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Pakistan warned Iran of "serious consequences" after Tehran launched unprecedented missile and drone attacks on terrorist bases of a Sunni militant group in the restive Balochistan province, which killed two children and injured three others.
Two bases of Balochi militant group Jaish al Adl in Pakistan were targeted by missiles on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported, a day after Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards attacked targets in Iraq and Syria with missiles.
Islamabad also summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires here to the foreign ministry and issued a strongly-worded condemnation of Iran's "violation of its airspace”.
Iran's attack could potentially raise tensions in the Middle East, already roiled by Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan” were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished.
Claiming that the area targeted is called "Green Mountain", the agency said that the bases were targeted by a combination of missile and drone attacks.
Tehran has repeatedly warned that the Jaish al-Adl militant group is using Pakistani soil in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan to launch terror attacks on Iranian security forces.
Front Page
Most rural kids 14-18 can’t do class 3 math over 25% can’t read (Page no. 2)
(GS paper 2, Education)
More than half of 14- to 18-year-old children in rural India cannot solve a simple three-digit division problem that’s usually taught in Class 3-4 and struggle with everyday skills, including determining time and doing basic calculations, shows the latest edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).
The findings point to a huge skill deficit among adolescents, many of them only a few years away from entering the job market.
The 2023 report reveals that children in India continue to struggle with basic reading and arithmetic skills well into their teenage years, even after reaching Class 10 and higher secondary levels of education (Classes 11 and 12).
Overall, of those aged 14-18, a quarter (26.5%) could not read a Class 2-level textbook in their regional language, and a little less than half (42.7%) could not read sentences in English.
Of those who can read these sentences, over a quarter (26.5%) did not understand the meaning of what they were reading.
Editorial
The genocide question (Page no. 10)
(GS paper 2, International Organisation)
South Africa’s (SA) application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is simple but devastating. Israel is a state founded on saying “never again” to the modern Nazi genocide against the Jews.
SA alleges violations of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Convention) because Israel continually threatens, adopts, and condones genocidal acts “against the Palestinian people, a distinct national, racial and ethnical group”.
SA “unequivocally condemns all violations of international law by all parties, including the direct targeting of Israeli civilians and other nationals and hostage-taking by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups”, but it maintains that no “armed attack on a state’s territory” even “serious… “attack involving atrocity crimes” can, provide any possible justification for breaches of the Convention whether in “law or morality”.
Rather, the Convention is attracted because “acts and omissions by Israel” manifest genocidal intent as these “are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group in the Gaza Strip… including intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population… and buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science, historic monuments, hospitals”.
Express Network
Access usage privacy: Boys have edge over girls when it comes to smartphones (Page no. 12)
(GS paper 2, Education)
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2023) findings reflect that while there is a wider access as 95% males and 90% females reported knowing how to use a smartphone, however, the technical nuance of “know-how to use a smartphone” looks different for men and women.
For instance, males between the 14- and 18-year age group were more than twice as likely to own their own smartphone than females, and therefore were likely spending far more time using the device for a wider variety of tasks.
This theory is supported by the ASER data, which shows that although both sexes use smartphones, men were twice as likely as women to have done so in order to utilise it for practical tasks like making a reservation or paying a bill.
The report showed that 38% males used smartphones for online services while only 19% females did so. Even for entertainment, the percentage of males was higher at 69% compared to just 46% female, indicating girls and young women have far less access to it than their male counterparts.
Economy
Govt proposes repealing Indian stamp Act seeks public input on draft bill (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 2, Governance)
The government has proposed repealing the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and bringing in a new legislation for the stamp duty regime in the country. Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance has invited suggestions on the draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ from the public within a period of 30 days.
“The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has prepared a draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ to align it with the modern stamp duty regime. Once enacted, the Bill shall replace the Indian Stamp Act, 1899,” the Ministry of Finance said.
The Indian Stamp Act, 1899 lays down the legal provisions for tax levied in the form of stamps on instruments recording transactions. Stamp duties are levied by the central government, but within the states are collected and appropriated by the concerned states in terms of provisions of Article 268 of the Constitution.
The stamp duties on documents specified in entry 91 of the union list of the Seventh Schedule including bills of exchange, cheques, promissory notes, bills of lading, letters of credit, policies of insurance, transfer of shares, debentures, proxies and receipts) are levied by the Union. Other stamp duties on documents are levied and collected by the states.
Economy likely to grow 7% in FY 25 says RBI Governor (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 3, Economy)
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said the Indian economy is likely to hit a record growth rate of 7% in the next fiscal, adding that the inflation is steadily moderating and the central bank is confident of achieving the 4% target at the earliest.
Speaking at a CII session on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Das said amidst a challenging global macroeconomic environment, India presents a picture of growth and stability.
He credited the government for structural reforms undertaken in recent years, saying they have boosted the medium and long-term growth prospects of the Indian economy.
The RBI chief said recent information on the global economic front has been reassuring with inflation falling, though growth remains low.
Explained
Gaps in learning persist, but tech access offers avenues beyond school (Page no. 14)
(GS paper 2, Education)
Since 2005, the NGO Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has been recording trends in school enrollment, attendance, and reading and arithmetic abilities among children ages 6-14 years in rural areas of the country.
The 2023 survey focused on an older group of 14-to-18-year-old children, specifically on their ability to apply reading and math skills to everyday situations, and their aspirations. It also sought to capture their access to digital technology, and whether they possess the skills to use it.
The ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’ survey was carried out among 34,745 young respondents in 28 rural districts in 26 states, including two districts each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
From 2005 to 2014, we did annual surveys on the learning abilities of rural children. We now do such full surveys in alternate years, which allows us to explore something in depth in the gap years. The scale is smaller because it’s 1-2 districts per state, but the angle is much wider.