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GS Paper III- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development.
1. High Govt Debt
GS Paper III- Transport & Marketing Of Agricultural Produce
2. electronic -National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
GS Paper III- Conservation-related Issues.
3. Seven cheetahs born in Kuno
Prelims Booster:-
4. InTranSE Program
5. Asteroid Ryugu
6. Whip
7. Green Hydrogen
GS Paper III- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development.
Context:
The government will end its second term with an overall public debt of over 80% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices.
Government/ Public Debt:-
Government debt includes outstanding domestic and foreign loans and other liabilities raised by the Centre and states.
The amount of government debt is measured by the debt-to-GDP ratio, which is the ratio between a country's government debt and its gross domestic product.
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act of 2003 set targets for reducing the general government debt to 60% of GDP by 2024-25, with the Centre's own outstanding liabilities not to exceed 40% within that timeline.
Accounts of Debts:
The general government debt ratio in India in 2020-21 peaked at 88.5% before easing to 81% in 2022-23.
The Centre's total liabilities have more than doubled from Rs 90.84 lakh crore to Rs 183.67 lakh crore between 2018-19 and 2024-25.
The IMF has projected the ratio at 82% for the current fiscal year and 82.4% for 2024-25, which is still close to the high levels of the early 2000s.
Reason for spiraled Debt:-
The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent revenue loss forced governments to borrow more to fund public health and social safety net expenditures.
India's combined gross fiscal deficit increased from 5.8% of GDP in 2018-19 to 13.1% in 2020-21.
Other countries also increased their debt-GDP ratios to mitigate the pandemic's impact.
The Indian government increased spending on income and consumption support schemes, as well as public investments in infrastructure, which added to the fiscal deficit and debt.
How can debt be reined in?
The FRBM Act aimed to limit India's gross fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP by 2020-21, but this target has been abandoned.
The government now plans to achieve a fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio of "below 4.5%" by 2025-26.
GS Paper III- Transport & Marketing Of Agricultural Produce.
Context:
More states are using the eNAM to trade agricultural commodities, leading to increased trading within and between states.
GS Paper III- Conservation-related Issues.
Context:
Wildlife officials in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park are ecstatic about the birth of seven cheetah cubs in January this year.
Stages/Animal Behaviour (Prelims Specific):-
Cheetah cubs are born blind and helpless, weighing 8.5 to 15 ounces.
Their mother grooms them and keeps them warm, moving them to different nests to avoid predators.
The cubs start joining their mother on daily travels at six weeks but face danger with less than one in 10 surviving.
Cheetah cubs grip tall 'play trees' at four to six months, which helps them survey the landscape.
At one year, they hunt with their mother and learn important skills, while at 18 months, they separate from their mother.
Male siblings form a coalition and hunt together, while females lead a solitary life until their cubs are born.
Standard Procedure:-
The best thing for cheetah cubs is to remain with their mother to transfer hunting instincts.
Vaccinations and supplements are necessary after 8 weeks to ensure proper development.
It is important to keep the environment clean and avoid bacterial infections by reducing human interaction during the early stages of a cub's life.
Chances of the cubs surviving:-
Cheetah experts are concerned that captive cheetahs will weaken the gene pool and require constant human intervention for survival.
Housing cheetahs in small enclosures may lead to stress-related behaviours, medical conditions, and reduced reproductive performance.
The Kuno Park is considering both viewpoints and waiting for a decision from senior officials.
About Cheetah:
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran.
It is the fastest land animal, capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h.
Habitat:
The cheetah occurs in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran.
Threats:
Habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
Protection status: It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Context:
CDAC Thiruvananthapuram transferred three Indigenous Technologies - A thermal camera, CMOS camera, and Fleet Management System developed under the InTranSE Program of MeitY to 12 Industries during the launch of "Digital India FutureLABS Summit 2024" at IIIT-Delhi.
About InTranSE Program:-
Context:
Japan’s Hayabusa2 brought back samples of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth, it has had astrochemists interested in the window into a different world.
Findings:
Scientists have discovered evidence of cometary organic matter being transported from space to areas near Earth.
The asteroid does not have a protective atmosphere and is directly exposed to space. The sample surfaces contain "melt splashes" created when Ryugu was bombarded by micrometeoroids of cometary dust.
The analysis detected small carbonaceous materials similar to primitive organic matter in cometary dust.
The scientists propose that these materials formed from cometary organic matter when volatiles like nitrogen and oxygen were evaporated due to heating.
This suggests that cometary matter could have been transported from the outer solar system to a region near Earth.
Asteroid:
Asteroids are small, rocky objects orbiting the sun, known as planetoids or minor planets.
They range in size from hundreds of miles to several feet across, and their total mass is less than that of the moon.
Most asteroids are located in the ring between Mars and Jupiter, but some, like Trojan asteroids, are found outside the main belt.
Context:-
The BJP has issued a three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs to attend the Parliament session tomorrow, where the Prime Minister will respond to the Motion of Thanks on the Presidential address given on January 31, 2024.
What is Whip?
A whip, in parliamentary terms, is a written directive to party members to be present for an important vote, or to vote in a specific manner.
The term originated from the British practice of "whipping in" lawmakers to toe the party line.
The significance of a whip can be gauged by the number of times an order is underlined.
Appointment:
In India, all political parties are empowered to issue whips to their members.
Parties select a senior member from their House contingents to serve as the Chief Whip, who is responsible for issuing whips.
Additional Whips assist the Chief Whip in fulfilling their duties.
Types of whips:
One-line, two-line, and three-line whips are issued to inform members of a vote, direct their presence during a vote, or obligate them to follow the party line, respectively.
The three-line whip is the strongest and is used during important occasions.
Context:
The Government of India has come out with guidelines for undertaking pilot projects for using green hydrogen in the shipping and steel sectors.
Details:-
The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced plans to introduce green hydrogen projects that will replace traditional fossil fuels in the shipping and steel industries.
The initiative will focus on retrofitting existing ships for green hydrogen use and building bunkering and refuelling facilities at ports on international shipping lanes.
About Green Hydrogen:-
Green hydrogen produced through renewable energy has no carbon footprint. India needs to achieve its energy security, access, and availability goals while meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) targets.
Green Hydrogen can serve as an energy storage option, ensuring consistency in renewable energy supply.
Additionally, it can be used in transportation for urban freight movement and long-distance mobilizations such as railways, large ships, buses, and trucks.