UPSC Key: Section 79 of IT Act, Oil import, and Mar-a-Lago Accord

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) has challenged the government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) to moderate and order the removal of content on social media.

The company has argued that the government’s “misuse” of the provision bypasses safeguards available under other provisions of the IT Act — namely Section 69A  — that are specifically meant for the purpose of content moderation.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act)?

— What are the recent amendments made to the act?

— What was the Supreme Court ruling in the Shreya Singhal v Union of India?

— What are the rights protected under Article 19?

— How judiciary act as a check on other organs of the government?

— The Supreme Court is entrusted with the protecting of fundamental rights of citizens. Critically examine.

— What are the  “reasonable restrictions” provided by Article 19?

— What is the purpose of the “Sahyog” portal?

Key Takeaways:

— In Shreya Singhal v Union of India (2015), the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act which criminally punished, among other things, sending false information “for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience”.

— The SC in Shreya Singhal also clarified the application of another provision — Section 79 of the IT Act. The provision is a “safe harbour” measure that exempts an “intermediary” (such as X) from liability for information published on the platform by a “third party”, that is, users of the platform.

— But Section 79(3)(b) states that the intermediary could be held liable if it does not immediately remove such unlawful information “upon receiving actual knowledge, or on being notified by the appropriate Government or its agency”

— The apex court limited the scope of this provision, ruling that the requirement under Section 79(3)(b) will only kick in once a court order has been passed to that effect, or the government issues a notification stating that the content in question is related to grounds provided in Article 19(2).

— But in October 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a directive to all ministries, state governments, and the police saying that information blocking orders could be issued under Section 79(3)(b). A year later in October 2024, MeitY launched a portal called “Sahyog” where the aforementioned authorities could issue and upload blocking orders.

— X’s challenge before the Karnataka High Court argues that MeitY’s orders are an attempt to “bypass the multiple procedural safeguards” provided under Section 69A. The petition relies upon the SC’s ruling in Shreya Singhal, and says that content can only be censored though the process given under Section 69A or through a court order.

Do You Know:

— X’s petition comes at a time when its AI chatbot Grok 3 has been courting controversy for its use of Hindi slang, and responses that are critical of the government.

— The Grok controversy introduces a new angle when it comes to “safe harbour” provisions like Section 79… Courts will have to determine if information published by a “third party” includes AI generated responses.

— Grok has the distinguishing capability of searching and using data on X (such as public posts by users) to provide “up-to-date information and insights.” The AI chatbot has further been integrated on X in such a way that users only have to tag Grok in their public timelines to receive a response.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Grok gone wild: What the controversy reveals about AI, free speech, and accountability

📍Centre blocks 200 online platforms under Section 69(A) of IT Act: What is the provision, the debate around it

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) ‘Right to Privacy’ is protected under which Article of the Constitution of India? (2021)

(a) Article 15

(b) Article 19

(c) Article 21

(d) Article 29

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Discuss Section 66A of IT Act, with reference to its alleged violation of Article 19 of the Constitution. (UPSC CSE 2013)

Trump and a weaker dollar

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment

What’s the ongoing story: Udit Mishra writes: This week the focus is on the other policy option that the Trump administration has — the devaluation of the US dollar — an option that many believe is likely to be used soon.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Why US dollar have a strong purchasing power?

— What is the purpose of imposing tariffs?

— What is the foreign exchange reserve?

— Who do countries maintain foreign exchange reserves?

— What are the reasons for the trade deficit in America?

— Why is America imposing reciprocal tariffs on India?

— What are the Mar-a-Lago Accord and Plaza Accord?

— What is the devaluation of currency?

— How is US dollar devaluation going to impact other countries?

Key Takeaways:

— The US posted an over $1 trillion trade deficit in 2024. In other words, the total value of goods imported (from the rest of the world) by the US was $1 trillion more than the value of the goods exported (to the rest of the world) by the US. Further, 2024 was reportedly the fourth consecutive year when the US clocked a trillion dollar trade deficit.

— Now, the fact is that, notwithstanding these historic trade deficits, the US has also had historically low unemployment rates. So arguably, the main issue isn’t more job creation; the central goals for Trump are more manufacturing inside and lower trade deficits.

— Given the strength of the US dollar, there are two main ways in which Trump could have gone about these goals- Slap punitive tariffs on all its trade partners or the US convince other countries to allow the dollar to lose value (devalue) relative to other currencies.

