With respect to Legislative Assemblies, they are 40 lakh and 28 lakh for larger and smaller States respectively. 

Hence, the election expenditure limit for candidates in  Lok Sabha elections is not uniform across states.

Legislations Governing Campaign Finance in India

• Representation of People Act, 1951
  • • It does not impose limits on expenditure for political party leaders in disseminating messages.
    • Candidates must maintain accounts of their election expenditures, but political parties are not required to maintain such accounts for promoting official programs.
    • However, parties must disclose contributions over ₹20,000 to income tax authorities and cannot accept donations from government companies or foreign sources.
• Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003

• • • The 2003 Amendment introduced Section 29C, requiring political party treasurers to prepare annual financial reports detailing donations over ₹20,000.
    • These reports must be submitted to the Election Commission before submitting audited accounts to the Income Tax authorities.
    • Non-compliance leads to disqualification from tax relief under the Income Tax Act.
• Companies Act, 1956

• • • Under Section 293-A of the Companies Act, 1956, corporate contributions to political parties are limited to five percent of the company’s average net profits over the last three years.
• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976

• • • FCRA prohibits political organizations from receiving foreign contributions.
• Income Tax Act, 1961

• • Under the Income Tax Act, 1961, contributions to political parties are deductible from income tax calculations.
  • Section 13A mandates that political parties submit annual audited accounts to the Income Tax authorities by a specified date.

Additional Information

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) focuses on tackling all the issues related to Cybercrime for the citizens, which includes improving coordination between various Law Enforcement Agencies and the stakeholders, driving change in India’s overall capability to tackle Cybercrime and to improve citizen satisfaction levels.
• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre scheme was approved on 05th October 2018
  • The I4C was dedicated to the Nation on 10th January 2020

Objectives of I4C

• To act as a nodal point to curb Cybercrime in the country.
• To strengthen the fight against Cybercrime committed against women and children.
• Facilitate easy filing Cybercrime related complaints and identifying Cybercrime trends and patterns.
• To act as an early warning system for Law Enforcement Agencies for proactive Cybercrime prevention and detection.
• Awareness creation among public about preventing Cybercrime.
• Assist States/UTs in capacity building of Police Officers, Public Prosecutors and Judicial Officers in the area of cyber forensic, investigation, cyber hygiene, cyber-criminology, etc.

Additional Information

• eSoil is a low-power bioelectronic growth substrate that can electrically stimulate the root system and growth environment of plants.
• eSoil uses low energy and minimises resource consumption. 
• Its active material is an organic mixed-ionic electronic conductor. 
•  The advantage of eSoil is that it has very low energy consumption and not high-voltage danger. The study showed that barley seedlings can be cultivated using hydroponics and that they have a better growth rate due to electrical stimulation. 

• It stimulates root systems and helps barley seedlings grow an average of 50 per cent more. The low-power bioelectronic scaffolding can be used for soilless cultivation methods like hydroponics. 

•  eSoil can help in areas with little arable land and harsh environmental conditions. The seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it’s not clear yet how the electrical stimulation impacts this process. 
• Hydroponics refers to the technique of growing plants without soil using a water-based nutrient solution, an aggregate substrate, or growing media like coconut coir or perlite. This means that very little water is needed and that all nutrients remain within the system.
• Hydroponic systems often use mineral wool as a cultivation substrate in hydroponics. But these wools are often non-biodegradable and are produced using energy-intensive processes.eSoil is made of cellulose, a biopolymer mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT.

• Triton Island is located in South China Sea

Additional Information

• Triton Island is a tiny island that’s part of the Paracel Islands chain located in the South China Sea.
• It covers a tiny area of about 1.2 square kilometers and is situated southwest of the main islands in the group.
• The Paracel Islands are claimed by multiple countries, primarily China, Vietnam, and Taiwan, as part of their territorial waters, making the region politically sensitive.
• Although Triton Island is uninhabited, it plays a strategic role due to its location in the South China Sea, an area known for its rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves.

• Hasdeo Arand forest is associated with the mining of Coal.

Additional Information

• Recently, The Hasdeo forest in Chhattisgarh saw villagers clash with the police , after tree-felling for mining of coal resumed in the green belt.
• — The Hasdeo Arand is known as the “lungs of Chhattisgarh” due to its rich biodiversity. According to the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Hasdeo Arand is the “largest un-fragmented forests in Central India consisting of pristine Sal (Shorea robusta) and teak forests.”
• The Hasdeo-Arand Coalfield (HAC) spans three districts in Chhattisgarh’s northern tribal zone, Sarguja, Korba, and Surajpur, totalling 1,879.6 square kilometres.