Prelims Mantra (Day-38)

Adjournment sine-die:

• • Budget Session, 2025 of Parliament adjourns sine-die.
  • Adjournment sine die means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period.
  • Power of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die lies with presiding officer of House.
  • Powers to Summon and prorogation lies with President.
  • All pending notices (other than those for introducing bills) lapse on prorogation and fresh notices have to be given for next session.

 

President withholds assent to T.N. anti-NEET Bill:

• • President has withheld assent to Tamil Nadu’s Bill seeking to exempt State from National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test for admission to undergraduate medical courses in government medical colleges.
  • When a bill is reserved by governor for consideration of the President, President may either give his assent to bill or withhold his assent to bill or return bill for reconsideration of House or Houses of state legislature.
  • When a bill is so returned, House or Houses have to reconsider it within a period of six months.
  • The bill is presented again to presidential assent after it is passed by House or Houses with or without amendments.
  • It is not mentioned in Constitution whether it is obligatory on the part of president to give his assent to such a bill or not.
  • When a money bill is reserved for consideration of President, president may either give his assent to bill or withhold his assent to bill but cannot return bill for reconsideration of state legislature.

 

Koch-Rajbongshi Community:

• • Assam government to drop cases against Koch-Rajbongshis in Foreigners’ Tribunals.
  • Koch Rajbongshiis an ancient tribe originally from ancient Koch kingdom. Rajbongshi tribe is referred to as Koch Rajbongshi, or Rajbanshi, or Rajvanshi.
  • The word “Rajbongshi” literally means “royal community”.
  • They have a rich cultural heritage and their own language (Rajbongshi/Rajbanshi language).
  • They live in West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and various North Eastern parts of India.
  • A large number of Rajbongshi people now live in North Bengal, West Assam, Meghalaya, Bangladesh and Nepal.
  • They demand separate Kamatapur state consisting of North Bengal and West Assam.
  • They were primarily animist, but later on they followed Hinduism/Sanatana (both Shaiva and Vaishnabhite), A few sections of Rajbongshi pleople were also found to be followers of Christianity.
  • Kamata kingdom appeared in western part of the older Kamarupa kingdom in the 13th century, after fall of Pala dynasty.
  • The rise of the Kamata kingdom marked the end of the ancient period in history of Assam and beginning of medieval period. First rulers were the Khens, who were later displaced by Alauddin Hussain Shah, Turko-Afghan ruler of Bengal.

 

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve:

• • Supreme Court has directed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to conduct an extensive survey of entire tropical forest ecosystems of Agasthyamalai landscape in to identify non forestry activities and encroachments.
  • It lies between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • It includes Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
  • Important river – Tambraparani River
  • Animals – Lion-tailed macaque, Slender loris, Great pied hornbill, Nilgiri Tahr.
  • It is included UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016.
  • Agasthyamala is a 1,868 meter tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • A very rare and special herb/plant named ‘Arogyapacha’, famously known as ‘Plant of Eternal Health’, is a speciality of Agasthyamala.
  • Agastyaarkoodam is natuarally gardened with a special type green herbs, ‘Neelakkurinjui’ which usually blooms once in a 12 year.

 

UPSC PYQ

Q. Which one of the following are Agasthyamala biosphere reserve?

a)    Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney wildlife sanctuaries and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

b)    Mudumalai Sathayamangalam and Wayanad wildlife sanctuaries and Silent Valley National Park

c)    Kaundinya Gundla Bhrameshwaram and Papikonda wildlife sanctuaries and Mukurthi National Park

d)    Kawal and Shree Venkateshwara wildlife sanctuaries; and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve

 

HANSA-3 NG (Next Generation) aircraft:

• • National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) — a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) body — has signed a technology transfer agreement with a private company to manufacture trainer airplanes in India.
  • It is a two-seater aircraft and is the latest iteration of the HANSA planes that have been made by NAL since 1998.
  • The company, Pioneer Clean AMPS Pvt Limited, is expected to set up manufacturing facilities as well as handle marketing, servicing and after-sales.
  • HANSA-NG is powered by a Rotax Digital Control Engine with features such as a composite light weight airframe, a glass cockpit, a bubble canopy with wide panoramic view, and electrically operated flaps.

