UPSC Key- May 4, 2023: Know about Victory Day, Commutation, Toyconomy and Go First Crisis

Russia says Ukraine attacked Kremlin with drones in bid to kill Putin; Kyiv denies role

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-Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin with drones overnight in a failed attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin. A senior Ukrainian presidential official denied the accusation – the most serious that Moscow has levelled at Kyiv in more than 14 months of war – and said it indicated Moscow was preparing a major “terrorist provocation”. The Kremlin said Russia reserved the right to retaliate, and hardliners demanded swift retribution against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

• What is Kremlin?

• Kremlin symbolises what?

• What is Victory Day?

• Why Victory Day is important for Russia?

• Russia-Ukraine war-what is the story so far?

• Russia-Ukraine war-where it is heading?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Zelenskyy in Helsinki for talks with Nordic leaders; Russia to double missile output

Will form committee on concerns of same-sex couples: Centre to SC

Syllabus:

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

Main 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 Centre told the Supreme Court Wednesday that it will form a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to address “human concerns” of same-sex couples without legally recognising their relationship as a marriage. Calling it a “very fair suggestion”, a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, said if what the government says goes through, it “will be a substantial advancement over what we have today” and a “building block for the future” of the movement for gay rights. It asked the petitioners if, at this stage, they would still like to stick to their demand for a declaration that they have the right to marry under the Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954.

• What exactly Centre is saying?

• What is the Special Marriage Act, 1954?

• Who can get married under the Special Marriage Act?

• What is the “legislative intent” of marriage

• What is government’s objections to the maintainability of the same sex marriage petitions?

• What is the stigma attached to homosexual relations even after the strike down of IPC Section 377?

• “The legislative intent of the legislature throughout has been a relationship between a biological male and a biological female, including SMA”-Analyse

• “There is a very important value judgment that you are making – that the very notion of a biological man is absolute or that notion of a biological woman is also absolute which is incorrect. There is no absolute concept of a man or absolute concept of a woman at all”-Critically Analyse

• What is a civil union?

• How is a civil union different from marriage?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Supreme Court same-sex marriage hearing: What is the Centre’s stance on the matter?

GOVT & POLITICS

SC Collegium recommends three advocates as Bombay High Court judges; Intelligence Bureau had flagged one

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of three advocates as judges of the Bombay High Court including that Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla, who the Intelligence Bureau noted had earlier worked under a lawyer who wrote an article alleging that there is a lack of freedom of speech/expression in the country in the last five to six years.

• The judges of a high court are appointed by whom?

• A person to be appointed as a judge of a high court, should have certain qualifications-what are those?

• Who is Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla?

• What is the role of the government in the decision-making process for the shortlisting of judges?

• What is your understanding about the collegium system?

• What is the issue of conflict between Judiciary and Executive with respect to the appointment of Judges?

• Executive Vs Judiciary for appointment of judges in higher judiciary-Know in detail

• What does the Collegium consider while making the recommendation?

• National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act 2014-Know the key highlights

• Supreme Court on NJAC Act 2014 (99th Constitutional Amendment Act)-know in detail

• First Judges Case (1982), Second Judges Case (1993) and Third Judges Case (1998)-Know in detail

• What was the Supreme court’s ruling in the Second Judges case (1993), with respect to the appointment of a judge?

• Third Judges case (1998) and Supreme Court’s ruling in case of the appointment-What was the Supreme Court’s ruling?

• The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act of 2014 and the Collegium System-Compare and Contrast

• The Constitution has made certain provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of a Judges-Know in detail

• A person appointed as a judge of a high court, has to make and subscribe an oath before whom?

• A judge of a high court can be removed from his office by an order of the Governor-True or False?

• For Your Information-The Bombay HC is functioning with 65 judges, 42 permanent judges, and 23 additional judges. However, the sanctioned strength of the court, which is the second largest in the country after the Allahabad High Court, is 94. The Supreme Court Collegium on April 19 had passed a resolution recommending Justice Ramesh D Dhanuka as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court consequent to the appointment of Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala, Acting Chief Justice of Bombay HC, as Chief Justice of Madras High Court. However, the Central government is yet to clear the appointments of Justices Gangapurwala and Dhanuka.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Collegium vs NJAC: What is the renewed debate over appointment of judges?

