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In a positive end to a hijacking attempt in the North Arabian Sea, marine commandos (MARCOS) of the Indian Navy secured and safely evacuated all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians.
Sanitisation by MARCOS has confirmed absence of the hijackers. The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the Indian Navy’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and interception by Indian Naval warship.
INS Chennai is in the vicinity of MV and rendering support to restore the power generation and propulsion, and commence her voyage to next port of call.
India’s GDP estimated to grow by 7.3%: NSO data (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India’s real GDP growth in 2023-24 is estimated at 7.3%, compared to 7.2% a year ago, as per the first advance estimates of national income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), which reckon the economy will outperform the 7% uptick recently projected by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
With GDP growth in the first half of this year clocking 7.7%, the NSO’s advance estimates, that rely on data for the first six to eight months of a year and are helpful in the Union Budget formulation, indicate the second-half growth will be about 6.9%-7%.
Interestingly, the NSO expects the growth in Gross Value Added (GVA) in the economy to ease slightly from 7% in 2022-23 to 6.9% this year, and pegs nominal GDP growth at 8.9% compared to the 10.5% Budget estimate.
This could translate into the fiscal deficit breaching the year’s 5.9% of GDP target to hit around 6%, economists cautioned.
States
Discovery of Palaeolithic tools adds to understanding of human settlements (Page no. 5)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
The recent floods in the Mulugu district of Telangana has led to a fresh discovery of palaeolithic quartzite tools. “The tools or hand axes were found in the sand bed of a stream that dried up after the flood, who led the team of amateur historians in the effort. The new discovery adds to understanding about human habitations in Telangana and central India.
Large parts of Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts in the north-eastern parts of Telangana were flooded in July, 2023 leading to large-scale destruction.
The hand axes were found in the stream between Gurrevula and Bhupatipuram villages in Mulugu district. The stone axe measuring 15.5cm in length, 11cm in width and 5.5cm in thickness was found by researcher Eleswaram Janardanachari.
According to paleontologist Ravi Korisettar, the stone axe belongs to the Lower Palaeolithic period and is about 30 lakh years ago.
Palaeolithic Age is also known as or Old Stone Age or Early Stone Age. It dates back to about 33 lakh years BC. It lasted for 10,000 years.
Editorial
The need to examine the examination system (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
Every examination season, the media reports scandals that engulf some universities or even school boards. The credibility of the examination system is linked to the standard of the certificates that the examination/school boards issue.
The lack of credibility of the examination system in educational institutions affects educational standards because learning is conditioned by the proposed examination system.
Teaching and learning should prepare a student to face any type of examination. On the contrary, if the examination pattern is known, say by testing mostly memory, then teaching will ensure that students only prepare for rote memory.
This is the general pattern. Further, inflation of marks and achieving a very high pass percentage are the key objectives of the education administration.
Consequently, the talent search cost for employers rises. A credible examination system is one of the key ways to improve the standard of education.
With more than 1,100 universities, 50,000 affiliated colleges including 700 autonomous colleges and a total enrolment of 40.15 million students, India has numerous higher education examination systems with diversified modes of assessment.
There are also 60 school boards for secondary and higher secondary levels of school education, certifying more than 15 million students every year. Secrecy and standardisation are considered to be the hallmarks of good examination boards.
Secrecy without proper checks and balances and audits leads to scandals. Standardisation through uniformity in examination kills experimentation in assessment and curriculum.
Rather, the credibility of assessment and standard of education can be ensured only through transparency in teaching and assessment.
News
Cabinet gives nod to ‘Prithvi’ programme for earth observation (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared a ₹4,797-crore programme called ‘Prithvi’ (Earth) that is expected to subsume five existing schemes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
These programmes are to improve and increase long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere, and solid earth to track changes in the planet; develop models to understand and predict weather, ocean and climate hazards, and understand the science of climate change; explore polar and high-seas regions of the earth to discover new phenomena and resources; develop techno- logy for exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications; and translate knowledge and insights from earth system science into services for societal, environmental, and economic benefit.
“A major component of the Ministry is the Deep Ocean Mission or DOM [one of whose objectives is to send a manned submersible 6,000 metres into the Indian Ocean].
The Prithvi programme broadly subsumes all of our other major activities,” M. Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES. The DOM was cleared by the Cabinet in 2021 at an outlay of ₹4,000 crore for five years.
ISRO tests fuel cell-based power system in space (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a 100 W-class Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell-based Power System (FCPS) in its orbital platform, POEM3, which was launched on board PSLV-C58.
The FCPS payload is significant as it has potential applications in India’s space station which is proposed to come up by 2035.
During the short-duration test, 180 W power was generated from hydrogen and oxygen gases stored in high-pressure vessels.
It provided a wealth of data on the performance of various static and dynamic systems that formed part of the power system and the physics at play.
Business
Dec. PMI signals services activity rebounded to a three-month high (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India’s services sector rebounded in December with new business and output rising at the fastest pace in three months, as per the HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index, which rose to 59, from 56.9 in November.
New services sector jobs continued to rise in December, marking the 19th straight month of fresh hiring, albeit at a slightly stronger pace than November with firms opting to recruit a mix of part-time and full-time workers.
Fresh export orders for Indian services firms grew at the slowest pace since June, with demand seen from regions like Australia, Canada, Europe, West Asia and South America.
Business optimism levels, however, improved from November levels, with the pace of rise in input costs slipping to a 40-month low.
At the same time, firms continued to pass on cost burdens to their clients with output charges rising at a pace that was faster than input cost inflation and well above its long-run average.
World
Israel puts forth post-war plan for Gaza as battle rages (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Israel’s Defence Minister has publicly presented for the first time proposals for the post-war administration of Gaza, where officials unrelenting bombardment has killed dozens over 24 hours.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s plan for the “day after”, shared with the media late but not yet adopted by Israel’s war cabinet, says that neither Israel nor Hamas will govern Gaza and rejects future Jewish settlements there.
The Minister’s broad outline was unveiled on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s fourth trip to the region since a Hamas attack on October 7 triggered the war.
The bombing continued through the night in the southern areas of Khan Younis and Rafah as well as parts of central Gaza.
The Israeli Army said its forces had “struck over 100 targets” across Gaza over the past 24 hours. The Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said it had recorded 162 deaths also over the past 24 hours.