Daily Current Affairs

March 15, 2025

Current Affairs

Implementation gaps in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin 

Context: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has accused the government of failing to identify “genuine beneficiaries” for its flagship rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). 

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)

  • Launched on April 1, 2016, by restructuring the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY).
  • Aim: Provide "Housing for All" in rural areas by March 2029.
  • Implemented by: Ministry of Rural Development
  • Financial assistance is provided for constructing pucca houses with basic amenities for the rural poor.
  • Key Objectives:
    • Provide permanent housing to eligible rural households.
    • Address housing deprivation identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
    • Ensure basic facilities such as electricity, sanitation, and clean drinking water.
    • Promote women empowerment by mandating joint ownership in house allotment.
  • Funding:
    • 60:40 ratio between the Centre and States: for Plains. 
    • 90:10 ratio for Northeast, Himalayan States, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.   
    • 100% centrally funded for Union Territories.
  • Financial Assistance to Beneficiaries:
    • ₹1.2 lakh per unit in plains.
    • ₹1.3 lakh per unit in hilly and difficult areas.
  • Beneficiary selection based on SECC 2011 data, verified through Gram Sabha. It Includes:
    • SCs/STs and freed bonded labourers.
    • Non-SC/ST BPL families.
    • Widows and next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action.
    • Ex-servicemen, paramilitary forces, disabled persons, and minorities.
  • Progress and Targets:
    • Target (2016-2029): 4.95 crore houses.
    • As of February 2, 2025:
      • Target allotted: 3.79 crore houses.
      • Houses sanctioned: 3.34 crore.
      • Houses completed: 2.69 crore.
    • Additional 2 crore houses approved for construction during 2024-29.

Monitoring and Transparency Measures: 

  • AwaasSoft platform: Tracks progress through geo-tagged, time-stamped photographs.
  • Regular inspections: Conducted at block, district, and national levels.
  • Social audits: Annual audits at Gram Panchayat level.
  • Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Ensures funds go directly to beneficiary bank accounts.
  • Performance Index Dashboard: Monitors implementation and progress.
  • Grievance redressal mechanisms: Complaints can be lodged via CPGRAMS, IGRS, and CM helplines.

Challenges highlighted by Standing Committee on Rural Development: 

  • Outdated beneficiary data: PMAY-G still relies on SECC 2011, leading to exclusion of genuine beneficiaries and inclusion of ineligible categories.
  • Financial assistance has not increased despite rising construction costs.
  • Issue of backlogs: Scheme extension mainly covers previous backlog rather than new allocations.

Way Forward

Recommendations by Standing Committee on Rural Development

  • Update beneficiary data: Conduct a comprehensive review to include newly emerging needy households.
  • Expand eligibility: Include semi-permanent structure owners.
  • Increase per-unit assistance to ₹4 lakh, considering rising construction costs and inflation.
  • Addressing backlog and fresh allocations: Increase total houses planned under extended PMAY-G to 3.46 crore (1.46 crore backlog + 2 crore fresh allocations).

Tamil Nadu’s Budget Logo Controversy

Context: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin released the State Budget 2025-26 promotional logo, replacing the ₹ symbol with the Tamil letter ‘Roo’ (‘ரூ’) for ‘Roobai’ (Tamil word for rupee).

Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Can be stated as an example in issues related to growing regionalist and linguistic identities.  

Major Highlights: 

  • Changes in the Budget Logo: The Tamil Nadu state government replaced the ₹ symbol with the Tamil letter ‘Roo’ (ரூ). The move was made to avoid using Devanagari.
  • Official Justification: The Tamil letter 'ரூ’ and the English word "Rupees" are used in the budget document. The state government claims this is not unconstitutional as Tamil is one of the 15 languages on Indian currency.
  • Criticism of the Move: 
    • The move has faced criticism from the state opposition, arguing that the ₹ symbol was designed by a Tamilian (D. Udaya Kumar) and is a national identity. 
    • The Union Finance Minister stated that the move reflects a dangerous mindset, weakening Indian unity and promoting secessionist sentiments.  

Linguistic Regionalism vs National Identity

  • The ₹ symbol is a national identity, and replacing it with a regional script may fuel regional vs. national identity debates. Similar demands may arise in other states, challenging national integration.
  • This controversy reflects ongoing regional vs. national identity debates in India. While promoting regional languages and culture is valid, it must be balanced with national unity and constitutional principles. 

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement

Context: Armenia and Azerbaijan officials have agreed on the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries. Armenia has agreed to surrender its claim over the primarily Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Location of Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

About Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

  • It is a long-standing territorial and ethnic dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a landlocked mountainous area in the South Caucasus.
  • The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but has a majority ethnic Armenian population that has sought self-rule. The conflict has led to multiple wars, ceasefires, and international interventions. 
image 61

Historical Background: 

Soviet Era (1920s-1988)

  • 1921: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin placed Nagorno-Karabakh under Azerbaijani control, despite its Armenian majority, as part of the divide-and-rule strategy.
  • Soviet Rule: Ethnic tensions remained dormant under Soviet control, but grievances persisted.

First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-1994): 

  • 1988: As the Soviet Union weakened, ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh demanded unification with Armenia.
  • 1991: Following the collapse of the USSR, full-scale war erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  • 1994: The war ended with a ceasefire, brokered by Russia, known as the Bishkek Protocol.
  • Outcome: Armenia took control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani districts. Over 30,000 people died, and nearly 1 million people were displaced (mostly Azerbaijanis).

