UPSC Key | India-Jamaica, MPC, Public Health Emergency Management Act, and more

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PM Modi says India trusted partner in Jamaica’s development journey

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations; and Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story-  India has been a “trusted partner” in Jamaica’s development journey and it is ready to share expertise in areas, including digital public infrastructure, biofuel, innovation and health with the nation, PM Narendra Modi said Tuesday, after talking with Jamaican counterpart Andrew Holness.

Prerequisites:

— Status of India-Jamaica relationship

— What is diaspora?

— What is Organised crime?

Key takeaways: 

— The Jamaican PM expressed his country’s desire to strengthen cooperation with India in sectors, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, education, digitalisation, security, and energy.

— The PM also identified organised crime, drug trafficking, terrorism as common challenges facing both nations.

— Modi also announced that the road in front of the Jamaica High Commission in New Delhi has been named ‘Jamaica Marg’.

— “The people who went to Jamaica from India about 180 years ago laid a strong foundation for our ‘People to People’ ties. The nearly 70,000 people of Indian origin who consider Jamaica as their home are a living example of our cultural heritage…” Modi said.

For Your Information:

— The term diaspora traces its roots to the Greek diaspeiro, which means dispersion. The Indian diaspora has grown manifold since the first batch of Indians were taken to counties in the east pacific and the Caribbean islands under the ‘Girmitiya’ arrangement as indentured labourers.

— The 19th and early 20th centuries saw thousands of Indians shipped to those countries to work on plantations in British colonies, which were reeling under a labour crisis due to the abolition of slavery in 1833-34.

— Overseas Indians are classified into three categories: Non-Resident Indians (NRI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).

Points to Ponder: 

— Who were indentured labourers?

— Why Indian were taken to the Caribbean Islands?

— What is the significance of diaspora for India?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(1) With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2019)

1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of Indentured labour’.

2. In Lord Chelmsford’s War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.

3. Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains

‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC CSE 2020)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Indians abroad: History, spread, remittances

International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition: The memory of Indian indentured labourers

Economy

Centre reconstitutes Monetary Policy Committee ahead of RBI rate review

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story- The central government on Tuesday reconstituted the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) ahead of the monetary policy review of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on October 7-9.

Prerequisites:

— What is MPC?

— What is the repo rate?

— What is a flexible inflation-targeting regime?

Key takeaways: 

— The government has appointed three external members in the MPC — Ram Singh, Director, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi; Saugata Bhattacharya, Economist and Nagesh Kumar, Director and Chief Executive, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development.

— The three external members have been appointed for a period of four years. Other members of the MPC are from RBI which include the Deputy Governor of the RBI in charge of monetary policy and one officer of the RBI nominated by the Central Board. The RBI Governor is the Chairperson of the MPC.

— In the August monetary policy, the six-member MPC, with a 4:2 majority, had left the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent for the ninth consecutive time as persisting high food inflation continued to remain a risk.

For Your Information:

— The MPC fixes the benchmark interest rate — or the base or reference rate that is used to set other interest rates — in India.

— The primary objective of the RBI’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition to sustainable growth.

— In May 2016, the RBI Act was amended to provide a legislative mandate to the central bank to operate the country’s monetary policy framework.

— Under Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to determine the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.

— The first such MPC was constituted on September 29, 2016. Section 45ZB says the MPC shall consist of the RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson, the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, an officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board, and three persons to be appointed by the central government.

Points to Ponder: 

— What was the purpose of creating MPC?

— How inflation targeting is done in India?

— What are the various tools used by RBI to control inflation?

(Thought Process: Read about Bank Rate, Repo rate, Open Market Operations, Cash Reserve ratio, Statutory Liquidity Ratio, and more. Try to understand the impact of increasing or decreasing these rates on the economy.)

Post Read Question:

(2) Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)? (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. It decides the RBI’s benchmark interest rates.

