Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for April 4, 2023. If you missed the April 3, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here FRONT PAGE ‘After pandemic, poverty kept falling every quarter from July-Sept 2020’ Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Mains Examination: • General Studies II: Issues relating to poverty and hunger • General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- CONTRARY TO widespread claims of a large rise in poverty in both rural and urban India post the Covid-19 pandemic, a new paper authored by former Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and Vishal More, Founder of New Delhi-based research and consulting organisation Intelink Advisors, has said that rural poverty as a percentage of total rural population declined continuously every quarter beginning July-September 2020. • What exactly is there in the paper authored by former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya? • How is the poverty line determined in India? • How Poverty is defined in India? • How poverty is defined by different international institutions? • What has the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) stated about India’s poverty levels? • Classifications of poverty-Know in Detail (Hint: Absolute and Relative) • Do you Know-As per the data given in the paper, urban poverty increased to 20.2 per cent of the total urban population during April-June 2020 from 19 per cent during the same quarter a year ago and 16.3 per cent in the preceding quarter (January-March 2020). It continued to remain higher in the following three quarters—July-September 2020 (21.9 per cent), October-December 2020 (20.4 per cent) and January-March 2021 (21.5 per cent)— compared with the corresponding quarters of the previous year. However, urban poverty declined to 19.7 per cent in April-June 2021. • India has a long history of studies on the measurement of poverty-Do you know what those are? • Pre-Independence Poverty Estimation vs Post- Independence Poverty Estimation-What changed? • The erstwhile Planning Commission formed a number of expert groups to determine the number of people living in poverty in India. Do you remember any of those? • When was the poverty line in India quantified for the first time ? • Working Group (1962), Task Force headed by Dr. Y. K. Alagh (1979), Lakdawala Expert Group (1993) Tendulkar Expert Group (2009) and Rangarajan Committee (2014)-Know the key highlights • ‘Poverty line estimation in India has been based on the consumption expenditure and not on the income levels’-Why? • What do you understand by the term ‘head-count ratio’? • What do understand by Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) and Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE)? • Poverty Alleviation Programs in India by Government of India • Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)-Key Features • For Your Information-According to the paper, nationwide poverty increased only in one quarter i.e., April-June 2020. It rose to 31.7 per cent of the country’s total population during April-June 2020 as compared with 30 per cent in the same quarter a year ago and 28.2 per cent in the preceding quarter (January-March 2020). It witnessed a decline from July-September 2020 (30.1 per cent) onwards to 24.3 per cent in April-June 2021. The paper’s finding that the decline in urban poverty resumed from April-June 2021 stands at odds with the devastation caused by the Delta wave of Covid-19 during the first quarter of financial year 2021-22. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Poverty is down, period Previous Year UPSC Prelims Covering Similar Theme: 📍In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some states than in others because (Please refer GS1 Paper 2019) (a) poverty rates vary from State to State (b) price levels vary from State to State (c) Gross State Product varies from State to State (d) quality of public distribution varies from State to State 📍The main objective of the 12th Five-Year Plan is (Please refer GS1 Paper 2014) (a) inclusive growth and poverty reductions (b) inclusive and sustainable growth (c) sustainable and inclusive growth to reduce unemployment (d) faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth. Corrupt tarnish image. don’t stop, spare no one: PM to CBI Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-AMID CRITICISM from the Opposition over alleged misuse of central probe agencies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that those who benefited from corruption for decades have created an ecosystem, which targets investigative agencies. But the agencies should not be deterred by it and focus on their work, he said. • Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-Organisation, Role and Functions • What Santhanam Committee said on Prevention of Corruption? • What is Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946? • The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) draws its power from which act/statute? • Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-Connect the dots • Is CBI constitutional or non-constitutional or statutory body? • ‘From the “caged parrot” to a “jamai” (son-in-law) trinity (the other two being Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate), the Central Bureau of Investigation, the country’s premier anti-corruption agency, has acquired many an epithet for its reputation of acting at the behest of who pulls its political strings at the Centre’-Analyse role of CBI • Issues and Challenges associated with CBI-Brainstorm • How Director of CBI is Appointed? • According to former Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana “CBI had gone from being the people’s most trusted to the subject of deep public scrutiny”-discuss the transition of CBI • However, citizens continue to believe in CBI, as citizens frequently request CBI investigations. What are your thoughts when the word “CBI” comes to your mind? • What was the landmark 1997 Vineet Narain judgment of the Supreme Court (Vineet Narain & Others vs Union Of India & Anr)? • The tenure of the CBI Director at two years is fixed-True or false? • SC’s Famed ‘Caged Parrot’ Remark-why CBI was remarked as ‘Caged Parrot’? • CBI-a credible institution or Still a Caged Parrot? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The CBI’s uneasy history GOVT & POLITICS Largest contingent of women without men to perform Haj Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement. 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: 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-This year India will send the largest contingent of women pilgrims travelling without male companion (Ladies without Mehram) for Haj, revealed the Ministry of Minority Affairs on Monday. Ministry officials revealed that applications of as many as 4,314 LWMs (Ladies without Mehram) have been approved for Haj from India for 2023. • What is the purpose of the Hajj? • What is the significance of Hajj (holy pilgrimage) in Islam? • Map Work-Mecca and Medina • What is the history of the Hajj? • Prophet Muhammad and Mecca and Medina-Connect the dots • Why is the Kaaba so important to Muslims? • What are the rituals performed during the Hajj? • Recently, the Centre has done away with the discretionary Hajj quota for pilgrims-Why? • India’s distribution of Haj slots for pilgrims-What is that? • What are the hajj discretionary quotas? • Ladies to do Hajj without Mahram-why this is significant? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The hajj pilgrimage and its significance in Islam 📍Centre to end discretionary Haj quota: What is it, and how does it work? THE EDITORIAL PAGE Reform defamation law Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Mains Examination: • General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. • General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-Apar Gupta writes: What if speaking out can lead to imprisonment? Let us be honest. This thought has crossed many minds since the conviction of Rahul Gandhi by a criminal court in Surat for the offence of defamation. Critics might summarily dismiss such a concern, reasoning that the case is coloured by political interests and ordinary Indians are not likely to be convicted for defamation. But fear exists and Rahul Gandhi’s conviction has increased people’s worries. • What is the defamation case against Gandhi? • What did the Surat Court rule? • What exactly court said? • What Is Defamation? • Do You Know-A recent report by Common Cause and Lokniti-CSDS, based on a state-level survey, reveals, “nearly two out of three respondents are scared to post their political or social opinions for fear of legal action”. Today, Indians seem to have an intuitive understanding of the risks of voicing their opinions – they fear the letter of the law, in all its severity, will be weaponised against them and used as a tool to restrict their fundamental rights. • What Law in India says about defamation? • What is reputation in defamation? • What is Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860? • For Your Information-At present, the criminal offence of defamation is contained under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the civil law that provides for damages and injunctive relief. On May 13, 2016, a legal challenge to criminal defamation failed with the Supreme Court expressing its anxiety about maintaining the standing of individuals. It held that, “the right to reputation is no less important a right than the right to freedom of speech”. This legal reasoning had the effect of changing the relationship between defamation and the right to freedom of speech — from an exception to the right to freedom of speech, defamation became a competing right. • The Protection of Speech and Reputation Bill (“Speech Bill”) that was introduced on March 10, 2017-What is the present status of this bill? • What were the provisions and key highlights of the Speech bill? • ‘The right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution shall also include the right to reputation of a person’-Discuss • Do you think that the right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) contradicts the right to “reputation” under Article 21? • What does the Representation of the People Act of 1951 say? • What is Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951? • For Your Information-Section 8(4) of the RPA said that the disqualification takes effect only “after three months have elapsed” from the date of conviction. Within that period, the convicted lawmaker could have filed an appeal against the sentence before a higher court. However, this provision was struck down as “unconstitutional” in the Supreme Court’s landmark 2013 ruling in ‘Lily Thomas v Union of India’. • Supreme Court’s landmark 2013 ruling in ‘Lily Thomas v Union of India’-what was that? • Rahul Gandhi’s case and Lily Thomas v Union of India-Connect the dots • Why was Gandhi disqualified? • Do You Know-Disqualification of a lawmaker is prescribed in three situations. First is through the Articles 102(1) and 191(1) for disqualification of a member of Parliament and a member of the Legislative Assembly respectively. The grounds here include holding an office of profit, being of unsound mind or insolvent or not having valid citizenship. The second prescription of disqualification is in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for the disqualification of the members on grounds of defection. The third prescription is under The Representation of The People Act (RPA), 1951. This law provides for disqualification for conviction in criminal cases. • Suspension of MPs vs Disqualification of MPs-Know the difference Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍After Rahul’s conviction 📍What is SC’s Lily Thomas verdict, which impacts Rahul Gandhi case EXPLAINED Sales tax and actors’ copyright: Questions in Anushka case Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Issues relating to intellectual property rights. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Would an actor hold a copyright for her performances and is she liable to pay sales tax for it? The Bombay High Court heard a case last week involving actor Anushka Sharma in which she challenged the sales tax levied against her income from advertisements and performances in award shows. The case raises questions on how intellectual property is treated for taxation purposes. • What is the case about? • Understand This-Actor Anushka Sharma had moved the Bombay High Court challenging theMazgaon sales tax deputy commissioner’s orders raising dues for 2012-13 and 2013-14 under the Maharashtra Value Added Tax (MVAT) Act. The state had levied Rs 1.2 crore sales tax (inclusive of interest) for 2012-13 on Rs 12.3 crore revenue received by Sharma. For 2013-14, Rs 1.6 crore tax was levied on her for the Rs 17 crore she had received. This would be remuneration for advertisements and performances at award shows received by the actor. At the heart of the issue is how tax officials interpret a key change in copyright law brought in 2012 to protect rights of artists. • Why was the sales tax levied against Sharma? • What is Sales Tax? • Sales tax is direct or indirect tax? • What are performers rights? • What did the Bombay High Court decide? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Bombay HC disposes of Anushka Sharma’s plea against sales tax dues notice after actor says she’ll approach appellate authority Wet March and wheat crop Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Mains Examination: • General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. • General Studies III: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-2021-22 and 2022-23 have both seen unusual rabi (winter-spring) cropping seasons in terms of weather and yield loss, especially in wheat. But the patterns of rainfall and temperature variation and the damage to the standing crop as a result have been different in the two seasons. The 2021-22 season was marked by too much rain. The country received rainfall that was way above the “normal” long period average in every month from September 2021 to January 2022. This was followed by the hottest ever March in terms of average maximum temperatures. • The unusual heat of March 2022 led to lower wheat production-Analyse India’s wheat production and how it is affected? • Why has 2022-23 been different? • Will the rain affect wheat yields? • Why some parts of country experienced unseasonal rains? • Wheat Production in India-Rabi or Kharif Crop? • Wheat Production in India-Know all the facts like Highest producing States, Geography and Environment associated with Wheat Production like Soil, temperature, Rainfall and Humidity etc. • Do You Know-Wheat is sensitive to both heat stress and rain/ thunderstorms during the terminal grain filling and ripening period. This is the time when the crop’s earheads are heavy with grains. The more the weight accumulated from grain-filling, the more vulnerable is the crop to rain. These, when accompanied by high-velocity winds, make the stems prone to “lodging” or bending and even falling flat on the ground. • Would wheat prices go up if production falls? • How does one compensate the farmers for their losses (crop quantity and quality)? • ‘The best policy instrument for these types of weather-related damages, be it unseasonal rains, hails or heat waves, is the PM-Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)’-Elaborate • What are the features of PMFBY? • What is the current crop condition? • What is the situation with mustard? • Has chana been affected too? • Which is the main rabi growing states in India? • Kharif and Rabi Crops-Compare and Contrast • Rabi crops, MSP and Doubling Farmers Income-How they are interconnected? • Recommendation of Ashok Dalwai Committee and M. S. Swaminathan Committee-Key Highlights • The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP)-Know in Detail • The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) and Minimum support prices (MSP)-Connect the dots • How Government fix MSPs of crops before every planting season? • How unseasonal rains affects crops? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Ashok Gulati and Raya Das write: What the government must do to help wheat farmers reeling from unseasonal rains Previous Year UPSC Prelims Covering Similar Theme: 📍 With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements: (Please refer GS1 Paper 2019 for complete question) 📍Consider the following crops: (Please refer GS1 Paper 2013 for complete question) 1. Cotton 2. Groundnut 3. Rice 4. Wheat Which of these are Kharif crops? THE WORLD Finland turns to the right as it prepares to enter NATO today Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: 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-Finland is set to officially become a member of NATO later on Tuesday and take its place among the ranks of the world’s biggest security alliance. Neighbouring Russia has already warned that it will bolster its defences near their joint border if NATO deploys any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country. Finland’s blue and white flag is scheduled to be raised among those of its partners outside NATO’s Brussels headquarters. Finland’s president, foreign and defense ministers will take part. The ceremony falls on NATO’s very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers. • Map Work-Finland • Why Finland wants to join NATO? • What’s was Turkey’s problem with the membership bids? • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-Know the historical background and current Status • NATO: Why Russia has a problem with its eastward expansion • What is Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty (Collective Security)? • What is Article 4 of NATO’s Founding Treaty? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The new Warsaw pact For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The Indian Express UPSC Hub is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.
