UPSC Key: Crowd Management, Sovereign Green Bonds and Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

US, Russia to meet in Saudi Arabia over Ukraine war

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: Senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, according to a US lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What can be the geopolitical implications of the US and Russia engaging in direct talks in Saudi Arabia without involving Ukraine and the European Union?

• How does this shape the future of diplomatic negotiations in the conflict?

• Analyse the shift in global diplomatic negotiations from traditional Western-dominated institutions to neutral Middle Eastern states like Saudi Arabia. What does this indicate about the changing global order?

• Assess the effectiveness of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and NATO in conflict resolution.

• Why have bilateral negotiations gained prominence in recent geopolitical conflicts?

Key Takeaways:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, US Representative Michael McCaul told Reuters. McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was his understanding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been invited to participate.

• He said the talks were aimed at arranging a meeting with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy “to finally bring peace and end this conflict.”

• Zelenskyy said on Saturday Ukraine would never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv’s involvement. Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to come together with the United States and Europe to devise a joint strategy before any Trump-Putin meeting.

• Parallel negotiations on a critical minerals deal continued on Saturday, with Zelenskyy saying a draft from Washington did not contain the security provisions that Kyiv needed. Three sources said the United States had proposed taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals.

• Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, said Ukraine would have a seat at the table during any peace negotiations with Russia over ending the war.

Do You Know:

• The United States under President Donald Trump is all set to host talks in Saudi Arabia with Russia but Ukraine has not been invited, a BBC report stated quoting a senior Ukrainian government source.

• The reports suggest that European leaders have also not been invited to the talks scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia, and French President Emmanuel Macron has invited the European leaders to a summit in Paris on Monday as the apprehension grows of the continent being ignored for the talks.

• Some countries were unhappy that the meeting was only for selected leaders and not a full EU summit, EU officials said. The French presidency sought to assuage those misgivings saying Monday’s meeting could lead to other formats “with the objective of gathering all partners interested in peace and European security”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍France’s Macron to host emergency European summit on Ukraine

UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1. The “New START” treaty was in the news. What is this treaty? (2011)
(a) It is a bilateral strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between the USA and the Russian Federation.
(b) It is multilateral energy security cooperation treaty among the members of the East Asia Summit.
(c) It is a treaty between the Russian Federation and the European Union for the energy security cooperation.
(d) It is a multilateral cooperation treaty among the BRICS counries for the promotion of trade

FRONT PAGE

18 DEAD IN STAMPEDE AT NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

What’s the ongoing story: The delay of two trains, a horde of passengers waiting on platform number 14, and an announcement for a special train – these factors, coupled with the alleged lack of management by the administration, led to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening (February 15), which left 18 dead and several injured.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the key reasons behind the stampede at Delhi Railway Station?

• Asses the role of the Indian Railways in managing passenger safety and crowd control.

• Discuss the importance of real-time crowd monitoring.

• Artificial intelligence for crowd management-Discuss

• Should India adopt international best practices in railway crowd management?

• Compare India’s railway safety measures with those of developed countries like Japan or Germany.

• How do railway stampedes highlight larger issues of urban poverty, unregulated migration, and public safety in India? Discuss with examples.

Key Takeaways:

• The incident occurred within 10 minutes between 9.30 pm and 10.15 pm on platform number 14, where many people were trapped on the foot overbridge, stairs, and escalators, sources said. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received the first call of the stampede at 9.55 pm.

• “Due to the weekend, many passengers were trying to board trains going towards Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh between 9 and 10 pm. At the same time, two trains – Swatantra Senani Express and Delhi-Bhubneshwar Rajdhani Express – were also delayed due to which the number of passengers increased at platforms 12, 13 and 14,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways) KPS Malhotra said.

• As per the commercial cum ticket inspector, around 1,500 general tickets were also sold every hour, the officer said.

• According to a police source, several passengers were waiting for the Prayagraj Express from New Delhi, which leaves at 10.10 pm from platform number 14 and runs daily.