Do You Know:

— Plaza Accord: In 1985, the US signed the Plaza Accord — named after the Plaza Hotel in New York that was the venue — with the other top economies of that time: Japan, Germany, France and the UK (the G-5). The rumoured Mar-a-Lago Accord essentially refers to a Plaza Accord-like agreement that Trump may sign at a later stage.

— A fall in the US exchange rate meant a rise in the exchange rates of all the other currencies (German Mark, Japanese Yen, British Pound, French Franc).

— These countries knew that a high exchange rate would immediately hurt their exports competitiveness but the US convinced them to accept dollar devaluation as against facing the uglier option: High tariffs — something that Trump is doing now.

— From the US perspective, they were successful to the extent that in the short to medium term they brought down the US exchange rate and relieved it of the yawning trade deficits. But the fact that four decades later, the US is back to where it was, suggests that this is not a one-time solution.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Trump says Japan, China cannot keep reducing value of their currencies

📍US Fed’s delicate dance, RBI’s task ahead

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) Consider the following statements: (2021)

The effect of devaluation of a currency is that it necessarily

1. improves the competitiveness of the domestic exports in the foreign markets

2. increases the foreign value of domestic currency

3. improves the trade balance

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3

Why scientists were surprised to find life under Antarctic ice shelf

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

What’s the ongoing story: A team of scientists may have discovered dozens of new species, including giant sea spiders, octopi, and corals on the newly exposed seafloor left behind by the enormous A-84 iceberg that broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf on January 13.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of deep-sea research?

— What is Challenger 150?

— What are corals?

— What is photosynthesising?

Key Takeaways:

— The break-away of the 510-sq-km iceberg — around two-and-a-half times the size of Kolkata — gave access to an underwater world that was previously beyond human reach. A remotely-operated submersible got to the seafloor on January 25, where it captured photos and videos, and collected specimens.

— The mission was part of Challenger 150, a UNESCO-endorsed global initiative for deep-sea research.

— Their observations include large corals and sponges supporting an array of animal life such as icefish, giant sea spiders, and octopi. They also found a giant phantom jelly, a species of jellyfish that can grow up to a metre wide, and a vase-shaped sponge that might be hundreds of years old.

— The reason scientists were surprised to find diverse ecosystems under the ice shelf is that deep-sea communities typically depend on photosynthesising organisms to rain down nutrients from the surface to the seafloor.

Do You Know:

Here are some of the most mind-blowing new animal species discovered in 2024:

1. Vampire Hedgehog (Hylomys macarong)

• What It Is: A soft-furred hedgehog species with fang-like teeth
• Where: Greater Mekong region
• Why It’s Cool: Its distinctive fangs earned it the “vampire” moniker, making it one of the year’s most intriguing finds

2. ‘Starry Night’ Gecko (Cnemaspis vangoghi)

• What It Is: A tiny lizard with colouration reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”
• Where: South Western Ghats, India
• Why It’s Cool: Its unique patterns are so artistic that Pensoft, the journal publisher, ranked it as the No. 1 new species of 2024

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍7 new animal species discovered in 2024

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Certain species of which one of the following organisms are well known as cultivators of fungi? (2022)

(a) Ant

(b) Cockroach

(c) Crab

(d) Spider

 

ECONOMY

India’s oil import dependency on course to hit fresh full-year high in FY25 amid growing demand, stagnant domestic production

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

What’s the ongoing story: Growing demand for fuel and other petroleum products amid stagnant domestic crude oil output led India’s reliance on imported crude oil increasing to over 88 per cent in the first 11 months of the current financial year ending March (FY25), indicating that the import dependency for the full financial year could breach the all-time-high level of the last financial year.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the share of crude oil in India’s total energy mix?

— How much oil is imported by India?

— What are the reasons for the increase in oil imports?

— Why is the Indian economy vulnerable to global oil price fluctuations?

— What are the initiatives taken by the government to decrease oil imports?

Key Takeaways:

— India’s energy needs are consistently growing, leading to higher oil imports. This is fuelled by factors such as growing energy-intensive industries, increased vehicle sales, a rapidly expanding aviation sector, growing consumption of petrochemicals, and a rising population.

— India’s heavy reliance on imported crude oil makes its economy vulnerable to global oil price fluctuations. This also impacts the country’s trade deficit, foreign exchange reserves, the rupee’s exchange rate, and inflation rate, among others.

