17 December 2024

• Internal Security: Union Home Minister announced a target to eliminate Naxalism from Chhattisgarh by 2026. Naxal violence had declined by 47 per cent between 2015 and 2020.
• Health: India's healthcare equity data showed 75 per cent of health professionals in urban areas serving only 27 per cent of the population.
• Music: Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away in San Francisco on 15 December 2024.
• Defence: The Kaveri engine was cleared for inflight testing on an unmanned aerial vehicle.

GS area: Internal Security

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the government's target to eliminate Naxalism from Chhattisgarh by March 2026.

• Definition: Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) originating in Naxalbari, West Bengal, in 1967. The movement aims to overthrow the state through armed struggle based on Maoist ideology.
• Red Corridor: A belt of districts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra where LWE influence is concentrated.
• Merger: The People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) merged to form CPI (Maoist) in 2004. CPI (Maoist) is India's most potent LWE organisation.
• Decline data: Naxal violence declined 47 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Total violent incidents in 2022 were the lowest since the movement's peak.
• SAMADHAN strategy:
  • S: Smart leadership.
  • A: Aggressive strategy.
  • M: Motivation and training.
  • A: Actionable intelligence.
  • D: Dashboard-based KPIs.
  • H: Harnessing technology.
  • A: Action plans per theatre.
  • N: No access to financing.
• Aspirational Districts: Many LWE-affected districts are among India's 112 Aspirational Districts. Development alongside security is the dual-track approach.

Static linkage: Internal security (Naxalism, CPI Maoist, SAMADHAN).

GS area: Health, Social Issues

A health equity analysis highlighted India's skewed distribution of healthcare professionals.

• Urban-rural maldistribution: 75 per cent of healthcare professionals work in urban areas, which house 27 per cent of India's population.
• Specialist shortage: 83 per cent shortfall in specialists at Community Health Centres (CHCs) in rural areas.
• Out-of-pocket expenditure: 39.4 per cent of total health expenditure in India is paid out of pocket (among the highest globally). This pushes over 50 million people into poverty annually.
• Government health spending: 1.84 per cent of GDP. The National Health Policy, 2017 targets 2.5 per cent of GDP.
• Inequality in outcomes: Anaemia prevalence among women in the lowest wealth quintile is 59 per cent (NFHS-5). Infant mortality among Muslims is 43 per 1,000, above the national average.
• Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY: Provides up to 5 lakh rupees per year per family for hospitalisation at empanelled public and private hospitals. One of the world's largest health insurance schemes.

Static linkage: Health (NRHM, PMJAY, NHP 2017, healthcare equity).

GS area: Art and Culture

Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away in San Francisco on 15 December 2024 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 73 years old.

• Awards: Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Vibhushan (2023). Five-time Grammy Award winner (most recently in 2024 with a posthumous award nomination).
• Contribution to music: Pioneered tabla-jazz fusion. Collaborated with John McLaughlin (Shakti band), Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, Mickey Hart and many others.
• Global impact: He elevated the tabla from an accompaniment instrument to a solo concert instrument. His performances bridged classical Hindustani music and world music traditions.
• Guru: Son of Alla Rakha, who brought the tabla to international attention through collaborations with Ravi Shankar.
• UPSC relevance: Classical musicians receiving Padma awards and Grammys are standard question material. Five Grammys is a testable number.

Static linkage: Art and culture (Hindustani classical music, tabla).

GS area: Science and Technology, Defence

The Kaveri engine was cleared for inflight testing on DRDO's Ghatak stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

• Developer: Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), under DRDO.
• History: Development began in 1986 for the LCA Tejas. After decades of development, it was decertified for manned aircraft use. Revived in 2016 with a partnership with France's Safran for variant development.
• Current thrust: 49 to 51 kN (without afterburner). Suitable for unmanned applications.
• Future target: Afterburner integration for 73 to 75 kN thrust.
• Ghatak: India's indigenous stealth UCAV programme. The Kaveri engine's inflight test is a critical milestone for making Ghatak a self-reliant platform.
• Significance: A domestically developed aero-engine would eliminate import dependency on Russia (Sukhoi engines) and reduce costs of future fighter programmes.

Static linkage: Science and technology (aerospace, DRDO, Kaveri engine).

GS area: Geography, Environment

La Niña conditions were confirmed in December 2024, with implications for India's winter and upcoming monsoon.

• La Niña definition: A cooling of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. Part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
• India's winter impact: La Niña typically brings colder winters in North India, better groundwater recharge in the South and above-average winter rainfall in Tamil Nadu.
• Monsoon implications: La Niña years are associated with above-normal monsoon rainfall in India.
• Triple-dip La Niña (2020-2022): Three consecutive La Niña years, the first such occurrence in over 40 years.
• India Meteorological Department (IMD): Uses SST indices and atmospheric circulation data to issue seasonal forecasts. IMD uses the Nino 3.4 index to classify ENSO state.

Static linkage: Geography (El Niño-La Niña, ENSO, monsoon), environment.

GS area: Economy, Agriculture

The Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) launched a credit guarantee scheme for electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) pledge financing.

• Corpus: 1,000 crore rupees.
• Coverage: Up to 75 lakh rupees for small and marginal farmers, up to 200 lakh rupees for MSMEs and traders.
• Guarantee rates: 85 per cent of loan amount for loans up to 3 lakh rupees; 80 per cent for 3 to 75 lakh; 75 per cent for MSMEs.
• What e-NWRs are: Electronic receipts issued against commodities stored in WDRA-registered warehouses. Farmers can use these as collateral to get bank loans without selling produce at distress prices.
• Implementation: Through scheduled commercial banks and cooperative banks.
• Significance: Addresses post-harvest distress sales. Farmers can wait for better prices by pledging stored produce.

Static linkage: Economy (agriculture, WDRA, warehouse receipts), government schemes.

• Cyclone Chido: A super cyclone (sustained winds over 220 km/h) struck Mayotte, the French island territory in the Indian Ocean, in December 2024. Mayotte lies between the Comoros archipelago and Madagascar.
• Surya Kiran 2024: The 18th edition of India-Nepal joint exercise Surya Kiran was held at Saljhandi, Nepal. Focus areas: jungle warfare, counter-terrorism and humanitarian operations. India-Nepal military relations are institutionalised through frequent joint exercises.