Period of Ceasefire (1994-2020)

  • Despite the 1994 ceasefire, frequent border skirmishes occurred. Diplomatic efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, U.S., France) failed to achieve a permanent solution.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020)

  • September 2020: Azerbaijan launched a major military offensive to reclaim lost territories. Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan, supplying drones and military advisors.
  • November 2020: After six weeks of fighting, Azerbaijan regained much of its lost territory, including the strategic city of Shusha. 
  • Russia brokered a ceasefire, deploying 1,960 Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • Outcome of the 2020 War: Azerbaijan reclaimed seven surrounding districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia suffered a political crisis, with protests against the government’s handling of the war

2023 Azerbaijani Offensive & Armenian Withdrawal: 

  • September 2023: Azerbaijan launched a final military operation, fully capturing Nagorno-Karabakh. 
  • Over 100,000 Armenians fled, effectively ending Armenian claims over the region. The self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian administration) dissolved itself. 

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement (2025)

  • March 2025: Both nations signed a peace treaty, recognising each other’s sovereignty.
  • Armenia has accepted Azerbaijan’s control over Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • Both nations agreed to establish diplomatic relations and restore trade routes. The border demarcation process has been initiated. 

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has shaped the geopolitics of the South Caucasus for decades. The 2025 peace agreement provides a framework for long-term stability in the region. India has always encouraged the parties to move forward on ensuring long-term peace and security through dialogue and diplomacy.

Right to Dignified Work: ASHA Workers' Struggle

Context: ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers in Kerala are protesting for better wages and working conditions. Their work is critical for public health but remains undervalued due to its association with traditional gender roles.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts about Government Schemes, Welfare Programs, Social Issues

Mains: Can be used as an example in issues related to Health sector & Governance; Gender Issues in Employment.

Key Highlights of the Issue

  • Gendered Assumptions: Women dominate state-run welfare schemes (E.g., Anganwadi, ASHA workers). Their work is considered an extension of domestic care, leading to undervaluation and low pay.
  • Payment and Working Conditions: 
    • Despite WHO recognition (2022), ASHAs remain underpaid. Kerala pays ₹7,000 per month, among the highest in India, but still below the minimum wage for unskilled workers. 
    • Payments are often irregular due to dependence on central and state funding. Economic Survey (2022-23): India spends only 2.1% of GDP on healthcare, below the WHO-recommended 5%.
  • No legal status as Workers: ASHAs are seen as "activists" rather than "workers", denying them labour rights. Despite their role in critical health interventions, they lack social security and job stability. ILO Recommendation (2018): Urged nations to formalise care workers, but India is yet to implement.

Demands of ASHA workers (in Kerala) include

  • Formal worker status
  • ₹21,000 honorarium
  • ₹5 lakh as retirement benefits. 

Benefits of Recognising ASHA Workers as formal workers: 

  • Financial Security : Regular wages instead of incentives. E.g., 63% care workers are Women (ILO Report 2021) 
  • Better Working Conditions: Formalisation would bring job security, healthcare benefits, and social security. 
  • Women Empowerment: Economic independence and dignity at work. E.g., Only 32% women earn their own income (NFHS-5 2021-22). 
  • Strengthened Healthcare System: Motivated workforce ensures better community health services. E.g., ASHA workers played an important role in COVID-19 response.  

Way Forward

  • Formalisation of ASHA Workers: Recognise them as public health workers under labour laws. Provide fixed salaries, job security, and social security benefits.
  • Legal Recognition & Labour Rights: Implement ILO Convention 189 (Decent Work for Domestic Workers). Ensure EPF, ESI, and pension benefits.
  • Timely and Increased Payment: Kerala Model: ₹21,000 minimum wage demand should be considered nationwide.
  • Political and Social Awareness: Recognise unpaid and underpaid care work. NITI Aayog (2021): Recommended monetising unpaid care work to boost GDP. 

ASHA workers are vital to India’s healthcare system but remain undervalued. As Amartya Sen highlights, true development expands freedoms, which includes fair wages and dignity at work. Formalising their roles, ensuring social security, and increasing healthcare investment will align with PM Modi’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and create a gender-inclusive, resilient public health system.

ISRO undocks SpaDex satellites in first attempt

Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully accomplished the pivotal operation of undocking of SpaDex satellites in the very first attempt on March 13, 2025. 

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About Space Docking Experiment (SpaDex);  Space Docking & Undocking. 

SpaDex Undocking

image 60
  • Undocking:
    • The undocking process culminated in the separation of the SDX-01 (Chaser) and SDX-02 (Target) satellites, which were launched on December 30, 2024, using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C60 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
    • Earlier, these two satellites were successfully docked (joined together) in January.
    • The undocking operation was conducted in a 460 km circular orbit with a 45-degree inclination.
  • Satellite Status: Post-undocking, the satellites are orbiting independently, and their health remains normal. The operations were monitored through ground stations located in Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mauritius.

Significance:

  • Successful completion of both docking and undocking makes India the fourth country in the world — after the United States, Russia, and China — to have this capability.
  • It paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan.

Also Read: ISRO achieves Space Docking: SpaDeX Mission 

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