UPSC Key—18 September, 2023: PM Vishwakarma Scheme, Group of 77, Santiniketan and UNESCO world heritage list

H-1B visa indentured servitude, want to end it: Ramaswamy

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Calling the H-1B visa programme “indentured servitude”, Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to “gut” the lottery-based system and replace it with meritocratic admission if he wins the race to the White House in 2024.
The H-1B visa, the much-sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

• What are H-1B work visas?

• “The lottery system needs to be replaced by actual meritocratic admission”-What was the lottery system for selection of H-1B and other work visas?

• What is indentured servitude?

• What is the difference between indentured servitude and slavery?

• What is an example of indentured servitude?

• How has H-1B changed over time?

• Do You Know-In 1952, after the US started expanding its presence in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, it felt the need to hire quality workers who could help the country achieve innovation in these areas at reasonable costs. This need to hire workers paved way for the introduction of the H-1 work visa system.
This work visa system was further subdivided into H-1B, H-2B, L1, O1, and E1 visas, depending on the qualification required and the area for which workers were sought. Of these, the H-1B visa remains the most popular due to the relatively better wage chance it offers.
The arrival of internet and low-cost computers in homes and universities of developing nations such as India, China, and Pakistan saw a large number of students graduating in disciplines related to computer science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Lack of jobs in their home countries, on the other hand, meant that the STEM graduates were willing to work in the US at relatively low costs, which proved to be a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee, thereby making the H-1B work visas the most popular.
The H-1B work visa system has since undergone many changes and revisions to allow or disallow certain categories of skilled workers in the US, depending on the economic situation of the country. Of late, however, it has also been often been criticised for sending low-cost workers to the US at the expense of domestic workers.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What are H-1B visas and what are the new wage-based rules?

Brazil’s Lula rekindles ties with Cuba

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.

• General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with his Cuban counterpart Saturday in Havana, signalling a revitalization of ties between the two countries in the first trip by a Brazilian president to the Caribbean nation in nine years.

• Summit of the Group of 77-Know in detail

• What is the G-77?

• Do You Know-The Group was created in 1964 by the members of the Non-Aligned Movement, at the end of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and with the aim of providing the means to articulate, agree and defend the international economic interests of the countries of the South, as well as to strengthen the capacity of their joint negotiation within the United Nations and promote South-South cooperation for development. Initially, 77 member countries signed the Algerian Charter during the first ministerial meeting of the Group, which gave it an institutional structure. However, the Group has been strengthened as a conciliation mechanism that brings together most developing countries. Today, it is the largest and most diverse consensus group in the multilateral sphere, with 134 member states representing two-thirds of the United Nations membership, 80% of the world’s population and about 50% of the world economy. China, which joined in 1992, participates and collaborates externally.
The Havana Summit concluded its activities on Saturday and was classified as a great success based on the participation, the points reached for the benefit of the global south and the broad consensus reflected in the final declaration.
The event was attended by more than 1300 participants from 116 countries and 12 organizations, agencies and programs of the United Nations system. Highlighted the participation of 31 Heads of State and Government, 12 vice-presidents, a large number of ministers and many other high dignitaries.
The meeting reflected, of course, the aspirations and interests of the member countries, and as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed in his speech at the UN Summit, they have suffered “centuries of injustice and neglect”. Guterres stably acknowledged: “The conclusion is clear, he said, the world is failing developing countries.”
The current challenges facing the countries of the South to achieve their development are associated with a global political and economic order inherited in its design and main objectives according to the interests of the industrialized powers, that in the past were the same colonial or neocolonial metropolises. All of which causes an imbalance and increasing inequalities, to which are added the current challenges of climate change.

• Where is the headquarters of Group 77?

• How many countries are in G-77?

• Map Work-Member countries of G77

• Is India in G-77 countries?

• How is the relationship between US and Cuba?

• What are the reasons both past and present for Strained Relationship between US and Cuba?

• Map Work-Cuba

• Cuban missile crisis, October 1962-How it started?

• Why Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 is known as an important precursor of the Cuban missile crisis?

• How did Cuban missile crisis ended?

• What were the consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

• How Cuban Missile Crisis further escalated cold war between USA and USSR?

