UPSC Key-October 10, 2022: Why you should read ‘Online Gaming’ or ‘Cultural Imperialism’ or ‘Trade’ for UPSC CSE

Big infra ministries push the pedal in capital spending in first five months

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- AS the economy picks up the thread post Covid-19, at least two big infrastructure ministries, Railways, and Road transport and Highways have recorded a fast pace of spending in the first five months of the current financial year. In fact, these two ministries account for nearly half (Rs 3.24 lakh crore) of the entire capital expenditure (Rs 7.50 lakh crore) budgeted for 2022-23.

• For Your Information-Of Rs 85,279 crore utilised by the Railways in April-August this year, 79 per cent or Rs 67,244.99 crore was capital spending. For Road Transport and Highways, 95 per cent of Rs 1.15 lakh crore total spending in the first five months was capital expenditure.

• What Are Capital Expenditures (CapEx)?

• Types of CapEx-know in detail

• How CapEx and Operating Expenses (OpEx) are different from each other?

• “In 2022-23, the first five months’ spending pattern is that the bulk of it was capex meaning expenditure that results is new asset creation or improving the quality of existing ones”-Why so much in CapEx?

• What happens when government invests in CapEx?

• Does Capital Expenditure (CapEx) improves unemployment?

• How Capital Expenditure (CapEx) helps in government’s revenue generation?

• “Rush of expenditure, particularly in the closing months of the financial year, shall be regarded as a breach of financial propriety and shall be avoided”-How far you agree?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Finance ministry to kick-start budgetary exercise from October 10

📍Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Definition, Formula, and Examples

GOVT & POLITICS

To push autonomy for colleges, UGC to amend guidelines

Syllabus:

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

Mains 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 UNIVERSITY Grants Commission (UGC) is streamlining the process through which colleges obtain autonomous status in tune with recommendations made in the National Education Policy, 2020.

• What you know about Autonomous, Deemed, Private, State & Central Universities?

• Autonomous and Deemed university-compare and contrast

• What are the advantages when university gets autonomous status?

• Growth of higher education in India-Historical Background from Vedic Period to British Period

• Growth of higher education in the Post-Independence Period-Reforms taken so far

• Education was initially a state subject but following an amendment (42nd) to the Constitution in 1976, it became a concurrent subject-True or False?

• Goal 4 of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related to Education and Govt of India’s initiatives/schemes/programmes to achieve the SDG Goal 4-Know in detail

• How National Policy on Education (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable development goals are linked?

• What are the salient features of New Education Policy 2020?

• How many policies India had so far and what was the fundamental objective of each which makes every policy unique?

• Know the Kothari Commission (1964–1966) recommendations to formulate a coherent education policy

• National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 and New Education Policy (NEP) 2020-Compare and Contrast

• What is National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)?

• National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Procedure?

• What is Paramarsh Scheme?

• What NAAC examines for provisional accreditation for colleges (PAC)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Accrediting colleges, varsities

📍National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

📍Explained: India’s National Education Policy, 2020

THE IDEAS PAGE

In defence of freebies

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: 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- Bastian Steuwer writes-The debate on freebies shows an implicit distrust of voters, especially poor voters. Leave it to voters to decide which promised policies are in their interest and furthering the common good

• “Social and Welfare programmes further the Directive Principles of State Policy under Part IV of the Constitution”-Attest this certain examples

• According to the author, why Public Distribution System (PDS) would fall on the freebie side?

• According to the author, there is no principled distinction between social welfare and freebies-discuss

• What the everyday plight of the common citizen in India?

• What is “Freebies”?

• Is there any definition of the term “freebies” given in the existing legal/policy framework?

• What is wrong with freebies?

• Promises made by the political parties, often driven by short-term electoral calculations, can be divided into two types-What are those two types of promises?

• The Supreme Court of India in its judgment dated July 5, 2013, accepted that the promises in manifestos cannot be construed as “corrupt practice” under the RP Act. However, it conceded that they do “influence the people and shake the roots of free and fair elections”-Know in detail about this verdict

• “India is a welfare state and the citizens are entitled to welfare schemes, but distributing things free can never be the only way of welfare”-Where to draw the line between welfarism and freebies?