2. It is a 12-member body including the Governor of RBI and is reconstituted every year.

3. It functions under the chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

RBI policy: Why Monetary Policy Committee is likely to keep repo rate steady

Explained

Preparing for the next pandemic: what NITI Aayog report says

UPSC Syllabus:

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

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

What’s the ongoing story- Four years after the outbreak of Covid, an expert group constituted by NITI Aayog has recommended setting up a comprehensive framework to effectively manage future public health emergencies or pandemics.

Prerequisites:

— What is a pandemic?

— What is the difference between Epidemic, Endemic, and Pandemic?

Key takeaways: 

— The Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response (PPER) framework has called for a new Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA), and the implementation of other measures to ensure a swift and effective response within the first 100 days of the outbreak.

— Here are some of the key recommendations made by the expert group in its report:

(a) Public health emergencies require governments to exercise special powers such as mandatory screening of people and putting restrictions on free movement… The new law can empower central and state governments to effectively respond to not just pandemics, but also other kinds of health emergencies arising from non-communicable diseases, disasters or bioterrorism.

(b) The report proposed creating an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) — a committee of officials which will be headed by Cabinet Secretary to prepare for public health emergencies and monitor preparedness during peace times.

(c) The report proposed the creation of a national biosecurity and biosafety network… to protect people and the environment from biological hazards), and genome sequencing centres.

(d) The report proposed building an epidemiology forecasting and modelling network that can predict transmission dynamics of infectious diseases…

(e) India needs a well-developed clinical trial network accepted by international regulatory authorities to ensure speedy access to innovative products to tackle public health emergencies.

For Your Information:

— An expert group constituted by NITI Aayog has recommended a new Public Health Emergency Management Act (PHEMA) to deal with the public health crisis, which would create health cadres at national and state levels and also empower public health agencies to take urgent action.

— The group, headed by Dr Renu Swarup, former secretary at the Department of Biotechnology, was formed in June 2023.

— In September, its ‘Future Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response: A Framework for Action’ report was made public.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the key provisions of the PHEMA?

— What were the shortcomings of public health emergency management in India?

— What are the logistics challenges in the implementation of the PHEMA?

Post Read Question:

“Besides being a moral imperative of a Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary precondition for sustainable development.” Analyse. (UPSC CSE 2021)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Niti Aayog group pitches for new Act to tackle public health crisis

Mpox outbreak and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

How India’s temples are run

UPSC Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: GS-I, II: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times; and Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story- As the Supreme Court hears petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged adulteration of the ghee in Lord Venkateswara’s laddu prasadam, Hindu organisations have revived their demand to free temples from government control.

Prerequisites:

— What are the constitutional provisions regarding the management of religious institutions?

— How are religious institutions governed in India?

Key takeaways: 

— Muslims and Christians manage their places of worship and religious institutions through boards or trusts run by the community. In the case of many Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist places of worship, however, the government exercises considerable control.

— Temples in Tamil Nadu are managed by the state’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department. The AP government controls and appoints the head of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the Tirupati Temple.

— States use a part of the income from offerings and donations at large temples for the administration and upkeep of those and smaller temples, and for welfare activities that may or may not be connected to the temple — such as running hospitals, orphanages, or schools/ colleges that provide secular education.

— States draw their power to enact such legislation from Article 25(2) of the Constitution, under which a government can make laws “regulating or restricting any economic, financial, political or other secular activity which may be associated with religious practice”, and “providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus”.

— Religious endowments and institutions are in List III (Concurrent List) of the Seventh Schedule, which means both the Centre and states can legislate on the subject.

— The historical evidence for the construction of monumental temples dates back to the Mauryan period (321-185 BCE)…

— In the medieval period, invaders repeatedly attacked and pillaged India’s fabulously wealthy temples. The colonial rulers sought to control them — and between 1810 and 1817, the East India Company enacted a series of laws in the presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, giving themselves the right to interfere in the administration of temples, purportedly to prevent the misappropriation of their income and endowments.

— In 1863, the British enacted the Religious Endowments Act, which handed over control of temples to committees set up under the Act. However, the government retained considerable influence through judicial jurisdiction…

— After Independence, the 1925 Act became the blueprint for various states to enact their own laws to administer temples. The first such Act was the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act…

— It has been argued that government intervention is necessary to ensure that all castes are allowed entry into Hindu places of worship.

