UPSC Key: CAFE Energy Efficiency, Gorakhpanthi and Resolution 1701

Hyundai, M&M, 6 others apt to look emanation penalties of Rs 7,300 cr

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, biology contamination and degradation, biology interaction assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: The centre has recovered retired that 8 carmakers including Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra, and Honda person higher than mandated fleet emanation levels successful fiscal twelvemonth 2022-23, which could mean penalties of astir Rs 7,300 crore.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the CAFE vigor efficiency?

• Discuss the implications of imposing Rs 7,300 crore successful penalties connected automobile manufacturers. How does this bespeak India’s committedness to biology sustainability?

• Analyse the challenges faced by automobile manufacturers successful India successful complying with the updated Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms.

• Evaluate the relation of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) successful enforcing emanation standards among automobile manufacturers successful India.

• How effectual are fiscal penalties arsenic a deterrent for non-compliance connected automobile manufacturers? Discuss with notation to caller developments.

• Examine the interaction of stringent emanation norms connected the operational strategies of automobile manufacturers successful India.

• Critically measure the imaginable semipermanent benefits of enforcing strict fleet emanation levels connected India’s aerial prime and nationalist health.

• “Stricter emanation norms contiguous some challenges and opportunities for the Indian automobile industry.” Analyse this connection successful the discourse of caller penalties imposed for non-compliance with fleet emanation standards.

• Discuss the value of implementing Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms successful India. How bash these norms align with planetary efforts to combat clime change?

• Evaluate the effectiveness of existent policies successful India aimed astatine reducing vehicular emissions. What further measures tin beryllium taken to heighten compliance among automobile manufacturers?

Key Takeaways:

• The punishment connected Korean carmaker Hyundai is the highest, totalling implicit Rs 2,800 crore, followed by Mahindra (nearly Rs 1,800 crore) and Kia (over Rs 1,300 crore).

• For 2022-23, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, nether the Union Ministry of Power, required car companies of each units sold during the twelvemonth to execute India’s Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms.
—This meant a substance depletion of not much than 4.78 litres per 100 km and c dioxide emissions of not much than 113 grams per km (since it has a nonstop correlation with the magnitude of substance consumed).

• In 2022-23, models and variants of 18 automobile manufacturers were tested astatine accredited laboratories by simulating existent driving conditions. When the results for a acceptable of cars did not conform to specified CAFE standards, past penalties were calculated for the full fig of cars sold successful the afloat year.

• While the Annual Fuel Consumption Compliance Report for 2021-22 is available, that for 2022-23 has been delayed by much than a twelvemonth and is yet to beryllium published. In 2021-22, each 19 carmakers had complied with emanation norms

Do You Know:

• Fleet emanation levels notation to the mean magnitude of pollutants, peculiarly c dioxide (CO₂), emitted by each vehicles successful a manufacturer’s fleet implicit a circumstantial period. This metric assesses the biology interaction of a manufacturer’s vehicles and ensures compliance with regulatory standards aimed astatine reducing vehicular emissions.
—In India, the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms modulate these emissions.
—These standards acceptable limits connected the mean substance ratio and CO₂ emissions for automobile manufacturers’ fleets.
—The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) monitors compliance with these norms.
—Non-compliance tin effect successful fiscal penalties, arsenic seen successful caller actions wherever manufacturers faced fines for exceeding emanation norms.

• The CAFE norms were tightened successful the opening of fiscal twelvemonth 2022-23. The quantum of penalties has go a constituent of contention betwixt the Centre and the car industry. Car makers are learnt to person argued that the caller and stricter punishment norms came into effect lone from January 1, 2023, and truthful calculating penalties connected the ground the cars sold successful the full fiscal twelvemonth would not beryllium appropriate.

• BEE introduced the CAFE norms successful 2017 to modulate substance depletion and c emissions from rider vehicles. These norms use to vehicles moving connected petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum state (LPG), compressed earthy state (CNG), hybrids, and electrical vehicles (EVs) weighing little than 3,500 kg.

• Carmakers are learnt to person argued that the stricter punishment norms came into effect lone from January 1, 2023, and truthful calculating penalties connected the ground of cars sold successful the full fiscal twelvemonth would not beryllium appropriate.

