03 MAY 2024

Phishing Attacks in India 

Syllabus: GS3/Internal Security

Context

• According to the 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon Business, India is one of the key countries affected by phishing attacks.

Key Findings

• The espionage attacks dominate Asia-Pacific’s (APAC) cyber security landscape, including that of India. 
• Some 25% of APAC cyberattacks are motivated by espionage, significantly greater than the 6% and 4% in Europe and North America, respectively.
• System intrusion, social engineering, and basic web application attacks represent 95% of breaches in APAC.
  • The most common types of data compromised are credentials (69%), internal (37%), and secrets (24%).

What is a Phishing Attack?

• Phishing is a type of cyberattack which attempts to steal sensitive information, typically in the form of usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information or other important data in order to utilize or sell the stolen information. 
• By pretending as a reputable source with an enticing request, an attacker lures in the victim in order to trick them.

Reasons for phishing attacks

• The report mentioned that In 2023, 15 percent of breaches involve a third party, including data custodians, third-party software vulnerabilities, and other direct or indirect supply chain issues.
• About 68 percent of breaches, whether they include a third party or not, involve a non-malicious human element, which refers to a person making an error or falling prey to a social engineering attack.

Steps taken by Government 

• Information Technology Act, 2000: Section 43, 66, 70, and 74 of the IT Act, 2000 deal with hacking and cyber crimes.
• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities and countermeasures to protect computers and networks on a regular basis. 
• National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) has been set up to generate necessary situational awareness of existing and potential cyber security threats and enable timely information sharing for proactive, preventive and protective actions by individual entities.
• Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) has been launched for detection of malicious programs and provides free tools to remove the same.
• Bharat National Cyber Security Exercise 2023: Bharat NCX will help strategic leaders to better understand cyber threats, assess readiness, and develop skills for cyber crisis management and cooperation.
• Chakshu Facility: It is a newly introduced feature on the Sanchar Saathi portal that encourages citizens to proactively report suspected fraudulent communications received via call, SMS, or WhatsApp.

International Measures – Budapest Convention: It is the 1st international treaty to address cybercrime. India is not a signatory to the treaty. – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): It is a US-based not-for-profit organization for coordinating & maintenance of several databases. – Internet Governance Forum: It is the United Nations forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on Internet governance issues.

Concluding Remarks

• India is one of the key countries affected by phishing attacks, where employees often click on malicious links or attachments, often leading to severe financial losses.
• However, there’s a silver lining as reporting practices have improved, with 20 percent of users now identifying and reporting phishing during simulation tests.

Source: TH

Why can accused persons in prison contest polls but not vote?

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• Amritpal Singh, the jailed head of the pro-Khalistan outfit Waris Punjab de, announced his intention to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

Background

• In 1975, the Supreme Court in the case of Indira Gandhi v Raj Narain recognised that free and fair elections are a part of the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution of India.
• However  the Supreme Court has held that the rights to elect and be elected do not enjoy the same status.
• In 2006, in the case of Kuldip Nayar v. Union of India the supreme court held that the right to vote (or the right to elect) is “pure and simple, a statutory right”.
  • This means that voting is not a fundamental right and can be repealed.
• The same was held for the right to be elected by the Bench, ruling that laws enacted by Parliament could regulate both these statutory rights.

Bar against contesting elections 

• Section 8 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 (RP Act) is titled “Disqualification on conviction for certain offenses”. 
• If a person is convicted of any of the offenses in the exhaustive list provided in the provision, they will be disqualified from contesting elections to Parliament or state legislatures from the date of conviction onwards and face further a six-year disqualification from contesting in elections beginning from the date of their release.
• This disqualification only kicks in once a person has been convicted and does not apply if they have only been charged with criminal offenses.

Exceptions to disqualification

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) is empowered under Section 11 of the RP Act to “remove” or “reduce” the period of disqualification.
• In 2019 the Supreme Court held that once a conviction is stayed “the disqualification which operates as a consequence of the conviction cannot take or remain in effect”.

Bar against the right to vote

• Section 62 of the RP Act provides a series of restrictions on the right to vote.
  • Its sub-clause (5) which states in broad terms “No person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police”.
• With an exception provided for those in preventive detention, this provision effectively bars every individual who had criminal charges framed against them from casting their vote unless they have been released on bail or have been acquitted.

Anukul Chandra Pradhan, Advocate, Supreme Court v. Union of India, 1997

• The Supreme Court  in this case rejected a challenge to Section 62(5) on four grounds that;
  • The right to vote was a statutory right and could be subject to statutory limitations. 
  • There is a “resource crunch” as infrastructure would have to be provided and police would have to be deployed.
  • A person in prison because of their conduct “cannot claim equal freedom of movement, speech and expression”. 
  • Restrictions on prisoners’ right to vote are reasonable as it is connected to keeping “persons with criminal background away from the election scene”.

Source: IE

Balanced Fertilisation 

Syllabus: GS3/Economy/Agriculture

Context

• Balanced fertilisation is likely to be on the priority list of the government post the Lok Sabha polls.