• Eyewitnesses claimed nothing was done to control the crowd. Several passengers said the crowd had started increasing at 9 pm and the GRP (Government Railway Police) and Railways were aware of this but no proper arrangements were made on time.

Do You Know:

• According to the Guide for Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering by NDMA, Individual behaviour in a crowd is sometimes influenced by the behaviour of others. The individuals within a crowd may act differently than if they were on their own. The unlawful actions of a few people can result in larger numbers following them. Research has shown that understanding of crowd behaviour has led to community based approach to crowd control instead of force based control
—The guiding principle for crowd control should be managing demand – supply gap through i) Controlling the crowd inflow, ii) Regulating the crowd at the venue, and iii) Controlling the outflow, if needed.
—In order to understand demand there is a need to understand the (i) historical numbers, crowd arrival patterns, growing popularity, type of visitors (ii) the Identify mass arrival time windows creating peaks (season, days of the week, time in the day, festivals, holidays etc.), (iii) Advance ticket booking/registration (iv) Public transport timetables.
—In order to understand the Supply one should calculate (i) the capacity at the venue: seating capacity; worships, offerings or prayers possible per hour etc. (ii) Calculate the capacity of holding areas/ queue complex

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | How to prevent stampedes at mass gatherings — 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (2020)

THE CITY

Clean Yamuna in 3 years: L-G rolls out 4-step plan

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: A four-pronged strategy is at the heart of a plan, which has been rolled out by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, to clean Yamuna in three years.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Analyse the major sources of pollution in the Yamuna River.

• Examine the role of government agencies in cleaning the Yamuna.

• How do urban waste management policies impact river pollution? Discuss with reference to Delhi’s waste disposal system and its impact on Yamuna.

• Discuss the significance of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in reviving the Yamuna.

• Compare and contrast the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) with other global river restoration initiatives. What lessons can India learn?

Key Takeaways:

• With trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and a dredge utility craft, the cleaning operation started on Sunday, according to the L-G House. This came a day after Saxena met Chief Secretary Dharmendra and the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), and asked them to start work immediately, said officials.

• Under the four-pronged strategy, the authority concerned first starts with the trash, garbage, and silt in the river stream. Simultaneously, cleaning operations in the Najafgarh drain, supplementary drain, and all other major drains begin.

• “At the same time, a daily watch on the existing STPs (sewage treatment plants) in terms of their capacity and output will be maintained, and a time-bound plan in terms of construction of new STPs/DSTPs (decentralised (sewage treatment plants) to meet the actual shortfall of treating about 400 MGD (million gallons a day) of sewer will be put in place and operationalised,” said the L-G House.

• The L-G House said that execution of this plan, which targets cleaning the river in about three years, will require seamless coordination between various agencies and departments that include the Delhi Jal Board, I&FC, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Environment Department, PWD, and the Delhi Development Authority.

• To complete the work on time, the work will be monitored at the highest level every week, said officials. In addition to this, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been directed to keep a strict vigil on the discharge of untreated effluent into the drains by Industrial Units in the Capital.

Do You Know:

• The Supreme Court of India has already taken suo motu cognizance of pollution of Yamuna in 2021. The court directed CPCB “to submit a report identifying municipalities along the river Yamuna, which have not installed total treatment plants for sewage as per the requirement or have gaps in ensuring that the sewage is not discharged untreated into the river”. It also asked CPCB to “highlight any other source of prominent contamination within the limits of Municipalities” and to “submit priority-wise list of Municipalities, river stretches adjacent to which have been found to be most polluted”.

• The Supreme court in 2021 pointed out that Article 243W of the Constitution vests municipalities and local authorities with the performance of functions and implementation of schemes as may be entrusted to them, including those in relation to the matters listed in Twelfth Schedule — Item 6 of the Schedule includes “public health, sanitation conservancy and solid waste management”.

