1) Dramatic Performances Act, 1876

GS 2: Polity and Governance: Concern over colonial-era acts   

Why is it in the news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent speech, questioned the continued existence of a colonial law that permitted the arrest of individuals for public performances even decades after independence.
• He was referring to the Dramatic Performances Act, 1876, which empowered the British government to ban public performances deemed scandalous, defamatory, seditious, or obscene.
• This law was enacted to suppress nationalist sentiments, particularly following the visit of Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, in 1875-76. Other repressive laws introduced around this time included the Vernacular Press Act, 1878, and the sedition law of 1870.

Provisions of the Law

• The Dramatic Performances Act allowed the government to prohibit any play, pantomime, or drama performed in a public space if it was considered defamatory, likely to incite disaffection against the government, or corrupt public morals.
• Authorities had the power to search and seize locations used for prohibited performances. Violation of the act was punishable by up to three months in prison, a fine, or both.

Status After Independence

• Although the act remained in legal records, its validity was questioned after independence. In 1956, the Allahabad High Court ruled in State vs. Baboo Lal and Others that the law was unconstitutional as it violated the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).
• The court stated that the act imposed unreasonable restrictions that could not be justified under Article 19(2). Despite this ruling, versions of the act were adopted at the state level in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu.
• However, many states later repealed it, and in 2013, the Madras High Court struck down the Tamil Nadu Dramatic Performances Act, 1954.

Judicial Intervention

• The case that led to the law’s invalidation involved the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in Lucknow. In 1953, IPTA had planned a stage adaptation of Munshi Premchand’s short story Idgah and obtained official permission.
• However, this permission was abruptly revoked, and authorities attempted to halt the performance midway. The accused continued with the play, leading to legal action.
• The Allahabad High Court examined the broader constitutional implications rather than just the specific case. It cited precedents where colonial laws inconsistent with fundamental rights had been struck down and determined that the Dramatic Performances Act was ultra vires of the Constitution.

Continuation of Colonial Laws

• Article 372 of the Constitution allowed pre-independence laws to remain in force unless repealed or modified. However, colonial laws do not enjoy the presumption of constitutionality. When challenged, the burden is on the government to justify their validity.
• Over the years, successive governments have defended various colonial-era laws, including preventive detention laws and restrictions on unlawful associations.
• The Modi government has retained the sedition law in the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and has defended the marital rape exception, another colonial provision currently under judicial review.

Formal Repeal of the Act

• The repeal of outdated laws has been a key initiative of the Modi government to improve governance and the ease of doing business. Since 2014, over 2,000 obsolete laws have been removed.
• While the Dramatic Performances Act had already been declared unconstitutional and was not in use, it was formally repealed by Parliament under the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act, 2017. This move was part of the broader effort to eliminate redundant colonial-era laws from the Indian legal system.
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2) Euclid Telescope Discovers a New Einstein Ring

GS 3: Science and Technology: Einstein rings

Why is it in the news?

• The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered a rare Einstein ring in a nearby galaxy, NGC 6505, located just 590 million light-years away. This glowing ring, now named Altieri’s Ring, is a result of gravitational lensing, a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein over a century ago.
• The ring is composed of distorted images of another galaxy located 4.5 billion light-years away, making it one of only six such gravitational lenses discovered at similar distances.

Understanding Einstein Rings

• Albert Einstein predicted that massive objects, such as galaxies or galaxy clusters, act as gravitational lenses, bending the light of distant celestial bodies. When a background object aligns perfectly with a massive foreground object, the bent light forms a circular pattern known as an Einstein ring.
• These rings are rare and provide valuable insights into astrophysics. The first Einstein ring was discovered in 1998, nearly 80 years after Einstein’s prediction.

Discovery of Altieri’s Ring

• In September 2023, astronomer Bruno Altieri first spotted the ring in an early image captured by the Euclid telescope. At the time, Euclid had been in space for just two months, and its instruments were still being tested.
• The first image was blurry by design, but later, clearer images confirmed the presence of the ring. Altieri’s Ring is particularly significant because it was observed in NGC 6505, a galaxy that has been studied since the 19th century.

