6 May 2024

• GST: Justice (Retd.) Sanjaya Kumar Mishra was sworn in as the first President of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) on 6 May 2024.
• Health regulation: CDSCO was set to receive exclusive authority over new drug manufacturing licences from 15 May, centralising drug licensing away from state bodies.
• Energy: A CEEW study found coal's share in India's total installed electricity capacity had fallen below 50 per cent for the first time.
• Astronomy: The Eta Aquariid shower continued, and lunar water ice research from Chandrayaan-1 data received attention.

GS area: Polity (Tribunals), Economy (GST)

Justice (Retd.) Sanjaya Kumar Mishra was sworn in as the first President of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) on 6 May 2024. The oath was administered by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

• GSTAT: The Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal is the second appellate authority for GST disputes. Taxpayers who lose at the level of the GST Commissioner (Appeals) can appeal to GSTAT.
• Legal basis: Created under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (Section 109 and related provisions). The tribunal handles disputes arising from the CGST Act, IGST Act, and UTGST Act.
• Structure: A Principal Bench in New Delhi and 31 state/area benches across India. The principal bench handles appeals involving the place of supply, inter-state supplies, and consequential matters.
• Justice Mishra: Former Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. Appointed for a term of four years.
• Operational start: The Tribunal was expected to begin hearing cases from July 1, 2024.
• Why it matters: Before GSTAT became operational, taxpayers had to go directly to High Courts after losing at the Commissioner (Appeals) level, which was costly and slow. GSTAT provides a specialised, cheaper alternative.

Static linkage: GST architecture, tribunal system, administrative dispute resolution.

GS area: Governance (Health Regulation)

From 15 May 2024, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) was to have exclusive authority for granting manufacturing licences for new drugs intended for export. This supersedes the earlier role of State Licensing Authorities.

• CDSCO: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) heads CDSCO.
• Governing law: The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 is the primary legislation. New drug licences are applied for through the SUGAM portal, routed through CDSCO zonal offices.
• Centre-state division: Under the old system, states issued licences for drugs already approved, while CDSCO approved new drugs. The change concentrates licensing for new drugs entirely with CDSCO to ensure uniform standards and prevent regulatory arbitrage between states.
• "New drug" definition: A drug not previously approved in India, or a new dosage form or delivery route of an approved drug, or a drug approved in India for use in a different indication.

Static linkage: Drug regulation, centre-state relations, CDSCO's mandate.

GS area: Polity (Judiciary), Economy

The Supreme Court dismissed the government's plea for administrative (non-auction) allocation of spectrum to private players, upholding the principle of transparent competitive auctions for natural resources.

• Background: The 2G spectrum case judgment (2012) established that natural resources must be allocated through competitive auctions rather than administrative discretion, to prevent arbitrary use of public assets.
• 2024 ruling: The Court reiterated that auction remains the mandatory route. Administrative allocation is only permissible for entities covered by a specific exception in the Telecommunications Act, 2023, namely national security and public interest entities.
• Telecommunications Act 2023: Replaced the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. It introduced limited provisions for administrative spectrum allocation in specific cases involving national security and emergency services.
• Article 14 angle: Administrative allocation without auctions risks violating the right to equality because it creates arbitrary state favouritism.

Static linkage: Natural resource allocation, 2G case precedent, telecom regulation.

GS area: Economy (Energy)

A study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) found that coal's share in India's total installed electricity generation capacity had fallen below 50 per cent for the first time.

• Context: India's total installed capacity crossed 442 GW as of early 2024. Renewables (solar, wind, hydro, and others) together exceed coal's installed capacity for the first time.
• Renewables share: Approximately 71 per cent of the net new electricity capacity added in recent years was from renewable sources.
• Important qualification: Installed capacity and actual electricity generation are different. Coal plants run at much higher load factors than solar or wind, so coal still generates the majority of India's electricity even as its capacity share falls.
• CEEW: The Council on Energy, Environment and Water is a leading Indian research institute focused on energy policy and climate solutions.
• Target: India aims for 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.

Static linkage: India's energy transition, renewable energy policy, climate commitments.

GS area: Science and Technology (Space)

A new study examining lunar water ice highlighted the role Chandrayaan-1's instruments played in establishing the scientific case for ice in permanently shadowed craters.

• Chandrayaan-1 (2008-2009): India's first lunar mission. It carried 11 instruments from India, the US, the EU, and other countries. It is best known for detecting water molecules on the lunar surface.
• Specific achievement: In 2009, the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) from Chandrayaan-1 detected hydrated minerals. The US Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the mission identified ice in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the poles in 2018 (from data analysis).
• Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs): Craters near the lunar poles where sunlight never reaches, maintaining temperatures as low as minus 200 degrees Celsius. Water ice can persist there for billions of years.
• Origin of lunar ice: Sub-surface ice formation was linked by the new study to volcanic activity during the Imbrian Period, roughly 3,800 to 3,850 million years ago.
• Significance: Lunar water ice is a key resource for future human presence on the Moon. It can be split into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket propellant and life support.

Static linkage: ISRO missions, lunar science, future space exploration.

• Delhi High Court on oxytocin use in cattle: The Delhi High Court directed action against the illegal use of oxytocin in dairy cattle within Delhi. Oxytocin is produced by the pituitary gland and aids in childbirth and lactation. Misuse in cattle causes uterine ruptures, reduces the animal's productive lifespan, and contaminates milk. Its use is regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and violations are punishable under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
• Mount Ruang update: Indonesia's Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi continued its eruption. Preliminary reports noted ash columns reaching several kilometres, disrupting air traffic to Manado. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire with approximately 130 active volcanoes.
• Chloropicrin in news: Reports emerged of chloropicrin being used in a conflict context. Chloropicrin is a colourless to yellowish oily liquid that acts as a gas at room temperature. It was used as a chemical weapon in World War I and is currently used as a pesticide and fumigant. It is regulated under the Chemical Weapons Convention (entered force 1997), enforced by the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), which won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. The OPCW is based in The Hague and has 193 member states, including India.