Articles Covered

1. 7^th round of the India-Peru Trade Agreement Negotiations concludes in New Delhi
2. Wigner Crystal
3. How Peter Higgs changed our understanding of the nature of the universe
4. Curative Petition
5. India among nations with highest burden of viral hepatitis, says WHO: How to prevent it?
6. Baobab Tree
7. When is a moveable asset ‘sizable’ enough to declare? It depends, says Supreme Court
8. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

7^th round of the India-Peru Trade Agreement Negotiations concludes in New Delhi

• The seventh round of negotiations for the India-Peru Trade Agreement took place in New Delhi, India from April 8 to April 11, 2024. The discussions involved understanding priorities and concerns of each other and ensuring that the negotiations are rooted in mutual respect and benefit.

At the start of the seventh-round negotiations, Mr. Sunil Barthwal, Commerce Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, said that the history of India-Peru diplomatic relations dates back to the 1960s. He referred to the visit of H.E. Ms. Teresa Stella Mera Gomez, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Peru to India and the bilateral discussions held during the sidelines of the 9^th CII India-LAC Conclave in August, 2023, which played a key role in resuming of the negotiations.

• Barthwal stated that the basic principle of negotiations should be understanding strengths and respecting sensitivities of each other.
• The modalities of negotiation may emerge from appropriate stakeholder consultations, feedback from the industry and the negotiating teams should engage in gainful and explorative approach.
• Rajesh Agrawal, Chief Negotiator & Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, said that holding two rounds of negotiation within two months is itself a testimony to the willingness between both the countries to have a deeper economic cooperation. He emphasized the need for effective and fast track negotiations.
• Ambassador of Peru in India HE Mr. Javier Manuel Paulinich Velarde mentioned that the recent negotiations have laid down the ground work for a substantial foundation and exhibited confidence on the outcomes of negotiations towards fostering partnership.
• Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Republic of India, Mr. G. V. Srinivas appreciated the idea of lessening the negotiation period.
• Peruvian Chief Negotiator, Mr. Gerardo Antonio Meza Grillo, Director for Asia, Oceania and Africa, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Republic of Peru mentioned that resuming of negotiations after 2019 is significant and reflects commitment and interest of both the parties.
• He emphasized that the negotiating teams may show flexibility and pragmatism to reach mutual solutions.
• In this round of negotiations, discussions encompassed across the chapters which included Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Movement of Natural Persons, Rules of Origin, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Custom Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Initial Provisions and General Definitions, Legal and Institutional Provisions, Final Provisions, Trade Remedies, General and Security Exceptions, Dispute Settlement and Cooperation.
• Around sixty delegates together from both sides participated in the negotiations. The Peruvian delegation comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru.
• The Indian delegates comprised the officials from the Department of Commerce, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Department of Revenue, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and the legal and economic resource persons. Substantial convergence in the text of the agreement was achieved during the round and detailed discussions were held on the aspirations and sensitivities between both parties.
• Peru has emerged as the third-largest trading partner of India in Latin American & Caribbean Region. In the last two decades, the trade between India and Peru has increased from US$ 66 million in 2003 to around US$ 3.68 billion in 2023.
• The trade agreement under negotiations shall play a pivotal role in future collaboration in various sectors, creating avenues for mutual benefit and advancement.
• The next round expected in June, 2024 will be preceded by intersessional negotiations over VC to ensure that outstanding issues are resolved before the two parties meet again.

Wigner Crystal

Scientists have for the first time successfully visualized the elusive Wigner crystal, a strange kind of matter that is made entirely of electrons.

• A Wigner crystal is the solid phase of electrons, first predicted by Eugene Wigner in 1934.
• It is one of the very first proposed many-body phases stabilized by the electron-electron interaction.
• Formation:

1. Interaction among electrons could lead to their spontaneous arrangement into a crystal-like configuration, or lattice, of closely packed electrons.
2. This could only occur because of their mutual repulsion and under conditions of low densities and extremely cold temperatures.
3. This is because the potential energy dominates the kinetic energy at low densities, so the detailed spatial arrangement of the electrons becomes important.
4. To minimize the potential energy, electrons form a crystal-like configuration.

