Daily Current Affairs- 21st March 2025

Daily Current Affairs 21st March 2025

X Challenges Government’s Use of Section 79 of IT Act

In the News: Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government, challenging its application of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The company contends that the government's current use of this provision establishes an unlawful content-blocking mechanism that bypasses established legal safeguards.

• Safe Harbour Provision: Section 79 offers intermediaries, such as social media platforms, protection from liability for third-party content, provided they adhere to certain conditions.
• Clause 79(3)(b): This clause specifies that intermediaries can lose their "safe harbour" protection if they fail to remove or disable access to unlawful content upon receiving actual knowledge or being notified by the appropriate government or its agency.
• Reference to Supreme Court Ruling: The company references the 2015 Supreme Court judgment in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, which emphasized that content could only be blocked through a court order or by following the process under Section 69A. X asserts that the government's current approach violates this ruling by enabling content removal without proper legal oversight.
• Concerns Over the 'Sahyog' Portal: X has raised objections to the government's 'Sahyog' portal, established by the Ministry of Home Affairs to streamline takedown requests under Section 79(3)(b). The platform alleges that this portal acts as a "censorship tool," pressuring intermediaries to remove content without adequate legal review.  

The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025

In the News: The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on March 19, 2025, aiming to regulate the state's burgeoning coaching industry and address concerns related to student well-being.

Key Provisions of the Bill:

• Mandatory Registration: All coaching centres with over 50 students must register with the Higher Education Department. Existing centres are required to comply within three months of the law's enactment. Each branch of a coaching centre is treated as a separate entity, necessitating individual registrations.
• Regulatory Authorities: The bill proposes a two-tier regulatory framework:
  • State-Level Authority: Comprising 14 members, including secretaries from various education departments and the Director General of Police, chaired by the Higher Education Secretary.
  • District-Level Authority: Consisting of 13 members, including the District Collector (as chairperson), Superintendent of Police, Chief Medical and Health Officer, and Chief District Education Officer.
• Operational Guidelines for Coaching Centres:
  • Class Hours: Coaching sessions are limited to a maximum of five hours per day to prevent student burnout.
  • Weekly Off: Mandatory weekly holidays for both students and tutors to ensure adequate rest.
  • Prohibition of Misleading Practices: Bans on false advertising, unrealistic guarantees of success, and other deceptive practices.
  • Batch Segregation: Prohibits the division of students into batches based on performance to foster an inclusive learning environment.
  • Age Restrictions: Initially, there was a proposal to bar students below 16 years from enrolling; however, this provision was removed after feedback from stakeholders.
• Penalties for Non-Compliance: Coaching centres found violating the provisions face penalties:
  • First Offense: ₹2 lakh fine; Second Offense: ₹5 lakh fine; Subsequent Offenses: Revocation of registration.  

6th Round of India's Remittances Survey (2023-24)

In the News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently released findings from its 6th Round of India's Remittances Survey (2023-24), highlighting notable shifts in remittance patterns to India.

• Total Remittances: India's remittances have more than doubled from USD 55.6 billion in 2010-11 to USD 118.7 billion in 2023-24.
• Source Countries:
  • United States (US): The US emerged as the largest source of remittances, with its share rising to 27.7% in 2023-24 from 23.4% in 2020-21.
  • United Arab Emirates (UAE): The UAE maintained its position as the second-largest source, with its share increasing from 18% in 2020-21 to 19.2% in 2023-24.
  • United Kingdom (UK): The UK's share increased to 10.8% in 2023-24 from 6.8% in 2020-21.
  • Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: The overall share of GCC countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain) declined from around 47% in 2016-17 to 38% in 2023-24.
• Recipient States:
  • Maharashtra: Received the largest share of remittances at 20.5% in 2023-24, though this was a decrease from 35.2% in 2020-21.
  • Kerala: Its share increased to 19.7% from about 10% during the same period.
  • Tamil Nadu: Accounted for 10.4% of remittances.
  • Telangana: Held an 8.1% share.
  • Karnataka: Received 7.7% of remittances.
• Transaction Size: Remittances exceeding ₹5 lakh constituted around 29% of the total inflows in 2023-24.

Insights:

• Shift in Migration Patterns: The data indicates a shift in dominance of India's remittances from GCC countries to advanced economies (AEs), particularly the US, UK, Singapore, Canada, and Australia, which together accounted for more than half of the remittances in 2023-24.
• Digital Transfers: Digital remittances are on the rise, accounting for 73.5% of total transactions in 2023-24. 