How Gravitational Lensing Works

• Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity states that massive objects distort spacetime, bending the path of light. This is similar to how a hammock bends under the weight of a person.
• A gravitational lens can magnify and distort the image of a background object, sometimes producing multiple images depending on the alignment of the objects. An Einstein ring is a special case of strong gravitational lensing where the background light forms a perfect circle around the lens.

Scientific Importance of Altieri’s Ring

• Altieri’s Ring is significant because only five other gravitational lenses have been found at similar distances. Since NGC 6505 is a well-studied galaxy, its discovery demonstrates how new telescopes can provide fresh insights into old celestial objects.
• Studying Einstein rings helps scientists understand the expansion of the universe, test Einstein’s theory of relativity, and examine distant celestial bodies.
• Additionally, Einstein rings play a key role in investigating dark matter, a mysterious substance that makes up 30% of the universe’s total mass-energy. While dark matter cannot be seen directly, its presence can be inferred from gravitational lensing effects like those seen in Altieri’s Ring.

Future Prospects with Euclid Telescope

• Euclid officially began scanning the sky on February 14, 2024, and is expected to discover 100,000 new gravitational lenses in the universe. However, finding such bright Einstein rings at close distances (less than 680 million light-years) is rare due to the limited volume of space available to search.
• Despite this, the discovery of Altieri’s Ring highlights the immense potential of Euclid in furthering our understanding of dark matter, gravitational lensing, and the fundamental physics of the universe.

3) Centring Care in India’s Economic Policy

GS 3: Economy: Care economy

Why is it in the news?

• The Union Budget for 2025 allocated ₹4,49,028.68 crore to the Gender Budget (GB), reflecting a 37.3% increase from FY24 and accounting for 8.86% of the total Budget.
• However, this rise is largely attributed to the inclusion of the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which constitutes 24% of the GB, rather than a significant investment in care infrastructure or gender-responsive schemes.
• Despite recognition of care infrastructure in the Economic Surveys of 2023-24 and 2024-25 as key to women’s empowerment, the Budget fails to make tangible investments to strengthen India’s care economy.

An Analysis

Women’s Disproportionate Care Burden

• Globally, women spend 17.8% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW), with women in the Global South facing a heavier burden. Indian women bear 40% more of this load than their counterparts in South Africa and China.
• The International Labour Organization highlights that 53% of Indian women remain outside the labour force due to care responsibilities, compared to just 1.1% of men.
• For poor and marginalized women, the burden is particularly severe, with many juggling 17–19 hours daily between paid and unpaid work, leading to ‘time poverty’ and deteriorating well-being.

Expanded Scope of Unpaid Work in the Global South

• Feminist economists argue that unpaid work in the Global South extends beyond household caregiving to include work on family farms, water and fuel collection, cleaning, and cooking.
• Limited access to infrastructure such as water, clean energy, and sanitation exacerbates this burden, forcing women to spend up to 73% of their time on unpaid tasks. For instance, Indian women spend nearly five hours daily collecting water, compared to 1.5 hours for men.
• Climate change further intensifies this issue, with water-related unpaid labour projected to cost India $1.4 billion by 2050 under a high-emissions scenario. The primary cause is insufficient public investment in care infrastructure combined with deep-rooted social norms that assign care work to women.

Solutions for Strengthening Care Economy

Recognising and Measuring Unpaid Care Work

• The Economic Survey 2023-24 states that direct public investment equivalent to 2% of GDP could generate 11 million jobs while reducing the care burden. Adopting the ‘Three R framework’—Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, and Represent—can lead to meaningful policy interventions.
• The first step is recognizing the full extent of UCDW that women perform. India’s 2019 Time Use Survey made progress in this regard, revealing that women spend an average of seven hours daily on UCDW.
• However, conducting these surveys regularly is costly. A cost-effective alternative is integrating Time-use modules into existing household surveys to gather reliable data.