• What was India’s position during Cuban Missile Crisis and cold war era?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Cuban missile crisis

📍The Global South meets in Havana at the Summit of the Group 77 and China

FRONT PAGE

Special session: Move to new Parliament building tomorrow, Govt lists eight Bills

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- On the eve of the five-day special session of Parliament which begins on Monday, the government announced that House proceedings would move to the new Parliament building on Tuesday, and said eight Bills have been listed for consideration and passage.

• What is special session of Parliament?

• When does Parliament meet?

• What is ‘session’ of the Parliament?

• Who summons each House of Parliament to meet?

• There are usually three parliament sessions in a year, what are they?

• The government has convened a special session of Parliament for five days between 18-22 September 2023-why?

• What does the Constitution say?

• How often do Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha meet?

• For Your Information-The Constitution does not use the term “special session”. The term sometimes refers to sessions the government has convened for specific occasions, like commemorating parliamentary or national milestones.
For the two Houses to be in session, the presiding officers should chair their proceedings. The presiding officers can also direct that the proceedings of their respective Houses would be limited and procedural devices like question hour would not be available to MPs during the session.
However, Article 352 (Proclamation of Emergency) of the Constitution does refer to a “special sitting of the House”.
Parliament added the part relating to the special sitting through the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978. Its purpose was to add safeguards to the power of proclaiming Emergency in the country. It specifies that if a Proclamation of Emergency is issued and Parliament is not in session, then one-tenth of Lok Sabha MPs can ask the President to convene a special meeting to disapprove the Emergency.

• Eight Bills have been listed for consideration and passage-what are those bills?

• For Your Information- While it was earlier reported that the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, introduced during the Monsoon Session in the Lok Sabha would be taken up, it was missing from the list circulated by the government at the all-party meeting convened by the government on Sunday (September 17). It is also being speculated that a Bill on Parliament having women’s reservations might be introduced. Here is a brief look at what these Bills say.
1. The Advocates (Amendment) Bill: Introduced by Ministry of Law and Justice. The Bill was introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha in August this year and is now pending in Lok Sabha. It talks about repealing certain sections under the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 and amending the Advocates Act, 1961. “In keeping with the Government’s policy of repealing all obsolete laws or pre-independence Acts which have lost their utility, the Government of India in consultation with the Bar Council of India has decided to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 and to amend the Advocates Act, 1961 by incorporating the provisions of section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 in the Advocates Act, 1961 so as to reduce the number of superfluous enactments in the statute book,” states the accompanying statement of objects and reasons. “This would also help to regulate the legal profession by a single Act, the Advocates Act, 1961,” it says.
2. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill: Introduced by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It was introduced and passed by the Rajya Sabha in August 2023 and is pending in the Lok Sabha. According to the government, the Bill aims to repeal and reenact the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867. This is proposed for introducing a new Bill that can provide for — “(i) ease of doing business; (ii) removing unnecessary procedural obstacles for publishers; and (iii) unburdening the owners of printing presses and publishers from the onerous task of furnishing declaration before the District Magistrate and filing of revised declaration every time there were any changes in its particulars.” It talks about making the process of allotment of titles and registration of periodicals simple and simultaneous, through a completely online system, which would be fast-tracked by the Press Registrar General to ease the process for starting periodicals.
3. The Post Office Bill: Introduced by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August and is pending in both Houses. It seeks to consolidate and amend the law relating to Post Offices in India. It said of the Indian Post Office Act, 1898: “This Act primarily addresses mail services provided through the Post Office. Over the years, services available through the Post Office have diversified beyond mails and the Post Office network has become a vehicle for delivery of a variety of citizen centric services which necessitated the repeal of the said Act and enactment of new law in its place.” Further, it mentions the grounds under which the Central Government can intercept, open or detain delivery items. These include the interests of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, emergency, or public safety. It also speaks of the appointment of a Director General of Postal Services and their powers.
4. Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023: Introduced by Ministry of Law and Justice. Passed in the Lok Sabha in July, it is now pending in the Rajya Sabha. This Bill repeals certain enactments that are now considered obsolete and also makes an amendment to the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011. It also repeals Appropriation Acts from 2013 to 2017 that related to the withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India.

• What about the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023?

• The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023-Know key provisions of the bill

• Why Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 is in news these days?

• “There is allegation that the proposed bill seeks to downgrade the service conditions of the three election commissioners and, consequently, threatens to erode their authority”-how far you agree?