For Your Information:

Legal position on this issue:

— In the 1954 Shirur Mutt case, the Supreme Court held that a law that takes away the right to administration of the religious denomination and vests it in another authority would be violative of the right guaranteed under Article 26(d)…

— In Ratilal Panachand Gandhi vs. The State of Bombay (1954), the Supreme Court said that in matters of religion, the right of management given to a religious body is a fundamental right that no law can take away…

— In Pannalal Bansilal Pitti vs State Of Andhra Pradesh (1996), the SC upheld the validity of a law that abolished the hereditary right over chairmanship of a trust administering a Hindu religious institution or endowment, and also rejected the contention that the law must uniformly apply to all religions.

— In 2022, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay filed a writ petition in the SC to free temples from government control. The SC, however, said that under the present arrangement, temples have “catered to the larger needs of society and not only their temple”, and reversing this would “turn the clock back” to the days when “all these temples…these centres of religion, had become places of wealth”. Upadhyay withdrew his petition.

— Sri Venkateswara Temple is constructed in Dravidian style of temple architecture.

Points to Ponder: 

— Read about the Fundamental Rights to Freedom of Religion (Article 25-28)

— What are the challenges of managing these religious institutions?

Post Read Question:

(3) Which of the following articles provides for the freedom from payment of taxes for the promotion of any particular religion?

(a) Article 25

(b) Article 26

(c) Article 27

(d) Article 28

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Right to freedom of religion cannot be construed as right to convert others: Allahabad HC

Nearby river contributes to the rise of Mount Everest, says new study

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation

Mains Examination: GS-I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones. 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.

What’s the ongoing story- Mount Everest, currently 8,849 metres tall, has over the past 89,000 years, grown about 15 to 50 m higher than expected because a nearby river is eroding rock and soil at its base, helping push it upwards, according to a new study.

Prerequisites:

— Map work: Arun River basin, Lhotse, and Makalu

Key takeaways: 

— The loss of landmass in the Arun River basin, which spreads across Nepal and Tibet and is 75 km away from Everest, is causing the world’s tallest peak to rise by up to 2 mm a year, the study said.

— While Everest and the rest of the Himalayas have been slowly rising due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates for around 50 million years, the change in the Arun river network is a contributing factor to the mountains’ continued rise.

— Everest has been experiencing an additional boost to its height due to a geological process called isostatic rebound. It involves the rise of land masses on the Earth’s crust when the weight of the surface diminishes.

— In the case of Everest and its neighbouring mountains, the surface weight started to reduce after the Arun River merged with the Kosi River around 89,000 years ago. This resulted in accelerated erosion that carried off huge amounts of rock and soil, reducing the weight of the region near Everest.

— Everest’s neighbouring peaks including Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest, and Makalu, the fifth highest, also get a boost from the same process.

Points to Ponder: 

— How mountains are formed?

— What are the different kinds of mountains?

— What are the different types of mountains found in India? — Mark them on the map

Post Read Question:

(4) Consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE 2022)

	Peak		Mountains
1.	Namcha Barwa	–	Garhwal Himalaya
2.	Nanda Devi	–	Kumaon Himalaya
3.	Nokrek	–	Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Indian tectonic plate that causes Himalayas to grow could be splitting Tibet

10 years of Swachh Bharat Mission: Its aims and status on key targets

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

What’s the ongoing story- Swachh Bharat Mission, one of the first programmes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he took office in 2014, completes 10 years on October 2. While announcing the “Clean India campaign”, the PM had said: “A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.”

Prerequisites:

— What was the objective of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)?

— Why SBM was launched?

— What is the objective of the SBM 2.0?

Key takeaways: 

— The mission was divided into SBM-Gramin for villages, and SBM-Urban for cities, executed by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs respectively.

— SBM’s focus areas were building individual toilets, community toilets, solid waste management, and leading awareness campaigns aimed at behavioural changes.