Reducing the Burden through Infrastructure Investments

• Time-saving technologies and improved access to affordable care infrastructure can significantly reduce women’s unpaid care work. Recognizing service gaps, the Centre has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) until 2028, aiming for 100% potable water coverage. However, implementation faces challenges due to funding delays and underutilization.
• While the scheme’s Budget declined by 4.51% from last year’s Budget Estimates (BE), it saw a 195% jump over Revised Estimates (RE), highlighting discrepancies in allocation and spending.
• With less than half of villages having functional household tap connections, stronger execution and water sustainability measures are needed. Additionally, expanding childcare centres, eldercare support, and assistive technologies would help ease women’s care responsibilities and improve workforce participation.

Redistributing Care Work for Equitable Responsibility

• A key strategy to balance the care burden is redistributing responsibilities from households to the State. The newly announced ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund, with ₹10,000 crore allocated for FY 2025-26, presents an opportunity for transformative change.
• By financing up to 25% of bankable projects, the fund can encourage private and public sector participation in urban redevelopment, water, and sanitation initiatives. Leveraging this fund, India can scale up pilot care infrastructure models initiated under the Smart Cities Mission.
• Taking inspiration from Bogotá’s Care Blocks, which consolidate caregiving services to ease women’s unpaid workload, similar initiatives could be integrated into India’s urban planning.

Ensuring Women’s Representation in Policy Decisions

• For gender-sensitive policies to be effective, women’s representation in decision-making and implementation is crucial. Excluding women leads to policies that fail to address their lived realities.
• Studies show that involving women in policy decisions enhances their effectiveness significantly, sometimes by six to seven times. By ensuring women’s participation at all levels, India can craft policies that genuinely address care-related challenges.

A Missed Opportunity for a Care-Sensitive Economy

• With the government’s emphasis on Nari Shakti as a driver of economic growth, India has the potential to set a global example in building a gender-sensitive care economy.
• However, the 2025 Budget falls short by failing to prioritize care work as a key pillar of economic planning. A more deliberate, well-funded strategy is needed to ensure that care work is not treated as an afterthought but as a fundamental component of inclusive and sustainable growth.

4) Fostering Growth and Inclusivity: The Strategic Impact of GeM on India’s Economy

GS 3: Economy: Online procurement platform

Context

• Public procurement is a key driver of economic growth, directly influencing the lives of citizens. Efficient and transparent procurement ensures optimal use of public funds while creating economic opportunities for businesses of all sizes. This contributes to employment generation, innovation, and overall societal development.
• In India, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has revolutionized public procurement by establishing an open and inclusive platform that benefits government buyers as well as local entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses.
• Since its inception, GeM has played a crucial role in supporting startups, enabling them to fulfil orders worth ₹35,950 Crore. Additionally, women entrepreneurs comprise 8% of the total seller base, with 1,77,786 Udyam-verified women micro and small enterprises (MSEs) fulfilling orders worth ₹46,615 Crore.

What is GeM?

• Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is an online procurement platform launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on August 9, 2016, under the vision of PM Modi. Its primary objective is to create a transparent and efficient procurement system for government buyers.

Core Principles of GeM

GeM operates on three fundamental principles:

• Openness: GeM ensures transparency by making relevant information about sellers, goods, and services easily accessible. The platform provides data-driven insights to help users make informed decisions and assess price reasonability.
• Fairness: The marketplace offers equal opportunities to all sellers, ensuring no preferential treatment. It aligns with preferential market access policies, creating a level playing field for businesses, thereby promoting healthy competition.
• Inclusiveness: GeM welcomes all government buyers and sellers, providing training, onboarding sessions, and continuous support to ensure seamless participation, even for those unfamiliar with the platform.

