The Union Home Ministry declared Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
About Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA):
The UAPA was introduced in 1967 as a legislation to set out reasonable restrictions on the fundamental freedoms under Article 19(1) of the Constitution, such as freedom of speech, right to assemble peacefully, and the right to form associations.
Over the years, terror-specific legislations like the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) were repealed after running into legal trouble, and the UAPA became the primary anti-terror legislation in India.
In line with its stated objectives, the UAPA punishes the commission, funding, and support of “unlawful activities” and “terrorist acts”.
It lays down the definitions and rules for designating an organization as an "unlawful association" if it is engaged in certain types of activities.
‘Unlawful activity’ is defined as any action taken by an individual or association – through an act, words, spoken or written, or by signs or visible representation – which is intended to, or supports a claim to, bring about the cession of a part of the territory of India, or the secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union, or which incites any individual or group of individuals to bring about such cession or secession.
It covers activities which disclaim, question, disrupt, or are intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and which cause or intend to cause disaffection against India.
In 2004, the UAPA was amended, and 'terrorist activities' were brought within its fold, under which 34 outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad, were banned.
Under the Act, the central government may designate an organization as a terrorist organization if it:
commits or participates in acts of terrorism;
prepares for terrorism;
promotes terrorism;
is otherwise involved in terrorism;
The 2019 Amendment gave the Home Ministry the power to designate individuals as terrorists.
The Act extends to the whole of India.
The UAPA applies to anyone who commits a UAPA crime in India or outside India. It applies to Indian citizens irrespective of where the crime is committed, and also includes people in Government service, and people on ships and aircrafts registered in India.
International Relations
Topic: Central Asia
2. Uzbekistan
Why in the news?
Uzbekistan has accepted an Ambassador from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, in a rare diplomatic triumph for the internationally isolated regime. The envoy is Abdul Ghafar Bahr, who formerly served as a judicial official in southern Kandahar province and Kabul.
About Uzbekistan:
It is located in Central Asia.
It is one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world i.e. a landlocked country completely surrounded by other landlocked countries.
It is surrounded by five countries:
Kazakhstan to the north
Kyrgyzstan to the northeast
Tajikistan to the southeast
Afghanistan to the south
Turkmenistan to the southwest
It is part of the Turkic world, as well as a member of the Organization of Turkic States.
Uzbek is the official language and spoken by the majority of its inhabitants, while Russian and Tajik are significant minority languages.
Islam is the predominant religion, and most Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims.
Taliban:
It is an Afghan political and militant movement with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism.
It ruled approximately 75% of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before it was overthrown by an American invasion after the September 11th attacks carried out by the Taliban's ally al-Qaeda.
It recaptured Kabul in August 2021 following the departure of coalition forces, after 20 years of Taliban insurgency, and now controls the entire country.
The Taliban government is not recognized by any country and has been internationally condemned for restricting human rights, including women's rights to work and have an education.
Topic: West Asia
3. United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Why in the news?
Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, according to a U.N. source. The source said one of the locations fired at was UNIFIL's main base at Naqoura.
About United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
Originally, UNIFIL was created by the Security Council in March 1978 after Israel's invasion of Lebanon.
Mandate: According to Security Council resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) of 19 March 1978, UNIFIL was established to:
Confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Restore international peace and security.
Assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.
The mandate had to be adjusted twice, due to the developments in 1982 and 2000.
It has around 10,500 peacekeepers coming from 48 troop contributing countries.
The Mission maintains an intensive level of operational and other activities amounting to approximately 14,500 activities per month, day and night in the area of operations.
Seventeen percent of activities are carried out jointly with the Lebanese Armed Forces. UNIFIL is complemented by a five-vessel Maritime Task Force.
It is funded through a separate account approved on an annual basis by the General Assembly.
It is a part of the UN Peacekeeping Force.
UN Peacekeeping Force:
UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
Consent of the parties;
Impartiality;
Non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate.
The Security Council has a vital role in securing this commitment and cooperation, while providing missions with realistic and clear mandates.
There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed.
For its services, UN Peacekeeping has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Geography
Topic: Agriculture
4. Tea
Why in the news?
Small tea growers are planning an indefinite agitation if Nepal Tea continues to come to India to be mixed with Darjeeling and other variants.
Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association president said the Tea Board had issued an order for the last plucking date in Bengal on Nov 30 to control the oversupply situation as well as to prevent poor quality tea production.
About Tea:
It is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.
India was the second-largest producer of tea after China, and the largest consumer of said beverage, using nearly 30% of the world’s tea output.
Tea is a tropical and sub-tropical plant and grows well in hot and humid climates.
The ideal temperature for its growth is 20°-30°C and temperatures above 35°C and below 10°C are harmful for the bush.
It requires 150-300 cm annual rainfall which should be well distributed throughout the year.
The most suitable soil for tea cultivation is slightly acidic soil (without calcium) with porous sub-soil which permits a free percolation of water.
The main tea-growing regions are in the Northeast (including Assam) and in north Bengal (Darjeeling district and the Dooars region). Tea is also grown on a large scale in the Nilgiris in south India.
Benefits:
Antioxidants in tea help prevent oxidative damage to the body and act as reactive oxygen species (ROS) to repair damages caused by free radicals. They also enhance immune defense, lowering the risk of cancer and infection.
Tea Board:
It is a statutory body set up under the Tea Act, 1953.
It was constituted on 1st April 1954.
It functions under the Ministry of Commerce.
The head office of the Tea board is in Kolkata. Currently, the Tea Board has two overseas offices located in Dubai and Moscow.
Functions of the Tea Board:
It provides financial assistance to tea growers for planting, replanting, and irrigation. It also provides technical assistance to tea factories for improving their processing methods.
It conducts marketing campaigns to promote tea consumption in India and abroad. It also participates in trade fairs and exhibitions to showcase Indian tea.
It regulates the export and import of tea. It also sets standards for tea quality.
It conducts research and development on all aspects of tea cultivation, processing, and marketing.
Environment and Ecology
Topic: Biodiversity
5. Vultures
Why in the news?
A two-day vulture survey that concluded in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary recently, the sole habitat of the bird in the State, has recorded the presence of 80 vultures across nine locations.
The survey, jointly organized by the Forest and Wildlife department and the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology on October 6 and 7, aimed at assessing the status and distribution of vulture species within the sanctuary.
About Vultures:
These are one of the 22 species of large scavenger birds that live predominantly in the tropics and subtropics.
They function as nature’s garbage collectors and help to keep the environment clean of waste. They also play a valuable role in keeping wildlife diseases in check.
India is home to 9 species of Vulture namely the Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-headed, Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous, and the Eurasian Griffon.
A significant decline in vulture populations has been observed in South Asian nations, particularly India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
This decline is primarily attributed to the widespread use of diclofenac, a veterinary drug, during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
This resulted in a population decline exceeding 97% in some regions, creating a consequential ecological crisis.
Role of Vultures in Ecosystem:
Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling:
Vultures efficiently consume carrion (dead animals), preventing carcasses from accumulating and rotting.
This helps to decompose organic matter and return nutrients back into the soil, which benefits plant growth and the overall health of the ecosystem.
Disease Prevention:
Vultures have incredibly strong stomachs with very acidic digestive juices. This can kill bacteria and viruses that can cause diseases like anthrax, rabies, and botulism, thus, acting as true “dead-end” for pathogens.
Indicator Species:
Vultures are sensitive to changes in their environment. A decline in vulture populations can be an indicator of a wider ecological problem, such as pollution or a shortage of food sources.
Vulture Conservation Efforts Taken by India:
Addressing the Drug Threat:
Ban on Diclofenac: Recognising the devastating impact of diclofenac, India banned its veterinary use in 2006. This was a critical step in protecting vultures from kidney failure caused by ingesting carcasses of treated livestock.
The Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched a Vulture Action Plan 2020-25 for the conservation of vultures in the country. It will ensure minimum use of Diclofenac and prevent the poisoning of the principal food of vultures, the cattle carcasses.
Expansion of the Ban: In August 2023, India further banned the use of ketoprofen and aceclofenac for veterinary purposes, acknowledging their potential threat to vultures.
Captive Breeding and Reintroduction:
Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres (VCBCs): India established a network of VCBCs, the first being set up in Pinjore, Haryana in 2001.
These centres focus on the captive breeding of endangered vulture species, providing a safe environment to raise healthy populations for reintroduction into the wild.
