1. DANCING GIRL OF MOHENJODARO

TAGS: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: On the occasion of International Museum Day (May 18), Prime Minister inaugurated the International Museum Expo in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. During the ceremony, PM Modi also unveiled the Expo’s mascot a “contemporised” version of the famous Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro. “

EXPLANATION:

Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro

• The figurine is a naturalistic free-standing sculpture of a nude woman, with small breasts, narrow hips, long legs and arms compared to her torso, and a short torso and wears a stack of 25 bangles on her left arm and her head is tilted slightly backward and her left leg is bent at the knee.
• It was made about 2500 BC, the statuette was found in the remains of a small house in the southwestern quarter of Mohenjo Daro by Indian archaeologist D. R. Sahni [1879-1939] during his 1926-1927 field season at the site.
• Vast majority of figurines at IVC sites are terracotta, made from fired clay. Only a handful of Harappan figurines are carved from stone such as the famous priest-king figure or dancing lady which is made of lost-wax copper bronze.
• Human figurines can give insight into concepts of sex, gender, sexuality and other aspects of social identity.

Lost wax (cire perdue) method:

• The lost wax method used by Harappan metallurgists involved first carving the object out of wax, then covering it in wet clay.
• Once the clay was dried, holes were bored into the mold and the mold was heated, melting the wax. The empty mold was then filled with a melted mixture of copper and tin. After that cooled, the mold was broken, revealing the copper-bronze object.

City of Mohenjodaro:

• The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro discovered in 1921 built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. lie in the Indus valley.
• The archaeological ruins are located on the right bank of the Indus River, 510 km north-east from Karachi, and 28 km from Larkana city, Larkana District in Pakistan’s Sindh Province.
• The well planned city mostly built with baked bricks and having public baths; a college of priests; an elaborate drainage system; wells, soak pits for disposal of sewage, and a large granary, bears testimony that it was a metropolis of great importance, enjoying a well organized civic, economic, social and cultural system.
• Mohenjodaro comprises two sectors:

1. a citadel area in the west where the Buddhist stupa was constructed with unbaked brick over the ruins of Moenjodaro in the 2nd century AD
2. the lower city ruins lies to the east spread out along the banks of the Indus where buildings are laid out along streets intersecting each other at right angles, in a highly orderly form of city planning that also incorporated systems of sanitation and drainage.

Major archaeological findings of Mohenjo Daro

• The great bath
• Citadel
• Bronze statue of dancing girl
• Bronze buffalo
• Steatite statue of a bearded priest
• Seal of Pashupati
• The great granary
• Assembly hall
• 3 cylindrical-shaped seals similar to Mesopotamian ones.
• Terracotta toys
• A piece of woven cloth

2. KRISHNA RIVER WATER SHARING DISPUTE

TAGS: GS 2: INTER STATE WATER DISPUTE

THE CONTEXT: The nagging dispute over the water share of the Krishna river between Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) and Telangana remains unresolved, even nine years after the bifurcation of the combined State.

EXPLANATION:

Current mechanism of Krishna river dispute:

• There is no mention of water shares in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
• At a meeting convened by the then Ministry of Water Resources in 2015, the two States had agreed for sharing water in the 34:66 (Telangana:A.P.) ratio as an ad hoc arrangement with the minutes clearly specifying that it has to be reviewed every year.
• The arrangement in the Act was only for the management of water resources by setting up two Boards, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB).
• The KRMB, however, continued the same ratio year after year in spite of the opposition by Telangana.
• In October 2020, Telangana raised its voice for an equal share, till water shares are finalized and refused to continue the existing arrangement.
• Unable to convince the member States, the river Board has referred the matter to the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).

Constitutional provisions

• As water comes under state list. According to Entry 17 of State List, states can legislate with respect to rivers.
• However, Entry 56 of the Union List gives the Central government the power to regulate and develop inter-state rivers and river valleys.
• Article 262 empowers Parliament to provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.
• As per Article 262, the Parliament has enacted the following:

1. River Board Act, 1956: This empowered the GOI to establish Boards for Interstate Rivers and river valleys in consultation with State Governments. Till date, no river board has been created.
2. Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956: Under this act, if a state government or governments approach the Centre for the constitution of a tribunal, the government may form a tribunal after trying to resolve the dispute through consultations.

Features of River Boards Act 1956

• It provides for the establishment of River Boards, for the regulationand development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
• Central Government may establish a Board on a request received from a State Government or otherwise for “advising the Government interested” in relation to such matters concerningthe regulation or development of an inter-State river or river valley (or any specified part) as maybe notified by the Central Government.
• Different Boards may be established for different inter-State rivers or river valleys.
• The Board is to consist of the Chairman and such other members as the Central Governmentthinks fit to appoint. They must be persons having special knowledge and experience in irrigation,electrical engineering, flood control, navigation, water conservation, soil conservation,administration or finance.
• Functions of the Board are set out in detail in section 13 of the Act as covering conservation of the water resources of the inter-State river, schemes for irrigationand drainage, development of hydro-electric power, schemes for flood control, promotion ofnavigation, control of soil erosion and prevention of pollution.
• But the functions of the Board are advisory and not adjudicatory.
• By section 14(3), the Board is directed to consult all the Governments concerned and to securetheir agreement, as far as possible.

Features of Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956

• A State Government which has a water dispute with another State Government may request theCentral Government to refer the dispute to a tribunal for adjudication.
• The Central Government, if it is of opinion that the dispute cannot be settled by negotiation, shallrefer the dispute to a Tribunal.
• The Tribunal’s composition is laid down in the Act. It consists of a Chairman and two other members, nominated by the Chief Justice of India from among persons who, at the time of such nomination, are Judges of the Supreme Court. The Tribunal can appoint assessors to advise it in the proceedings before it.
• On the reference being made by the Central Government, the Tribunal investigates the matterand makes its report, embodying its decision. The decision is to be published and is to be finaland binding on the parties.
• Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and other courts in respect of the dispute referred to the
  Tribunal is barred.
• The Central Government may frame a scheme, providing for all matters necessary to give effectto the decision of the Tribunal. The scheme may, inter alia, provide for establishing an authorityfor implementing (section 6A).

Water Dispute Tribunals in India:

3. NARCO TEST AND ARTICLE 20(3)

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar said they were willing to undergo a narco analysis test provided it was monitored by the Supreme Court. Taking into consideration the international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution, the court said, “We must recognise that a forcible intrusion into a person’s mental processes is also an affront to human dignity and liberty, often with grave and long-lasting consequences.

EXPLANATION:

Narco test:

• In a ‘narco’ or narco analysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state in which their imagination is neutralised. In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental, is a fast-acting, short-duration anaesthetic used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery. It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”.

Polygraph test:

• A polygraph test is carried out on the assumption that physiological responses triggered when one is lying are different from what they otherwise would be.
• Rather than injecting drugs into the body, polygraph tests attach instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes to the suspect and measure variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., while the suspect is being questioned.

Article 20(3) of the Constitution:

• Indian Constitution provides immunity to an accused against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) which states ‘No person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself’.
• This privilege is only available to a person accused of an offence i.e. “person against whom a formal accusation relating to the commission of an offence has been levelled, which may result in prosecution”.
• In India, a formal accusation can be made by lodging of an F.I.R. or a formal complaint against a person accusing him of committing a crime, it is not necessary that the trial or enquiry should have commenced before a court.
• Article 20 (3) does not apply to departmental inquiries into allegations against a government servant since there is no accusation of any offence.
• The privilege against self-incrimination is available at both trial and pre-trial stage i.e. when the police investigation is going on and the person is regarded as an accused, or even if his name is not mentioned in the FIR as an accused.

4. NITI AYOG HEALTH INDEX

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The three southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana emerged as the top performers among the ‘larger states’ in the NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’ for the Covid year of 2020-21. While Tripura was the best among the ‘smaller states’, Delhi ranked at the bottom of the Union territories’ list.

EXPLANATION:

Outcomes of fifth health index report:

• Among the 19 ‘larger states’, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have emerged as the top three performers, occupying first, second and third place respectively, in terms of overall performance. Bihar (19th), Uttar Pradesh (18th) and Madhya Pradesh (17th) are at the bottom of the list.
• In terms of incremental performance, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Odisha emerged as the top three performers in 2020-21, as compared to their performance in 2019-20.
• Among the eight smaller states, Tripura has recorded the best overall performance, followed by Sikkim and Goa; Arunachal Pradesh (6th), Nagaland (7th) and Manipur (8th) are at the bottom.
• And among the eight UTs, Lakshadweep has been ranked as the top performer in terms of overall performance, while Delhi ranked at the bottom.

Health Index:

• It is an “annual tool to assess the performance” of states and UTs.
• It is divided in three parts – larger states, smaller states and union territories.
• Niti Aayog brings out the index in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry and World Bank.
• It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of ‘health outcomes’, ‘governance and information’, and ‘key inputs/ processes’ and each domain has been assigned weight based on its importance with higher score for outcome indicators.
• The ‘health outcomes’ domain include indicators like neonatal mortality rate, total fertility rate, sex ratio at birth, immunisation coverage, proportion of institutional deliveries, total case notification rate of tuberculosis, and proportion of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.
• The ‘governance and information’ domain includes indicators like proportion of institutional deliveries, average occupancy (in months) of three key posts at state level, average occupancy (in months) of the chief medical officer, and days taken for fund transfer.
• The ‘key inputs/ processes’ domain is a measure of health infrastructure available, including proportion of functional 24X7 primary healthcare centres, districts with functional cardiac care units, and vacancies in healthcare provider positions.

5. CENSUS AND NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: If citizens want to exercise the right to fill the Census form on their own rather than through government enumerators, they will have to first update their National Population Register (NPR) details online. The NPR, first put together in 2010 and updated in 2015, already has the details of 119 crore people. Census 2021, which has been postponed indefinitely, will be the first digital Census giving citizens an opportunity to “self-enumerate” as and when it is conducted.

EXPLANATION:

• The Office of the Registrar of General of India (ORGI), which conducts the Census, has developed a “Self-Enumeration (SE)” portal which allows the respondents to view and update the information of their households members.
• The yet-to-be-launched mobile-friendly portal will allow users to register the mobile number in the NPR database, self-enumerate and fill the details under Houselisting Operations.
• Respondents can update the details of their family members online without the help of an enumerator for privacy and to reduce financial and administrative burden incurred in collection of field data.
• The portal accessible to “respondents of India” will offer secure and controlled access to the respondent’s family information and authentication based on pre-filled information available with ORGI and One Time Password (OTP) sent to registered mobile number.

Census:

• The Indian Census is the largest collection of statistical information of Indian citizens to study its society, demography, economics, anthropology, sociology, statistics etc.
• It is done every 10 years, the census was first conducted in 1872 during the British rule and the first complete census was done in 1881.
• It is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
• The last census was done in 2011 and the in 16^th census instead of forms, every individual can fill the required details on an app. No document will be required to be shown as proof and self-declaration will suffice.
• It mentions name of person, relationship to head, sex, date of birth and age, current marital status, religion, mother tongue, literacy status are some of the fundamental questions one can find in almost all census questionnaires.

The Census is conducted in two phases:

• The first phase the Houselisting Operations (HLO) and Housing Census is to be conducted with simultaneous updating of NPR.
• Population enumeration is the second and the main phase, which collects details on key social and economic parameters.

Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (ORGI):

• It is established in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India.
• This organisation is responsible for generating data on population statistics including vital statistics and census.

