Front Page

1. SC refuses to stay release of Bihar caste survey data

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. Supreme Court's Decision: The Supreme Court of India has refused to issue a stay order preventing the Bihar government from publishing data collected from its caste-based survey.

3. 2. Legal Challenge: There are pending petitions challenging the legality of the survey, but the court has declined to halt the publication of the survey data.

4. 3. Next Hearing: The case has been scheduled for the next hearing in January 2024, and the court has asked the State government to file its response to the petitions.

5. 4. Allegations of Unlawful Data Collection: The main argument against the data is that it was collected unlawfully, and therefore, it should not be acted upon.

6. 5. High Court's Decision: The Patna High Court had previously upheld the legality of the survey, which is being challenged by the petitioners.

7. 6. Privacy Concerns Dismissed: The court has dismissed concerns about privacy, stating that names and other identifying information are not published in the data.

8. 7. Data Analysis: Bihar's senior advocate argued that the data collected was extensive and voluntary, and it needed detailed analysis to identify welfare areas.

9. 8. Union Government's Stand: The Union government had previously stated that only the central government was entitled to conduct activities akin to a census and that Bihar had no authority to conduct such a survey.

2. Nobel Peace Prize 2023 goes to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. Recipient: Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering efforts in advocating for women's rights, democracy, and against the death penalty.

3. 2. Activism in Iran: Despite facing multiple arrests by Iranian authorities and spending several years in prison, Narges Mohammadi continued her activism. She played a prominent role in women-led protests in Iran, which were sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody.

4. 3. Recognition: The Nobel Peace Prize is seen as recognition not only of Narges Mohammadi's work but also of the broader movement in Iran that she represents.

5. 4. Appeal for Release: The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which announced the prize, urged Iran to release Narges Mohammadi in time for the award ceremony scheduled for December 10.

6. 5. Narges Mohammadi's Response: In response to the award, Narges Mohammadi expressed her gratitude for global support and recognition. She also hoped that this recognition would strengthen and organize Iranians who are protesting for change.

7. 6. Imprisonment History: Narges Mohammadi, an engineer by training, has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times, totaling 31 years in prison. Her most recent detention was in 2021 when she attended a memorial for a person killed during protests against gasoline price hikes.

8. 7. Previous Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner: Narges Mohammadi is the second Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, with the first being Shirin Ebadi in 2003.

3. New Maldives President won’t be anti-India or pro-China: Nasheed

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. Inviting PM Modi: The transition team of the new Maldives President-elect, Mohamed Muizzu, intends to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing-in ceremony in Male, scheduled for November 17.

3. 2. Nasheed's Perspective: Former Maldivian President and Speaker, Mohamed Nasheed, believes that the new President will not adopt an "anti-India" or "pro-China" stance, contrary to some recent commentary.

4. 3. Modi's Attendance: Prime Minister Modi had attended the swearing-in ceremony of the outgoing President Ibu Solih in 2018, demonstrating India's support for the Maldives.

5. 4. Dr. Muizzu's Background: Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the President-elect, previously served in the Yameen government as Minister for Housing and was associated with infrastructure projects involving Chinese companies. This background had raised concerns about his stance towards India.

6. 5. Foreign Policy Continuity: Nasheed believes that the new President will continue with the existing foreign policy of the Maldives. He suggests that the relations between India and the Maldives have deep historical roots and are unlikely to undergo significant changes due to the change in government.

7. 6. Campaign Issues: Nasheed attributes the loss of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the recent Presidential run-off poll to anti-incumbency rather than major foreign policy shifts.

8. 7. Military Presence: Dr. Muizzu's statement about people voting against "foreign troops" might not necessarily result in the removal of Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives. Nasheed suggests that they may continue to assist in operating the helicopters and Dornier aircraft provided by India.

Editorial

4. Aligning higher education with the United Nations SDGs 

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. The Significance of SDGs: The United Nations SDGs comprise 17 goals with 169 targets aimed at addressing global challenges related to poverty, inequality, education, health, climate change, and more. Achieving these goals is a global priority to improve living standards, education, and economic growth.

3. 2. Slow Progress and Challenges: The SDGs Report 2023 highlights slow progress, exacerbated by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, global conflicts, and a weak economy. The impact of these challenges is more pronounced in Least Developed Countries, including India.

4. 3. SDG4 and Quality Education: SDG4 focuses on quality education, which is considered a prerequisite for achieving other goals. India is making efforts to align with the SDGs, particularly through educational reforms like NEP 2020.

5. 4. NEP 2020 and Higher Education: The National Education Policy 2020 is designed to align with most SDGs. It emphasizes changes in all levels of education but particularly prioritizes higher education due to its role in social mobility, empowerment, critical thinking, and employment.

6. 5. Impact of Higher Education: Data from the OECD reveals that individuals with higher education degrees are more employable and earn significantly more than those with secondary education. Higher education contributes to various SDGs, including poverty reduction, hunger prevention, gender equality, economic growth, and inequality reduction.

7. 6. Research and Multidisciplinary Education: Universities should strengthen the research-teaching nexus, enabling students to benefit directly from research-generated knowledge. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education fosters innovation and solutions to global challenges.

8. 7. Sustainable Development and Innovation: Collaboration with private companies is crucial for developing innovative solutions and startups. Value-Based Education (VBE) instills responsibility towards society, the planet, and self, supporting SDG15 (Life on Land).

