Hence,India’s TFR is not uniformly below the replacement level across all states.

• Replacement level fertility represents the level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, thus leading to zero population growth if the level sustained over a sufficiently long period.
• Below-replacement fertility results eventually in negative population growth and extinction of the population in the long term. 
  • Between 1992-93 and 2019-21, India’s TFR declined from 3.4 children to 2.0 children.
• The TFR ranges from 1.1 children per woman in Sikkim to three children per woman in Bihar. Five states are yet to achieve a replacement-level of fertility of 2.1, according to the NFHS-5.
• The TFR for Hindu women was at 1.94, and for Muslim women it was 2.2. The Christian community has a fertility rate of 1.88, the Sikh community 1.61, the Jain community 1.6 and the Buddhist and neo-Buddhist community 1.39.
• The TFR among women in rural areas has declined from 3.7 children in 1992-93 to 2.1 children in 2019-21.
• The corresponding decline among women in urban areas was from 2.7 children in 1992-93 to 1.6 children in 2019-21. 
  • In all NFHS surveys, irrespective of place of residence, the fertility rate peaks at the age of 20-24, after which it declines steadily.

• • Lightning is an electrical discharge between charged particles in a cloud and the ground.
• What’s Happening Within the Cloud?

• • As ice crystals high within a thunderstorm flow up and down in the turbulent air, they crash into each other. Small negatively charged particles called electrons are knocked off some ice crystals and added to other ice crystals as they crash past each other. This separates the positive (+) and negative (-) charges of the cloud. The top of the cloud becomes positively charged with particles called protons, while the base of the cloud becomes negatively charged.
• How Is a Lightning Bolt Formed?

• Because opposites attract, the negative charge at the bottom of the storm cloud wants to link up with the ground’s positive charge. Once the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud gets large enough, a flow of negative charge called a stepped leader rushes toward the Earth. The positive charges at the ground are attracted to the stepped leader, so positive charge flows upward from the ground. When the stepped leader and the positive charge meet, a strong electric current carries positive charge up into the cloud. This electric current is known as the return stroke. We see it as the bright flash of a lightning bolt.
• Thunder and lightning occur at roughly the same time although you see the flash of lightning before you hear the thunder. This is because light travels much faster than sound.
• Lightning happens when the negative charges (electrons) in the bottom of the cloud are attracted to the positive charges (protons) in the ground.
• The accumulation of electric charges must be great enough to overcome the insulating properties of the air. When this happens, a stream of negative charges pours down toward a high point where positive charges have clustered due to the pull of the thunderhead.
• The connection is made and the protons rush up to meet the electrons. It is at this point that we see lightning and hear thunder. A bolt of lightning heats the air along its path causing it to expand rapidly. Thunder is the sound caused by the rapidly expanding air.

• According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s renewable energy (RE) capacity grew by 165% in 10 years, rising from 76.38 Gigawatts (GW) in 2014 to 203.1 GW in 2024.

Current Status of RE in India

• The share of RE in the total installed generation capacity in the country stands at 43.12%.
• India ranks fourth globally in renewable energy capacity.
  • 4th in Wind Power (46.65 GW) capacity and 5th in solar photovoltaic power (85.47 GW). 
• First time crossed 200 GW capacity from non-fossil fuel sources.
  • It includes Solar power: 85.47 GW, Large hydro power: 46.93 GW, Wind power: 46.66 GW, Biopower: 10.95 GW, Small hydropower: 5.00 GW, Waste to Energy: 0.60 GW.
• RE targets in India
  • India aims to reach a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030. 
  • Fulfilling at least half of its energy requirements via RE by 2030.

Key Initiatives taken to promote Renewable Energy in India

• FDI: Up to 100% FDI is allowed under the automatic route for renewable energy generation.
• PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana: Aimed to install rooftop solar plants in one crore households with a total financial outlay of ₹75,021 crore and to be implemented until FY27.
• Green Energy Corridor (GEC) projects: Initiated to facilitate renewable power evacuation and reshaping of the grid for future requirements.
• Solar Parks Scheme: To provide solar power developers with a plug and play model, by facilitating necessary infrastructure along with all statutory clearances.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission, 2023: The mission targets to achieve about 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of annual Green Hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

