Headlines

Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) - Page No.6 , GS 3

Competitive populism - Page No.8 , GS 2
75 years of the Constitution of India - Page No.8 , GS 2
NITI fiscal health index - Page No.12 , GS 2
Smartphone use and mental health - Page No.12 , GS 2

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Page No. 6, GS 3
Content.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for the 100th launch
from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, which is
scheduled to take place on January 29 with the launch of the GSLV-F15 NVS-02
mission.

• The GSLV-F15, with indigenous cryogenic stage, will place the NVS-02 satellite in a
Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

• The launch is scheduled to take place from the spaceport’s second launch pad.

• The NVS-02 is the second satellite in the NVS series, and part of India’s Navigation
with Indian Constellation (NavIC).
Fact

• According to ISRO, NavIC is India’s independent regional navigation satellite system

designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) service to users in
India and the region extending about 1,500 km beyond the Indian landmass, which is its
primary service area.

• NavIC provides two types of services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and
Restricted Service (RS). NavIC SPS provides a position accuracy of better than 20
metres and timing accuracy of better than 40 nanoseconds over the primary service
area.

• Five second-generation NavIC satellites, NVS-01/02/03/04/05, are envisaged to augment

the NavIC base layer constellation with enhanced features to ensure continuity of
services.
Fact

• NavIC, also known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS),
is an independent, stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by ISRO.

• It has been in operation since 2018.

• It covers India and a region up to 1,500 km beyond Indian boundaries.

• It consists of a constellation of 7 satellites located at 36,000 km (approx.) above

the Earth.

• 4 satellites are in inclined (29° to the equatorial plane) Geosynchronous Orbit

(GSO)
• 3 satellites are in Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
• PSLV was used to place the IRNSS satellite constellation in orbit.
Fact

There are 4 Global Navigation Systems:

• Global Positioning System (GPS) from the U.S.
• Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) from Russia
• Galileo from European Union
• BeiDou from China

There are 2 Regional Navigation Systems:

• NavIC from India
• Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) from Japan
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Page No. 12, GS 2
Content.

• Mineral-rich Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, and Jharkhand have emerged as top-

performing ‘achievers’ among the States listed in NITI Aayog’s first Fiscal Health
Index (FHI) report released on Friday.

• The report titled “Fiscal Health Index 2025” ranked States for 2022-23, covering 18
major States that drive the Indian economy in terms of their contribution to India’s
GDP, demography, total public expenditure, revenues, and overall fiscal stability.

• According to the report, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala were the
worst-performing States in the Fiscal Health Index (FHI), each facing significant fiscal
challenges, and listed under “aspirational” category.
Content.

• The report aims to evolve an understanding of the fiscal health of States and it has listed
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka under the “front-
runners” category. Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Haryana were classified as
performers.

• As per the report, released by 16th Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya,
Odisha excelled in fiscal health, with the highest overall index score of 67.8.

• Referring to top five achiever States, NITI Aayog said these States have higher capital
outlay of up to 4% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), effective mobilisation of non-
tax revenue, are revenue surplus, and have low interest payments which is up to 7% of
revenue receipts.

• The government think tank said the front-runner States reported high total developmental
expenditure up to 73%, witnessed consistent growth in own tax revenue, had balanced
fiscal management and improved debt sustainability with debt-to-GSDP ratio of 24%.
Content.
• The report noted that the aspirational States of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and
Punjab are struggling to meet the fiscal and revenue deficit targets, have low revenue
mobilisation, witnessing a growing debt burden with debt sustainability a concern in these
States.

• As per the report, Odisha tops the debt index (99.0) and debt sustainability (64.0) rankings with
better than average scores under quality of expenditure and revenue mobilisation. Odisha has
maintained low fiscal deficits, a good debt profile, and an above average capital outlay/GSDP
ratio.

• While Kerala and Punjab struggle with low quality of expenditure and debt sustainability, the
report said, West Bengal faces revenue mobilisation and debt index issues. Andhra Pradesh
has high fiscal deficit and Haryana has a poor debt profile, it said.

