December’24 Complete – IE
1. India’s GDP rose by 5.4% in July-September, the lowest rate in seven quarters, as
weaker expansions in manufacturing and consumption hurt the economy.
Modi said ‘Viksit Bharat’ can be achieved through a fundamental change in mindset
which is focused towards making India developed by 2047.
2. In fact, the circular flies in the face of the Right to Education, which flows from the
fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 21 (life and dignity) and 14 (equality).
3. Regenerative farming based on the principles of agroecology can help reduce
input costs, improve soil health, promote judicious use of groundwater, reduce the
depletion of natural resources, and, at the same time, increase farm productivity and
profits. One recent study found that community-managed natural farming also
improved the health of farmers, farm workers, their families, and consumers by
successfully building social capital in rural India.
It will also contribute to the country’s vision of achieving “net zero status” by 2070.
4. The REER measures the rupee’s value vis-à-vis not only the dollar, but other
global currencies as well. In this case, it is a weighted average of the rupee’s
exchange rate against a basket of 40 currencies of countries that account for about 88
per cent of India’s annual exports and imports. The REER also adjusts
for inflation differentials between India and each of these trading partners.
5. Oil and gas imports have the highest share in India’s overall merchandise import bill.
6. The Indian basket of crude oil represents a derived basket comprising sour grade and
sweet grade crudes processed in Indian refineries in the ratio 78.50 : 21.50.
7. The government then established the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre
(ITEWC) at (INCOIS), Hyderabad and it has been operational since October 2007. It
comprises a real-time seismic monitoring and sea-level network.
8. Right to Education Act, 2009, underlined a different approach. It scraped out the
humiliation of elimination from the body politic of examination. It came out with the
No Detention Policy (NDP) for students up to Class VIII.
RTE in 2019, left the issue of detention to the discretion of state governments.
The RTE was passed when the dropout rate for students between Classes I to VIII was
42.5 per cent. Notably, for the SCs and STs, the percentage was much higher — 51.2
and 56.8, respectively. In 2024, as the central government annuls the NDP (National
Dropout Rate) , the dropout rate has already come down to 12.6 per cent, according to
the latest data from UDISE. If the decreasing dropout rate stands in favour of NDP, a
2023 report by ASER, which showed that only a fourth of the enrolled students in the
age group of 14 to 18 can fluently read a Class II-level text, vouches for the contrary.
9. The Ken Betwa Link Project envisages transferring water from the Ken river to the
Betwa river, both tributaries of the Yamuna.
10.The Land Acquisition Act 2013 came into force on January 1, 2014.
What is the Land Acquisition Act, 2013?
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013 (commonly referred to as the Land
Acquisition Act, 2013) was enacted by the Centre to replace the outdated Land
Acquisition Act of 1894.
What are the other features of this Act?
The Act narrows the definition of “public purpose” to prevent arbitrary acquisitions.
Public purposes include infrastructure projects, urbanisation, and industrial corridors.
If the acquired land is not utilised for its stated purpose within five years, it must be
returned to the original owners or a land bank.
Certain projects, such as those related to defence, railways, and atomic energy, are
exempt from the Act; however, compensation and R&R provisions still apply.
Jagmohan also highlighted that several states have implemented the Act with
amendments, leading to controversies and court cases. “Changes were proposed, such
as relaxing certain provisions, including the removal of the consent clause for several
categories, including PPP initiatives,”
11.Each year, we close our calendars in December, the 12th month of the Gregorian
calendar, which incidentally derives its name from the Latin word, decem, meaning 10
—an etymological fallacy. However, it isn’t just December, rather all months named
after numericals — September (from septem meaning seven), October (octo meaning
eight), November (from novem meaning nine) — that are nomenclatural
anachronistic. Why is that? The answer lies in the Roman calendar, which was
adopted by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in around 738 BC.
12. In its most recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
— the UN-affiliated body that advances scientific knowledge about climate change —
said the world needed to cut its annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 43 per
cent from 2019 levels by 2030 to keep alive hopes of achieving the 1.5 degree goal.