• In the 2017 Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti v. Union of India case, it was directed that “norms for generating funds, for setting up and/or operating the ‘Common Effluent Treatment Plant’ as well as ‘Sewage Treatment Plants’ shall be finalised, on or before 31.03.2017, so as to be implemented from the next financial year of that date. It was directed that for the purpose of setting up these plants, the state government will prioritise such cities, towns and villages, which discharge industrial pollutants and sewer directly in rivers and water bodies”, the court said in 2021.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The Yamuna myth: Delhi’s lifeline isn’t what you think

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
2. Which of the following government programs directly relate to river rejuvenation in India?
(a) Namami Gange
(b) Jal Shakti Abhiyan
(c) Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
(d) All of the above

THE IDEAS PAGE

A success story like Amul

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.

What’s the ongoing story: Ashok Gulati and Raya Das Writes: India’s fruits and vegetables sector (F&V) is growing faster than cereals, contributing roughly 30 per cent to the value of crop agriculture. It is also more nutritious. Yet, it receives far less policy focus and institutional support compared to cereals.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What were the key factors behind the success of Amul in India? Can the same model be replicated for the food and vegetable sector? Discuss.

• Examine the role of agricultural cooperatives in ensuring fair prices and stable income for farmers in India.

• How can the cooperative model be expanded to other perishable goods?

• Discuss the impact of supply chain inefficiencies on India’s horticulture sector.

• How can India integrate technology, such as blockchain and AI, to streamline the agricultural supply chain and enhance farmer incomes?

• Examine the role of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in strengthening India’s agriculture sector.

• Discuss the role of government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana in boosting food processing and agricultural exports.

Key Takeaways:

Ashok Gulati and Raya Das Writes:

• Without organised value chains, proper storage, or adequate processing facilities, the F&V sector remains highly vulnerable to seasonal gluts, price crashes, and post-harvest losses.

• Around 8.1 per cent for fruits and 7.3 per cent for vegetables are lost in the post-harvest value-chain, amounting to 37 per cent of total post-harvest losses of Rs 1.53 trillion annually (NABCONS, 2022). Moreover, with highly fragmented value chains, farmers typically receive about 30 per cent of what the consumers pay for F&V.

• The milk story is well known. The milk cooperatives under the leadership of Verghese Kurien changed India’s milk landscape from a highly deficit country to the world’s largest producer of milk with 239 million tonnes, followed by the US at 103 million tonnes in 2023-24. The big question for policy makers is why India cannot replicate this success story of milk in the F&V sector?

• It is surely challenging. Unlike dairy, where a single commodity (milk) was efficiently organised, F&V involves multiple commodity value chains, each requiring specialised infrastructure. F&V are highly seasonal and often concentrated in specific regions, making them susceptible to extreme price fluctuations. The only way to stabilise their prices is by integrating farmers into well-structured value chains that include aggregation, assaying, grading, sorting, packaging, processing, and then having direct market linkages in both domestic and export markets.

• This is where the role of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) becomes critical. Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company Ltd (SFPCL) is one such company operating in Nashik district of Maharashtra, which provides a blueprint for success.
Do You Know:

• Ashok Gulati and Raya Das Writes: What India truly needs is a National Fruit and Vegetable Board, akin to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), to streamline market linkages, promote efficient value chains, and integrate retailers like SAFAL, ensuring better price realisation for farmers.

• A Producer Organisation (PO) is a legal entity formed by primary producers, viz. farmers, milk producers, fishermen, weavers, rural artisans, craftsmen. A PO can be a producer company, a cooperative society or any other legal form which provides for sharing of profits/benefits among the members. In some forms like producer companies, institutions of primary producers can also become member of PO.
—“Farmers Producer Organisation” (FPO is one type of PO where the members are farmers. Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is providing support for promotion of FPOs. PO is a generic name for an organization of producers of any produce, e.g., agricultural, non-farm products, artisan products, etc.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Farmer Producers’ Organisations: Engines of agri-innovation in UP

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
3. With reference to ‘Urban Cooperative Banks’ in India, consider the following statements:
1. They are supervised and regulated by local boards set up by the State Governments.
2. They can issue equity shares and preference shares.
3. They were brought under the purview of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 through an Amendment in 1966.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

ECONOMY

A 14-fold jump in soyabean oil imports from Nepal triggers red flags in India

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Marketing of agricultural produce and food security;

What’s the ongoing story: Soyabean oil imports saw a sharp 14-fold surge from neighbouring Nepal during the April to November period in 2024 compared to the previous year, even as Kathmandu remains a marginal producer of the commodity, an analysis of data from the Commerce and Industry Ministry has shown.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Know the factors behind the sharp rise in soybean oil imports from Nepal to India.

