UPSC Key | Semiconductor Sector, Governor, Narco-terrorism and more

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the July edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Front Page 

Some Governors playing a role where they shouldn’t, says SC judge Nagarathna

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity

Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution, Indian Polity and Governance, Various Constitutional posts, powers, functions.

What’s the ongoing story- Supreme Court judge Justice B V Nagarathna on Saturday said governors in India were playing a role where they ought not to and were inactive when they should be playing an active role, calling the cases against governors before the top court a “sad story”.

Prerequisites:

— Office of Governor-know the historical background

— Read the constitutional provisions related to the Governor.

— How does the role of the governor differ from that of the President in terms of their constitutional positions?

Key takeaways: 

— Her remarks have come in the backdrop of states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu moving the Supreme Court over their governors withholding assent to Bills and the court, in a separate matter, agreeing to examine the question of immunity to governors from criminal prosecution, granted under Article 361 of the Constitution.

— Quoting lawyer and social worker Durgabai Deshmukh on the subject of “neutrality of Governors”, Justice Nagarathna said, “Certain functions are expected to be discharged by the Governor. We want to introduce the Governor in our Constitution because we thought that an element of harmony would be there and that institution would bring about some sort of understanding and harmony between the conflicting groups of people if really the Governor is conscious of his duties and he functions well. It is only for this purpose this is proposed. The governing idea is to place the governor above party politics, above factions and not to subject him to the party affairs.”

For Your Information:

— Article 153 of the Constitution says “There shall be a Governor for each State.” A few years after the commencement of the Constitution, an amendment in 1956 laid down that “nothing in this article shall prevent the appointment of the same person as Governor for two or more States”.

— Article 361 of the Constitution that deals with immunity to the President and the Governors states that they “shall not be answerable to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of his office or for any act done or purporting to be done by him in the exercise and performance of those powers and duties…”

Points to Ponder: 

— Who was Durgabai Deshmukh?

— What is the role of the governor in legislative procedure in the state legislature?

— What are the privileges and immunities of the Governor?

— What are the challenges associated with the Governor’s office? 

— What reforms are suggested by various committees and the Supreme Court regarding the office of Governor?

(Thought Process: Administrative Reforms Commission of 1968, the Rajamanar Committee of 1969, the Sarkaria Commission of 1988 and Punchhi Commission-What were their recommendations in the context of role of Governor?.)

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(1) Which of the following are the discretionary powers given to the Governor of a State? (UPSC CSE 2014)

1. Sending a report to the President of India for imposing the President’s rule

2. Appointing the Ministers

3. Reserving certain bills passed by the State Legislature for consideration of the President of India

4. Making the rules to conduct the business of the State Government

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Mains

Discuss the essential conditions for exercise of the legislative powers by the Governor. Discuss the legality of re-promulgation of ordinances by the Governor without placing them before the Legislature. (UPSC CSE 2022)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

The Governor’s immunity

 

Govt & Politics

People get so fed up with court proceedings that they want any settlement… Process becomes the punishment, says CJI

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution and Polity

What’s the ongoing story- Saying that people, sometimes, get so “fed up” with long-drawn court proceedings that they seek settlement outside court, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday expressed concern over how the “process” becomes “the punishment”.

Prerequisites:

— What are Lok Adalats?

— What were the reasons for establishing Lok Adalats in India?

— Read about the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

— What is Alternative Dispute Redressal (ADR)?

Key takeaways: 

— In this context, he highlighted the role of Lok Adalats as alternative dispute redressal mechanisms. The CJI was speaking at the commemoration of the special Lok Adalat week at the Supreme Court.

— Marking its 75th year, the Supreme Court kicked off a week-long, first-of-its-kind Lok Adalat on Monday as a “mega settlement drive”.

— “We began with seven benches (and) we were worried whether there would be enough work. But by Thursday, there was so much work… that we needed 13 benches to operate this Lok Adalat,” the CJI said.

— “And the purpose of our Adalat has been truly to take justice to the homes of the people, to ensure that we remind people that we are a constant presence in their lives,” he said. “The work of this Lok Adalat was also facilitated by what the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) does. In 2023, NALSA resolved as many as 8.1 crore cases,” the CJI said.

For Your Information:

— Lok Adalats are an alternative dispute redressal mechanism, where the aim is to settle or compromise cases amicably. While litigants get the benefit of swift justice and substantially reduced litigation costs, as per the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, the decision of the court is binding and it cannot be appealed against.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the issues and challenges faced by the Indian Judicial System?

— What is the significance of the Lok Adalats?

— What are the features of the permanent Lok Adalats?

— What are the challenges of the ADR mechanisms?

Post Read Question:

(2) With reference to Lok Adalats, which of the following statements is correct? (UPSC CSE 2010)

(a) Lok Adalats have the jurisdiction to settle the matters at pre-litigative stage and not those matters pending before any court

(b) Lok Adalats can deal with matters which are civil and not criminal in nature

(c) Every Lok Adalat consists of either serving or retired judicial officers only and not any other person

(d) None of the statements given above is correct

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

As SC courtrooms turn into lok adalats, speedy justice and quick wit

 

Express Network 

J&K admin sacks five policemen, one teacher on narco-terrorism charges

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and Polity

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Security, Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism. Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

What’s the ongoing story- The Jammu and Kashmir administration sacked six government employees — including five policemen — without enquiry on charges of narco-terrorism on Saturday.

