17 April 2024

• Elections: Lok Sabha Phase 1 campaigning ends today (48 hours before polling on 19 April). Section 126 of the RPA prohibits electoral advertising in the final 48 hours.
• Economy: India's Goods and Services Tax collection for March 2024 crosses Rs 1.78 lakh crore, the second-highest monthly collection ever.
• International Relations: Iran launches over 300 drones and missiles toward Israel on 13-14 April in "Operation True Promise," Israel intercepts over 99 per cent. The Middle East crisis intensifies.
• Environment: The global coral bleaching event (2023-24) is confirmed as the fourth mass bleaching event in recorded history.
• Science: ISRO's GSLV-F14 successfully places INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite in geostationary orbit.

GS area: Polity (elections)

Campaigning for Phase 1 of the 2024 Lok Sabha election ended on 17 April, the mandated 48-hour "silent period" before polling on 19 April.

Key facts:

• Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951: Prohibits display of any election matter at public meetings, processions, or through electronic media in the 48 hours before the close of polling in any constituency.
• Voluntary Code of Ethics (IAMAI, 2019): Internet & Mobile Association of India code requires platforms to suspend political advertising in the 48 hours before polling.
• Pre-certification: All political advertisements must be pre-certified by Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMCs) set up by the ECI.
• Phase 1 scope: 102 constituencies. 1,625 candidates in the fray. 16.63 crore eligible voters.
• Phase 1 states: Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim (full states) plus seats in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and UTs.

Static linkage: elections, Model Code of Conduct, RPA 1951.

GS area: International Relations, Internal Security

Iran launched over 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles toward Israel on 13-14 April 2024, the first direct Iranian attack on Israeli territory.

Key facts:

• Trigger: Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April 2024, killing senior Revolutionary Guard officers including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
• Scale: Over 170 drones, 30-plus cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles launched.
• Interception: Israel, supported by the US, UK, France, and Jordan, intercepted over 99 per cent of incoming projectiles.
• India's position: India called for restraint and de-escalation from both sides. India maintains ties with both Iran and Israel.
• India-Iran: Iran supplies crude oil to India. The Chabahar Port project links India to Central Asia through Iran.
• India-Israel: Israel is India's third-largest trade partner in Asia in defence. About 41 per cent of Israel's defence exports go to India.
• Wider context: The exchange follows Hamas's October 2023 attack and Israel's Gaza operations. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea (since November 2023) are backed by Iran.

Static linkage: India's foreign policy, Middle East, energy security.

GS area: Environment, Ecology

NOAA's Coral Reef Watch and the International Coral Reef Initiative confirmed that 2023-24 is the fourth global mass coral bleaching event in history.

Key facts:

• Bleaching mechanism: Coral bleaches when ocean temperatures rise above the threshold the symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) can tolerate. The coral expels the algae, turning white. Prolonged bleaching causes death.
• Previous events: 1998 (triggered by the strong El Nino); 2010; 2014-17 (the third and largest event). The 2023-24 event is the second in a decade.
• Scale: Bleaching has been recorded in every ocean basin containing coral reefs.
• India: The Lakshadweep and Andaman reefs have experienced bleaching in previous events. The Gulf of Mannar's reef system is also at risk.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): A US agency that runs the Coral Reef Watch satellite monitoring programme.
• Cause in 2023-24: Unprecedented ocean heat driven by a combination of long-term anthropogenic warming and the 2023 El Nino.

Static linkage: environment, marine biology, climate change.

GS area: Economy (taxation)

India's gross GST collection for March 2024 crossed Rs 1.78 lakh crore, the second-highest monthly figure since GST's introduction in July 2017.

Key facts:

• Record month: The highest GST collection so far is Rs 1.87 lakh crore (April 2023). March 2024's figure is the second-highest.
• Composition: GST has four components: CGST (central), SGST (state), IGST (integrated, on inter-state supply), and compensation cess.
• GST Council: A joint body of the Union and state finance ministers that decides rates and policy. Chaired by the Union Finance Minister. Decisions require a three-fourths majority.
• Significance of March collections: March is the last month of the financial year. Strong March collections boost the Centre's and states' annual fiscal position.

Static linkage: economy, taxation, federalism.

GS area: Science and Technology

ISRO's GSLV-F14 placed INSAT-3DS in geostationary orbit, reinforcing India's meteorological satellite capability.

Key facts:

• INSAT-3DS: A third-generation meteorological satellite replacing INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR. Carries imager and sounder payloads for weather monitoring.
• Imager: Six spectral channels covering visible to thermal infrared. Tracks cloud patterns, sea surface temperature, and vegetation.
• Sounder: Measures atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, critical for weather forecast models.
• GSLV-F14: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle mark II. This mission used the indigenous cryogenic upper stage.
• IMD integration: Data from INSAT-3DS feeds directly into IMD's numerical weather prediction models.

Static linkage: science and technology, ISRO, disaster management (weather).

• Voluntary Code of Ethics (IAMAI): First established in 2014 with 9 platforms. Expanded ahead of the 2019 and 2024 elections. Requires pre-certification of political ads, grievance redressal, and adherence to Section 126 of the RPA.
• Supreme Court on forests: The SC reiterated that forests are a national asset while hearing a challenge to the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act 2023, which critics say facilitates encroachment and commercial exploitation.
• Artificial intelligence in elections: The ECI flagged AI-generated content including deepfakes and shallow fakes as new threats to electoral integrity. All platforms were asked to label political AI content and take it down on complaint within 72 hours.