• For Your Information-Listed for discussion on September 18, the Bill proposes to revise the salary, allowance, and service conditions of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the two Election Commissioners, to bring it at par with those of a Cabinet Secretary.
Until now, Election Commissioners were at par with Supreme Court judges in this regard, under the Election Commission Act, of 1991. However, the Bill’s passage will result in the 1991 Act’s repeal. Although the stipulated salary of a Supreme Court judge and the Cabinet Secretary is nearly the same, top court judges are entitled to additional post-retirement benefits, including domestic help and lifetime provision of drivers. But the issue is that this move seeks to bring Election Commissioners under the ambit of the bureaucracy, which in turn could stifle their authority and independence. The EC’s primary task is that of superintendence, direction, and control of elections, as laid down under Article 324. However, this control of elections is likely to shift if the Election Commissioner, who will now be equivalent to the rank of a Cabinet Secretary tries to discipline a Union Minister for electoral violations. Similarly, the proviso to Article 324 (5) of the Constitution says that a CEC can only be removed in a manner similar to that of a SC judge. The reason behind the EC’s independence and equivalence to SC judges was so that it could freely and fairly decide cases involving the government, the Prime Minister, and Ministers.
Additionally, this Bill seeks to constitute a committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM to select members of the Election Commission of India.
Notably, this committee will not have the Chief Justice of India as a member, contrary to the top court’s suggestion in a ruling delivered in March this year.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Special session of Parliament: How it will work
📍Bill to downgrade Election Commissioners’ status: What it says — and how it can affect their autonomy
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍With reference to the Constitution of India, prohibitions or limitations or provisions contained in ordinary laws cannot act as prohibitions or limitations on the constitutional powers under Article 142. It could mean which one of the following? (UPSC GS1, 2019)
(a) The decisions taken by the Election Commission of India while discharging its duties cannot be challenged in any court of law.
(b) The Supreme Court of India is not constrained in the exercise of its powers by laws made by the Parliament.
(c) In the event of a grave financial crisis in the country, the President of India can declare a Financial Emergency without the counsel from the Cabinet.
(d) State Legislatures cannot make laws on certain matters without the concurrence of the Union Legislature.
📍Consider the following statements (UPSC GS1, 2017)
1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.
2. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 3 only
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India? (UPSC GS2, 2018)

PM launches scheme to support traditional artisans: Training, guarantee-free loans

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Stating it was the need of the hour that ‘Vishwakarmas’ are recognised and supported, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the PM Vishwakarma Scheme for providing collateral-free loans and skills training to 18 categories of traditional artisans and craftspersons.

• What is PM Vishwakarma Scheme?

• For Your Information-The PM Vishwakarma Scheme will allow artisans to attend a five-day skilling workshop, a voucher to buy toolkits, and the provision for guarantee-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh. Present for the launch alongside PM Modi were Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, MSME Minister Narayan Rane and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Under the MSME Ministry, the PM Vishwakarma scheme is aimed at 18 categories of artisans and craftspeople like carpenters, boat makers, blacksmiths, potters, stone sculptors, weavers, and garland makers. For the skills development component, the scheme will host a 5-day training workshop for beneficiaries with a daily stipend of Rs 500. It will also provide them with a voucher of Rs 15,000 to buy toolkits necessary for their craft. Under the financial assistance component of the scheme, beneficiaries would first be eligible for an interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh, which they would have to repay within 18 months. Upon repayment, they would qualify for a second tranche of loan worth Rs 2 lakh at an interest rate of 5 per cent. Finance minister Sitharaman added that beneficiaries would also get a subsidy of up to 8 per cent of the interest amount. She added that the verification of beneficiaries would be done at three levels, which are the gram panchayat, district collector, and state levels. “There will be committees identifying these people and making the final list of beneficiaries,” she said. Furthermore, the financial assistance component of the PM Vishwakarma scheme is guarantee-free. “When banks don’t ask for your guarantee, that is because Modi gives the guarantee,” the prime minister said. Under the scheme, a concessional rate of interest of 5 per cent will be charged from the beneficiary with an interest subvention cap of 8 per cent to be paid by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the Centre. The scheme is expected to benefit about 30 lakh families of traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers.
The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the “guru-shishya parampara” (teacher-pupil tradition) or family-based practice of traditional skills by artisans and craftspeople working with their hands and tools, the government had said in a statement. Under PM Vishwakarma scheme, the artisans and craftspeople will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, Credit Support up to Rs 1 lakh (first tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent. The scheme will further provide skill upgradation, toolkit incentives, digital transactions and marketing support.