Prerequisites:

— What is the Narco-terrorism?

— What is Article 311 of the Indian Consitution?

— Read about the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism.

— Map work:‘Golden Crescent’ and ‘Golden Triangle’

Key takeaways: 

— They were all fired under Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution, which allows for the dismissal of government employees without enquiry where “interest of the security of the State” is involved.

For Your Information:

— Article 311 says that no government employee either of an all India service or a state government shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to the own that appointed him/her. Section 2 of the article says that no civil servant shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank except after an inquiry in which s/he has been informed of the charges and given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect of those charges.

— As per Article 311 subclause 2 provision a, if a government employee is convicted in a criminal case, he can be dismissed without DE. Apart from this, under 311 (2) (c), a government employee can be dismissed when the President or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that in the interest of the security of state it is not expedient to hold such an enquiry, the employee can be dismissed without DE.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the challenges posed by illicit drugs in society?

— What steps have been taken at the national and global level to tackle the challenge of drug trafficking?

— What measures have been taken by India to combat narco-terrorism?

— What are the challenges in tackling the narco-terrorism?

Post Read Question:

‘Traditionally India has been seen as sandwiched between the Death (Golden) Crescent and Death (Golden) Triangle’. Discuss.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Narco-terror nexus: Govt planning to install anti-drone technology in border areas

 

Economy

India assures Taiwan of policy stability in semiconductor sector

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic Development

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors, Indian Economy

What’s the ongoing story- As Taiwanese businesses and government officials take a cautious approach towards India’s semiconductor ambitions, New Delhi has mobilised officials to the island territory bearing a key message: an explicit assurance of policy stability.

Prerequisites:

— What are semiconductors?

— Why Taiwan is important for India?

Key takeaways: 

— The Indian Express has learnt that senior officials from the IT Ministry have met with industry executives in Taipei and government officials, to assure them of policy stability, especially with regard to changes in rules governing imports and tweaks in customs duties on inputs.

— The first commercial fab in India, which is being opened by Tata Electronics in Gujarat, will start operations due to technology support from Taiwanese chipmaker PSMC. But, PSMC does not have any equity stake in the operations as its partnership is limited to a technology collaboration. It is also one of Taiwan’s smaller chipmakers that fabricates legacy logic and memory chips. The reason the company has taken this conservative approach is because key players want to play it safe.

— New Delhi hopes that with constant engagement with Taiwanese chip firms and the government, there could be a possibility in the future that some companies enter the Indian market with more skin in the game, and take equity partnership in a chip joint venture with an Indian company, or open up an independent operation in the country.

— There is a major reason behind New Delhi’s outreach to Taiwanese officials: the strategic island territory is home to some of the leading names in chipmaking….More than 90 per cent of the world’s most advanced chips required for almost all electronic equipment such as smartphones, car components, data centres, fighter jets and AI technologies, are made in Taiwan.

— India’s chip incentive plans are focused on boosting all three aspects of the semiconductor ecosystem – packaging, assembly and testing facilities (called ATMP and OSAT units), and full-scale foundries that can manufacture chips.

— From a Taiwanese perspective, there are yawning gaps in the policy support extended by New Delhi, which is a major reason firms from the territory are yet to commit serious investments in India.

For Your Information:

— Chips, or integrated circuits, that are at the heart of most modern-day semiconductors, are essentially a set of minute electronic circuits comprising transistors and diodes, capacitors and resistors, and the interconnections between them, layered on a thin wafer sheet of silicon. 

— Fabs are the highly-specialised semiconductor manufacturing facilities that print the miniaturised integrated circuits from the chip design onto the silicon wafers. 

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the significance of the semiconductor?

— What are the issues concerning domestic manufacturing of semiconductors?

— What are the government initiatives to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem?

Post Read Question:

(3) India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the semiconductor ecosystem with:

(a) Australia

(b) United States

(c) African Union

(d) European Union

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

The chip superstardom: Taiwan’s triumphs and the perils that come with it

Russia dominates India’s oil imports in July on strong Urals, ESPO flows 

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economy

Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy, Energy

What’s the ongoing story- India’s Russian oil imports stayed robust in July, registering a slight month-over-month growth to the highest level in over a year powered by strong flows of Moscow’s key crude grade Urals and an uptick in import of ESPO crude, as per oil tanker tracking data and industry experts.

Prerequisites:

— What is the status of India’s oil imports?

— Read about the Ukraine-Russia war and the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

Key takeaways: 

— Indian refiners imported a total of 2.08 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude oil in July, the highest since June of last year, when Russian crude imports were at near-record high levels, as per provisional ship-tracking data from commodity market analytics firm Kpler.

