28 June 2024

• Cricket: India beat England in the T20 World Cup semi-final to reach the final against South Africa in Barbados (scheduled 29 June 2024).
• Economy: India's current account deficit for FY 2023-24 confirmed at approximately 1.2 per cent of GDP, a manageable level.
• Governance: 18th Lok Sabha session continued. Union Budget 2024-25 preparation underway.
• Health: Gestational diabetes: researchers recommended replacing OGTT with HbA1c point-of-care test for diagnosis in India.

GS area: Science, Technology (sports governance); International Relations (soft power)

India defeated England by 68 runs in the semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Guyana. The final against South Africa was scheduled for 29 June 2024 at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

• T20 World Cup 2024: hosted jointly by the United States and the West Indies. Nine venues across both regions. The US was a co-host for the first time, part of ICC's effort to grow cricket in North America.
• India's unbeaten run: India went through the entire tournament without losing a single match before the final, winning every group stage, Super 8 and knockout game.
• Semi-final result: India defeated England by 68 runs. Rohit Sharma's team scored 171/7, England bowled out for 103.
• India's previous T20 World Cup title: India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. The 2024 final was India's first T20 final since 2014.
• ICC: the International Cricket Council is the global governing body for cricket. Headquartered in Dubai. The T20 World Cup is held every two years; the 50-over ODI World Cup every four years.
• West Indies Cricket: the West Indies team represents a federation of Caribbean nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• Soft power dimension: India's cricket success is a significant instrument of soft power. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) wields enormous influence in ICC governance due to the commercial dominance of Indian cricket.

Static linkage: international relations (soft power), governance.

GS area: Health, Science and Technology

Researchers recommended replacing the standard Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) with the HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin) test for detecting gestational diabetes in pregnant women in resource-limited settings.

• Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): a condition where a woman without previously diagnosed diabetes develops high blood glucose during pregnancy. It increases risks of complications for both mother and child.
• OGTT (current standard): the woman fasts overnight, then drinks a glucose solution. Blood glucose is measured at 0, 1 and 2 hours. Requires multiple blood draws and a long hospital visit.
• HbA1c test: measures the percentage of haemoglobin with attached glucose, reflecting average blood sugar over the past 2 to 3 months. A single blood draw. Point-of-care versions give results in minutes.
• Why HbA1c is preferable for India: single visit, no fasting required, suitable for rural health settings and community health workers. Reduces patient burden.
• Government schemes for antenatal care:
  • Janani Suraksha Yojana: conditional cash transfer for institutional delivery.
  • Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK): provides free services (delivery, medicines, diet, transport) to pregnant women in public facilities.
  • Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): free antenatal check-ups on the 9th of every month for pregnant women in their second and third trimesters.
  • LaQshya: quality improvement initiative for labour rooms and maternity operation theatres.
• Gap in care: only 34.1% of mothers in India attend the recommended number of antenatal check-ups. 16% receive no postnatal care.

Static linkage: health, governance.

GS area: Polity, Economy

The 18th Lok Sabha's first session (24 June to 3 July 2024) set the stage for the Union Budget and key legislation.

• Budget 2024-25 timeline: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was to present the full Budget on 23 July 2024. The interim budget (February 2024) had authorised expenditure only until the full budget could be presented.
• Finance Bill 2024: the budget includes a Finance Bill that contains all tax proposals. As a Money Bill under Article 110, it can only originate in the Lok Sabha and does not require Rajya Sabha concurrence.
• Key legislative priorities of NDA 3.0: implementation of the new criminal laws from 1 July 2024; land acquisition reform; Labour Code rules notification; agricultural productivity measures.
• Rajya Sabha position: NDA does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Constitutional amendments and bills requiring Rajya Sabha concurrence must be negotiated with opposition parties.
• Joint sitting: under Article 108, the President can summon a joint sitting of both Houses to resolve a deadlock on ordinary bills (not Constitution Amendment Bills or Money Bills). The NDA could, in theory, use a joint sitting to pass legislation over Rajya Sabha opposition.

