Syllabus:

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on March 10th on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was investigating allegations that “crimes against humanity” had been committed during his so-called “war on drugs”.

Background: –

• During his six-year term, 6,000 suspects were gunned down as part of his “war on drugs” campaign. A UN report subsequently revealed that most of the victims were young, poor urban males, and that “the police who do not need search or arrest warrants to conduct house raids, systematically forced suspects to make self-incriminating statements or risk facing lethal force,”.

Key takeaways

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent international tribunal established to prosecute individuals for serious crimes like genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression.
• The Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, was adopted on 17 July 1998 and entered into force on 1 July 2002 after being ratified by 60 countries.
• As of January 2025, 125 countries are party to the Rome Statute, including Britain, Japan, Afghanistan, and Germany. India, China, and the United States are not members.
• So far, 32 cases have come before the ICC, which is composed of 18 judges who are elected by the member states and serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms. 

The ICC is composed of four main organs:

• The Presidency: Responsible for the administration of the Court, except for the Office of the Prosecutor.
• Judicial Divisions:
  • Pre-Trial Division: Handles preliminary examinations, investigations, and issuance of arrest warrants.
  • Trial Division: Conducts trials and issues verdicts.
  • Appeals Division: Reviews appeals against decisions made by the Trial Division.
• Office of the Prosecutor (OTP): Responsible for conducting investigations and prosecutions.
• Registry: Provides administrative and operational support to the Court, including victim and witness protection, legal aid, and public outreach.

The ICC has jurisdiction over the following crimes:

• Genocide: Acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
• Crimes Against Humanity: Widespread or systematic attacks directed against civilians, including murder, enslavement, torture, and sexual violence.
• War Crimes: Serious violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts, such as targeting civilians, using child soldiers, and destroying property.
• Crime of Aggression: The use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another state.

Key Principles

• Complementarity: The ICC acts as a court of last resort, intervening only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute.
• Individual Criminal Responsibility: The ICC prosecutes individuals, not states or organizations.
• Non-Retroactivity: The Court can only prosecute crimes committed after the Rome Statute entered into force (1 July 2002).
• Jurisdiction: The ICC can exercise jurisdiction if the crimes were committed by a State Party national, or in the territory of a State Party, or in a State that has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court; or the crimes were referred to the ICC Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – HISTORY

Context: Today (12 March) marks the 95th anniversary of the historic salt march led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat. The 24-day march from  ended with the defiance of the law after he made salt at Dandi marking the inauguration of the civil disobedience movement.

Background: –

• The 1882 Salt Act gave the British a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt. Even though salt was freely available on the coasts, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonisers. Gandhi decided that if there was any one product through which civil disobedience could be inaugurated, then it was salt.

Key takeaways

• On 6 April 1930, Gandhi along with his followers defiantly broke the salt law by manufacturing salt from the sea. With this, the movement spread throughout the countryside.
• The British government declared the Indian National Congress as illegal. Gandhi informed the Viceroy that he was going to raid the government salt works at Dharasana. Before he could proceed, he was arrested and sent to Yeravda Central Jail.
• After Gandhi’s arrest, Mr. Abbas Tyabji, took over the march to Dharsana but he was also arrested. Sarojini Naidu succeeded Abbas Tyabji who led the march but was met with police brutality. 
• Several Colonial laws were broken along with a boycott of foreign cloth and liquor. 
• In Bengal, volunteers led by Satish Chandra Dasgupta walked from Sodepur Ashram to the village of Mahisbathan to make salt. K.F Nariman in Bombay led another group of marchers to Haji Ali Point where they prepared salt at a nearby park.
• The anti-chowkidari (village police) tax along with non-payment of rent was followed in the raiyatwadi areas. There were many violent confrontations with the police and massive tribal invasions of forests in Central Provinces, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
• In the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as the Frontier Gandhi, raised a band of non-violent volunteers known as the Khudai Khidmatgars (Red Shirts), who played an active role in the movement.
• In Chittagong, revolutionaries headed by Surjaya Sen launched a campaign against the British. They seized the local armoury and an Independence Proclamation was made in the name of the ‘Independent Republican Army’ and fought a pitched battle on the Jalalabad hill leading to the death of several revolutionaries.
• C. Rajagopalachari led the Civil Disobedience movement in Tamil Nadu. He organised a march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast to break the salt law in April 1930. In Malabar, Congress leader, Kelappan, organised the salt march. 
• Similarly, in Orissa, the Civil Disobedience movement was carried out under the leadership of Gopabandhu Chaudhary. In Bihar, leaders like Ram Briksha Benipuri, Prof Abdul Bari and Acharya Kripalani led the movement.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ENVIRONMENT

Context: According to the World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir, Delhi has been ranked as the world’s most polluted national capital for the sixth consecutive year. The report also highlights that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally are in India.

Background:

• IQAir examined data collected from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations in 138 countries.

Key takeaways

• The report looked specifically at concentrations of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, one of the smallest but most dangerous of pollutants.
• PM2.5 comes from sources such as the combustion of fossil fuels, and can cause respiratory problems, chronic kidney disease, cancer, and stroke or heart attacks.
• Only 12 countries, regions, and territories recorded PM2.5 concentrations below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended average annual limit of 5 µg/m3. Most of these countries were in Latin America, the Caribbean, or the Oceania region.
• The five most polluted countries, according to the report, were Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Congo, and India, with annual average PM2.5 concentrations of 91.8 µg/m3, 78 µg/m3, 73.7 µg/m3, 58.2 µg/m3, and 50.6 µg/m3 respectively.