Functions of ORGI:

(i) Housing & Population Census: The Census Commissioner, India is the statutory authority vested with the responsibility of conducting the Housing & Population Census in India under Census Act, 1948 and the Rules framed thereunder. Planning, coordination and supervision of the field activities; data processing; compilation, tabulation and dissemination of Census results are the primary duties of this office.

(ii) Civil Registration System (CRS): The Census Commissioner, India is also designated as Registrar General, India under the Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969, which provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths. In this role, the RGI coordinates the functioning of the civil registration and vital statistics system in the country through all States and UTs.

(iii) Sample Registration System (SRS): Implementation of Sample Registration System, wherein large scale sample survey of vital events is conducted on a half-yearly basis, is also the responsibility of the ORG&CCI. SRS is an important source of vital rates like Birth Rate, Death Rate, Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate at the State level in the country.

(iv) National Population Register (NPR): In pursuance to provisions contained in Citizenship Rules, 2003 framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, the National Population Register is prepared by collecting information relating to all persons who are usually residing in the country.

(v) Mother Tongue Survey: The project surveys the mother tongues, which are returned consistently across two and more Census decades. The research programme documents the linguistic features of the selected mother tongues.

National Population Register:

• The National Population Register (NPR) is a Register containing details of persons usually residing in a village or rural area or town or ward or demarcated area within a ward in a town or urban area.
• According to the Citizenship Rules 2003, the NPR is the first step towards compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC/NRC).
• NPR was first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015 under Sub-rule (4) of Rule 3 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive database of usual residents in the country. No document will be collected during this exercise.
• While similar data is collected through the Census, according to Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, individual data are confidential and “only aggregated data are released at various administrative levels.” The Home Ministry said that data collected under the NPR are shared with States and used by the Central government for various welfare schemes at the individual level.

UPSC Prelims Result 2023

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UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2023

• GS PAPER-I
  
• GS PAPER-II
  

UPSC Prelims Answer Key & Explanation 2023

• GS PAPER-I
  
• GS PAPER-II
  

https://youtu.be/dR9y2Tma5cUhttps://youtu.be/1OCT4WW3V6A

1. It is about time we started enjoying life READ MORE
2. Why happiness is a journey and not a destination READ MORE

1. IMD retains its normal outlook for monsoon READ MORE
2. India’s hill states need sustainable cooling solutions to beat warming READ MORE
3. 2023 hurricane forecast: Get ready for a busy Pacific storm season, quieter Atlantic than recent years thanks to El Niño READ MORE
4. Why public consultations should be built into policy and law making on environmental issues READ MORE
5. Beating plastic pollution READ MORE

1.  Anger and Aspiration in Caste Society READ MORE  
2. Nutritional penalty of motherhood: Can midday meals for children also improve their mothers’ health outcomes? READ MORE
3. Opinion: How To Recover From the Great Education Disruption READ MORE

1. Sedition and its roots in rudeness as an offence READ MORE
2. A fountainhead of the people’s hopes and aspirations READ MORE
3. Data in the dock: A little-noted flaw in the judicial system is the recording of incomplete & wrong information. This skews calculations of disposal rates, especially for old cases READ MORE
4. Nehru laid strong foundation of parliamentary democracy READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. SEBI to ring in easier rules for index funds, ETFs soon: Barua READ MORE  
2. European Union official seeks to allay India’s concerns on ‘carbon tax’ READ MORE
3. Centre directs officials to upscale efforts for ‘better utilisation’ of river waters in J&K under Indus Water Treaty READ MORE
4. Souvenirs recorded math’s handover of sceptre to Mountbatten, says Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam spokesperson READ MORE
5. Withdrawal of Rs 2k note is ‘currency management’, not demonetisation: RBI READ MORE
6. Plan being discussed to create petroleum reserves from salt caverns in Rajasthan READ MORE
7. What is XPoSat, India’s first polarimetry mission? READ MORE
8. French bird flu vaccine for ducks may be launched soon READ MORE
9. Odisha’s Chilika lake gets more winged visitors this summer despite scorching heat READ MORE
10. Hybrid seeds are multinational firms’ tool to monopolise agri markets READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. IMD retains its normal outlook for monsoon READ MORE
2. India’s hill states need sustainable cooling solutions to beat warming READ MORE
3. 2023 hurricane forecast: Get ready for a busy Pacific storm season, quieter Atlantic than recent years thanks to El Niño READ MORE
4.  Anger and Aspiration in Caste Society READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Sedition and its roots in rudeness as an offence READ MORE
2. A fountainhead of the people’s hopes and aspirations READ MORE
3. Data in the dock: A little-noted flaw in the judicial system is the recording of incomplete & wrong information. This skews calculations of disposal rates, especially for old cases READ MORE
4. Nehru laid strong foundation of parliamentary democracy READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Nutritional penalty of motherhood: Can midday meals for children also improve their mothers’ health outcomes? READ MORE
2. Opinion: How To Recover From the Great Education Disruption READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Why the Pacific islands are key READ MORE  

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Can India earn ‘developed’ tag by 2047? GDP growth seems elusive, human development may be easier READ MORE  
2. The rise of Digital India: India’s digital infrastructure tries to promote “ease of living” on top of “ease of doing business” READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Why public consultations should be built into policy and law making on environmental issues READ MORE
2. Beating plastic pollution READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Terrorists are using newer ways of executing their acts READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. India’s G20 presidency can show the way on disaster management READ MORE
2. How the World Health Organization could fight future pandemics READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. It is about time we started enjoying life READ MORE
2. Why happiness is a journey and not a destination READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The decision to holding the G20 meeting in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh shows the Indian government’s commitment to a united India but it may create many new challenges in its neighbourhood. Discuss the statement.
2. The NITI Aayog acts as the quintessential platform for the Government of India to bring states together as ‘Team India’, to work towards the national development agenda. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms.
• While the courts are examining the validity of the law of sedition, its defining logic has already transplanted itself into several different provisions of law that criminalise speech.
• The inauguration of a new Parliament building presents an opportunity for us to seriously introspect on our parliamentary conduct.
• Articles 264 to 293 deal with financial relations between the Union and the states. Because India is a federal country, it adheres to division of powers when it comes to taxation, and it is the responsibility of the Union to allocate funds to the states.
• Strengthening the federal system is critical for meeting the demands of the people governed by state governments, while also preserving India’s unity. As a result, centre-state relations, or agreements between the Union government and the states regarding their respective powers, functions, and responsibilities, have always been crucial.
• The Indian Constitution requires that no government, whatever be its hue, at the Union will discriminate against or in favour of any state government on the basis of political dissonance.
• India’s thriving startup ecosystem is a testament to the country’s digital infrastructure, which has provided entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to innovate and disrupt traditional business models.
• Democracy demands dialogue as the primary medium of achieving equilibrium among citizens who have entered into this social contract with the state.
• If India is to tackle the climate crisis, it is essential for governments to recognise the value of the role of citizens in the decision-making process and to prioritise public consultations while drafting environmental and climate policies.
• Midday meals provide a nutritional safety net for children and improve their learning outcomes and attendance.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

50-WORD TALK

• The decision to hold the G20 tourism meet in Kashmir and another in Arunachal Pradesh shows the clever geopolitical messaging by the Modi government. It also shows that the government is not shying away from being firm to reject any claims by Pakistan and China over status of these states.
• First Karnataka, now Tamil Nadu – the opposition by two states to the entry of Amul into their milk cooperative market is, at its core, an anti-competition, anti-consumer, anti-choice position. More than that, this argument doesn’t serve the milk producers either. They should have the freedom to decide where they sell.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. World is undergoing transformation READ MORE
2. Remember god while celebrating happy moments READ MORE
3. Dharma Bhavna READ MORE

1. El Niño has cast a long shadow on the Indian economy READ MORE
2. New forest law must strike a fine balance READ MORE
3. 2023 hurricane forecast: Get ready for a busy Pacific storm season, quieter Atlantic than recent years thanks to El Niño READ MORE
4. Use data, technology to safeguard environment READ MORE

1. Anger and Aspiration in Caste Society READ MORE  
2. Providing affordable health services for all READ MORE

1. An ordinance, its constitutionality, and scrutiny READ MORE
2. Federalism sole safeguard against power overreach READ MORE
3. India’s internet regulation laws need judicial oversight. Govt officials can’t match judges READ MORE
4. Strengthening democratic law-making in the Parliament READ MORE
5. How the Enforcement Directorate Has Become an Excessive Directorate READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Amid reports of shortage, FSSAI to conduct pan-India milk and milk products surveillance READ MORE  
2. Centre expects record production of rice, wheat READ MORE
3. Explained | Why do judges recuse themselves and how? A look at recent judicial recusals READ MORE
4. New committee set up to oversee cheetah project READ MORE
5. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana top states in Covid year, Delhi worst UT: Health index READ MORE
6. Germany, world’s fourth-largest economy, enters recession READ MORE
7. After three years, why has the RBI become a net seller of US dollars in FY2023? READ MORE
8. India & South Pacific: Key takeaways from PM Modi’s visit; China’s diplomatic presence READ MORE
9. India will unveil 18 new petaFLOP supercomputers for weather forecasting in 2023: What are FLOPs in computing? READ MORE
10. Drought to deluge: Heavy rain causes flash flooding across southern Spain READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. El Niño has cast a long shadow on the Indian economy READ MORE
2. New forest law must strike a fine balance READ MORE
3. 2023 hurricane forecast: Get ready for a busy Pacific storm season, quieter Atlantic than recent years thanks to El Niño READ MORE
4. Anger and Aspiration in Caste Society READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. An ordinance, its constitutionality, and scrutiny READ MORE
2. Federalism sole safeguard against power overreach READ MORE
3. India’s internet regulation laws need judicial oversight. Govt officials can’t match judges READ MORE
4. Strengthening democratic law-making in the Parliament READ MORE
5. How the Enforcement Directorate Has Become an Excessive Directorate READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Providing affordable health services for all READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. In the Pacific islands, an Indian counter to China READ MORE  
2. India-Australia ties: Quad partners on the right track despite irritants READ MORE
3. India to be a major player in the multipolar world READ MORE
4. India’s Global Tech Alliance Choices Will Reduce Its Relevance In Its Own Neighbourhood READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Economics that looks at lower half of the pyramid READ MORE  
2. India’s employment problem and bad statistics READ MORE
3. It’s bankruptcy that needs a rescue in India READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Use data, technology to safeguard environment READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. India’s G20 presidency can show the way on disaster management READ MORE
2. How the World Health Organization could fight future pandemics READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. World is undergoing transformation READ MORE
2. Remember god while celebrating happy moments READ MORE
3. Dharma Bhavna READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Centre taking the ordinance route to negate the Supreme Court’s ruling on control of services in Delhi is outrageous and it betrays a blatant disregard for democratic norms and constitutionalism. Critically Examine.
2. How far do you with this view that India’s global alliance will have a negative impact on its neighbourhood policy and geography and geopolitics cannot be truly separated? Analyse your view.
3. Parliamentary committees play an important role in strengthening parliamentary democracy. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.
• India which has signed up for its emerging technology needs with the US-led tech ecosystem may face future difficulties in deepening trade and commerce with South Asian nations that have joined the BRI – and, consequently, the China-led tech logistics system.
• THE Parliament is the biggest symbol of democracy, and performs the essential functions of law-making, financial oversight, ensuring accountability of the Cabinet and representing people’s voices.
• Parliamentary committees play an important role in strengthening parliamentary democracy. They give a platform to MPs across party lines to express their individual thoughts beyond the party whip, sometimes even contradictory to party ideologies.
• An increase in the number of sittings, particularly for state legislatures, along with an enhanced framework for the opposition parties to raise their issues without disrupting government business, would be important steps in strengthening democracy.
• PM Modi’s international trip comes in the backdrop of an emerging new world order. His tour in the Quad area is mindful of how China and Japan have been jostling for power here. If India wants to be a player in the Indo-Pacific, it must court the smaller island nations.
• A multilateral world would be to India’s advantage and would also be welcome by the Global South. One of the end games of course would be a much-needed change in the structure of the UNSC and a permanent seat for India.
• Considering the priority being given to strong ties in the education sector, India and Australia need to effectively tackle the menace of visa fraud.
• While development is important, this cannot be done at the expense of India’s forests because such a move will be counterproductive.
• India’s focus must be on universal social, and ecological well-being; Indian political parties and economists need to refocus on the economy.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