Static linkage: polity, economy.

GS area: Governance, Ethics, Social Justice

The NEET-UG 2024 controversy continued, with the Supreme Court and CBI both active.

• Timeline: NEET-UG 2024 was held on 5 May 2024 for approximately 24 lakh candidates for approximately 1.08 lakh MBBS seats. Results were declared earlier than scheduled, with an unusually high number of perfect scorers.
• Grace marks controversy: approximately 1,563 candidates received grace marks to compensate for "loss of time" during the exam. Several candidates with grace marks scored 720/720 (perfect scores). The Supreme Court ordered re-examination for these candidates.
• Paper leak allegation: specific instances in Bihar and Rajasthan where question papers circulated before the exam. CBI investigation ongoing.
• NTA accountability: the National Testing Agency's Director-General was replaced in June 2024. A high-level committee was constituted to review NTA's processes.
• Ethical angles:
  • Virtue ethics: systemic corruption violates the principle of fairness (dikaiosyne).
  • Consequentialist: harm to lakhs of honest aspirants and to public trust in institutions.
  • Institutional ethics: public bodies must maintain integrity as a precondition for social contract.
• Medical education access: NEET was introduced after the Supreme Court ordered a uniform national entrance test in 2016. Before NEET, state-level tests varied enormously in quality and were subject to manipulation.

Static linkage: governance, ethics, social justice.

GS area: Economy

India's current account deficit for FY 2023-24 was confirmed at approximately 1.2 per cent of GDP, reflecting improvement from the 2 per cent of the previous year.

• Current Account: records transactions in goods (merchandise trade), services (software, tourism), primary income (investment returns) and secondary income (remittances).
• Trade deficit FY 2023-24: merchandise imports exceeded exports by approximately 238 billion US dollars. The major import categories: petroleum products, gold and electronics.
• Services surplus: India's IT and BPM services exports of approximately 290 billion US dollars in FY 2023-24 provide a large surplus on the services account, partially offsetting the merchandise deficit.
• Remittances inflow: 125 billion US dollars. The single largest positive item on the current account after services.
• CAD financing: India financed its CAD through FDI (44 billion US dollars), FPI (positive but volatile), and External Commercial Borrowings.
• Rupee performance: the rupee held relatively stable at around 83 to 84 per US dollar through FY 2023-24, supported by strong reserves and FDI inflows.

Static linkage: economy.

GS area: Geography, International Relations

The T20 World Cup co-hosting by the West Indies prompted a geography refresh.

• West Indies geographic context: the Caribbean islands fall into three groups. Greater Antilles: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico. Lesser Antilles: smaller islands including Barbados, Trinidad, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent. Bahamas: island archipelago north of Cuba.
• Barbados: an island in the Lesser Antilles. Eastern-most Caribbean island. Capital Bridgetown. Became independent in 1966 (became a republic in 2021, removing the British monarch as head of state). The site of the T20 final at Kensington Oval.
• Kensington Oval: one of cricket's most historic grounds. Bridgetown, Barbados. The ground has hosted Test cricket since 1930.
• CARICOM: the Caribbean Community. An economic and political union of 15 member states and 5 associate members. Barbados is a founding member.
• India-Caribbean relations: India has a significant diaspora in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. Both countries have substantial Indo-Caribbean populations descended from 19th-century indentured labour. Indentured labour replaced slavery after its abolition in British territories (1833).

Static linkage: geography, international relations.

• Fatty Liver Disease (MASLD): India's adult prevalence is 38.6 per cent. MASLD (Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, formerly NAFLD) is expected to become the leading cause of chronic liver disease in India.
• Donanemab: a new Alzheimer's drug targeting amyloid beta protein in the brain. Received positive FDA advisory committee recommendation in June 2024. A monoclonal antibody treatment for early-stage Alzheimer's disease.