But current climate actions, which every country says is their best effort, are projected
to deliver barely a 2 per cent reduction in the best-case scenario by that time. There is
no way this large emission gap can be bridged in the short period remaining before the
2030 deadline.
In many ways, the COP29 climate meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, this year was the
last hope for the 1.5 degree goal.
13.The term MSP stands for Minimum Support Price. Its promise was that if their crops
didn’t sell in the market, the government would buy them at least at this minimum
price. However, at that time, the costs of production for the farmers were not factored
in.
Supreme Court committee revealed that 4,00,000 farmers have committed suicide in
the last three decades. However, if we look beyond the records, the number is closer to
7,00,000.
It is even cited that it takes 3,000 to 3,500 litres of water to produce just one kilogram
of rice.
The government continues to claim that it is providing MSP to farmers, but in states
like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, despite the MSP for paddy being set at Rs 2,325 per
quintal, farmers are forced to sell it at prices as low as Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,400 per
quintal.
14.It says that the “personalised mRNA vaccines” will be based on the genetic analysis of
each person’s tumour on a “unique software platform” to identify the mutations called
neoantigens. The individualised vaccines based on this information will train the
body’s immune system to recognise and target the cancer cells.
And what exactly are neoantigens?
These are proteins that are found only on cancerous cells, which the body’s immune
system can be trained to recognise, thereby allowing the body’s own immune system
to fight off the cancer.
Dr Balachandran’s team realised that the immune cells could continue to recognise
these neoantigens even up to 12 years after the tumour had been removed.
What this means is the immune system, once it recognises the neoantigens, could keep
fighting the cancerous cells, thereby preventing a relapse.
So are there any approved cancer vaccines yet?
Cancer vaccines such as this come under the category of immunotherapy — where various
methods are used to train the body’s immune system to fight off the cancer.
The only cancer vaccine approved by the US FDA is Sipuleucel-T, which was
greenlighted in 2010 for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Are there any vaccine-preventable cancers?
Yes. There are at least two cancers whose incidence can be reduced by vaccinating against
two pathogens. More than 95% of all cervical cancer cases are linked to persistent infection
with certain high-risk strains of HPV — meaning vaccinating against HPV can effectively
bring down the incidence of cervical cancer.
Preventing chronic hepatitis B infection with vaccination can also bring down the incidence
of liver cancer.
15.For example, the colonial law on sedition (previously “rajdroh” in Hindi) has simply
been rechristened “deshdroh”. There are other aspects — allowing a police officer 14
days for a preliminary investigation before registering an FIR, the total exclusion of
Section 377 of the IPC (which offered protection to men and LGBTQIA+ individuals
from non-consensual sexual intercourse), and extension of the period of detention to
up to 90 days.
16.The H-1B visa is a hit especially among Indians. Data from the US government shows
that Indians make up a significant majority of H-1B visa-holders — in the fiscal year
2023, Indians accounted for 72.3% (2.79 lakh of a total of 3.86 lakh) H-1B visa
holders, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Chinese
immigrants came a distant second, holding 11.7% of the total H-1B visas H-1B visas.
17.Section 21A states that, “a transaction between a banking company and its debtor
shall not be re-opened by any Court on the ground that the rate of interest charged by
the banking company in respect of such transaction is excessive”. Further, they also
cited Section 35A which gives the RBI the power to give binding directions to
banking companies in certain circumstances.
18. The development of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs — which have a range
of beneficial effects including helping lower blood sugar levels and promoting
weight loss — have seen significant advances and expanding market potential,
offering the promise of life-changing treatments for major health conditions.
19.Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, containing semaglutide, which was approved by the US
FDA in 2017 for treatment of type 2 diabetes, soon gained attention for off-label use
in weight loss. In 2021, the Denmark-headquartered company launched Wegovy, a
semaglutide pen-injection, which became the first FDA-approved drug for long-term
weight management in almost a decade.