50-WORD TALK

• Enabled by the North-East apathy in Indian political life, ethnic violence continues tearing Manipur apart. Home Minister Amit Shah’s strong call for peace is therefore welcome. He needs to make sure that thosefanning the flames on both sides of the ethnic divide in Manipur heed his message.
• Even with broken ties and trust across the aisle, the controversy over the new Parliament building inauguration is unfortunate. The onus on reaching out to the opposition lay with the Modi government. Separation of powers is the bedrock of our Constitution. This was a moment to strengthen, not weaken it.
• Retail inflation at an 18-month low and wholesale inflation in contraction is certainly good news for India, especially when global inflation is still high. This means an RBI rate cut could be coming soon. Government bond yields moving down makes this spot even sweeter. A rare confluence of good things.
• Centre taking ordinance route to negate Supreme Court’s ruling on control of services in Delhi is outrageous. It amounts to cocking a snook at apex court. It also betrays blatant disregard for democratic norms and constitutionalism. Forcing an elected government to be at bureaucrats’ mercy is an insult to voters.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 473]

1. ‘SENGOL’ TO BE INSTALLED IN THE NEW PARLIAMENT

TAGS: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister will install the ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu, in the new Parliament building which is scheduled to be inaugurated in May, 2023. The ‘Sengol’ was received by Independent India’s first Prime Minister from Lord Mountbatten to symbolically represent the transfer of power from the British and was later kept in a museum in Allahabad.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• Rajagopalachari suggested that Ceremony that should be followed to symbolise the transfer of power from British to Indian hands should follow Chola model where the transfer of power from one king to another was sanctified and blessed by a high ruler.
• The symbol used was the handover of ‘sengol’ or sceptre from one king to his successor.
• It was the head of ancient Shaivite math Thiruvavaduthurai Aadeenam math that presented the Sengol to Indian Prime Minister in 1947.
• A golden sceptre was crafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty, a famous jeweller in the Madras Presidency.

Highlights of inauguration of new Parliament building:

• A group of musicians playing Tamil Nadu’s traditional instrument, the Nadaswaram, would lead the procession.
• Additionally, “Adheenams,” or priests from Shaivite mutts in Tamil Nadu, will be present in the Lok Sabha’s Well.
• The “Oduvars,” or Tamil temple singers, will lyrically recite the “Kolaru Padhigam” in the background as the Nadaswaram musicians enchant with their soulful music.
• The Sengol will be presented to the prime minister after this revered ceremony and placed in a glass case next to the Speaker’s seat in the House.

Sengol and its significance:

• It is derived from the Tamil word “Semmai”, meaning “Righteousness”.
• The sceptre measures five feet in length and has a ‘Nandi’ bull on top, symbolising justice.
• “Tamil kings had this sengol (a Tamil word for sceptre), which is a symbol of justice and good governance.
• The two great epics Silapathikaram and Manimekalai records the significance of a sengo

Oduvars or Tamil temple singers:

• The tradition of Oduvars is over 1,000 years old and the King Raja Raja Chola I set up grants for their services at temples.
• Rituals in Saivaite temples are considered incomplete without their singing Thirumuraigal: Thevaram and Thiruvachagam.

Nadaswaram

• Nadaswaram, sometimes known as nagaswaram, nadhaswaram, or nathaswaram is a prominent South Indian classical musical instrument resembling the western oboe.
• The Nadaswaram’s body is traditionally constructed of aacha tree, although bamboo, sandalwood, copper, bronze, ebony, and ivory are also used nowadays.
• It is played at practically all Hindu weddings and temples in the South Indian tradition and is regarded as particularly auspiciou

2. FORUM FOR INDIA-PACIFIC ISLANDS COOPERATION (FIPIC)

TAGS: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Indian PM landed in the capital city of Port Moresby for his first visit to the country, and also is the first by any Indian prime minister, for the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit, 2023.

EXPLANATION:

Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC):

• FIPIC was launched by Indian Minsitry in Fiji in November 2014.
• FIPIC includes 14 island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu – that are located in the Pacific Ocean, to the northeast of Australia.

Idea behind FIPIC:

• Despite their relatively small size and considerable distance from India, many of these islands have large exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
• India’s larger focus is on the Indian Ocean where it has sought to play a major role and protect its strategic and commercial interests.
• FIPIC initiative then marks a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region as well.

Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) is the distance up to which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over the ocean, including both living and non-living resources. It generally goes to 200 nautical miles or 230 miles (around 370 km) beyond a nation’s territorial sea.

1^st FIPIC Summit:

• FIPIC-I took place in 2014 at Suva, Fiji’s capital city.
• India announced various development assistance initiatives and other cooperation projects in areas of climate change, trade, economy, telemedicine and teleeducation, IT, grants for community development projects, etc.

2^nd FIPIC Summit:

• FIPIC-II took place in 2015 at Jaipur City, India.
• India approached the event from a large diplomatic perspective, calling for a “dedicated seat for Small Island Developing States in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council in both categories”.
• Seek for concrete and effective outcome on climate change conference at COP 21 in Paris t

India-Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Leaders’ Meeting:

• It was held in 2019 comprising delegations of 12 out of the 14 Pacific Islands countries in New York on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly.
• The Indian government then announced an allocation of $12 million grant ($1 million to each PSIDS) towards implementation of high-impact developmental projects in the area of their choice.

Initiatives by India at 3^rd FIPIC summit 2023:

• Establishment of a super-specialty cardiology hospital in Fiji.
• Sea ambulances will be provided to all the 14 Pacific island countries.
• Similar to Jaipur Foot Camp, 2022 which was conducted in Fiji where prosthetic limbs were provided free of cost to people , similar camp will be set up in Papua New guinea this year and starting from 2024, two such camps will be organised every year in the Pacific island countries.

Small Island Developing States:

• Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a distinct group of 37 UN Member States and 20 Non-UN Members/Associate Members of United Nations regional commissions that face unique social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities.
• The three geographical regions in which SIDS are located are: the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS).
• SIDS were recognized as a special case both for their environment and development at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• The aggregate population of all the SIDS is 65 million, slightly less than 1% of the world’s population, yet this group faces unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.

3. NEW TAX RULES FOR ONLINE GAMING

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with guidelines for Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) for online gaming platforms, defining a threshold of Rs 100 for deducting tax for winnings from online gaming. Bonus, referral bonus, and incentives will also be counted towards the taxable winnings on an online gaming platform.

EXPLANATION:

New guidelines for TDS for online gaming:

• Online gaming platforms will not be required to deduct tax at the source for a player if the net winning does not exceed Rs 100.
• CBDT circular also said that bonus, referral bonus, incentives etc are given by the online gaming company to the intermediate user and they are to be considered as taxable deposit under Rule 133 of the Income-tax Act.
• CBDTsaid that in order to remove the difficulty in deducting tax at source under section 194BA of the Act for “insignificant withdrawal”, it is clarified that tax may not be deducted on withdrawal on the satisfaction of all of the following conditions:

1. net winnings comprised in the amount withdrawn does not exceed Rs 100 in a month
2. tax not deducted on account of this concession is deducted at a time when the net winnings comprised in withdrawal exceeds Rs 100 in the same month or subsequent month or if there is no such withdrawal, at the end of the financial year
3. the deductor undertakes the responsibility of paying the difference if the balance in the user account at the time of tax deduction under section 194BA of the Act is not sufficient to discharge the tax deduction liability calculated in accordance with Rule 133

Online gaming regulations:

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) notified as nodal ministry for all matters pertaining to online gaming industry and e-sports
• MEITY notified amendment to the Existing IT Rules 2021 i.e. the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 (“Amended Rules”) with aim to regulate online gaming.
• Key Highlights of the Amended Rules are as follows:

1. self-regulatory structure for the online gaming industry
2. introduction of new definitions like ‘online games’, ‘online real money games’, ‘permissible online games’, and ‘permissible online real money games’
3. Introduced the concept of “Intermediaries”e. entities that store or transmit data on behalf of other persons and include telecom and internet service providers, online marketplaces, search engines and social media sites
4. With an aim to track such transactions, the government had inserted a new section 194BA in the Income-tax Act, 1961 through Finance Act 2023, which mandated online gaming platforms to deduct income-tax on the net winnings in the person’s user account.
5. Tax is required to be deducted at the time of withdrawal as well as at the end of the financial year. As per section 194BA, TDS will be applicable at the rate of 30 per cent on the net winnings from any online gaming.

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023:

• Social media intermediaries, with registered users in India above a notified threshold, have been classified as significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs).  SSMIs are required to observe certain additional due diligence such as appointing certain personnel for compliance, enabling identification of the first originator of the information on its platform under certain conditions, and deploying technology-based measures on a best-effort basis to identify certain types of content.
• The Rules prescribe a framework for the regulation of content by online publishers of news and current affairs content, and curated audio-visual content.
• All intermediaries are required to provide a grievance redressal mechanism for resolving complaints from users or victims.  A three-tier grievance redressal mechanism with varying levels of self-regulation has been prescribed for publishers.

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
• It comes under Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
• The officials of the Board in their ex-officio capacity also function as a Division of the Ministry dealing with matters relating to levy and collection of direct taxes.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes consists of a Chairman and following six Members:

1.  Chairman
2.  Member (Income Tax & Revenue)
3.  Member (Legislation & Systems)
4.  Member (Administration & Faceless Scheme)
5.  Member (Investigation)
6.  Member (Tax Payer Services)
7.  Member (Audit & Judicial)

4. CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM (CBAM)

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Co-legislators at the European Commission signed the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

EXPLANATION:

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM):

• EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is landmark tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries.
• The gradual introduction of the CBAM is aligned with the phase-out of the allocation of free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to support the decarbonisation of EU industry.
• CBAM will ensure the carbon price of imports is equivalent to the carbon price of domestic production by confirming that a price has been paid for the embedded carbon emissions generated in the production of certain goods imported into the EU.
• The CBAM is designed to be compatible with WTO-rules.

