Additional Information

• Sunflower oil imports totalled 3.1 million tonnes between November and August 2023-24, with the majority coming from Russia (1.5 million tonnes), Romania (0.6 million tonnes), Ukraine (0.5 million tonnes), and Argentina (0.4 million tonnes).

Additional Information

• • The CBI is the premier investigating agency of India operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
  • It traces its origin from the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DPSE) Act, 1946, which regulates the CBI.
• Why is the consent of states needed?

• • • The CBI is governed by The Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act of 1946, which requires the investigative agency to obtain the consent of state governments before it can investigate a crime in a particular state.
    • Section 6 of The DSPE Act (“Consent of State Government to exercise of powers and jurisdiction”) says: “Nothing contained in section 5 (titled “Extension of powers and jurisdiction of special police establishment to other areas”) shall be deemed to enable any member of the Delhi Special Police Establishment to exercise powers and jurisdiction in any area in a State, not being a Union territory or railway area, without the consent of the Government of that State”.
    • In other words, without a state government’s consent, the CBI cannot exercise its power within that state’s borders.
    • The CBI’s position is in this respect different from that of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is governed by The NIA Act, 2008, and has jurisdiction all over the country.
• What is the general consent for CBI?

• • Consent given by a state government to the CBI can come in two forms, either case-specific, or ‘general’.
  • General consent, as the name indicates, allows the CBI to operate seamlessly within states.
  • When a state gives a general consent to the CBI for probing a case, the agency is not required to seek fresh permission every time it enters that state in connection with investigation or for every case.
  • Withdrawal of general consent also means that the CBI will not be able to register any fresh case involving central government officials or private persons in a particular state without prior permission of that state government.
  • The CBI can continue to investigate cases in a state registered prior to the withdrawal of general consent.
  • In contrast, if the CBI does not have the general consent of a state government, it is required to apply for consent on a case-by-case basis and cannot act before the consent is given.
  • If specific consent is not granted, the CBI officials will not have the power of police personnel when they enter that state.

It enables real-time port operations and monitoring, as well as handled services for the port fraternity to access vessel, cargo, container, finance, and regulatory authority data and services, thereby improving the customer experience.

The Harit Sagar Guidelines – 2023 envision ecosystem dynamics in port construction, operation, and maintenance, while adhering to the ‘Working with Nature’ principle and reducing the influence on biotic components of the harbour ecosystem.

Additional Information

Bhagat Singh, a visionary socialist, infused the struggle with a strong ideological foundation, seeking a society free from exploitation and class domination.

Early Life and Joining the Freedom Struggle:

• Bhagat Singh was born in Amritsar. 
• His family background has played an important role in shaping his ideas.
• As a soldier, he joined the 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force) and later established the ‘Naujawan Bharat Sabha’ and joined the Hindustan Republican Association.

Plot to Avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s Death:

• In December 1928, Bhagat Singh, along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, planned to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s death by plotting to assassinate Superintendent of Police, James Scott, in Lahore.

Assembly Bombing and Death sentence:

• On 8th April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeswar Dutt threw bombs inside the assembly, shouting the slogan ‘Inquilab Zindabad!’ and were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for this action. 
• On 23rd March, 1931, Bhagat Singh along with Raj Guru and Sukhdev were hanged. They were given the death sentence in the Lahore conspiracy case.

Bhagat Singh’s Vision of Socialism:

• Bhagat Singh defined socialism scientifically as the abolition of capitalism and class domination.
• He believed in a society where all individuals had equal rights and opportunities, free from exploitation and oppression.

Books:

• ‘Why I am an Atheist’
• “The Jail Notebook and Other Writings”.

Additional Information

• SAF can also be produced synthetically via a process that captures carbon directly from the air.
•  It is ‘sustainable’ because the raw feedstock does not compete with food crops or water supplies, or is responsible for forest degradation. Whereas fossil fuels add to the overall level of CO2 by emitting carbon that had been previously locked away, SAF recycles the CO2 which has been absorbed by the biomass used in the feedstock during the course of its life.

• Last year, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) appointed a SAF committee, which made recommendations to the cabinet. According to persons with firsthand knowledge of the topic, the team advocated a 1% SAF blending rule beginning in 2025 and gradually increasing it over succeeding years.
•  The year 2027 will be a watershed moment in the global adoption of SAF, when the mandatory phase of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) begins.
• —India, while not a participant in the voluntary phases of CORSIA, will have to comply with the mandatory phase starting 2027.
•  In line with the CORSIA mandate, the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has set the initial indicative targets for blending SAF with jet fuel from 2027 onwards, starting with international flights. 
  • The indicative targets are: 1 per cent blending in 2027 and 2 per cent in 2028.