Currently, there are nine Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India, of which three are directly administered by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Vulture Restaurant:
In a proactive effort to conserve the declining vulture population in Jharkhand, a ‘Vulture Restaurant’ has been established in Koderma district. The initiative aims to address the adverse impact of livestock drugs, particularly diclofenac, on vultures.
Other Vulture Conservation Initiatives:
Vulture species are conserved under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) ‘Species Recovery Programme’.
The Vulture Safe Zone programme is being implemented at eight different places in the country where there were extant populations of vultures, including two in Uttar Pradesh.
Bearded, Long-billed, Slender-billed, and Oriental white-backed are protected in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Rest are protected under ‘Schedule IV’.
International Collaboration:
SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction): The consortium of like-minded, regional and international organizations, created to oversee and coordinate conservation, campaigning, and fundraising activities to help the plight of South Asia’s vultures.
Topic: Biodiversity
6. Komodo Dragons
Why in the news?
In the Komodo dragon’s lair, tourism faces a delicate balancing act.
As visitor numbers to natural wonders around the world grow, authorities face a huge challenge balancing conservation with development.
About Komodo Dragons:
These are the largest and heaviest lizards on Earth. They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.
They can eat almost anything, including invertebrates, birds, and mammals like deer, pigs, and even large water buffalo.
They have venom glands loaded with toxins which have been shown to secrete anticoagulants.
An anticoagulant is a compound which prevents the victim's blood from clotting, causing it to bleed to death.
The venom lowers blood pressure, causes massive bleeding, and induces shock.
They have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years. They prefer the islands’ tropical forests but can be found across the islands.
Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is situated in the Island of Komodo (eastern Indonesia) and is the only habitat for this lizard species.
Threats:
Anthropogenic factors.
Small size of population, less prey and higher inbreeding factors.
Climate change is likely to cause a sharp decline in the availability of habitat, reducing their populations even further.
Conservation:
IUCN Status: Vulnerable.
CITES: Appendix I.
Topic: Pollution
7. Cloud Seeding
Why in the news?
The Delhi environment minister has asked the Centre to hold an urgent meeting with key stakeholders to speed up approvals for cloud seeding, a measure aimed at reducing the expected winter pollution increase in the national capital.
About Cloud Seeding:
Clouds are usually injected with salts like silver iodide, potassium iodide, or sodium chloride, which is the ‘seed’.
They are dispersed into the cloud either using aircraft or through generators on the ground.
These salts are expected to provide additional nuclei around which more cloud droplets can form.
Sufficiently large droplets are needed that can reach the surface of the earth and not evaporate on the way.
Hence, substance that is dispersed into the cloud needs to have cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei and these two come from two different salts.
The cloud condensation nuclei help form cloud droplets, and ice nuclei help to form ice crystals.
Ice crystals grow faster than drops, and they become large and fall.
Conditions required for cloud seeding:
Firstly, cloud cover and clouds of a certain type are necessary.
Cloud seeding can only happen if there is a sufficient number of clouds and a particular depth to these clouds.
Inside, there needs to be an adequate number of cloud droplets.
Cloud seeding is done to increase the radius of the cloud droplets so that they will grow bigger and because of gravity, they will come down as rainfall.
In winter, clouds form over Delhi when a western disturbance moves over region.
Western disturbances are storms that originate in the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea and bring non-monsoonal rainfall to northwest India.
These disturbances bring rain to northwest India.
In winter, when atmosphere is stable, clouds form when a western disturbance disrupts this stability. Western disturbances are responsible for winter clouds in Delhi, even though they may not be the right type for cloud seeding.
Additionally, factors like cloud height and water content need to be considered even if clouds are present.
Science and Technology
Topic: Diseases
8.Footrot Disease
Why in the news?
The footrot disease is killing the sheep and goats of Gaddi shepherds in Himachal Pradesh. The shepherds have reportedly lost about 20 percent of the flock of their sheep to the disease and suffered heavy financial losses.
The disease has continuously hit the animals of the Gaddi shepherds in the past many years but no solution to the problem has been found. A proposal of scientists of CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, to develop a vaccine for the disease has not been approved for the past four years.