SC refuses to commute Rajoana death penalty

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- The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the plea of Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for assassinating former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, for the commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. A bench of Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol left it to the Centre to take a decision on the mercy plea of Rajoana at an appropriate time.

• What is Babbar Khalsa?

• Who is Balwant Singh Rajoana?

• For Your Information-Beant Singh was killed on August 31, 1995, along with 12 others in a suicide attack in Chandigarh. Rajoana was sentenced to death in 2007 by a special CBI court. The SGPC filed a mercy petition on his behalf by in March 2012. In September 2019, the MHA wrote to Punjab, proposing commutation of his death sentence into life imprisonment to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, but the proposal was never implemented.

• What happened before the Supreme Court?

• Has the court ever commuted a convict’s death penalty?

• What is Commutation?

• What is commutation of sentence in life imprisonment?

• Who can commute death penalty to life imprisonment in India?

• Can governor commute death sentence into life imprisonment?

• Can high court commute death sentence?

• What is the difference between pardon, reprieve, respite, remission and commutation?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍SC refuses to commute Rajoana death penalty: The long legal battle of Beant Singh assassination convict

GOVT & POLITICS

Rajnath, Maldives minister launch Delhi-assisted harbour construction

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– India and Maldives marked a major step in their growing defence cooperation on Wednesday by launching construction of a harbour for the Coast Guard of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). The foundation stone for the Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’ was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart, Mariya Didi, at Sifavaru in Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) atoll, where India is assisting in construction of a naval dockyard.

• For Your Information-Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) Harbour Project, is among the biggest Indian grant-in-aid projects in Maldives. Maldives is among India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and New Delhi has been seeking to expand ties with Male including in areas of defence and security amid China’s efforts to expand its influence in the region. Significantly, Singh’s visit came just after his meeting with China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Delhi on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministerss meet, and ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet in Goa. In 2020, India had gifted a Dornier aircraft to Maldives and in 2019 handed over a patrol vessel. Last year, New Delhi had also given a coastal radar system to Male. Last year, Modi had announced that India will provide 24 vehicles and a naval boat and will build police facilities on 61 islands of the country.

• Map Work-Maldives

• Is Maldives in Indian Ocean or Arabian Sea?

• Which water channel separates Maldives and Lakshadweep?

• India and Maldives Bilateral Relations-Know the Historical Background

• How are things between India and the Maldives now?

• Why Maldives is Geo-Strategically Important to India?

• India and Maldives-What are the Major issues in Bilateral Relations?

• Political developments in the Maldives in the last few years-Know in detail

• ‘The String of Pearls’, Maldives and India-Connect the dots

• What Steps India has taken in the recent years to ensure friendly relations with Maldives?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India, Maldives have duty for regional peace, security, says Jaishankar

Goyal: 33% toys passed quality test in 2019, now 85% do

Syllabus:

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

Main 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-Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday that India has seen a big change in the quality of toys as now almost 85-90% toys pass the quality tests against 33% in 2019. Addressing a press conference, Goyal said, “This is a glaring example of success of quality… We implemented the Quality Control Order on Toys from the 1st January 2021…Despite a lot of pressure, we withstood that pressure, implemented it… We were able to ensure the safety and security of all our children.”

• How big is India’s toy industry?

• Toy Industry in India-what data and statistics says?

• What is Toyconomy?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed to focus on “toyconomy” asking citizens to become ‘vocal for local toys’-Why?

• What is ‘vocal for local toys’?

• How has been the growth of India’s Toy Industry?

• What steps have been taken by the Government to boost the growth of Toy Industry?

• Toy Industry in India- What are the issues and challenges?

• What are the indigenous toys of India?

• Know in detail-Kondapalli Toys, Asharikandi Terracotta Toys, Channapatna Toys, Thanjavur Dolls, Natungram Dolls, Wooden Toys of Varanasi and Dolls of Vilachery.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Toycathon Grand Finale: PM Modi urges people to be ‘vocal for local toys’

📍A peek into the world of India’s toy start-ups

EXPRESS NETWORK

Facing flak over NREGS rule changes, govt holds talks on its initiatives

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies II: Important aspects of Governance and Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Facing criticism over mandatory use of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app to capture attendance of those claiming work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Centre has, in a first such initiative, held a “Samvaad” with civil society organisations on the “good governance initiatives” that it says has been taken under the rural job guarantee scheme.

