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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for May 19, 2023. If you missed the May 18, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here
GOVT & POLITICS
PM to inaugurate new Parliament building on May 28
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.
• 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 will inaugurate the New Parliament building on May 28, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement on Thursday. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Modi on Thursday to invite him to inaugurate the New Parliament Building, it said.
• Why New Parliament Building?
• How New Parliament Building is different from old Parliament Building?
• India’s present Parliament House is a colonial-era building designed by whom?
• New Parliament Building-what are its features
• What is Central Vista Redevelopment Project?
• Total expenditure on Central Vista Redevelopment Project?
• New Parliament and Central Vista Redevelopment Project-Know the key features
• How Central Vista Redevelopment Project will draw the line between creating new heritage and taking care of existing heritage?
• Do You Know-Being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore, the building is part of the Central Vista Project, which also includes a joint Central Secretariat, revamp of the Rajpath, a new Prime Minister’s residence, a new Prime Minister’s Office, and a new Vice-President’s enclave.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍5,000 works of art for new Parliament building, highlighting 5,000 years of Indian civilisation
PM: Vande Bharat trains a symbol of aspirational India
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- Flagging off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri in Odisha and West Bengal’s Howrah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called the train a “symbol of modern and aspirational India”, and that the country’s “speed and progress can be seen whenever a Vande Bharat train runs”. “This (train) will entirely change the meaning of development along with the experience of traveling for passengers,” Modi said over videoconferencing while inaugurating the service.
• What are Vande Bharat trains?
• Vande Bharat express-Know the history of the project
• Vande Bharat Express-what makes them different from the other trains?
• “The nation’s collective capabilities can reach its pinnacle if the country remains united. “Vande Bharat Express is a reflection of this belief…”-Comment
• What is the Speciality of Vande Bharat train?
• What are the Features of the Vande Bharat Trains?
• What is the route of Vande Bharat train?
• Indian Railways-know in brief
• Indian railways and India’s struggle for Independence-how railways helped?
• “The Indian Railways must be modernized in order to compete globally and serve as a major growth engine for the nation”-Discuss
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Indian Railways needs restructuring and modernisation, efforts since 2014 are bearing fruit
EXPRESS NETWORK
SC stays Bengal govt’s ban on The Kerala Story
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure and 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- THE SUPREME Court on Thursday stayed the West Bengal government’s order banning the screening of the film, The Kerala Story, observing that fundamental right to free speech can’t be made dependent on public display of emotions and Section 6(1) of the West Bengal Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1954, under which it was banned, “cannot be utilised to put a premium on public intolerance”.
• What was West Bengal government’s order?
• What exactly Supreme Court said?
• Banning of movies-is it justified?
• “Films have been accepted as a form of speech and expression and freedom of speech and expression is the concept of being able to speak freely”-Comment
• Banning of movies-What does the law say
• ‘The Kerala Story’-why centre of the storm these days?
• “The film’s most controversial claim thus far has been that approximately 32,000 girls have gone ‘missing’ from the southern state, allegedly after being forcefully/deceitfully converted to Islam and then recruited by the Islamic State”-is there any data available to support the claim?
• In 2012, then chief minister Oommen Chandy tabled a report in the Kerala Assembly-What was that report and how it is connected with the movie?
• ‘The Kerala Story’ as “propaganda”-Critically analyse the given statement
• What is propaganda?
• There are many techniques commonly used in spreading of propaganda-what are they?
• How propaganda influence public opinion?
• How do films as forms of propaganda affect society as a whole?
• What are examples of propaganda films?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍How accurate are the claims made by ‘The Kerala Story’?
SC declines to lift Patna HC stay on caste survey
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to lift the stay imposed by Patna High Court on the caste survey initiated by Bihar government. A bench of Justices A S Oka and Rajesh Bindal noted that the HC had kept the matter for hearing on July 3 and said it will take up the matter on July 14 if the High Court does not hear it for some reason.
• What exactly Supreme Court said?
• Quick Recap- In a setback to the Nitish Kumar government, the Patna High Court Thursday stayed the ongoing caste-based survey in Bihar with immediate effect, saying the state government had “no power” to conduct the same as it would “infringe on the legislative powers” of Parliament. The interim order came days before the census was to be completed by May 15. The Mahagathbandhan government has invested much political stock in the caste census, with most of the Opposition parties putting pressure on the BJP-led Modi government to hold the same across the country.
• What exactly Patna High Court said?
• “The state government had “no power” to conduct the same as it would “infringe on the legislative powers” of Parliament”-Discuss
• Why Bihar is conducting a caste census?
• What is meant by caste census?
• What is the purpose of caste census?
• What is the importance of caste census?
• Has a caste census ever been conducted?
• What data are the enumerators collecting?
• On the difference between “census” and “survey”, What exactly the Patna HC said?
• For Your Information-On the difference between “census” and “survey”, the HC said Black’s Law Dictionary “defines ‘census’ as an official count of people, made for the purpose of compiling social and economic data of the political subdivision to which the people belong”. ‘Census’ as defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary is the count of a population and a property evaluation in early Rome, which is almost a complete enumeration of the population, made by the Government. The Concise Law Dictionary by P Ramanatha Aiyar defines it as an official enumeration of the inhabitants of the state or country with details of sex, age, family, occupation, possession etc”. A “survey”, the court said, is defined in the Oxford Advanced Dictionary as “an investigation of the opinions and behaviour of a particular group of people”, determined by asking them pre-framed questions. Black’s Law Dictionary defines it as an appraisal and a general consideration of something and also includes the measuring of a tract of land. It has also been defined as a poll or questionnaire, especially one examining popular opinions, the HC said.