— The PM announced that the SBM’s main goal was to make India “Open defecation-free” (ODF) by October 2, 2019, for which crores of household and community toilets had to be constructed.

— The definition of ODF under the mission is as follows: “A city/ ward can be notified/ declared as an ODF city/ ODF ward if, at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open.”

— In 2018, the World Health Organisation estimated that 3 lakh deaths due to diarrhoea and protein-energy malnutrition would be averted due to the SBM-G from 2014 to October 2019.

— A recent study has found a link between reduction in infant deaths and SBM. The report, published in Nature on September 2, said the mission may have led to 60,000 to 70,000 fewer infant deaths annually from 2014 to 2020.

For Your Information:

— The government in 2014 formally launched the Swachh Bharat Kosh (fund) “to facilitate channelisation of philanthropic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds” towards this cause.

— Using the donations, the fund aimed at finance activities such as construction of new toilets as well as repair and renovation of dysfunctional toilets in rural areas, urban areas, elementary, secondary, and senior secondary government schools, aanganwaadis.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the achievements of the SBM?

— What are the challenges of the SBM?

— How challenges of sanitation are different for rural and urban areas?

— What is the solid waste management under SBM?

Post Read Question:

(5) With reference to the Swachh Bharat Mission, consider the following statements:

1. For the year 2023, two towns are awarded with the first spot for cleanest city.

2. The rankings of Swachh Bharat Mission are provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

3. It is world’s largest sanitation initiative which was launched in 2016.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

How Indore came to be ranked India’s cleanest city, year after year

Swachh Bharat Mission will be sustainable only when citizens take ownership

The Ideas Page

Netanyahu’s regime change fantasy for Iran

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story- C. Raja Mohan writes: The idea of “a war to end all wars” has a long provenance in the history of conflict. That idea that wars can be initiated to produce “perpetual peace” has had a powerful grip on risk-taking leaders who want to change their geopolitical conditions. The outcomes have rarely met the expectations of those who launch total wars.

Prerequisites:

— What is the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict?

— What is the history of conflict in the West Asia?

Key takeaways: 

— We seem to be at that fateful moment in the Middle East amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calls for a regime change in Iran and promises that ousting clerical rule in Tehran will herald a new era of peace and prosperity in the Middle East.

— Despite the worldwide anger against Israel’s use of extreme force against Hamas and Hezbollah, Netanyahu has now lent a broader and breathtaking political objective to his costly military campaign — regime change in Iran.

— The idea of regional cooperation was previewed a few days earlier at Netanyahu’s speech to the UN, where he pointed to the competing regional visions of Iran and Israel. He views Iran’s influence over Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon as the “curse” that is destroying the region.

— The alternative, according to Netanyahu, lies in the “blessing” of the planned trans-regional economic cooperation between India, Arabia and Europe that will restore the Middle East’s status as a global hub for the exchange of goods, technologies and ideas.

— The Iranian people do not need Israel’s prompting to challenge their autocratic rulers. Throughout the history of the Islamic Republic, established in 1979, there have been frequent popular protests against the regime — most recently to demand the expansion of women’s rights in 2022.

— Netanyahu’s bet on regime change is rooted in an appreciation of the profound contradiction between Iran and moderate Arab states. This factor has driven the two sides towards greater economic and security cooperation, despite the major differences over Palestinian statehood.

— The unintended consequences of Netanyahu’s push for regime change in Iran are likely to produce many significant changes in the Middle East.

For Your Information:

— Hezbollah, the “Party of God”, was formed in the early 1980s in response to the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. The group was founded with support from Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime in Iran, which saw an opportunity to export the ideals of the Islamic revolution and challenge Israel’s dominance.

— The group’s initial goal was to resist Israeli occupation, but as it strengthened, its objectives expanded to establishing a theocratic state in Lebanon, similar to the one in Iran following the revolution of 1979.

Points to Ponder: 

— How is India impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict?

— What is the stand of India on the Palestinian issue?