Key Features:

• Its primary objective is to avert ‘carbon leakage’ by subjecting the import of certain groups of products from 3rd (non-EU and non-EFTA) countries to a carbon levy linked to the carbon price payable under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) when the same goods are produced within the EU alongside encouraging producers in non-EU countries to green their manufacturing processes.
• It refers to a phenomenon where a EU manufacturer moves carbon-intensive production to countries outside the region with less stringent climate policies.
• It replace EU-manufactured products with more carbon-intensive imports.
• The CBAM will initially apply to imports of certain goods and selected precursors whose production is carbon intensive and at most significant risk of carbon leakage: cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen.
• Further scope extensions to include additional products (such as chemicals and polymers) are to be determined by 2026, and the full inclusion of all EU ETS products is planned by 2030.
• CBAM will enter into force in its transitional phase as of 1 October 2023 during which EU importers must submit quarterly CBAM-reports, stating their imports of the CBAM products, as well as the emissions ‘embedded’ in their imported products. Such emissions are proposed to include direct and indirect emissions occurring during the production process of the imported goods.
• Once the permanent system enters into force on 1 January 2026, importers will need to declare each year the quantity of goods imported into the EU in the preceding year and their embedded GHG.
• They will then surrender the corresponding number of CBAM certificates. The price of the certificates will be calculated depending on the weekly average auction price of EU ETS allowances expressed in €/tonne of CO2 emitted. The phasing-out of free allocation under the EU ETS will take place in parallel with the phasing-in of CBAM in the period 2026-2034.
• Moreover, it will ensure a level playing field between imports and EU products.
• This would also form part of the continent’s broader European Green Deal which endeavours to achieve 55% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and become a climate neutral continent by 205

EU Emissions Trading System (ETS):

• It also aimed at supporting the decarbonisation of the region’s industries.
• The ETS had set a cap on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be released from industrial installations in certain sectors.
• Allowances were to be bought on the open decentralised ETS trading market, however, certain allowances were given out for free to prevent carbon leakage.
• Though effective in addressing the issue of leakage, EU concluded it dampened the incentive to invest in greener production at home and abroad because of the tendency to rely on free allowances to meet operational requirements and obligations.

5. SUPER COMPUTER

TAGS: GS-3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) stated that India is set to dramatically scale up its super-computing prowess and install an 18-petaflop system over the course of the year 2023.

EXPLANATION:

What is Supercomputer?

• Supercomputer is any of a class of extremely powerful computers. The term is commonly applied to the fastest high-performance systems available at any given time.
• Such computers have been used primarily for scientific and engineering work requiring exceedingly high-speed computations.
• Common applications for supercomputers include testing mathematical models for complex physical phenomena or designs, such as climate and weather, evolution of the cosmos, nuclear weapons and reactors, new chemical compounds (especially for pharmaceutical purposes), and cryptology.

Supercomputers in India:

• Currently India’s hosts most powerful, civilian supercomputers Pratyush and Mihir with a combined capacity of 6.8 petaflops are housed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida, respectively.
• They were made operational in 2018 at an investment of ₹438 crore. Both these organisations are affiliated to the Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES).
• Pratyush is the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world dedicated for weather and climate research, and follows machines in Japan, USA and the United Kingdom.

Features of Upcoming Supercomputers:

• The new supercomputers, yet to be named, are imported from French corporation, ATOS an information technology service and consulting company.
• The new supercomputers too will be housed at the IITM and NCMRWF.
• It aims to accelerate processing power to such a degree that greatly eases complex mathematical calculations required, for among other things, and forecasting weather over the next few days.
• The goal is eventually to be able to represent an area by 1 km-square grids and that can be used to warn of cloudburst and such rapidly evolving weather systems.

Supercomputer around world:

• The fastest high-performance computing system in the world is currently the Frontier-Cray system at Oakridge National Laboratory, United States. This has a peak speed of 1 exa-flop (or about 1,000 petaflops). The top 10 other systems, based on speed, range from about 400 petaflops to 60 petaflops.

FLOPS  (Floating-Point Operations Per Second)

• Floating-point according to IBM is a method of encoding real numbers within the limits of finite precision available on computers.
• Using floating-point encoding, extremely long numbers can be handled relatively easily.
• Flops (floating point operations per second) are an indicator of computers processing speed and a petaflop refers to a 1,000 trillion flops.

[WpProQuiz 472]

1. In search of a pluralistic paradigm READ MORE
2. Resilient and Determined READ MORE
3. Words are energy; use them cautiously READ MORE
4. Effective instrument of state policy READ MORE

1. Global climate urgency is rising. EU and India need to work together READ MORE
2. Pollution zone: CPCB report warrants urgent follow-up READ MORE

1. How we can resolve the tribal health challenge READ MORE
2. Stigma, society and schizophrenia READ MORE  
3. Providing affordable health services for all READ MORE

1. Govt’s power to promulgate, repromulgate Ordinances — why and how READ MORE
2. If Delhi doesn’t need a state govt, why does the rest of India? READ MORE
3. A trust deficit in Parliament READ MORE
4. Delhi’s power tussle: Centre makes bid to negate SC verdict READ MORE
5. Delhi ordinance sparks issue of threat to federalism: Almost every regional party has perceptibly been at the receiving end of the Centre’s pressure tactics exerted on CMs. READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Inspired by the Cholas, handed over to Nehru: historic ‘Sengol’ to be installed in new Parliament building READ MORE  
2. WTO reforms a top priority for India: Anupriya Patel READ MORE
3. India set to triple speed of its fastest supercomputers READ MORE
4. Independence of district judiciary is part of basic structure of Constitution: Supreme Court READ MORE
5. India to share experiences as G-20 group discusses impact of graft on women READ MORE
6. Assam, Meghalaya resume border talks after firing incident READ MORE
7. NHAI gets nod to build e-way stretch through forest area READ MORE
8. What is the FIPIC summit that PM Modi attended in Papua New Guinea? READ MORE
9. India’s benchmark bond yield falls below 7% READ MORE
10. Critically polluted: Treated effluents from Vapi CETP don’t meet safety standards, find pollution control boards READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. How we can resolve the tribal health challenge READ MORE
2. Stigma, society and schizophrenia READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Govt’s power to promulgate, repromulgate Ordinances — why and how READ MORE
2. If Delhi doesn’t need a state govt, why does the rest of India? READ MORE
3. A trust deficit in Parliament READ MORE
4. Delhi’s power tussle: Centre makes bid to negate SC verdict READ MORE
5. Delhi ordinance sparks issue of threat to federalism: Almost every regional party has perceptibly been at the receiving end of the Centre’s pressure tactics exerted on CMs. READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Providing affordable health services for all READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Ties that bind: On India-Australia ties and the Modi visit READ MORE  
2. The paradox of BRICS, its new pathway: BRICS may have lost much of its sparkle, but a long queue of nations awaits membership READ MORE
3. G7 and Quad are finally taking China head on READ MORE
4. Pacific outreach: India making the right moves in the region READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Is the RBI’s commitment to inflation targeting credible? READ MORE  
2. Is ONDC the Next Big Thing on the e-commerce platform? READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Global climate urgency is rising. EU and India need to work together READ MORE
2. Pollution zone: CPCB report warrants urgent follow-up READ MORE

SCIENCE

1. India’s women in science, and their struggle READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Fighting cyber crimes better READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. India’s G20 presidency can show the way on disaster management READ MORE
2. How the World Health Organization could fight future pandemics READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. In search of a pluralistic paradigm READ MORE
2. Resilient and Determined READ MORE
3. Words are energy; use them cautiously READ MORE
4. Effective instrument of state policy READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. In state administration, the bureaucracy, which serves as the executor of government policy, needs to be answerable only to the state’s legislative assembly. Comment on the statement in light of the recent Supreme Court judgement.
2. It is imperative for India to not only form and engage with new frameworks but also strengthen old ones, which will increase its options and influence among both developing and developed countries. Comment on the statement in light of recent geo-political developments.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
• The need for young civil servants to get things done rather than letting them linger is very important. It is critical to our entire development process. Similarly, the need for transparency in appointments is important in our democracy.
• Capitalism is facing multifaceted challenges due to the problem of policy-making based on incorrect data. Governments and international agencies like the World Bank that depend on faulty official data cannot correctly analyse and help resolve the problems facing the world and its poor.
• To be effective, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation needs to come out of Chinese influence and push its own cherished goals.
• The hidden nature of caste atrocities indicates that the problem is more pervasive and deeply rooted than official records may suggest!
• Our steps for sustainable groundwater management are in the right direction and these are bringing a paradigm shift towards positive change.
• India’s increasing engagement with Africa has largely been through bilateral channels, with limited participation in multilateral forums.
• India’s engagement with the Commonwealth should not be treated as a subset of its relationship with the UK. India–UK bilateral ties could face divergences due to variety of domestic and structural factors.
• It is imperative for India to not only form and engage with new frameworks but also strengthen old ones, which will increase its options and influence among both developing and developed countries.
• Data is the next big chasm for regulators to cross, with its growing importance in the financial system and the challenges in its management.
• In the geoeconomic domain, there is growing convergence of interests between India and the US. A model less driven by market fundamentalism presents an opportunity for India.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

50-WORD TALK

• The Jallikattu matter should have never gone to a constitution bench. Time has been wasted. The court said whether a law to “preserve cultural heritage” is a debatable issue has to be concluded in the House of people. The legislature had already taken a call on the animal rights-tradition conflict.
• The killing of a 23-year-old doctor in Kollam by her patient is disturbing. Kerala’s approval of an ordinance prescribing imprisonment for perpetrators of violence against healthcare workers is a step in the right direction. However, the state must take measures to protect its medical community before the crime is committed.
• Supreme Court has rightly faulted Manipur High Court for its factually incorrect verdict on ST status for Meiteis. The power to modify the ST list is with the President, the HC does not have the remit. Having disapproved of it in strong words, the Supreme Court should have stayed it.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. GLOBAL WARMING WILL LIKELY SOON CROSS 1.5º C

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has predicted that there is a greater than 66% probability that at least one of the years from 2023 to 2027 will witness a global mean surface temperature rise of 1.5 o C above the average in the years 1850-1900.

EXPLANATION:

• Models are less skilled at forecasting precipitation than at forecasting temperatures. The forecasted rainfall for 2022 has wider error margins than those for the temperatures, including over India.

What are atmospheric models?

• Specialists forecast the weather the fast changes in the order of hours to days using atmospheric models that work with the sea surface temperature fixed.
• Atmospheric modeling is an important method to generate physical and numerical measurements of climate parameters, quantify the spatiotemporal changes of atmospheric phenomena over space and time, and predict their occurrences.
• With simulated data sets from atmospheric models, scientists are able to examine the driving forces of atmospheric phenomena and perform advanced analysis.
• Weather forecasts also need the atmosphere to be ‘initialised’ to be able to make predictions.To ‘initialise’ means to have the best estimates of temperature, humidity, winds, and so on at each point of the computer model, using data from weather balloons, satellites, radiosondes, and such.

What are ocean-atmosphere models?

• The weather model becomes chaotic after a few days since fast-moving air, with its low heat capacity, tends to shed the memory of the initial conditions.
• Climate, on the other hand, is largely driven by the slow changes in the ocean temperature and its heat content.
• As a result, the climate forecasts, such as for the El Niño and the monsoons, are made with ocean-atmosphere models.
• This model is at the core of numerical climate models. There is an extraordinarily broad class of coupled atmosphere-ocean models ranging from sets of equations that can be solved analytically to highly detailed representations of Nature requiring the most advanced computers for execution.
• The models are applied to subjects including the conceptual understanding of Earth’s climate, predictions that support human activities in a variable climate, and projections aimed to prepare society for climate change.
• The ocean is initialised using data from satellites, ships, moorings in the ocean, and so on.
• Some climate modes, such as those for the El Niño, can be predicted six to nine months in advance.
• A land model is also always included at all timescales, going from weather to climate to climate change.
• Weather and climate prediction models do not worry about changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases since they integrate their inputs just for a few days to a few seasons.
• IPCC projections for the forthcoming decades are ocean-atmosphere models, initialised typically starting from the concentrations of greenhouse gases from the pre-industrial era and integrated forward, into the 21st century and beyond.
• These models need to account for changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases as well as sunspot changes and volcanic eruptions, along with land use changes. These integrations capture the global mean temperatures very well, since they are mostly driven by greenhouse gases.

