Highlights
- Economy: India had 1.68 lakh road fatalities in 2022 at a rate of 12.2 per 1 lakh population. Annual economic cost: 3 per cent of GDP.
- Agriculture: India's agri-export value fell from $52 billion in 2022-23 to $48 billion in 2023-24 amid SPS compliance failures.
- Environment: Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh operational. Northeast India's first geothermal production well.
- Polity: Justice BR Gavai sworn in as India's 52nd Chief Justice of India. First Buddhist and second Dalit to hold the post.
- Defence: India tested the Bhargavastra counter-drone system. Detection range exceeds 6 km; simultaneous launch of 64 micro-missiles.
1. India's road safety crisis
GS area: Infrastructure, Governance, Road Safety
India recorded 1.68 lakh road fatalities in 2022, the highest number globally in absolute terms.
- Fatality rate: 12.2 per 1 lakh population. Compare with the UK (2.6) and Japan (2.5).
- Economic cost: Road accidents cost about 3 per cent of annual GDP.
- Road network: India has the world's second-largest road network at 6.3 million km.
- Driver error: Accounts for approximately 78 per cent of accidents.
- Unresolved hotspots: Over 5,000 identified "black spots" remain unaddressed.
- Government framework (4 Es):
- Education: Road Safety Month; Driving Training Centres.
- Engineering: Road Safety Audits; Bharat NCAP crash testing; e-DAR accident data system; Vehicle Scrappage Policy.
- Enforcement: E-challan; CCTV monitoring; automated testing lanes.
- Emergency Care: Good Samaritan legal protection; ambulances at toll plazas; cashless treatment pilots.
- Recommended: Creating a National Road Safety Authority; CSR mandates for automobile manufacturers.
Static linkage: Motor Vehicles Act 2019, road infrastructure, governance.
2. India's agri-export regime: the gaps
GS area: Agriculture, Trade Policy, Infrastructure
India's agriculture exports declined from $52 billion in 2022-23 to $48 billion in 2023-24.
- Basmati rice: Contributes 21 per cent of total agri exports.
- Trade deal exclusion: Agriculture was kept outside the India-UK, India-EFTA and India-US trade agreements due to political sensitivity.
- SPS compliance failures: High rejection rates for mangoes and peanuts due to pesticide residues and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards non-compliance.
- Governance gap: Trade is a Union List subject but agriculture is a State List subject. This fragmentation complicates export policy.
- Infrastructure gaps: Landlocked states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh lack cold chain infrastructure for perishable exports.
- Policy proposals: Agro-processing clusters near APMCs; a National Agri Trade Council; replacing input subsidies with Direct Benefit Transfers.
Static linkage: APEDA, FTAs, SPS measures, agricultural exports.
3. Dirang geothermal well
GS area: Environment, Renewable Energy, Science and Technology
Northeast India's first geothermal production well became operational in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
- Location: Dirang, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh.
- Developer: Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS), Itanagar.
- Support: Ministry of Earth Sciences with international partners from Norway and Iceland.
- Temperature: Approximately 115 degrees Celsius reservoir.
- Technology: Closed-loop binary Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for electricity generation.
- India's potential: About 10,600 MW of geothermal energy potential.
- Significance: First geothermal project in Northeast India. Can potentially power Dirang entirely from geothermal energy. Provides base-load renewable power unlike intermittent solar and wind.
Static linkage: Renewable energy, Northeast India development, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
4. Justice BR Gavai: 52nd Chief Justice of India
GS area: Polity, Judiciary, Constitutional Law
Justice BR Gavai was sworn in as India's 52nd Chief Justice of India.
- Significance: First Buddhist and second Dalit to serve as CJI. The first Dalit CJI was Justice KG Balakrishnan.
- Constitutional basis: Article 124(2) governs appointment. The President appoints based on the outgoing CJI's recommendation.
- Procedure: Law Minister seeks recommendation from the outgoing CJI; consults senior judges if fitness is questioned; forwards to the PM; the President appoints.
- Oath: Administered by the President.
- Powers of CJI: Master of the Roster (allocates cases and forms Constitution benches); judicial leadership; administrative authority over court functioning; consultation required for all SC and HC judge appointments.
- Acting as President: CJI may discharge presidential duties if both the President and Vice-President offices are vacant.
Static linkage: Judiciary, Constitutional provisions, collegium system.
5. Bhargavastra counter-drone system and Ayurveda Day
GS area: Defence Technology, Culture
Two distinct prelims items.
- Bhargavastra: Developed by Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd (SDAL) with Economic Explosives Ltd. India's first indigenous micro-missile counter-drone system for Army Air Defence. Detection range beyond 6 km. Simultaneous launch of 64 micro-missiles. Engagement range beyond 2.5 km. Mobile platform operable at high altitudes.
- Ayurveda Day declared 23 September: The government officially declared September 23 as National Ayurveda Day, coinciding with the autumnal equinox. Core principles: Swasthasya Swasthya Rakshanam (preserving health of the healthy) and Aturasya Vikara Prashamanam (curing illness of the sick). Ayurveda originates from the Vedas (especially Atharva Veda), over 5,000 years old. The term combines "Ayu" (life) and "Veda" (knowledge).
Static linkage: Defence indigenisation, AYUSH, traditional medicine.
6. WPI data and Arunachal Pradesh border dispute
GS area: Economy, International Relations
Two distinct items.
- WPI April 2025: Wholesale Price Index inflation eased to a 13-month low of 0.85 per cent in April 2025 (down from 2.05 per cent in March). Publishing body: Office of Economic Adviser, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Base year: 2011-12. WPI covers 697 items in three groups: Primary Articles (22.62 per cent), Fuel and Power (13.15 per cent), Manufactured Products (64.23 per cent). Key distinction: WPI measures wholesale prices before retail level and is NOT used by RBI for monetary policy (the RBI targets CPI).
- Arunachal Pradesh: India rejected China's renaming of locations in Arunachal Pradesh as "preposterous." China refers to Arunachal as "Zangnan" (South Tibet) and has been issuing standardised Chinese names since 2017. India's position: "Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will remain integral to India." McMahon Line is India's internationally recognised boundary.
Static linkage: WPI vs CPI, inflation measurement, India-China border dispute.
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