• Know the key highlights of Scheme

• “India’s current global share of conference tourism is only 1 per cent and international exhibition centres like Yashobhoomi and

Bharat Mandapam will increase that share”-What is conference tourism and why is it so important?

• What is ‘vocal for local’?

• ‘One District, One Product’ scheme-know key features

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is the Vishwakarma scheme, launched for those engaged in traditional crafts and skills

Santiniketan on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination:

• General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

• General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S Santiniketan, the university town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, has been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. This was announced by the international agency on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee is being held till September 25.

• Map Work-Santiniketan

• Why Santiniketan is on UNESCO’s world heritage list?

• Do You Know-Santiniketan becomes the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the third in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways. Last year, the state’s Durga Puja got space in “Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity” under UNESCO.
There had been repeated efforts in the past to secure the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site for Santiniketan, especially in the run-up to Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary in 2010. Established in 1901 by the Nobel Laureate, Santiniketan was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries. A ‘world university’ – Visva Bharati – was established at Santiniketan in 1921.
According to the nomination dossier submitted by India, which is essentially a document submitted to justify why the specific nomination is fit for inscription on the list, “Santiniketan is directly and tangibly associated with the life, works and vision of Rabindranath Tagore and the pioneers of the Bengal School of Art. It exhibits the crystallisation of their ideas of internationalism, humanism, inclusiveness, environmentalism and a pan Asian modernism.”
The dossier called it “an outstanding example of an avant-garde enclave of intellectuals, educators, artists, craftspeople and workers who collaborated and experimented – free from the established European colonial paradigms – to espouse a unique architectural language and herald a new modernism in art, architecture, landscape, product design and town planning”.
It also drew parallels for Santiniketan with other art movements of universal value, such as Bauhaus, the German art school, and the Mingei in Japan. “Founded in the same year as the Bauhaus, Kala Bhavan at Santiniketan embodies an alternative modernity and an internationalism in stark contrast to the austere puritanism of the former… Unlike the absolute functionalism advocated by the Bauhaus, Santiniketan’s arts school espoused a romantic humanism that was eclectic and playful… it represents a strand of design enquiry parallel to other turn of the century movements like the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, the Mingei in Japan and the Vienna Secession in Austria,” the dossier said.

• What do you know about Rabindranath Tagore?

• Rabindranath Tagore’s idea of Nationalism-what was that?

• Rabindranath Tagore’s Idea of Nationalism vs Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Nationalism-compare and contrast

• What is World Heritage Site?

• Know about United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• How is a World Heritage Site selected?

• What are the criteria for determining outstanding universal value?

• What is the role of UNESCO in protecting the World Heritage?

• Why should we protect World Heritage Sites in India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: How UNESCO grants World Heritage Site tag

EXPRESS NETWORK

LS is ageing, asking fewer questions, passing fewer Bills

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- FEWER younger MPs than in the early years of Parliament, more women voters but only a partial increase in women representation in the House, fewer sittings and fewer Bills, but an increase in the number of ordinances passed. With the five-day special session of Parliament beginning September 18 set to discuss “Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings”, here is a look at how that looks like.

• The number of parliamentarians aged 35 and below in the Lok Sabha has dwindled to a record low-Why?

• “The number of women candidates has also risen, from just 45 in the 1957 Lok Sabha elections (the second) to 726 in 2019. However, their share in the Lok Sabha ranks remains low”-Analyse