• According to the report, Odisha, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh scored the
highest average FHI score for 2014-15 to 2021-22 period. The data used to calculate the Fiscal
Health Index were sourced from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Page No. 12, GS 2
Content.

• A survey of over 10,000 adolescents (13-17 years) in the United States and India has
revealed that mental well-being is closely linked with earlier age of initiation of mobile
phones, and could decline significantly with each younger year of age.

• The report, titled “The Youth Mind: Rising Aggression and Anger”, by Sapien Labs
documented the responses of 10,475 Internet-enabled adolescents across India and
the U.S. in 2024.

• Although numerous factors have traditionally been identified as drivers of poor

mental health, one key change in the younger generations is the arrival of
smartphones, which were introduced in 2008, coinciding with the onset of rising
mental health problems.
Content.

• The report highlighted key trends, with a particular focus on rising feelings of
aggression, anger, irritability, and hallucinations in this age group.

• The decline in mind health is characterised not only by sadness and anxiety but also
by new symptoms, including unwanted thoughts and a sense of being detached from
reality.

• In an attempt to address this, there is a growing debate on the merits of educational

technology (ed-tech) in the elementary and middle school years.

• “One of the possible solutions is also to provide restricted access to phones for
teenagers using apps, which lock in parental controls regarding apps teens can
access, while allowing them to access a school portal or messaging,” Dr. Thiagarajan
said.
Page No. 8, GS 2
Content.

• As campaigning intensifies for the Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for

February 5, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the
Congress are raining promises of welfare schemes on every section of voters.

• unrestrained populism as “revdi”, or a freebie culture

• free electricity, water, health care and education

Page No. 8, GS 2
Content.

• The Supreme Court of India reinstated Justice S. Fazl Ali’s dissenting opinion in A.K.
Gopalan vs State of Madras, unanimously in Puttaswamy vs Union of India (2017), a
case about the fundamental right to privacy.

• It can scarcely be forgotten that Article 21 (the right to life and personal liberty)

• Constitution ‘workable’, ‘flexible’ and ‘strong’ (in the words of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar)

• Preventive detention, arbitrary arrests, denial of fair trial through the impunity that is
guaranteed statutorily in anti-terror laws
• After nearly three years of debate and deliberation, the Constituent Assembly of the newly
independent India adopted its founding document, the Constitution of India.

• Two months thereafter, the Republic officially came into force with the Constitution being given
effect to.

• Tussles between State governments and some of the State Governors have made their way to
the Supreme Court of India. Pitched battles are being fought within and outside Parliament on
the issue of simultaneous elections.

• The neglect of ‘regional languages’ such as Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and so on is being
argued from the vanguard of multilinguistic equality and State autonomy.

• Fiscal federalism has been a major sticking point for States that are suffering under the dual
regime of the Finance Commission and the Goods and Services Tax Act.

• The next delimitation exercise, which will determine the democratic future of India, is set to
result in a showdown between the Union and States that have controlled their population.
Fact

• Criticism of the Constitution in the early days, and one that was well anticipated by
Dr. Ambedkar, was that the document is anti-federal and tilts the balance in favour
of the Union.

• Addressing this complaint while speaking in 1949, Dr. Ambedkar explained that the
‘Centre and the States are co-equal’ in matters of legislative and executive
authority. He clarified to the Constituent Assembly that the overriding powers for
the Union are only placed “to be used in an emergency”.

• On this count, constitutional courts have confirmed the proposition by ear-marking

federalism to be a part of the basic structure of the Constitution, beginning with the
judgment in S.R. Bommai vs Union of India (1994) and continuing to the
Government of NCT of Delhi vs Union of India (2024).
Fact

• The argument put forth by many critics of the government is that it has become a
police state. The offence of sedition along with stringent special statutes such as
the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering
Act supplement this position.

• With tremendous foresight, Dr. Ambedkar explained that the country must strive
to remove social and economic inequality before they become a threat to
democracy itself.

• He went on to underline the importance of fraternity for the fledgling republic.

Terming the idea of an Indian nation as a delusion, Dr. Ambedkar asked how
people divided into several thousands of castes can be a nation.
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