Current Affairs

{GS2 – Polity} Contempt of Court **

Context (TH): Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court order punishing a woman for criminal contempt, holding that contempt power is not a “personal armour” for judges.

More About the Supreme Court Ruling

Not Personal Armour: Contempt cannot be used to suppress criticism of judges.
Bona Fide Apology: Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, allows acceptance of sincere remorse even after guilt is recorded.
Judicial Restraint: Contempt jurisdiction must be exercised cautiously and proportionately.
Mercy Principle: Forgiveness forms part of judicial conscience when the contemnor shows contrition.

About Contempt of Court in India

Purpose: Protect judicial authority, ensure public confidence, and preserve the sanctity of justice delivery.
Constitutional Basis: Articles 129 and Article 215 empower the Supreme Court and High Courts as Courts of Record with inherent authority to punish for contempt.
- The term “contempt of court” appears in Article 19(2) as a ground to restrict freedom of speech.
Statutory Framework: Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 (H.N. Sanyal Committee Recommendation).
- Civil Contempt (Section 2(b)): Wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.
- Criminal Contempt (Section 2(c)): Publication or act that Scandalises the authority of a court, Prejudices with judicial proceedings, Obstructs the administration of justice in any manner.
Contempt of Courts (Amendment) Act, 2006: It specified that punishment for contempt can be imposed only if the act substantially interferes or is likely to interfere with the administration of justice.
Initiation of Proceedings: Courts may act suo motu, or any person may file a petition with the consent of the Attorney General (SC) or Advocate General (HC).
Punishment: Simple imprisonment up to 6 months or a fine up to ₹2,000, or both, and it is waived if the court accepts a genuine apology.

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Context (TH): The National Convention on Health Rights, led by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, reaffirmed the need for health care as a fundamental right.

The convention was timed between Global Human Rights Day (December 10) and Universal Health Coverage Day (December 12).

India’s Health Sector

Public Spending: India’s per capita public health spending is only $25, far below global averages.
Budget Share: Union Budget allocation for health stands at ~2%, limiting system strengthening.
Out-of-Pocket Burden: OOP expenditure accounts for ~48% of total health spending.
Medicine Affordability: 80% of medicines remain outside price control.
Public Dependence: Over 80 crore people rely on public health services.

Significance of Right to Health in India

Universal Access: Ensures basic care for vulnerable populations.
System Accountability: Enforces quality norms and grievance systems; E.g., overcharging complaints rose by 30–40% in major cities.
Reduced Financial Hardship: Decreases catastrophic spending; E.g. 63 million Indians fall into poverty annually due to medical bills (Lancet).
Inclusive Health Systems: Addresses structural discrimination; E.g. NFHS data shows utilisation gaps of 10–20 percentage points between marginalised and general groups.

Challenges Faced in Implementation

Rapid Privatisation: Private sector now accounts for ~70% of India’s healthcare market by value.
Chronic Underfunding: Insufficient resources for primary care; E.g. India invests only 1.28% of GDP in public health vs the WHO-recommended 5%.
Weak Regulation: Poor enforcement of the Clinical Establishments Act; E.g. some states have registered less than 30% of private facilities.
Persistent Inequities: Social hierarchies affect access; E.g. institutional delivery among Adivasis remains 10–15% lower than the national average.

Way Forward

Strengthen Public Financing: Raise spending toward 2.5% of GDP to support universal, quality care.
Affordable Medicines: Replicate the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) model for low-cost essential drugs, which reduced drug costs by 30–40% in state hospitals.
Decentralised Governance: Empower Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) to improve immunisation and maternal care uptake in high-focus districts.
Public-Provisioned UHC: Build Universal Health Coverage (UHC) on strengthened government infrastructure rather than only insurance; E.g. Kerala’s primary care model
Workforce Justice: Guarantee timely payments, social security and career pathways for ASHAs, nurses and paramedical staff.

Context (IE): The World Inequality Report 2026 (3^rd edition), released by the World Inequality Lab, shows that global inequality is at a historic peak.

Key Findings of the Report

Global Findings

Wealth Distribution: The richest 0.001% own three times more wealth than the bottom 50%. The top 10% hold 75% of global wealth, while the bottom half holds only 2%.
Income Inequality: The top 10% of global earners now earn more income than the remaining 90%, while the poorest half receive less than 10%.
Gender Gaps: Women earn 61% of men’s hourly wages (excluding unpaid work), and 32% when including it. They earn just over a quarter of global labour income, nearly unchanged since 1990.
Climate Inequality: The poorest 50% contribute only 3% of carbon emissions linked to private capital ownership, while the wealthiest 10% are responsible for 77%.
Financial Flows: About 1% of global GDP annually shifts from poorer to richer countries through net income transfers, nearly triple the development aid received by poorer nations.

