1 October 2024

• Environment: Karnataka urged the Centre to withdraw the sixth draft notification on Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Areas. The Kasturirangan and Gadgil committees proposed starkly different coverage extents.
• Economy: The Core Sector Output for August 2024 contracted 1.8 per cent, the first negative print in three and a half years, pulled down by coal, electricity, and cement.
• Trade: India lifted the non-basmati white rice export ban with a minimum export price of 490 dollars per tonne.
• Defence: Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows, a ground push into southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

GS area: Environment and Ecology, Governance

Karnataka formally requested the Centre to withdraw the sixth draft notification for Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Areas. The state government cited economic disruption to local communities as the primary concern.

• Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESAs): Defined under the Environment Protection Act of 1986. They serve as buffer zones around national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and other protected areas. The idea is to regulate activities near ecologically fragile zones rather than prohibit them entirely.
• Prohibited activities within ESAs: Commercial mining, setting up of polluting industries, and large hydroelectric projects are outright banned.
• Regulated activities: Tree felling, hotel construction, and commercial water use require permissions and are subject to conditions.
• Gadgil Committee (2011): Recommended that 100 per cent of the Western Ghats be declared ecologically sensitive. States resisted because of the sweeping restrictions it would have imposed.
• Kasturirangan Committee (2013): Proposed a far smaller 37 per cent coverage. Six draft notifications have been issued since then, with no final notification ever issued due to state opposition.
• Why prelims cares: The distinction between the two committees, the legal basis in the Environment Protection Act, and the types of prohibited versus regulated activities are recurring question themes.

Static linkage: Biodiversity conservation, protected area networks (Environment).

GS area: Economy (Infrastructure)

The combined output of India's eight core infrastructure sectors contracted by 1.8 per cent in August 2024 compared to the same month a year earlier. This is the first negative growth reading in three and a half years.

• The eight core sectors: Coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, and electricity. Their combined weight in the Index of Industrial Production is 40.27 per cent.
• Steepest declines: Coal fell 8.1 per cent. Electricity fell 5 per cent, its first monthly contraction in 13 months. Cement fell 3 per cent.
• Modest positives: Fertilisers grew 3.2 per cent and steel grew 4.5 per cent.
• Causes cited: A high base effect from August 2023, a heavy monsoon reducing construction activity, and supply chain disruptions.

Static linkage: Index of Industrial Production, macroeconomic indicators (Economy).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture and Trade)

The Centre lifted the export prohibition on non-basmati white rice that had been in place since July 2023. The policy now permits exports subject to conditions.

• Minimum export price: Set at 490 dollars per tonne. This acts as a price floor below which Indian exporters cannot sell abroad.
• Export duties: Reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent on husked rice and parboiled rice.
• India's global position: India exported roughly 17 million tonnes of rice in 2023. That is approximately 33 per cent of global rice trade. No other country comes close.
• Basmati versus non-basmati: Basmati accounts for about one-third of India's total rice exports. Non-basmati white rice was the segment under the ban.
• Key competitors: Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Cambodia, and the United States compete with India in global rice markets.

Static linkage: Agricultural trade policy, minimum export price mechanism (Economy).

GS area: Economy (Employment)

The Annual Survey of Industries for 2022-23 reported that the industrial sector added 22 lakh jobs in the year. Gross Value Added grew 7.3 per cent year on year.

• Top output contributors: Basic metals, refined petroleum, food products, chemicals, and motor vehicles together accounted for 58 per cent of total factory output.
• Leading states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh contributed 54 per cent of manufacturing GVA.
• Average wage increase: 6.3 per cent across the surveyed establishments.

Static linkage: Industrial growth, manufacturing sector (Economy).

GS area: Science and Technology (Health)

Rwanda reported an outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease with eight deaths. The disease is caused by a filovirus closely related to the Ebola virus.

• Classification: Marburg virus belongs to the Filoviridae family. It is an RNA virus. The first recorded outbreak was in 1967 in the German city of Marburg, when laboratory workers were exposed to imported African green monkeys.
• Natural reservoir: African fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the primary animal host.
• Transmission: Through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals. The disease is zoonotic.
• Fatality rate: Between 24 and 88 per cent in recorded outbreaks. No approved vaccine or antiviral treatment exists. Care is supportive.
• UPSC angle: Filoviridae family, zoonotic transmission, the high fatality range, and the absence of a licensed vaccine are the testable elements.

Static linkage: Communicable diseases, zoonotic infections (Science and Technology).

GS area: International Relations

The Israel Defence Forces launched what they described as limited, localised ground raids into southern Lebanon under the name Operation Northern Arrows. The stated objective was to neutralise Hezbollah's military infrastructure near the Israeli border.

• Strategic context: Hezbollah has displaced tens of thousands of residents from northern Israel through sustained rocket and drone fire. Israel's stated goal is to make those communities safe for return.
• India's stake: Over 18,000 Indian nationals reside in Lebanon. India has been urging caution and the safety of its citizens.

Static linkage: West Asia, India's diaspora interests (International Relations).

GS area: Geography (Rivers)

Bihar floods linked upstream to heavy rainfall in Nepal's Bagmati catchment drew attention to this trans-boundary river.

• Origin: Shivapuri Hills at roughly 2,690 metres, in the northwest of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.
• Course: The river flows through Kathmandu, passes through the Chovar Gorge, enters the Terai plains, and then crosses into Bihar where it eventually meets the Burhi Gandak.
• Total length: About 360 kilometres.
• Cultural significance: The Bagmati is considered sacred in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Pashupatinath Temple complex in Kathmandu sits on its banks. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Static linkage: Indian rivers and their tributaries, Nepal-India trans-boundary rivers (Geography).

• IBBI Annual Day: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India celebrated its eighth Annual Day. The IBBI was established on 1 October 2016 under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016. It regulates insolvency professionals and oversees resolution and liquidation processes.
• PM E-DRIVE Scheme: The Ministry of Heavy Industries launched the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement scheme with an outlay of 10,900 crore rupees over two years. It replaces the FAME India Phase II programme. It allocates 4,391 crore rupees for 14,028 electric buses.
• MPC reconstituted: The Centre notified the reconstitution of the Monetary Policy Committee on 1 October 2024. The MPC is the six-member body under the Reserve Bank of India responsible for setting the policy repo rate.