• Designed to trim lipid dependency and curb aerial pollution, the CAFE norms propulsion automakers to little c dioxide emissions portion incentivising the accumulation of EVs, hybrids, and CNG vehicles, which are little carbon-intensive than cars that tally connected fossil fuels.

• Initially, non-compliance with CAFE norms, arsenic outlined successful the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, aboriginal amended successful 2010, carried a punishment of up to Rs 10 lakh positive the outgo of the excess metric ton of lipid equivalent of vigor reported. However, successful December 2022, the Act was amended to enforce stricter penalties.

• Under the compliance rules for CAFE norms, automakers indispensable taxable information to the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) successful Manesar by May 31 of each appraisal year. ICAT, successful turn, is required to compile the information and guardant it to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of Power by August 31.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Automakers question alleviation connected caller substance efficiency, emanation norms

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
1. What is the superior nonsubjective of CAFE norms introduced successful India?
a) To trim accumulation costs for automobile manufacturers
b) To heighten roadworthy information features successful vehicles
c) To trim vehicular c emissions and amended substance efficiency
d) To summation conveyance exports to planetary markets
Previous twelvemonth UPSC mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Evaluate the effectiveness of fiscal penalties arsenic a instrumentality to guarantee compliance with emanation standards among automobile manufacturers successful India.

Plea claims Shiva temple astatine Ajmer dargah, seeks survey; tribunal notices to Centre, ASI

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.

Main Examination: General Studies I: Secularism

What’s the ongoing story: Even arsenic Sambhal territory successful Uttar Pradesh remains connected borderline pursuing a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid there, a section tribunal successful Rajasthan’s Ajmer connected Wednesday issued notices to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Archaeological Survey of India, and the Ajmer Dargah Committee implicit a petition seeking a survey of the renowned Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the humanities and taste value of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah successful Ajmer. How bash specified monuments lend to communal harmony successful India?

• Analyse the implications of ineligible disputes implicit spiritual sites successful India. How bash specified conflicts impact the secular cloth of the nation?

• Examine the relation of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) successful resolving disputes related to humanities monuments and spiritual sites. What challenges does the ASI look successful specified matters?

• Critically measure the interaction of organizations similar the Hindu Sena filing lawsuits concerning humanities spiritual sites. What are the imaginable societal and governmental consequences of specified actions?

• Discuss the value of preserving India’s syncretic practice successful the look of modern challenges. How tin the authorities and civilian nine enactment unneurotic to support communal harmony?

• “Religious disputes implicit humanities monuments situation India’s secular fabric.” Discuss this connection successful the discourse of caller controversies. Suggest measures to mitigate specified conflicts.

Key Takeaways:

• The petition was filed by Hindu Sena main Vishnu Gupta who, claimed that determination was a temple astatine Ajmer Sharif Dargah similar “in Kashi and Mathura”.

• Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel issued notices aft Gupta claimed successful his petition that the dargah — the mausoleum of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti – was a Shiva temple. The tribunal bid has not been uploaded online oregon shared with the petitioners truthful far.

Do You Know:

• The Places of Worship Act, 1991, was a legislative effort to fortify the preambular extremity of secularism, recognising that the rich
cultural past of India carries with it centuries-old narratives and experiences of unit betwixt communities who astatine that clip had nary shared aspiration for a communal nation.

• The Parliament of the time, conscious of the imaginable harm to the assemblage politic which could originate from repeatedly reopening centuries-old wounds, chose successful its contented to admit that August 15, 1947, was a watershed moment. It was from that time onwards that assorted communities came unneurotic to chiefly pledge their allegiance to the thought of India arsenic a nation-state portion continuing to signifier their religion and religion with the extortion of the law. The Act draws an imaginary line, to guarantee that immoderate conception of the Indian colonisation of contiguous is not punished oregon subjected to humiliation and unit connected the pretext of actions of radical from their religion centuries ago.

• Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (1141–1236 CE), besides known arsenic Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, was a revered Sufi saint and the laminitis of the Chishti Order successful the Indian subcontinent. His teachings emphasized love, tolerance, and work to humanity, making him 1 of the astir influential spiritual figures successful South Asia. His last resting spot is the Ajmer Sharif Dargah successful Ajmer, Rajasthan, which is 1 of the astir visited pilgrimage sites successful South Asia.
—The Urs festival, commemorating his decease anniversary, attracts devotees from crossed the globe.
—Moinuddin Chishti’s enactment laid the instauration for Sufi traditions successful India, which became integral to the region’s spiritual and taste fabric. His accent connected compassion and harmony continues to animate millions today.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Explained: Places of Worship Act, and the ineligible issues successful the Sambhal mosque case

📍How Places of Worship Act was debated successful Parliament: ‘Foreclosing aboriginal rows’, ‘why Ayodhya lone exception’

📍What makes the Ajmer Sharif Dargah a abstraction that embodies the sanatan spirit

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

2. With notation to the spiritual past of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to prosecute which of the pursuing practices? (2012)
1. Meditation and power of breath.
2. Severe ascetic exercises successful a lonely place.
3. Recitation of beatified songs to arouse a authorities of ecstasy successful their audience
Select the close reply utilizing the codes fixed below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous twelvemonth UPSC mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the spiritual ideas and practices oregon the outward operation of Hindu / Muslim societies to immoderate appreciable extent. Comment. (2014)

GOVT & POLITICS

NSO Group’s Pegasus pitch: ‘Heaven’, ‘Eden’, ‘Erised’ & $6.8 mn/yr licence

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Basics of Cyber Security

What’s the ongoing story: The documents uncover that betwixt April 2018 and May 2020, the institution charged its customers — “select authorities agencies approved by the Government of Israel”— $6.8 cardinal (Rs 57.3 crore) for a one-year license.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Pegasus Software? How does it work?

• How is Pegasus antithetic from different spyware?

• What benignant of devices are susceptible and What accusation tin beryllium compromised?

• Types of Cyber Attacks

• Pegasus successful India-What is the Controversy?

• Cyber Security successful India- Computer Emergency Response Team – India (CERT-IN), Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative, National Cyber Security Coordination Centre (NCCC), Cyber Swachhta Kendra, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Cyberdome (Kerala)

• Snooping and Surveillance successful the sanction of National Security-Where to gully the line?

• Supreme Court of India connected snooping and surveillance-People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) vs Union of India lawsuit successful 1996, Rule 419A of the Indian Telegraph Rules, 1951

• Justice Raveendran Committee Report-know successful detail

• The deployment of surveillance tools similar Pegasus has raised concerns astir privateness and civilian liberties. Critically analyse the ineligible and ethical implications of utilizing specified spyware by authorities agencies successful India.

• Discuss the imaginable threats posed by precocious surveillance technologies similar Pegasus to nationalist information and idiosyncratic privacy. Suggest measures to modulate the usage of specified technologies to guarantee a equilibrium betwixt information needs and citizens’ rights.

• The usage of spyware similar Pegasus by authorities agencies involves ethical considerations related to privacy, consent, and oversight. Examine the ethical dilemmas associated with authorities surveillance successful the integer property and suggest frameworks to code these challenges.

• “Surveillance versus Privacy: Navigating the Complex Terrain successful the Digital Era.” Discuss successful the discourse of the Pegasus spyware controversy.

Key Takeaways:

• The documents uncover that betwixt April 2018 and May 2020, the institution charged its customers — “select authorities agencies approved by the Government of Israel”— $6.8 cardinal (Rs 57.3 crore) for a one-year license.

• WhatsApp estimated the fig pursuing an adept grounds by Dana Trexler, who runs an “intellectual spot disputes and valuations practice”.

• WhatsApp besides estimated that NSO Group earned an approximate $31 cardinal successful gross successful 2019 from the merchantability of these licenses. NSO has challenged these numbers.

• At the bosom of however the NSO Group fanged its Pegasus merchandise is simply a blase cat-and-mouse crippled betwixt its engineers and WhatsApp.

• It archetypal launched Heaven successful 2018, an exploit calved retired of NSO’s extended reverse-engineering efforts—mimicking everything from
WhatsApp’s servers to decompiling the root code, a usurpation of WhatsApp’s Terms of Service.

Do You Know:

• The installation of Pegasus extended to devices successful India, including those allegedly belonging to journalists, politicians, Union Ministers, too members of the civilian society.

• After allegations successful India that Pegasus was utilized connected radical successful India, respective petitions were filed successful the Supreme Court seeking an enquiry into the charges.

