China has recently declared that it will be renaming 11 areas in Arunachal Pradesh, a region that borders Tibet, including a location in close proximity to Itanagar.

• The Chinese government has made a recent attempt to claim areas inside Indian territory, specifically in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• On Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh that it intends to “standardise” the names of.
• The list includes a map that shows parts of Arunachal Pradesh inside the southern Tibetan region, referred to as Zangnan by China.
• This is the third time China has released such a list, attempting to rename places by giving them “standardised geographical names”.
• In 2017, a similar list of six places was released, and in December 2021, a list of 15 places was released for renaming.
• The Chinese government’s actions in claiming territory within India’s borders have been a point of tension between the two countries.
• China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, together with relevant departments, has standardized some geographical names in southern Tibet.
• The third batch of supplementary place names for public use in southern Tibet (11 in total) has been officially announced.
• The 11 places named include five mountain peaks, two more populated areas, two land areas, and two rivers.
• The claimed geographical area has always been controlled and administered by India.
• The list released by China includes names in Mandarin, Tibetan, and Pinyin (English transliteration) of the 11 places, along with their exact Latitude and Longitude coordinates.
• A map included in the announcement shows much of Arunachal Pradesh marked as Zangnan, in the south of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, that China calls Xizang.
• Security establishment sources claim that renaming disputed locations by China is an attempt to bolster their territorial claims and create evidence to support their claims in case of any sovereignty disagreements in an international court.
• Another source stated that the repeated renaming would have no bearing on the ground situation.
• China has renamed disputed locations not only in Arunachal Pradesh but also in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
• The first list of renamed locations was published in the same year as the confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam.
• The second and latest list of renamed locations come after the LAC stand-off between the Indian Army and PLA forces began in April 2020.
• Despite several rounds of official and military commander-level talks that led to disengagement in certain sectors after the Galwan killings in 2020, there are reports of Chinese attempts at transgressing the boundaries.
• In December 2022, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that Chinese PLA soldiers and Indian Army soldiers had a physical scuffle.
• The scuffle happened when PLA soldiers attempted to capture a post in Yangtse of the Tawang Sector.
• However, Indian Army soldiers successfully pushed back PLA soldiers to their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• The announcement was made in the Indian Parliament.
• China’s newly appointed Defence Minister General Li Shangfu is expected to visit India this month to attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ meetings.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in May.
• India has significantly upgraded firepower along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh since the 2020 stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
• India has also ramped up infrastructure in forward areas in the Tawang sector.
• Massive infrastructure upgrade is currently underway in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

Direct tax collections surge by 17.63% and surpass revised estimates target.

• India’s net direct tax collections for 2022-23 have increased by 17.63% to reach ₹16.61 lakh crore, according to provisional data released by the Finance Ministry on April 3.
• This exceeds the revised estimates target for the year by 0.7%.
• Corporate tax collections contributed ₹10.04 lakh crore to the gross direct tax collections, while personal income tax and Securities Transaction Tax (STT) together contributed ₹9.61 lakh crore.
• At a gross level, personal income tax and STT made up 48.9% of the tax kitty in 2022-23, up from around 47.4% in 2021-22. Corporate tax accounted for just 51.1% in the year gone by, compared to 52.6% in 2021-22.
• The growth in corporate tax collections was lower than the growth in revenues collected from personal income taxpayers and STT inflows.
• Gross corporate tax collections rose by 16.9% in the year, while personal income tax and STT yielded a growth of 24.23%.
• gross tax collections grew 20.33% to ₹19.68 lakh crore in 2022-23, compared to ₹16.36 lakh crore in the previous financial year.
• Tax refunds jumped at a sharper 37.4% year-on-year to a little over ₹3.07 lakh crore from ₹2,23,658 crore in 2021-22.

