🚨 Attention: UPSC Key is now all 7 Days a Week!🚨 Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for June 9th, 2024. If you missed the June 8th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here. 🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the May edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨 Front Page Hasina arrives, Muizzu confirms visit, says ties in right direction UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: GS-II: International Relations What’s the ongoing story- Narendra Modi will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for a third time today (June 9). A number of dignitaries will be present for the functions, including the leaders of seven countries with whom India shares a close relationship. Countries: Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri-Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Seychelles and Mauritius. Prerequisites: — Verdict of the recently concluded General election — India’s relationship with the neighbouring countries — Why foreign leaders are invited for the sworning ceremony? Key takeaways: — Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Delhi Saturday, being the first of the seven foreign leaders to reach India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third-term. For Your Information: — India-Bangladesh share a robust trade relationship, which amounted to $12,906 million in the 2023-24 financial year, with India exporting machinery and textile, while Bangladesh exports garments and fish. — In 2023-24, India-Sri Lanka bilateral trade was valued at $5,542 million, with significant Indian exports of petroleum and automobiles. — India and Nepal share an open-border relationship, reflecting their deep historical and cultural ties. In 2023-24, bilateral trade amounted to $7,871 million, dominated by Indian exports of petroleum products and machinery. — Over the years, India and the Maldives have maintained close ties. Most notably, India helped prevent a coup in Maldives in 1988. The Indian Armed Forces continued to have a modest presence in the archipelago, until President Muizzu came in on an “India Out” platform. — India and Seychelles share a strategic relationship, particularly in maritime security and environmental cooperation. Located north of Madagascar, Seychelles is among the most strategically important archipelagos in the Indian Ocean. — India and Bhutan are, what one can call, all weather friends with significant economic and cultural exchanges. In 2023-24, bilateral trade was $1.3 billion, with India being a major partner in Bhutan’s hydroelectric power sector. — India and Mauritius enjoy close relations, underpinned by strong cultural and economic ties. Bilateral trade in 2023-24 was valued at $ 852 million, with key exports from Mauritius including textiles and sugar. Points to Ponder: — What is the significance of the Indian-Ocean Region? — What is India's Neighbourhood First Policy? — What are the significant and challenges of the India’s neighbourhood first policy? — What initiatives have been taken by India to promote the neighbourhood first policy? Post Read Question: Project ‘Mausam’ is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of the Indian Government to improve relationship with its neighbours. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2015) Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Explained: 7 countries whose leaders will attend Modi’s swearing today Finance to states, depts: Use arbitration only in disputes under Rs 10 crore UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian polity and economy Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Indian Economy What’s the ongoing story- Underlining that the arbitration processes are expensive and time-consuming, and that there are “perceptions of wrong-doing including collusion” about arbitrators, the Union Finance Ministry has recommended restricting arbitration clauses in government contracts to disputes of less than Rs 10 crore. Prerequisites: — What is arbitration and its types? — What is the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 and recent amendments to it? — What is alternative dispute resolution? Key takeaways: — “Arbitration as a method of dispute resolution should not be routinely or automatically included in procurement contracts/ tenders, especially in large contracts,” said a June 3 office memorandum by the Department of Expenditure’s Procurement Policy Division. — The memorandum has been circulated to all ministries in the government of India, including the departments of public enterprises and financial services, and to all states as well. — In its memorandum, the Department of Expenditure said, “The process of arbitration itself takes a long time and is not as quick as envisaged, besides being very expensive too. The reduced formality, combined with the binding nature of decisions, has often led to wrong decisions on facts and improper application of the law.” — The new set of recommendations come even as there is an increased push from the judiciary in favour of arbitration and to make India one of the top international destinations for commercial arbitration. Arbitration is no longer an “alternative”, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had said addressing the United Kingdom Supreme Court on June 6. “It is in fact the preferred method of seeking commercial justice,” he had said. — Arbitrations are governed under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 which was enacted as a solution for moving commercial litigation away from overburdened