India-Specific Findings

Relative Position: India has lost relative position in global income distribution; A significant portion of its population has shifted from the global middle 40% to the bottom 50%.
Wealth Distribution: The top 10% hold about 65% of wealth; the top 1% alone holds roughly 40%.
Income Inequality: The top 10% earn 58% of national income, leaving just 15% for the bottom half.
Gender Gaps: Female labour force participation is very low at 15.7%, with little progress in a decade.
Income Levels: India’s average annual per capita income is about €6,200 (PPP), while average wealth is around €28,000 (PPP), highlighting wide internal disparities.

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Key Policy Recommendations in the Report

Progressive Taxes: Implement substantial progressive taxes, including a global minimum wealth tax on multimillionaires, to mobilise public resources.
Public Investment: Expand free, quality education, healthcare, childcare, and nutrition to reduce early-life inequality and improve long-term opportunities.
Labour Protection: Strengthen minimum wages, collective bargaining, and social-protection systems for workers through targeted transfers.
Gender Equality: Reduce unpaid-care burdens by enhancing public services and increasing training and flexible work options.
Climate Accountability: Hold wealthy individuals and corporations accountable for emissions linked to private capital, not just consumption.
Global Coordination: Establish an independent ‘International Panel on Inequality’, modelled on the IPCC, to guide evidence-based policymaking.

{GS2 – IR} India–US Rice Trade and Dumping

Context (TH | IE): US President Donald Trump has indicated the possibility of new tariffs on Indian rice, accusing India of “dumping” rice into the US market.

Current Scenario of India–US Rice Trade

Production: The US ranks 13^th in rice production, while India is the 2^nd-largest producer, contributing over 25% of global output.
Export Share: The US accounts for only about 3% of India’s global rice export by value.
Import Dependence: India supplies around 26% of total US rice imports, ranking second after Thailand.
Import Pattern: The US is a net rice exporter, mainly importing high-value Indian basmati rice (contrary to the dumping claim).

About Dumping

Dumping is an unfair trade practice where a country or company exports a product at a price lower than its domestic price or below its average production cost.
It is a form of international price discrimination to unfairly gain an advantage in the importing market.
Implications: It reduces domestic prices and decreases market share; it offers short-term consumer benefits but weakens the long-term industry competitiveness.

Anti-Dumping Measures and WTO Rules

Anti-Dumping Duty: ADD is a tariff imposed by an importing country to counteract the margin of dumping and restore fair domestic prices.
Price Undertakings: Voluntary commitments where exporters agree to increase prices or halt dumped shipments to prevent the imposition of duties.
Import Quotas: Used to limit the dumped imports, preventing disruption to the domestic market and protecting producer viability.
Non-Tariff Barriers: R&D support, technological upgrades, product diversification, and strict quality or certification norms to enhance domestic industry resilience.
WTO Rule: GATT Article VI permits ADDs only after an investigation confirms dumping, injury to the domestic industry, and a causal link between the two.

{GS3 – IE} Sustainability of India’s Growth Rate

Context (TH): India recorded 8.2% GDP growth, supported by the manufacturing and services sectors.

However, the IMF rated India’s national income accounting “Grade C”, citing methodological gaps.

Evidence for the Sustainable Growth Rate of India

Sectoral Momentum: Manufacturing grew 9.1% and Services 9.2%, with financial services at 10.2%.
Consumption Demand: Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) up 7.9%, signalling rising household spending and urban demand resilience.
Real GVA Growth: Real GVA increased from ₹82.88 lakh crore → ₹89.41 lakh crore, confirming genuine increase in value addition, not inflation-led growth.
Inflation Contained: Nominal GDP grew 8.8%, very close to real GDP 8.2%, meaning.
Exports & Investment: Exports from SEZs rose from ₹7.59 lakh crore (FY21) → ₹14.63 lakh crore (FY25); investments up ₹6.17 lakh crore → ₹7.82 lakh crore.

Evidence for the Unsustainable Growth Rate of India

National Accounting Quality: IMF flagged outdated base year (2011–12), absence of Producer Price Index, and weak state-level data question the reliability of growth numbers.
Uneven Sectoral Recovery: Mining grew only 0.04%, electricity 4.4%, showing weak backbone sectors.
Employment–Output Mismatch: Agriculture employs ~45% of workforce but contributes ~14% to GVA.
Weak Goods Export: In 2023–24, India’s merchandise exports were ~$437 billion, while Vietnam exported ~$404 billion despite being far smaller, and China exported ~$3.4 trillion.
Structural Weaknesses: No consolidated state/local body fiscal data after 2019.