— The Indian government aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported crude oil but faces challenges due to sluggish domestic oil output amid rising demand. In 2015, the government aimed to reduce reliance on oil imports to 67 per cent by 2022. However, import dependency has only increased.

Do You Know:

— India’s crude oil imports rose to 219.9 million tonnes (mt) in the 11 months to February from 213.4 mt in the year-ago period. Meanwhile, domestic oil production declined slightly to 26.2 million tonnes from 26.9 million tonnes.

— India—the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil and also one of its top importers—is a net exporter of petroleum products.

— Unlike many countries, India is seen as a major growth centre for oil demand given the future consumption potential and relatively low per-capita energy demand currently.

— The Indian government aims to reduce its reliance on imported crude oil but faces challenges due to sluggish domestic oil output amidst rising demand. In 2015, the government aimed to reduce reliance on oil imports to 67 per cent by 2022. However, import dependency has only increased.

— The latest being the Oilfield (Regulatory and Development) Amendment Bill, which was recently passed by the Parliament.

— The government has implemented several policies to encourage investments in India’s oil and gas exploration and production sector. It is also promoting electric mobility, biofuels, and other alternative fuels to reduce oil imports.

— While there has been an increase in electric mobility adoption and the blending of biofuels with conventional fuels, it is not sufficient to offset petroleum demand growth.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India’s oil import dependency up at 88.1% in April-December as demand growth pips domestic output

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of (2020)

(a) Crude oil

(b) Bullion

(c) Rare earth elements

(d) Uranium

Mains Question Covering similar theme:

“Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.Comment on the progress made in India in this regard. (2018)

 

EXPRESS NETWORK

Chhattisgarh’s new surrender policy for Maoists: Free food, cash, skill & shelter

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security

What’s the ongoing story: As anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh intensifies, Home Minister Vijay Sharma has announced a new ‘Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy’ for surrendered red rebels – provision of free food, shelter, cash, skills, land and a home.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Define Maoism.

— How are Maoism and Naxalism threats to internal security?

— What are the steps taken by the government to counter Naxalism?

— How is it different from terrorism?

— Why do Naxals continue to hold out in Chhattisgarh?

— What is a Red corridor region?

— What is the history of Naxalism in India?

Key Takeaways:

— “Once that is decided, for three years, shelter and food will be free for three years. They will receive Rs 10,000/month, will undergo skill development and will get a land and home under the Prime Minister housing scheme. They will get extra benefits for bringing a weapon and they will also get the bounty amount they have on their arrest,” he said.

— Under the new rehabilitation policy, the state will sponsor the education of children who have lost parents to “Naxal violence”.

— “Those displaced due to Naxalism will get monetary aid and land,” Sharma said.

Do You Know:

— Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 has called the Maoists violence as the “greatest internal security threat for the country”.

— Between 2018 and 2020, Chhattisgarh has accounted for 45% of all incidents in the country and 70% of security personnel deaths in such incidents.

— According to the data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Lok Sabha (2022), Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence has decreased from 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021.

— Prakash Singh writes: that there are two fundamental flaws in our anti-Naxal strategy. First, in most states, there is a tendency to outsource the operations against Naxals to the central armed police forces. Second, “the development paradigm pursued since independence has always been ‘imposed’ on the tribal communities and has been insensitive to their needs and concerns”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Fighting Left Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh, and elsewhere

📍 Maoism should be seen as a social and economic problem

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues gets a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism. (UPSC CSE 2022)

What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in the Eastern part of India? What strategy should the Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas? (UPSC CSE 2020)

THE IDEAS PAGE

Five years on, five lessons from Covid lockdowns

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Sonalde Desai writes: This March marks five years since the world stopped. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid a pandemic. On March 24, the Government of India declared a nationwide lockdown, one of the most stringent globally.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the cause of transmission of COVID-19?

— What was the impact of the Covid pandemic on various sectors?

— How covid vaccinations were developed?

— What measures were taken to provide food and livelihood to people during the pandemic?

— What are the collective measures taken at the global level?

— What is a pandemic? How is it different from an epidemic?

— What are the criteria used by WHO to declare a pandemic?

Key Takeaways:

— Five lessons from the pandemic are relevant. First, many problems are global. Closing our borders to keep diseases like HIV/AIDS or COVID-19 at bay is not an option.

— There are incipient signs of increasing global biomedical collaboration as seen in the launch of the Indian genomic dataset to encourage global collaborations. This is a unique opportunity to create international collaborations in which India could and should take a lead.

