UPSC Key- March 14, 2023: Know about Antiquity, Oscar Awards, and Vertical and Horizontal Reservation

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-From an ivory sculpture of “Moon God Chandra” traced to 2nd-1st century BCE to an eighth-century stone sculpture of “Kamadeva, the God of Love”; from an ink-and-watercolour painting of “Mahishasura Mardini” in 1760 to another in “red ochre and wash on paper” from 1775-80 depicting “Rama and Lakshmana”. All of them sit, catalogued, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York. What is also common to each is a trail that goes all the way back to a 73-year-old man currently in custody in India.

• What is an antiquity?

• How the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 defines antiquity?

• Do You Know-In India, artefacts that have “been in existence for not less than one hundred years” — 75 years for manuscripts — are categorised as antiquities. And guidelines issued globally for museums, following an UNESCO convention in 1970, state: “When acquiring an object, whether by purchase or donation or any other way, museums should exercise due diligence in verifying the object’s history and provenance. If a museum is acquiring an object,
the museum must verify whether the object was lawfully obtained, lawfully exported and/ or imported…”

• What do international conventions say?

• What is “cultural property”?

• What do Indian laws say?

• What is ‘provenance’ of an antiquity?

• How is ownership proved?

• How to check for fake antiquities?

• Can India bring back antiquities?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍486 ASI antiquities missing since 1947: why numbers don’t capture the story

📍Antiquities abroad: What Indian, international laws say

Previous Year Mains Questions Covering the same theme:

📍 Safeguarding the Indian art Heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss (GS-1, 2018)
📍 Indian philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the monuments and art in India. Discuss (GS-1, 2020)

Retail inflation drops to 6.44%, but still above RBI upper band

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-RETAIL INFLATION inched lower to 6.44 per cent in February from 6.52 per cent in January, even as it remained above the upper band of the 4+/- 2 per cent medium-term target of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the second consecutive month, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday showed. While food inflation eased marginally to 5.95 per cent in February from the revised level of 6 per cent in January (earlier 5.94 per cent), inflation for cereals, milk and fruits picked up.

• What is Inflation?

• What is retail inflation?

• What is core inflation?

• What is the difference between inflation and core inflation?

• How India’s retail inflation is measured?

• Why the Retail inflation has stayed above the RBI Monetary Policy Committee’s tolerance band of 2-6 per cent?

• Why RBI is failing to meet the inflation target recently?

• The Ministry of Finance said that prices of commodities like crude oil, iron ore and steel had sobered in global markets. What measures Government has taken so far to soften the prices of edible oils and pulses?

• What is Monetary policy?

• What is the primary objective of the monetary policy?

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a Statutory Body-True or False?

• Under Section 45ZB of the amended (in 2016) RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)- What is the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)?

• What are the steps taken by RBI to control inflation?

• What factor distinguishes India’s inflation from many other developed countries?

• What is Inflation?

• Know the Types of Inflation like Moderate Inflation, Galloping Inflation, Hyper-Inflation, Stagflation, Deflation, Core Inflation etc.

• What are the causes of Inflation in the present situation

• How Inflation is Measured in India?

• What is the Long term, Medium Term and Short-term impact of Inflation?

• New Standard for Measuring Inflation in India and Old Standard for Measuring Inflation-Key Differences

• Steps or Measures Taken by GOI to Control Inflation

• What do you understand by Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index? WPI and CPI is published by whom?

• What’s the RBI assessment on inflation recently?

• Know these Terms-Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), Open Market Operations (OMOs), Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS), Repo Rate, Reverse Repo Rate, Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Bank Rate

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍PRICE TO PAY

And the Oscars go two India

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.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- India shone bright at the 95th Academy awards. As an ecstatic MM Keeravani sang out his thanks in tune with that Carpenter’s immortal sappy ditty, the auditorium exploded in hoots, whistles and loud cheers. His ‘namaste’, a delightful little tailpiece to his acceptance speech, echoed the sentiments of a billion Indians on the top of the world after ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Best Original Song at the Academy awards. It’s not just the song which had had the globe dancing to its tune from S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster ‘RRR’ that made history at this edition of the Oscars. It was also the Best Documentary Short award for the ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, a heartwarming film on the deep bond between a pair of elephants and their humans, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, and produced by Guneet Monga.