• How sharp rise in soybean oil imports from Nepal impacts edible oil sector in India?

• What is the role of the India-Nepal Trade Treaty in facilitating trade.

• Should India reconsider duty-free access to Nepal in light of rising imports?

• Discuss the implications of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on India’s domestic industries with reference to the surge in soybean oil imports.

Key Takeaways:

• This comes as overall soyabean oil imports in India are showing a rising trend, with a 19 per cent overall surge in the April to November 2024 period to nearly $3 billion compared to $2.5 billion in 2023. However, during the comparable period, Brazil — one of the top producers of the commodity — registered a drop in exports.

• The import surge has triggered some concerns in India’s policy circles, with trade experts maintaining that the trend could be a result of the possible flouting of rules of origin by Nepal and the tariff arbitrage that the country enjoys due to zero-duty access for its products into India under the Nepal-India Treaty of Trade signed in 2009.

• “A number of Customs officials have visited Nepal in the last seven years to check breaches of the rules of origin. Nepalese industries, which are primarily composed of Indian businesses, have set up refining industries there, but the low Nepalese consumption vis-à-vis its imports suggests that the industry largely exists to take advantage of the FTA duty structure with India,” a person aware of the issue said.

• Notably, refined palm oil, refined soya oil, and refined sunflower oil attract a duty as high as 35.75 per cent.

• New Delhi had raised the basic customs duty on these items by 20 per cent in September last year to protect Indian oil seed farmers. The duty prior to the change was still high at 13.75 per cent.

• The steep revision in duty in September last year is one of the reasons why soyabean oil imports skyrocketed in November 2024 to $23.46 million compared to $1.42 million in November 2023. During the April to November period, imports cumulatively surged to $38.15 million compared to just $2.81 million in the previous year.

Do You Know:

• An International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report in 2023 suggested that Nepal’s edible oil imports consist primarily of crude edible oil from producing countries (98 per cent of imports) and that Nepal refines the crude oil domestically before exporting it to India.

• Under the Nepal-India Treaty of Trade signed in 2009, duty-free access into the Indian market for all Nepali-manufactured goods is provided on a non-reciprocal basis, except for a short negative list (including cigarettes, alcohol, and cosmetics).

• Annual quotas had been prescribed only for duty-free exports to India for four sensitive items – vegetable fats (100,000 metric tonnes), acrylic yarn (10,000 metric tonnes), copper products (10,000 metric tonnes), and zinc oxide (2,500 metric tonnes).

• Incidentally, India-Nepal bilateral trade takes place in Indian rupees. Nepal’s central bank also maintains a list of items that can be imported from India in dollars using a Letter of Credit. The Indian rupee is convertible in all banks and financial institutions in Nepal. The exchange rate has been maintained at NRs.1.6 per Indian rupee.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Centre’s pro-farmer turn in edible oils

UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4. Consider the following statements: (2018)
1. The quantity of imported edible oils is more than the domestic production of edible oils in the last five years.
2. The Government does not impose any customs duty on all the imported edible oils as a special case.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

What are India’s sovereign green bonds, and why is demand for such bonds weak?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.

• General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
What’s the ongoing story: Like several emerging markets, India also turned to sovereign green bonds to help fund its transition to a low-
carbon economy, but investor demand remains weak.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are Sovereign Green Bonds (SGBs)?

• How Sovereign Green Bonds (SGBs) differ from conventional government bonds?