• A true Wigner crystal, instead of following the familiar laws of physics in the everyday world, would follow the laws of QUNTUM PHYSICS in which the electrons would act not like individual particles but more like a single wave.
• Wigner crystal is stable at extremely low densities. If the density increases, the kinetic energy becomes important, and eventually the crystal melts.
• Wigner crystal is very difficult to observe experimentally. The reason is that it is very fragile with respect to the environment.

How Peter Higgs changed our understanding of the nature of the universe

His discovery continues to influence critical research into areas such as Dark Matter and the unification of forces

An international team of researchers released the most comprehensive “three-dimensional” map of the universe.

• Findings from the first year of observations by the DESI: The findings from the first year of observations by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have been published.

Key Findings from Observations:

• Preparation of Detailed Map of Universe: Using DESI, researchers have been able to measure light from six million galaxies to prepare the most detailed map of the universe yet with very precise information about the distances between these galaxies.
• The distances between these galaxies have been measured with a very high degree of accuracy. Thus, it is called a three-dimensional map.
• Knowing the precise distances of the galaxies is crucial because that allows us to calculate the expansion rate of the universe.
• Mapping of the Distribution and Movement of these Galaxies: The precise distances calculated have resulted in the mapping of the distribution and movement of these galaxies over time.
• This has been done by comparing the data with similar data for some of the galaxies obtained through other experiments.
• Measurement of the Expansion Rate of the Universe:  The DESI collaboration has measured that the expansion rate of the universe was increasing by 68.5 km per second after every 3.26 million light years of distance, defined as megaparsec.
• Through these precise measurements, the scientists have found that some of the calculated values are not consistent with current well-established theoretical models, which otherwise describe the universe very well.
• Change in Energy Density: The results from DESI suggest that there are changes in energy density in contrast to the theoretical models.
• The theoretical models suggest that the energy density of dark energy, or the amount of dark energy contained in any volume of space, remains constant even under expansion.
• In these theoretical models, a change in energy density would make the universe unstable.
• Significance: Scientists expect that this could reveal some clues about dark energy.

Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI):

1. About: DESI is a unique piece of equipment that, once fitted over a telescope, can capture light from 5,000 galaxies at the same time. It is mounted over the Mayall 4-Meter Telescope in Arizona, United States.
2. Scheduled Operation:  It is scheduled to run for five years. On March 31, DESI completed three years of operations.
3. Joint Collaboration: DESI is a collaboration of more than 900 researchers in institutions across the world. From India, TIFR is the only participating institution.

Why do some particles have mass? As a young lecturer in Mathematical Physics at the University of Edinburgh, the thought had consumed Peter Higgs.

• The British physicist’s research into the flavour symmetries of particle physics threw up a tantalising possibility — the presence of a particle that accounted for how elementary particles acquire mass.
• The first paper he wrote on it was promptly rejected — it was thought to have no bearing on particle physics — but Higgs persisted.
• He resurrected the paper again with additions in 1964. This time, not only did it pass muster, it also concurred with parallel research.
• The Higgs boson or “the God particle” would revolutionise the discipline of Physics and human understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe. It would also earn Higgs, who died on April 8 at the age of 94, a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013.
• Higgs’ discovery validated the Standard Model, the present framework for accessing the building blocks of the universe and paved the way for his work on spontaneous symmetry breaking, the mechanism behind the particle’s existence.
• It continues to influence critical research into areas such as Dark Matter and the unification of forces, the latter first broached by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s.
• The Nobel that Higgs shared with Belgian theoretical physicist François Englert would have seemed to be a natural culmination of his pioneering work but before that there was a tease of a wait of nearly five decades for the elusive Higgs boson.
• In 2012, scientists at CERN in Geneva finally managed a breakthrough, thanks to the powerful Large Hadron Collider, the particle accelerator built at a cost of $10billion.
• Higgs had been specially invited for the occasion. His reaction to it, like most things outside of the lab, was self-effacing: He wiped a tear and told the assembled scientists that he was just grateful that the discovery had come in his lifetime before catching a flight back home.