• In 2021, the Supreme Court had formed a committee of method experts to look into allegations of unauthorised surveillance utilizing the Pegasus software.

• In August 2022, the committee of method experts recovered nary conclusive grounds connected usage of the spyware successful phones examined by it but noted that the Central Government “had not cooperated” with the panel. The study is sealed and has not been released publically since.

• “As the study is submitted to the Supreme Court, it volition not beryllium due to connection immoderate comments,” retired justice Justice R V Raveendran, who was supervising the probe panel, said.

• Pegasus aka Q Suite, marketed by the NSO Group aka Q Cyber Technologies arsenic “a world-leading cyber quality solution that enables instrumentality enforcement and quality agencies to remotely and covertly extract” information “from virtually immoderate mobile devices”, was developed by veterans of Israeli quality agencies.

• Until aboriginal 2018, NSO Group clients chiefly relied connected SMS and WhatsApp messages to instrumentality targets into opening a malicious link, which would pb to corruption of their mobile devices. A Pegasus brochure described this arsenic Enhanced Social Engineering Message (ESEM). When a malicious nexus packaged arsenic ESEM is clicked, the telephone is directed to a server that checks the operating strategy and delivers the suitable distant exploit.

• In its October 2019 report, Amnesty International archetypal documented usage of ‘network injections’ which enabled attackers to instal the spyware “without requiring immoderate enactment by the target”. Pegasus tin execute specified zero-click installations successful assorted ways.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Explained: Why was Pegasus sheet needed, what it volition bash present — and how

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
3. Consider the pursuing statements regarding the Pegasus spyware:
1. It tin entree messages and calls from apps similar WhatsApp and Facebook.
2. It requires carnal entree to the people instrumentality for installation.
Which of the supra statements is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Greatest amusement indispensable spell on

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies II: Appointment to assorted Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of assorted Constitutional Bodies.

What’s the ongoing story: S Y Quraishi Writes: The instauration has stood the trial of clip and lived up to the spot of the federation arsenic a almighty watchdog of democracy, immoderate impermanent hiccups notwithstanding.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Who appoints Chief Election Commissioner of India?

• How Chief Election Commissioner of India and different Election Commissioners are appointed?

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

• Discuss the value of Article 324 successful the Indian Constitution concerning the constitution and functions of the Election Commission of India.

• How does Article 324 successful the Indian Constitution ensures escaped and just elections successful the country?

• Examine the challenges faced by the Election Commission of India successful maintaining its autonomy and effectiveness.

• Analyse the relation of the Election Commission of India successful upholding the antiauthoritarian process.

• How has Election Commission of India contributed to the behaviour of escaped and just elections since its inception?

• Suggest measures to fortify Election Commission of India’s relation successful the antiauthoritarian model of India.

Key Takeaways:

• For the Constituent Assembly (CA), if a antiauthoritarian state was the goal, escaped and just elections were its means. Not galore cognize that 16 articles of the Constitution were enacted precisely 2 months earlier the Constitution became afloat operational.
—These included Article 324, which laid the instauration for the constitution of the Election Commission that was mandated with “superintendence, absorption and control” of each elections.
—Interestingly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) was established connected January 25, 1950-one time earlier India was calved arsenic a sovereign antiauthoritarian republic.

• During proceedings of the Assembly, the Sub-Committee connected Fundamental Rights recognised the independency of and non-interference by the enforcement and legislature successful elections a cardinal right. Most significantly, the Constitution, done Article 329, debarred adjacent the judiciary from interfering successful the predetermination process to guarantee uninterrupted elections. This proviso has been the envy of galore election
commissions.

• A important contented of treatment successful the CA was whether the elections to the authorities legislatures should beryllium vested successful the authorities predetermination committee oregon the cardinal commission. In a far-sighted determination and extremist departure from the national principle, the CA, enactment the Vidhan Sabha elections nether the cardinal Election Commission.

• In February 2024, the apex tribunal struck down electoral bonds arsenic “unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary” annulling each the legislative changes which had institutionalised and legalised crony capitalism successful India. SC, which has been a guardian angel of democracy, has undone a large damage.

• One important origin that makes our ideology flawed is the debased information of women successful elections, some successful presumption of elector enrolment and elector turnout, contempt the Constitution giving them adjacent voting rights from time 1 (Article 326). ECI, by its concerted efforts, has corrected the skewed sex ratio successful the electoral roll.