• Abul Kalam Azad was a freedom fighter, educator, journalist, and senior leader of the Indian National Congress. 
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, he served as the education minister of India from 1947 to 1958 and was posthumously honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1992.
• He launched two weekly journals to promote Hindu-Muslim cooperation
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad founded Al-Hilal, a weekly Urdu journal, in 1912 to increase revolutionary recruits among Muslims. Al-Hilal played an instrumental role in restoring Hindu-Muslim harmony following the bad blood created between the two communities in the aftermath of Morley-Minto reforms. In 1914, the government banned Al-Hilal because it was considered a propagator of secessionist sentiments.
  • Maulana Azad then started another weekly called Al-Balagh with the same mission of propagating Indian nationalism and revolutionary ideas based on Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1916, the government banned this paper too and expelled Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from Calcutta and exiled him to Bihar, from where he was released after the First World War in 1920.
• In 1920, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was elected as a member of the foundation committee to establish Jamia Millia Islamia University at Aligarh in UP. He also assisted in shifting the university campus from Aligarh to New Delhi in 1934.
• He is credited with shaping the country’s modern educational system. 
  • During his tenure as education minister, the first IIT, IISc, School of Planning and Architecture, and University Grants Commission were established. 
  • The Sangeet Natak Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Sahitya Academy, and Indian Council for Cultural Relations were among the most well-known cultural and literary institutes established during his tenure.

• Every year November 11 is observed as the National Education Day to mark the birth anniversary of independent India’s first Education Minister Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin.

• • The DPDP Act is a legal framework introduced in India to safeguard the personal data of individuals and ensure that their data is shared only with their consent. 
  • It regulates the processing of digital personal data and outlines various provisions to protect individuals’ privacy in the digital age.
• Applicability:

• • • It applies to the processing of digital personal data within the territory of India collected online or collected offline and later digitized.
    • It is also applicable to processing digital personal data outside the territory of India, if it involves providing goods or services to the data principals within the territory of India. 
• Key Stakeholders:

• • • Data Principal (DP): – the data owner.
      • DP could be individuals or entities whose data is to be protected.
      • The DP has to give written consent to generate and process the data indicating the specific purpose of its use.
      • DP can withdraw the consent at any time or can restrict its use. 
    • Data Fiduciary– A data collecting, storing, and sharing entity.
    • A data fiduciary also acts as a “Consent Manager” who enables a DP to give, manage, review, and withdraw consent through an accessible, transparent, and interoperable platform.
    • The Central Government may notify any Data Fiduciary or class of Data Fiduciaries as Significant Data Fiduciaries, on the basis of an assessment of relevant factors when they turn out to be systemically significant. 
    • Data Processor–an entity processing the data on behalf of a data fiduciary. Both Data fiduciary and data processor could also be the same in certain small entities. 
• Other Provisions:

• • Citizen’s Rights: Under data principal rights, individuals also have the right to information, right to correction and erasure, right to grievance redressal, and right to nominate any other person to exercise these rights in the event of the individual’s death or incapacity.
  • The Act does not grant the right to data portability and the right to be forgotten to the data principal.
  • Exemptions:  Rights of the data principal and obligations of data fiduciaries (except data security) will not apply in specified cases.
  • Establishment of a Data Protection Board of India (DPBI): 
    • It will function as an impartial adjudicatory body responsible for resolving privacy-related grievances and disputes between relevant parties.
    • As an independent regulator, it will possess the authority to ascertain instances of non-compliance with the Act’s provisions and impose penalties accordingly. 
    • The appointment of the chief executive and board members of the Data Protection Board will be carried out by the central government.
    • An appeal against any order of the DPBI shall lie with the High Court. The High Court could take up any breach Suo moto. 
    • No civil court shall have the jurisdiction to entertain any suit or take any action in respect of any matter under the provisions of this Act and no injunction shall be granted by any court or other authority in respect of any action taken under the provisions of this Act.  
  • Penalty for infringement: 
  • The Act does not impose criminal penalties for non-compliance.
  • The financial penalty could range from as high as Rs. 250 crores to a data fiduciary or data processor to as low as Rs.10000 to a data principal (the owner of data).
  • Conflict with existing laws: 
  • The provisions of the DPDP Act will be in addition to and not supersede any other law currently in effect. 
  • However, in case of any conflict between a provision of this Act and a provision of any other law currently in effect, the provision of this Act shall take precedence to the extent of such conflict.
  • Data Protection Officer (DPO):  – could be any individual appointed as DPO by a Data Fiduciary under the provisions of this Act.