5 December 2024

• Economy: NITI Aayog's Trade Watch Q1 FY25 showed FTA partners drove 12 per cent export growth but highlighted risks from the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
• Governance: Debate on caste-based census intensified with Bihar's 2023 survey data showing 84 per cent of the population belongs to OBCs, EBCs and SCs.
• Defence: India and the US advanced the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter support package, deepening naval interoperability.
• Environment: The UNCCD-EU World Drought Atlas projected 75 per cent of global population facing drought risk by 2050.

GS area: Polity, Governance, Social Justice

The debate on conducting a caste-based census intensified following Bihar's 2023 socioeconomic survey.

• Constitutional mandate: Article 340 of the Constitution enables the President to appoint a commission to investigate backward class conditions. The Backward Classes Commission uses such data for reservation design.
• Last caste count: British India conducted a formal caste census in 1931. The 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) identified over 46.7 lakh caste and sub-caste groups, but the raw data was never released.
• Bihar survey findings: The state's 2023 caste survey found that 84 per cent of Bihar's population belongs to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Scheduled Castes combined.
• Challenges: Similar-sounding castes across regions cause classification errors. Self-reporting bias occurs when communities perceive benefit or stigma from a given label. Administrative feasibility and data security are additional concerns.
• Why UPSC cares: A national caste census would affect the evidence base for reservation policy, potentially raising demands to breach the 50 per cent cap set by the Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992).

Static linkage: Polity (Article 340, reservation, OBC policy).

GS area: Economy

NITI Aayog's Trade Watch Quarterly for the first quarter of FY 2024-25 highlighted India's trade trends.

• Key markets: North America accounts for 21 per cent of India's exports. The EU accounts for 18.6 per cent.
• FTA impact: Trade with Free Trade Agreement partner countries grew 12 per cent in exports and 10.3 per cent in imports.
• Growth sectors: IT services, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery and mineral fuels.
• Declining sectors: Textiles, pearls, leather products.
• EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): Comes into effect from 2026. It imposes 20 to 35 per cent tariffs on carbon-intensive goods (steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers) imported into the EU. Indian exporters in these sectors face a major competitiveness challenge.
• Policy responses: Trade Connect e-Platform expansion, National Logistics Policy enhancement, Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme continuation and PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme scaling.

Static linkage: Economy (trade policy, FTAs, CBAM).

GS area: Geography

The Great Lakes region of North America was experiencing heavy lake-effect snowfall in early December 2024.

• Mechanism: Cold Arctic air passes over relatively warm Great Lakes water. The air picks up moisture and heat from the lake surface. When it reaches the colder land, the moisture falls as intense localised snowfall.
• Geography of Great Lakes: Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, straddling the US-Canada border. They contain about 21 per cent of the world's surface freshwater.
• Snowfall rates: Lake-effect snow can produce 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) per hour in localised bands.
• States affected: New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania receive the most lake-effect snow.
• UPSC relevance: Lake-effect snow is a geography question staple. The mechanism tests understanding of moisture transfer, adiabatic processes and continental climate patterns.

Static linkage: Geography (North America, climate, Great Lakes).

GS area: Defence, Internal Security

The US government approved a 1.17-billion-dollar logistics and support deal for India's MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

• Indian procurement: India contracted 24 MH-60R helicopters in 2020 for 2.2 billion dollars. Nine have been inducted into the Indian Navy as of December 2024.
• Capabilities: Anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. The helicopter carries AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and MK 54 lightweight torpedoes.
• Naval base of operations: Integrated Air Squadron at INS Rajali (Tamil Nadu) and Dega (Andhra Pradesh).
• Structural features: Folding rotor blades and a hinged tail for shipboard storage.
• Strategic context: The induction enhances India's anti-submarine warfare capability in the Indian Ocean, where Chinese submarine activity has increased.

Static linkage: Defence (India-US defence cooperation, naval modernisation).

GS area: Governance, Education

The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) celebrated its sixth foundation day on 5 December 2024.

• Established: 5 December 2018. Became fully operational on 1 August 2020.
• Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• Functions: Regulates, monitors and standardises vocational education and training across India. Accredits awarding bodies and assessment agencies.
• Recent development: IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) was recognised as an awarding body for space-sector training under NCVET.
• Significance: India's demographic dividend depends on skilled workers. NCVET provides the regulatory backbone for vocational qualification frameworks linked to global standards.

Static linkage: Government schemes (skill development), governance.

GS area: Environment, Geography

The UNCCD and European Commission Joint Research Centre published the World Drought Atlas at COP16 in Riyadh.

• Global projection: 75 per cent of the world's population could be affected by drought by 2050. Some 77.6 per cent of Earth's land became permanently drier between 1961 and 2020.
• India's exposure: India faces substantial drought risk, particularly for soybean and other rain-fed crops. The 2019 "Day Zero" water crisis in Chennai is cited as a case study of urban drought.
• Drivers: Unsustainable groundwater extraction, poor land management, climate change and rapid urbanisation.
• COP16 context: The 16th Conference of Parties to the UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• India's commitments: India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under its Nationally Determined Contribution.

Static linkage: Environment (desertification, UNCCD, climate change).

• NHAI contractor rating: The National Highways Authority of India uses Network Survey Vehicles with cameras and sensors to capture road condition data every 100 metres. Contractors scoring below 60 out of 100 are classified as "non-performers" and face reduced project allocation.
• Windfall Gains Tax withdrawn: The government formally withdrew the Windfall Gains Tax (SAED) on domestic crude and fuel exports, introduced in July 2022. It had collected about 25,000 crore rupees in FY 2023.