The Hypothesis of Dark Energy:

• About: Dark energy is the mysterious force that is believed to be causing the universe to expand uncontrollably.
• Expanding Universe: The hypothesis comes mainly from the observed phenomenon of the universe expanding at a rapid rate.
• The vast empty spaces between stars and galaxieshave been measured to be expanding at an accelerating pace, despite thecountervailing force of gravitation that has the effect of pulling things together.
• Scientists have been unable to find any explanation for this rapid expansion, and have been forced to hypothesize that there must be some “dark” energy causing this expansion.
• Significance:Understanding the nature of dark energy can offer key insights into the origin and evolution of the universe, as well as its eventual fate.
• It canreveal new fundamental forces at work, and could unravel our entire knowledge of the physical world.

Dark energy Vs Dark matter:

• Composition of the Universe: Dark energy accounts for roughly 68 percent of the universe’s total mass and energy. Dark matter makes up 27 percent.
• The rest i.e., around 5 percent is all the regular matter we see and interact with every day.
• Dark matter: It makes up most of the mass of galaxies and galaxy clusters, and is responsible for the way galaxies are organized on grand scales.
• Dark energy: It is the mysterious influence driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.
• While dark matter attracts and holds galaxies together, dark energy repels and causes the expansion of our universe.
• Interaction with Gravity: Dark matter does interact with gravity, but it doesn’t reflect, absorb, or emit light. On the other hand, dark energy is a repulsive force — a sort of anti-gravity that drives the universe’s ever-accelerating expansion.

Higgs boson

Recently, Nobel laureate and noted Physicist Peter Higgs, known for predicting God’s Particle has passed away.

• God Particle: In the 1960s, Peter Higgs carried out research using Bose-Einstein Statistics.
• He wrote a paper about a very unstable particle that survives for a fraction of a second after its birth, and then it breaks apart producing other fundamental particles. He called this particle “Higgs Boson Particle” or “God Particle”.
• In 2012, Scientists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research, located on the Swiss-French border in Switzerland) had found ‘Higgs Boson’ using the Large Hadron Collider, which is a 27 km long particle accelerator built to study fundamental particles.
• Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013: He was awarded for his work, alongside Francois Englert of Belgium, who independently came with the same theory.
• This Theory is related to how subatomic particles that are building blocks of matter get their mass.

Higgs boson

It is one of the 17 fundamental particles that constitutes the Standard Model of Physics, which describes the physics of how the universe is constructed.

Boson

• A boson is a “force carrier” particle that comes into play when particles interact with each other, with a boson exchanged during this interaction.
• For example,when two electrons interact, they exchange a photon — the force-carrying particle of electromagnetic fields.

1. The Higgs boson, a type of boson, is a force-carrying subatomic particle.
2. It carries the force that a particle experiences when traversing the Higgs field (a universal energy field), which is responsible for granting fundamental particles their mass.
3. A particle’s mass is directly correlated with its interaction strength with the Higgs boson.
4. Therefore, Electrons possess a specific mass, while protons have more, and neutrons slightly surpass protons.
5. A Higgs boson can also interact with another Higgs boson — this is how we know that its mass is greater than that of protons or neutrons.

Features: 

1. The Higgs Boson has a mass of 125 billion electron volts, approximately 130 times more massive than protons.
2. It is also chargeless with zero spin, a quantum mechanical equivalent to angular momentum.
3. It is only elementary particles with no spin.
4. Significance of Higgs Boson Study: Researchers aspire to employ the Higgs Boson as a mechanism for learning deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos, including the enigma of dark matter.

Standard Model of Particle Physics: 

1. The Standard Model of Particle Physics is scientists’ current best theory to describe the most basic building blocks of the universe. 
2. It explains how particles called quarks(which make up protons and neutrons) and leptons (which include electrons) make up all known matte
3. It also explains how force carrying particles, which belong to a broader group of bosons, influence the quarks and leptons.
4. The Standard Model explains three of the four fundamental forces that govern the universe: electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force.
5. Electromagnetism is carried by photons and involves the interaction of electric fields and magnetic fields.
6. The strong force,which is carried by gluons, binds together atomic nuclei to make them stable.
7. The weak force, carried by W and Z bosons, causes nuclear reactions that have powered our Sun and other stars for billions of years.
8. The fourth fundamental force is gravity, which is not adequately explained by the Standard Model.

Recent Experiment of Large Hadron Collider (LHC): 

1. LHC generated a Higgs boson by colliding together billions of high-energy protons which resulted in a release of immense energy that forms various particles.

