- BILATERAL
INDIA HAS A FOUR POINT PRINCIPLE TO END THE RUSSIA – UKRAINE CONFLICT
- India’s Four-Point Principle to End the Russia-Ukraine Conflict 1. Time for Peace: India believes that the current period should be focused on achieving peace rather than continuing hostilities.
- No Battlefield Solutions: India asserts that the conflict cannot be resolved through military means and that solutions must be sought through dialogue and negotiation.
- Inclusion of Russia: For any successful peace process, Russia must be included at the negotiation table. India emphasizes the importance of Russia’s participation in discussions.
- Engagement and Concern: India is actively engaged and concerned about finding a resolution to the conflict. This includes diplomatic efforts and consistent engagement, as evidenced by high-level visits and discussions.
2. POLITY
TENSION IN U.P MUZAFFARNAGAR AFTER MUSLIM MAN BUYS HOUSE IN HINDU – MAJORITY NEIGHBOURHOOD
- Rights Being Infringed Right to Equality (Article 14): This article guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. Discriminating against someone based on their religion infringes upon this right.
- Right to Freedom of Religion (Article 25): This article ensures the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion. Preventing someone from practicing their religion openly violates this right.
- Right to Freedom of Movement and Residence (Article 19(1)(d) and 19(1) (e)): These clauses guarantee the right to move freely throughout the territory of India and to reside and settle in any part of the territory. Restricting someone from living in a particular area based on their religion infringes upon these rights.
- Right Against Discrimination (Article 15): This article prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. The actions of the right-wing groups are a direct violation of this article.
- The situation in Muzaffarnagar highlights significant infringements on fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
3. STATES
VISAKHAPATNAM BEACH
- Recent Event: The black sand washed up on Visakhapatnam beach is a result of high tidal waves triggered by a depression in the Bay of Bengal.
- Local Impact: This event has brought mineral-rich sand to the shore, which could have both economic and environmental implications for the region.
- Composition of Black Sand
- Mineral Content: Black sand typically contains heavy minerals such as magnetite, ilmenite, and sometimes gold. These minerals are denser than the usual quartz sand.
- Magnetite: This is a type of iron oxide that is magnetic and often found in black sand. It is used in various industrial applications.
- Ilmenite: This mineral is a source of titanium, which is used in the production of titanium dioxide for paints, paper, and plastics.
- Other Minerals: Depending on the location, black sand can also contain garnet, zircon, and other valuable minerals.
- Formation and Deposition High Tidal Waves: The high tidal waves, often triggered by depressions or cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, bring these heavy minerals from the deeper ocean to the shore.
- Erosion and Weathering: The minerals are eroded from rocks and transported by rivers to the sea, where they are eventually deposited on the beach by wave action
4. AGRICULTURE
BIO – DECOMPOSER TO BE SPRAYED OVER FARMS TO PREVENT BAD AIR
- The Delhi government has initiated preparations to spray bio-decomposer, an alternative to stubble burning, free of cost over 5,000 acres of farmland. This initiative aims to curb air pollution and promote sustainable farming practices.
- Air Pollution:
- Seasonal Spike: Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi and the larger Indo-Gangetic plains due to multiple reasons, including slow wind speed, bursting of firecrackers, and stubble burning.
- Objective: The bio-decomposer initiative aims to reduce one of these major contributors—stubble burning.
- Bio-Decomposer Spray: What is it?: Bio-decomposer is a microbial liquid spray developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). When sprayed onto paddy stubble, it breaks down the stubble, making it easily absorbable into the soil.
- Purpose: This eliminates the need for farmers to burn the stubble, which is a significant contributor to air pollution.
- Farmer Participation:
- Sign-Ups: As of now, 841 farmers have signed up for the initiative.
- Awareness Campaigns: The government is running awareness campaigns to educate farmers about the benefits of the bio-decomposer.
- Positive Results: Impact: Over the past four years, the results from spraying biodecomposer have been very positive. The stubble decomposed effectively, and soil fertility increased in the farms where the solution was sprayed.
- Addressing Farmer Concerns: Time Gap Issue: One of the problems faced by farmers is the short time gap between the harvesting of paddy crops and the sowing of wheat. The government has started preparations to spray the bio-decomposer in time to ensure better results for the farmers.
5. SOCIAL ISSUES
DEVELOPED BORDER AREAS ACT AS DETERRENCE TO ADVERSARY’S CLAIMS
- Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) and Border Area Development The Indian government has launched the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) to transform villages along the northern borders, particularly in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh, into model villages.
- Vibrant Village Programme (VVP):
- Approval: The Union government approved the VVP as a Centrally sponsored scheme on February 15, 2023.
- Financial Outlay: The scheme has a financial outlay of ₹4,800 crore for the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
- Coverage: The programme aims to develop 2,967 villages in 46 blocks across 19 districts bordering China and Nepal in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
- Integration: The aim is to connect these villages to the mainstream of development, enhancing their economic and social integration.
- National Security: Strategic Importance: Border area development is considered a core component of national security. A developed area with strong economic and tourist activity acts as a deterrent to adversaries.
- Deterrence: Developed border areas discredit adversary claims and ensure that people on the ground can confirm the sovereignty of the region.
- Infrastructure Development: Roads and Bridges: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed over 8,500 km of roads and more than 400 permanent bridges.
- Tunnels: Significant projects like the Atal Tunnel, Sela Tunnel, and the upcoming Shinkun-La Tunnel (which will be the world’s highest tunnel) are milestones in border area development.
- Military and Civilian Benefits: Military Deployments: Improved infrastructure ensures prompt military deployments in sensitive regions.
- Civilian Connectivity: The ongoing efforts have connected people residing in border areas with the rest of the country, enhancing their access to services and opportunities
ONE LINER
- Amit Shah was re-elected as the Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Official Language
- Eminent English Professor K.Chellapan who won the Sahitya Akademi award for his translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora into Tamil, passes away recently