Short term prediction models:

• Only in 2017, the WMO recognised the need for shorter term predictions to fill a gap between seasonal forecasts and climate projections.
• A number of modelling centres around the world were entrained to issue decadal forecasts, which are initialised similar to the seasonal climate forecast models.
• They also accommodate the evolution of greenhouse gases and solar radiative forcing (i.e., changes in solar radiation that affect our climate).

Global Warming:

• Global warming is the gradual increase in the average temperature of the planet over a long period of time.
• As our population has grown, so has our reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These fuels emit greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which trap heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere. This creates what is known as the greenhouse effect.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO):

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations, with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the roots of which were planted at the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
• It is dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources.

WMO facilitates and promotes:

• the establishment of an integrated Earth System observation networkto provide weather, climate and water-related data
• the establishment and maintenance of data management centres and telecommunication systemsfor the provision and rapid exchange of weather, climate and water-related data
• the creation of standards for observation and monitoringin order to ensure adequate uniformity in the practices and procedures employed worldwide and, thereby, ascertain the homogeneity of data and statistics
• the provision of weather, climate and water-related services- through the application of science and technology in operational meteorology and hydrology – to reduce disaster risks and contribute to climate change adaptation, as well as for sectors such as transport (aviation, maritime and land-based), water resource management, agriculture, health, energy and other areas
• activities in operational hydrology as well as closer cooperation between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in states and territories where they are separate
• the coordination of researchand training in meteorology and related fields.

2. REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Inching closer to a fully reusable launch vehicle, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the landing experiment of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) programme.

EXPLANATION:

• ISRO executed the landing experiment at the Aeronautical Test Range in Challakere, C The RLV was dropped by an Indian Air Force (IAF) Chinook helicopter from an altitude of 4.5 km.
• The vehicle performed approach and landing manoeuvres on the runway autonomously, under the conditions in which a re-entry vehicle from space might return at high speed and without human inputs to achieve a stable landing.
• ISRO’s mission to develop a fully reusable launch vehicle is a part of its vision to enable low-cost access to space.
• Currently, ISRO has three active launch vehicles: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3). The PSLV has four stages while the GSLVs have three stages each. Each stage has a different fuel, and is jettisoned when the fuel is expended as the rocket ascends.

Reusable Launch Vehicle:

• Primarily, launch vehicles comprise three or four stages apart from the payload, which needs to be launched into a polar or a geosynchronous orbit, depending on a mission’s requirements.
• In ISRO’s three-stage rockets,
• first or lowermost stage has a motor fuelled by solid fuel (in the GSLV, this can also be augmented by up to four liquid strap-on boosters)
• second stage has the Vikas engine powered by liquid fuel
• third and uppermost stage has a cryogenic engine which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.
• In the four-stage PSLV
• first stage has a motor using solid fuel (augmentable with up to six solid-fuel strap-on boosters)
• second stage has a Vikas engine
• third stage again has a solid-fuel motor
• fourth stage has two liquid engines.
• The RLV that ISRO is building has only two stages to propel the vehicle into orbit. Once the fuel in the first stage has been expended, the vehicle will shed it, and carry on with the second stage.
• Once it has been shed, the first stage will re-enter the atmosphere and land in an autonomous fashion at a pre-determined location. After some maintenance, it will be available for reuse.

Have RLVs been used in the past?

• Since the 1960s, experts have conceived reusable rockets as a way to lower the cost of space missions. In the most idealised version, they imagined a single-stage-to-orbit rocket that could take off and land vertically.
• The American aerospace manufacturing company McDonnell Douglas realised this dream in 1993, building the Delta Clipper (DC-X) to demonstrate lift-off, maintain altitude, and a landing on its tail. The project was later transferred to NASA’s Reusable Launch Vehicle program after the cost of each test flight proved to be too expensive. In its twelfth flight in 1996, the DC-X crashed and burned on landing, extensively damaging its exterior chassis.
• NASA later shelved the project due to budgetary constraints, bringing this chapter of the single-stage to-orbit launch vehicle to an end.

What reusable technologies are currently in play in spaceflight?

• It is currently being used by Blue Origin and SpaceX who are developing rockets with reusable parts, especially the first stage, rather than the whole vehicle being reusable.
• It was also used in Falcon 9 in 2010, a 54-metre-tall two-stage rocket with nine engines, capable of transporting cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Instead of using parachutes to recover the first stage, the Falcon 9 was equipped with retrograde thrusters, using which the first stage could come back down to a designated spot using its engines themselves.
• In addition to these companies, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the United Launch Alliance (ULA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and ISRO have also been undertaking R&D on other aspects of reusable launch systems.

What is ISRO working on?

• In 2010, ISRO began developing a winged reusable rocket, taking the first step towards realising a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) launch vehicle that could be fully reusable. In 2016, the winged vehicle successfully flew at hypersonic speed. It also withstood fiery re-entry temperatures as it re-entered, qualifying its thermal protection systems, before it touched down at a pre-determined site 425 km east of Sriharikota, in the Bay of Bengal.
• While several other related technologies have been tested through the years, ISRO’s RLV’s autonomous landing was only tested successfully on April 2, 2023.
• Currently, ISRO is working on the ‘Orbital Re-entry Experiment’ (ORE), which will be taken to orbit by a modified launch vehicle comprising existing GSLV and PSLV stages. The vehicle will stay in orbit for a stipulated period, re-enter, and finally land autonomously on a runway, with landing gear.

3. HUMAN PANGENOME MAP

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: A new study published in issue of the Nature journal describes a pangenome reference map, built using genomes from 47 anonymous individuals (19 men and 28 women), mainly from Africa but also from the Caribbean, Americas, East Asia, and Europe.

EXPLANATION:

What is a genome?

• The genome is the blueprint of life, a collection of all the genes and the regions between the genes contained in our 23 pairs of chromosomes.
• Each chromosome is a contiguous stretch of DNA string. Our genome consists of 23 different strings, each composed of millions of individual building blocks called nucleotides or bases.
• The four types of building blocks (A, T, G and C) are arranged and repeated millions of times in different combinations to make all of our 23 chromosomes.
• Genome sequencing is the method used to determine the precise order of the four letters and how they are arranged in chromosomes.
• Sequencing individual genomes helps us understand human diversity at the genetic level and how prone we are to certain diseases.

What is a reference genome?

• When genomes are newly sequenced, they are compared to a reference map called a reference genome.
• This helps us to understand the regions of differences between the newly sequenced genome and the reference genome.
• First reference genome was made in 2001 and it helped scientists discover thousands of genes linked to various diseases; better understand diseases like cancer at the genetic level; and design novel diagnostic tests.
• Although a remarkable feat, the reference genome of 2001 was 92% complete and contained many gaps and errors. Additionally, it was not representative of all human beings as it was built using mostly the genome of a single individual of mixed African and European ancestry.
• Since then, the reference genome map has been refined and improved to have complete end-to-end sequences of all the 23 human chromosomes.

What is a pangenome map?

• Unlike the earlier reference genome, which is a linear sequence, the pangenome is a graph.
• The graph of each chromosome is like a bamboo stem with nodes where a stretch of sequences of all 47 individuals converge, and with internodes of varying lengths representing genetic variations among those individuals from different ancestries.
• To create complete and contiguous chromosome maps in the pangenome project, the researchers used long-read DNA sequencing technologies, which produce strings of contiguous DNA strands of tens of thousands of nucleotides long.
• Using longer reads helps assemble the sequences with minimum errors and read through the repetitive regions of the chromosomes which are hard to sequence with short-read technologies used earlier.

Why is a pangenome map important?

• Although any two humans are more than 99% similar in their DNA, there is still about a 0.4% difference between any two individuals.
• This may be a small percentage, but considering that the human genome consists of 3.2 billion individual nucleotides, the difference between any two individuals is a whopping 12.8 million nucleotides.
• A complete and error-free human pangenome map will help us understand those differences and explain human diversity better.
• It will also help us understand genetic variants in some populations, which result in underlying health conditions.
• The pangenome reference map has added nearly 119 million new letters to the existing genome map and has already aided the discovery of 150 new genes linked to autism.
• Although the project is a leap forward, genomes from many populations are still not a part of it. For example, genomes from more people from Africa, the Indian sub-continent, indigenous groups in Asia and Oceania, and West Asian regions are not represented in the current version of the pangenome map.

4. INDIAN-SPACE-POLICY 2023

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the Indian Space Policy 2023 which has been received positively by industry. However, it needs to be followed up with suitable legislation, accompanied by clear rules and regulations.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• Until the early 1990s, India’s space industry and space economy were defined by ISRO.
• Private sector involvement was limited to building to ISRO designs and specifications.
• The Second Space Age began with the licensing of private TV channels, the explosive growth of the Internet, mobile telephony, and the emergence of the smartphone.
• Broadband, OTT and 5G promise a double-digit annual growth in satellite-based services. It is estimated that with an enabling environment, the Indian space industry could grow to $60 billion by 2030, directly creating more than two lakh jobs.
• To streamline matters, a draft Space Activities Bill was brought out in 2017, which went through a long consultative process. It lapsed in 2019 with the outgoing Lok Sabha. The government was expected to introduce a new Bill by 2021, but it appears to have contented itself with the new policy statement.

Reasons for the policy:

• The first satellite communication policy was introduced in 1997, with guidelines for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the satellite industry that were further liberalised but never generated much enthusiasm.
• A remote sensing data policy was introduced in 2001, which was amended in 2011; in 2016, it was replaced by a National Geospatial Policy that has been further liberalised in 2022. Yet, Indian users including the security and defence agencies spend nearly a billion dollars annually to procure earth observation data and imagery from foreign sources.

 Indian Space Policy 2023:

• It is qualitatively different from previous efforts. It is a short 11-page document, which includes three pages devoted to definitions and abbreviations.
• The ‘Vision’ is to “enable, encourage and develop a flourishing commercial presence in space” that suggests an acceptance that the private sector is a critical stakeholder in the entire value chain of the space economy.
• It makes five key points which defines its role in India’s “socio-economic development and security, protection of environment and lives, pursuing peaceful exploration of outer space, stimulation of public awareness and scientific quest”.
• First, The focus for security purposes is on civilian and peaceful applications. Considering that space-based intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, communication, positioning and navigation capabilities are increasingly seen as mission critical by the defence services.
• Second, the policy lays out a strategy and roles of the Department of Space, ISRO, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under the Department of Space as the commercial arm of ISRO to replace the now defunct Antrix.
• Thirdly, ISRO will transition out of the existing practice of being present in the manufacturing of operational space systems. ISRO shall focus on R&D in advanced technology, proving newer systems and realisation of space objects for meeting national prerogatives. ISRO aims to “share technologies, products, processes and best practices with NGEs (non-government entities) and/or Government companies”.
• Fourth, the NGEs are allowed to undertake end-to-end activities in the space sector through establishment and operation of space objects, ground-based assets and related services, such as communication, remote sensing, navigation, etc.
• Finally, IN-SPACe is expected to create a stable and predictable regulatory framework that will ensure a level playing field for the NGEs. It will act as a promoter by setting up industry clusters and as the regulator, issue guidelines on liability issues.