About Footrot Disease:
It is an infectious disease of animals characterized by inflammation, necrosis and ulceration of the interdigital space, coronary bands and posterior limbs resulting in lameness.
It is caused by Spherophorous necrophorus.
It is a normal inhabitant of the ruminant digestive tract.
The disease is influenced by factors which help in the breakdown of skin such as continuous wet and muddy condition or rough ground.
Damage by the tick or penetration of skin by Strongyloides papilosa larvae have been identified as conducive agents for transmission.
Warm wet environment (20-25˙C), Soil, Manure, Beddings act as source of infection.
Symptoms:
Lameness is the cardinal sign.
Moist and reddened interdigital cleft
The skin of the interdigital space shows ulcerative changes.
Separation of the horny tissues and characteristic foul odour.
Affected animals may kick on the ground and disincline to move or try to move on two legs due to pain.
Infect one or more feet at the same time.
Elevation of body temperature, anorexia and loss of body weight.
Control measures:
Animals should be placed on dry, smooth surfaces in indoor condition.
Infected animals should be separated from the rest.
Foot bath should be given. Zinc sulphate (10% solution) or copper sulphate (10%solution) may be used for footbaths.
Foot trimming should be done at least two times per year.
Gaddi Shepherds:
They are a semi-pastoral tribe living mainly in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
They live mainly in the Bharmour region of Himachal Pradesh.
Economy
Topic: Taxes
9. Corporate Tax
Why in the news?
India may end its ambivalence on the minimum 15% corporate tax rule for multinational corporations, and include an enabling provision to comply with the relevant multilateral mechanism in the Income Tax Act.
The provisions of the I-T Act, 1961 are currently under a comprehensive review, with a view to making it simpler and more lucid, by removing redundant sections. The proposed “Pillar-2 under the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework, which aims to stymie profit shifting among tax jurisdictions by MNCs to minimize their tax outgo, would be ushered in by India as part of the I-T Act review, which is under way.
About Corporate Tax:
It is payable by both public and private companies registered in India under the Companies Act 1956.
It is a direct tax placed on a company's net income or profit from its operations.
It is imposed on the net profits of the corporation, which is calculated by subtracting allowable expenses such as the cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and depreciation from the corporation's total revenue.
Significance:
Corporate tax is an important source of revenue for governments, as it helps to fund public goods and services such as schools, hospitals, roads, and defense.
It also plays a role in redistributing wealth and addressing income inequality, as it imposes a higher tax burden on corporations that are more profitable.
In addition, it can also have other economic and social impacts.
For example, corporate tax can affect the competitiveness of businesses, as a higher corporate tax rate may make a country or region less attractive for investment compared to other jurisdictions with lower tax rates.
It can also influence the location and type of businesses that operate in a jurisdiction, as businesses may be more or less likely to invest in a particular area depending on the tax environment.
Government Schemes
Topic: Employment
10. Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme
Why in the news?
The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme, announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech on July 23, was launched on October 3.
It aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in the top 500 companies over the next five years.
About Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme:
It will enhance youth employability in India by offering them hands-on exposure to real-world business environments.
It represents a transformative opportunity to bridge the skills gap and drive sustainable growth in India.
It aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth over five years, in the top 500 companies.
The pilot project will be implemented through an online portal managed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
A monthly stipend of ₹4,500 will be provided to the interns from the central government via DBT (Direct Benefit transfer), with an additional ₹500 offset provided by the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)fund.
They will also be provided a one-time grant of Rs 6,000 upon joining and insurance coverage under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
The internship period will be of one year.
Eligibility:
Candidates aged between 21 and 24 years who are not engaged in full-time employment are eligible for the one-year internship programme.
Internships are available to those who have passed class 10 or higher.
Individuals from families with government jobs are excluded
It is not open to post-graduates.
A candidate who graduated from premier institutes such as IIT, IIM, or IISER, and those who have CA, or CMA qualification would not be eligible to apply for this internship.
Anyone from a household that includes a person who earned an income of ₹8 lakh or more in 2023-24, will not be eligible.
Benefits:
It will provide on-job training to youth and an exposure to real-life work environments.
It will also benefit the industry by creating a pipeline of skilled, work-ready youth who can be employed post-internship both in large as well as micro, small and medium enterprises.
Online Classes
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