9 November 2024

• Polity: The Supreme Court affirmed that institutions of national importance can retain their minority character. The AMU case is the clearest test of this principle.
• Technology: The Bharat 6G Mission targets India as a global 6G leader by 2030. India already achieved 98 per cent district-level 5G coverage in 21 months.
• Climate: CSE's 2024 data: extreme weather hit India on 255 of 274 days. Deaths rose 18 per cent over three years to 3,238.
• Railways: The Bibek Debroy Committee (2015) recommendations shaped reforms including the Railway Board's restructuring in 2020 and the KAVACH safety system.

GS area: Polity, Education

The Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling affirming that Aligarh Muslim University can retain its minority character even though it is an institution of national importance.

• Article 30(1): Grants minorities (religious or linguistic) the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
• The principle clarified: "National importance" and "minority institution" status are not mutually exclusive. An institution established by a minority community with the purpose of serving that community retains the protection of Article 30(1) regardless of its scale or national designation.
• Earlier cases: St. Stephen's College v. University of Delhi (1992), T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka (2002) and Pramati Educational and Cultural Trust v. Union of India (2014) built the jurisprudence.
• Minority institution criteria: Must be established by a religious or linguistic minority and must have been created for the benefit of that community.
• Why it matters: An institution with minority status can reserve up to 50 per cent seats for the minority community it serves, subject to merit.

Static linkage: Fundamental rights, minority rights, education, constitutional law.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy

The Bharat 6G Mission aims to make India a global leader in 6G technology development and standardisation by 2030.

• 5G baseline: India achieved 98 per cent district-level 5G coverage in 21 months after the 5G spectrum auction in 2022. The government cited this as proof of rapid deployment capability.
• 6G features: Uses terahertz (THz) frequencies. Enables massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna systems, network slicing, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and intelligent reflecting surfaces.
• TIG: Technology Innovation Group on 6G. Established 1 November 2021. Oversees India's 6G research agenda.
• Applications: Real-time remote surgery, precision agriculture, immersive metaverse experiences, smart manufacturing and disaster response.
• Challenges: Terahertz signals have very short range and are absorbed by rain and humidity. Massive infrastructure investment is required.

Static linkage: Telecom policy, science and technology, digital infrastructure.

GS area: Environment, Disaster Management

The Centre for Science and Environment released its annual extreme weather analysis.

• Days hit: Extreme weather struck India on 255 of 274 days in 2024, up from 235 in 2023 and 241 in 2022.
• Deaths: 3,238 fatalities in 2024 (up from 2,755 in 2022). An 18 per cent rise over three years.
• Worst states for deaths: Kerala (550 deaths), Madhya Pradesh (353), Assam (256).
• Crop loss: A 74 per cent spike from 1.84 million hectares in 2022 to 3.2 million hectares in 2024.
• Homes destroyed: 235,862 in 2024, up from 80,293 in 2022.
• CSE: Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based policy research body.

Static linkage: Climate change, disaster management, environment.

GS area: Economy, Governance

The 2015 Bibek Debroy Committee's railway reform recommendations continued to shape policy in 2024.

• Liberalisation not privatisation: The committee recommended allowing private freight operators on Indian Railways tracks, partially implemented through PPP.
• Railway Board restructuring: Recommended a Chairman-as-CEO model. Implemented in 2020.
• Independent Rail Regulator: The Rail Development Authority was approved in 2017 but remains limited in functioning.
• Accrual-based accounting: Implemented as recommended.
• KAVACH: An Automatic Train Protection system developed by RDSO. KAVACH prevents signals passed at danger and auto-brakes on collision courses. Part of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh with 45,000 crore rupees in additional funding.
• Vande Bharat trains: Semi-high-speed self-propelled trains, a product of the committee's push for technology modernisation.

Static linkage: Infrastructure, railways, governance reforms.

GS area: International Relations

India held its second India-CARICOM Joint Commission meeting virtually in November 2024.

• CARICOM: Caribbean Community and Common Market. Established 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas.
• Membership: 15 full members including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and Belize.
• Secretariat: Georgetown, Guyana.
• India's outreach: IT scholarships, regional forensic centre proposal, millet cultivation promotion, ISA membership invitation, women's cricket scholarships and Jan Aushadhi scheme sharing.
• Strategic interest: Several CARICOM states have significant Indian-origin populations. They also vote in UN bodies.

Static linkage: International relations, India's global outreach, multilateral diplomacy.

• NTPC Vindhyachal CO2-to-methanol plant: India's first plant converting carbon dioxide from power plant flue gases to methanol, using an indigenous catalyst. At NTPC's Vindhyachal facility. The process: capture CO2, react with hydrogen using a catalyst, produce methanol. Green fuel transition application.
• Project Shaurya Gatha: A Department of Military Affairs initiative to conserve India's military heritage through the Indian Military Heritage Festival. The 2nd edition of IMHF was inaugurated by CDS General Anil Chauhan on 8 November 2024.