Polity 

Mamata claims voter fraud: Can two electors have identical EPIC numbers? - Indian Express

Recently, the West Bengal Chief Minister raised concerns over the purity of the electoral roll.

Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs)

• Purpose: Issued under Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 to prevent impersonation.
• Issuance: Started in 1993 by state governments.
• Significance: Identity document only, does not confer the right to vote unless listed in the electoral roll.
• Details: Name, age, residence, photograph, registration officer’s facsimile signature.
• Unique Numbering:
  • Each EPIC has a unique alphanumeric number with three letters followed by a seven-digit number.
  • Functional Unique Serial Number (FUSN) assigned per Assembly constituency.
  • Issued through EC’s ERONET portal since 2017.
  • Replacement EPIC retains the same number as the original.

World Affairs 

How is China’s foreign policy structured? - The Hindu

During his visit to China, Indian Foreign Secretary had separate meetings with, with Foreign Minister Wang Y. While in India, there is a clear distinction between the party and the state, in the Chinese system, party and state bodies are intermeshed, with the CPC holding ultimate authority over the government.

Decision-Makers in China

• Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC): Highest political decision-making body, sets policy direction.
• Foreign Affairs Commission (FAC): Handles policy coordination and decision-making, led by Xi Jinping with Li Qiang as deputy.
• Office of FAC: Provides administrative support.

Communist Party of China’s Diplomatic Arm

• International Liaison Department (IDCPC):
  • Engages in party-to-party diplomacy in 150+ countries.
  • Led by Liu Jianchao, who ranks above state ministers in party hierarchy.
  • Maintains regional bureaus, including ‘South and Southeast Asian Affairs.’

• United Front Work Department (UFWD):

• Manages overseas Chinese diaspora, Hong Kong, and Taiwan affairs.
• Influences narratives on Tibet, Xinjiang, and global messaging.
• Headed by Shi Taifeng, a Politburo member.

State-to-State Diplomacy

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA):
  • Implements foreign policy, operates under the State Council.
  • Led by the Foreign Minister, whose influence has varied over time.
  • Acts as China’s official interface for foreign policy, security, and diplomacy.
  • Xi Jinping’s direct involvement has increased MFA’s stature.
• Other Diplomatic Bodies:
  • National Security Commission, CPPCC, NPC.

Economy 

The implications of treating Virtual Digital Assets as taxable properties - The Hindu

India’s Income Tax Bill, 2025 introduces a comprehensive legal framework for VDAs defined in Section 2(111), aligning the country’s tax structure with global precedents. This move is crucial, considering how major economies like the U.K., the U.S., Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the UAE have approached VDAs — primarily as property or securities.

Virtual Digital Assets (VDA)

• Definition: Introduced in Union Budget 2022-23 under Section 2(47A) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• Scope: Includes cryptocurrencies, DeFi (decentralized finance), and NFTs.
• Nature: Any information, code, number, or token (excluding Indian or foreign currency) created through cryptographic means with inherent value.

Taxation:

• 30% income tax on cryptocurrency gains (effective April 2022).
• 1% TDS on cryptocurrency transactions (effective July 2022).

India's agriculture exports - Indian Express

While India’s total goods imports during April-December 2024 were 7.4% up over April-December 2023, there was an 18.7% rise in imports of farm produce (from $24.6 billion to $29.3 billion) for the same period. The agricultural trade surplus has thus reduced from $10.6 billion in April-December 2023-24 to $8.2 billion for the corresponding nine months of the current fiscal (April-March).

Narrowing Agri-Trade Surplus

• Declining Surplus:
  • India remains a net exporter of agri-commodities.
  • Trade surplus trend:

• 2013-14: Peaked at $27.7 billion.
• 2016-17: Dropped to $8.1 billion.
• 2020-21: Recovered to $20.2 billion.

• 2023-24: Declined to $16 billion, with further reduction expected.

Export Fluctuations

• Decline (2013-14 to 2019-20):
  • Exports fell from $43.3 billion to $35.6 billion.
  • Imports rose from $15.5 billion to $21.9 billion.
  • Linked to falling global commodity prices.
  • FAO food price index:
    • 2013-14 to 2019-20: Fell from 119.1 to 96.4, reducing India’s cost competitiveness.
    • 2021-22 to 2022-23: Rose to 133.1 and 140.6, boosting exports to $50.2 billion and $53.2 billion.
    • 2023-24 to 2024-25: Declined to 121.5 and 123.4, leading to a dip in exports.

Declining Exports

• Marine Products:
  • Top export commodity, but declined from $8.1 billion (2022-23) to $7.4 billion (2023-24).
  • Frozen shrimp forms two-thirds of exports, mainly to US (34.5%), China (19.6%), and EU (14%).
• Sugar & Wheat:
  • Sugar exports dropped from $5.8 billion (2022-23) to $2.8 billion (2023-24) due to government restrictions.
  • Wheat exports nearly halted from $2.1 billion (2021-22) to negligible levels, driven by domestic food security concerns.
• Rice Boom:
  • Non-basmati rice exports remain strong despite export curbs.
  • Basmati rice exports expected to hit new highs in 2024-25.