Higher growth

• Direct tax collections for 2021-22 were ₹16.32 lakh crore, while for 2022-23, they are estimated to be around ₹19.65 lakh crore, indicating a growth of 20.38%.
• The Budget Estimates for direct tax revenue for FY 2022-23 were set at ₹14.20 lakh crore, which were later revised to ₹16.50 lakh crore.
• According to the Finance Ministry, provisional direct tax collections (net of refunds) have exceeded the Budget Estimates by 16.97% and Revised Estimates by 0.69%.
• In 2021-22, net direct tax collections had grown just over 49% to ₹14.12 lakh crore. As of March 10, 2023, the net direct tax collections had grown around 16.8% to ₹13.73 lakh crore over the corresponding period of the previous year.
• Although officials expected the full-year growth rate to moderate from that level, the provisional higher growth rate of 17.6% came as a pleasant surprise to most analysts.

ISRO Conducts Successful Test Launch of Reusable Launch Vehicle

ISRO accomplished the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Autonomous Landing Mission (LEX) with success at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka, which belongs to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The RLV, as per ISRO’s statement, transported a Chinook Helicopter of the Indian Air Force as an under-slung load and ascended to an altitude of 4.5 km.

• A pioneering technique was utilized for launching the vehicle, involving the use of a winged body lifted by a helicopter to an altitude of 4.5 km before being released to execute an autonomous landing on a runway. This was a first-of-its-kind approach in the world.

• The autonomous landing was executed under the same conditions that would be encountered during the re-entry of a Space vehicle, involving high speeds and unmanned, precise landing along the same return path as that from space.

• The RLV, which is essentially a space plane with a low lift-to-drag ratio, requires a landing at high velocities of 350 km due to the high glide angles involved.

• Several indigenous systems developed by ISRO, such as localized navigation systems based on pseudolite systems, instrumentation, and sensor systems, were utilized in the LEX mission, according to the space agency.

• ISRO believes that contemporary technologies developed for RLV LEX can be adapted to make other operational launch vehicles of ISRO more cost-effective.

• In May 2016, ISRO demonstrated the re-entry of its winged vehicle RLV-TD in the HEX Mission. However, precise landing on a runway was not included in this mission.

• During the LEX mission, the vehicle achieved the final approach phase, coinciding with the re-entry flight path and exhibiting an autonomous, high-speed (350 kmph) landing.

• ISRO plans to reduce the cost of payload delivery to low earth orbit by 80 percent through further experiments, including the Return Flight Experiment and other related tests of the RLV.

About Reusable Launch Vehicle:

• Developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle that enables low-cost access to space is among the most challenging endeavors of ISRO in terms of technology.
•  The attainment of hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, and powered cruise flight is made possible through various technologies.
•  Special alloys, composites, and insulation materials are carefully selected to develop the RLV, and crafting its parts is an intricate process that requires highly skilled manpower.

MP Disqualification and Defamation Laws

why in News?

A political leader was recently sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat Court for a Defamation Case from 2019. The case was filed under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertain to the offense of defamation. The MP had made remarks about another political leader that led to the charges.

About sections 499 and 500

Section 499 of the IPC provides a detailed explanation of how defamation can occur through spoken or written words, signs, or visible representations. Such actions can either be made public or conveyed privately with the intention to harm an individual’s reputation, or with knowledge or belief that the imputation could harm their reputation.

In accordance with Section 500, individuals found guilty of criminal defamation may face imprisonment for up to two years, with or without a fine.

What Is Defamation?

Defamation refers to the action of making false statements about an individual that harm their reputation as judged by a reasonable person.

Defamation occurs when a false statement is intentionally, knowingly, and maliciously published or spoken without privilege to damage a person’s reputation.

The origins of defamation can be traced back to Roman and German law, where abusive chants were punishable by death in Rome.

Defamation Law in India:

Article 19 of the Indian Constitution grants its citizens the fundamental right to freedom of speech. However, this freedom is not absolute, as Article 19(2) imposes certain reasonable restrictions, such as Contempt of Court, defamation, and incitement to an offense.

Defamation can be both a civil wrong and a criminal offense in India, depending on the objective they seek to achieve. A civil wrong seeks monetary compensation to redress the wrong, while criminal law seeks to punish the wrongdoer and send a message to others not to commit such acts, with a jail term. In a criminal offense, defamation must be established beyond reasonable doubt. In contrast, in a civil defamation suit, damages can be awarded based on probabilities.