Way Forward

Data Reform: Update base year; adopt Producer Price Index (PPI). E.g. Shift from 2011–12 → 2023–24 base, matching global statistical norms.
Export Diversification: Broaden goods export base via FTAs and cluster development. E.g. India–UAE CEPA boosting gems/jewellery & electronics exports.
Labour Formalisation: Improve productivity via skilling and MSME digitisation. E.g. Apprenticeship incentives under Skill India promote an industry-ready workforce.
Manufacturing Deepening: Push labour-intensive and high-tech sectors through PLI schemes.
Climate Resilience: Build climate-proof infrastructure and diversify energy mix. E.g. Renewable-powered industrial corridors in Gujarat & Tamil Nadu.

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{Prelims – A&C} UNESCO Declares Sindh’s Boreendo as World Heritage

Context (HT): UNESCO added Pakistan’s Boreendo vessel-flute to the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in urgent need of safeguarding.

About Boreendo

It originates in the Sindh-Thar region of Pakistan and shows continuity with terracotta flutes excavated at Mohenjo-Daro, indicating an Indus Valley Civilisation musical lineage.
It is a hand-made spherical terracotta vessel-flute, sun-dried and kiln-fired, with a hollow resonating chamber, a single air inlet, 3-5 finger holes, and often painted with natural motifs.
It produces soft, breathy pastoral tones for folk songs, courtship melodies and seasonal gatherings.
Its craft and performance survive only through oral tradition in Keti Mir Muhammad Lund (Sindh), where a shrinking group of practitioners places the tradition at severe risk of disappearance.

About Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding List

Purpose: The list identifies endangered living cultural practices under the UNESCO Convention 2003 and activates urgent measures to keep them viable.
Criteria: An element is added when the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee finds the practice severely threatened, viability low, and community consent formally established.
Obligations: Inscription requires a time-bound safeguarding plan, periodic reporting to UNESCO, and allows the State to request international assistance for implementation.

Read More > UNESCO World Heritage Sites

{Prelims – Envi} Global Environment Outlook 2025 *

Context (UNEP | ET): The 7^th edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) was released at the 7^th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), in Nairobi.

The Global Environment Outlook is the flagship environmental assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The UNEA is the top global environmental decision-making body with universal membership that governs UNEP.

Key Highlights

Major Crises: Climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution are worsening together.
Rising Emissions: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have risen by 1.5% each year since 1990, reaching a new high in 2024.
Economic Costs: Extreme weather has caused USD 143 billion annual losses over twenty years; air pollution health damages reached USD 8.1 trillion in 2019 (6.1% of global GDP).
Biodiversity Decline: Nearly 1 million species face extinction, and 20–40% of the world’s land is degraded, affecting over 3 billion people.
Pollution Burden: About 8,000 MT of plastic waste pollutes the planet; 9 million deaths occur each year due to pollution.
Solution Pathways: A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach can secure a sustainable future, with macroeconomic benefits reaching at least USD 20 trillion annually by 2070.

About UNEP

The UNEP is the leading global environmental authority within the UN for coordinating responses to environmental issues and promoting sustainable development.
Established: In 1972, after the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference).
Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.
Reports: Emissions Gap Report, Adaptation Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook, and Frontiers.

Read More > UNEP

{Prelims – S&T} Mephedrone

Context (PIB): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) dismantled a clandestine Mephedrone unit in Maharashtra under “Operation Hinterland Brew,” seizing 128 kg of the drug.

About Mephedrone

Mephedrone, or 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), is a synthetic stimulant of the amphetamine and cathinone classes.
It acts as a xenobiotic and environmental contaminant, typically appearing as powder or crystals, and produces euphoria, alertness and sociability similar to amphetamine-type stimulants.
It causes anxiety, paranoia, cardiovascular strain, hallucinations and addiction; severe toxicity can lead to hyperthermia, seizures and potentially fatal outcomes.
It is a prohibited psychotropic substance in India under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

A xenobiotic is a foreign chemical not naturally produced by the body, such as drugs, pollutants or additives, and requires metabolic detoxification for removal, often affecting health and ecosystems.

About Operation Hinterland Brew

It is an anti-narcotics initiative by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to dismantle illegal drug-manufacturing units in remote or rural areas.
It is part of broader national efforts under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and enforcement of the NDPS Act, 1985, to curb synthetic drug production and trafficking.

Read More > Narcotics Threat in India

{Prelims – S&T} Chandrayaan-3 Findings on Lunar South-Polar Plasma *

Context: (IE): Data from RAMBHA-LP of the Chandrayaan-3 mission shows that the Lunar south pole region is more electrically active than previously estimated.