• Oscar Awards-know in detail

• Why Oscar Awards are also called as Academy Awards?

• How did the Academy Awards start?

• Why Oscar Awards are considered prestigious?

• The Oscar awards to ‘RRR’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ are, in a sense, an acknowledgement of the film’s immense popularity and impact across the world. How far do you agree?

• “The wins for RRR and The Elephant Whisperers mark a new recognition in the West of the full spectrum of cinema that India produces, an acknowledgement that there is more to the films made here than Bollywood”-How far you agree with the given statement?

• Have the Oscars really become diverse?

• Past criticisms over inclusivity-Know in brief

• Why Michelle Yeoh’s win is historic and symbolic?

• ‘Indian cinema’s cultural influence for the first few decades after Independence was outsized compared to its economic and political might’-Do you agree?

• Can we say that, ‘RRR’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ international recognition and popularity expands the horizon for Indian cinema globally’?

• How will India’s cinematic standing change as a result of this award?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The India moment

📍THE BIG PICTURE

📍AFTER THE OSCAR

📍Asians make a mark: A brief history of inclusivity at the Academy awards

Uttarakhand: Cabinet nod to 10% job quota for statehood agitators

Syllabus:

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

Main 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- The Uttarakhand state Cabinet on Monday approved the long-pending demand of 10 per cent horizontal reservation in government jobs for those who protested for statehood — also known as Rajya Andolankaris as the Budget Session began. For the last 11 years, demands have been repeatedly raised for reservation in government jobs for the dependents of people killed during statehood protests, and demonstrators who were injured or jailed.

• What is Vertical reservation?

• What is horizontal reservation?

• Vertical and horizontal reservations-compare and contrast

• Do You Know-Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes is referred to as vertical reservation. It applies separately for each of the groups specified under the law. Horizontal reservation refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities, cutting through the vertical categories.

• Why Uttarakhand state Cabinet approved 10 per cent horizontal reservation in government jobs for those who protested for statehood also known as Rajya Andolankaris?

• Map Work-Uttarakhand

• How are the two categories of quotas applied together?

• Saurav Yadav case and Vertical and horizontal reservation-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: How horizontal, vertical quotas work; what Supreme Court said

EXPRESS NETWORK

‘Seminal importance’: SC refers same-sex marriage pleas to 5-judge bench

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: 

• General Studies I: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

• General Studies II: 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- The Supreme Court on Monday referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench the petitions seeking legal recognition to same-sex marriages, saying the matter raises questions of “seminal importance”. In its order, a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, said the submissions on the issue involve the interplay between constitutional rights and specific legislative enactments, including the Special Marriage Act, besides the rights of transgender couples.

• What exactly Court said?

• What Article 145(3) of the Constitution says?

• What is meant by constitutional bench?

• Why Constitutional bench on this matter?

• What exactly is the issue?

• What is centre saying in this regard?

• Why Centre is urging the court to leave the issue to Parliament?

• “Decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is one thing and same sex marriage is another thing”-discuss

• Why same-sex wedding is not legal in India?

• Recently, the US President signed same sex marital law-know the highlight

• How same sex marriage can be legalised in India?

• What are the issues associated with the legalisation of same sex marriage in India?

• What is the Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954?

• The legal recognition for same sex marriage is a little more complex-why?

• What is the Concept behind marriages in Indian Subcontinent or in the Indian Society?

• The Institution of Marriage-Why marriage is referred as an institution?

• Influence of Legislations like the prevention of Sati Act, 1829, The Hindu widow Remarriage Act, 1856, The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 on Hindu Marriage-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Which countries in the world allow same-sex marriage & through what routes?