Some argue that defamation laws are a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that the criminal provisions of defamation are constitutionally valid and not in conflict with the right to free speech. The court has also held that it is valid to treat defamation as a public wrong, and criminal defamation is not a disproportionate restriction on free speech, as protection of reputation is a fundamental right as well as a human right.

The court relied on the judgments of other countries and reaffirmed the right to reputation as a part of the right to life under Article 21. Using the principle of balancing of fundamental rights, the court held that the right to freedom of speech and expression cannot be given so much room that even the reputation of an individual, which is a constituent of Article 21, would have no entry into that area. In other words, the right to free speech must be balanced with the right to reputation, which is also a fundamental right.

Previous Defamation Judgements

In the case of Mahendra Ram Vs. Harnandan Prasad (1958), the plaintiff received a letter in Urdu which he could not understand, and thus required someone to read it to him. The defendant was aware of this fact but still sent the letter, which was deemed to be defamatory.

In Ram Jethmalani Vs. Subramanian Swamy (2006), the High Court of Delhi held Dr. Swamy responsible for defaming Ram Jetmalani. Dr. Swamy had claimed that Ram Jetmalani had received money from a banned organization to protect the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the case of assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

The case of Shreya Singhal Vs. Union of India (2015) was a landmark decision in regards to internet defamation. The court ruled that Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which punished individuals for sending offensive messages through communication services, was unconstitutional.

What Happens if a Lawmaker/MP is Convicted?

An MP can be disqualified due to conviction under Section 8(1) of the Representation of the People (RPA) Act of 1951.

Section 8(1) of the RPA includes offenses such as promoting enmity between different groups, bribery, undue influence, and personation at an election, among others.

An MP can be disqualified if convicted and sentenced to at least 2 years of imprisonment under Section 8(3) of the RPA.

The disqualification takes effect only after three months have elapsed from the date of conviction, as stated in Section 8(3) of the RPA.

Within the three-month period, the convicted MP can file an appeal against the sentence before the High Court.

Understanding

Intentional acts of defamation, which involve making false and damaging statements about a person with malicious intent, are punishable by imprisonment. This means that if someone deliberately defames another person with the intention of causing harm, they may face legal consequences. The defamation law is also considered to be constitutional and a reasonable restriction on the right to free speech and expression.

However, there are certain exceptions provided under the law where certain actions may not be considered as defamation. These exceptions have been outlined and defined over the course of the seventy-one years since India gained independence. There have been numerous cases of defamation over this time period, and each case has been interpreted by the courts with great care, resulting in the creation of legal precedents that guide future rulings.

Overall, while the law allows for the punishment of those who intentionally defame others, it also takes into account the nuances and complexities of each individual case. The exceptions provided also ensure that the right to free speech and expression is not unreasonably restricted. Through the careful interpretation of past cases, the legal system strives to maintain a balance between protecting individuals from defamation and upholding the principles of free speech and expression.

Rajasthan’s Right to Health Bill

Why in news?

Recently, the Rajasthan legislative assembly approved the Right to Health Bill, which, once announced, would make Rajasthan the first state in India to ensure its citizens’ access to healthcare. This significant development in improving healthcare services will be discussed in this edition of the burning issue, including the details of the new law and its crucial aspects. This topic is pertinent for the GS-2 mains paper.

Features of the Rajasthan Right to Health Bill

• RTH grants all residents of the state the right to access free OPD and IPD services at public and select private healthcare facilities.
• Free healthcare services will cover consultation, drugs, diagnostics, emergency transport, procedures, and emergency care, subject to certain conditions.
• Residents are entitled to emergency treatment without prepaying fees or charges.
• Hospitals cannot delay treatment in medico-legal cases on the grounds of police clearance.
• After providing emergency care and stabilization, healthcare providers can receive reimbursement from the state government for charges unpaid by patients.

What is Right to Health?