Gaps in the policy:

• The policy sets out an ambitious role for IN-SPACe but provides no time frame for the necessary steps ahead.
• There is no indicative timeline for ISRO’s transitioning out of its current practices nor is there a schedule for IN-SPACe to create the regulatory framework.
• The policy framework envisaged will need clear rules and regulations pertaining to FDI and licensing, government procurement to sustain the new space start-ups, liability in case of violations and an appellate framework for dispute settlement.
• A regulatory body needs legislative authority. The Reserve Bank of India was set up by the 1934 RBI Act, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by the 1992 SEBI Act, and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) by the 1997 TRAI Act. IN-SPACe is expected to authorise space activities for all, both government and non-government entities. Currently, its position is ambiguous as it functions under the purview of the Department of Space. The Secretary (Space) is also Chairman of ISRO, the government entity to be regulated by IN-SPACe.

5. NATIONAL MEDICAL DEVICES POLICY, 2023

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT:  Union Cabinet approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023. The policy endeavours to facilitate an orderly growth of the sector and in turn, achieve the public health objectives of access, affordability, quality and innovation.

EXPLANATION:

• It is expected to help the domestic medical devices sector market grow from $11 billion to $50 billion by 2030 alongside achieving a 10-12% global market share over the next 25 years.
• The aim is to provide the required support and direction, and help the sector become “competitive, self-reliant, resilient and innovative” to cater not only to domestic but global needs.

Features:

• The policy will help boost manufacturing, help traders and importers to start investing in factories and end the import dependency forced upon.
• The policy endeavours to facilitate an orderly growth of the sector and in turn, achieve public health objectives of access, affordability, quality and innovation.
• The most significant of the introduced measures entail regulatory streamlining.
• The policy enhances the role of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) along with designing a coherent pricing regulation.
• Pricing regulation is particularly important for addressing a broader challenge in the domestic device manufacturing sector as some private hospitals give higher priced products instead of available low-cost options.
• It aims to monitor MRP of imports and compared with imports’ landed prices and steps taken to control when found irrationally excessive.
• Streamlining endeavour will also create a single window clearance system for licensing of medical devices, combining relevant departments like the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), MeitY and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD).
• This would complement the Department’s proposed National Policy on Research and Development alongside innovation in the pharma-MedTech sector in India.
• The policy also seeks to establish and strengthen large medical device parks and clusters with quality infrastructure facilities close to economic zones with requisite logistics connectivity.
• This is expected to be a collaborative venture with the State governments and industry, resulting in better convergence and backward integration with the industry.
• Ensuring an ecosystem to encourage private investments, series of funding from venture capitalists and potential public-private partnerships (PPP) is a key component of this endeavour.
• This will also be supplemented intervention programs such as Make in India, Ayushman Bharat, Heal-in-India and Start-up mission.

Export Promotion Council: 

• As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a huge gap still exists in the current demand and supply of medical devices from U.S., China and Germany; India has an overall 70-80% import dependency on medical devices.
• The policy envisages the creation of a dedicated Export Promotion Council for the sector under the Department of Health.
• This would be a forum to deal with varied market access issues, while also combining and sharing stakeholders’s knowledge and expertise.

Current status of domestic market:

• The domestic industry comprises a combination of large multinationals, small and mid-sized companies.
• As per the IBEF, India is the fourth largest Asian medical market after Japan, China and South Korea and is among the top 20 globally.
• It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15% two-and-half times the global growth rate.
• Exports of medical devices stood at $2.90 billion in FY 2022 and this is estimated to scale to $10 billion by FY 2025. Key export countries include U.S., France, Singapore, China, Turkey, Brazil, the Netherlands, Iran and Belgium.
• India’s major medical clusters are Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Their manufacturing expertise varies from pharmaceuticals, medical electronics, stents and implants to low-end medical consumables.

1. COMMON NATIONAL MEDICAL REGISTER

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT: All registered medical practitioners across the country will now be covered under a common National Medical Register with each of them allotted a unique identification number, as per a gazette notification recently released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) titled “Registration of Medical Practitioners and License to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023”.

EXPLANATION:

• A common medical register will be maintained and updated by the NMC for all the registered medical practitioners of the country. The register will be maintained and updated by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB).
• Indian government has made it mandatory for all registered doctors to get a Unique Identification Number (UID) from the National Medical Commission (NMC) to make it easier for people to get the access of doctors’ detail.
• National register will contain all the entries of the registered medical practitioners of all State registers maintained by the various State Medical Councils.
• This register will be made public on the official NMC website and will contain relevant information about a medical practitioner including registration number, name, father’s name, date of registration, place of working (name of hospital/institute), medical qualification including additional medical qualification, speciality, year of passing, university, name of the institute/university where qualification was obtained.
• The notification explains that until such time that these regulations and appropriate sections are in force, licence to practise and prevailing system of registration shall continue.
• The NMC has also laid down the process of registration of additional qualifications, renewal of licence to practise medicine, transfer of licence to practise, removal and restoration of registration, transitory provisions, denial of licence to practise, among others.
• The licence to practice medicine issued to a registered medical practitioner will be valid for a period of five years after which the medical practitioner will have to renew the licencing by making an app application to the State Medical Council as per Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine Regulations, 2023″.
• The application for renewal of licence may be made before three month of expiration of the validity of licence.
• On denial of licence to practise, the notification says that if the application of a candidate for grant of licence to practise /for renewal is rejected by the State Medical Council on any ground, the applicant concerned may file an appeal to the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) against the decision of the State medical Council, within 30 days of receipt of such decision.
• The EMRB shall examine the appeal and in case the first appeal is rejected by the Board, the applicant may file a second appeal to the NMC, within a period of 60 days from receipt of communication from the EMRB. “The decision of the NMC shall be final,” said the notification.
• The notification also makes the passing of National Exit Test (NEXT) compulsory for both Indian and foreign medical graduates for the purpose of registration with the National Medical Register.

National Medical Register:

• National Medical Register is a central database maintained and updated by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
• It contains all the details about the doctor registered with the website. Government has made it mandatory for all doctors to register themselves with NMC.
• Database includes the information of all the doctors registered with State Medical Councils across India till 2021.

National Medical Commission:

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) has been constituted by an act of Parliament known as National Medical Commission Act, 2019 by replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI).
• The Aim of the National Medical Commission are:

1. improve access to quality and affordable medical education
2. ensure availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of the country
3. promote equitable and universal healthcare that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all the citizens
4. encourages medical professionals to adopt latest medical research in their work and to contribute to research
5. objectively assess medical institutions periodically in a transparent manner
6. maintain a medical register for India
7. enforce high ethical standards in all aspects of medical services
8. have an effective grievance redressal mechanism

2. PRODUCTION LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet has approved the second edition of the production linked incentive (PLI 2.0) scheme for IT hardware with a ₹17,000-crore outlay.

EXPLANATION:

PRODUCTION LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME:

• The scheme was first introduced in March 2020 and in 2021-2022 Budget an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore was announced for the PLI scheme.
• The scheme is aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative of the government.
• PLIs are essentially financial incentives for businesses to augment their output. They could come in the form of tax rebates, lowered import and export duties or easier land acquisition norms.
• The 14 sectors are mobile manufacturing, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, drugs, specialty steel, telecom & networking products, electronic products, white goods (ACs and LEDs), food products, textile products, solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery, and drones and drone components.
• It aims to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investment in the areas of core competency and cutting-edge technology; ensure efficiencies; create economies of scale; enhance exports and make India an integral part of the global supply chain.

Implementation of PLI Scheme:

• The PLI scheme will be implemented by the concerned ministries/departments and will be within the overall financial limits prescribed.
• The final proposals of PLI for individual sectors will be appraised by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and approved by the Cabinet.
• The incentive amount offered varies across sectorsand the savings generated from PLI of one sector can be appropriated towards other sector after approval from

Empowered Group of Secretaries.

• Any new sector for PLI will require fresh approval of the Cabinet.

Sectors under PLI Scheme:

• Mobile Manufacturing and Specified Electronic Components: It comes under MEITY and it aims for Large Scale Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing and proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronics value chain including mobile phones, electronic components and ATMP units.
• Manufacturing of Medical Devices: It comes under Department of Pharmaceuticals. It aims to strengthen India’s manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector by increasing investment and production. Department laid special emphasis on promoting domestic manufacturing of medical equipment and strengthening the pharmaceutical industry.
• Automobiles and auto components: The automotive industry is a major economic contributor in India. The PLI scheme will make the Indian automotive Industry more competitive and will enhance globalization of the Indian automotive sector.
• Pharmaceutical industry: The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world by volume and 14th largest in terms of value. It contributes 3.5% of the total drugs and medicines exported globally. India possesses the complete ecosystem for development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and a robust ecosystem of allied industries. The PLI scheme will incentivize the global and domestic players to engage in high value production.
• Drugs: With an objective to attain self-reliance and reduce import dependence in these critical Bulk Drugs – Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/ Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country, the Department of Pharmaceuticals had launched a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of their domestic manufacturing by setting up greenfield plants.
• Specialty Steel: It is a strategically important industry and India is the world’s second largest steel producer in the world. It is a net exporter of finished steel and has the potential to become a champion in certain grades of steel. A PLI scheme in Specialty Steel will help in enhancing manufacturing capabilities for value added steel leading to increase in total exports.
• Telecom equipment: It forms a critical and strategic element of building a secured telecom infrastructure and India aspires to become a major original equipment manufacturer of telecom and networking products. The PLI scheme is expected to attract large investments from global players and help domestic companies seize the emerging opportunities and become big players in the export market.
• Electronic products: India is expected to have a USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2025. Additionally, the Government’s push for data localization, Internet of Things market in India, projects such as Smart City and Digital India are expected to increase the demand for electronic products. The PLI scheme will boost the production of electronic products in India.
• White goods (ACs and LEDs): White goods (air conditioners and LEDs) have very high potential of domestic value addition and making these products globally competitive. A PLI scheme for the sector will lead to more domestic manufacturing, generation of jobs and increased exports.
• Food products: The growth of the processed food industry leads to better price for farmers and reduces high levels of wastage. Specific product lines having high growth potential and capabilities to generate medium- to large-scale employment have been identified for providing support through PLI scheme.
• Textile products: The Indian textile industry is one of the largest in the world and has a share of 5% of global exports in textiles and apparel. But India’s share in the manmade fibre (MMF) segment is low in contrast to the global consumption pattern, which is majorly in this segment. The PLI scheme will attract large investment in the sector to further boost domestic manufacturing, especially in the MMF segment and technical textiles.
• Advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery: ACC battery manufacturing represents one of the largest economic opportunities of the twenty-first century for several global growth sectors, such as consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. The PLI scheme for ACC battery will incentivize large domestic and international players in establishing a competitive ACC battery set-up in the country.
• Drones and drone components: Drones offer tremendous benefits to almost all sectors of the economy as agriculture, mining, infrastructure, surveillance etc. Given its traditional strengths, India has the potential of becoming a global drone hub by 2030. The PLI scheme comes as a follow-through of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021released by the Central Government on 25 August 2021.  The PLI scheme and new drone rules are intended to catalyse super-normal growth in the upcoming drone sectors.
• Solar PV modules: Large imports of solar PV panels pose risks in supply-chain resilience and have strategic security challenges considering the electronic (hackable) nature of the value chain. A focused PLI scheme for solar PV modules will incentivize domestic and global players to build large-scale solar PV capacity in India and help India leapfrog in capturing the global value chains for solar PV manufacturing.

