Highlights
- Global: Trump's US election win was confirmed. India-US trade and H-1B visa implications entered the policy conversation.
- Infrastructure: Dedicated Freight Corridors contributed 2.94 per cent to Indian Railways revenue growth. The Western DFC was 93 per cent complete.
- Energy: International Solar Alliance's World Solar Report documented global solar capacity at 1,418.97 GW in 2023, up from 1.22 GW in 2000.
- Polity: The Supreme Court ruled that not all private property qualifies as "material resources of the community" under Article 39(b).
1. Dedicated Freight Corridors: status and impact
GS area: Economy, Infrastructure
India's two major Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) gained attention as their economic contribution was quantified.
- Eastern DFC: 1,856 kilometres from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni (West Bengal). Operational and carrying about 200 freight trains daily.
- Western DFC: 1,504 kilometres from Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) to JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Maharashtra). About 93 per cent complete in November 2024. Carrying approximately 125 trains daily.
- Revenue impact: DFCs contributed 2.94 per cent to Indian Railways' revenue growth from FY 2018-19 to FY 2022-23.
- Why freight-only: Dedicated tracks allow higher speeds and heavier axle loads than shared tracks. Removing freight from passenger lines also improves passenger punctuality.
- DFCCIL: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, a Ministry of Railways undertaking, builds and operates the corridors.
Static linkage: Indian Railways, infrastructure, logistics.
2. World Solar Report: solar economy in numbers
GS area: Economy (energy), Environment
The International Solar Alliance released its World Solar Report, documenting a decade of solar transformation.
- Capacity in 2000: 1.22 GW globally. A negligible base.
- Capacity in 2023: 1,418.97 GW. A more than 1,000-fold increase in 23 years.
- Cost drop: Solar PV costs fell 90 per cent since 2010 to about $0.044 per kilowatt-hour.
- Projection: Global solar capacity projected to reach 7,203 GW by 2030.
- Employment: 7.1 million people work in the solar sector globally.
- Green hydrogen link: The ISA assessed green hydrogen potential in Egypt, Morocco and Namibia, linking solar surplus to hydrogen production for export.
Static linkage: Renewable energy, ISA, India's solar targets.
3. Article 39(b) and private property: Supreme Court ruling
GS area: Polity, Economy
A seven-judge Constitution Bench ruled in Property Owners Association v. State of Maharashtra.
- Article 39(b): A Directive Principle directing the state to distribute material resources of the community so as to subserve the common good.
- The dispute: Whether all private property qualifies as a "material resource of the community" that the state can acquire or redistribute.
- Ruling: The court held, by a 7:2 majority, that not every privately held resource qualifies. The government cannot simply designate any private property as a community resource.
- Earlier interpretation: Justice Krishna Iyer's expansive 1977 reading had held that private property could be treated as a community resource. The 2024 Bench pulled back from that position.
- Significance: The ruling limits the state's power to expropriate private assets in the name of economic redistribution.
Static linkage: Directive Principles, property rights, Article 300A.
4. PM E-DRIVE Scheme: electric vehicle incentives
GS area: Economy, Environment
The PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (E-DRIVE) Scheme was active.
- Budget: 10,900 crore rupees.
- Duration: 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2026.
- Eligible vehicles: Electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, ambulances, trucks and buses. A deliberate mix of personal, commercial and public transport.
- Purpose: Accelerate EV adoption. Extends India's FAME scheme tradition of demand-side subsidies.
- Predecessor: FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme. FAME II ran from 2019 to 2024.
Static linkage: Electric vehicles, government schemes, energy transition.
5. Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: key facts
GS area: Art and Culture, Governance
Preparations were underway for Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj.
- Dates: 13 January to 26 February 2025 at Prayagraj.
- Scale: The largest human gathering on earth. Maha Kumbh occurs every 12 years.
- Four locations: Prayagraj (at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati), Haridwar (Ganga), Nashik (Godavari), Ujjain (Shipra).
- UNESCO recognition: Kumbh Mela was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017.
- Governance: The Uttar Pradesh government and the Prayagraj Mela Authority manage logistics, sanitation, crowd management and security.
Static linkage: Art and culture, religious gatherings, governance.
6. Briefly noted
- Russia-Iran space collaboration: A Soyuz rocket launched two Iranian satellites. Kowsar is an Earth observation satellite for environmental monitoring. Hodhod is for research and data gathering. The launch underscored deepening Russia-Iran military and technological ties.
- Cia-Cia tribe, Indonesia: A community of about 93,000 people on Buton Island that adopted Hangul, the Korean alphabet, to write their language in 2009. Their indigenous language had no script. Hangul's phonetic precision made it a practical choice.
- Ranthambore Tiger Reserve: Located near Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, at the confluence of the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges. Area: 1,411 square kilometres. Established under Project Tiger in 1973. About 75 tigers in November 2024. The carrying capacity is roughly 40 tigers, causing territorial conflicts.
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