• What is the Socio Economic and Caste Census?
• Caste Census and Socio Economic and Caste Census-Compare and Contrast
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Patna HC halts caste survey, says issue beyond state power
THE IDEAS PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- Arindam Ghosh Writes: India is getting serious about building her own technology base and the upcoming National Quantum Mission could be a game changer in multiple sectors, from defence, energy, and environment to healthcare and civil applications. Any technology is first devised and then thrives on material innovation, and quantum technology is no exception.
• “For India, investments in quantum materials and devices promise far more dividends than meets the eye. The process can generate a cadre of highly skilled workforce”-How
• What is Quantum Technology?
• What do quantum computers do?
• How to make India’s cyberspace resilient?
• In 2019, the Centre declared quantum technology a “mission of national importance”-Know the reasons?
• The Union Budget 2020-21 had proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crore on the newly launched National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications- What are the key features of National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications?
• What are Quantum materials?
• For Your Information-NQM, planned during 2023 – 2031, is worth Rs. 6,003.65 crore and will mainly work towards strengthening India’s research and development in the quantum arena alongside indigenously building quantum-based (physical qubit) computers which are far more powerful to perform the most complex problems in highly secure manner.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍What is the Rs 6,000 crore national quantum mission, and what it means for science in India
EXPLAINED
Tahawwur Rana to be extradited: His role in 26/11 attacks
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- A US court has approved the Indian government’s request for the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, the Pakistan-born Canadian man who faces charges for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 and is known to be associated with David Headley.
• Who is Tahawwur Rana?
• What was Rana’s role in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai?
• What did David Headley say of Tahawwur Rana?
• What was India’s extradition request?
• What is extradition cases in international law of India?
• What is the meaning of extradition in international relations?
• Which countries have extradition with India?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
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- The Andhra Pradesh government has started removing “dotted lands” in the state from the prohibited list, restoring full rights of selling or pledging these lands to the farmers who own them. Over 2 lakh acres of these British-era dotted lands have been identified for permanent denotification.
• What kind of lands are dotted lands?
• For Your Information- Dotted lands are disputed lands for which there are no clear ownership documents. Typically, one or more individuals as well as the government’s Revenue Department lay claim over the land. These lands came to be known as “dotted lands’’ because when, during the British era, land ownership surveys and resettlement of land records were taken up, local revenue officials who were tasked with identifying government-owned and privately-owned lands put dots in the ownership column if more than one person claimed ownership, or if ownership could not be clearly established. These lands were also noted as disputed lands in the resettlement register or land records register. The dots on the land documents indicated their disputed status.
• How did these ownership disputes arise?
• So how much land overall are we talking about here?
• How will this step benefit landowners/farmers?
• Why did the state government take up this exercise?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
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- The Centre has amended rules under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), bringing international credit card spends outside India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). Also, from July 1, spending on international credit cards will attract a higher rate of Tax Collected at Source (TCS) at 20%. The government said the decision was taken in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India. The move, notified Tuesday night, will likely impose a significant compliance burden on both card-issuing banks and consumers.
• What changes?
• What is Foreign Exchange Management Act?
• What is the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS)?
• For Your Information-Prior to this, the usage of an international credit card to make payments towards meeting expenses during a trip abroad was not covered under the LRS. The spendings through international credit cards were excluded from LRS by way of Rule 7 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transaction) Rules, 2000. With the latest notification, Rule 7 has now been omitted, paving way for the inclusion of such spendings under LRS.
• What do you understand by ‘Tax Collected at Source’?
• Why the changes?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Credit cards under LRS: Govt says will ensure parity in card use, aid domestic travel agents
SC upholds Tamil Nadu Jallikattu law: What is this decade-old case?
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main 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- A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday (May 18) upheld the amendments made by the legislatures of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka to The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, allowing bull-taming sports like jallikattu, kambala, and bullock-cart races. The five-judge Bench overruled the view taken by a two-judge Bench of the court in its 2014 ruling in ‘Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja’, banning such sports including jallikattu. On December 8 last year, the Constitution Bench, also comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy, and C T Ravikumar, had heard submissions from senior advocates including Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Tamil Nadu, and Siddharth Luthra who appeared for the petitioners, before reserving its judgment.
• How did the case reach SC, and who filed it?
• What is Jallikattu?
• For Your Information- Jallikattu, also known as eruthazhuvuthal, is a bull-taming sport traditionally played in Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal harvest festival. The festival is a celebration of nature, and thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest, of which cattle-worship is part. However, the practice of jallikattu has long been contested, with animal rights groups and the courts expressing concern over cruelty to animals and the bloody and dangerous nature of the sport that sometimes causes death and injuries to both the bulls and human participants. In the present case, the petitioners challenged the Tamil Nadu amendment that allowed jallikattu, contending that since the central law prohibits cruelty to animals, there could not be an amending Act that perpetuates cruelty. The plea also named states like Karnataka and Maharashtra as parties to the case, since they too have similar bull-related sports.
• Under what circumstances did Tamil Nadu pass its law?
• And what was the 2014 ruling of the court?
• And what did the other states do?
• What did the court hold?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍SC upholds validity of amendments by states to carry on with bovine races
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