Also, Eli Lilly announced that Zepbound is approved as the first prescription drug
for adults with obesity and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
CAR-T CELL THERAPY: This year, India launched its first homegrown CAR-T
cell therapy called NexCAR19, developed as a collaboration between academia and
industry.
HPV SHOT IN INDIA: India will roll out a nationwide human papillomavirus
(HPV) vaccination campaign in 2025. The vaccine protects against strains of the virus
responsible for the majority of cervical cancers, as well as some cancers of the anus,
vagina, and throat.
Last year, the FDA approved Leqembi (lecanemab), a monoclonal antibody for early
Alzheimer’s treatment developed by Eisai and Biogen, and in July this year, Lilly’s
Kisunla (donanemab-azbt).
Gene editing: advances that promise transformation
In December 2023, the FDA approved two groundbreaking treatments, Casgevy and
Lyfgenia, the first cell-based gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease (SCD) in
patients aged 12 and older.
20.Wasson said, “Other marine mammals like seals have blubber (a thick layer of fat) to
keep them warm. But sea otters do not have blubber, so they have to eat an enormous
amount of food every day.”
21.What is the background of the Israeli strikes in Yemen?
In January this year, the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies launched
Operation Poseidon Archer, a sustained bombing campaign to degrade Houthi military
capabilities in Yemen.
22.And when has US bought territories before this?
One famous example is the purchase of Alaska, which the Russian empire transferred to
the US in 1867 when Andrew Johnson was President, for $7.2 million. The purchase added
about 1.5 million sq km of land to the US. In 1959, the modern state of Alaska was created.
Earlier, in 1803, the US bought more than 2 million sq km of land from France in what is
known as the Louisiana Purchase. The acquisition of Louisiana happened when Thomas
Jefferson was President, and the US paid $ 15 million for the deal.
In 1917, the US bought the Danish West Indies, a group of islands in the Caribbean, and
called them the US Virgin Islands.
23.While the speed of information flow in the human brain is just 10 bits per second
(bps), a typical wi-fi connection processes 50 bps. One bit is the smallest unit of data
that a computer can process and store
24. vasilopita — the “good luck cake” baked exclusively to usher in the New Year.
What makes this cake so special? Nestled within the dough is a hidden coin (called flouri) – a token
of fortune, love, and health for the lucky person who finds it in their slice. Vasilopita translates as
“Sweet Bread of Basil” and is a tribute to Saint Basil, the bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia
(modern-day Turkey), revered by the Greeks for his generosity.
25. In India, according to government guidelines, a state funeral “will be accorded in the event of the
death of the President, Prime Minister, a former President or a Governor. No State funeral will
be accorded in the event of the death of any other dignitary, but in individual cases Central
Government may order a State funeral.” Recent examples of this include industrialist Ratan Tata and
singer Lata Mangeshkar, who were given state funerals.
What is national mourning?
National mourning can also be declared by the Centre or state governments for political leaders and others
who have made an exceptional contribution to the country. The National Flag in such cases is flown at half
mast, following a set of rules.
during which period the “national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India where it is regularly
flown.”
Also, no official entertainments are held during national or state mourning, unless Republic Day,
Independence Day or Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary fall during this period, in which case “the
mourning shall be interrupted on such day and the unexpired period of mourning shall be observed
immediately following the interruption.”
In a state funeral, the dignitary’s body can be draped in the national flag. However, Section 3.58 of the Flag
Code of India, 2002, says: “On occasions of State/Military/Central Paramilitary Forces funerals, the flag
shall be draped over the bier or coffin with the saffron towards the head of the bier or coffin. The Flag shall
not be lowered into the grave or burnt in the pyre.”
26. What is the Parker Solar Probe?
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe was developed as part of NASA’s Living With a Star program to
explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society on Earth.
It is designed to make observations of the Sun’s upper atmosphere, known as the corona, and
carries four instrument suites.
