16 June 2024

• Governance: Supreme Court reaffirmed that the governor cannot indefinitely withhold assent to state bills. The Kerala Governor case clarified the constitutional position.
• Economy: Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for May 2024 released. WPI-based inflation rose to 2.61 per cent due to higher food and manufactured products prices.
• Defence: India conducted a successful test of the BrahMos Extended Range supersonic cruise missile.
• Environment: IMD monitored the southwest monsoon's progress over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Supreme Court in the Kerala Governor case delivered a landmark ruling on Article 200 of the Constitution, which governs the governor's assent to state bills.

• Article 200: when a bill is passed by a state legislature, the governor may (a) give assent, (b) withhold assent, (c) return it to the legislature for reconsideration (except Money Bills), or (d) reserve it for the President's consideration.
• Issue: Tamil Nadu and Kerala governors had indefinitely withheld assent to multiple bills, some for years. This paralysed state legislative processes.
• Supreme Court ruling (April-June 2024 proceedings): the governor cannot sit on bills indefinitely. The governor must act within a reasonable time. Where the governor withholds assent, the reasons must be communicated and are subject to judicial review.
• Deemed assent: the court indicated that prolonged inaction by a governor may amount to a constitutional convention of deemed assent in some circumstances.
• Article 163: the governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in almost all matters. Governors do not have a general discretion to disagree with elected state governments.
• Centre-state relations: the controversy reflected the broader federal tension between centrally-appointed governors (who are appointed by the President on the advice of the Union government) and state governments.
• Raj Bhavan as political instrument: the use of the governor's office to delay or block state legislation was criticised by multiple opposition-ruled states.

Static linkage: polity, governance.

GS area: Economy

The Office of the Economic Adviser (Ministry of Commerce) released WPI data showing inflation rose to 2.61 per cent in May 2024 from 1.26 per cent in April 2024.

• WPI (Wholesale Price Index): measures the change in the price of goods at the wholesale level, before they reach retail consumers. The base year for India's WPI is 2011-12.
• WPI basket: three major components. Primary articles (food and non-food), fuel and power, and manufactured products. Food articles have the largest weight in primary articles.
• May 2024 drivers: the rise was primarily driven by higher prices in food articles (vegetables, pulses) and manufactured goods (basic metals, chemicals).
• WPI vs CPI: WPI measures producer-level prices while CPI measures consumer-level prices. RBI uses CPI for monetary policy; WPI is a leading indicator for CPI and is used for industrial pricing.
• WPI and MSP: Minimum Support Prices for agricultural commodities are revised partly based on the cost of production, which is tracked through WPI trends.
• Deflation risk: when WPI remains below zero, it indicates deflationary pressure at the production stage, which can precede wider economic slowdown.

Static linkage: economy.

GS area: Science and Technology, Defence

India successfully tested the BrahMos Extended Range supersonic cruise missile in June 2024.

• BrahMos missile: a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya. "BrahMos" is derived from the Brahmaputra river and the Moskva river.
• Technical specifications: BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile, travelling at speeds of approximately Mach 2.8 to Mach 3. It can be launched from land, sea (submarines and surface ships) and air (Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft).
• Extended Range version: the standard BrahMos has a range of approximately 290 kilometres (restricted by the MTCR guidelines when India was not a member). After India's full MTCR membership in 2016, the range was extended to approximately 400 to 500 kilometres.
• MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime): a voluntary, informal group of countries committed to non-proliferation of missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. India joined as a full member in June 2016.
• Export significance: the Philippines signed a contract for BrahMos in 2022, marking India's first significant defence export of a major system. Vietnam and other countries also expressed interest.
• Block III and future variants: BrahMos Block III has terrain-hugging capability and high-dive attack mode for mountain warfare. BrahMos-NG (Next Generation), a lighter, smaller variant, is under development.

Static linkage: science and technology, defence.

GS area: International Relations, Security

SIPRI Yearbook 2024 (released earlier in June 2024) confirmed India's nuclear arsenal at 172 warheads, surpassing Pakistan's 170 for the first time.

• SIPRI Yearbook: the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's annual publication tracking global armaments, disarmament and international security. Released in June each year.
• India's nuclear doctrine: India maintains a No First Use (NFU) policy, committing to use nuclear weapons only in retaliation against a nuclear attack. India also commits to not using nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
• Massive retaliation: India's doctrine includes the principle of massive retaliation. Any nuclear use against India would result in a large retaliatory strike to inflict unacceptable damage.
• India's Triad: India has a nuclear triad: land-based ballistic missiles (Agni series), sea-based missiles (K-series from Arihant-class submarines), and air-delivered weapons (Mirage 2000, Rafale, Su-30MKI capable platforms).
• Agni-V: India's ICBM-class missile with a range of over 5,000 kilometres. Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) capability was demonstrated in March 2024 (Mission Divyastra).
• CTBT: the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has not entered into force because Annex 2 states (including India, Pakistan, China and the United States) have not ratified it.

Static linkage: international relations, security.

GS area: Governance, Health

PIB released an update on PMSMA, the flagship antenatal check-up scheme, in June 2024.

• PMSMA: provides free, comprehensive antenatal care to pregnant women on the 9th of every month at government health facilities.
• Key services: blood pressure measurement, haemoglobin testing, blood sugar testing, ultrasound, urine testing, weight monitoring and tetanus vaccination.
• Coverage: over 3.8 crore antenatal check-ups conducted since launch in 2016.
• High-risk identification: PMSMA specifically aims to identify high-risk pregnancies (anaemia, gestational diabetes, hypertension, foetal anomalies) and ensure referral to tertiary care.
• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): India's MMR fell from 254 per lakh live births in 2004-06 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20 (SRS data). The national target is 70 per lakh live births by 2030 (SDG 3.1.1 target).
• Anaemia: approximately 50 per cent of pregnant women in India are anaemic (haemoglobin below 11 g/dL). Anaemia is a leading cause of maternal mortality.

Static linkage: governance, health.

GS area: Governance, Social Justice

The Union Cabinet approved the PM Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0 framework in June 2024, targeting 1 crore additional houses.

• PMAY (Urban): launched in 2015, targets providing housing for all urban residents. Key components: In-Situ Slum Redevelopment; Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme; Affordable Housing in Partnership; Beneficiary Led Construction.
• PMAY (Urban) 2.0: the 2.0 version focuses on the Middle-Income Group (MIG) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Target: 1 crore new houses in urban areas.
• Credit Linked Subsidy: provides interest subsidy on home loans. Beneficiaries receive a subsidy that reduces the effective interest rate on their home loan.
• Urban housing deficit: India's urban housing deficit is approximately 12 million units, concentrated among the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) and LIG (Lower Income Group) segments.
• Linkage with AMRUT: the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation targets basic urban infrastructure (water, sewage, parks) in parallel with PMAY housing construction.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural): a separate scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development targeting rural housing. The Cabinet approved 3 crore additional rural houses in June 2024.

Static linkage: governance, social justice.

• Gir Forest National Park: the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica). Gujarat. The Asiatic lion population grew from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020 (latest census). IUCN status: Endangered.
• Yellow Fever: Brazil's health ministry confirmed a yellow fever outbreak in June 2024 in the Sao Paulo region. Yellow fever is caused by a flavivirus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. India requires yellow fever vaccination for travellers arriving from endemic countries.