About

• Balanced fertilisation means supplying these primary (N, phosphorus-P and potassium-K), secondary (sulphur-S, calcium, magnesium) and micro (iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum) nutrients in the right proportion, based on soil type and the crop’s own requirement.
  • Farmers apply too much urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) or muriate of potash (MOP), which only have primary nutrients in high concentrations.
• The fiscal ended March 2024 saw urea consumption hit a record 35.8 million tonnes (mt), 16.9% higher than the 30.6 mt in 2013-14.

What is DAP? – Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) is a type of fertilizer that contains phosphorus and nitrogen, two essential nutrients for plant growth. – It has the chemical formula (NH₄)₂HPO₄.  – DAP is commonly used in agriculture to provide a quick and readily available source of nutrients to plants. – It is the second most commonly used fertilizer in India after urea.  What is Nano DAP? – It is a unique liquid fertilizer product that contains nanoparticles of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP).  – It is a source of nitrogen and phosphorus – 2 key primary nutrients essential for the growth of crops.  – The small size of Nano DAP ( – It is a novel nano-formulation which helps in better crop growth and yield, reduced environmental burden and increased farmer profitability.

Concerns of Using Urea in High Concentration

• Environmental Impact: Excessive use of urea leads to nitrogen runoff into water bodies, causing eutrophication and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. 
• Soil Health: Overuse of urea leads to soil acidification and depletion of organic matter, reducing soil fertility in the long run. 
• Crop Damage: Many farmers in fruit producing areas use a lot of urea, resulting in tree death, with very serious consequences.

Government Initiatives

• Neem-coated urea: The government has introduced 100% Neem Coating on all subsidized agricultural grade urea in the country in order to increase the nutrient efficiency, crop yield, soil health and check the diversion of agricultural grade urea for non-agricultural activities.
• PM PRANAM scheme: PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother – Earth (PMPRANAM)” was launched to incentivize States/ Union Territories to promote alternate fertilizers and balanced use  of chemical fertilizers.
• Nano Urea: It is a liquid fertilizer developed by IFFCO. It is an alternative to conventional urea. 
• Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Policy: Under the NBS policy, subsidies are provided based on the nutrient content of fertilizers rather than on a per-unit basis.
  • This encourages farmers to use a balanced mix of fertilizers, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, thereby reducing the overreliance on urea.
• Soil Health Card Scheme: The Soil Health Card Scheme aims to assess the nutrient status of soil and provide customized recommendations for nutrient management to farmers. 
• Promotion of Precision Farming: Initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) promote precision farming techniques, including drip irrigation and fertigation, which enable more efficient use of fertilizers, including urea, by delivering nutrients directly to plants’ root zones.

Way Ahead

• Addressing these concerns requires a holistic approach, including promoting the use of balanced fertilizers, improving soil health through organic farming practices, enhancing nutrient management techniques, and investing in research and development of sustainable agricultural practices. 
• Additionally, policies that incentivize the efficient use of fertilizers and promote alternatives to urea can help mitigate these issues.

Source: IE

News in Short

Blood Minerals

Syllabus: GS1/Distribution of Key Natural Resources

Context

• Recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has accused Apple of using ‘blood minerals’ (illegally exploited minerals) extracted from the eastern region of the country.

About the Blood Minerals

• Blood minerals, also known as conflict minerals, refer to tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (collectively known as 3T or 3TG), which are mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights abuses.
• These minerals are essential components in the manufacturing of a wide range of products, from smartphones and laptops to cars and aircraft.

Heart of the Issue

• DRC is one of the most mineral-rich regions in the world, but it is also one of the most conflict-ridden.
  • The DRC’s eastern region, home to vast deposits of 3TG minerals, has been plagued by violence for decades.
• The minerals are often extracted under brutal conditions, with local communities suffering from grave human rights violations.
• Women and children are often the most affected, being deprived of their homes, subjected to sexual violence, or forced to work in the mines.

Source: DTE

Front Running

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In News

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India has approved amendments to its mutual fund regulations to curb front-running.

About Front Running

• Front-running refers to trading in a stock or any other financial asset while having insider knowledge of a future transaction. 
• This can be done by a broker who knows about a client’s upcoming order, or by an investor who is aware of a forthcoming recommendation from their firm.
• This practice is unethical as by buying or selling before the large trade, they can influence the price of the security, potentially harming other investors.

Source: LM

Rise in Cocoa Prices

Syllabus: GS3/Economy; Major Crops

Context

• Recently, it was found that the price of cocoa beans, the most important raw material in chocolates, surged around four times last year’s price.

About the Cocoa Beans

• These are plantation crops native to the Amazon rainforest, and now primarily cultivated in West Africa, which produces nearly 81% of the world’s crop.

• These are the dried and fully fermented seeds of Theobroma Cacao, the Cacao Tree.
• The global market for chocolate and chocolate products is growing at over 3% annually.

Reasons For Recent Price Surge

• The impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon(an abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean) has caused drier weather in West Africa, contributing to problems on farms, such as the swollen shoot virus disease.
  • It led to a bad harvest season in West African countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast, where 60% of the world’s cocoa beans come from.
• Dry weather in the West African countries created an ideal ground for the spread of black pod disease, which causes cocoa pods to rot on the branches of cocoa trees, leading to poor crop yield.

Source: TH