Travelling at the speed of 6,92,000km/h, it endured temperatures up to 1,377 degree Celsius when it
reached the closest to our star which occurred on December 24. The probe went out of contact during
this but the scientists operating it received the signal on the night of December 26.
The craft was able to survive such high temperatures as it is protected by a 4.5-inch-thick (11.43
cm) carbon-composite shield.
The heat shield is so good at its job that, even though the front side will receive the full brunt of the
Sun’s intense light, reaching 2,500°F (1,371 degree Celsius), the instruments behind it, in its shadow,
will remain at a cosy 85°F (29.4 degree Celsius),” a different NASA report said.
The probe circulates a single gallon of water through its solar panels which helps it keep its cool —
the water absorbs the heat, and then radiates it out into space.
27. The docking capability is critical to the fulfilment of India’s vision to have its own space station by
2035.
28. What are Bharat Ratna awards?
Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the country, instituted in 1954. It is awarded in recognition of
exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field. The recommendations for Bharat Ratna
are made by the Prime Minister to the President.
No formal recommendations for this are necessary. The Prime Minister is free to consult or obtain
advice from any one he chooses. However, as per practice, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
receives several recommendations, which are forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office. The MHA is
the nodal ministry for these awards.
The number of awards is normally restricted to a maximum of three in a year. The recipient or (if
posthumously) someone on his/her behalf receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and
a medallion. It does not carry any monetary grant.
Who have been awarded so far?
There are 53 awardees so far. These include all three Prime Ministers from the Nehru-Gandhi family
(Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi). Rajiv Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shashtri were
given the award posthumously.
Other politicians, like Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Morarji Desai, PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan
Singh, Karpoori Thakur — and Dr BR Ambedkar — have been conferred the award posthumously.
Can winners use the awards as prefix/suffix?
No. As per Article 18 (1) of the Constitution, the award cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the
recipient’s name. “No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the
State,” the Article states.
However, an award winner can write “Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President” or “Recipient of Bharat Ratna
Award,” in their biodata or letterhead, the MHA states.
29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the Wisam Mubarak al-Kabeer, or the Order of
Mubarak the Great, by Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait, on
Sunday (December 22).
The Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer is the highest national award of Kuwait.
What is the Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer?
The Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer is conferred by the Kuwaiti government on Heads of State, Sovereigns of
foreign countries, and on members of foreign royal families as a sign of friendship and goodwill.
30. Punjab Ratta is a variety of tomato which can be used for tomato puree production for kissan
tomato ketup plant in Pinjab
31. What was the US’s role in Panama Canal’s construction?
The US solution to the engineering problem was a system of “locks”, or compartments with entrance and
exit doors that can open or close. The locks function as water lifts: they raise the ships from sea level to the
level of Gatun Lake (26 meters above sea level); thus, ships navigate through the channel of the Canal.
32. The 18th biennial State of Forest Report (ISFR-2023) by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) found a
marginal gain of 156 sq km in forest cover, and a sizable increase of 1,289 sq km in tree cover
since 2021.
Tree patches smaller than 1 hectare do not count as forests, and have been measured separately by
FSI as tree cover since 2001.
From 3.04% in 2003, it had fallen to 2.76% in 2011, before rising to 2.91% in 2021. IFSR-2023
recorded a 0.5 percentage point jump in two years, with tree cover rising to 3.41%.
Between 2003 and 2013, forest cover increased by 0.61 percentage points, from 20.62% to 21.23%.
In the next 10 years, it grew by only 0.53 percentage points to 21.76%.
33. The birth anniversary of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, on December 23,
is observed as Kisan Diwas. Charan Singh was the fifth PM of India. While his tenure as PM
lasted less than a month ( 23 days only)
34. What is a sudden cardiac arrest?
A sudden cardiac arrest is described as a condition where the heart comes to a standstill and loses all its
activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. You can say that the heart’s electrical system malfunctions and
shuts down. The heart beats very fast and its ventricles quiver, what is called ventricular fibrillation. The
lower chambers contract in a very rapid and uncoordinated manner.