3. UNIQUE ECONOMIC OFFENDER CODE

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Government aims to create a unique code for each individual or company accused of economic offences for the identification of economic offenders.

EXPLANATION:

• The ‘Unique Economic Offender Code’ will be alpha-numeric which will be PAN or Aadhaar-based for companies and individuals to tag all the cases of economic offences against them and have a 360-degree profile.
• A database of about 2.5 lakh economic offenders has been setup by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau under the finance ministry.
• By creating these unique codes, government aims to quickly launch a multi-agency probe against the offenders against the current practice of waiting for one agency to complete its probe and file chargesheet or prosecution complaint before the same is shared with others for further investigation.
• The code will be system-generated and will emerge once police, any central intelligence or enforcement agency feeds data into the under-construction central repository of NEOR -National Economic Offence Records. This would mean that will be easily identified with a Unique Economic Offender Code.

National Economic Offence Records (NEOR):

• It is a central repository of all economic offences that will share data related to each economic offender with all central and state intelligence and enforcement agencies.
• It is being created with a Rs 40 crore budget.
• The task of its completion has been assigned to the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau with the help of the National Informatics Centre.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF):

• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) formed in 1989 in G7 Summit in Paris is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.
• It originally included the G7 countries, the European Commission and eight other countries.
• India becameObserver at FATF in the year 2006 and in 2010 India admitted as 34th Country Member of FATF.
• There are currently 39 membersof the FATF; 37 jurisdictions and 2 regional organisations (the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Commission)
• It sets international standards, and to develop and promote policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
• The FATF membership is currently made up of 32 countries and territories and two regional organizations. Eight regional bodies similar to FATF, known as FATF Style Regional Bodies, have also developed.

4. AADHAAR-enabled PAYMENT SYSTEM (AePS)

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Gaps in Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) is being abused by cybercriminals.

Scammers are reportedly using leaked biometric details, bypassing the need for OTPs, to siphon money from users’ bank accounts. A quick search on Google reveals that similar incidents have been reported in many different parts of the country.

EXPLANATION:

• Aadhaar-enabled Payment Services (AePS) is a bank-led model which allows online financial transactions at Point-of-Sale (PoS) and Micro ATMs through the business correspondent of any bank using Aadhaar authentication.
• Banking Services Offered by AePS includes cash deposit, cash withdrawal, balance inquiry, mini statement, Aadhaar to Aadhaar fund transfer, authentication, and BHIM Aadhaar pay.
• The model removes the need for OTPs, bank account details, and other financial details. It allows fund transfers using only the bank name, Aadhaar number, and fingerprint captured during Aadhaar enrolment, according to the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI).

The only inputs required for a customer to do a transaction under this scenario are:

• Bank Name
• Aadhaar Number
• Fingerprint captured during enrollment.

Objectives:

• To empower a bank customer to use Aadhaar as his/her identity to access his/ her respective Aadhaar enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions like cash deposit, cash withdrawal, Intrabank or interbank fund transfer, balance enquiry and obtain a mini statement through a Business Correspondent
• To sub-serve the goal of Government of India (GoI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in furthering Financial Inclusion.
• To sub-serve the goal of RBI in electronification of retail payments.
• To enable banks to route the Aadhaar initiated interbank transactions through a central switching and clearing agency.
• To facilitate disbursements of Government entitlements like NREGA, Social Security pension, Handicapped Old Age Pension etc. of any Central or State Government bodies, using Aadhaar and authentication thereof as supported by UIDAI.
• To facilitate inter-operability across banks in a safe and secured manner.
• To build the foundation for a full range of Aadhaar enabled Banking services.

Are AePS transactions enabled by default?

• Neither Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDA)I nor NPCI mentions clearly whether AePS is enabled by default.
• Cashless India, a website managed and run by MeitY, says the service does not require any activation, with the only requirement being that the user’s bank account should be linked with their Aadhaar number.
• Users who wish to receive any benefit or subsidy under schemes notified under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, have to mandatorily submit their Aadhaar number to the banking service provider, according to UIDAI.
• Aadhaar is also the preferred method of KYC for banking institutions, thus enabling AePS by default for most bank account holders.

How to secure Aadhaar biometric information?

• The UIDAI is proposing an amendment to the Aadhaar (Sharing of Information) Regulations, 2016, which will require entities in possession of an Aadhaar number to not share details unless the Aadhaar numbers have been redacted or blacked out through appropriate means, both in print and electronic form.
• The UIDAI has also implemented a new two-factor authentication mechanism that uses a machine-learning-based security system, combining finger minutiae and finger image capture to check the liveness of a fingerprint.
• Additionally, users are also advised to ensure that they lock their Aadhaar information by visiting the UIDAI website or using the mobile app. This will ensure that their biometric information, even if compromised, cannot be used to initiate financial transactions.

5. NUTRIENT BASED SUBSIDY SCHEME

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for revision in Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for various nutrients i.e. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P),Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) for Rabi Season 2022-23 and approved NBS rates for Kharif Season, 2023 for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers.

EXPLANATION:

• The Subsidy on P&K fertilizers is governed by Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme.
• The Cabinet decision will have the two-fold benefit of ensuring availability of DAP and other P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized, affordable and reasonable prices during Kharif season and will also ensure rationalization of subsidy on P&K fertilizers.

Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme:

Background:

• Government of India decontrolled Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers with effect from 25th August 1992 on the recommendations of Joint Parliamentary Committee.
• Consequent upon the decontrol, the prices of the Phosphatic & Potassic fertilizers registered a sharp increase in the market, which exercised an adverse impact on the demand and consumption of the same.
• It led to an imbalance in the usage of the nutrients of N, P & K (Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash) and the productivity of the soil.
• A Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to look into all aspects of the fertilizer regime, recommended that Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) may be introduced based on the contents of the nutrients in the subsidized fertilizers.
• Government then introduced Nutrient Based Subsidy Policy under the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizersin 2010 in continuation of the erstwhile Concession Scheme for decontrolled P & K fertilizers.

Features of the scheme:

• It aims to provide fertilizers to the farmers at subsidized prices and rationalizes the subsidy on P&K fertilizers, ensuring effective and efficient utilization of government resources.
• The MRP of urea is statutorily fixedby the Government of India and is not included in the NBS scheme and remains under price control.
• It aims to ensuring Nation’s food security, improving agricultural productivity and ensuring the balanced application of fertilizers.
• Subsidy is fixed by an inter-ministerial committee taking into account the benchmark international prices of finished fertilisers as well as raw materials.
• The subsidy is given to registered P & K fertiliser manufacturers/importers which provides these fertilisers at subsidised rates to farmers.

New Guidelines:

• NBS to be paid annually on each nutrient namely, ‘N’, ‘P’, ‘K’ and ‘S’ has been decided/announced by the Government for 2022-23.
• Distribution and movement of fertilizers along with import of finished fertilizers, fertilizer inputs and production by indigenous units continues to be monitored through the on-line web based “Integrated Fertilizer Monitoring System (iFMS)” (erstwhile FMS and mFMS).
• The fertilizer companies are required to print Maximum Retail Price (MRP) along with applicable subsidy on the fertilizer bags clearly. Any sale above the printed MRP will be punishable under the EC Act.
• Manufacturers of customized fertilizers and mixture fertilizers are eligible to source subsidized fertilizers from the manufacturers/ importers after their receipt in the districts as inputs for manufacturing customized fertilizers and mixture fertilizers for agricultural purpose. There is no separate subsidy on sale of customized fertilizers and mixture fertilizers.

1. RBI WITHDRAW 2000 NOTES FROM CIRCULATION

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to withdraw the Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation, but existing notes will continue to be legal tender.

EXPLANATION:

• The Rs 2000 note was introduced in November 2016 under Section 24(1) of The RBI Act, 1934, primarily with the objective of meeting the currency requirement of the economy expeditiously after the legal tender status of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes was withdrawn.
• With the fulfilment of that objective, and once notes of other denominations were available in adequate quantities, the printing of Rs 2000 notes was stopped in 2018-19.
• This denomination is no longer commonly used for transactions besides, there is adequate stock of banknotes in other denominations to meet currency requirements.
• In pursuance of the ‘Clean Note Policy’ of the Reserve Bank of India, it has been decided to withdraw the Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation.

Clean Note Policy:

• Clean Note Policy seeks to give the public good-quality currency notes and coins with better security features, while soiled notes are withdrawn out of circulation.
• The RBI had earlier decided to withdraw from circulation all banknotes issued prior to 2005 as they have fewer security features as compared to banknotes printed after 2005.
• However, the notes issued before 2005 continue to be legal tender. They have only been withdrawn from circulation in conformity with the standard international practice of not having notes of multiple series in circulation at the same time.

What is Legal tender?

• Legal tender refers to a form of currency that can be in the form of a coin or a banknote that is recognised by law as an acceptable means for settling debts or obligations.
• The Government of India issues coins under Section 6 of The Coinage Act, 2011, which are considered legal tender for making payments or settling accounts, provided that the coins are undamaged and meet the prescribed weight requirements.
• Similarly, banknotes issued by the Reserve Bank of India, such as Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 500, and Rs 2000, are legal tender throughout India and can be used for making payments or settling accounts based on the amount stated on the banknote.
• These banknotes are guaranteed by the Central Government, as per the provisions outlined in sub-section (2) of Section 26 of the RBI Act, 1934. Additionally, Rs 1 notes issued by the Government of India are also recognized as legal tender.

Legal Tender status of Rs 2000:

• Rs 2000 banknote will continue to maintain its legal tender status.
• Members of the public can continue to use Rs 2000 banknotes for their transactions and also receive them in payment.

Reserve bank of India:

• The Reserve Bank of India was established in the year 1935 in accordance with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Reserve Bank of India is the central Bank of India entrusted with the multidimensional role.
• It performs important monetary functions from issue of currency note to maintenance of monetary stability in the country.

Some Important Functions of Reserve bank of India:

1. Banker to Government: The Reserve Bank of India accepts and makes payment on behalf of Central Government. It carries out its exchange, remittance, management of public debt and other banking functions of the Central Government. The Central Government entrusts its money, remittance, exchange and banking transactions in India with the Reserve Bank of India. It deals in repo or reverse repo.
2. Right to Issue Bank note: The Reserve Bank of India has the sole right to issue bank notes in India. The banknotes are legal tender guaranteed by the Central Government. The issue of bank note is conducted by a separate department called issue department. The Central Government on the recommendation of Central Board specifies denomination of bank notes including discontinuance of bank notes. The Central Government approves design, form and material of Bank notes on consideration of recommendations of the Central Board.
3. Formulates Banking policy: The Reserve is empowered to formulate banking policy in the interest of the public or depositors banking policy in relation to advances and provide direction on the purpose of the advances, margins to be maintained in a secured advances, the maximum amount of advance may be made, the rate of interest, terms and conditions for advances or guarantees may be given.
4. Licensing Authority: The Reserve Bank of India is empowered to grant license to commence banking business in India, including the power to cancel a license granted to a banking company.
5. Banker’s Bank: The banks listed in second schedule and non schedule banks shall maintain a cash reserve ratio with the Reserve bank of India with a view to securing the monetary stability in the country. It provides loans and advances in foreign currency to scheduled Banks and to other financial institution. It purchases, sells or discount any bill of exchange or promissory note or makes a loan or advances to schedule bank.