• Oxfam’s 2022 annual report on inequality in India has many troubling, stark revelations-Know in detail

• For Your Information-According to Oxfam’s 2022 annual report on inequality in India, the number of poor doubled to 134 million as its dollar billionaires’ wealth doubled. The richest 1 per cent have amassed 51.5 per cent of the total wealth while the bottom 60 per cent of the population a mere 5 per cent.

• Critics have pointed out that provisions to poor beneficiaries are termed as “revdi” while state-sponsored support to the rich is called “incentive”-Compare and Contrast between “Revdi” and “Incentive”

• How freebies Impact Union and State budgets?

• Why the word ‘Freebie’ is almost sounds pejorative especially in political and policy circle?

• The political dialogue built around freebies is fraught with danger. What ‘danger’ is associated with Freebies scheme?

• How Budget is managed for Freebies schemes and Programmes?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍As constitutional office, may not be apt to be part of SC panel on poll freebies: EC

📍Election monitor does well to refrain from stepping into debate on freebies. That discussion must remain in the political domain

📍From freebies to welfare

EXPRESS NETWORK

India-UK FTA talks face deadlock over data: report

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interest

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Data localisation and UK companies being allowed to bid for Indian government contracts are among the issues causing a possible deadlock in the final stages of the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations towards a Diwali draft completion deadline, according to a UK media report on Sunday.

• What is Free Trade Agreement (FTA)?

• Know about other types of trade agreements like Bilateral investment treaty (BIT), Preferential Trade Area, Single market, Customs Union etc.

• What is Definition of trade given by WTO?

• Enhanced Trade Partnership between India and UK

• India and UK trade-know in brief

• Significance of India-UK Trade Relations

• India and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Unlocking a new era: India–UK Early Harvest Trade Deal

📍Explained: Why India is trying to seal a free trade agreement with UK

EXPLAINED

ROSETTA STONE

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc. their forms and effect on the society.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-An object that helped create a new domain of history, is referenced in the name of an Apple translation software, and is the most-visited item at the British Museum is at the centre of demands by historians in Egypt. According to a Reuters report, the UK is being asked to return the Rosetta Stone, a large stone slab that has fascinated the world since its discovery around two centuries ago.

• What is Rosetta Stone?

• What is the significance of the Rosetta Stone?

• How did the Rosetta Stone reach Britain?

• Is there a possibility of the stone’s return to Egypt?

• Cultural violence and cultural imperialism-What do you know about these two terms?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Lost and then,found in translation

Sena split: How does EC decide who gets party symbol?

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In an interim order passed late on Saturday (October 8) evening, the Election Commission of India (ECI) froze the well known ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol of the Shiv Sena until the competing claims for recognition by the two rival factions is decided.

• What is the stand of Election Commission of India on this entire issue?

• Any previous case when Election Commission of India (ECI) took a similar decision?

• How does the ECI decide who gets the symbol?

• But what happened in such cases before 1968?

• And what was the first case decided under the 1968 Order?

• Is there a way other than the test of majority to resolve a symbol dispute?

• What happens to the group that doesn’t get the parent party’s symbol?

• Election Commission of India and Article 324 of the Constitution-Know in detail

• The independent and impartial functioning of the Election Commission-How it is ensured?

• Election Commission of India- Powers and Functions

• Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners have equal powers-True or False?

• In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief election commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Supreme Court of India-Right or Wrong?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: When parties split, how does EC decide who gets the symbol?

ECONOMY

Online gaming sector: What are the proposed rules to regulate it?

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.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- An inter-ministerial task force, set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to propose contours of a national-level legislation to regulate online gaming, has proposed the creation of a central regulatory body for the sector, clearly defining what games of skill and chance are, and bringing online gaming under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, among other things.

• Why a central-level law?

• Online gaming so far has been a state subject-true or false?

• How big is the online gaming market in India?

• What are the recommendations of the task force?

• Which ministry will be in charge of the regulation?

• What did the task force say about offshore betting apps?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Why online gaming could now attract a higher GST of 28%

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