📍Opposing pleas in SC on same-sex marriages, Govt: Let House decide

THE IDEAS PAGE

Britain’s real match

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main 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- An extraordinary row has engulfed Britain involving a football icon, a national broadcaster in crisis and uproar over a controversial asylum policy. Gary Lineker’s comments comparing the Tory government’s stance on a proposed asylum legislation to 1930s Germany led to his suspension from the BBC’s ‘Match of the Day’ and subsequent boycotts from his colleagues. It has prompted heated discussions over free speech and compassionate conservatism exposing the growing polarisation across the political divide. But away from the rhetoric, the truth remains that Britain needs a mature discussion about asylum seekers that combines compassion with seeking hard headed solutions.

• Who is Gary Lineker?

• What has happened to Gary Lineker?

• “The origins of this debacle go back to when Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, and Rishi Sunak, the PM, showcased legislation intended to “stop the boats” that have led thousands of people to cross the English Channel seeking asylum”-Discuss

• What is Difference between migrants and refugees?

• What exactly is a refugee, an asylum-Seeker and a migrant?

• Who is an illegal immigrant in India? How is an illegal immigrant different from a refugee?

• Know about United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

• What is Global Refugee Forum (GRF)?

• What is India’s Refugee Policy?

• 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and India-Know in detail

• What do you understand by expression ‘right of non-refoulement’?

• International Court of Justice (ICJ)-Background, Jurisdiction and Functioning

• Limitation on the Functioning of International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ)-Difference

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍BBC reverses Gary Lineker’s suspension for post on Twitter

The Great Nicobar choke

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main 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-Raja Menon Writes: In a bold, imaginative and strategic move, the government of India has quietly begun to build a holistic naval base on Great Nicobar Island, which stands squarely overlooking the entrance to the Malacca Straits, and is barely 90 miles from the tip of Indonesia. This step, in terms of chess terminology, is like moving the queen out into the open to give the opposing king a direct check. For instance, it immediately threatens to bring the shutter down on China’s extended neck stretching far out into the Indian Ocean, far westward to Djibouti and Gwadar. A naval base in Great Nicobar would be the central piece to an oceanic strategy, to offer a counter punch to Chinese aggression in the Himalayas.

• “Operating from the new base in Great Nicobar, Indian fighter aircraft directed by own air early warning aircraft would clamp down information dominance over the Malacca Straits”-Analyse the statement

• “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” project-Know key Components of the project

• Why “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” is facing widespread opposition?

• “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” project benefits-brainstorm

• Map Work-Great Nicobar Island

• Do You Know-The Greater Nicobar island is occupied by the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes. The project area falls near two national parks – Galathea Bay National Park and Campbell Bay National Park. The Greater Nicobar region is home to leatherback sea turtles and other important species such as Nicobar macaque, Nicobar megapode and saltwater crocodiles and rare and endemic plant species such as tree ferns and orchids. The project was given a go-ahead keeping in mind the strategic importance of the port to be developed.

• It is said that this project is of great strategic importance keeping in mind India’s presence in the Bay of Bengal, but what about environment and biodiversity?

• Environment vs Development-debate

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Development of Great Nicobar: strategic imperative and ecological concerns

EXPLAINED

Unrest in Manipur hills

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The BJP-led Manipur government on March 10 decided to withdraw from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with two hill-based tribal militant groups, alleging they were “influencing agitation among forest encroachers”. The state government claimed that a protest rally organised recently, defying Section 144, was influenced by the two groups, Kuki National Army (KNA) and Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). Subsequently, a team of top bureaucrats, including Manipur Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar, on Sunday (March 12) left Imphal for the national capital to meet the Union Home Secretary to discuss issues pertaining to the withdrawal of the SoO.

• What the state government alleges?

• What are the Kuki tribal bodies saying?

• What are the roots of the Kuki insurgency?

• What is the Suspension of Operations pact?

• What are the terms of the SoO pact?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why Manipur govt withdrew from an SoO agreement with two tribal insurgent groups

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