Current Affairs - December 15, 2024 Current Affairs

In 2023, India contributed nearly 50% of the estimated malaria cases in the region, marking a significant share compared to other countries. This highlights the burden of malaria in India despite notable progress in reducing cases over the years. Alongside Indonesia, which accounted for nearly one-third of cases, these two countries are central to the regional malaria statistics. Efforts to further reduce malaria cases in India are critical to achieving global malaria reduction targets.

Article 136 of the Indian Constitution grants the Supreme Court discretionary power to hear special leave petitions (SLPs). This extraordinary jurisdiction allows the Court to address cases involving substantial questions of law or potential miscarriages of justice, even where no direct right of appeal exists. Originating from the Government of India Act, of 1935, the mechanism empowers the Court to intervene in both civil and criminal matters. SLPs are instrumental in reducing the backlog of pending cases, ensuring justice in exceptional situations, and maintaining the Court's role as the ultimate arbiter of law in India.

Zeenat, a tiger translocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, was moved to Similipal in Odisha to enhance genetic diversity. This effort underscores the importance of maintaining healthy tiger populations through interstate cooperation. The tiger’s subsequent movement into Jharkhand and towards West Bengal highlights challenges in wildlife conservation, including the need for continuous monitoring and effective coordination between states to ensure the safety of both wildlife and human populations.

India and Australia are working towards finalizing the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), a free trade agreement aimed at eliminating tariffs, liberalizing services, and enhancing trade opportunities. This collaboration focuses on key areas such as goods, services, digital trade, and government procurement while exploring new areas like innovation, critical minerals, and agri-tech. The CECA reflects the growing strategic and economic partnership between the two nations, strengthening bilateral ties and fostering mutual growth.

IIT Delhi secured the top position among Indian institutions in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025, ranking 171st globally. These rankings evaluate universities based on their contributions to environmental impact, social impact, and governance. IIT Delhi's leadership in sustainability reflects its commitment to addressing global challenges through research and education, setting an example for other institutions in India and abroad. Other Indian institutes like IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay followed in the rankings, emphasizing the country's growing focus on sustainability initiatives in higher education.

The Railway Board, responsible for overseeing the management and operations of Indian Railways, has been functioning since 1905 without statutory authority. This historical context is significant as the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to grant it a formal legal status, consolidating provisions of the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 into the Railways Act, 1989. This step aims to streamline railway governance and bring historical practices under a modern legislative framework.

Andhra Pradesh is pioneering India’s first statewide skill census, aiming to map skill gaps and strengths among its workforce. Building on the success of a pilot project in Mangalagiri, this initiative will cover 3.5 crore working-age individuals across 1.8 crore households. By aligning existing skills with industry demands and addressing youth unemployment, the census seeks to boost job creation and economic development. Innovative measures like linking Skill IDs to Aadhaar will enhance accessibility to skilling opportunities, showcasing Andhra Pradesh’s commitment to addressing employment challenges through targeted interventions.

IIT Madras developed DHARINI, a groundbreaking high-resolution 3D atlas of the foetal brain. This revolutionary tool maps over 5,000 brain sections and 500 brain regions during the crucial second trimester of pregnancy. It aids in understanding brain disorders such as autism, and cerebral palsy, and mental health conditions like depression. By utilizing thin slices of still-born brains for cellular-level imaging, DHARINI uniquely captures the developing brain in fetuses. It surpasses existing brain atlases, including the 2016 US Allen Institute's adult brain atlas, and is expected to advance artificial intelligence research and brain science significantly.

The Disaster Management Act was enacted in 2005 to establish a comprehensive legal framework for disaster management in India. This Act laid the foundation for national and state disaster management authorities and provided a systematic approach to disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response. Its significance remains critical, as reflected in the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to enhance and address the operational challenges of the original Act, ensuring better alignment with evolving needs.

Arvind Panagariya, the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, highlighted concerns regarding the Centre's growing dependence on cesses and surcharges, which are not shared with states as part of the divisible pool of revenue. This issue stems from the 80th Constitutional Amendment, which formally excluded such revenues from sharing under Article 270. Cesses and surcharges, levied for specific purposes or on higher income brackets, are significant tools in India's fiscal policy but raise questions about revenue distribution and federal financial equity.