UPSC Key-September 8, 2022: Why you should read ‘Subhas Chandra Bose and Empty Canopy’ or ‘Sri Lanka’s Economy and Human Rights’ for UPSC CSE

Covid distress: One in 6 MSME loan accounts under Govt pandemic relief package turns NPA

Syllabus:

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

Mains 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– In an indication of the continuing distress in the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, one in every six loans disbursed under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLG Scheme) launched as part of the Covid-19 relief package in May 2020 has turned bad in just 27 months, according to information obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act.

• What is Emergency credit line guarantee scheme?

• The government announced the ECLG Scheme for the MSME sector in May 2020, two months after the national lockdown announced in March-Why an extension to the ECLGS?

• Know about National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC)

• Is National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) a Government company?

• What is the definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)?

• How many types of MSME are there?

• What is new criteria for the classification of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises-know in detail

• What are the Schemes and Programmes by union government related to MSME?

• Why Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector is important for Indian Economy?

• Know Issues and challenges faced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)?

• What are the impacts of High level of non-performing assets (NPAs) on India’s Economy?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Budget 2022 Explained: How the extension of ECLGS will help medium, small firms

📍High rates, low demand: Stressed MSMEs can’t tap into Govt relief

Prime Minister to open new-look Central Vista Avenue and unveil Netaji statue today

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities, issues.

• 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- Walkways, benches and more lights and spruced-up lawns — all spread over 2 kilometres and 700 acres. This, in essence, is the revamped Central Vista Avenue in the heart of the national capital, which is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening.

• What is Central Vista Redevelopment Project?

• Total expenditure on Central Vista Redevelopment Project?

• New Parliament and Central Vista Redevelopment Project-Know the key features

• Why a new Parliament?

• How Central Vista Redevelopment Project will draw the line between creating new heritage and taking care of existing heritage?

• Know the brief history of the Rajpath, and the changes it has undergone over 100 years of existence.

• Why Rajpath was called as Kingsway during British rule?

• Why Rajpath and not Kingsway?

• Why Kartavya Path?

• India Gate’s ‘Empty Canopy’-Why it is called as empty canopy?

• India Gate’s ‘Empty Canopy’ symbolises what?

• Statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate-Know in detail

• Granite Comes under which Category, i.e. under Igneous, Sedimentary or Metamorphic Rock?

• Map Work-Geographical Distribution of Granite (India and World)

• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his role in the independence movement against British rule of India.

• Forward Bloc and Indian National Army-Know in detail

• Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian National Congress-Know in detail

• Political views of Subhas Chandra Bose-Know in detail

• Subhas Chandra Bose and in his Azad Hind Radio message from Berlin-Significance

• Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi-ideological differences

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Respect despite the discord: Subhas Chandra Bose’s relationship with Nehru, Gandhi and the Congress

📍Explained: Delhi’s first Netaji statue at a prominent public place, where George V once stood

📍Kingsway, Rajpath, Kartavya Path: from right to rule to duty to serve

📍The revolutionary’s due

Encroached drains, construction boom: Why Bengaluru drowned

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Urbanisation, their problems and their remedies.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– As Bengaluru grew, too big and too soon, the lakes and the storm water drains that linked them got choked or encroached upon. As the unprecedented rains and waterlogging of the last few days brought the city to a halt, experts say it’s time to set the clock back.

• Why is Bengaluru flooded?

• What Environmentalists and urban experts says about Bengaluru flooded?

• Top contributor for flood is Bengaluru’s topography and then urbanisation-do you agree?

• In 2015, the Koliwad Committee was constituted by the state government-why?

• What does water-logging mean?

• There are different types of water logging that happen due to different conditions in an area-What are they?

• What are the causes of urban water-logging?

• Water-logging is a prelude to urban flooding-Do you agree with this?

• What are the issues related to urban stormwater management

• What do you understand by “Concretisation”?

• ‘Concretisation’ a by-product of urbanisation which has almost engulfed major cities in India-know it’s impact?

• ‘Concretisation’, water logging and urban flooding-Connect the dots

• ‘Concretisation’ is turning the city into an urban heat island with threats of water logging and urban floods in metro cities”-how far you agree with this statement?

• What is ‘Sponge city technology’?

• Several cities in India have attempted to address issues regarding water logging-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍SCENES OF A DELUGE

📍Why Bengaluru was flooded: Encroachment on drains and a vigorous monsoon

GOVT & POLITICS

If PM can’t find SYL solution, he should call me for tea: Kejriwal

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should find a solution to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute between Punjab and Haryana, adding “if he doesn’t have a solution, call me on tea, I will give the solution”.

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Project-Know the background of this issue

• Why has the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) come up again now?

• Map Work-Sutlej, Yamuna and Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal

• What is Punjab’s argument in this issue?

• What is Haryana’s argument in this issue?

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) and Central Government’s Stand-know in detail

• What are the Constitutional Provisions for interstate water disputes?