• The right to health (RTH) is an essential human right that entitles all individuals to access the health care they require, regardless of their financial situation or geographic location. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that nobody should suffer illness or death due to a lack of access to adequate health care or financial resources. This fundamental right is widely recognized as an essential component of the right to a decent standard of living and is enshrined in global human rights law.
• In addition, other fundamental human rights, such as access to safe working conditions, education, clean water and sanitation, nutritious food, and adequate housing, are also crucial determinants of good health.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) states that everyone has the right to health care.
• This right means that people should have access to necessary health care regardless of their financial situation.
• No one should suffer or die due to a lack of healthcare or funds.
• This right is recognized internationally as a crucial part of a basic standard of living.
• Access to clean water and sanitation, nutritious food, adequate housing, education, and safe working conditions are other fundamental human rights that contribute to good health.
• RTH addresses different health issues, such as access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, healthy living and working conditions, health education, and disease prevention.
• RTH aims to provide healthcare services that are accessible, affordable, and of good quality.
• RTH strives to remove obstacles that hinder people’s access to healthcare.
• RTH recognizes the importance of informed consent to medical treatment and accessing health information.

Evolution of Right To Health

The Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that the right to life (Article 21) encompasses the right to health, and highlighted the responsibility of state governments to offer healthcare services. In the Constitution, the State List includes public health and sanitation, which encompasses hospitals and dispensaries.

The National Commission on Human Rights (NHRC) created the Charter of Patient Rights in 2018 for state governments to follow. In Rajasthan, various programs are in place to guarantee health coverage, such as the Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana. This scheme covers medical expenses in over 1,550 private and public hospitals in the state, and certain treatments are also included in the insurance coverage.

Constitutional provisions relating to Right to Health

Here are the key points summarizing the provisions of the Indian Constitution related to healthcare:

Directive Principles of State Policy:

Article 39 obligates the state to ensure the health of workers.

Article 47 imposes a responsibility on the state to raise people’s nutrition levels, standard of living, and public health.

Article 42 requires the state to provide maternity relief and just and humane working conditions.

Fundamental Rights:

While the Constitution does not explicitly ensure a basic right to well-being, Article 21’s guarantee of the right to life has been interpreted to cover the right to health.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized the government’s constitutional obligation to provide health services.

Role of Panchayats and Municipalities:

Article 243G empowers Panchayats and Municipalities to strengthen general health.

15th Commission on Finances:

The 15th Finance Commission’s High-Level Group on the Health Sector recommended declaring the right to health a fundamental right in September 2019.

The group also suggested moving health from the State List to the Concurrent List.

National Mission on Natural Farming

About National Mission on Natural Farming

To promote natural farming throughout the country, the Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) has been scaled up and formulated into the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). The NMNF aims to cover a total area of 7.5 lakh hectares by developing 15,000 clusters. Interested farmers can register as cluster members and each cluster must consist of at least 50 farmers with a combined land area of 50 hectares or more. These clusters can be located in a single village or spread across 2-3 neighboring villages under the same gram panchayat.

Natural Farming and its significance

The method of natural farming relies on locally available resources and avoids the use of chemicals. It emphasizes traditional indigenous practices that allow farmers to avoid purchasing external inputs. The key focus of this method is on on-farm biomass recycling, including biomass mulching, the use of on-farm desi cow dung-urine formulation, and managing pests through diversity and on-farm botanical concoctions, while excluding all synthetic chemical inputs.

The significance of natural farming includes better health outcomes as it eliminates health risks associated with synthetic chemicals, while also offering food with higher nutritional density. Natural farming also aims to increase farmers’ income by reducing costs, minimizing risks, achieving similar yields, and generating additional income from intercropping. Additionally, this farming method has a positive impact on the biology of the soil, including microbes and other living organisms such as earthworms, which improves soil health and increases productivity.

Challenges of natural farming

India’s Gross Cropped Area (GCA) has a low irrigation facility, with only 52% of the GCA irrigated at the national level.

Many farms still rely on monsoons for irrigation, which limits their ability to plant more crops.

Farmers face barriers in converting to chemical-free agriculture due to a lack of readily available natural inputs.

Not all farmers have the time, patience, or labor to develop their own natural inputs.

