11 July 2024

• Polity: Supreme Court issued guidelines on portrayal of differently-abled persons in media. CBFC must seek expert disability opinion before certifying films.
• India-Russia: 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in Moscow. Bilateral trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2030 reaffirmed. PM Modi received Russia's highest civilian honour.
• Ethics: Puja Khedkar, probationary IAS officer, transferred and faced inquiry over alleged misuse of power and fraudulent certificate claims.
• Heritage: Charaideo Moidams of Assam recommended by ICOMOS for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

GS area: Polity, Social Justice

Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued a landmark judgment in response to disability activist Nipun Malhotra's petition challenging the film "Aankh Micholi" for stereotypical portrayal of persons with disabilities.

• Core ruling: The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) must seek expert opinion from disability specialists before certifying films depicting persons with disabilities. The "Nothing about us, without us" principle must guide content creation.
• Disability statistics: The 2011 Census counted 2.21 per cent of India's population as having disabilities. Sixty-nine per cent reside in rural areas; 56 per cent are male.
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016: Replaced the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995. Expanded recognised disability categories from 7 to 21. Mandates at least 4 per cent reservation in government jobs. Defines benchmark disability as 40 per cent or above impairment.
• National Trust Act 1999: Provides for welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and multiple disabilities.
• Mental Health Act 2017: Replaced the Mental Health Act 1987. Establishes the right to mental healthcare. Decriminalises attempted suicide under Section 309 of the IPC (the new BNS retains the decriminalisation).
• UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities: India ratified in 2007. The Supreme Court judgment draws on its principles of participation and non-stereotyping.

Static linkage: Disability rights (Social Justice), freedom of expression limits.

GS area: International Relations

PM Modi visited Moscow on 8 and 9 July for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. It was his first bilateral visit to Russia in five years.

• Trade target: 100 billion dollars in bilateral trade by 2030. FY2023-24 actual trade was 65 billion dollars, driven largely by discounted Russian crude oil.
• Defence cooperation: Programme for Military-Technical Cooperation extended to 2021 to 2031. Russia accounts for about 45 per cent of India's defence imports. Joint manufacturing under Make in India for spare parts and maintenance.
• Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership: The relationship was elevated to this status in 2010. India and Russia participate jointly in BRICS, SCO, and G20.
• PM Modi's award: Russia's President Putin awarded PM Modi the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle. This is Russia's highest civilian honour, created by Tsar Peter the Great in 1698, abolished after the 1917 revolution, and reinstated in 1998.
• Ukraine context: India again called for peaceful resolution through dialogue while not condemning Russia. Western allies criticised the visit's timing.

Static linkage: India-Russia relations (IR), India's strategic autonomy.

GS area: History, Culture

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) recommended Charaideo Moidams for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

• Location: Charaideo district, Assam. Charaideo was the first capital of the Ahom kingdom, established in 1253 CE.
• Moidams: Royal burial mounds of the Ahom dynasty (1228 to 1826 CE). They contain burial chambers covered by earthen mounds. Afterlife objects including gold, silver, and personal belongings were buried with the dead. Called the "Pyramids of Assam."
• Ahom dynasty: The Tai-Ahom people migrated from present-day Yunnan province in China in the 13th century. They ruled Assam for approximately 600 years, successfully resisting 17 Mughal invasions.
• ICOMOS: The International Council on Monuments and Sites is the advisory body to UNESCO on World Heritage nominations. A positive ICOMOS recommendation significantly increases the probability of inscription at the World Heritage Committee meeting.
• India's World Heritage count: India has 42 properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List (as of 2024) including 34 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed.

Static linkage: Indian heritage (Culture), medieval history (Ahom kingdom).

GS area: Polity, Governance

Probationary IAS officer of the 2022 batch, Puja Khedkar, was transferred to Washim following allegations of misuse of power. Further inquiry was ordered into claims about fraudulent OBC non-creamy layer and disability certificates.

• All-India Services (Conduct) Rules: Govern IAS, IPS, and Indian Forest Service officers from the moment of joining. Key provisions relevant here:
  • Rule 3(1): Absolute integrity and dedication to service.
  • Rule 4(1): Prohibition on using official position to secure employment or favours for family members.
  • Rule 11(1): Gifts valued at over 25,000 rupees must be reported.
  • Rule 13: Annual property returns required.
• Probation rules: Under IAS (Probation) Rules, a probationer who is found unsuitable or ineligible during probation can be discharged before confirmation.
• OBC non-creamy layer certificate: Required for OBC candidates to claim reservation benefits. The creamy layer excludes those whose parents earn above a specified threshold (currently 8 lakh rupees per year).

Static linkage: Civil services rules (Polity/Governance), OBC reservation criteria.

GS area: Governance, Social Justice

NABARD launched its first Integrated Tribal Development Programme in Kerala, supporting 413 tribal families across eight hamlets.

• Five-year project: Focuses on sustainable agriculture and income-generating activities for Scheduled Tribe communities.
• NABARD's tribal development role: NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) funds watershed development, micro-enterprise promotion, and livelihood projects in tribal areas through its Tribal Development Fund.
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools: Central government-run boarding schools for ST students in remote areas. Started in 1997-98. Capacity of 480 students per school (50 per cent boys, 50 per cent girls). In the news because of a centralised 2023 recruitment mandate requiring Hindi competency, causing difficulty in southern states.

Static linkage: Tribal development (Social Justice), NABARD.

• Mitochondrial donation: IVF-based technique for parents with faulty mitochondrial DNA. The nuclear DNA from the mother's egg is transferred to a donor egg with healthy mitochondria. The resulting embryo has nuclear DNA from both parents but mitochondrial DNA from the donor. Sometimes called "three-parent babies." Mitochondrial disease affects roughly 1 in 5,000 people.
• Kartarpur Corridor update: Pakistan completed a 420-metre bridge at the zero line after a 2.5-year delay. The corridor allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib (Gurdwara Kartarpur) in Pakistan without a visa (only a permit is needed). It has been open year-round since 2019.
• IRS officer changes gender: An IRS officer, M. Anukathir Surya, became the first Indian civil servant to receive official recognition of name and gender change by the Ministry of Finance. This highlighted the absence of a uniform policy for gender recognition in the civil services.