President Emmanuel Macron was the Chief Guest, the sixth French leader to hold that honour.
• Direct tax: India's direct tax to GDP ratio reached a 15-year high of 6.11 per cent in FY 2022-23.
• INA tribute: Republic Day coverage highlighted the Indian National Army's role in the freedom struggle, particularly the Battle of Kohima.
• Recycling: India targets 50 per cent of its steel production from scrap by 2047; the current share is 30-35 per cent.

GS area: Polity, International Relations

India celebrated its 75th Republic Day on 26 January 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron was the Chief Guest.

• Significance of French presence: India and France have a Strategic Partnership since 1998. This was the sixth time a French leader attended as Chief Guest, the most by any country. Defence ties (Rafale jets, submarine collaboration, space) anchor the partnership.
• Theme: "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India) and "Bharat: Loktantra ki Matruka" (India: Mother of Democracy).
• French military participation: a 95-member French marching contingent and a 30-member band took part. Two Rafale fighters and an Airbus A330 MRTT of the French Air Force flew in the flypast.
• Republic Day significance: 26 January 1950 is when the Constitution of India came into force, completing the transition from a British dominion to a sovereign republic.
• Custom: the Chief Guest of the Republic Day parade is traditionally the head of state or government of a country with which India seeks to signal a strategic relationship.

Static linkage: Constitution Day, India's foreign policy, Republic Day.

GS area: Modern Indian History

Republic Day coverage highlighted the INA's role in India's freedom struggle.

• INA founding: originally formed by Mohan Singh in 1942. Revived and expanded by Subhas Chandra Bose after he reached South-East Asia in 1943.
• Expansion to 40,000: Bose built the INA into a 40,000-strong force from Indian prisoners of war and the Indian diaspora in South-East Asia.
• Brigades: Gandhi, Nehru, Azad, Subhash, and Rani Jhansi (women's wing, led by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal).
• Battle of Kohima (1944): the INA crossed the Burma border onto Indian soil and hoisted the Indian flag at Moirang in Manipur. The Kohima battle was the turning point; INA forces were pushed back.
• INA trials (1945-46): the British court-martialled INA officers at Red Fort. The trials sparked mass protests and are credited with accelerating the end of British rule.

Static linkage: modern Indian history, freedom struggle.

GS area: Economy (taxation)

India's direct tax to GDP ratio reached 6.11 per cent in FY 2022-23, the highest in 15 years. Direct taxes account for over 54 per cent of total tax collection.

• Context: tax buoyancy (the ratio of tax revenue growth to GDP growth) decreased from 2.52 to 1.18 year on year, meaning taxes grew slower than GDP.
• India vs OECD: India's direct tax ratio remains far below the OECD average of 30-plus per cent, reflecting the large informal economy where incomes are not captured in tax records.
• Direct vs indirect taxes: direct taxes (income tax, corporate tax) fall on income; indirect taxes (GST, customs) fall on consumption. A higher direct-to-indirect ratio is generally seen as more progressive.

Static linkage: taxation, fiscal policy, economic data.

GS area: Economy, Environment (circular economy)

India set a target of raising the share of recycled scrap steel in total steel production to 50 per cent by 2047. The current share is 30-35 per cent.

• Why scrap steel matters: producing steel from scrap (via the Electric Arc Furnace route) uses far less energy and emits far less CO2 than producing primary steel from iron ore in blast furnaces.
• National Steel Policy 2017: sets a target of 35-40 per cent steel from the EAF route.
• Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019: creates a framework for collection, processing, and trading of scrap.
• India's steel position: India is the world's second-largest producer of steel. The sector contributes about 12 per cent of India's CO2 emissions.

Static linkage: steel sector, circular economy, climate targets.

• Lake Victoria restoration: international discussions continued on reversing environmental degradation at Lake Victoria, shared by Uganda (43 per cent), Tanzania (51 per cent), and Kenya (6 per cent). It is Africa's largest freshwater lake and the world's second-largest at 59,947 sq km. About 45 million people depend on it.
• Nitrogen gas execution in Alabama: Alabama became the first US state to execute a prisoner using nitrogen asphyxiation, in which pure nitrogen displaces oxygen. The method is controversial; international bodies called it a potential human rights violation.