• Do You Know-Documents available on the Lok Sabha portal show that while this number stood at 82 in the First Lok Sabha (still the highest ever), it is 21 in the ongoing 17th Lok Sabha. Their number has fallen by a fourth despite the total number of seats in the Lower House increasing from 499 to 545 during this period, and despite the rising youth population in the country.
Women’s turnout has been steadily increasing since 1962, the earliest year for which data is available. That year, 62% of the male voters and 46.6% of the women electors turned out to vote; by the time of the 2019 polls, women had left men behind, at 67.2% voting compared to 67%.
Correspondingly, the number of women candidates has also risen, from just 45 in the 1957 Lok Sabha elections (the second) to 726 in 2019. However, their share in the Lok Sabha ranks remains low. In the first Lok Sabha (1951), there were 22 women MPs, 4.41% of the total 489. In 1957, 27 women got elected out of 494 total. The figure of 78 elected in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is the highest ever, but it is still only 14.36% of the total.
Between 1952 and 1974, the Lok Sabha met for over 100 days a year each. Since then, the Lower House has not crossed the100-day annual threshold except in 1978, 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1988. The maximum number of days the Lok Sabha met in a year was in 1956, when it held 151 sittings; while its lowest was in Covid year 2020, when it met for 33 days.
The Rajya Sabha also saw its lowest number of sittings (33days) in 2020, and the highest (113 days) in 1956. For the Lok Sabha, the average number of minutes per day of sitting have also come down from 335 during the first Lok Sabha (1952-1957) to 314 in 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009). Comparable data for 2019-2023 is not available.
As per 60 Years of Lok Sabha, published by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the time spent by the House on questions has seen a decline. While the First Lok Sabha (1952-57) spent 15% — 551 hours and 51 minutes of its total time of 3,783 hours and 54minutes — on questions and answers, the figure fell to 11.42% during the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009). Comparable data is not available for the 15th, 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas.

• The 17th Lok Sabha is on course to becoming the first to not have a Deputy Speaker-why?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Parliament special session: Very few instances of Question Hour being scrapped

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Invisible women of science

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies I: Role of women and women’s organization

• General Studies III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Nandita Jayaraj, Aashima Dogra Writes: A Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is known to be a significant boost not just to the scientific career of the winner, but also to the profile of their institution. But there’s another thing that the prize is known for: Its consistent failure to recognise women scientists.

• The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards is an esteemed accolade that acknowledges which aspects?

• Sir Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar-Know his legacy

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar-Connect the dots

• “This week, the latest set of winners was announced and for the second time in a row, CSIR could not find a single woman scientist who had made a sufficiently “outstanding contribution to science and technology”-Analyse

• “Women make up around 14 per cent of India’s working scientists. While this figure is concerning, it renders the argument “there aren’t enough women” moot”-Discuss the statement in light of recent Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards

• “The Nobel Prizes have a similarly pathetic gender ratio”-Comment

• “The answer to why so few women win awards usually lies in the selection process, and in this case, it is completely opaque”-How far you agree?

• Women’s underrepresentation in science-discuss

• What are challenges faced by women scientists in India?

• Do You Know-Recent data from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) showed women made up 28% of participants in 2018-19 in extramural Research and Development (R&D) projects, up from 13% in 2000-01. The proportion of women primary investigators in R&D increased more than four times — from 232 in 2000-01 to 941 in 2016-17. The proportion of women researchers rose from 13.9% in 2015 to 18.7% in 2018.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India’s women in science, and their struggle

THE IDEAS PAGE

A time for South-South learning

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interest.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Ashok Gulati and Shyma Jose writes: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his entire team deserve compliments for the grand success of India’s G20 presidency. In particular, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant should be applauded for their months of hard work in achieving a consensus on the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.

• “India’s G20 presidency will be remembered as a catalyst in reshaping the mindset of developed nations and integrating the aspirations of the Global South, particularly Africa, into the mainstream”-Elaborate

• “African Union in G20, acknowledges the significance and potential of Africa as a vital partner in global development and stability”-Discuss India-Africa bilateral relations in the backdrop of the given statement.

• “Unfortunately, are home to nearly 69.4 per cent (503 million) of the world’s undernourished people in 2020-22. These regions together account for 67.0 per cent and 75.8 per cent of the world’s children under five afflicted with the malnutrition problems of stunting and wasting”-Comment

• How can Global South steer the world toward food and nutritional security in the face of climate change?

• Keeping international borders open for agricultural trade is the need of the hour-why?

• “Developed countries must commit to providing $100 billion for the loss and damage caused by climate change”-Analyse

• “The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with its Harvest-Plus programme, and the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) have developed new varieties of nutrient-rich staple food crops – these include iron and zinc bio-fortified pearl millet, zinc-bio fortified rice and wheat, and iron bio-fortified beans”-Know more in detail

• “Access to nutritious food alone cannot address the multi-dimensional problem of undernutrition in these regions. They require targeted and multi-pronged strategies to accelerate nutritional security”-Discuss Government of India’s initiative in this regard

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Express View on G20 and Global South: Right place, right time

A spotty report card

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Ravi Chellam Writes: Sunday marked the first anniversary of the arrival of eight African cheetahs from Namibia in Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh. The Action Plan for the Introduction of Cheetahs in India states, “On arrival to India, cheetahs would be quarantined for the required period in a predator-proof enclosure at the site of release and monitored for the manifestation of any sickness as per the regulation of import of live animals under the Livestock-Importation Act, 1898.” The prescribed quarantine period is 30 days.