— What are the various measures taken to ensure conflict resolution in the Israel-Hamas conflict?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(6) The term “two-state solution” is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of (UPSC CSE 2018)

(a) China

(b) Israel

(c) Iraq

(d) Yemen

Mains

Examine the opportunities for a lasting West Asia peace solution in the context of the ‘historic’ talks started in September 2010. (UPSC CSE 2010)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Why Israel and Hezbollah have long been fighting each other

Gandhi embodied principles of UN Charter well before they were framed

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement

Mains Examination: GS-I: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

What’s the ongoing story- Ban Ki-Moon writes: Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy, vision, and strategy of non-violence have influenced many global leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. They have also inspired me deeply.

Prerequisites:

— Understand various concepts of Gandhi – Nai Talim, Truth, Satyagraha, Non-violence, Sarvodaya, Swadeshi, and Trusteeship.

— Read about the role of Mahatma Gandhi during early Satyagraha Movements (Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad), Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement, and Partition of India.

Key takeaways: 

— In modern times, Gandhi remains the greatest teacher and practitioner of non-violence. He demonstrated the efficacy of this philosophy through his resolute leadership of India’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule.

— Gandhi lived by the conviction that only peaceful tactics could usher in a peaceful future. For him, means and ends were one. Non-violence confounds those who face it — and that is why it works. I recall the example of King Ashoka who renounced violence, embraced Buddhism and devoted his life to peace. Gandhi carried on this great Indian practice.

— What are the major challenges and problems that we, as humanity, are currently facing in the 21st century? What are the main lessons we can learn from the past, and what are the main opportunities in the present which can help us overcome those challenges so we can create a brighter world for our future generations?

(Thought Process: Think around these lines to bring the ideas of Gandhi in your UPSC Mains answer writing.)

— Indeed, there is great strength in diversity, and countries that celebrate diversity, defend democracy, ensure freedom of faith, and embrace every individual are the ones that can guide the construction of a better future for all. This is perhaps the most fundamental lesson that we all should learn from Mahatma Gandhi’s exemplary life.

For Your Information:

— Gandhi’s vision for the upliftment of women was a curious mix of promoting women’s political mobilisation, self-reliance, and economic independence, while focussing on traditional feminine virtues such as purity, sacrifice, and service. He often addressed these issues in his several writings, particularly in his weekly newspaper Navjivan.

— One of Gandhi’s greatest contributions concerning women was encouraging their large-scale participation in the national movement. The first instance of Gandhi coming to terms with the power of women in politics can be seen in South Africa.

— Although Gandhi encouraged women to come out of their domestic roles, his insistence on ‘pure’ and ‘virtuous’ womanhood also restricted their opportunities for action.

Points to Ponder: 

— What was the role of Gandhi in the peasant movement?

— What were the views of Gandhi on the caste system?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(7) Who among the following is associated with ‘Songs from Prison’, a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English? (UPSC CSE 2021)

(a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru

(c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

(d) Sarojini Naidu

Mains

What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism? (UPSC CSE 2023)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Gandhi Jayanti 2024: How and why Gandhi acquires centre stage in UPSC Mains exam

Gandhi Jayanti 2024: How did the great leader envision women empowerment

 

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West Asia is on the boil as Israel vows response	West Asia is once again at the cusp of a larger war, with Iran stepping in to avenge Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah and Hamas. On Tuesday, Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel. The order for the attack reportedly came from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself. Iran has warned of ‘more crushing’ response if Israel were to retaliate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has said that Iran “will pay” for its “big mistake”. (Map work: Location of all the areas involved in the conflict)
NSC reasserting its authority could start depoliticising data: Pronab Sen	The abrupt dissolution of the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) took him by “surprise”, but former Chief Statistician Pronab Sen, who headed the panel, told The Indian Express that he is not upset as the decision indicates that the National Statistical Commission (NSC) is finally “reasserting” its authority, which could initiate “a process of depoliticising data”. Read more : UPSC Key

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)  2. (a)  3. (c)  4. (b)  5. (a)  6. (b)  7. (c)

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