 

Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, 1997 (Ottawa Convention):

• • NATO members Poland, Finland and all three Baltic states have decided to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, in the face of what they say are growing military threats from Russia.
  • It is an international agreement that aims to eliminate the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
  • It entered into force on 1st March 1999.
  • It does not cover anti-vehicle mines.
  • Today it has 164 States parties.
  • US, China, India and Israel — has not signed or ratified the treaty.

 

NAVAL EXERCISE INDRA-2025:

• • 14th edition of bilateral Naval Exercise INDRA 2025 between Indian and Russian navies was held from 28 Mar to 02 Apr 2025, off the coast of Chennai and in the Bay of Bengal.
  • It is conducted since 2003.

 

Vibrant Villages Programme -II (VVP-II):

• • Union Cabinet approved the Vibrant Villages Programme -II (VVP-II) as a Central Sector Scheme (100% Centre funding) for financial years 2024-25 to 2028-29.
  • Programme would help in the comprehensive development of the villages located in the blocks abutting international land borders (ILBs), other than the Northern border already covered under VVP-I.
  • Programme shall provide funds for infrastructure development within village or a cluster of villages, value chain development (through cooperatives, SHGs, etc), border specific outreach activity, education infrastructure like SMART classes, development of tourism circuits and works/projects to create diverse & sustainable livelihood opportunities in the border areas.
  • Interventions would be border-specific, state and village specific, based on Village Action Plans prepared in a collaborative approach.

 

List of Initiatives at 6^th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok:

1. Establishment of BIMSTEC Chamber of Commerce.

2. Organization of BIMSTEC Business Summit every year.

3. Establishing the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Disaster Management in India 

4. Fourth joint exercises between BIMSTEC Disaster Management Authorities to be held in India this year.

5. “BODHI”, i.e., “BIMSTEC for Organised Development of Human resource Infrastructure” initiative. Under this, 300 youth from BIMSTEC countries will be trained in India every year.

6. Establishment of Centre of Excellence for research and dissemination in traditional medicine.

7. BIMSTEC Energy Centre in Bengaluru has started working.

8. BIMSTEC Young Leaders’ Summit to be held this year.

9. Holding ‘BIMSTEC Athletics Meet’ in India this year.

10. Hosting the first BIMSTEC Games in 2027.

11. BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival to be held in India this year.

12. Establishment of Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre in India.

 

PRACTICE MCQs

 

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. Adjournment sine die means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period.

2. The power of adjournment sine die lies with the President.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B

 

Q2. Consider the following statements about Vibrant Villages Programme -II program:

1. It is the Central Sector Scheme.

2. It will be implemented for financial years 2024-25 to 2028-29.

3. It aims for comprehensive development of the villages located in along the northern international border of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 3 only

Answer: B

 

Q3. Consider the following statements about Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve:

1. It is situated between Kerala and Tamil Nadu states.

2. Tambraparani River flows through it.

3. It was included in UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

4. A very rare and special herb/plant named ‘Arogyapacha’ is found in this Reserve.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 3 only

b) 1, 2 and 3 only

c) 2, 3 and 4 only

d) All of them

Answer: D

 

Q4. Ottawa Convention 1997 is related to –

a) Eliminate the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.

b) Eliminate discrimination at workplace based on gender.

c) Eliminate the use of biochemical weapons.

d) Reducing the stockpile of nuclear warheads.

Answer: A

 

Q5. Which of the following statements is incorrect when a state bill is reserved for consideration of the President?

a) President may either give his assent to bill or withhold his assent to bill or return bill for reconsideration of state legislature.

b) When a bill is so returned, state legislature must reconsider it within a period of six months.

c) It is obligatory on the part of president to give his assent to such a bill after reconsideration and passage of bill by state legislature.

d) When a money bill is reserved for consideration of President, president may either give his assent to bill or withhold his assent to bill but cannot return bill for reconsideration of state legislature.

Answer: C

 

 

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