10 April 2024

• Society: India's Total Fertility Rate dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 and is projected to fall to 1.29 by 2050.
• Energy: India ranked third globally in solar energy generation in 2023, overtaking Japan.
• Economy: Banks' credit-deposit ratio hits a 20-year high near 80 per cent.
• Science: Peter Higgs, who predicted the Higgs boson, passes away at 94.
• International Relations: Israel deploys the C-Dome naval variant of the Iron Dome against aerial threats near Eilat.

GS area: Society, Population (GS Paper 1)

India's Total Fertility Rate fell from 6.2 in 1950 to below 2.0 in 2021. UN projections put it at 1.29 by 2050 and 1.04 by 2100.

Key facts:

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): The average number of children a woman is expected to bear over her lifetime. A TFR of 2.1 is the replacement level at which population holds steady.
• Current India TFR: About 2.0 overall. Southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala have TFRs between 1.5 and 1.7.
• Global context: Global fertility has dropped approximately 50 per cent in 70 years. The UN projects world population at 10.9 billion by 2100.
• India's youth buffer: India will avoid population decline for 30 to 40 years because of its large current youth cohort (population momentum).
• Government programmes:
  • Mission Parivar Vikas (2017): Targets 146 high-fertility districts.
  • National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (2005).
  • Compensation Scheme for Sterilization Acceptors (2014).
• Risks of a declining TFR:
  • Shrinking working-age population (already visible in Kerala and Tamil Nadu).
  • Rising elderly dependency ratio.
  • Pressure on pension and healthcare systems.
  • North-South political tension over parliamentary delimitation (southern states fear losing seats as their populations stabilise while northern states grow).
• Positive effects: Lower dependency ratio boosts savings, investment, and productivity during the demographic dividend window.

Static linkage: population, Indian society, welfare schemes.

GS area: Energy, Environment

India generated enough solar electricity in 2023 to rank third globally, surpassing Japan and trailing only China and the United States.

Key facts:

• India's solar capacity: India is the fifth-largest solar market by installed capacity globally. Japan ranks third by capacity at 83 GW.
• Share of global solar growth: India contributed 5.9 per cent of global solar generation growth in 2023.
• Global milestone: Renewables reached 30 per cent of global electricity generation for the first time in 2023.
• India's renewable targets:
  • 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030 (revised from 450 GW).
  • 50 per cent electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
  • Net-zero by 2070.
• Current share: Solar and wind together will account for 51 per cent of India's generation capacity and 31 per cent of actual power output by 2030 at current trajectory.

Static linkage: energy policy, climate change, India's global rankings.

GS area: Economy (banking)

India's scheduled commercial banks show a credit-deposit ratio near 80 per cent, the highest in roughly two decades.

Key facts:

• Why it matters: Banks lend from deposits. A CD ratio of 80 per cent means 80 paise of every rupee deposited has been lent out. At this level, banks have limited buffer for unexpected withdrawal demands.
• Cause: Credit grew at 20.2 per cent while deposit growth lagged at 13.5 per cent in FY 2023-24. Household savings are moving from bank deposits to equity markets and mutual funds.
• RBI concern: The RBI has asked banks to mobilise deposits aggressively and reduce reliance on short-term wholesale funding.
• Implication for interest rates: Competition for deposits pushes banks to raise fixed deposit rates, which eventually transmits to higher lending rates.

Static linkage: banking sector, monetary policy, financial stability.

GS area: Internal Security, Science and Technology

Israel deployed C-Dome, the naval version of the Iron Dome, near Eilat to intercept aerial threats.

Key facts:

• C-Dome design: A ship-mounted radar and missile interception system. Uses TAMIR interceptors and a vertical-launch unit with 360-degree coverage.
• Sa'ar 6-class corvettes: German-made warships on which C-Dome reached full operational status in November 2022.
• Iron Dome: Israel's land-based short-range air defence system, designed to intercept rockets, artillery shells, and mortar bombs fired from up to 70 km.
• Context (April 2024): Following Iran's unprecedented direct drone and missile attack on Israel on 13-14 April 2024, naval air defence took on new salience.
• India relevance: India is studying layered air defence systems for its naval fleet. The Barak-8 (co-developed with Israel) is already on Indian Navy ships.

Static linkage: defence technology, Israel, India-Israel relations.

GS area: International Relations

The UN Security Council referred Palestine's full membership application to its Committee on Admission of New Members.

Key facts:

• Membership requirements: A recommendation from the Security Council (9 of 15 votes, no P5 veto) followed by approval by a two-thirds General Assembly majority.
• P5 veto risk: The United States has previously vetoed similar bids.
• Palestine's current status: Non-member observer state since 2012, a status that allows participation in General Assembly debates but no voting rights.
• PLO recognition: India recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1975 and was the first non-Arab country to recognise Palestinian statehood in 1988.
• India's position: India supports a negotiated two-state solution and Palestinian statehood aspirations.

Static linkage: United Nations, India's foreign policy, Middle East.

GS area: International Relations, Science and Technology

A drone attack struck the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine three times. The IAEA confirmed nuclear safety was maintained.

Key facts:

• Location: Southeast Ukraine on the Dnipro River.
• Scale: Europe's largest nuclear power plant, with six reactors.
• Reactor type: VVER-1000 (a Russian-designed pressurised water reactor).
• Current control: Russian-controlled since March 2022.
• IAEA monitoring: The IAEA maintains a permanent presence at the site to monitor safety. The agency's role is advisory; it has no enforcement power to stop combat.
• Nuclear risk: Three of the plant's reactors are in cold shutdown. The risk is not an explosion (the reactors are offline) but damage to cooling systems, spent fuel storage, or containment.

Static linkage: international organisations (IAEA), international security, nuclear power.

• Air-breathing fuel cell: Kerala University researchers developed a magnesium-copper fuel cell using seawater and air, producing electricity with only water as emission. Uses cheaper copper-oxide electrode instead of platinum.
• Higgs boson and the Standard Model: The Higgs field explains why elementary particles have mass. Without it, the electromagnetic and weak forces would be identical and ordinary matter would not exist. The boson was confirmed at CERN in 2012.
• Mission Parivar Vikas context: The 146 high-fertility districts identified are mostly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. These districts account for roughly 28 per cent of India's population.