• What is National Mobile Monitoring System App (NMMS)?

• Why National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app is facing criticism?

• What are the changes introduced recently in the NREGS attendance and payment system?

• What is the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (NREGS) allocation in the Budget 23?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Mandate, Goals

• What are the core objectives of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?

• When was Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act passed by the Indian Parliament?

• What is the relationship between the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS)?

• In what way paradigm shift has taken place with the implementation of MGNREGA?

• Who are the key stakeholders of MGNREGS?

• What is the role of Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat in MGNREGS?

• How is Household defined in MGNREGA?

• Issues with MGNREGA?

• What are the eligibility criteria for receiving the benefits under MGNREGA scheme?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Nodal Ministry

• COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on MGNREGA?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Social Audit

• How schemes such as MGNREGA can help alleviate distress migration?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Budget 2023 cuts MGNREGS funds: The debate around the rural employment scheme

EXPLAINED

The crisis at Go First

Syllabus:

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

Main 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-Cash-strapped no-frills carrier Go Airlines (India) Ltd (Go First), said on Tuesday that it was filing for voluntary insolvency proceedings with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), blaming engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (P&W) for its financial situation. The Wadia Group airline has been struggling for some time now, with half its fleet of aircraft grounded due to snags in their P&W engines, and other financial problems.

• What has Go First said?

• How has Pratt & Whitney responded?

• Which creditors have exposure to Go First, and how much?

• What does this mean for Go First’s competitors?

• And how will passengers be impacted?

• What is National Company Law Appellate Tribunal?

• What is the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍CRASH AND BURN

📍Go First crisis: P&W hits back; CEO says carrier has owner, govt support

Why EU has acted against six Indian CCPs

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-The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the European Union (EU’s) financial markets regulator and supervisor, has derecognised six Indian central counterparties (CCPs) from April 30, 2023. These six CCPs are The Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL), Indian Clearing Corporation Ltd (ICCL), NSE Clearing Ltd (NSCCL), Multi Commodity Exchange Clearing (MCXCCL), India International Clearing Corporation (IFSC) Ltd (IICC) and NSE IFSC Clearing Corporation Ltd (NICCL).

• What is the issue?

• What’s the reason for derecognition?

• What timeline has ESMA given?

• How will the derecognition impact European banks?

• What will be the impact of the move?

• What’s the role of CCP?

• For Your Information-CCPs perform two main functions as the intermediary in a market transaction – clearing and settlement – and guarantee the terms of trade. CCP is a system provider, who by way of novation interposes between system participants in the transactions admitted for settlement, thereby becoming the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer, for the purpose of effecting settlement of their transactions. A CCP is authorised by the RBI to operate in India under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why has EU’s financial markets regulator derecognised six Indian clearing bodies?

THE IDEAS PAGE

Ocean’s Twenty

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Girish Chandra Murmu Writes: Under the Indian presidency, G20 leaders will address urgent policy needs for collective progress, equity and inclusive growth when they meet in New Delhi this year. With the summit theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, India has set the tone and perspective for commitment to green development, circular economy and lifestyle behaviour changes as an actionable plan for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. A slew of events will also be held across the country to focus on solutions to a wide range of issues from climate finance and technology sharing to financial inclusion and digital public infrastructure.

• What does blue economy mean?

• What is a blue economy strategy?

• Significance of the Blue Economy-Why it matters?

• For Your Information-The four goals and 23 targets set out in the global biodiversity framework of COP15 aim to conserve and sustainably use the planet’s biodiversity. These objectives focus on topics such as reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity, ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, and restoring degraded ecosystems. The framework aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination among countries and stakeholders to effectively conserve biodiversity and promote its sustainable use. The biodiversity framework of COP15 serves as a blueprint for countries to work together and make progress in addressing the global biodiversity crisis. In this article, I shall touch upon the blue, or ocean economy, whose global annual value is an estimated $2.5 trillion. About 90 per cent of global trade is carried out through sea routes.

• What Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20)?

• What are the two priority areas selected for SAI20 deliberations?

• Why interest in the blue economy has been steadily gaining traction in recent years?

• Do You Know- In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had for the first time laid out the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles, a framework investors can use to fund ocean-based industries.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Building the blue economy

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