• What Article 262 of the Constitution says about interstate water disputes?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Why the Punjab CM has warned against restarting SYL canal work

Governor nod not needed for corruption case against public servant: HC

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability

• General Studies IV: Probity in Governance: Challenges of corruption.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In a significant judgement that may have a bearing on corruption complaints against public servants, a single judge of the Karnataka High Court has cleared the path for registration of an FIR against former CM and BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa in a complaint rejected by a special court on July 8, 2021, for want of Governor’s sanction.

• How Public servants in India can be penalized for corruption?

• What Process are followed to investigate and prosecute public servants for corruption charges?

• What single judge of the Karnataka High Court said about the corruption complaints against public servants?

• Why this ruling is significant?

• What are the corruption laws in India

• What is Bribery and Corruption?

• What are the types of corruption?

• What are the reasons for corruption in India?

• Implication of corruption-Know in detail

• ‘Transparency International’-Have you heard this organisation’s name?

• Who publishes Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)?

• What are some Anti-corruption initiatives taken by Government of India?

• What are Lokpal and Lokayukta?

• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Amendment) Bill, 2016-Know key highlights

• Structure of Lokpal-Know key details

• Know the Jurisdiction and Powers of Lokpal

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Tolerating the corrupt

📍Corruption laws in India

THE IDEAS PAGE

Thought for food

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment, Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Christophe Jafferlot and Hemal Thakker write: There is a need to set restrictions on the reserves that the private sector can hold. This will help prevent the opaqueness of private sector reserves, which often fuels speculation by large international financial actors. Internationally, positional limits could be set on speculators

• “According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Food Price Index has increased by 30 per cent in the year 2021-22. The last time it had increased in similar proportion was in 2010-11. This phenomenon was one of the factors that led to the Arab Spring”-Decode the statement

• For Your Information-Currently, at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic had already disrupted the food supply chains around the world in 2020, tensions are exacerbated by Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine: Russia and Ukraine represent 27 per cent of the world market for wheat, 16 per cent for corn, 23 per cent for barley, and 53 per cent for sunflower.

• “India can feed the world if the WTO allows it”-Analyse the statement

• What are the reasons for the spike in food prices?

• Why food inflation is a major cause for concern for food security in India?

• India ranks 101 among 116 countries in the 2021 Global Hunger Index-Know the reasons

• India’s wheat production and wheat exports in Global Scenario-Know the Fact

• The Government of India banned wheat exports in the month of May 2022-why?

• India defended the decision of Wheat export-what is India’s Stand?

• Why India took such a drastic decision?

• Who are the Biggest Buyer Countries of Wheat from India-Know the top Five

• What could have been done even when wheat production and procurement are down?

• How does the government procure wheat-Know about government’s wheat procurement policy

• What is the procurement scale against the total production of wheat in India?

• From how many states is wheat procured for the central pool?

• How much wheat is procured for the central pool by the FCI every year?

• What is the procurement scale against the total production of wheat in India?

• What is the share of wheat contribution of various states to the central pool?

• Wheat production in India-Know the statistics

• What are the main reasons for procurement plunging to a 15-year-low this year?

• Wheat Production in India-Know all the facts like Highest producing States, Geography and Environment associated with Wheat Production like Soil, temperature, Rainfall and Humidity etc.

• MSP (minimum support price) and effectiveness of MSP implementation

• How MSP is calculated (paid out costs, labour etc.) and Crops covered under the MSP

• Food Corporation of India (FCI)-About, Role, Functions

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Why ban of wheat exports is knee-jerk reaction, hits farmers and dents policy credibility

📍Chaos in Kandla after ban: 4,000 wheat trucks in queue, 4 ships half-full

EXPLAINED

PM SHRI: Schools upgraded to ‘NEP labs’

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, 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-Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that 14,500 schools across India will be upgraded to showcase components of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new centrally sponsored scheme under which the initiative will be implemented.

• What is the PM-SHRI scheme?

• What are the key features of NEP in school education?

• PM-SHRI scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme?

• How will PM SHRI schools be different from Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas?

• Where will the PM SHRI schools come up?

• What are the key features of National Education Policy 2020?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Cabinet approves scheme to upgrade schools, with NEP condition for states

THE WORLD

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis result of past impunity for rights abuses: UN

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Sri Lanka is at a critical juncture in its political life, a UN report has said, noting that “impunity” for the past and present human rights abuses, economic crimes and corruption were the underlying causes for the collapse of the island nation’s economy.

• Why UN body has linked the economic crisis with Sri Lanka’s gross human rights violations?

• What was the UN human rights report on Sri Lanka?

• Sri Lanka and Resolution 30/1-Know in detail

• Know in detail about Sri Lanka’s economic crisis

• ‘Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis predates the “manmade” agriculture disaster’-How far you agree with this statement?

• What happens with Sri Lanka’s foreign debt?

• Why is Sri Lanka’s economy in trouble?

• Emergency declared in Sri Lanka-Why and its Impact

• Map Work- Sri Lanka

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Why Sri Lanka’s economy collapsed, and what’s next for the island nation?

📍Explained: Sri Lanka at the UN rights council, another test for India

 

 

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