UPSC Key- March 29, 2023: Know about New Warsaw Pact, Assamese Gamosa, Other Backward Class and Dawoodi Bohras

EPFO board recommends 8.15% interest for FY23

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- THE CENTRAL Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Tuesday recommended an interest rate of 8.15 per cent for its over 6 crore subscribers for the current financial year 2022-23, marginally higher than 8.1 per cent for the previous year. After the 8.15 per cent payout, the retirement fund body will be left with a surplus of Rs 663.91 crore, a statement released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment said.

• What is Central Board of Trustees (CBT) in EPFO?

• Who heads Central Board of Trustees (CBT) in EPFO?

• What is Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)?

• Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) come under which ministry?

• Quick Recall-Recently, the Subscribers of the Employees’ Provident Fund, who had not opted for higher pension under an earlier window, have been provided another option now. In compliance with the Supreme Court’s November 4, 2022, order, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Monday issued instructions to all its regional and zonal offices on the manner in which employees should apply for higher pensions.

• Employees now get a new set of instructions from the EPFO. What specifically is included in the instruction manual?

• What is Social Security to employees?

• What is the need of Social Security to employees?

• What are the famous social security schemes in India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍EPFO trustees meet: Joint option form, higher pension out on table

THE IDEAS PAGE

The new Warsaw pact

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-C. Raja Mohan Writes: Last week, the air chiefs of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden agreed to integrate their air defences to counter the Russian threat. Together, they have nearly 300 fighter aircraft and the goal of the four countries is to eventually operate as one force. It is not often that a country seeks to combine its armed forces with that of another.

• Map Work-Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden

• “The Nordic move is about coping with a heightened sense of insecurity in northern Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine”-Why Nordic nations are having a sense of insecurity?

• Why Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden decision to integrate their air defences seen as “New Warsaw Pact” along with other developments?

• What was the Warsaw Pact?

• For Your Information-During the Cold War, when Poland was part of the Soviet bloc of East European nations, it hosted the headquarters of the Warsaw Pact that was set up to counter the Western military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The arc of geopolitics, then, has turned full circle in Central Europe as the “New Warsaw Pact” trains its guns to the east to resist Russian revisionism.

• New Warsaw Pact Vs Warsaw Pact-Compare

• “The combination of Russian threat, western European passivity and Anglo-American support has begun to change the dynamics in eastern Europe which are now coalescing into a coherent regional alliance, operating both within and outside NATO”-Discuss

• “Bucharest Nine”-What’s that?

• Do You Know-The Bucharest Nine or Bucharest Format, often abbreviated as the B9, was founded on November 4, 2015, and takes its name from Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The group was created on the initiative of Klaus Iohannis, who has been President of Romania since 2014, and Andrzej Duda, who became President of Poland in August 2015, at the High-Level Meeting of the States from Central and Eastern Europe in Bucharest. The B9 are, apart from Romania and Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All nine countries were once closely associated with the now dissolved Soviet Union, but later chose the path of democracy. Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria are former signatories of the now dissolved Warsaw Pact military alliance led by the Soviet Union. (The other Warsaw Pact countries were the erstwhile Czechoslovakia and East Germany, and Albania.) Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were part of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). All members of the B9 are part of the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

• “India, which has genuine compulsions arising from a long-standing strategic partnership with Russia, must necessarily find a way to reconnect with the central European states that are well on their way to rearranging the strategic map of Europe”-What is India’s stand?

• What is the meaning ‘de-hyphenation’ in the foreign policy context?

• What is hyphenated diplomacy?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Who are the Bucharest Nine, countries on NATO’s eastern flank?

📍How global power dynamics are shifting with the Russia-Ukraine war and what challenges it poses for India

EXPRESS NETWORK

Licences of 18 pharma firms cancelled in crackdown

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In a major crackdown on companies manufacturing spurious or substandard drugs, regulators on Tuesday either cancelled licenses of or halted manufacturing at 18 companies. Permission to manufacture particular products was also cancelled for three companies, according to sources in the Union Health Ministry. Showcause notices were issued to 26 companies after inspections by joint teams of central and state drug control offices.

• “The action comes at a time when India is trying to peg itself as a global pharma major by providing quality medicines at affordable rates”-Discuss India’s Pharma sector

• What is Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana

• What is Janaushadhi Kendra?