9. 8. Suggestions for Implementation: To accelerate progress towards the SDGs, higher education institutions should align daily operations with the goals. Ranking universities based on SDG achievement is a positive step but not sufficient.

10. 9. Collective Responsibility: All higher education stakeholders in India should work together towards SDG alignment. Universities should actively engage with their local communities, promoting community health, resource efficiency, and skill development.

11. 10. Sustainability as a Mantra: Universities should prioritize sustainability in institutional strategies, both in administration and in teaching and research. Integration with socio-economic development is essential, and universities should demonstrate their direct contributions to citizen well-being and nation-building.

5. Revenue riddles

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. Healthy GST Revenues: India's GST collections for the fiscal year 2023-24 have surpassed ₹9.92 lakh crore, representing an 11.1% increase compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. Monthly revenues in 2023-24 have averaged ₹1,65,418 crore.

3. 2. Festive Season Boost: With the festive season underway, GST collections above ₹1.6 lakh crore are expected to continue during this quarter, contributing positively to government revenue.

4. 3. Macro Resilience: The government appears well-positioned in terms of GST revenues in the fiscal context, with room for some moderation in inflows in the January-March 2024 quarter when GDP growth is expected to slow.

5. 4. Concerns and Slowdown: Despite healthy revenue figures, there is a discernible slowdown in the growth of GST inflows. The growth rate dropped to 10.2% in September, the slowest since July 2021.

6. 5. Factors Affecting Growth: The slowdown in growth may be influenced by factors such as pending dues from businesses since the start of the GST regime in 2017-18, as the deadline to remit them was September 30. Mandatory e-invoicing for firms with a turnover over ₹5 crore since August 1 also contributed to compliance pressures.

7. 6. Transaction Sizes and Imports: It is important to assess the extent of growth stemming from actual consumption and production upticks. A puzzling trend is observed in revenues from goods imports, which have shrunk four times this year despite an increase in imports in August.

8. 7. Revenue Leakages: Authorities should investigate whether there are revenue leakages from imports that could explain the disconnect between imports and GST collections.

Business

6. RBI flags inflation risk to stability

1. SUMMARY

2. 1. Inflation as a Risk: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das emphasized that high inflation is viewed as a major risk to macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth in India. The central bank's monetary policy has been focused on aligning inflation with the 4% target on a durable basis.

3. 2. Rationale for Unchanged Rates: Despite declining core inflation, the overall inflation outlook remains uncertain due to various factors, including reduced kharif sowing for key crops, low reservoir levels, and volatile global food and energy prices. These uncertainties influenced the decision to keep interest rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive meeting.

4. 3. Global Risks: The MPC remains alert and prepared to take timely policy measures to align inflation with the target and anchor inflation expectations. Risks from geopolitical tensions, global economic slowdown, volatility in global financial markets, and uneven monsoon rains distribution were highlighted.

5. 4. Economic Projections: The RBI maintained its real GDP growth forecast for the fiscal year 2023-24 at 6.5%. The forecast for average CPI inflation for the current fiscal year was also retained at 5.4%. However, the MPC raised its headline inflation projection for the second quarter of the fiscal year, ending on September 30, by 20 basis points to 6.4%.

6. 5. Inflation Target: Governor Das emphasized that the inflation target is 4%, not the range of 2% to 6%, and monetary policy will remain actively anti-inflationary at the current juncture. 

7. RBI not worried about the Centre’s financial health: Das 

SUMMARY RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has stated that despite government spending increasing and expected to further gain momentum, the Reserve Bank of India is not concerned about the financial health of the Indian government. He mentioned that the government has a fiscal consolidation path outlined in the last Union budget and that while there was fiscal expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was calibrated and targeted. The fiscal deficit for the Indian government reached 36% of its annual target in the first five months of the current fiscal year, up from 32.6% during the same period in the previous fiscal year.

8. RBI proposes anonymising card details at the bank level

SUMMARY The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a measure to enhance the security of online transactions by allowing banks to "tokenize" debit or credit cards. Currently, Card-on-File Tokenization (CoFT), which anonymizes card details, is offered at merchant sites. The proposed bank-level tokenization would enable cardholders to have tokens created and linked to their existing accounts with various e-commerce applications, adding an extra layer of security to online transactions. This move is aimed at reducing the risk of card fraud and enhancing the safety of digital payments in India. 

World

9. Change in Iran ‘irreversible’: Narges Mohammadi

SUMMARY Nobel Peace laureate and human rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi, who has been imprisoned in Iran for her activism, expressed hope for change in Iran despite her detention. She highlighted the protest movement that erupted in Iran, particularly after the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who had been arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women. Mohammadi noted that Iran had experienced cycles of protests in recent years, indicating an irreversible shift in society and a growing dissatisfaction with the government's repression. She also mentioned the weakening of the religious element in Iran, creating a vacuum that the government has been unable to fill effectively.

10. Russian lawmakers will consider rescinding ratification of global nuclear test ban, speaker says

SUMMARY Russia is considering revoking its ratification of the global nuclear test ban treaty, according to Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Lower House, the State Duma. This follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning that Moscow could reconsider its ratification of the treaty since the United States has not ratified it. Concerns have arisen that Russia may resume nuclear tests to deter Western military support for Ukraine. Russia's stance is that Western military support for Ukraine implicates the U.S. and its allies in the conflict. Discussions on revoking the 2000 ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty will take place among senior lawmakers.

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