Polity: PM Modi inaugurated the National Conference of District Judiciary, marking 75 years of the Supreme Court of India.
Agriculture: The Union Cabinet approved the Digital Agriculture Mission with a Rs 2,817-crore outlay.
Governance: A Cabinet Secretary-led committee defined LGBTQ+ community entitlements following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
Science: Mitochondria research linked the protein Drp1 to Parkinson's disease prevention in animal models.
1. Supreme Court of India: 75 years
GS area: Polity (judiciary)
PM Modi inaugurated the National Conference of District Judiciary in New Delhi to mark the Supreme Court's 75th year since its establishment on 28 January 1950. Key facts for prelims:
Establishment: The Supreme Court was set up on 28 January 1950, replacing the Federal Court of India.
Composition: Currently 31 judges including the Chief Justice. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act was amended in 2019 to increase the sanctioned strength to 34 (CJI + 33).
Pending cases: Approximately 5 crore pending cases across courts at all levels in India. The Supreme Court itself has over 80,000 pending cases.
Judge-population ratio: Approximately 20 judges per million population. Law Commission recommendations have repeatedly called for raising this to 50.
e-Courts Phase III: Approved in 2023, this is the third phase of the digital courts project. It focuses on paper-light courts, e-filing and AI-assisted case management.
New criminal codes: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act respectively in 2024.
Clearance rate: The Supreme Court clears around 88 per cent of the cases it takes up in a year, but the absolute backlog keeps growing because filings also grow.
Static linkage: Judiciary (Polity), access to justice.
2. Digital Agriculture Mission: Rs 2,817 crore outlay
GS area: Economy (agriculture), Governance
The Union Cabinet approved the Digital Agriculture Mission with a total outlay of Rs 2,817 crore to create Digital Public Infrastructure for the farm sector. Key components:
AgriStack: A digital identification system for farmers. Target: digital IDs for 11 crore farmers. Pilots running in six districts as of September 2024. AgriStack links land records, crop data and entitlement databases.
Soil Profile Maps: 29 million hectares have been digitally mapped so far; the target is 142 million hectares.
Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS): A geospatial decision-support system integrating crop data, soil profiles, weather data and water resource information.
Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES): Replaces the traditional crop-cutting experiment method with digital estimation using remote sensing and farmer-reported data.
Agri-tech startups: Over 1,000 agricultural technology startups are currently operational in India. The mission aims to create a data commons these startups can access.
The wider context is the government's push to make farm data as accessible as financial data. AgriStack is conceptually similar to India Stack in the financial sector.
Static linkage: Agricultural reforms, digital public infrastructure, PM-KISAN, DBT in agriculture.
3. LGBTQ+ committee: entitlements defined
GS area: Polity (rights), Governance
Following the Supreme Court's October 2023 ruling in Supriyo vs. Union of India, a Cabinet Secretary-led committee was tasked with identifying practical entitlements for LGBTQ+ persons. The committee's outcomes include:
Joint bank accounts: Queer couples may jointly open bank accounts and nominate each other as beneficiaries.
Ration card access: Partners may be listed on each other's ration cards.
Conversion therapy ban: A formal recommendation against conversion therapy, aligning with WHO guidance that classifies it as harmful.
Sex reassignment surgery: Accessibility improvements for gender-affirming surgery in public healthcare settings.
Mental health and discrimination: Dedicated grievance redressal for LGBTQ+ persons facing discrimination in workplaces and public services.
The Court ruling itself stopped short of conferring a fundamental right to marry. The committee's mandate is to define practical entitlements within the existing legal framework without marriage equality legislation.
Static linkage: Fundamental rights (Article 21), judicial interpretation, social welfare.
4. Operation Bhediya: wolf attacks in Bahraich
GS area: Environment (wildlife), Governance
Ongoing wolf attacks in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, led to Operation Bhediya: a coordinated capture operation by the forest department and district administration.
Species: Indian Gray Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). It is a sub-species distinct from the Eurasian wolf and adapted to semi-arid grasslands.
IUCN status: Least Concern globally. In India, it is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Appendix I of CITES (highest protection).
Attacks: The wolf pack had killed children and injured others in Bahraich district over several months in 2024.
Management dilemma: Schedule I status prohibits killing the wolves. The forest department had to trap them alive. Four wolves had been captured as of the time of reporting.
The 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award was announced, with Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli co-founder) among the recipients.
About the award: Founded in 1957 to honour the memory of Ramon Magsaysay, third President of the Philippines. It is considered "Asia's Nobel Prize." The award ceremony is held on 31 August each year (Magsaysay's birthday).
Components: Recipients receive a certificate, a medallion and a cash prize.
Indian connection: Several Indians have received the award, including Arvind Kejriwal (2006), Anshu Gupta of Goonj and many others.
Static linkage: International awards, Asia-Pacific governance.
6. Sudan humanitarian crisis
GS area: International Relations, Geography
Sudan's civil war crossed 500 days of active fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Key facts:
Location: Northeast Africa. Borders Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Coastline on the Red Sea.
Former size: Sudan was the largest country in Africa until South Sudan's secession in 2011 following a referendum.
Humanitarian toll: Over 25.6 million people in acute hunger. An estimated 755,000 people facing famine conditions as of September 2024.
RSF: The Rapid Support Forces grew out of the Janjaweed militia, notorious for the Darfur genocide in the 2000s.
Static linkage: Africa geography, humanitarian crises, international law (R2P).
7. Briefly noted
Mitochondria and Parkinson's: Researchers found that the protein Drp1, which controls mitochondrial division, plays a role in Parkinson's disease. Reducing excessive Drp1 activity in rat models restored mitochondrial function and improved motor function. The development is relevant to drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.
Judicial Standards Bill: Pending legislation that would establish a formal Code of Conduct and Complaints Mechanism for judges of higher courts.
Practice MCQs
Check yourself
The Supreme Court of India was established on:
Check yourself
With reference to AgriStack, consider the following statements: 1. It is a component of the Digital Agriculture Mission approved in 2024. 2. It aims to create digital IDs for 11 crore farmers. 3. It is operated by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Check yourself
The Indian Gray Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is listed under which Schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972?
Check yourself
Consider the following about the Ramon Magsaysay Award: 1. It was founded in 1957. 2. The award ceremony is held on 31 August each year. 3. It is sometimes called Asia's Nobel Prize. How many of the above statements are correct?
Check yourself
Sudan shares its border with which of the following sets of countries?