Daily Current Affairs 7th June

Special Category Status for states

Why in news?

Recently, impressive performances by state level political parties in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have renewed the demands for special category status.

What is Special Category Status?

• Special Category Status is a classification granted to some States by the Centre to assist development, based on geographical and socio-economic disadvantages. The scheme was introduced in 1969 on the recommendation of the Fifth Finance Commission.
• Five factors that are considered before granting SCS to a State:
  • Hilly and difficult terrain
  • Low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population
  • Strategic location along international borders
  • Economic and infrastructural backwardness
  • Non-viable nature of State finances
• Currently, 11 States in India — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Uttarakhand — have SCS.
• Benefits:
  • SCS States receive Centre-State funding from centrally sponsored schemes in the ratio of 90:10, which is more favourable than general category States. 
  • Unspent money in a financial year does not lapse and is carried forward.
  • Significant concessions are provided to these states in excise and customs duties, income tax and corporate tax.
• Bihar's case for SCS
  • Bihar's per capita net state domestic product for 2022-23 stood at ₹31,280, which was among the lowest in the country.
  • Bihar was also India’s poorest State according to the National Family Health Survey 5, with 33.76% of the State’s population being multidimensionally poor.
• Andhra Pradesh case for SCS
  • Andhra Pradesh demands SCS based on loss of revenue after the 2014 bifurcation of the State which led to the formation of Telangana under the A.P. Reorganisation Act on February 20, 2014. 
  • Andhra Pradesh has also seen multiple protests in the past years to demand special status for the State.

Parole

Why in news?

Recently, the Karnataka High Court has approved a petition granting a 30-day general parole to a life convict.

About Parole

• It is suspension of sentence of an offender by the court and releasing him on certain conditions to live in the community with or without the supervision of a probation officer. 
• It is a type of consideration given to prisoners in order to assist them in reintegrating into society. It is nothing more than a tool for the prisoner’s social rehabilitation.
• It is not a matter of right and prisoners convicted of multiple murders or under anti-terror Unlawful Activities Prevention Act are not eligible for parole.
• The laws enacted under the Prison Act of 1894 and the Prisoner Act of 1900 govern the award of parole in India. 
• Each state has its own set of parole guidelines, which differ slightly from one another. 
• The Prisons (Bombay Furlough and Parole) Rules, 1959, were issued under Section 59(5) of the Prisons Act, 1984, which gives the government the right to make rules.

About Furlough

• Furlough is granted as a good conduct remission to break up the monotony of jail. Furlough is a conditional release from prison that is granted in the case of long-term imprisonment. 
• The prisoner does not have to serve the remainder of his or her term on furlough, as is the case with parole.

Recent trends in Horticulture Sector

Why in news?

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the Second Advance Estimates of 2023-24 of Area and Production of various Horticultural Crops.

More about the news

• The data is compiled on the basis of information received from States/ UTs and other Governmental source agencies.
• The horticulture production in the country in 2023-24 (Second Advance Estimates) is estimated to be about 352.23 million tonnes, a decrease of about 32.51 Lakh tonnes (0.91%) over 2022-23 (Final Estimates).
• Increase in production of Fruits, Honey, Flowers, Plantation Crops, Spices and Aromatics & Medicinal Plants is seen over 2023-24 (Final Estimates) whereas decrease in Vegetables.
• The production of Fruits is expected to increase mainly due to increases in production of Banana, Lime/Lemon, Mango, Guava and Grapes. On the other hand, production of Apple and Pomegranate are expected to decrease as compared to 2022-23.