• Analyse the significance of Sovereign Green Bonds in India’s transition towards a low-carbon economy.

• Discuss the role of Green Bond Principles (GBP) in ensuring transparency and accountability in Green Bond issuance.

• Despite the government’s push for sustainable finance, the demand for Sovereign Green Bonds in India remains weak. Discuss the key challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• While green bonds help governments raise capital for clean energy and infrastructure, India’s issues have struggled to secure a meaningful ‘greenium’— lower borrowing costs typically associated with such bonds. As a result, planned allocations for key schemes, including grid-scale solar, have been slashed.

• With muted investor interest, India is relying on general revenue to bridge funding gaps. Addressing liquidity issues, improving reporting transparency, and exploring sustainability bonds could help boost demand and expand green finance in the country.

• Investors in green bonds often seek stable, long-term returns, and may also have internal or external mandates to allocate a portion of their funds to green financing. Despite their potential, green bonds constitute a small part of the debt market and overall climate financing, as governments strengthen reporting practices and introduce incentives to attract investors.

Do You Know:

• Green bonds are debt instruments issued by governments, corporations, and multilateral banks to raise funds for projects that reduce emissions or enhance climate resilience.

• Issuers typically offer green bonds at lower yields than conventional bonds, assuring investors that the proceeds will be used exclusively for green investments. The difference in yield — known as the green premium, or greenium — determines the cost advantage of green bonds. A higher greenium allows issuers to raise funds at lower costs, making green investments more attractive.

• Sovereign green bonds (SGrBs) are those that are issued by sovereign entities, like the Government of India, which formulated a framework for issuing such bonds in 2022. The framework defines “green projects” as those that encourage energy efficiency in resource utilisation, reduce carbon emissions, promote climate resilience, and improve natural ecosystems.

• Since 2022-23, India has issued SGrBs eight times, and raised almost Rs 53,000 crore. Each year, the government uses roughly 50% of proceeds from SGrBs to fund production of energy efficient three-phase electric locomotives through the Ministry of Railways.

• For 2024-25, the revised estimates for allocations to schemes eligible under SGrBs include Rs 12,600 crore for electric locomotive manufacturing, roughly Rs 8,000 crore for metro projects, Rs 4,607 crore for renewable energy projects, including the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and Rs 124 crore for afforestation under the National Mission for a Green India.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍SOVEREIGN GREEN BONDS

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
5. Indian Government Bond Yields are influenced by which of the following? (2021)
1. Actions of the United States Federal Reserve
2. Actions of the Reserve Bank of India
3. Inflation and short-term interest rates
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

EXPLAINED

Chhattisgarh HC extends marital rape exception: Why these matters

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination:

• General Studies I: General Studies I: Salient features of Indian Society, Social empowerment, Role of women and women’s organization

• General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

What’s the ongoing story: The Chhattisgarh High Court in a key ruling said the marital rape immunity in law also extended to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalised “unnatural sex”.
Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the implications of the Chhattisgarh High Court’s extension of marital rape exemption to Section 377 in the context of gender equality?

• The Chhattisgarh High Court’s decision has been controversial. In your opinion, what role should the judiciary play in shaping laws that affect women’s rights, particularly concerning marital rape and Section 377?

• Justice Verma Committee Report and Pam Rajput committee’s report ‘Status of Women in India’ on Marital Rape-Know the Key Highlights

• What is Law Commission of India’s Stand on Marital Rape?

• Government of India’s Stand on Marital Rape?

• Criminalization of Marital Rape-Does the law exists in other Countries?

• What have the other Highcourts said in earlier instances like High courts Karnataka and Gujrat on Marital rape?

Key Takeaways:

• The HC was hearing an appeal filed by a man against his conviction in a case about the death of his wife in 2017. A trial court had found the wife became ill, and died subsequently, due to a forced physical relationship. It had convicted the man under the IPC sections 375 (rape), 377, and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). But the HC reversed the trial court’s ruling.