— Second, the solutions often need to be local and locally relevant.

— Third, disaster preparedness begins with planning and building systems that can be activated as needed. One of the reasons the pandemic and lockdown did not lead to mass starvation in India was the existence of a public distribution system.

— Fourth, data and information must be part of the DNA of modern governance.

— Fifth, trust in government is the key to successfully implementing difficult decisions during emergencies.

Do You Know:

— Four years after the outbreak of Covid, an expert group constituted by NITI Aayog has recommended setting up a comprehensive framework to effectively manage future public health emergencies or pandemics.

— The Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response (PPER) framework has called for a new Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA), and the implementation of other measures to ensure a swift and effective response within the first 100 days of the outbreak.

— Public health emergencies require governments to exercise special powers such as mandatory screening of people and putting restrictions on free movement. During the Covid-19 pandemic, provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act (EDA), 1897, and the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA), 2005, were invoked.

— A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents. It affects more people and takes more lives than an epidemic.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Preparing for the next pandemic: what NITI Aayog report says

📍 Three years since WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic: What was the first pandemic of modern India?

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements: (2022)

1. The Serum Institute of India produced a COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using an mRNA platform.

2. Sputnik. V vaccine is manufactured using a vector-based platform.

3. COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen-based vaccine.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

FRONT

SC Collegium favours transfer of Delhi HC judge after report of cash at his home

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court Collegium has proposed the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court, following a report about cash at his New Delhi residence where a fire broke out on March 14.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is collegium?

— What are the challenges facing the transparency and accountability of the judiciary?

— How are judges appointed in the Supreme Court and High Court?

— What are the challenges facing the judicial system in India?

— What are the constitutional provisions related to judicial appointments and transfer?

— What is the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act?

— Why did the SC struck down the NJAC Act?

Key Takeaways:

— The SC Collegium met Thursday evening and decided to recommend the transfer of Justice Varma back to Allahabad High Court. Highly-placed sources said the five-member Collegium considered the transfer after they were apprised about a video of the incident at Justice Varma’s residence.

— These developments, apart from creating ripples in legal circles, echoed in Parliament Friday when Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, referring to the incident involving cash at the residence of the judge, said “if the malaise had been dealt with, perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues”.

— Dhankhar referred to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, cleared by Parliament in 2014 and struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015.

Do You Know:

— Collegium is the system by which judges of the higher judiciary in India — the Supreme Court and High Courts — are appointed and transferred. Although not rooted in the Constitution or any specific law promulgated by Parliament, it has evolved over the years through judgments of the apex court popularly known as the the “Judges Cases”.

— The Supreme Court collegium is a five-member body headed by the incumbent Chief Justice of India (CJI), and comprising the four other seniormost judges at that time.

— High Court collegiums are led by the incumbent Chief Justice and the two other seniormost judges of that court.

— The SC collegium recommends the names of judges to be appointed to the apex court. So do HC collegiums (for their respective High Courts), although their recommendations must be approved by the SC collegium.

— These recommendations reach the government, whose role in the process is limited to conducting an Intelligence Bureau (IB) inquiry into the persons recommended. While the government can raise objections and seek clarifications regarding the collegium’s choices, it is bound under Constitution Bench judgments to approve the names if the collegium reiterates the same.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Cash in Delhi HC judge’s home: An independent judiciary must also be an accountable judiciary

📍This Word Means: Collegium

📍Debate over the collegium system: How are SC and HC judges appointed?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Consider the following statements: (2019)

1. The motion to impeach a Judge of the Supreme Court of India cannot be rejected by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as per the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

2. The Constitution of India defines and gives details of what constitutes incapacity and proved misbehaviour’ of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India.

3. The details of the process of impeachment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India are given in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

4. If the motion for the impeachment of a Judge is taken up for voting, the law requires the motion to be backed by each House of the Parliament and supported by a majority of total membership of that House and by not less than two-thirds of total members of that House present and voting.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

ALSO IN NEWS
With overbearing Centre, delimitation can undermine federalism	While dedicating the new Parliament building to the nation in May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We also need to consider where people will sit when the number of seats increases and the number of MPs increases in the near future.”
Deportations in the US may not be an aberration	Expulsions from America are not a Republican phenomenon. They are an American phenomenon. The 18th–century Alien Enemies Act that finds such great favour with the current American president was formulated for use under conditions of war.

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (c)  2. (a)  3. (a)   4. (a)  5. (b)  6. (c)

 

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