Pollution in India

• At 50.6 µg/m3, India’s average PM2.5 concentration last year was 7% lower than in 2023 (54.4 µg/m3).
• The most polluted city in the world is Byrnihat on the border of Assam and Meghalaya, according to the report.
• Delhi continued to see high levels of pollution, with an annual average of 91.6 µg/m3 in 2024, which was almost unchanged from the 92.7 µg/m3 recorded in 2023.
• Extreme levels of pollution were seen in November in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. 
• Crop stubble-burning remained the major contributor to PM2.5 levels, accounting for 60% of pollution during peak periods.
• Other major sources of pollution in the country included vehicular emissions, industrial discharges, and construction dust, the report said.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ECONOMY

Context: The government has informed that that over 30 crore 68 lakh unorganised workers have been registered on the e-Shram Portal.

Background: –

• Of the total registered workers, more than 53 per cent are women. So far, 13 schemes of different Central Ministries and Departments have already been integrated with the e-Shram. This includes PM-SVANidhi, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin and Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Key takeaways 

• The e-Shram Portal is a significant initiative by the Government of India, launched on August 26, 2021, to create a comprehensive National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW). 
• This platform aims to register unorganized workers, including migrant laborers, gig and platform workers, and others, to facilitate the delivery of social security schemes and employment benefits.

Objectives of E-Shram Portal

• Establish a centralized database of unorganized workers for effective policy implementation.
• Enhance access to social security schemes and benefits for workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, and street vending.
• Facilitate job matching and skill development opportunities.
• Strengthen labor market resilience by integrating unorganized workers into the formal economy.
• Promote financial inclusion through direct benefit transfers and digital payments.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Age: Workers aged between 16 and 59 years.
• Sector: Engaged in the unorganized sector, including self-employed individuals, daily wage laborers, and gig workers.
• Documentation: Must possess an Aadhaar card, a valid mobile number linked to Aadhaar, and a bank account.
• Exclusions: Should not be a member of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) or Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). 

Key Features of the E-Shram Portal

• Universal Account Number (UAN): Registered workers receive a UAN linked to their Aadhaar, enabling seamless access to benefits.
• Single Registration Process: The portal streamlines the registration process, requiring minimal documentation such as Aadhaar and bank account details. The ease of self-registration is also available to the beneficiaries.
• Integration with Employment and Skill Opportunities: Registered workers can connect with employment opportunities, skilling, apprenticeship, pension schemes, digital skilling, and state-specific schemes through the portal.
• Family Details for Migrant Workers: Family details for migrant workers are captured, aiding in the provision of child education and women-centric schemes for those who have migrated with their families.
• Data Sharing with BOCW Welfare Boards: The data of construction workers registering on e-Shram is shared with the concerned Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Boards, ensuring their registration with the respective boards and access to schemes meant for them.
• Data Sharing Portal (DSP): A Data Sharing Portal has been launched to allow the secure sharing of e-Shram beneficiary data with State and Union Territory governments. facilitating the targeted implementation schemes for registered unorganised workers.

Source: News On Air

Syllabus:

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: A collision between a cargo ship carrying toxic chemicals and an oil tanker transporting jet fuel for the United States military in the North Sea raised concerns about an environmental disaster.

Background: –

• Maritime experts questioned how the collision could have occurred in broad daylight, despite modern navigation and safety measures. 

Key takeaways

• The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by several European countries.
• Geographical Location
  • Located between Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
  • Connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the English Channel (south) and the Norwegian Sea (north).
  • Important straits: Dover Strait (narrowest part) and Skagerrak (connects to the Baltic Sea).
• Economic and Strategic Importance
  • Oil & Gas Reserves : The North Sea is one of the world’s major offshore oil and natural gas reserves.
  • Renewable Energy (Offshore Wind Farms) : The North Sea is a hub for offshore wind energy, with major wind farms in the UK, Germany, and Denmark.
  • Fisheries : One of the world’s most productive fishing zones, supporting industries in the UK, Norway, and the Netherlands.
  • Trade & Maritime Importance : Major shipping routes connecting Europe to global markets.
  • Key ports: Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), and London (UK).

Source: Down To Earth

Q1.) The North Sea is strategically and economically important for several reasons. Which of the following statements about the North Sea is/are correct?

1. It is bordered by the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, among other countries.
2. It is one of the world’s major offshore oil and gas-producing regions.
3. It connects to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q2.) With reference to the e-Shram Portal, consider the following statements:

1. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to create a national database of unorganized workers.
2. Only construction workers and agricultural laborers are eligible for registration under this portal.
3. Registered workers receive a Universal Account Number (UAN) and are eligible for various social security benefits.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q3.) With reference to the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Dandi March, consider the following statements:

1. The movement began with Mahatma Gandhi’s defiance of the salt law at Dandi on April 6, 1930.
2. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgars played a significant role in the movement in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).
3. C. Rajagopalachari led a similar salt march in Tamil Nadu from Trichinopoly to Vedaranyam.
4. The movement remained confined to Gujarat and did not spread to other parts of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2, and 3 only
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – d

Q.2) – a

Q.3) – b