About India’s Horticulture Sector

• Horticulture is the branch of agriculture concerned with intensively cultured plants directly used by humans for food, medicinal purposes and aesthetic gratification.
• Horticulture contributes around 30.4% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while using only 13.1% of the gross cropped area, making it a significant player in India's agricultural growth. 
• India has emerged as world leader in the production of a variety of fruits like mango, banana, guava, papaya, sapota, pomegranate, Lime & aonla and is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables.
  • The country's advantage lies in being a low-cost producer of fruits and vegetables because of a combination of factors such as favourable agro-climatic conditions, availability of labour, and low input costs.
• Apart from ensuring nutritional security of the nation, it provides alternate rural employment opportunities, diversification in farm activities, and enhanced income to farmers.
• Challenges: 
  • The sector is undermined by production challenges, marketing challenges, inadequate transport infrastructure, fragmented supply chains, and insufficient storage facilities.
  • Other challenges include insufficient access to water for irrigation, coupled with poor soil management practices such as over-tilling, over-fertilising, and monocropping, can reduce soil fertility, leading to lower yields and lower-quality produce.
  • These factors result in delays and wastage and discourage farmers from improving the quality of their produce.

Steps taken by 

1. National Food Security Mission
   • The Government of India is implementing the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in the country for increasing production of rice, wheat, coarse cereals, nutri cereals (Shree Anna) and pulses. 
   • Under NFSM, assistance is given through State/UT to the farmers for interventions like cluster demonstrations on improved package of practices, demonstrations on cropping system, seed production, and distribution of high yielding varieties (HYVs)/hybrids, efficient water application tools, plant protection measures, processing and post-harvest equipment, cropping system-based trainings, etc. 
2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana 
   • The Government is also working on reducing crop losses through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which provides comprehensive crop insurance coverage from pre-sowing to post-harvest losses against non-preventable natural risks.
3. Initiatives by the Ministry of Food Processing
   • It has launched several schemes aimed at promoting the food processing industry in India, including the creation of cold chain infrastructure, agro-processing clusters, backward and forward linkages, preservation infrastructure, Operation Greens, and Mega Food Parks.

Global Groundwater Warming

Why in news?

Recently, a team of researchers, led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany said groundwater to get over 3 degree C warmer by century's end.

More about the news

• A team of researchers, led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology released the world's first global groundwater temperature model.
• It is based on how heat spreads in water, the researchers modelled current groundwater temperatures and also projected changes between 2000-2100 around the world.
  • Groundwater is present beneath the Earth's surface in pore spaces in rocks and soils.
• The model also estimated that by 2100, 60-600 million people globally could be living in areas where groundwater exceeds the highest threshold for drinking water temperature guidelines set by any country.
• The "world's first global groundwater temperature model" predicted the highest warming rates in Central Russia, Northern China and parts of North America, and the Amazon rainforest in South America.
• The model, however, showed that under a high-emissions scenario, or fossil fuel-driven development, the groundwater temperature could rise by 3.5 degrees Celsius.
• According to the World Health Organization, currently only 18 out of 125 countries have temperature guidelines for drinking water.

Status of Groundwater in India

• Groundwater is an essential freshwater resource stored in underground reservoirs called “aquifers”. These aquifers supply drinking water to over two billion people, and around 70% of withdrawals are used for agriculture.
• India is the world’s largest user of groundwater, exceeding the use of the United States and China combined.
• More than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies are dependent on groundwater. Urban residents increasingly rely on groundwater due to unreliable and inadequate municipal water supplies.
• According to a report by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report 2022), the total annual groundwater recharge is 437.60 billion Cubic Metres (BCM). The quantity of groundwater extracted stood at 239.16 BCM.
• Key concerns:
  • Rapid rise in population increases demand for water.
  • Unplanned extraction results in the exponential decline of the groundwater table, as water is consumed faster than it is replenished in high-density urban areas.
  • Increase in the built-up and paved area eliminates infiltration of water into the ground. Absence of green cover reduces evapotranspiration. Increases in surface runoff causes urban flooding. Groundwater recharge is reduced.
  • Agriculture is both a major cause and casualty of water scarcity. Farming accounts for almost 70 percent of all water withdrawals, and up to 95 percent in some developing countries.
  • There is a lack of legal provisions regulating extraction of groundwater resulting in overexploitation.

Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update

Why in news?

Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update.