• The Reintroduction of the Cheetah in India is the first such trans-continental project which is taking off-Know how Reintroduction of the cheetah in India plan is executed?

• What is the Reintroduction of the cheetah in India plan?

• Cheetah in India- Background

• Extinction of Cheetah from Indian Landscape-know the reasons

• Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India-Important Highlights

• What Critics of Project Cheetah Says?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The 360° UPSC Debate: Project Cheetah — Is it problematic, or is it too early to judge?

EXPLAINED

New Parliament’s gates, and their guardians

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- On Sunday morning, days ahead of the new Parliament building holding its first session, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar hoisted the national flag at the Gaja Dwar of the building.

• Why New Parliament Building?

• How New Parliament Building is different from old Parliament Building?

• India’s present Parliament House is a colonial-era building designed by whom?

• New Parliament Building-what are its features

• What is the architecture style of new Parliament?

• What is the significance of the Gaja Dwar, and what are the other dwars or entrances, in the new Parliament building?

• Do You Know-The new Parliament has six entrances, each signifying a different role. As per a government note on the Parliament art project, the sculpture of an elephant or Gaja has been installed to guard the entrance to the north, since the animal represents wisdom and wealth, intellect, and memory, and also embodies the aspirations of the elected representatives of the democracy.
According to Vastu shastra, the northern direction is associated with planet Mercury, which is the source of higher intellect. The Lord of the direction is Kubera, the god of wealth. Therefore, the Gaja is placed to the north. In fact, in the New Parliament Building, red sandstone sculptures of auspicious animals have been installed as ‘guardian statues’ on all the six entrances based on their importance in Indian culture, their aesthetic appearance, positive qualities, and the study of Vaastu Shastra, as per officials. The others are:
Asva: Asva or the horse standing alert and ready at the southern entrance is symbolic of endurance and strength, power, and speed, also describing the quality of governance.
Garuda: The eagle-like Garuda stands at the eastern ceremonial entrance, signifying the aspirations of the people and the administrators of the country. In Vastu shastra, officials say, the eastern direction is associated with the rising sun representing hope, the glory of victory, and success.
Makara: A mythological aquatic creature, the Makara combines the bodily parts of different animals, representing, unity in diversity among the people of the country.
Shardula: Another mythological creature, Shardula is said to be the most powerful, foremost of all living beings, symbolising the power of the people of the country.
Hamsa: The most important quality of the people of a democracy is the power of discernment and self-realisation born of wisdom. Reminding the people of this essential feature is the Hamsa, or swan, at the public entrance to the north east, as per the plan.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Ringing in the new, letting the Light in

📍The new Parliament will give new energy and new strength to the world’s largest democracy

Why Nipah virus keeps returning to Kerala, how its symptoms have changed

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The zoonotic virus Nipah, which claimed 17 lives in 2018 when Kerala witnessed its first outbreak, has returned to the state for the fourth time in the last five years. Six cases have so far been detected in 2023, all in the north Kerala district of Kozhikode.On both occasions, it was Dr A S Anoop Kumar, an expert on infectious diseases and tropical fevers, who was instrumental in detecting the virus, leading to timely containment of the outbreak. Dr Anoop, Director, Critical Care, of Aster MIMS Hospital’s North Kerala Cluster, had also served as a member of the state government’s expert advisory panel on Covid-19 management.

• Why does Kerala, particularly Kozhikode, see repeated infections of Nipah?

• Could the higher cases be the result of fruit bats in Kerala being a reservoir of the virus?

• Why is Kerala ‘suspecting’ more cases?

• After outbreaks in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, we haven’t heard anything from that state-why?

• Clinically, how are the Nipah symptoms in 2018 different from 2023 outbreak?

• How Nipah virus was detected for the first time?

• Over the last five years since the first outbreak, how far has the system in Kerala evolved to take on the virus?

• By now, do we have enough research material on Nipah?

• To what extent are monoclonal antibody therapies effective in treating Nipah patients?

• Is Nipah virus seasonal?

• What areas do we need to focus on to prevent future outbreaks?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Nipah cases reported in Kerala: What makes this virus deadly

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
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