• The development, however, also comes after products from Indian pharmaceutical companies were linked to deaths in other countries-What exactly happened?

• Is that cough syrup incident happened for the first time?

• How is cough syrup manufactured?

• Why is cough syrup restricted?

• What is the role of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO?

• What and who is Drugs Controller General of India?

• Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO and Drugs Controller General of India-Connect the dots

• Do You Know-Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Union Budget 2023: Why are Centres of Excellence for R&D in pharmaceuticals significant?

Abjuring hate speech is fundamental requisite for communal harmony: SC

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-Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Supreme Court Tuesday observed that “abjuring hate speech is a fundamental requisite for the maintenance of communal harmony” in the country. A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna made this oral observation while hearing a plea against hate speeches, news agency PTI reported.

• What exactly Court said?

• Quick Recall-In October 2022, the apex court had directed the police chiefs of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand to take “immediate” suo motu action against the offenders of hate speeches by lodging criminal cases without waiting for formal complaints. The bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy had expressed anguish over hate speeches while calling these “very disturbing” and wondering “what have we reduced religion to”.

• Does India have a formal legal framework for dealing with hate speech?

• What is ‘Hate Speech’?

• What are the Laws restricting the freedom of expression in India?

• What are the International Legal Regime on Hate Speech?

• What is Blasphemy?

• Free Speech, Hate Speech and Hurting religious sentiments- Where and what is that thin line drawn between these three?

• In the context of Fundamental Rights, what do you understand by the term “Absolute” and “Reasonable Restrictions”?

• Absolute and Reasonable Restrictions-Where and what is that thin line drawn between the two?

• Laws restricting the freedom of expression

• Impact of Hate Speech on Freedom of Expression, Free speech and on the Right to Freedom of Religion

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Condemn, and listen

Gamosa or gamchha? In Assam, ‘harmony idea’ triggers a row

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance and 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-The Bangla Sahitya Sabha, Assam (BSSA) on Sunday felicitated guests at a function with “hybrid gamosas” made up of Assamese gamosas and Bengali gamchhas cut in half and sewn together. The organisation on Tuesday issued an apology after a controversy erupted in the state over this.

• Assamese gamosas-Know in detail

• What is Gamosa in Assam?

• The Gamosa in Assamese culture and tradition is of immense significance-Why?

• What is the speciality of Assamese Gamosa?

• Gamosa, in Assam, received the geographic indication tag-True or False?

• Do You Know-From the days of the Assam agitation of the 1980s to the more recent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the gamosa has come to assume the symbolism of Assamese pride. It is also used to honour guests at almost all public events. The gamosa had previously sparked a political controversy in 2021 after a video grab showed All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal throwing a gamosa at someone at an election rally. Then, too, there was outrage over alleged disrespect to the gamosa.

• What is Jaapi and Xorai?

• Gamosa along with Jaapi and Xorai is considered as greatest mark of respect-why?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: The significance of jaapi, xorai and gamosa in Assam poll battle

EXPLAINED

Congress and OBCs: A short history of missed opportunities

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.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The BJP has announced a nationwide campaign around Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s alleged insult to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in remarks for which he has been convicted of defamation and, in consequence, disqualified from Parliament. While the Congress rejects the BJP’s allegation that it is biased against OBCs, the political history of India shows the party has missed several opportunities to reach out to these castes, including failing to claim credit for policy changes that were initiated by its governments.

• What is ‘Other Backward Class’?

• What is sub-categorisation of OBCs?

• What is the extent of OBC recruitment in central jobs?

• For Your Information-There is no precise estimate of India’s OBC population. The National Commission for Backward Classes lists over 2,600 castes in the central list of OBCs for 27% reservation. The Mandal Commission said OBCs were 52% of the population. A report based on the National Sample Survey Organisation’s 61st round, released in October 2006, put this figure at 41%

• In 1953, the government of Jawaharlal Nehru set up the first Backward Classes Commission (the expression ‘OBC’ was not in wide use at the time) under the chairmanship of whom?

• Why Mandal Commission was appointed?