35. OpenAI has announced o3, the improved version of its most advanced AI model to date. With
reasoning, the o1 model, launched in September, takes its time to think over responses to prompts
from users. The new model is capable of delivering responses in a more step-by-step, logical
manner.
36. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will move a motion in Parliament on Thursday (December 19)
for the Bills on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal to be referred to a joint committee for
further examination.
The JPC ( Joint Parliamentary Committee) to examine the Bills will have 21 members from the
Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha, including Congress leaders Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari, BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj and Anurag Singh Thakur, and
NCP’s Supriya Sule.
What is a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)?
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is set up by the Parliament for a special purpose, like the detailed
scrutiny of a subject or Bill. As the name suggests, it has members from both the Houses and from the
ruling parties and the opposition. It is dissolved after its term ends or its task has been completed.
Some examples of joint committees include one on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, set up in
August this year, and on The Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019.
How is a JPC set up?
A JPC is set up after one House of Parliament has passed a motion and the other has agreed to it.
Members of the JPC are decided by the Parliament. The number of members can vary.
To fulfil its mandate in investigating an issue, a JPC can scrutinise documents and summon people
for questioning. It then submits a report and makes recommendations to the government.
How powerful is a JPC?
While the recommendations of a JPC have persuasive value, they are not binding on the government. T
What JPCs have been set up so far?
A few JPCs have earlier been set-up, having investigative powers:
(i) to examine matters relating to Allocation and Pricing of Telecom Licenses and Spectrum
(ii) on Pesticide Residues in and Safety Standard for Soft Drinks, Fruit Juice and other Beverages
(iii) on Stock Market Scam and Matters Relating thereto
(iv) to enquire into irregularities in Securities and Banking Transactions
(v) to enquire into Bofors Contract
(vi) to examine the Constitutional and Legal Position Relating to Office of Profit.”
37. The first ever Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) was tagged in Assam . Project
Dolphin, the movement aimed towards conserving India’s National Aquatic Animal.
The tagging exercise will help in understanding the species’ seasonal and migratory patterns,
range, distribution, and habitat utilisation, particularly in fragmented or disturbed river
systems.
They go by a number of local names across their range including susu, soons, soans, or soos in
Hindi, shushuk in Bengali, hiho or hihu in Assamese, and bhagirath, shus or suongsu in Nepali.
Culturally, the species is often associated with Ganga and is occasionally depicted as the vahana
(vehicle) of Goddess Ganga.
After the launch of Ganga Action Plan in 1985, the government in 1986 included Gangetic dolphins
in the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin
Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act.
NATIONAL AQUATIC ANIMAL: In 2009, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, declared the
Gangetic river dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal of India
38. The offence relating to committing an unlawful activity carries the toughest punishment:
imprisonment of seven years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Offences under the proposed law are cognizable, which means arrests can be made without a
warrant, and non-bailable.
What does the POCSO say about mandatory reporting?
The relevant sections of the POCSO law are Section 19 and Section 21. Section 19 mandates that any
person who has an “apprehension” that an offence is likely to be committed or knowledge of an offence that
was committed must report the same to either the police or a Special Juvenile Police Unit.
Section 21 prescribes a six-month penalty for failing to report an offence, which can be extended to one
year if the person is in charge of an institute/organisation and fails to report the offence of a
subordinate. Section 20 mandates similar reporting requirements for employees of “media or hotel or lodge
or hospital or club or studio or photographic facilities” with regard to any material in any medium that is
sexually exploitative of children.
He was booked under POCSO Sections 17 (punishment for abetment) and Section 21 (punishment for
failure to report a case).
It may be noted, however, that the Himachal Pradesh High Court has previously ruled that Section 21 is
bailable as the punishment prescribed is less than three years, and the POCSO itself is silent on whether
bail can be granted to an accused under this provision.
39.Since 2017, with the introduction of the new GST regime of taxation, coconut oil
carries are taxed at a 5% rate whereas products under the “Preparations for use on the
hair” category carry a 18% tax.
40.