Do You Know:

• The Constitution of India gave the Election Commission sweeping powers without going into the specifics. Introducing this proviso successful the Constituent Assembly connected June 15, 1949, Babasaheb Ambedkar had said “the full predetermination machinery should beryllium successful the hands of a Central Election Commission, which unsocial would beryllium entitled to contented directives to returning officers, polling officers and others”. Parliament subsequently enacted The Representation of the People Act, 1950, and The Representation of the People Act, 1951, to specify and enlarge the powers of the Commission.

• The Supreme Court successful ‘Mohinder Singh Gill & Anr vs The Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi and Ors’ (1977) held that Article 324 “operates successful areas near unoccupied by authorities and the words ‘superintendence, absorption and control’ arsenic good arsenic ‘conduct of each elections’ are the broadest terms”. The Constitution has not defined these terms.

• The SC said Article 324 “is a plenary proviso vesting the full work for nationalist and State elections” successful the ECI “and, therefore, the indispensable powers to discharge that function”.
The Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991 (EC Act) requires that the EC and CEC indispensable clasp the station for a play of six years. This instrumentality fundamentally governs the conditions of work of the CEC and ECs.

• In March 2023, the Supreme Court stepped successful to cheque what it called the “pernicious effects of the exclusive powerfulness being vested with the Executive to marque assignment to the Election Commission” and ordered that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) shall beryllium appointed connected the proposal of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition successful Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India. Ruling connected petitions seeking an autarkic mechanics to name the CEC and ECs, a five-judge Constitution Bench presided by Justice K M Joseph said wherever nary Leader of Opposition is available, the committee volition see the person of the largest Opposition enactment successful Lok Sabha successful presumption of numerical strength.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍ECI members to person aforesaid presumption arsenic SC judges: Why Govt has chosen to marque U-turn connected projected Bill

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
4. Consider the pursuing statements: (2017)
1. The Election Commission of India is simply a five-member body.
2. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the predetermination docket for the behaviour of some wide elections and bye-elections.
3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised governmental parties.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 3 only

THE REAL GORAKHPANTHI

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Main Examination: General Studies I: Indian civilization volition screen the salient aspects of Art Forms, lit and Architecture from past to modern times.

What’s the ongoing story: Mrinal Pande Writes: Now comes quality from 1 of the biggest Hindi dailies that a lawsuit of impersonation and cheating nether conception 319 (1) of the penal codification has been slapped against 3 Muslim men from the colony of Atarsanwa successful Ghazipur district.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the humanities relation of the Gorakhnath Math successful promoting inclusivity crossed caste, religion, and sex successful Indian society. How has this relation evolved successful modern times?

• Analyse the implications of individuals impersonating members of spiritual sects, specified arsenic the Gorakhpanthis, connected societal harmony and ineligible frameworks successful India.

• Evaluate the value of Kabir’s critique of pseudo-ascetic practices successful the discourse of the Nath tradition, arsenic referenced successful the article. How bash specified critiques lend to the knowing of spiritual authenticity?

Key Takeaways:

• The fixed nonfiction delves into the inclusive quality of the Gorakhpanthi sect and examines a caller incidental successful Ghazipur district.

• Three Muslim men from Atarsanwa colony were arrested for allegedly impersonating Gorakhpanthi jogis (ascetics) by wearing saffron robes and performing bhajans. They claimed this was their ancestral vocation, but section villagers, led by a BJP leader, contested their authenticity, asserting that the Gorakhpanthi sect is exclusively Sanatani (Hindu).

• Founded by Guru Gorakhnath, the sect has historically embraced followers crossed caste, religion, and sex lines. Guru Gorakhnath, a disciple of Matsyendranath, integrated elements from Tantric Shaivism and Buddhism, fostering an inclusive spiritual tradition.

• Under Matsyendranath and aboriginal Gorakhnath, the contented bridged Tantric Shaivite rituals and Tantra-inspired Buddhism, starring to the enactment of the Nath Siddha tradition. This contented emphasized rationalism and defied societal divisions.

