5 November 2024

• Global politics: The United States held its presidential election. Donald Trump won a second term, becoming the 47th President.
• International: The seventh International Solar Alliance Assembly met in New Delhi. India was unanimously elected President; Ashish Khanna was appointed Director General.
• Polity: The Supreme Court continued hearing cases on SC sub-categorisation following its August 2024 landmark verdict.
• Environment: Yamuna river foam in Delhi revived debate about phosphate detergents and industrial effluents.

GS area: International Relations

Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris.

• Electoral College: Trump won 312 electoral votes against Harris's 226. The winning threshold is 270.
• Popular vote: Trump also won the popular vote, the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004.
• H-1B visa concern: A harder line on H-1B visas would affect Indian IT services firms, which depend on this category for US-based staffing.
• Trade risk: Trump previously designated India a "tariff king." He revoked India's Generalised System of Preferences benefits in 2019. The risk of higher tariffs on pharmaceuticals and textiles was flagged.
• Strategic relationship: The Modi-Trump personal rapport is considered a stabilising factor. India and the US deepened defence and technology ties through AUKUS-adjacent initiatives and the iCET framework.
• India's posture: India treats any US administration through the lens of strategic autonomy. The relationship has grown regardless of the party in power since the 2005 civil nuclear deal.

Static linkage: India-US relations, trade policy, strategic partnerships.

GS area: International Relations, Environment

The seventh Assembly of the International Solar Alliance met in New Delhi.

• ISA: International Solar Alliance. Founded in 2015 at COP21 in Paris. Jointly proposed by India and France. Headquarters in Gurugram.
• Membership: 120 member countries as of 2024.
• Financial goal: Mobilise 1 trillion dollars in solar investments by 2030.
• India elected: President for another term unanimously. France won the Co-Presidency after a contested vote.
• New DG: Ashish Khanna, an Indian national, appointed Director General.
• Solar PV costs: Dropped 90 per cent since 2010 to about $0.044 per kilowatt-hour globally.
• Employment: 7.1 million people work in the solar sector globally.

Static linkage: International energy institutions, India's renewable energy goals, international organisations.

GS area: Polity, Social Justice

The Supreme Court's August 2024 verdict allowing states to sub-categorise within Scheduled Caste reservations continued to generate legal and political activity.

• The verdict: A seven-judge Constitution Bench overruled the 2004 EV Chinnaiah case. States can now create sub-groups within the SC quota to prioritise the most disadvantaged communities.
• Existing quotas: SC at 15 per cent, ST at 7.5 per cent, OBC at 27 per cent, EWS at 10 per cent of central government posts and educational seats.
• Punjab example: Punjab subdivided its SC quota as early as 1975 for Balmiki and Mazhabi Sikh communities. The verdict validated this approach.
• Concerns: Data on how benefits are distributed within SC categories is thin. Political influence in defining sub-groups is a real risk. Social fragmentation within communities is another concern.
• Article 15(4): Allows the state to make special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes. The sub-categorisation verdict sits within this framework.

Static linkage: Reservations, social justice, constitutional provisions, fundamental rights.

GS area: Environment, Governance

Thick foam on the Yamuna River at Kalindi Kunj in Delhi became a seasonal spectacle again as Chhath Puja approached.

• Cause: Phosphate-based detergents from households and industrial effluents from the Najafgarh drain and other tributaries. Phosphates lower water surface tension, causing stable foam.
• Treatment: A defoaming chemical called polyoxypropylene (FDA-approved) was sprayed on the river to suppress the foam for religious observances.
• Seasonal pattern: Foam worsens in winter because cooler temperatures slow the biodegradation of organic matter and reduce dissolved oxygen.
• Yamuna's health: The 22-kilometre Delhi stretch accounts for 80 per cent of the river's pollution load, though it is only 2 per cent of the river's total length.

Static linkage: River pollution, urban environment, governance.

GS area: International Relations, Art and Culture

The first Asian Buddhist Summit was inaugurated in New Delhi on 5 November.

• Theme: "Role of Buddha Dhamma in Strengthening Asia."
• Inauguration: President Droupadi Murmu opened the summit.
• India's framing: India positioned itself as the origin of Buddhism and a "Dhamma Setu" (Buddhist bridge) connecting Asian nations. The summit underscores India's soft power use of the Buddhist legacy.
• Strategic context: India uses Buddhist diplomacy in its Act East Policy and its outreach to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Bhutan.
• Karuna: Compassion, the central Buddhist principle repeatedly cited at the summit.

Static linkage: India's cultural diplomacy, Buddhism, international relations.

• Paragliding World Cup 2024: Held at Bir, Himachal Pradesh. Bir village sits in the Dhauladhar foothills in Kangra district. It is called the "Paragliding Capital of India." The 2024 edition had 94 participants from 26 nations.
• Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki: A twin volcano on Flores Island, Indonesia. Located on the Ring of Fire. Recent eruptions caused fatalities and a 7-kilometre evacuation zone was imposed.