CERN (European Council for Nuclear Research): 

1. Aim: To study the basic constituents of matter fundamental particles and to advance the boundaries of human knowledge by delving into the smallest building blocks of our universe.
2. Founded in: 
3. Location: at Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
4. Member states:  23 members with India being the associate member.
5. Main area of research: Particle physics. 

Instruments:  It uses purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors.

Being heavy, the Higgs boson is unstable and breaks down into lighter particles. 

It can decay into a lepton pair and a photon in three different ways. 

Recent evidence indicates Higgs Boson Decay: It says that a Higgs boson will decay to a Z boson and a photon 0.1% of the time. 

This means the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) needed to have created at least 1,000 Higgs bosons to have been able to spot one of them decaying to a Z boson and a photon.

Curative Petition

1. It is the final and last optionfor the people to acquire justice as mentioned and promised by the Constitution of India.
2. It is a way to ask the court to reviewand revise their own decision, and it is filed after a review petition is dismissed or used.
3. Objective:It is meant to ensure there is no miscarriage of justice and to prevent abuse of process.

Background

• The concept of curative petition originated from the case of Rupa Ashok Hurra Vs. Ashok Hurra and another case (2002)where the following question arose before the court of law: ‘whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgment/order of the Supreme Court, after the dismissal of a review petition?’.
• In this case, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held that in order to rectify gross miscarriage of justice, the court will allow the curative petition filed by the victim.

Constitutional Background

1. The Article 137of the Indian Constitution broadly supports the idea of a curative petition.
2. It states that the “Supreme Court has the power to review any judgment pronounced (or order made) by it if the matter concerns the laws and rules made under Article 145″.
3. These petitions can be entertained if the petitioner establishes there was a violation of the principles of natural justice, and that he was not heard by the court before passing an order.
4. It will also be admitted where a judge failed to disclose facts that raise the apprehension of bias.

Hearing of Curative petitions

1. A curative petition must first be circulated to a bench of the three senior-most judges and the judgeswho passed the concerned judgment, if available.
2. Only when a majority of the judges conclude that the matter needs hearing should it be listed, as far as possible, before the same bench.
3. A curative petition is usually decided by judges in chamber,unless a specific request for an open-court hearing is allowed.
4. It shall be open to the Bench at any stage of consideration of the curative petition to ask a senior counsel to assist it as amicus curiae.
5. In the event of the bench holding at any stage that the petition is without any merit and vexatious, it may impose exemplary costs on the petitioner.

India among nations with highest burden of viral hepatitis, says WHO: How to prevent it?

All newborns must get vaccination. Even adults born before the vaccine was included in the national programme should get the shot, says Dr SK Sarin, V-C of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)

Recently, Global Hepatitis Report 2024 was released by the World Health Organisation WHO.

• As per the report,India has one of the highest viral hepatitis burdens (causing liver inflammation damage and may lead to liver cancer)
• Infection rates: There are around 304 million people living with Hepatitis B and Cacross the world as per the report.
• Largest killer:A global death rate of 1.3 million annually,viral hepatitis with tuberculosis were the second biggest infectious killer in 2022, behind only the deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

India is one of the countries with the highest burden of viral hepatitis — an infection that causes liver inflammation, damage and may lead to liver cancer — with 2.9 crore people living with Hepatitis B infection and 0.55 crore living with Hepatitis C infection, according to the Global Hepatitis Report 2024 released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday.

Viral Hepatitis

• Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. It causes liver diseases including acute and chronic infections, liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Mode of transmission: By infectious sources (virus and food and water contamination and sexual transmission) and non – infectious source like (heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions)
• B:  The infection is mainly driven by transmission from mother to child with almost 90 per cent of transmission happening from the mother to the child.
• Main strains of Hepatitis: There are 5 main strains of Hepatitis ie.  A, B, C, D and E.
• They all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods
• Symptoms:
• Hepatitis B: It is known to cause acute infection with nausea, vomitting and yellowing of the eye and skin for several weeks.
• Chronic Hepatitis:  It can cause life-long liver disease especially when children get it and can lead to scarring of the liver called cirrhosis and increase the risk of liver cancer.
• Hepatitis C: Symptoms occur two to 12 weeks after exposure which include, yellow skin or eyes, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach ache, fever, dark urine, light-coloured stool, joint pain and exhaustion.
• Diagnosis and Treatment: The report says that only 2.4 per cent of the Hepatitis B cases were diagnosed and 0 per cent received treatment. For Hepatitis C, 28 per cent were being diagnosed and 21 per cent received treatment.
• Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination and there is a need to ensure that all newborns receive complete vaccination and all adults should be offered, who were born before the vaccine was included in the national programme.
• Hepatitis C is curable with medicines.
• Vaccination:  Hepatitis B vaccine is offered to children under the Universal Immunisation Programme in India whereas, the government’s National viral hepatitis control programme also offers the vaccine to high-risk adults such as healthcare workers as well.
• Treatment for both Hepatitis B and C is available under the programme.
• But the reach is limited. People have not been utilising the free diagnostics and treatment offered under the programme.