• Over time, immoderate Hindu disciples incorporated Hindu gods and goddesses into the sect’s practices, which traditionally worshipped Adi Nath (a signifier of Shiva). This led to immoderate lower-caste Gorakhpanthis converting to Islam portion continuing to place arsenic Nathpanthi jogis.

• During the British assemblage period, the Gorakhpanthi jogis were often misrepresented arsenic degenerate and dangerous, which contrasted with the sect’s archetypal inclusive and rationalist principles.

• The writer Kabir criticized the sect’s deviation from its archetypal principles, peculiarly the adoption of convulsive and assertive behaviours, urging a instrumentality to existent asceticism.

Do You Know:

• Gorakhpur takes its sanction from Gorakhnath, who was a saint of the ‘Nath Sampradaya’. A shrine called Gorakhnath Mandir was built successful his honour astatine the determination wherever helium did his Sādhanā.

• The Gorakhpur portion comprises the districts of Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia and parts of Nepal Terai. These areas, which whitethorn beryllium called the Gorakhpur Janapad, were an important centre of the Hindu culture. Gorakhpur was a portion of the kingdom of Magadha, 1 of the sixteen Mahajanapadas successful the 6th period BCE.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Lalu Prasad and Nalin Verma write: A caller opening successful Ayodhya and extremity of an inclusive bequest astatine Gorakhnath

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
5. Consider the pursuing statements regarding the Gorakhnath Math:
1. It has historically promoted inclusivity, transcending divisions based connected caste, religion, and gender.
2. The Math has remained apolitical passim its history.
Which of the supra statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

THE IDEAS PAGE

In defence of India

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes: India volition request to determination overmuch faster connected the betterment beforehand than it has truthful acold to header with the monolithic spread successful the defence capabilities with China arsenic good arsenic prehend the planetary accidental for the translation of its defence concern base.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Which strategy champion describes India’s strategical attack towards China?

• According to C. Raja Mohan, which of the countries plays a important relation successful India’s strategy to counterbalance China?

• C. Raja Mohan suggests that India’s engagement with which determination grouping is important successful addressing the China challenge?

• Discuss the value of India’s strategical partnerships successful counterbalancing China’s influence.

• Analyse the relation of the QUAD successful India’s strategy to code challenges posed by China.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of India’s existent overseas argumentation strategies successful managing its narration with China.

Key Takeaways:

• China’s accelerated economical and subject maturation has importantly altered the planetary powerfulness balance, presenting some challenges and opportunities for India.

• India has strengthened ties with nations specified arsenic the United States, Japan, and Australia to counterbalance China’s influence, exemplified by the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD).

• Despite governmental tensions, China remains 1 of India’s largest trading partners, necessitating a nuanced attack to economical relations.

• Ongoing bound issues, peculiarly successful regions similar Ladakh, underscore the complexity of India-China relations and the request for diplomatic and subject readiness.

• China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its increasing beingness successful South Asia and the Indian Ocean portion airs strategical challenges to India’s determination influence.

• Some of Policy Recommendations are:
—Diplomatic Engagement: Maintain unfastened channels for dialog to negociate disputes and research areas of cooperation.
—Military Preparedness: Enhance defence capabilities and infrastructure on the borderline to deter aggression.
—Economic Strategy: Diversify commercialized partnerships and fortify home industries to trim economical dependence connected China.
—Regional Cooperation: Collaborate with neighbouring countries to beforehand a multipolar Asia and counterbalance China’s dominance.

Do You Know:

• One cardinal interest is Chinese assertiveness connected territorial disputes successful the region. To beryllium sure, Beijing is turning connected its charm diplomacy these days aft years of muscular unilateralism connected disputed frontiers with its neighbours, including India, and aggravated “wolf-warrior” diplomacy. Sceptics punctual america that China’s temper could easy plaything the different mode astatine immoderate time.

• Beijing’s defence accumulation has reached formidable proportions, acknowledgment to China’s expansive concern infrastructure, awesome subject modernisation implicit the past 3 decades, and monolithic investments successful defence probe and development. Consider this example: China commissioned 70 submarines betwixt 1995 and 2020 — astir 3 a year. This standard of subject accumulation hasn’t been seen since the tallness of the Second World War.