• In its ruling, the HC pointed out that Section 375 of the IPC contained the marital rape exception under which a man could not be prosecuted for non-consensual sex with his wife who had attained the age of majority. It also observed that an amendment was enacted in 2013 to expand the definition of rape but the exception was retained in the section. The court said that it was a “well-settled principle of law” that if two provisions were inconsistent “then the two cannot stand together and earlier is abrogated by the latter”.

• Notably, the marital rape exception is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court, and the Centre has filed an affidavit in favour of retaining the provision.

• Regarding Section 377, the HC relied on the SC’s 2018 judgment which had decriminalised homosexuality. The apex court’s ruling had only “read down” this provision, and not entirely struck it down. Therefore, Section 377 remains on the books, continuing to punish non-consensual “unnatural offences”. An unnatural offence against the “order of nature” is understood to include sexual acts that do not lead to procreation, covering, for example, bestiality.

• The HC said following the 2018 ruling, if an unnatural offence is committed between consenting partners “Section 377 IPC is not made out”. The court, thus, held that “sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his wife is not a rape and therefore if any unnatural sex as defined under Section 377 is committed by the husband with his wife, then it can also not be treated to be an offence.”

• Given the marital rape exception, over the years, women have invoked Section 377 for non-consensual sex along with provisions of domestic violence etc. Section 377 carries a sentence of up to ten years in jail. Even if it did not lead to conviction, the provision was invoked as a starting point to initiate prosecution and leverage some protection under the law.

Do You Know:

• Section 375, which criminalises rape, states that the provision does not extend to “sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife,” when the wife has attained the age of majority (18 years old). However, Section 377, which outlaws “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal”, does not contain this exception as it was originally drafted to criminalise homosexuality.

• IPC Section 377, now omitted in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), is often the only legal recourse for married women in cases of non-consensual sex in a marriage. The HC ruling effectively takes away that recourse, echoing the same concerns that legal experts had when the BNS omitted the provision entirely.

• There is no equivalent for Section 377 in the BNS. Numerous experts have argued that this is an issue as the deletion of the law leaves men and LGBTQIA+ individuals without meaningful protection against sexual offences.

• In November 2023, a Parliamentary Standing Committee tasked with recommending changes to the BNS (before it was enacted) said in its report that Section 377 remained applicable “in cases of non-consensual carnal intercourse with adults”. By deleting it from the BNS, it noted that “no provision for non-consensual sexual offence against male, female, transgender and for bestiality has been made”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Chhattisgarh HC acquits man: Unnatural sex with wife without consent is not offence

UPSC Previous Year Mains Practice Question Covering similar theme:
📍We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (2014)

PRIME MINISTER DHAN-DHAANYA KRISHI YOJANA: SCHEME’S NEED, AIMS

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman while presenting the Union Budget on February 1 announced the launch of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY).

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the key objectives of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY)

• How it is expected to transform India’s agricultural sector?

• Examine the potential challenges in implementing the PMDKY scheme at the grassroots level.

• How does the PMDKY scheme propose to provide financial support to farmers?

• Compare and contrast the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY) with previous agricultural schemes such as PM-KISAN or the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). How does PMDKY aim to build on these initiatives?

Key Takeaways:

• “Motivated by the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), our government will undertake a PMDKY in partnership with States,” Sitharaman had said while announcing the programme.

• According to the Finance Minister, the program has the following five objectives:
—Enhancing agricultural productivity;
—Adopting crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices;
—Augmenting post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level;
—Improving irrigation facilities; and
—Facilitating availability of long-term and short-term credit.

Do You Know:

• Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018. The programme aimed to quickly and effectively transform 112 of the most under-developed districts across India, based on 3 Cs — Convergence (of Central and State schemes), Collaboration (of Central and State level nodal officers, and District Collectors), and Competition (among districts through monthly delta ranking).

• PMDKY will cover 100 districts based on three broad parameters: low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average credit parameters, Sitharaman had said. As per sources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has been collecting data of these parameters, based on which the districts will be identified.