Most farmers in India assume cereals will always be their main crop, ignoring crop diversification despite the rapid commercialization of agriculture.

Skewed Minimum Support Prices in favor of cereals contribute to the lack of crop diversification.

What’s the reason for it being in the news?

The Indian government has initiated the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) as an exclusive program to encourage agriculture that is free from chemicals and environmentally sustainable.

Financial Assistance:

Farmers who commit to natural farming and establish on-farm input production infrastructure can receive financial assistance of ₹15,000 per hectare per year for three years under NMNF. It is important to note that the incentives are contingent upon the farmer following through with their commitment to natural farming. If a farmer fails to uphold their commitment, subsequent payments will not be disbursed.

Web Portal for Implementation Progress:

A portal has been introduced on the web to encourage natural farming by providing details about the implementation framework, available resources, progress updates, farmer registration, a blog, and more.

Master Trainers:

The National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) and the National Centre of Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF) are conducting extensive training programs for master trainers, champion farmers, and practicing farmers on the methods of natural farming, under the supervision of the agriculture ministry.

Establishment of BRCs:

The Centre has plans to create 15,000 Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-inputs Resources Centres (BRCs) to ensure convenient availability of bio-resources that utilize cow dung and urine, neem, and bioculture. These BRCs will be established in conjunction with 15,000 model clusters of natural farming.

Other Initiatives to Promote Natural Farming:

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is a scheme that aims to promote organic farming practices among Indian farmers. Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to farmers who wish to adopt eco-friendly techniques for pest management and soil fertility management.

The NMNF (National Mission on Natural Farming) is an initiative that builds upon the success of the Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddati (BPKP), which is a sub-scheme under PKVY. The aim of the NMNF is to further upscale the adoption of organic farming practices among Indian farmers, thereby reducing their dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Another initiative that aims to address the challenges of climate change and food security is Climate Smart Agriculture. This approach takes an integrated approach to managing landscapes, including cropland, livestock, forests, and fisheries. It focuses on three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, adapting to and building resilience to climate change, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible.

By promoting organic farming practices and climate smart agriculture, India is taking significant steps towards achieving its goal of sustainable development. These initiatives not only benefit the environment but also help farmers to improve their livelihoods and achieve food security for the country.

“India’s Foreign Trade Policy 2023: Key Pillars and Measures to Boost Exports”

India’s Foreign Trade Policy 2023 was recently announced by the Government of India with the aim to promote India’s overall exports. The policy is dynamic and open to consultative feedback with a target of achieving US$2 trillion exports by 2030. The key approach to the policy is based on four pillars – Incentive to Remission, Export promotion through collaboration, Ease of doing business, and New export hubs have been announced as well as measures targeting the e-commerce, dairy, and apparel and clothing sectors.

Incentive to Remission: The FTP 2023 provides incentives for remission of duties or taxes paid on inputs used in export products. This will help exporters reduce their costs and become more competitive in international markets. The policy recognizes that exporters often face a disadvantage when it comes to the cost of inputs, which is why it aims to address this issue by providing incentives to remit duties or taxes paid on inputs. This will help reduce the cost of inputs for exporters and make them more competitive in international markets.

Export Promotion through Collaboration: The FTP 2023 aims to promote exports through collaboration between exporters, states, districts, Indian missions abroad and other stakeholders. This will help identify new markets for Indian products and increase exports. The policy recognizes the importance of collaboration in promoting exports and therefore seeks to foster closer cooperation between various stakeholders. By working together, stakeholders can identify new markets for Indian products and increase exports.

Ease of Doing Business: The FTP 2023 aims to reduce transaction costs for exporters by simplifying procedures and processes related to exports. This will help exporters save time and money while exporting their products. The policy recognizes that the process of exporting can be complex and time-consuming, which is why it seeks to simplify procedures and processes related to exports. This will help exporters save time and money while exporting their products, making it easier for them to do business.

