12 March 2024

• Economy: MoSPI released February 2024 CPI data. Headline retail inflation came in at 5.09 per cent, down from 5.69 per cent in January 2024, driven by a moderation in food prices.
• Defence: Mission Divyastra's Agni-5 MIRV test dominated defence commentary. DRDO's indigenous achievement drew attention to India's evolving nuclear triad.
• Environment: The Golden Langur population in India was placed at 7,396, limited to a narrow habitat band in Assam bounded by the Manas River and the Sankosh River.
• Infrastructure: The Sela Tunnel inauguration continued to draw strategic commentary on Arunachal Pradesh connectivity.

GS area: Economy (monetary policy, data)

MoSPI released the Consumer Price Index data for February 2024 on 12 March. Key figures:

• Headline CPI: 5.09 per cent year-on-year, down from 5.69 per cent in January 2024.
• Food inflation: 8.66 per cent, easing from 8.70 per cent in January 2024.
• Core inflation (excluding food and fuel): approximately 3.4 per cent, the lowest in several years, indicating that broad price pressures were contained.

Institutions to get right:

• CPI data: compiled and released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Not the RBI.
• RBI's role: uses CPI as its target variable. The statutory target is 4 per cent with a tolerance band of plus or minus 2 percentage points under the Flexible Inflation Targeting framework.
• MPC's reaction: with headline CPI still above 4 per cent, the MPC maintained its "withdrawal of accommodation" stance and repo rate at 6.5 per cent.

Static linkage: Economy (monetary policy, price statistics).

GS area: Geography, Internal security, Economy

A new Integrated Check Post and Land Port became operational at Sabroom in Tripura's southernmost district. Key facts:

• Location: Tripura's southernmost tip, bordering Bangladesh. Maitree Bridge on the River Feni connects Sabroom to Bangladesh.
• Significance: provides access to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh, which is significantly closer to Tripura than the ports of West Bengal or Kolkata, potentially cutting logistics costs for landlocked Northeast India dramatically.
• Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI): the statutory body managing India's land ports, established under the Land Ports Authority of India Act 2010 under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• India's land ports: India now has 12 operational land ports after Sabroom. These span the borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.

Static linkage: Geography (Northeast India, Bangladesh connectivity), economy (trade).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity)

The Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei) population in India is estimated at 7,396 individuals, confined to a narrow strip in Assam. Key facts:

• Alternate name: Golden leaf monkey.
• Range: bounded by the Bhutan foothills to the north, the Manas River to the west, the Sankosh River to the east and the Brahmaputra River to the south. Also found in southern Bhutan.
• Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List); listed in Appendix I of CITES (no commercial trade).
• Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act 1972: the highest level of protection under domestic law.

Static linkage: Environment (primates, Northeast India biodiversity).

GS area: Science and Technology

India's fastest indigenously designed IP/MPLS router was launched. Technical details:

• Capacity: 2.4 Terabits per second (TBPS).
• Technology: Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) routes network packets using short path labels rather than long network addresses, reducing processing time and improving speed.
• Significance: reduces India's dependence on imported core network equipment, a strategic concern given that routers and switches can be backdoored.

Static linkage: Science and technology (telecommunications).

GS area: Health, Science and Technology

European countries reported an uptick in psittacosis cases. India's preparedness angle:

• Causative agent: Chlamydia psittaci, a bacterium (not a virus).
• Transmission: inhalation of dust from dried bird droppings or feathers. Primary hosts include parrots, pigeons and poultry.
• Symptoms: fever, headache, muscle pain, coughing, respiratory difficulty.
• Treatment: doxycycline or tetracycline antibiotics.
• It is zoonotic: meaning it spreads from animals to humans.

Static linkage: Health (zoonotic diseases, one health).

• Gorsam Kora Festival: held in Zemithang valley, Arunachal Pradesh. Celebrates India-Bhutan Buddhist cultural heritage. Centred on a 13th-century, 93-foot Gorsam Chorten stupa. Of historical note: the 14th Dalai Lama passed through this valley in 1959 while seeking refuge in India.
• Zero Food Children: defined as infants aged 6-23 months who consumed no substantial calorific food in the previous 24 hours. India has over 6 million such children, with the highest concentration in Uttar Pradesh. India ranks third globally on this metric.