• Cropping intensity is a measure of how efficiently land is used, and it is defined as the percentage of the gross cropped area to the net area sown. In simple words, the cropping intensity indicates the number of crops grown on a piece of land in an agricultural year (July-June).

• Sources also said that the Ministry has requested the Department of Financial Services and NABARD to share the data on district wise farm credit.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍PM’s Dhan-Dhaanya: Major agriculture initiative launched in Union Budget 2025

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
6. Under the PMDKY scheme, which of the following initiatives is expected to be emphasized for farmers?
(a) Increasing urban employment
(b) Providing sustainable farming practices and financial assistance
(c) Development of industrial zones in rural areas
(d) Launching space-based agricultural satellites

India’s Middle Class 2.0

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: 

• General Studies I: Effects of globalization on Indian society.

• General Studies II: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

What’s the ongoing story: The top 5 IT firms (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and Tech Mahindra) employ more Indians today than the Railways or the armed forces. Similarly, private sector banks have more employees compared with their state-owned counterparts. But India still has a major job challenge beyond services.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss how the shift in employment trends, driven by technology and service sectors, is reshaping the Indian middle class.

• The rise of gig and freelance jobs has been a defining characteristic of India’s changing employment landscape. What are the advantages
and challenges posed by this transformation for the middle class?

• According to the article, skill development is a significant challenge for India’s evolving middle class—Analyse the role of government and private sector in addressing this challenge.

• Examine the impact of education reforms on skill development for India’s growing middle class.

• What policy interventions are needed to equip India’s middle class with the necessary skills and resources to thrive in an increasingly digital and service-oriented job market?

Key Takeaways:

• Employment in the public sector stood at 194.7 lakh and that in the organised private sector only at 80.6 lakh as on March 31, 1995. The former — employees in the central and state governments plus quasi-governments (public sector undertakings) and local bodies — fell to 176.1 lakh and the latter rose to 119.7 lakh by March 31, 2012.

• The Ministry of Labour & Employment doesn’t seem to have compiled or released statistics on organised public and private sector employment after 2011-12 (April-March). Even the data last published in the Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey for 2018-19 stops at 2011-12.

• But it is fair to assume that the trend of organised employment shifting from the public to private sector — especially post the economic reforms of 1991 — has gathered pace after 2011-12.

• One indicator of that is the number of regular employees with the Indian Railways. Between 1990-91 and 2022-23, these plunged from 16.5 lakh to 11.9 lakh. Even after accounting for the increase to 12.5 lakh last fiscal, the drop from the 1990-91 peak works out to 4 lakh or almost a quarter. Still sharper is the reduction in employment with Central public sector enterprises: From 22.2 lakh in 1990-91 to just over 8.1 lakh in 2023-24 (see chart).

Do You Know:

• In 1991-92, scheduled commercial banks in India had a total employee strength of about 9.8 lakh. Public sector banks had a lion’s share of nearly 8.5 lakh or 87% in that. The latter number registered a decline to 7.7 lakh by 2020-21, but still exceeded the 6 lakh employees in private sector banks.

• Simply put, liberalisation and globalisation opened up new industries and opportunities for private enterprise.

• The private sector-led Middle Class 2.0’s expansion happened just when the post-Independence government-created Middle Class 1.0 started shrinking with the initiation of reforms.

• Official Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) show the farm sector’s share in India’s workforce decreasing from 64% in 1993-94 to 48.9% in 2011-12 and further to 42.5% in 2018-19, but subsequently going up to 46.2% in 2023-24.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Experts Explain | Who makes up India’s middle class: a reality check

Practice Question:
7. The article “Middle Class 2.0” by Harish Damodaran primarily discusses which of the following aspects of India’s society?
(a) Urbanization and migration patterns
(b) Growth of the middle class and its role in the economy
(c) Rural development and agriculture
(d) India’s foreign policy and international relations

Why US President can’t serve beyond 2 terms: tradition that became law

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.