courts. — “Adjudication by the courts is a remedy which always exists wherever there is no arbitration clause. However, another alternative to arbitration is mediation, which is a process whereby parties attempt to reach an amicable settlement of their dispute with the assistance of a third person (mediator) who does not have the authority to impose a settlement upon the parties to a dispute,” the Department of Expenditure memorandum said.Under mediation, both parties will have to reach a mutual agreement, failing which the case goes to trial. Points to Ponder: — What are the challenges associated with arbitration in India? — What are the benefits of arbitration? — What are the government's initiatives to promote arbitration? (Thought Process: Read about the India International Arbitration Centre (IIAC), Indian Council of Arbitration, and other legislative frameworks to promote alternative dispute resolution.) Post Read Question: What are the major changes brought in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 through the recent Ordinance promulgated by the President? How far will it improve India’s dispute resolution mechanism? Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2015) Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Indian judiciary has shifted to facilitating arbitration: CJI in UK Economy Rally in small, mid-cap stocks raise concerns over valuations, bubble in market UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economy Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy What’s the ongoing story- The sharp rally in stock prices of small and mid-cap companies, compared to the benchmark index, the Sensex, over the last couple of months, have raised concerns around stretched valuations and building up of a bubble in the segment. Prerequisites: — What is the role of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)? — What is the initial public offering (IPO)? — Who is responsible for the regulation of the stock market? Key takeaways: — Market analysts have pointed to this surge as irrational exuberance on account of high liquidity. They have also suggested that investors should move their investments from small and mid-cap segments to large caps. For Your Information: — The Volatility Index is a measure of the amount by which an underlying index is expected to fluctuate in the near term, (calculated as annualised volatility, denoted in percentage e.g. 20 per cent) based on the order book of the underlying index options. — India VIX is a volatility index computed by the NSE based on the order book of NIFTY Options. For this, the best bid-ask quotes of near and next-month NIFTY options contracts, which are traded on the F&O segment of NSE are used. Points to Ponder: — What are the concerns on overvaluation of PSU stocks? — What are the laws for regulating the stock market? — What is India’s Volatility Index (VIX)? Post Read Question: Which of the following is issued by registered foreign portfolio investors to overseas investors who want to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly? (UPSC CSE 2019) (a) Certificate of Deposit (b) Commercial Paper (c) Promissory Note (d) Participatory Note Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Election season and a volatile stock market Consumers expect rise in spending over next one year says RBI survey UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Economy Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment. What’s the ongoing story- Indian consumers expects a rise in spending over the next one year, with an increase in both essential and non-essential items, according to the latest survey of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Prerequisites: — What is the Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS)? — What is current situation index (CSI)? — What is future expectations index (FEI)? — What is the role of RBI in Indian economy? Key takeaways: — Consumer confidence for the current period paused on its uptrend as sentiments on all parameters, except spending, recorded some moderations in the latest survey round, the RBI’s Consumer Confidence Survey showed. — CSI moderated to 97.1 in May 2024 from 98.5 two months ago. — The FEI stood at 124.8 in May 2024 (125.2 in the previous survey round). — CSI and FEI are compiled on the basis of net responses on the economic situation, income, spending, employment and the price level for the current period (as compared with one year ago) and a year ahead, respectively. The survey was conducted during May 2-11, 2024, covering 6,083 respondents. — Separately, another survey by the RBI showed that households’ inflation expectations for the three months and one year ahead periods increased by 20 basis points (bps) and 10 bps, respectively to 9.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent, respectively. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. Higher share of respondents expected prices and inflation to rise for all major product groups over the next three months as well as one-year periods. Points to Ponder: — What is inflation and its various types? — What is the difference between the consumer price index and the wholesale price index? — How is inflation calculated in India? — What measures have the government and RBI taken to control inflation? Post Read Question: Consider the following statements: ( UPSC CSE 2020) 1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI). 2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does. 3. The Reserve Bank of India has now adopted WPI as its key measure of inflation and to decide on changing the key policy rates. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Sticky inflation: Why is RBI refusing to cut interest rates? Opinion When Nehru headed a national coalition government UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian history and polity Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-II: Indian history, Governance, Polity. What’s the ongoing story- Chakshu Roy writes— “In the recently concluded general elections, voters did not give the Bharatiya Janata Party a complete majority. The BJP, with its 240 Lok Sabha seats, is forming the government along with its coalition partners of the National Democratic Alliance.” Prerequisites: — What is a coalition government? — What is the history of coalition politics in India? — What is the election verdict of the General Lok Sabha election 2024? Key takeaways: — “Coalitions at the national level came to public attention in 1977 when Morarji Desai formed the first non-Congress coalition government. His government, a testament to the evolving political landscape, included ministers like Charan Singh, L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Biju Patnaik, Parkash Singh Badal, George Fernandes and Shanti Bhushan.” — “A coalition government involves more than one political party or individuals working together, sometimes with differing viewpoints. Looking back, we find that 1977 was not the country’s first brush with a national coalition. The 1946 interim government just before Independence and the first government formed after Independence in 1947 were both coalitions.” — “The 1946 interim government was responsible for steering India to independence. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was at the helm of this government.” — “Nehru followed the coalition template in independent India’s first council of ministers. He repeated over half of the interim government ministers and brought in new ministers such as Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (Health) and N V Gadgil (Works, Mines and Power).” — “In his book The Government and Politics of India, Prof Morris Jones highlighted, “The chosen fortress-holders of 1947 included many with little or no connection with Congress. It was a coalition government in two senses. First and foremost, it contained a strikingly careful selection of representatives of communities and regions … Secondly, it was a policy coalition also, though not by virtue of containing a balance of opinions: on the contrary, the non-Congress opinions represented was all (with the possible exception of Ambedkar) in some sense markedly conservative.” — “The coalition government also underwent a churn. In 1948, Chetty, the first finance minister, resigned under a cloud after his ministry dropped the names of some individuals who had to be investigated by Income Tax authorities. Later, Mukherjee (1950) and Ambedkar (1951) resigned due to policy differences.” Points to Ponder: — What is the status of coalition politics in India? — What are the challenges associated with the coalition government? — What are the advantage of the coalition government? Post Read Question: Explain how coalition politics have shaped Indian democracy. What have been the advantages and disadvantages of coalition governments? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: No party wins majority: What does a coalition government mean for economic reforms in India? Express Network Ties with China to be based on mutual respect, interest and sensitivity: MEA UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: GS-II: International Relations What’s the ongoing story- Days after China protested the exchange of messages between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Modi’s election victory, India on Saturday responded to Beijing’s congratulatory message and said New Delhi will continue to pursue ties with Beijing based on “mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity”. Prerequisites: — What is the China-Taiwan conflict? — What is the status of India’s relationship with China and Taiwan? — What is one-China principle? Key takeaways: — Responding to a question, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing Thursday, “First of all, there is no such thing as ‘president’ of the Taiwan region.” “The one-China principle is a universally recognised norm…India has made serious political commitments on this…,” she added. — Taiwan, in response, accused China of “using political coercion… to confuse the international community”. For your information: — The Republic of China was established in 1912, after the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, and the assumption of rule by the Kuomintang (KMT) party as the legitimate government. In 1927, a civil war broke out between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) but the 1937 Japanese invasion led to a truce and the two parties formed a united front to fight the common enemy. — Resumed after World War II, the civil war ended in 1949 with a Communist victory. The CCP under Mao Zedong took control of mainland China, and the defeated RoC government, headed by Generalissimo (a military rank above Field Marshal) Chiang Kai-shek fled to the offshore island of Taiwan. — Post-WW II, the RoC, having emerged as one of the victorious Allies, was granted a seat on the UN Security Council. However, with the Communists staking their claim as the legitimate government of China, the UN, in 1971, expelled the RoC and gave its seat to PRC. — Even as the US switched its recognition from RoC to the PRC, Beijing declared that it would use force if the RoC ever declared independence. This brings us to the interesting US policy of “strategic ambiguity” with respect to the RoC. Points to Ponder: — What is the Taiwan strait? — India and China trade relations — India and Taiwan trade relations and military cooperation Post Read Question: Analayse the significance of the Taiwan strait for India and discuss the balancing act India has played with respect to China and Taiwan. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Explained: India’s One-China stand and relations with Taiwan Arun Prakash writes: Delhi and Taipei, just friends The World Apollo 8 astronaut who took ‘Earthrise’ photo dies in plane crash UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: General Science Mains Examination: GS-III: Awareness in the field of Space. What’s the ongoing story- Retired astronaut William Anders, who was one of the first three humans to orbit the moon, capturing the famed "Earthrise" photo during NASA's Apollo 8 mission in 1968, died on Friday in the crash of a small airplane in Washington state. He was 90. Prerequisites: — What was NASA's Apollo 8 mission? — What was Gemini 7? Key takeaways: — NASA chief Bill Nelson paid tribute to Anders on social media with a post of the iconic image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon, saying the former Air Force pilot "offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give." — A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Air Force pilot, Anders joined NASA in 1963 as a member of the third group of astronauts. He did not go into space until Dec. 21, 1968, when Apollo 8 lifted off on the first crewed mission to leave Earth orbit and travel 240,000 miles (386,000 km) to the moon. — Anders was the "rookie" on the crew, alongside Frank Borman, the mission commander, and James Lovell, who had flown with Borman on Gemini 7 in 1965 and later commanded the ill-fated Apollo 13. — Apollo 8, originally scheduled for 1969, was pushed forward because of concerns the Russians were accelerating their own plans for a trip around the moon by the end of 1968. That gave the crew only several months to train for the historic but highly risky mission. Points to Ponder: — What are the important space missions of NASA? — What is the Artemis program? — What are the ISRO’s Moon exploration programs? — What are Artemis Accords? Post Read Question: What is the purpose of the US Space Agency’s Themis Mission, which was recently in the news? (UPSC CSE 2008) (a) To study the possibility of life on Mars (b) To study the satellites of Saturn (c) To study the colourful display of high latitude skies (d) To build a space laboratory to study the stellar explosions Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: Before Artemis came Apollo: How NASA took its baby steps to the Moon NASA’s Artemis 3 mission won’t land humans on Moon till 2027: Report The Sunday Express Magazine EYE The third wave UPSC Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance Mains Examination: GS-II: Governance and Polity What’s the ongoing story- Ten years after the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgement that recognised the rights of transgender people in India, the community tells us what has changed in their lives – and what hasn’t. Prerequisites: — What is the LGBTQIA+ community? — What is gender-affirmation surgery? — What is the NALSA vs the Union of India case, 2014? — Who are considered third-gender? — What is horizontal reservation? Key takeaways: — It was a journey partly made possible by the Supreme Court judgment of 2014 in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vs Union of India case that ruled that transgender people-4.8 lakh as per the 2011 Census - deserve the same rights as everyone else in the country: to education, employment, healthcare and movement around the country. — With no credible government data, invisibilisation of trans men in activist circles, and ignorance about gender and sexuality even among the educated populace, transgender people especially the underprivileged-have a long fight for recognition ahead of them. While there are legal milestones, senior advocate Jayna Kothari says that the 2019 law remains problematic. For Your Information: — In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court in 2018 read down provisions of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised same-sex relationships. The Supreme Court held that the law violated the fundamental rights of citizens. The court noted that Section 377 of the IPC was used as a weapon to harass the members of the LGBTQ community, resulting in discrimination Points to Ponder: — What are the key provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights), Act 2019? — What are the concerns associated with the act? — What are the issues faced by transgender people? — What is the role of civil societies in protecting the rights of the transgender community? — How are transgender persons defined in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019? — What is the section 377 of IPC? Post Read Question: How far do you think the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act will ensure equality for transgender people? What other affirmative steps need to be taken? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: After Section 377 read down, maybe need to redefine marriage: CJI Section 377 verdict: Here are the highlights Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. The UPSC articles of Indian Express is now on Telegram. Join our Telegram channel- Indian Express UPSC Hub and stay updated with the latest Updates.