• There was a clip erstwhile the portion believed successful “Asia for Asians” and saw nary crushed for “external powers” to support their subject presence. China inactive plays connected this sentiment, arguing that “outsiders” shouldn’t meddle successful its disputes with Asian neighbours. Few successful Asia contiguous judge this “Asia for Asians” rhetoric, though not each explicit this openly for fearfulness of offending Beijing. Many of them tin spot that the slogan of “Asia for Asians” is astir consolidating Chinese primacy implicit the region.

• China’s assertiveness has produced beardown determination enactment for American equipped forces successful Asia. It’s besides Washington’s fearfulness of Beijing replacing it arsenic Asia’s ascendant powerfulness that drives accrued US strategical attraction to the region.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Explained: China-India authorities of play

Previous twelvemonth UPSC mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is viewed arsenic a cardinal subset of China’s larger ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative. Give a little statement of CPEC and enumerate the reasons wherefore India has distanced itself from the same. (2018)

EXPLAINED

What is govt’s ‘One Nation One Subscription’ initiative?

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to improvement and absorption of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: The Union Cabinet connected Monday (November 25) approved a budgetary allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for an inaugural called ‘One Nation One Subscription’ (ONOS) which the Centre hopes volition assistance India’s higher acquisition institutions (HEIs) entree world resources for the better.

Key Points to Ponder:

• ‘One Nation One Subscription’ (ONOS) scheme-Know successful detail

• How ‘One Nation One Subscription’ (ONOS) strategy volition heighten accomplishment development?

• How bash HEIs presently entree journals?

• What does the ONOS strategy offer?

• What is the request for ONOS?

• Highlight the economical advantages of the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ strategy successful presumption of cost-effectiveness for government-funded institutions.

• Analyse the relation of authorities initiatives similar ONOS successful reducing dependency connected planetary publishers and promoting self-reliance successful probe infrastructure.

• What interaction mightiness the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ strategy person connected India’s ranking successful planetary probe indices and world output?

Key Takeaways:

• The Union Cabinet connected Monday approved the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ (ONOS) scheme, which aims to centralise diary subscriptions for astir 6,300 government-run institutions, ONOS seeks to supply equitable entree to 13,000 scholarly journals nether a azygous platform.

• Access volition beryllium provided done a nationalist subscription, coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous inter-university centre nether the University Grants Commission (UGC).

• Currently, determination are 10 abstracted room consortia nether antithetic ministries that supply entree to journals for higher acquisition institutions wrong their administrative remit. In addition, idiosyncratic institutions subscribe to journals separately.

• With ONOS, each authorities higher acquisition institutions, including universities, colleges, and institutions of nationalist importance, volition person unified entree to nationalist and planetary diary publications covering each world disciplines connected 1 platform.

• The strategy involves an outlay of ₹6,000 crore for 3 years, until 2027, and volition supply subscriptions to astir 13,000 journals published by 30 planetary publishers.

• Apart from higher acquisition institutions tally by the Centre and states, probe and improvement institutions nether the Centre volition besides beryllium included, covering astir 6,300 institutions.

• All 13,000 journals volition beryllium accessible to these institutions nether the scheme.

• INFLIBNET volition marque cardinal payments to the 30 publishers, portion institutions tin proceed to usage their ain budgets to subscribe to publishers not covered nether the scheme.

• Among the publishers included successful the strategy are Elsevier ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Taylor & Francis, Sage Publishing, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and BMJ Journals.

• The strategy is expected to supply broader entree to probe journals for institutions that antecedently lacked capable resources. The level is acceptable to go operational connected January 1, 2025.

Do You Know:

• Currently, higher acquisition institutions (HEIs) tin entree journals done 10 antithetic room consortia which are nether the administrative power of assorted ministries.
—A room consortium is simply a radical of 2 oregon much libraries that person agreed to cooperate to fulfil definite akin needs, usually assets sharing. For instance, INFLIBNET Centre (Information and Library Network Centre) successful Gandhinagar is an Inter-University Centre of the University Grants Commission nether the Ministry of Education (India) which oversees the UGC-Infonet Digital Library Consortium, providing entree to selected scholarly physics journals and databases successful antithetic disciplines.
—Apart from this, HEIs besides subscribe to respective journals individually. According to authorities estimates, astir 2,500 HEIs tin entree 8,100 journals done the supra networks and idiosyncratic subscriptions.