Key Features of GeM

SWAYATT: Enhancing Ease of Doing Business

• SWAYATT is GeM’s initiative to boost ease of doing business by directly linking startups, women entrepreneurs, micro & small enterprises (MSEs), self-help groups (SHGs), and youth—especially those from marginalized communities—to government procurement.
• The initiative focuses on training last-mile sellers, encouraging women entrepreneurship, and enhancing small-scale business participation.

Startup Runway 2.0: Promoting Innovation

• Startup Runway 2.0 enables startups to showcase their innovative products and services to government buyers. GeM has dedicated a marketplace category for startups to list their offerings, even if they are not DPIIT-certified.
• This initiative supports “Make in India” by encouraging government procurement from startups and fostering indigenous innovation.

Womaniya: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

• The “Womaniya” initiative promotes products crafted by women entrepreneurs and self-help groups. It facilitates the sale of items such as handicrafts, handloom textiles, jute and coir products, organic foods, spices, home décor, and office furnishings to government institutions.
• This initiative aligns with the government’s policy of reserving 3% of public procurement for women-led MSMEs, unlocking significant business opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

MSME SC/ST Entrepreneurs on GeM

• GeM actively collaborates with stakeholders in the MSME ecosystem, focusing on entrepreneurs from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
• The initiative supports the mandatory procurement policy, which requires 25% of government procurement to be from MSMEs, with a sub-target of 4% reserved for SC/ST entrepreneurs.
• This ensures greater inclusivity in public procurement and encourages active participation of marginalized business owners.

The Saras Collection: Showcasing Handcrafted Excellence

• The SARAS Collection is a curated assortment of handmade products, including handicrafts, handloom textiles, office décor, personal care items, and event souvenirs created by top self-help groups (SHGs) across India.
• This initiative promotes traditional craftsmanship while providing economic opportunities to artisans and rural entrepreneurs.

GeM Statistics: Growth and Impact

• GeM has witnessed exponential growth, creating a vibrant ecosystem. The platform currently has 162,985 primary buyers, 228,754 secondary buyers, 11,006 product categories, and 332 service categories. In the last financial year, GeM facilitated 62,86,543 orders amounting to ₹4,03,305 Crore.
• In the current financial year, it has already processed 61,23,691 orders worth ₹4,52,594 Crore. Notably, 37.87% of the total order value comes from micro and small enterprises (MSEs), highlighting the platform’s role in empowering local businesses and fostering inclusive economic growth. (Data as of February 28, 2025)

Conclusion

• GeM has transformed public procurement in India by enhancing transparency, efficiency, and inclusiveness. By empowering startups, women entrepreneurs, and MSMEs, it fosters economic growth and social equity.
• Strategic initiatives like SWAYATT, Startup Runway 2.0, and Womaniya have significantly improved ease of doing business and boosted participation in government procurement.
• As GeM continues to evolve, it remains committed to building a sustainable, competitive, and open marketplace that drives India’s progress towards inclusive and transparent procurement practices.

5) Avalanche

GS 1: Geography and Disaster management: Understanding Avalanches

Why is it in the news?

• A recent avalanche struck the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project in Mana, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand.

What is an Avalanche?

• An avalanche is the rapid movement of snow, ice, rocks, and debris down a slope. Snow avalanches, the most frequent type, can travel at speeds exceeding 320 km/h (200 mph).

Causes of Avalanches

• Avalanches occur when a snowpack becomes unstable, often due to weak bonding between snow, ice, or slush layers. Factors like fresh snowfall, temperature fluctuations, spring thaw, or external pressure such as vibrations can trigger an avalanche.

Types of Avalanches

• Sluffs: Small, loose snow avalanches with minimal impact.
• Slabs: Larger and more hazardous, occurring when a deep weak layer gives way, causing a massive snow section to slide down.

Factors Influencing Avalanches

• Avalanche formation depends on several factors, including storms, temperature variations, wind, slope angle, terrain features, and snowpack stability.
• Many are triggered by external forces such as human activity, seismic movements, or mechanical disturbances.

Difference Between Avalanche and Landslide