New Export Hubs: The FTP 2023 has announced new export hubs that will focus on specific sectors such as e-commerce, dairy, apparel and clothing. These hubs will provide infrastructure facilities such as warehouses, cold storage facilities etc., which will help exporters reduce their costs. The policy recognizes the importance of infrastructure in promoting exports and therefore seeks to provide the necessary infrastructure facilities for exporters. By providing infrastructure facilities such as warehouses and cold storage facilities, the policy aims to help exporters reduce their costs and become more competitive in international markets.

Measures Targeting E-commerce Sector: The FTP 2023 has announced measures targeting the e-commerce sector such as simplification of procedures for registration of e-commerce platforms and reduction in compliance burden for e-commerce platforms. The policy recognizes the importance of e-commerce in promoting exports and therefore seeks to simplify procedures and reduce the compliance burden for e-commerce platforms. This will help e-commerce platforms to grow and become more competitive in international markets, which will in turn help boost India’s overall exports.

Measures Targeting Dairy Sector: The FTP 2023 has announced measures targeting the dairy sector such as provision of subsidies for setting up modern dairy farms and processing units. The policy recognizes the importance of the dairy sector in promoting exports and therefore seeks to provide the necessary support for the sector. By providing subsidies for setting up modern dairy farms and processing units, the policy aims to help the sector become more competitive in international markets.

Measures Targeting Apparel and Clothing Sector: The FTP 2023 has announced measures targeting the apparel and clothing sector such as provision of subsidies for setting up textile parks and modernization of textile machinery. The policy recognizes the importance of the apparel and clothing sector in promoting exports and therefore seeks to provide the necessary support for the sector. By providing subsidies for setting up textile parks and modernizing textile machinery, the policy aims to help the sector become more competitive in international markets.

Multiple challenges stall government’s disinvestment plans acknowledges government.

The Finance Ministry has reduced the government’s disinvestment target for 2023-24 to a nine-year low of ₹51,000 crore. The Ministry has acknowledged the challenges it faces in privatizing public sector enterprises (PSEs) and raising funds through minority stake sales. The disinvestment process has slowed down since the sale of Air India.

The Ministry has outlined key obstacles to the disinvestment process. The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted transactions in 2020 and 2021. The Ukraine conflict last year hurt minority stake sales as well as strategic sales. The financial capacity and risk-reward options of potential bidders turned worse due to the conflict.

The Ministry stated in its annual report for 2022-23 that strategic disinvestment transactions face various challenges. These challenges include resolving land title, lease, and land use issues with State government authorities, disposing of non-core assets, dealing with excess manpower and labor unions, and protecting process and functionaries.

Additionally, multiple court cases filed by employees’ unions and other interest groups against the disinvestment policy and specific transactions are hindering deals. These issues can impact the transaction timeline.

The disinvestment process through minority stake sale faces several challenges. This includes reduced availability of government stake over 51% for large listed central PSEs, investors’ relatively muted perception in these stocks compared to private sector peers, price overhang in the market due to a high disinvestment target, and frequent use of exchange traded funds (ETF) route for stake sale till 2019-20.

Between 2016-17 and 2019-20, the government raised around ₹99,000 crore from ETFs with underlying shares of CPSEs.

However, disinvestment receipts for this year are only ₹35,282 crore, falling short of the budget target of ₹65,000 crore and revised estimates of ₹50,000 crore.

Additionally, the privatisation of Central Electronics and Pawan Hans had to be abandoned after being announced due to legal concerns about the winning bidders.

In 2022-23, only one strategic sale was completed: Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd. (NINL) was sold to a Tata group firm. NINL was a joint venture between four CPSEs and two State PSEs from Odisha, with no direct Government of India holding.

The proposed privatisation of BPCL and a SAIL unit, Bhadrawati Steel, has been called off as there wasn’t enough interest from bidders. Additionally, the planned sale of Engineering Projects India and Bridge and Roof Company (India) has been deemed unfeasible for this year. The privatisation of two public sector banks and one general insurance firm, which were announced in the Union Budget two years ago, are also no longer on the table.

Instead, the government’s focus in 2023-24 will be on concluding transactions that are already in progress. These include IDBI Bank, NMDC Steel, Concor, Shipping Corporation of India, and BEML.

