19 June 2024

• Polity: Constitutional morality debate following pre-oath Cabinet approvals. Ambedkar's framework of constitutional morality in democratic governance.
• Society: Ageing in India study by HelpAge India: 153 million elderly today; projected 347 million by 2050. Only 15 per cent of elderly in work.
• International: QUAD at 20 years: 35 per cent of world GDP, 24 per cent of global population, 18 per cent of global trade among the four members.
• Science: Matsya 6000 deep-sea submersible to dive to 6,000 metres. India's Samudrayaan Mission.

GS area: Polity, Governance

Questions arose about constitutional morality when the new government pre-approved several schemes before portfolios were formally allocated.

• Constitutional morality: a concept articulated by B.R. Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly debates. It means adherence not just to the text of the Constitution but to its spirit, values and democratic culture. It requires those in power to act within constitutional principles even when the letter of the law does not compel them.
• Ambedkar's warning: he cautioned that constitutional morality would have to be cultivated. India inherited democratic forms without democratic culture. Both those in power and their opponents must treat the Constitution as sacred.
• Pillars: constitutional morality rests on justice, liberty, equality, separation of powers, rule of law, checks and balances, and accountability.
• Landmark cases where courts invoked constitutional morality:
  • Navtej Singh Johar vs. Union of India (2018): decriminalised consensual same-sex relations under Section 377 IPC.
  • Sabarimala Temple Case (2018): held that barring women of menstrual age from the Sabarimala temple was unconstitutional.
  • Joseph Shine vs. Union of India (2018): struck down adultery as a criminal offence.
• Contrast with popular morality: the Court has distinguished between constitutional morality (based on reason, rights and the Constitution) and popular morality (based on social customs and majority preferences). Constitutional morality prevails over popular morality.

Static linkage: polity, governance.

GS area: Society, Economy, Governance

HelpAge India's study "Ageing in India: Exploring Preparedness and Response" highlighted the growing policy challenge of an ageing population.

• Current elderly population: 153 million persons above 60 years old. This is approximately 10.5 per cent of India's population.
• 2050 projection: 347 million elderly, constituting approximately 20.8 per cent of the projected population. This demographic shift will transform health, welfare and labour market policy.
• Work participation: only 15 per cent of elderly persons are in work. Among them, 24 per cent of elderly men work compared to 7 per cent of elderly women.
• Social security: only 29 per cent of elderly access any social security scheme. The rest depend on family or informal support.
• Health burden: 54 per cent suffer from two or more non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease).
• Digital exclusion: 59 per cent lack access to a digital device. This limits access to government services, telemedicine and social connections.
• Government schemes for elderly:
  • National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme provides 200 to 500 rupees per month to elderly BPL persons.
  • Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY): a pension scheme by LIC for senior citizens providing assured return of 8 per cent per annum.
  • Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojana: provides assisted living devices (wheelchairs, hearing aids) to BPL elderly.
• LASI: the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, the first nationally representative longitudinal study of ageing. It tracks the same elderly individuals over time to understand health and social outcomes.

Static linkage: society, economy, governance.

GS area: International Relations

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) marked two decades since its founding in 2004.

• Formation (2004): QUAD began as a disaster relief coordination mechanism among Australia, India, Japan and the United States after the Indian Ocean Tsunami. It formalised informal cooperation that existed during the relief effort.
• Revival (2017): the QUAD was revived as a strategic grouping. It was elevated to the leader level in 2021.
• Combined size: 24 per cent of global population; 35 per cent of world GDP; 18 per cent of global trade.
• Key initiatives:
  • Quad Vaccine Partnership: committed to deliver 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines across the Indo-Pacific.
  • Q-CHAMP: QUAD Climate and Health Action for the Mekong and Pacific.
  • Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA): satellite-based illegal fishing and vessel monitoring.
  • Semiconductor Supply Chain Initiative: sharing information to reduce dependence on single-source chips.
  • Quad Cybersecurity Partnership (2022): sharing threat intelligence and coordinating responses.
• India's strategic interest: QUAD provides a counterbalance to China's growing power without formal military commitments that would complicate India's strategic autonomy.
• Not a military alliance: QUAD has no mutual defence treaty. It is a cooperative framework. India has been careful not to let it be characterised as "Asian NATO."

