31 October 2024

• International Relations: The US presidential election (5 November) was imminent; US Electoral College mechanics and the seven swing states dominated pre-election coverage.
• Economy: India's gold reserves stood at 854.73 metric tonnes as of October 2024, ranking 8th globally, with 100 MT transferred to India from the Bank of England in 2024.
• Society: Women in India spend 36 hours per week on unpaid care and domestic work compared to men's 2.5 hours, representing an estimated 7.5 per cent of GDP.
• Environment: Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan, India's largest inland saline lake, continued to face ecological stress. The lake is listed under the Montreux Record of threatened Ramsar sites.

GS area: History (Modern India), Governance

31 October marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).

• Run for Unity: A government-organised programme where citizens, students, and security personnel participate in a symbolic run to commemorate national integration.
• Statue of Unity: Located at Kevadia (Ekta Nagar), Narmada district, Gujarat. Height: 182 metres. Completed in 2018. It is the world's tallest statue, nearly double the height of the Statue of Liberty (93 metres with pedestal).
• Patel's contributions recalled: Integration of 562 princely states into the Indian Union; creation of the Indian Administrative Service as the "Steel Frame"; Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) which gave him the title "Sardar" (given by women of Bardoli).
• Significance of date: Only two birthdays are officially observed in this form with a mandatory government programme: Patel (31 October) and Ambedkar (14 April, Ambedkar Jayanti).

Static linkage: Modern Indian history, integration of states, IAS, national symbols (History and Governance).

GS area: Economy (Monetary Policy, Foreign Exchange)

India's gold reserves reached 854.73 metric tonnes as of October 2024, placing India 8th globally by gold reserves.

• RBI repatriation: The Reserve Bank of India transferred approximately 100 metric tonnes of gold from the Bank of England's vaults to India in 2024. The gold had been kept abroad since the 1990-91 BoP crisis.
• Historical context (1991): India pledged gold held by the RBI with the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan as collateral to secure emergency loans during the 1991 balance of payments crisis. The pledge was redeemed. The gold was kept abroad thereafter because London's vaults are closer to international gold markets.
• Gold composition: India's gold reserves are held in two forms: gold held in India (now significantly increased after the 2024 transfer) and gold held abroad for custodial purposes.
• Global gold reserves: USA holds the largest gold reserve (approximately 8,133 MT). Germany is second (approximately 3,352 MT). India at 8th is just above the Netherlands and Japan.
• Why gold matters: Gold provides confidence in the currency, serves as a last-resort collateral, and diversifies away from the US dollar in foreign reserves.

Static linkage: Foreign exchange reserves, RBI, 1991 BoP crisis (Economy).

GS area: Society (Gender, Labour Economics)

A report quantified India's gender gap in unpaid care and domestic work.

• Key data: Women in India spend an average of 36 hours per week on unpaid care and domestic work (cooking, cleaning, childcare, elder care). Men spend 2.5 hours per week.
• Economic value: This unpaid work is estimated at 22.7 lakh crore rupees per year, equivalent to approximately 7.5 per cent of India's GDP.
• Why it is "unpaid": Care work is not counted in GDP because it does not involve market transactions. This is a measurement critique: conventional GDP metrics undercount women's economic contribution.
• Labour force implications: The unpaid care burden reduces women's capacity for paid employment. India's female labour force participation rate (approximately 37 per cent) is significantly below the global average.
• India's Time Use Survey (2019): The National Statistical Office conducted India's first Time Use Survey in 2019. It confirmed that women's unpaid work burden is 4 to 10 times higher than men's across all states.
• ILO global estimate: Globally, unpaid care work is estimated at 10 to 39 per cent of GDP, depending on the method of valuation.

Static linkage: Labour force participation, gender inequality, national accounts (Society and Economy).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture, Trade Policy)

India's flagship onion export movement, informally called the "Kanda Express" (special trains carrying onions to ports), was operating with shipments to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

• Export ban history: India had imposed an export ban on onions from December 2023 to May 2024 to contain domestic prices during a supply shortage. The ban was lifted in May 2024.
• October 2024 milestone: India exported approximately 840 metric tonnes of onions on special trains to ports, marking a resumption of large-scale exports.
• Onion economics: India is the world's second-largest onion producer and a significant exporter. Major export markets: Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, and Gulf countries.
• Price sensitivity: Onion prices are politically sensitive in India. Spikes in onion prices have historically influenced state election outcomes (1998 Delhi and Rajasthan elections, for example).
• Regulation: The National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) has been used to manage government-to-government onion exports at stabilised prices.

Static linkage: Agricultural exports, food inflation, trade policy (Economy).

GS area: Environment, Governance (Wildlife Management)

The Durgesh Aranya Zoological Park in Chhattisgarh became the first Indian zoo to receive the Indian Green Building Council's (IGBC) green certification.

• Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh. It is among the newer zoos in India, opened in 2022.
• IGBC Green Zoo Rating: The Indian Green Building Council developed a specific green rating for zoos. It evaluates water efficiency, energy use, waste management, animal welfare standards, and public education outreach.
• Central Zoo Authority (CZA): The regulatory body for zoos in India. Established under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. No zoo can operate without CZA recognition.
• Zoo functions: Zoos serve as ex-situ conservation facilities. They maintain studbooks for breeding programmes, contribute to reintroduction of endangered species, and provide public environmental education.
• Notable Indian zoos: Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (Darjeeling), known for red panda and snow leopard conservation; Mysore Zoo (oldest); Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Chennai, largest by area).

Static linkage: CZA, ex-situ conservation, green building (Environment and Governance).

GS area: Geography (Atmospheric Science, Disaster)

Extreme flooding caused by a DANA weather system struck Valencia, Spain in late October 2024, killing over 200 people.

• What DANA is: DANA stands for "Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos" (Isolated High-Altitude Depression). It is a cold air pool cut off from the main jet stream at upper levels of the atmosphere, over warmer Mediterranean or Atlantic surface waters.
• Mechanism: The cold upper-level air over warm sea surface causes extreme convection. Moisture-laden warm air rises rapidly, triggering intense, localised rainfall. DANA storms are particularly dangerous because they are relatively small but can deliver extreme rainfall in a few hours.
• Climate change link: Mediterranean sea surface temperatures in 2024 were above normal due to climate change, intensifying the DANA event.
• Relevance for India: India's flash floods and cloudbursts (especially in Himalayas, Western Ghats) share some atmospheric dynamics with DANA: intense localised convection driven by warm humid air over heated land surfaces or sea surfaces.

Static linkage: Atmospheric science, disaster management, climate change impacts (Geography and Environment).

• India-China LAC: The three-phase disengagement framework continued with the de-escalation phase expected to begin after the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok was fully verified.
• National Pension System: PFRDA reported NPS subscriber base crossed 7 crore, with 1.07 crore private sector subscribers, in October 2024.
• Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections: The Election Commission announced elections for Maharashtra (20 November, single phase) and Jharkhand (two phases: 13 and 20 November).