Since 2020, there has been a pause in ETF issuances because there aren’t enough stocks available for sale. This has raised concerns that large and repeated tranches of equity ETF were acting as a disincentive for investors in public sector stocks due to price overhang.

“Gaps in India’s heat action plans put vulnerable populations at risk” According to research, the current heat action plans are inadequate for addressing the risks faced by local populations.

Assessment Reveals Gaps in India’s Heat Action Plans, Putting Vulnerable Populations at Risk from Climate Crisis

• India experienced severe heatwaves in 2022 and February 2023 was declared the hottest month since 1901 by the India Meteorological Department.
• The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) conducted a critical assessment of heat action plans (HAPs) in 18 states in India.
• The CPR found that most HAPs may not be suitable for the risks faced by local populations.
• Additionally, nearly all HAPs failed to identify and target vulnerable groups.
• The CPR’s assessment follows closely the IPCC report on the climate crisis, which highlighted the urgent need to reduce emissions to prevent a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The CPR evaluated all 37 HAPs across 18 states to assess how policy action is keeping up with the warming weather in India.
• Human-induced actions have increased the likelihood of extreme heat events in the Indian region by 30 times, according to a study by World Weather Attribution.
• The CPR’s report indicates that most Heat Action Plans (HAPs) are not tailored to local conditions and focus primarily on dry extreme heat, neglecting the risks posed by humid heat and warm nights.
• National heatwave thresholds adopted by most HAPs may not be appropriate for addressing the risks faced by local populations, as only 10 out of 37 HAPs have locally-specified temperature thresholds.
• Climate projections are not integrated into current HAPs, which limits their ability to identify future planning needs.
• Nearly all HAPs fail to identify and target vulnerable groups, with only two HAPs conducting vulnerability assessments to locate the populations most likely to be affected in a city, district, or state.
• The CPR reports that most HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollution Plans) have broad categories of vulnerable groups but the solutions they propose do not necessarily focus on these groups.
• Only three of 37 HAPs identify their funding sources and eight HAPs ask implementing departments to self-allocate resources, indicating a serious funding constraint.
• The CPR found that none of the HAPs reviewed indicate the legal sources of their authority, which reduces bureaucratic incentives to prioritize and comply with their instructions.
• The HAPs are insufficiently transparent with no national repository of HAPs and very few listed online. It is also unclear whether these plans are being updated periodically and based on evaluation data.
• India has created dozens of heat action plans in the past decade, indicating significant progress.
• However, an assessment by CPR reveals gaps that need to be addressed in future plans to prevent damaging economic losses.
• These gaps could lead to decreasing labor productivity, frequent disruptions to agriculture, and increasingly hot cities due to more frequent and intense heatwaves.
• CPR’s report recommends that heat action plans identify sources of financing and set up rigorous evaluations for constant improvement.
• Without implementation-oriented HAPs, India’s poorest will continue to suffer from extreme heat, risking their health and income.
• To avert further harm to vulnerable communities, Pillai stressed the significance of executing effective Heat Action Plans (HAPs).

“Stay informed and up-to-date on critical issues such as gaps in India’s heat action plans and the risks faced by vulnerable populations by following our page.”

“Addressing the gaps in India’s heat action plans is essential to protect vulnerable populations from the increasing risks posed by the climate crisis. We must take urgent and proactive measures to ensure that our policies and actions are tailored to local conditions and focused on those most in need.”

Kandela IAS

“AFSPA jurisdiction reduced in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur due to improved security in Northeast India”.

• The Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, citing improved security in the Northeast.
• Last year, the Centre had removed AFSPA from several districts across Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, and with the latest decision, starting April 1, the Disturbed Areas notification will be lifted from one more district in Assam, four more police stations in Manipur, and three more police stations in Nagaland.
• AFSPA will now be restricted to only eight districts of Assam, and in Manipur, after last year’s announcement and the latest one, AFSPA has been removed from a total of “19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur,” and in Nagaland, a total of “19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur have been removed from the disturbed area notification under AFSPA.”
• On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued two separate gazette notifications, extending for six months the disturbed area status in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland under the AFSPA.