The findings represent the first direct, or “in situ,” measurements of lunar plasma at such low altitudes.

RAMBHA-LP: The Radio Anatomy of Moon-Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere–Langmuir Probe instrument was a key payload on the lander Vikram.

Key Findings

Electron Density: It detected 380–600 electrons per cubic centimetre at ‘Shiv Shakti’ (landing point), much higher than previous high-altitude observations.
Electron Temperature: Electrons had high kinetic temperatures of 3,000–8,000 Kelvin, indicating intense energy in the near-surface plasma or lunar ionosphere.
Dynamic Plasma: Plasma behaviour changes with lunar position—solar wind dominates in daytime, while Earth’s geomagnetic tail modifies plasma when the Moon enters it.
Molecular Influence: Insights indicate molecules like carbon dioxide and water vapour may also affect the lunar ionosphere.

Plasma: It is the fourth state of matter, containing ions and free electrons; though electrically neutral, it responds strongly to electromagnetic forces.
Lunar Ionosphere: It is a very weak and thin layer of electrically charged particles (plasma) that exists just above the Moon’s surface.
Earth’s Geomagnetic Tail: Also called the magnetotail, it is the Earth’s magnetic field extension on the night side, formed when solar wind pushes it outward.

{Prelims – S&T} Bharat 6G Mission

Context (PIB): The Apex Council under the Bharat 6G Mission reviewed national 6G progress and Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) initiatives.

About Bharat 6G Mission

Launch: Started in 2023 under the Department of Telecommunications to operationalise the Bharat 6G Vision and drive India’s 6G development by 2030.
Aim: Build indigenous 6G technology, expand India’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and influence global 6G standards.
Phases: Runs in two stages, 2023-2025 for concept validation and standards groundwork, and 2025-2030 for large-scale trials and early commercial use.
Governance: Guided by an Apex Council and implemented through the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), a collaboration of industry, academia, start-ups and R&D bodies.
Testbeds: It sets up national 6G Terahertz and Optical Communication testbeds and supports 100 sanctioned 5G labs, funded through the ₹1-lakh-crore R&D Innovation Fund.

About 6G

Definition: Sixth-generation (6G) mobile technology using high-frequency sub-Terahertz (THz) and THz bands to enable multi-gigabit speeds and advanced sensing.
Features: Artificial Intelligence (AI) optimisation, massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), network slicing and next-generation Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC).
Advantages: Supports hyper-connectivity, multi-sensory data fusion and universal computing with higher energy efficiency, stronger security and resilient network management.
India Context: India targets commercial 6G by 2030, has over 127 global 6G patents and is advancing research through India-United States 6G cooperation and Bharat 6G Mission.

Read More > 10 Years of Digital India Programme

{Prelims – In News} 79^th Foundation Day of the UNICEF

Context (N18): UNICEF is celebrating its 79^th Foundation Day on December 11 with the theme “My Day, My Rights”.

About United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

About: UNICEF is a United Nations agency providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children and mothers worldwide.
Establishment: It was created by the UN General Assembly in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II.
Permanent Body: In 1953, it became a permanent UN body named the United Nations Children’s Fund. It reports to the UN ECOSOC.
Focus Area: Its work follows the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), covering health, education, protection, WASH, and social policy.
Peace Prize: UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 for advancing international solidarity and brotherhood.
Executive Director: UNICEF is led by an Executive Director appointed for a five-year term by the UN Secretary-General.
Executive Board: It is governed by a 36-member Executive Board elected by the UN ECOSOC for three-year terms.
Headquarters: Its global headquarters is located in New York City, United States.
- The Supply Division in Copenhagen is the world’s largest humanitarian warehouse.
- The Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, Italy, serves as UNICEF’s dedicated research arm.

Funding: UNICEF is financed entirely through voluntary contributions from Govt. and private donors.

Read More> UNICEF

{Prelims – PIN – World} Benin

Context (BBC): Cotonou in Benin recently witnessed a failed coup attempt by a group of soldiers.

The Republic of Benin is a West African country with its capital at Porto Novo. Cotonou is its largest city and the administrative centre.
Borders: Nigeria (east), Niger (northeast), Burkina Faso (northwest), and Togo (west).
Languages: French is the official language, with widely spoken indigenous languages like Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, and Dendi.
History: The region was ruled by the Kingdom of Dahomey (17th–19th centuries) and later became a French colony called French Dahomey.
Physical Features: Southern coastline along the Bight of Benin (part of the Gulf of Guinea), central plateaus (Barre Country), and northwest Atakora Mountains, with Mont Sokbaro as the highest point.
Drainage: Major rivers include the Ouémé, Mono, and Couffo.