9 September 2024

• Governance: PM Modi inaugurated projects in Maharashtra and interacted with beneficiaries across central government schemes.
• Technology: Semicon India 2024, the national semiconductor event, was announced for Greater Noida (September 11-13).
• Economy: Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Co-operative Scheme was formally launched by the Union Minister for Fisheries.
• Science: India continued rollout of the GNSS-based electronic toll collection system alongside FASTag.

GS area: Economy (agriculture, fisheries), Governance

The Union Minister for Fisheries launched the PM Matsya Kisan Samriddhi Saha-Yojana (PM-MKSSY), a sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

Key details:

• Parent scheme: PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), launched in May 2020 with an outlay of Rs 20,050 crore. The largest investment in the fisheries sector in India's history.
• PM-MKSSY focus: Formalising the fisheries sector by linking micro and small fishery enterprises to value chains. Emphasis on production clusters and processing clusters.
• Fisheries sector in India: India is the third-largest fish producer globally. The sector supports 28 million livelihoods. Contributes about 6.72 per cent of global fish production.
• PMMSY targets: Double fish production to 22 million metric tonnes by 2024-25. Double fishers' incomes. Halve post-harvest losses.
• Blue Revolution: The broader policy framework for fisheries development in India, which PMMSY is the flagship scheme under.
• Inland vs Marine: India has 8,118 km of coastline and 2 million square km of Exclusive Economic Zone. Inland fisheries account for a large share of production.

Static linkage: Blue economy, Blue Revolution, PMMSY, fisheries governance.

GS area: Economy (technology), Governance

The government announced Semicon India 2024 at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida for September 11-13. PM Modi was confirmed to inaugurate the event.

Context:

• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): Launched in 2021. The government provides up to 50 per cent capital expenditure support for fabrication units.
• Approved units: Tata Electronics (Dholera, Gujarat), Tata-PSMC fab (Dholera), CG Power-Renesas (Sanand, Gujarat) and Kaynes Semicon (Sanand) have been approved.
• Market target: India's semiconductor market projected at $64 billion by 2026.
• Strategic concern: India depends almost entirely on imported chips. The 2020-21 global chip shortage highlighted this vulnerability.
• Design ecosystem: India has about 20 per cent of the world's semiconductor design engineers. Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune are major design hubs.

Static linkage: Semiconductor policy, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India.

GS area: Polity (tribal areas, special provisions)

The Nagaland Cabinet approved extending the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to Chumoukedima, Niuland and Dimapur districts.

Key facts:

• Inner Line Permit: A permit system that restricts the entry of Indian citizens from other states into certain north-eastern states. It was created under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873, originally to protect British commercial interests.
• Purpose now: To protect the indigenous tribal population of these states from demographic change caused by migration.
• States with ILP: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.
• Dimapur significance: Dimapur is Nagaland's commercial capital and the only city in the state with a railway station. Extending ILP to Dimapur is significant because it was the main entry point without such restriction.
• Article 371(A): Gives special protection to Naga customary law, ownership and transfer of land in Nagaland.

Static linkage: North-east India, tribal protection, Inner Line Permit, Article 371.

GS area: Environment, Governance

Surat topped the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 rankings with a score of 194 out of 200. Surat's PM10 concentration reduced by 12.71 per cent in 2023-24.

• Swachh Vayu Survekshan: Annual ranking of cities for air quality improvement, under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• NCAP target: Reduce PM2.5 and PM10 by 20-40 per cent by 2026 from 2017 baseline levels. Covers 131 non-attainment cities.
• Non-attainment cities: Cities that have consistently violated National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
• Prize: Rs 1.5 crore plus trophy and certificate for the top-ranked city.
• Improvement: Surat was previously ranked 13th. Its rapid improvement was attributed to industrial regulation and urban greening measures.
• NCAP nodal body: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Static linkage: Air quality, NCAP, CPCB, urban environmental governance.

GS area: Governance (health), Science and Technology

AIIMS New Delhi inaugurated a Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC) run jointly by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and the Pulmonary Department.

• Tobacco burden: India has about 267 million tobacco users. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of cancer. The Oral Cancer programme in India is closely linked to tobacco use, especially smokeless tobacco.
• COTPA 2003: The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 is the primary legislation. It mandates graphic health warnings, bans advertising and prohibits sale near educational institutions.
• Section 2(o) COTPA: Classifies "tobacco products" broadly. Electronic cigarettes were banned separately under the PECA 2019.
• NHM support: National Health Mission funds tobacco cessation services through designated facilities.

Static linkage: Public health, tobacco control, COTPA.

GS area: Polity

Amit Shah was unanimously re-elected as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language.

Key facts:

• Statutory basis: Established under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act 1963.
• Composition: 30 members: 20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. The Chairman is a Cabinet Minister by convention.
• Mandate: Review the progress of using Hindi for official purposes. Submit a report to the President, who directs action accordingly.
• Official language policy: Article 343 of the Constitution designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union. English continues as an associate official language.
• Eighth Schedule: Lists 22 scheduled languages of India. Hindi is one of them. Classical language status is a separate recognition.

Static linkage: Language policy, Article 343-351, Eighth Schedule.

• Algeria election result: President Tebboune won 94.65 per cent of valid votes in the September 7 election. Algeria is located in North Africa and is the largest country on the continent by area since South Sudan's secession in 2011.
• US Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the women's singles, her third Grand Slam. Jannik Sinner of Italy won the men's singles.