26 February 2024

• Polity: Law Ministry endorsed regional Supreme Court benches; 80,000 cases pending.
• Culture: Two Badami Chalukya temples found on Krishna River banks in Andhra Pradesh (1,300-1,500 years old).
• Environment: Indian gharial spotted in Greater Kaziranga; Guinea Worm disease down to only 6 global cases in 2023.
• Health: Kala azar elimination target met in India; India set to pursue three-year sustenance for WHO certification.

GS area: Economy (Cooperatives, Agriculture), Polity (Constitutional Provisions)

The Prime Minister inaugurated several cooperative sector initiatives:

• Grain storage in PACS: Pilot project to build grain silos within 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across 11 states. PACS are the grassroots-level cooperative societies that provide short-term agricultural credit to farmers.
• Computerisation of 18,000 PACS: Digital records for transactions, loans, and member data.
• Why cooperatives matter: India has over 8 lakh cooperatives of various types (credit, dairy, fishery, housing, marketing). They serve approximately 30 crore members.
• Constitutional provisions:
  • 97th Constitutional Amendment 2011: Inserted Article 43-B (DPSP directing state support for cooperatives) and Part IX-B (Articles 243-ZH to 243-ZT) providing a constitutional framework for cooperative societies.
  • Article 19(1)(c): Guarantees the right to form associations, which includes cooperatives.
• Multi-State Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill 2022: Strengthened Central Registrar's oversight powers for cooperatives operating in more than one state.
• Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation was newly created in 2021.

Static linkage: Economy (cooperatives, PACS, agriculture), Polity (97th Amendment, Articles 43-B and 243-ZH to ZT).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture, Fertilisers)

The government permitted sugar mills to sell Potash Derived from Molasses (PDM) to fertiliser companies.

• What PDM is: A by-product of molasses (the thick liquid residue from sugar refining). When molasses is processed to extract ethanol, the residue contains potassium (approximately 5 per cent potash content).
• Price: PDM priced at approximately 4,263 rupees per tonne.
• Potential supply: An estimated 10 to 12 lakh metric tonnes over three years from existing sugar mill capacity.
• Why it matters: India imports virtually all of its potash requirements (KCl) for use as a fertiliser. Potash is classified as a strategic mineral because known reserves are concentrated in Canada, Russia, and Belarus. PDM provides a domestic, renewable source of potash.
• Molasses-ethanol-PDM chain: The ethanol blending programme (currently targeting E20 by 2025) increases molasses-to-ethanol processing, which creates more PDM as a by-product.

Static linkage: Economy (fertiliser policy, import dependence, ethanol blending, sugar industry).

GS area: Geography (World Physical Geography)

Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, USA, hosted a temporary lake for approximately six months after elevated precipitation since August 2023.

• Location: Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 86 metres (282 feet) below sea level.
• Normal state: An extremely arid salt flat surrounded by salt flats and ephemeral pools. The basin receives less than 50 mm of rain annually.
• 2023 event: Unusually heavy rain from a series of storms filled the basin with a shallow lake. This is a rare but not unprecedented event.
• Name origin: The name refers to the undrinkable, brackish water of the small pool that persists year-round at the site.
• UPSC relevance: Badwater Basin is a standard comparison for North America's lowest geographic point (often compared with the Dead Sea at about 430 metres below sea level as the world's lowest point).

Static linkage: Geography (physical geography, lake formation, North America's lowest point).

GS area: Science and Technology (Disease Eradication, Public Health)

Global Guinea Worm disease (dracunculiasis) was at its lowest-ever recorded level with only 6 human cases in 2023.

• Causative agent: Dracunculus medinensis, a parasitic worm. Humans are infected by drinking water containing infected water fleas (copepods) that carry the larvae. The worm grows inside the body for about a year and then slowly emerges through the skin over weeks.
• Vector: The disease has no effective medicine or vaccine. Control depends entirely on preventing infection through water filtration, water treatment with temephos (an insecticide), case containment, and community education.
• India's elimination: India successfully eliminated Guinea Worm disease in the late 1990s through water safety programmes.
• Remaining cases: The few remaining cases in 2023 were in Chad, Cameroon, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. Animal reservoirs in dogs, baboons, and other animals have complicated final eradication.
• Carter Center role: The Carter Center, founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, has led the global eradication campaign since 1986.

Static linkage: Science and Technology (disease eradication, parasitic diseases, public health), Governance (India's disease elimination success).

GS area: History (Medieval India, Archaeology)

Two ancient temples were discovered in Mudimanikyam village on the Krishna River banks in Andhra Pradesh, identified as 1,300 to 1,500 years old (Badami Chalukya era).

• Architectural style: Vesara style, blending Nagara (North Indian) and Dravidian (South Indian) elements. The Badami Chalukyas pioneered this hybrid style.
• Badami Chalukyas: Ruled from Badami (Vatapi) in Karnataka from approximately 543 CE. Their architectural legacy includes the cave temples at Badami, Aihole (the "cradle of Hindu temple architecture"), and Pattadakal (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Krishna River: One of India's major peninsular rivers; originates in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and flows through Karnataka before entering Andhra Pradesh and emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Static linkage: History (Chalukya architecture, Deccan), Geography (Krishna River basin).

• Makha Bucha Buddhist holiday: Thailand observed Makha Bucha, commemorating the assembly of 1,250 enlightened monks who gathered spontaneously to hear the Buddha. It is a public holiday in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. About 100,000 devotees gathered in Bangkok for the 2024 celebration.
• Guinea Worm disease eradication campaign: The Carter Center began the eradication drive in 1986 when there were 3.5 million annual cases. The reduction to 6 cases in 2023 is one of public health's most remarkable achievements. If eradicated, Guinea Worm would be only the second human disease eradicated after smallpox (1980).