- LAND HOLDING FARMERS DOING NON – FARMING ACTIVITIES HELPS EFFICIENCY
SUBJECT: SOCIAL ISSUES
- Farmers with land holdings who engage in non-farming activities tend to improve labor efficiency on their farms.
- ICRISAT data from 2010-2014 across multiple states was used. Data envelopment analysis was employed to estimate labor use efficiency.
- Migrating farmers bring back new knowledge and practices.
- Non-farm income allows for hiring labor during farmers’ absence.
- Recommendations: Promote structured non-farm employment in rural areas.
- Government support for farmers diversifying into non-farm activities is needed.
2. WEALTHY INDIANS ARE UNDER REPORTING THEIR INCOME TO AVOID TAXES
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- A study suggests wealthy Indians under-report income to avoid taxes, potentially worsening income inequality.
- National accounts, income tax data, and election candidate filings show a negative correlation between wealth and reported income wealth ratio.
- For the wealthiest, reported income is a fraction of their wealth.
- Implications:Regressive taxation structure where effective tax rates decrease with increasing wealth.
- Under-reporting of farm rent income and misuse of farmland ownership declarations are suspected.
- Affidavits of Lok Sabha MPs also suggest under reporting, except for candidates with high chances of winning, indicating the impact of scrutiny
3. HOW GOVERNMENTALITY EXACERBATES THE PROBLEM OF FARMER’S STUBBLE FARMING
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURE
- Winter air pollution in Indo-Gangetic plains worsens due to post-harvest stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and western UP.
- A recent study by IIT Kanpur and AIRShed (2023) found stubble burning contributes20–40% of total PM2.5 load in north India during October November
- Subtle Power Structures
- Farmers appear to “choose” to burn stubble, but their choices are conditioned by:
- Skewed Minimum Support Price (MSP)system
- Lack of viable market alternatives
- Dependence on middlemen (arthiyas)
- Absence of sustainable waste disposal technologies
- Policy Distortion & State’s Role
- Government often penalises farmers for pollution but ignores similar or greater emissions from industrial actors.
- This selective governance creates resentment and entrenches mistrust in rural–urban environmental divides.
- Interviews Conducted
- Farmers from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran (Punjab)were interviewed.
- Major issues voiced: Lack of alternatives to burning
- High cost and low effectiveness of decomposers
- Lack of institutional support for crop diversification or waste-based products
4. CHOKSI ARRESTED IN BELGUIM AMID INDIA PUSH FOR EXTRADITION
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL
- Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was arrested in Belgium on April 12, 2025, following India’s renewed extradition efforts.
- He is wanted for his role in the₹13,578 crore PNB bank fraud, along with his nephew Nirav Modi.
- Choksi had fled India in January 2018, days before the scam was revealed.
- Previous Incidents and Legal Loopholes
- In2021, Choksi was detained in Dominica, claiming he had been abducted.
- The Interpol Red Notice against him was withdrawn in March 2023, complicating efforts to secure his return.
- Choksi is now an Antiguan citizen, who had later moved to Belgium allegedly for cancer treatment.
- The CBI has been pursuing extradition since 2018, but the process was delayed due to his citizenship and legal complexities.
5. HOW IS SPACEFLIGHT SAFETY ENSURED
SUBJECT: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- The return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore from ISS has underscored the importance of strict safety protocols.
- As ISRO prepares for Gaganyaan, safety at all mission stages from launch to re-entry is critical and rooted in global best practices.
- Emergency Launch Safety
- ISRO’s Gaganyaan will use a crew escape system (CES) mounted on a tower above the module, unlike satellite-launch vehicles.
- In emergencies, this system will eject the module with high thrust to a safe distance from the rocket.
- Post-ejection,parachutes deploy to ensure safe splashdown in the sea. Abort Scenarios
- Multiple types of abort protocols are planned depending on when the malfunction occurs:
- Before liftoff
- After ignition but before launch
- During ascent Launch Vehicle Design
- Gaganyaan will be launched aboardLVM3, modified to ensure high reliability and abort safety.
- A dedicated solid fuel-powered CES ensures astronauts can eject in milliseconds if needed.