World Happiness Report 2025

In the News: The World Happiness Report 2025, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, offers a comprehensive analysis of global well-being. This year's report emphasizes the role of caring and sharing behaviors in enhancing happiness.

• Top-Ranked Countries: Finland maintains its position as the world's happiest country for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
• United States' Ranking: The U.S. has dropped to its lowest-ever position, now ranking 24th, a decline attributed to factors such as increased solo dining and diminishing social support.
• Australia and New Zealand: Australia has fallen out of the top 10, now ranking 11th, with New Zealand closely following at 12th.
• United Kingdom's Position: The UK has experienced a decline, now ranking 23rd, its lowest since 2017.  

India and Neighbouring Countries:

• India: Ranked 118th out of 147 countries, an improvement from its 126th position last year.
• Pakistan: Ranked 109th, down from 108th the previous year.
• Nepal: Ranked 92nd.
• Bangladesh: Ranked 134th.
• Sri Lanka: Ranked 133rd.
• China: Ranked 68th.  

Research Team finds evidence for Existence of Bose metal

A collaborative research team from China and Japan has recently provided compelling evidence supporting the existence of a Bose metal state in niobium diselenide (NbSe₂), a material traditionally recognized for its superconducting properties.

Understanding Bose Metals:

• Definition: A Bose metal is a theoretical quantum state characterized by the presence of Cooper pairs—pairs of electrons bound together at low temperatures—that do not condense into a superconducting phase. This state exhibits electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of a superconductor (which has zero resistance) and an insulator (which has infinite resistance) at temperatures approaching absolute zero.
• Theoretical Background: The concept of a Bose metal was proposed to explain the anomalous metallic behavior observed in certain two-dimensional systems, where traditional theories predicted a transition to either a superconducting or insulating state.

Key Findings of the Study:

• Material Investigated: The research focused on NbSe₂, a layered transition metal dichalcogenide known for its superconducting properties at low temperatures.
• Experimental Observations: When subjected to specific conditions, NbSe₂ exhibited characteristics consistent with a Bose metal state. Notably, the material maintained finite resistance at temperatures near absolute zero, deviating from the expected behavior of a superconductor transitioning into an insulating state under similar conditions. 

State of the Global Climate Report 2024

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its State of the Global Climate Report 2024, highlighting unprecedented climatic changes and their widespread impacts.

Key Findings:

• Record-Breaking Temperatures: The global average temperature in 2024 was 1.55°C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial baseline, marking the warmest year in the 175-year observational record. This surpasses the previous record set in 2023, which was 45°C above the same baseline. Notably, each year from 2015 to 2024 ranks among the ten warmest on record.
• Greenhouse Gas Concentrations: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels reached 420 parts per million (ppm) in 2023, the highest in 800,000 years, representing a 151% increase from pre-industrial levels. Methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) concentrations also saw significant rises, reaching 1,934 parts per billion (ppb) and 336 ppb, respectively.
• Oceanic Changes:
  • Sea Surface Temperatures: Oceans absorbed approximately 90% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, leading to record-high sea surface temperatures in 2024.
  • Sea Level Rise: The global mean sea level rose by 4.7 millimeters annually, more than double the rate observed in 1993. This acceleration threatens low-lying coastal regions worldwide. 

Supreme Court on Balance between Right to development and the right to a clean environment

In the News: In the case of The Auroville Foundation vs. Navroz Kersasp Mody (2025), the Supreme Court of India addressed the balance between the right to development and the right to a clean environment, emphasizing the principle of sustainable development.

Case Background:

• The Auroville Foundation initiated the development of the Auroville Township Project in Tamil Nadu, based on a Master Plan approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2001.
• In 2021, concerns arose regarding the construction activities, particularly the development of the Crown Road, which involved the removal of trees in the Darkali Forest Respondents argued that this could lead to environmental degradation.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) intervened, issuing an interim order to halt tree-cutting activities and later directing the Auroville Foundation to obtain fresh environmental clearance for the project.

Supreme Court's Observations:

• Jurisdiction of NGT: The Court noted that the NGT overstepped its jurisdiction by interfering with the implementation of a Master Plan that had already received approval from the competent authority in 2001.
• Sustainable Development: The Court emphasized the need to harmonize the right to development through industrialization with the right to a clean environment, advocating for a "golden balance" between the two.
• Precautionary Principle: While acknowledging the importance of the "Precautionary Principle" in environmental law, the Court cautioned against its application in a manner that unjustifiably hampers development projects that have obtained necessary approvals.