Static linkage: international relations, India's foreign policy.

GS area: Science and Technology, Geography

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is developing Matsya 6000 for India's Samudrayaan Mission.

• Matsya 6000: a deep-sea crewed submersible designed to dive to 6,000 metres below the sea surface. It will carry 3 personnel for 12 hours (with 96-hour emergency endurance).
• Hull material: titanium alloy sphere for the pressured crew module. Titanium provides high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance.
• Samudrayaan Mission: India's deep-ocean exploration initiative, part of the Deep Ocean Mission approved in 2021 with a budget of 4,077 crore rupees over five years.
• NIOT: the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Objectives: explore polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor (rich in manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper); assess hydrothermal vents; survey deep-sea biodiversity.
• India's EEZ: India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles from its coast, covering approximately 2.37 million square kilometres. The Continental Shelf can extend beyond.
• Polymetallic nodules: potato-sized mineral deposits on the deep seabed. India has exploration rights to a 75,000 square kilometre area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin under an International Seabed Authority contract.
• ISA: the International Seabed Authority is an intergovernmental body established under UNCLOS to regulate mining in the international seabed area (the "Area").

Static linkage: science and technology, geography.

GS area: Economy, Agriculture, Environment

Direct Seeded Rice technology gained attention as a water and emissions-saving alternative to conventional paddy transplantation.

• Conventional paddy cultivation: seeds are first grown in a nursery, then transplanted into flooded fields. This requires standing water for weeks, using enormous quantities of irrigation water.
• DSR: seeds are sown directly into the field without pre-germination in a nursery and without flooding. It saves 15 to 20 per cent water and reduces labour requirements.
• Methane and DSR: conventional paddy fields under anaerobic (flooded) conditions are a major source of methane. DSR significantly reduces methane emissions from rice cultivation.
• Stubble burning: DSR harvests faster than transplanted rice, potentially reducing the time pressure that leads to stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana between the paddy and wheat seasons.
• Bio-bitumen: CRRI (Central Road Research Institute) and the Indian Institute of Petroleum are testing bio-bitumen (made from agricultural waste and biomass) as a road construction material, reducing dependence on petroleum-based bitumen.

Static linkage: economy, agriculture, environment.

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

World Crocodile Day (17 June) marked 50 years since India's Crocodile Conservation Project began in 1975 in Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park.

• India's Crocodile Conservation Project (1975): initiated by the government with support from UNDP and FAO at Bhitarkanika, Odisha. It was one of the world's first state-led crocodile breeding and protection programmes.
• Three species in India: Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).
• Mugger: found in freshwater systems across India and Sri Lanka. IUCN: Vulnerable.
• Saltwater Crocodile: the world's largest living reptile. Found in Odisha, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. IUCN: Least Concern globally but population recovery ongoing in India.
• Gharial: a fish-eating specialist with a long, narrow snout. Found only in the Chambal and Girwa rivers. IUCN: Critically Endangered. Perhaps the most important Indian crocodilian conservation priority.
• Bhitarkanika: Odisha's second-largest mangrove forest. A Ramsar site. Hosts the largest population of Saltwater Crocodiles in India.

Static linkage: environment and ecology, biodiversity.

• 5G Intelligent Village Initiative: DoT's programme to transform rural communities using 5G applications in agriculture (drone spraying, soil sensing), education (virtual classrooms), healthcare (telemedicine) and governance.
• Quantum Encryption Algorithm: DoT is developing an India-specific quantum encryption algorithm for securing digital communications against future quantum computing threats.