• Do You Know-In August 1990, the central government led by Congress rebel V P Singh announced its intention to implement the report of the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, popularly known as the Mandal Commission. The Mandal Commission had been constituted by the Morarji government in 1978, and its report — recommending 27 per cent reservation for OBCs — had been submitted in 1980, but the governments of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi had chosen not to act on it. The implementation of the report of the Mandal Commission unleashed a wave of OBC assertion and fundamentally altered the politics of North India. It catapulted leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, and Sharad Yadav to national prominence, and sealed the fate of the Congress in UP and Bihar.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Sub-categorising OBCs

Docs vs Rajasthan health Bill

Syllabus:

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

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Thousands of doctors took to the streets in Rajasthan Monday to protest against the Right to Health Bill, hitting healthcare services across the state. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest physician association, has announced its support to the Rajasthan doctors. The Bill was passed in the state Assembly last week. While doctors have called the Bill draconian, the state government has claimed that many of their grievances have already been addressed in the latest version of the legislation.

• Why are the doctors protesting?

• What do public health experts say?

• Right to Health Bill-Know key highlights

• For Your Information-According to the Bill, free healthcare services, including consultation, drugs, diagnostics, emergency transport, procedure and emergency care, will be provided at all public health institutions and select private facilities subject to conditions specified in the rules, which will be formulated now. Also, all residents will be entitled to emergency treatment and care for accidental emergency without prepayment of any fee or charges. Importantly, in a case of medico-legal nature, no public or private hospital can delay treatment merely on the grounds of receiving police clearance. The legislation also says that “after emergency care, stabilisation and transfer of patient, if patient does not pay requisite charges, the healthcare provider shall be entitled to receive requisite fee and charges or proper reimbursement from the state government”. The law extends a total of 20 rights to the residents of the state.

• Right to Health Bill-What is the rationality behind this bill?

• What is right to health under Indian constitution

• Is Right to health a part of Article 21 of Indian constitution?

• Right to Health and Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)-Connect the dots

• What is Vincent v Union of India case?

• What Supreme Court said in Vincent v Union of India case?

• This Article has been regarded as the heart of Indian Constitution, the most organic and progressive provision in the Indian Constitution-Name the Article

• The Bill was tabled in the Assembly in September last year but was sent to the Select Committee following objections by the opposition-Why opposition is opposing?

• What are the issues and Challenges with Right to Health Bill?

• What are the possible implications of mandating free healthcare?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Rajasthan passes Right to Health Bill: Free services in govt, some pvt facilities

Battle for leadership of Dawoodi Bohras: Syedna succession case in HC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Bombay High Court will again this week hear the dispute between the current leader of the Dawoodi Bohra sect and his challenger to the post. Hearings in the case, going on for over eight years, could conclude next month.

• Who are Dawoodi Bohras?

• What is the dispute?

• For Your Information-The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination among Shia Muslims. Traditionally a community of traders and entrepreneurs, it has over 5 lakh members in India and over 10 lakh members across the world. The top religious leader of the community is known as the Dai-al-Mutlaq. In 2014, the 52nd Dai-al-Mutlaq, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, passed away, and his son, Mufaddal Saifuddin, succeeded him. This was challenged by the late Syedna’s half-brother, Khuzaima Qutbuddin, in the Bombay HC. Justice Gautam S Patel has been hearing the suit for its final disposal since November last year.

• How is the leader picked?

• What are Syedna Qutbuddin’s claims?

• What has Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin claimed?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Who are the Dawoodi Bohras, and what is the excommunication petition before Supreme Court?

THE WORLD

Pakistan-origin Humza Yousaf confirmed as first leader of Scotland

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, Indian diaspora.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Scotland’s governing Scottish National Party elected Humza Yousaf as its new leader on Monday after a bruising five-week contest that exposed deep fractures within the pro-independence movement. The 37-year-old son of South Asian immigrants is set to become the first person of colour to serve as Scotland’s first minister. Yousaf, who currently is Scotland’s health minister, beat two other Scottish lawmakers in a contest to replace First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. She unexpectedly stepped down last month after eight years as leader of the party and of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government.

• Who is Humza Yousaf?

• Humza Yousaf become the first person of colour to head the Scottish government, and the first
Muslim national leader in any Western democracy-Know the significance

• Map Work-Scotland

• Is Scotland in England or UK?

• How is the relationship between Scotland and England?

• ‘The success of the South Asia diaspora in United Kingdom’-Comment

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Humza Yousaf picked Scotland’s next leader: Meet the Pakistani-origin politician making history

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