Baobab Tree

In a groundbreaking conservation endeavour, the Global Society for the Preservation of Baobabs and Mangroves (GSPBM) has initiated a mission to rejuvenate the iconic baobab trees in Madagascar.

• It is a long-lived deciduous,small to large tree with broad trunks and compact tops which is also known as the upside-down tree.

Distribution:

1. There are 9 species of baobab tree. Two are native to mainland Africa, six to Madagascar, and one to
2. Mandu, in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, is perhaps the only place in India where baobab trees are found in abundance.

Features:

1. It can live to become thousands of years old.
2. They only have very faint growth rings. Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shapedor cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top.
3. The fruit of the tree is round or oval-shaped and is highly nutritious.
4. It is also known as ‘Tree of Life’

Ecological significance

1. Baobabs are keystone species in Madagascar’s unique landscapes.
2. Their massive trunks and extensive root systems are vital for storing water in arid environments,providing a critical resource for both the trees and the surrounding ecosystem during drought periods.
3. This ability to store water enables baobabs to support a wide array of life, from microorganisms to larger animals, fostering biodiversity in their habitats.

When is a moveable asset ‘sizable’ enough to declare? It depends, says Supreme Court

Election candidates also have a right to privacy. They need not lay out their whole lives for voters to examine, the top court has ruled. But what if you have a watch? The SC has the answer.

Recently, In response to a petition filed by an MLA from Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly), Supreme court observed that Candidates are not required to disclose every item of moveable assets except “High value” asset,citing a candidate’s Right to privacy.

• Background:A petition was filed by Arunachal Pradesh MLA Karikho Kri challenging the Gauhati High Court’s decision to nullify his election to the 44-Tezu Assembly Constituency. 
• Challenge against HC Ruling: Earlier High Court declared Kri’s victory void based on non-disclosure of vehiclesregistered as his assets in the affidavit filed underForm No 26 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 as the sufficient to constitute the corrupt practice of ‘undue influence’ under section 123(2) of RP act, 1951

Movable & Immovable Assets

1. Movable Assets: Those Assets which can be easily moved from one place to another, for example, cars, jewellery and laptop, also called floating assets.
2. According to Section 2(9) of the Registration Act, 1908, movable properties also include timber, crops and grass, fruits, and fruit juice in trees.
3. These can be easily divided to anyone.
4. Immovable Assets:  The property which cannot be moved from one place to another also called as fixed assets, for example, a house, shop, factory, etc.
5. According to Section 3(26) of the General Clauses Act, of 1897, immovable properties include land and other things attached to or permanently rooted in the earth.
6. Plants or trees affixed to the land also come under immovable assets.
7. These cannot be transferred to anyone without making a will or without gifting or partitioning.

Grounds for filing an election petition or declaring an election void

1. The election of a particular candidate can be declared void under section 100 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, if the High Court is of the opinion that –
2. A candidate is ineligible or disqualified on the date of their election.
3. Any corrupt practice has been committed by a returned candidate or his election agent or by any other person with the consent of a returned candidate or his election agent.
4. Improper acceptance of any nomination constitutes a corrupt practice.
5. Corrupt practices include improper reception, refusal, or rejection of any vote, or accepting a void vote.
6. Non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, Representation of the People Act (RPA), or any rules or orders made under this act constitutes a corrupt practice.

Moveable Assets Declaration by Candidate (Representation of People’s Act, 1951):

• Affidavit Filing Requirements: Individuals running for elections are obligated to submit an affidavit disclosing their criminal records, assets and liabilities, and educational qualifications.
• Post-Election Declarations: Upon being elected, Members of Parliament (MPs) must submit a declaration of their assets and liabilities tothe Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. & same in case of MLAs in states.

