Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 29, 2022. If you missed the August 26, 2022 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here FRONT PAGE After 21 yrs, date set: ‘Anybody can contest’ for Cong chief post Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement. Mains Examination: General Studies I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities, issues. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- The Congress Working Committee (CWC) decided to hold an election for the post of party president on October 17. The meeting coming in the wake of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s exit from the party. • What is Congress Working Committee? • When were organisational elections last held in the Congress? • Why are elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and Central Election Committee (CEC) important? • Know the historical background of Indian National Congress before and after Independence • Do You Know-The Indian National Congress, which played a dominant role in India’s struggle for independence, was founded at a national convention held in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of W.C. Bonnerji. • What were the circumstances and conditions under which the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885? • Social Composition of Early Congress-Know in detail • Indian National Congress and Theory of ‘safety-valve’ or ‘Conspiracy Theory’- know in detail about the Safety Valve Theory • Indian National Congress in present situation-know in brief Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Electing a Congress president — how these polls are meant to be held, how it plays out Supertech twin towers turn to rubble in 12-sec operation Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Twelve seconds is all it took for the Supertech twin towers in Noida’s sector 93A to crumble to the ground. Delayed for months, the demolition finally took place, in line with the directions of the Supreme Court, on Sunday for violating set rules, building regulations, and fire safety norms. The towers came down at exactly 2.30 pm, and a cloud of dust engulfed the area for several minutes afterward. • Why were Noida’s Supertech twin towers demolished? • The demolition of Noida’s Supertech twin towers via a ‘controlled implosion’. What is ‘controlled implosion’? • Supertech twin towers demolition-What are the impact and concerns? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍What next: Removing ‘80,000 tonnes’ of debris in 3 months 📍Command centre to drones, officials had a long, hectic day 📍Expert recounts: When the explosives went off, I said ‘thank you, lord’ 📍Supertech towers fall via ‘controlled implosion’ — here’s how it happened IARI: New virus behind mystery dwarfing of rice Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- THE Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has confirmed that the mysterious disease resulting in “dwarfing” of rice plants, reported mainly from Punjab and Haryana, has been caused by the Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV). The virus is spread by the white-backed plant hopper, an insect pest, which injects it while sucking the sap from mostly young plants. • What Scientists have said for this disease in Plants? • What is “dwarfing” disease of paddy? • What is Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus(SRBSDV)? • What could be done to prevent “dwarfing” disease of paddy? • For Your Information-The Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV) is spread by the white-backed plant hopper, an insect pest, which injects it while sucking the sap from mostly young plants. The virus is specific to the phloem (plant tissues that transport sugar and organic nutrients from the leaves to other parts) and is not transmitted by seed or grain. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Is there a crisis in rice? 📍Scientists track cause of mystery paddy dwarfing GOVT & POLITICS Mann Ki Baat: PM urges people to join campaign against malnutrition Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance Mains Examination: 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- Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to take part in efforts to eradicate malnutrition during the month of September which is observed as a ‘Poshan Maah’ every year. • How World Health Organisation (WHO) defines ‘Malnutrition’ in Children? • What is wasting and stunting? • What are the Various forms of malnutrition? • What is the Poshan MAAH? • Poshan Maah-Objective and Stakeholders • “POSHAN Abhiyaan is a People’s Movement”-Elaborate • How efforts for social awareness play an important role in tackling the challenges of malnutrition? • The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) on malnutrition in children-know in detail • Midday Meal Scheme and PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme-How they are connected? • Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) Scheme and PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme-Compare and contrast • Convention on the Rights of the Child and India’s commitment to yielding “adequate nutritious food” for children-Know more in detail • Supreme Court of India on Midday meal Scheme-Know the landmark Judgements • What is POSHAN Abhiyaan? • Know the objectives of POSHAN Abhiyaan? • Poshan Abhiyaan and Midday Meal Scheme comes under which ministry? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍POSHAN Abhiyaan – PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment 📍How ‘Poshan Vatikas’ can help bridge the nutrition gap in women and children 📍How India can tackle its formidable nutrition challenge EXPRESS NETWORK Brick by brick, rescued bonded labourers build a new life 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 and Role of civil services in a democracy. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district, located to the north of the capital city of Chennai, has long been notorious for the prevalence of bonded labour. Now, around a hundred emancipated labourers and their families are shaping their own future — by co-owning and operating a brick kiln, launched three months ago by the district administration. • What do you understand by ‘Bonded Labour’? • What are the types of bonded labour? • What is the difference between bonded Labour and slavery? • Do You Know-One of the eight fundamental conventions of the International Labor Organization, the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 also known as Convention Concerning the Abolition of Forced Labor, 1957 abolishes some forms of forced labor that were still permitted under the Forced Labor Convention of 1930, such as punishment for strikes and punishment for holding certain political views. • Has India ratified the International Labor Organization’s Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957? • What are the constitutional as well as legal provisions to abolish bonded labour in India? • What does the Article 23 of the constitution states? • Irula Tribe-Know in detail • The Supreme Court of India has occasionally construed several constitutional interpretations to protect the poorer classes of society from the threat of bonded labour-Can you name some landmark cases? • Badhua Mukti Morcha V. Union Of India And People’s Union For Democratic Rights V. Union Of India-What was the Supreme Court’s Stand? • Case Study-What steps were taken by the district administration in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district to emancipate labourers and their families from Bonded Labour? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Torn between poverty and bonded labour, these children find no solace in laws either THE EDITORIAL PAGE SC must undo injustice Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: • General Studies I: Social empowerment, communalism • General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. • General Studies IV: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Indira Jaising writes: Can we expect the apex court to undo the injustice? Bilkis was not heard, it is her voice that ought to be taken into consideration • “In any civilised system of jurisprudence, the crimes committed against Bilkis Bano would count as crimes against humanity, as they were committed during a period of communal violence against a minority community”-Analyse • What is the Rome Statute? • According to the author, “Rape is regarded as an impact crime”-What do you understand by this? • What is meant by “Constitutional morality”? • How is morality different from constitutional morality? • “The morality of democracy in India has been damaged”-do you agree with the same? • Bilkis Bano case and collective conscience of society-connect the dots • What do you understand by pardon, suspension, respite, remission and commute? • What are the laws on remission? • Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution-Know in detail • What are the grounds for remission? • Laws on remission and the Bilkis case convict-Know in detail • States set up a Sentence Review Board to exercise the powers under Section 432 of the CrPC-Who presides the Sentence Review Board? • "The remission of a sentence is an exclusively executive prerogative. The Supreme Court as far back as in State of Madhya Pradesh v. Ratan Singh (1976), settled this debate by clarifying that pardon, remission and commutation are within the exclusive domain of executive decision-making”- What do you understand by “exclusively executive prerogative”? • What is the role of Civil Servants in Sentence Review Board to exercise the powers under Section 432 of the CrPC? • What you know about Gujarat’s remission policy? • How Gujarat’s remission policy applied to Bilkis case? • For Your Information-Established case law in D Krishna Kumar vs State of Telangana had the high court lay down that the appropriate authority deciding a remission should consider the opinion of the presiding judge of the court before or by which the conviction was had or confirmed. • “Half of the panel that decided on the remission was directly linked to the BJP. Two were BJP legislators. One was a BJP office-bearer, and one a former office-bearer of the local BJP. The others were the district collector, superintendent of police and jail superintendent — report directly to the state government”-Know the role of Public Servants and Human Values while deciding the remission of sentence? • Case Study– Suppose, if you, as a district collector, superintendent of police, or jail superintendent, were there on the panel, what course of action would you have taken? • What are the legal remedy available to Bilkis now Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The Bilkis case remissions 📍Explained: Who is Bilkis Bano, who was gangraped during the 2002 Gujarat riots? 📍Tavleen Singh writes: Why I felt ashamed as an Indian last week 📍‘Is this how justice ends?’: Bilkis Bano’s question should haunt the Indian republic THE IDEAS PAGE Light on dark matter Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Much of the universe remains unknown. The Webb telescope will hopefully provide a powerful window to help resolve some of the cosmos's many mysteries • “To study the heavens, a variety of instruments have been used throughout history. From sundials and astrolabes to telescopes and now gravitational wave detectors, we have tried to observe, chart, study and measure the universe”-Know the history behind the study of universe • What is James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)? • “The quest to probe the universe received a major impetus with the commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope”-How • What do you understand by ‘Distant Universe’? • James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Vs Hubble Telescope-Compare and Contrast • James Webb Space telescope will help decode another dimension of the universe-Know in detail Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Differences between Webb and Hubble telescopes 📍Explained: NASA’s Webb Telescope and the first look at the universe from 13 billion years ago EXPLAINED Pakistan’s monster monsoon Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- While Europe, China and some other regions of the world are experiencing a severe drought, Pakistan is facing one of the worst floods in its recent history. Reports say about 110 of the 150 districts in the country are affected by the flooding. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday that over 1,000 people were confirmed dead in the floods so far. • Map Work-Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan • Why the floods in Pakistan has been described as a ‘superflood’? • “The current flood is a direct result of an extremely wet monsoon season this year”-Elaborate further • Southwest monsoon in Pakistan-Know in detail Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Floods to cause $4 bn loss to Pakistan’s economy: Report FULL COURT MEETING Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Within hours of taking over, the new Chief Justice of India U U Lalit called a meeting of the ‘full court’ Saturday where the judges discussed how to deal with issues relating to listing and backlog of cases. • So, what is a full court meeting? • When is it held? • What is the significance of a full court meeting? • How frequently is it held? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Justice Fast-Forward: The rise of CJI U U Lalit from the Bar to the top-most office in Supreme Court US President’s power to declassify info Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries. Key Points to Ponder: • What is "classified" information? • What is the classification system? • Is the classification system enforced by criminal law? • Who has the power to classify and declassify information? • Are there formal procedures for declassifying information? • Can presidents declassify matters directly? • Do presidents have to obey the usual procedures? • What about nuclear secrets? • Can a president secretly declassify information without leaving a written record or telling anyone? • What is the declassification policy of India? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: What is the Fifth Amendment, invoked by Donald Trump to not answer questions in business dealings probe case 📍Explained: What the law says about presidential records ECONOMY Noida towers razing: How flights flew around dust cloud Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Ahead of the Supertech twin towers demolition in Noida on Sunday, authorities have activated airspace restrictions to prevent aircraft from being potentially affected by the dust cloud that will emerge following the destruction of the buildings. • What is meant by airspace? • What is airspace of a country? • What airspace restrictions have been imposed ahead of the Supertech twin towers demolition? • When do authorities generally impose restrictions on airspace? • How can flights get affected by the demolition in Noida? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Airspace around Supertech twin towers ‘no-fly’ zone during demolition, final checks on For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The UPSC KEY Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.