— India’s Russian oil imports in July were around a per cent higher sequentially, and accounted for as much as 43 per cent of India’s total oil imports of 4.82 million bpd. Russia’s share was almost as much as the cumulative market share of the next four large suppliers—Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States (US). July was the seventh straight month of sequential growth in India’s Russian oil imports.

— Additional availability of Russian crude for export markets due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refinery infrastructure and sizable price differential vis-à-vis competing Middle Eastern crude grades led to higher flows of Russian oil to India in recent months. The rise in India’s import of discounted Russian oil over the past few months has hit flows from Saudi Arabia the most.

For Your Information:

— Urals, a medium-sour crude, is the mainstay of India’s Russian oil imports. Evidently, the price differential between Urals and competing crude grades from India’s traditional West Asian suppliers was significant enough for Indian refiners to prefer the Russian grade.

— As the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil with a high import dependency level of over 85 per cent, India is extremely sensitive to oil prices. 

— Prior to the war in Ukraine, Iraq and Saudi Arabia were the top two suppliers of crude oil to India. But as the West started weaning itself off Russian energy supplies following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia started offering discounts on its crude and Indian refiners started snapping up the discounted barrels

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the initiatives taken by India to reduce its dependency on oil imports?

— What are the areas of cooperation between India and Russia?

— What is India’s stand on the Ukraine-Russia war?

Post Read Question:

(4) The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in the news, refers to a grade of (UPSC CSE 2020)

(a) Crude oil

(b) Bullion

(c) Rare earth elements

(d) Uranium

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Sanctions notwithstanding, India’s Russian oil imports surge as Moscow pushes more oil overseas

The World Page

Bangladesh back on the boil: Protests, violence amid calls for govt to resign

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

What’s the ongoing story- Thousands of people protested peacefully in Bangladesh’s capital Saturday to demand justice for more than 200 students and others killed during protests last month, but violence was reported at similar events elsewhere in the country.

Prerequisites:

— Read about Bangladesh’s war of independence 

— Who were the Razakars? 

— Map work: Location of Bangladesh and Indian states sharing boundaries with Bangladesh.

Key takeaways: 

— The students’ protests last month began with the demand for an end to a quota system for government jobs that they said was discriminatory. Under it, 30% of such jobs were reserved for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

— The Supreme Court cut the veterans’ quota to 5% on July 21, but protests have continued to spread amid outrage over the violence.

— The students had earlier made a nine-point demand, including a public apology from Hasina and release of all the students arrested and jailed. On Saturday, however, they announced they had a single demand — the resignation of Hasina and her administration. They also called for a “non-cooperation” movement from Sunday and urged people not to pay taxes or utility bills and to keep factories and offices closed.

For Your Information:

— The razakars, literally “volunteers”, were a paramilitary force set up by Pakistan’s General Tikka Khan in 1971 to facilitate Islamabad’s control over East Pakistan, and to crush the liberation movement that the Bangabandhu was leading at the time. The collaborationist razakars, working alongside Pakistan’s armed forces, were behind some of the worst atrocities perpetrated on the Bangladeshi people.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the history of bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh?

— What are the areas of cooperation and dispute between India and Bangladesh?

— What is the significance of Bangladesh for India?

Post Read Question:

Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard. (UPSC CSE 2018)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Anti-Quota protests in Bangladesh

 

The Sunday Express Magazine ‘Eye’

The Un-toad story

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General Science and Environment

Mains Examination: GS-III: Science and Environment

What’s the ongoing story-  Ranjit Lal writes— “ A single frog can dispense with 100 malaria-dengue-infected mosquitoes in a single night. Not to mention, tadpoles-devouring mosquito larvae. That and the fact that they are very important bio-indicators, their presence or absence signalling the state of the environment.”

Prerequisites:

— What is a bioindicator? 

— What are some examples of bioindicators?

Key takeaways: 

— “Goa was infamous for the trade in frog legs was banned and frogs attained a position in Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). But the use of pesticides and herbicides (and a nasty virus) has decimated their population and caused malformed development in many species.”

— “Frog legs are still consumed abroad: Indonesia and China are top exporters, France and other European countries and the U S top importers. This outside local consumption: all told some 3.2 billion frog legs are consumed globally every year.”

— “They really are pretty unique amphibians; all 7600+ species of them, comprising some 88 per cent of all amphibian species. In India, we’ve only as yet counted about 380 species (250 from the Western Ghats alone), which means too few scientists are looking out for them!”

— “Their skin is usually moist and slippery — to prevent dehydration and help escape predators. They wriggle out of their skin periodically and eat it..The skin may also be highly toxic as is that of the Amazon’s famous poison dart frogs. These imbibe the poison from the invertebrates they eat, which may get it from poisonous plants that they consume. 

— “Frogs and tadpoles are usually carnivorous: the Indian bullfrog may enjoy insects, small mammals and birds, and tadpoles are known to feast on one another.”

Points to Ponder: 

— What are Lichens?

— What are algal blooms?

— What is the significance of bioindicators?

Post Read Question:

(5) In the nature, which of the following is/are most likely to be found surviving on a surface without soil? (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. Fern

2. Lichen

3. Moss

4. Mushroom

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 4 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 1, 3 and 4