• Other Key Exports:

• Spices, coffee, and tobacco poised for record exports in 2024-25.
• Crop failures in Brazil and Zimbabwe boosted India's tobacco and coffee exports.
• India remains a leading exporter of basmati rice, chilli, mint products, cumin, turmeric, coriander, fennel, etc.

Rising Imports

• Pulses:
  • Imports declined due to increased domestic production but surged in 2023-24 due to poor crop yield.
  • Imports may cross $5 billion, a record high.
• Edible Oils:
  • Expected to be highest in 2024-25 after peaking at $19 billion (2021-22) and $20.8 billion (2022-23) due to the Ukraine war.
• Spices:
  • India is a net importer of pepper and cardamom, despite being a major exporter of chilli and other seed spices.
• Cotton:
  • The Bt revolution made India the second-largest exporter after the US.
  • Exports collapsed from $4.3 billion (2011-12) to $1.1 billion (2023-24).
  • April-Dec 2024: Imports ($918.7 million) exceeded exports ($575.7 million), making India a net importer of cotton.

Environment 

Study finds 6,327 Gangetic dolphins across four States - The Hindu

The first estimate of Gangetic dolphins, the only riverine dolphins in India, has found 6,327 of them in the Ganga and its tributaries. 

Gangetic dolphins

Ganga River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

• Habitat: Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems (India, Nepal, Bangladesh).
• Recorded in Ganga River and its tributaries: Ghagra, Kosi, Gandak, Chambal, Rupnarayan, Yamuna.
• Nature: Freshwater species, essentially blind, uses ultrasonic echolocation to hunt.
• Social life: Usually found alone or in small groups; mother and calf often travel together.
• Local name: Called 'Susu' due to the sound it makes while breathing.
• Importance:
  • Indicator of river ecosystem health.
  • National Aquatic Animal (2009) and State Aquatic Animal of Assam.
• Threats:
  • Accidental killing in fishing gear.
  • Poaching for dolphin oil (used as fish attractant & medicine).
  • Habitat destruction due to dams, pollution (industrial waste, sewage), and vessel traffic.
• IUCN: Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix I
• CMS: Appendix I
• Government Initiatives
  • Project Dolphin
  • Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary (Bihar)
  • National Ganga River Dolphin Day (5th October)

Sci and Tech 

ISRO releases second set of scientific data from Aditya mission - The Hindu

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the second set of scientific data from the Aditya-L1 solar mission.

Research team takes big step towards making a Bose metal - The Hindu

Researchers have recently discovered a potential new state of matter, the Bose metal.

Bose Metal

• Definition: Hypothetical metallic state where Cooper pairs form but do not transition into superconductivity.
• Position: Exists between a normal metal and a superconductor, challenging conventional condensed matter theories.
• Intermediate State: Metallic but with Cooper pairs.

• Cooper Pair: Pairs form but lack long-range coherence.

• Anomalous Conductivity: Resistance is lower than normal metals but not zero.
• Quantum Fluctuations: Disrupt Cooper pair coherence, preventing superconductivity.
• Hall Resistance Vanishing: Suggests charge transport by Cooper pairs instead of electrons.
• Observed in 2D Materials: Found in ultra-thin films of materials like Niobium Diselenide (NbSe₂) under specific conditions (thin layers, magnetic fields).

After successful private landing on Moon, more missions to follow - Indian Express

An American private space company called Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its spacecraft on the Moon on Sunday, the first of the several arrivals that the lunar surface is expecting this year from different players.

NASA’s Role & CLPS Program

• Facilitator: NASA supports private missions under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
• Objective: Build private-sector capacity for frequent Moon missions for scientific exploration, resource utilization, and human presence under Artemis.
• Private Operators: More than a dozen companies (Firefly, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic Technologies etc) contracted for Moon missions.

Scientific Exploration

• Payloads: Blue Ghost carries 10 instruments for studying:
  • Robotic drilling technology.
  • Surface and sub-surface composition.
  • Dust mitigation techniques.

• Landing Site: Near Moon’s equator, impacted by an asteroid 3 billion years ago.

• Mission Duration: 14 Earth days (one lunar day), with additional battery power for limited operation during lunar night.
• Upcoming Event: Expected to capture solar eclipse images on March 14.

Future Missions

• CLPS Missions:
  • Athena (IM-2) by Intuitive Machines launched on Feb 26, 2024, aiming for Moon’s south pole on March 6.
  • Hakuto-R Mission 2 (Japan) launched on Jan 15, 2024, set to land by May/June.

Upcoming Landings:

• Astrobotic Technologies planning another mission this year.
• Intuitive Machines’ third mission (IM-3) expected by year-end.