• General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story: A week after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump floated the idea that the two-term limit for American Presidents could be negotiable. The development came while Trump spoke to House Republicans during their annual retreat in Florida.

Key Points to Ponder:

• How many times can the President of India be re-elected?

• Discuss the significance of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency in the context of the two-term limit for U.S. Presidents. How did his four terms in office lead to the adoption of the 22nd Amendment?

• Analyse the political, historical, and constitutional reasons behind the imposition of the two-term limit for U.S. Presidents.

• Compare the two-term limit for U.S. Presidents with similar provisions in other democratic countries.

• What lessons can India learn from the U.S. model of limiting presidential terms?

• Should India consider similar measures for its Prime Minister or President? Justify your answer.

• Given India’s multi-party system and coalition politics, analyse the feasibility and potential consequences of introducing a two-term limit for the President.

Key Takeaways:

• The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, says that no one can be elected more than twice as President. It was enacted after President Franklin D Roosevelt had been elected four consecutive times, from 1932 to 1944.

• Setting term limits on a President was a hotly debated subject among the framers of the US Constitution. Most of them did not favour a term limit as they wanted the country to have flexibility during an emergency, according to a report by NPR.

• However, this did not settle the debate about the issue. Just 14 years after the Constitution came into effect, the first proposal to limit presidential tenure was introduced in Congress in 1803. The resolution was rejected in a vote. Then, “in 1824 and again in 1826, the Senate approved resolutions calling for a two-term limit, but they died in the House,” Stephen W Stathis, an analyst in American history, wrote in his paper, ‘The Twenty-Second Amendment: A Practical Remedy or Partisan Maneuver?’ (1990).

• While Congress was mulling over the subject of term limits, a tradition was established which would last more than a century-and-a-half. “In 1796, President George Washington’s refusal to run for a third term “received such official sanction that it became an almost unwritten law, virtually as sacred as any provision of the Constitution.”” Subsequently, Thomas Jefferson, who served as President between 1801 and 1809, also refused to run for a third term. This further promoted the two-term tradition.

• It only came under threat in 1872 after the reelection of Ulysses S Grant to a second term. Grant’s allies and some newspapers began to push the idea of his candidacy for a third term. This became a topic of discussion, especially during the 1894 midterm elections. “Grant did not comment on his intentions, which — combined with a lagging economy, white resistance to Reconstruction in the South and ethics scandals — led to Republicans losing a whopping 94 seats that year,” the NPR report said. As a result, Grant subsequently announced that he would not accept a nomination “if it were tendered”.

• In 1875, the House of Representatives passed a resolution which sought to promote the two-term tradition. It said that breaking the
tradition would be “unwise, unpatriotic, and fraught with peril to our free institutions.” However, the resolution did not legally bar a president from trying to get reelected for a third term. Notably, Grant attempted to run for President again in 1880 but failed.

Do You Know:

• The 22nd Amendment—According to the amendment, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice”. Moreover, if a Vice President becomes President during the term of their predecessor, they can still serve two full terms as long as they serve less than half of their predecessor’s remaining term.
—For example, Lyndon Johnson, who was John F Kennedy’s Vice President, first served less than two years — 14 months — as President after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The next year, Johnson won the Presidential election himself. Although he did not run in 1968, Johnson could have served four more years if he had and won, taking his total time in office to a little over nine years.

• Roosevelt was the first (and remains the only) President to break the two-term norm. He was in office between 1933 and 1945 — the year he died. His supporters argued that he had to be the President for four consecutive times due to “the need for consistent leadership through World War II,” the NPR report said.

• In 1947, the 22nd Amendment was finally passed by Congress after lengthy negotiations, especially over whether the limit should be two four-year terms or one six-year term. This prohibited Presidents from being elected for a third time.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: July 4 and the story of the American Declaration of Independence

UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍India and the USA are two large democracies. Examine the basic tenets on which the two political systems are based. (2018)

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (a)  2. (d) 3. (b) 4.(a) 5.(d) 6.(b) 7.(b)

 

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