Supreme Court Ruling:

Candidate’s Obligation on Disclosure of Moveable Asset:  The Supreme Court ruled that a candidate’s decision to maintain privacy regarding irrelevant personal matters does not constitute a ‘corrupt practice’ under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act, 1951. 

Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951

Corrupt Practices: 

1. Section 123, outlines corrupt practices as actions undertaken by a candidate to advance their election prospects. These includebribery, undue influence, dissemination of false information, and incitement of enmity based on religion, race, caste, community, or language.
2. Extension of Corrupt Practices: 
3. Section 123(4)broadens the scope of corrupt practices to include the deliberate dissemination of false statements aimed at influencing the outcome of an election.

Undue Influence: 

• Section 123(2) of the Act addresses undue influence, encompassing direct or indirect interference by a candidate, agent, or any other person that obstructs the free exercise of electoral rights.

This may involve threats of harm, social exclusion, expulsion from a caste or community, or coercion based on spiritual consequences. 

• SC clarified that such non-disclosure does not amountto a “defect of a substantial nature”under Section 36(4) of the RPA 1951.
• Criteria for Assets Disclosure: The Court clarified that candidates aren’t required to declare every movable property unless it significantly impacts their asset value or reflects their lifestyle.
• For Example:Concealing the information about an expensive watch collection could be deemed a substantial defect, suppressing the value of simple, inexpensive watches may not amount to a defect at all.
• Asset Declaration to Enhance Voter’s Participation:It emphasized that asset declaration serves to enhance democratic participation and the voters’ right to information, aiding them in making informed voting decisions.
• Balanced Approach: The Court aimed to strike a balance between voters’ right to access relevant asset information and the candidate’s right to privacy,acknowledging that not every minor detail requires exposure to public scrutiny.
• Ultimately, each case must be evaluated based on its specific facts to determine the substantiality of asset non-disclosure.

Implication of Supreme Court Ruling: 

1. Clarity on Disclosure Obligations: The Supreme Court’s decision offers clarity regarding the disclosure requirements for movable assets by election candidates. It elucidates the need for transparency while avoiding unnecessary burdens on candidates.
2. Balancing Transparency and Privacy: The ruling aims to strike a balance between the voters’ right to information and the candidates’ right to privacy. It ensures fair and well-informed electoral processes.
3. Reaffirming Electoral Principles: By overturning the High Court’s decision and validating Kri’s election win, the Supreme Court reaffirms that election challenges must be grounded in substantive issues related to the candidate’s eligibility and adherence to electoral laws.

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

The NIIF has invested $200 million in iBUS Network and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd., a connectivity technology firm, to support the growth of India’s digital infrastructure

• NIIF is a fund manager that invests in infrastructure and related sectors in India.
• It is India’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund (SWF), which was set up in 2015.
• An institution anchored by the Government of India, NIIF is a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors with a mandate to invest equity capital in domestic infrastructure.
• NIIF invests across asset classes such as infrastructure, private equity, and other diversified sectors in India, with the objective of generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors.
• It invests in greenfield (new), brownfield (existing), and stalled projects.
• NIIF is 49% owned by the Indian government and has more than $4.9 billion in assets under management, making it the country’s biggest infrastructure fund.
• NIIF benefits from its association with the Government yet is independent in its investment decisions.
• It is majority-owned by institutional investors and managed professionally by a team with experience in investments and infrastructure.
• The funds are registered as AIF with the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and are currently raising capital from domestic and international institutional investors.

NIIF manages capital invested currently through four funds:

• NIIF Master Fund: This fund primarily invests in infra-related projects such as roads, ports, airports, and power. It is the largest infrastructure fund in India. NIIF Private Markets Fund: Invests in funds managed by third-party managers in infrastructure and associated sectors.
• NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund: It invests and develops large-scale businesses and greenfield projects that are of strategic importance to the country.

India-Japan

1. Fund: NIIF’s first bilateral fund invests in environment preservation in India.
2. It also seeks to enable opportunities for collaboration between Indian and Japanese companies in India.

The Fund has a target corpus of US$600 million, with the Government of India contributing 49% and the remaining 51% contributed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, a policy-based financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Japan.