Key Highlights

• The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is issued annually by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
• It provides a synthesis of the global annual to decadal predictions produced by the WMO-designated Global Producing Centres and other contributing centres.
• According to the latest report, there is an 80 percent likelihood that the annual average global temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years. 
• The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1°C and 1.9°C higher than the 1850-1900 baseline. 
• It says that it is likely (86%) that at least one of these years will set a new temperature record, beating 2023 which is currently the warmest year.
• Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to keep long-term global average surface temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C by the end of this century.

A World of Debt Report 2024

Why in news?

Recently, the United Nations (UN) released a new assessment report titled A world of debt 2024: A growing burden to global prosperity.

Key highlights 

• According to a report, the level of public debt has not just reached a historic level but also threatens countries’ development spending, particularly among developing and poor countries.
• Global debt (including borrowings of households, businesses and governments) has reached $315 trillion in 2024. This is three times the global gross domestic product (GDP).
• Of the total global debt, household debt stands at US$59.1 trillion; business debt at US$164.5 trillion; and public debt (governments’ borrowing) at US$91.4 trillion.
• Global public debt (both domestic and external borrowing by governments) reported a steep hike: US$97 trillion in 2023, an increase of US$5.6 trillion over 2022. 
• Developing countries share 30 percent of the total global debt. But the debt growth rate of developing countries is twice that of developed countries.
  • For instance, the number of African countries with debt-to-GDP ratio above 60 per cent has increased from 6 to 27 during 2013-2023.
• The UN assessment says that some 3.3 billion people currently reside in countries where debt interest payment overtakes spending on either education or health.

Pump and Dump Scheme

Why in news?

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has slapped a fine on certain individuals for allegedly operating a pump and dump scheme.

About the Scheme

• In the stock market, a pump and dump scheme is a type of manipulation activity that involves artificially inflating the price of a stock through false and misleading information, only to sell the stock at the inflated price and leave investors with significant losses. 
• This manipulative tactic is particularly prevalent in the micro-cap and small-cap sectors, where companies often have limited public information and trading volumes are lower.
• In a pump and dump scheme, fraudsters typically spread false or misleading information to create a buying frenzy that will “pump” up the price of a stock and then “dump” shares of the stock by selling their own shares at the inflated price.
• Those who bought into the hype and purchased the stock at inflated prices typically face substantial losses when the stock price crashes. These schemes undermine confidence in the financial markets, making legitimate investors wary of potential fraud.

Nanoparticles

Why in news?

Recently, IIT Madras Researchers have shown that common minerals can be broken by water microdroplets to make corresponding nanoparticles.

More about the news

• Researchers have found that pieces of minerals such as river sand, ruby and alumina, which are very hard, when incorporated in tiny charged water droplets break spontaneously to form nanoparticles.
• The researchers say that 'microdroplet showers' composed of nanoparticles and molecules falling on Earth may be of importance to the chemical and biological evolution of the planet.
• Microdroplets are known to enhance chemical reactions, and as a result new chemical bonds form.
  • Atmospheric water droplets such as clouds and fog can be charged due to ionic species present in them and by contact electrification. 
  • Disintegration of minerals makes nascent surfaces and, on such surfaces, different types of catalysis may occur, forming new molecules. These processes could be important in the origin of life.
• This finding offers a transformative technique for soil formation, dramatically accelerating natural weathering processes from centuries to moments.
• Beyond its environmental benefits, this method advances nanotechnology and materials science, enabling sustainable and efficient nanoparticle production with broad industrial applications.

About Nanoparticles

• A nanoparticle is a small particle that ranges between 1 to 100 nanometres in size.
• Undetectable by the human eye, nanoparticles can exhibit significantly different physical and chemical properties to their larger material counterparts.
• Nanoparticles occur widely in nature and are objects of study in many sciences such as chemistry, physics, geology, and biology.
• They have unique physical and chemical properties due to their small size, high surface area-to-volume ratio, and ability to absorb and scatter light in the visible and near-infrared range.
• Due to the ability to generate the materials in a particular way to play a specific role, the use of nanomaterials spans across a wide variety of industries, from healthcare and cosmetics to environmental preservation and air purification.