2. RADIOMETRIC DATING

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: New study shows a way to use calcium-41 the same way carbon-14 has been used in carbon-dating, but with several advantages.

EXPLANATION:

• Since its invention in 1947, carbon dating has revolutionised many fields of science by allowing scientists to estimate the age of an organic material based on how much carbon-14 it contains.
• However, carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,700 years, so the technique can’t determine the age of objects older than around 50,000 years.
• In 1979, scientists suggested using calcium-41, with a half-life of 99,400 years.
• It’s produced when cosmic rays from space smash into calcium atoms in the soil, and is found in the earth’s crust, opening the door to dating fossilised bones and rock.

What is Radiometric Dating?

• When an organic entity is alive, its body keeps absorbing and losing carbon-14 atoms. When it dies, this process stops and the extant carbon-14 starts to decay away.
• Using the difference between the relative abundance of these atoms in the body and the number that should’ve been there, researchers can estimate when the entity died.
• A significant early issue with carbon dating was to detect carbon-14 atoms, which occur once in around 10 to 12 carbon atoms. Calcium-41 is rarer, occurring once in around 10 to 15 calcium atoms.
• In a new study, Scientist pitched a technique called Atom-Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) as a solution.
• ATTA is sensitive enough to spot these atoms; specific enough to not confuse them for other similar atoms; and fits on a tabletop.

How does Atom-Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) work?

• A sample is vaporised in an oven and the atoms in the vapour are laser-cooled and loaded into a cage made of light and magnetic fields.
• As it is known that atom, an electron in one orbital can transition to the next if it’s given a specific amount of energy; then it jumps back by releasing that energy.
• In ATTA, a laser’s frequency is tuned such that it imparts the same energy as required for an electron transition in calcium-41. The electrons absorb and release this energy, revealing the presence of their atoms.
• ATTA’s success is due to innovations with lasers as laser power is a lot higher, and laser frequency control is better.
• ATTA also avoids potassium-41 atoms, which are similar to calcium-41 atoms but lack the same electron transition.
• It can also be modified to study isotopes of some noble gases that have defied techniques developed for carbon-14, such as argon-39, krypton-81, and krypton-85.

What are the applications of ATTA + calcium-41?

• The successful application of ATTA to a calcium isotope now opens the possibility of extension to other metal isotopes.
• It can be used in an earth-science application. In warmer climate, glaciers retreat and allow rock below to accumulate calcium-41. In colder climate, glaciers advance and block the calcium-41 from reaching the rock. Here, ATTA can be used to study how long some rock has been covered by ice.

3. ROW OVER POWER OF THE DELHI LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR UNDER ARTICLE 239AA

TAGS: GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: The Centre promulgated an ordinance extending powers to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor over services in the administration of the national capital, which essentially involves the power to transfer and appoint bureaucrats posted to Delhi. Also, Central government moved the Supreme Court filing a review petition against the Court’s judgment that gave control over the subject of administrative services to the Delhi government.

EXPLANATION:

• Central government promulgated an ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority, empowered to recommend transfers, postings and disciplinary actions relating to all Group A and DANICS officers (Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli civil services).
• The Ordinance is aimed at nullifying the effect of the Constitution Bench’s verdict, which gave the Delhi government power over administrative services in the capital.

Article 239AA of the Constitution:

• It was inserted into the Constitution by the 69th Amendment Act, 1991.
• It conferred special status on Delhi following the recommendations of the S Balakrishnan Committee that was set up in 1987 to look into Delhi’s demands for statehood.
• According to this provision, the NCT of Delhi will have an administrator and a Legislative Assembly.
• Legislative Assembly, “shall have the power to make laws for the whole or any part of the NCT with respect to any of the matters in the State List or Concurrent List in so far as any such matter is applicable to Union territories,” except on the subjects of police, public order, and land.

Supreme Court about Article 239AA:

• SC interpreted Article 239AA, the provision that deals with the governance structure of Delhi, that underlines principles of federalism, participatory democracy, and collective responsibility.
• Two Constitution Benches of the Supreme Court, in July 2018 and May 2023, have dealt with the issue of the powers of the Delhi government. Both of these judgments involve the interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution, which deals with the governance structure of the national capital.
• In the majority ruling in 2018, the Constitution bench held that although Delhi could not be accorded the status of a state, the concept of federalism would still apply to it.
• The 2018 ruling said that with the introduction of Article 239AA in the Constitution, Parliament envisaged a “representative form of Government” for Delhi while seeking to provide a directly elected Legislative Assembly with legislative powers over matters within the State List and the Concurrent List. It also sought to mandate the Lieutenant Governor to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, except when he decides to refer the matter to the President for a final decision.
• The dispute over whether the Lieutenant Governor or the Chief Minister would have powers over these administrative services in Delhi went to the Supreme Court and a judgment was delivered recently.
• The ruling on May 5 places three constitutional principles – representative democracy, federalism and accountability – to an elected government within the interpretation of Article 239AA.
• The Bench in 2023 held that NCTD (Delhi), just like other states, represents the representative form of government”. However, it outlined that “the involvement of the Union of India in the administration of NCTD is limited by constitutional provisions, and any further expansion would be contrary to the constitutional scheme of governance.

Review petition:

• Constitution, under Article 137, gives the Supreme Court the power to review any of its judgments or orders.
• The court has the power to review its rulings to correct a “patent error” and not “minor mistakes of inconsequential import”.
• It is not necessary that only parties to a case can seek a review of the judgment on it. As per the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review.
• As per 1996 rules framed by the Supreme Court, a review petition must be filed within 30 days of the date of judgment or order.

In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court itself laid down three grounds for seeking a review of a verdict it has delivered:

1. The discovery of new and important matter or evidence which, after the exercise of due diligence, was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or could not be produced by him
2. Mistake or error apparent on the face of the record
3. Any other sufficient reason. In subsequent rulings, the court specified that “any sufficient reason” means a reason that is comparable to the other two grounds.

4. STARS PROGRAM

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Education and World Bank organized a one of its kind workshop on School-to-Work Transition under the STARS Program.

EXPLANATION:

Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) Project

• It was approved in October 2020 and it became effective on 23rd February 2021 for a period of five years i.e. up to FY 2024-25.
• It builds on the partnership between India and the World Bank for strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing ‘Education for All’.
• STARS project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.
• The STARS Project is being implemented in six identified States viz. Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala.
• The STARS Program is carved out of Samagra Shiksha, with a focus on those elements of the scheme that will most directly support school education enhancement.

Aims:

• It seeks to support the states in developing, implementing, evaluating and improving interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes and school to work transition strategies for improved labour market outcomes.
• The overall focus and components of the STARS project are aligned with the objectives of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of Quality Based Learning Outcomes.
• The Project envisions improving the overall monitoring and measurement activities in the Indian School Education System through interventions in selected states.
• The project shifts focus from the provision of inputs and maintaining of outputs to actual outcomes by linking the receipt and disbursement of funds to these outcomes.
• The STARS project also aims to focus on initiatives of PM e-Vidya, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission and National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

The STARS Project has two major components:

At the national level, the project envisages the following interventions which will benefit all states and UTs:

• To strengthen MOE’s national data systems to capture robust and authentic data on retention, transition and completion rates of students.
• To support MOE in improving states PGI scores by incentivizing states governance reform agenda through SIG (State Incentive Grants).
• To support the strengthening of learning assessment systems.
• To support MOE’s efforts to establish a National Assessment Center (PARAKH). Among the tasks of such a center would be to leverage the experiences of states selected for the operation by collecting, curating and sharing these experiences with other states through online portals (e.g. Shagun and DIKSHA), social and other media engagement, technical workshops, state visits and conferences.

At the State level, the project envisages:

• Strengthening Early Childhood Education and Foundational Learning
• Improving Learning Assessment Systems
• Strengthening classroom instruction and remediation through teacher development and school leadership
• Governance and Decentralized Management for Improved Service Delivery.
• Strengthening Vocational education in schools through mainstreaming, career guidance and counselling, internships and coverage of out of school children

Some of the measurable outcomes of the project:

• Increase in students achieving minimum proficiency in grade 3 language in selected states
• Improvement in secondary school completion rate
• Improvement in governance index scores
• Strengthened learning assessment systems
• Partnerships developed to facilitate cross-learning between states
• Strengthened school management by training of Head Teachers and Principals for improved education service delivery.

Samagra Shiksha

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2018 under Ministry of Education.
• It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12 has been, therefore, prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.
• It subsumes the three erstwhile Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
• The major objectives of the Scheme:

1. provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students
2. Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education
3. Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions
4. Promoting Vocationalisation of education; Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009
5. Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as a nodal agencies for teacher training.

5. ELECTION AND AIRWAVES

TAGS: GS 2: ELECTIONS

THE CONTEXT: In the recently-concluded Karnataka Assembly elections, political parties were provided free airtime on public broadcasters, All India Radio (Akashvani) and Doordarshan during elections.

EXPLANATION:

• The allotment was available to six recognised national parties Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the National People’s Party (NPP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one recognised State party, the Janata Dal (Secular).
• The parties were allocated a base time of 45 minutes and additional slots based on performance in previous polls.

What is the rationale of the scheme?

• It is available to both national and recognised State parties.
• The facility to provide free airtime for political parties during elections was given statutory basis through the 2003 amendment to the Representation of People Act, 1951.
• The Supreme Court, in its famed judgment (The Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vs Cricket Association of Bengal and ANR, 1995), held that airwaves are public property, and its use should serve the greater public good.

Working of the scheme:

• Time vouchers are distributed by a lottery system by the Election Commission in a transparent process to obviate any preferential treatment in getting primetime slots.
• The transcripts of political parties are vetted to ensure that they adhere to relevant codes.
• These codes proscribe any content which are inter alia critical of other countries, attack religions or other communities or incites violence and personal attacks.
• In case of any disagreements over the content of the script as vetted by the public broadcaster, it is referred to an Apex Committee comprising members from Akashvani and DD whose decision is final.
• The guidelines by the Election Commission of India (ECI) also require that a maximum of two panel discussions are also aired by Akashvani and DD.

Background:

• Since 1998, national and state parties have been getting a minimum of 45 minutes’ airtime each on DD and AIR channels that cover the area where elections are due, and additional time according to their performance in the preceding poll.
• This is spread out in a maximum of 15-minute slots per session and continues for the period between the last day of filing nominations and the end of the campaign. This is paid for by the public exchequer. The time given to parties was doubled before the Assembly polls last year to promote virtual campaigning.
• The regulations on party broadcasts on public frequencies disallow

1. a) Criticism of other countries
2. b) Attack on religions or communities
3. c) Anything obscene or defamatory
4. d) Incitement of violence
5. e) Anything amounting to contempt of court
6. f) Aspersion against the integrity of the President and Judiciary
7. g) Anything affecting the unity, sovereignty and integrity of the Nation
8. h) Any criticism by name of any person.

Comparison around the World:

• Elections being the lifeblood of a democracy, the misuse or abuse of airwaves to gain unfair electoral advantage is a key regulatory apprehension of governments around the world.
• In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the electronic media in the country, devised the fairness doctrine to keep electioneering on the airwaves equitable. The now defunct fairness doctrine placed a positive obligation on broadcasters who carry political content of one candidate on its programme to extend the same to another candidate in the electoral fray.
• In the U.K., political parties are allocated designated slots by Parliament, called the party political broadcasts (PPBs) to convey important political information to the people. The British Communication watchdog, Ofcom, is responsible for ensuring that PPBs are included in every licensed public service television channel and commercial radio services.