• Through the ONOS scheme, the Centre aims to consolidate the disaggregated attack to diary entree for each authorities HEIs. ONOS volition alteration authorities and cardinal authorities HEIs to entree thousands of journals connected 1 platform, which volition beryllium progressive from January 1, 2025.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Centre approves caller strategy for probe journals connected 1 platform

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
6. Which of the pursuing statements is/are close regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF)? (2015)
1. NIF is an autonomous assemblage of the Department of Science and Technology nether the Central Government.
2. NIF is an inaugural to fortify the highly precocious technological probe successful India’s premier technological institutions successful collaboration with highly precocious overseas technological institutions.
Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests,

What’s the ongoing story: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected Tuesday announced that helium has agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

In a connection aft a gathering with his information furniture astir a ceasefire woody with Hezbollah successful Lebanon, Netanyahu said Hezbollah is “not the aforesaid anymore” and that Israel has pushed the radical “decades back”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Resolution 1701?

• What does the existent ceasefire connection say?

• Discuss the value of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire statement brokered successful November 2024. Analyse its imaginable interaction connected determination stableness successful the Middle East.

• Examine the relation of planetary mediation successful struggle solution with notation to the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. What are the challenges and prospects associated with specified interventions?

• Evaluate the strategical interests of large planetary powers, specified arsenic the United States and France, successful facilitating the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. How bash these interests align with broader geopolitical objectives successful the Middle East?

• Analyse the implications of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire connected Lebanon’s interior information dynamics. How mightiness the statement impact the equilibrium of powerfulness betwixt authorities and non-state actors wrong Lebanon?

• Critically measure the provisions of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire statement concerning the withdrawal of equipped groups and the deployment of peacekeeping forces. What measures are indispensable to guarantee effectual implementation and forestall aboriginal escalations?

Key Takeaways:

• The astir important underpinning to each improvement astir Israel crossed the past year, has been the information that October 7 decimated Israeli perceptions of security. This is what drove Israel to unleash a literal firestorm archetypal successful Gaza, and past successful Lebanon.

• International unit connected Israel has been concerted, with the United Nations’ experts characterising Israel’s acts arsenic a “genocide”, the International Court of Justice calling for Israel to retreat from occupied territories, and the International Criminal Court issuing an apprehension warrant against Netanyahu. This has evidently not stopped Israel from pushing connected successful Gaza, arsenic Israel present views this arsenic its eventual quest for implicit information against each threats; a caller “never again”.

• That said, the beardown dent successful Netanyahu’s representation arsenic “Mr Security” inactive lingers, and Israel’s menace cognition has usually not differentiated betwixt immoderate of the Iran-sponsored groups. It is funny past that the post-ceasefire presumption quo post-bellum uncannily resembles the authorities of affairs astatine the extremity of the 34-day Israeli penetration of Lebanon successful 2006. (The existent penetration spanned 57 days.)

Do You Know:

• The UNSC unanimously passed Resolution 1701 connected August 11, 2006, calling for a afloat cessation of hostilities betwixt Israel and Hezbollah. The 19-paragraph solution calls for a semipermanent solution based connected the pursuing provisions:
—The afloat implementation of the applicable provisions of the Taif Accords and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), requiring the disarmament of each equipped groups successful Lebanon, truthful determination volition beryllium nary weapons oregon authorization successful the state different than that of the Lebanese State
—No overseas forces successful Lebanon without the Government’s consent
—No income oregon proviso of arms and related materials to Lebanon but arsenic authorised by its Government
—Provision to the UN of each remaining maps of landmines successful Lebanon successful Israel’s possession
—Full respect by some parties for the Blue Line and information arrangements to forestall the resumption of hostilities, including an country escaped of immoderate equipped personnel, assets and weapons different than those of the Lebanese authorities and UNIFIL betwixt the Blue Line and the Litani River.
—The Security Council frankincense authorised the UNIFIL unit spot to a maximum of 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to show the extremity of hostilities, assistance unafraid the country with Lebanese troops and guarantee the harmless instrumentality of displaced Lebanese.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍What is the UNSC Resolution 1701 upon which the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is based?

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
7. Which 1 of the pursuing countries of South-West Asia does not unfastened retired to the Mediterranean Sea? (2015)
(a) Syria
(b) Jordan
(c) Lebanon
(d) Israel

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