Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
What’s the ongoing story: C. Raja Mohan writes— “If President Donald Trump’s archetypal word is immoderate guide, India whitethorn look good placed to woody with his 2nd stint astatine the White House. But the past is not needfully a usher to the future, and Delhi volition person to instrumentality a adjacent look astatine the implications of Trump’s ambitious docket for the 2nd term.”
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the past of India-US relations?
• What are the areas of practice betwixt India and the US?
• What is the quality betwixt Indian and American statesmanlike elections?
• How person India-US defence relations evolved?
• What are the cardinal developments successful India-US relations successful the assorted sectors?
• What are the imaginable consequences of a alteration successful enactment successful the U.S. connected the India-U.S. cooperation?
• Read astir the Paris Agreement.
• Read astir the relation of the Indian diaspora successful influencing the U.S. elections and India-U.S. relations.
Key Takeaways:
• “To beryllium sure, determination is simply a bully rapport betwixt Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump. Modi’s cardinal advisers volition beryllium acquainted with galore of the caller officials who are apt to unit the elder positions successful the Trump Administration. And determination are galore convergences betwixt the worldview of the Modi authorities and the Trump team.
• “The problem, however, comes from the extremist quality of Trump’s argumentation model that breaks distant from the galore acquainted features of the planetary economical and governmental order.”
• “Dealing with Trump’s 2nd word is not conscionable astir uncovering argumentation fixes for the galore divergences that are bound to look betwixt Delhi and Washington. It demands coming to presumption with Trump’s plans to overhaul the planetary order and the US relation successful it.”
• “That is compounded by 2 further factors. One is Trump’s intensely transactional approach. The different is the strengthening of America’s presumption successful narration to Europe and China, acknowledgment to Washington’s caller awesome economical performance. Together they crook America into a much almighty interlocutor than before.”
• “Five themes of interest for India basal retired from Trump’s worldview.
1. First is Trump’s program to “dismantle the regulatory state,” dramatically downsize the bureaucracy, and marque it easier for US superior to put and make caller technologies.
2. Second, Trump is determined to re-industrialise America. He has argued repeatedly that globalisation has played havoc with US manufacturing and the concern moving class.
3. Third, migration has been 1 of the issues that has propelled Trump to his historical governmental comeback successful this election. Although his anti-immigration rhetoric has caused overmuch interest successful India, Trump has sought to differentiate betwixt “legal” and “illegal” immigration….India volition person a heavy involvement successful contributing to the US statement connected separating the “bad” migration from the “good”.
4. Trump’s narration with China and Russia volition beryllium of peculiar involvement to Delhi. It was nether the archetypal Trump medication that the Quadrilateral model was revived successful 2017. There is nary crushed to expect that the 2nd would dilute its committedness to bounds Chinese powerfulness successful Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
5. Finally, the Biden years person seen a important enlargement of defence and precocious exertion practice betwixt Delhi and Washington. Sustaining and expanding this nether the Trump Administration volition beryllium a cardinal precedence for Delhi.
• “Over the past 2 decades, the US has operated nether the presumption that boosting India’s capabilities is successful America’s self- interest, particularly successful balancing China. But Trump is apt to request immoderate Indian “pro” for American “quid”. The thought that favours can’t beryllium one-sided but communal is astatine the bosom of Trump’s statecraft.”
From Express Network Page-Trump could crook the timepiece back, yet again, connected clime action
• “Trump’s re-election for a 2nd term, present each but confirmed, erstwhile again comes up of a clime alteration conference, this 1 starting successful Baku, Azerbaijan, connected Monday…A 2nd Trump presidency mightiness not entail a pull-out from Paris Agreement yet again — helium does committedness this though, connected his run website — but could inactive dilatory down the momentum connected clime action.”
• “Trump has been severely captious of Joe Biden’s vigor policies, galore of which person been manifested done the incentives provided for cleanable vigor successful the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and promised to prosecute policies that “diametrically opposite”.
• “If helium does travel up connected these promises, it would earnestly jeopardise the emanation simplification targets of the United States for 2030. There are different reasons wherefore Trump’s policies could effect successful a backward movement, not conscionable for the United States but the satellite arsenic a whole. Fresh investments successful fossil substance projects, arsenic promised by Trump, could halt and reverse the caller inclination of vigor investments.”
• “Despite China being the largest emitter for the past astir 2 decades, it is the United States that inactive has the largest stock of humanities emissions. It accounts for much than 20 per cent of each greenhouse state emissions since 1850. As such, it has the top work to instrumentality clime action. That is however the planetary clime model is structured.”
Do you know:
• “India’s narration with the US has been the astir broad relation the state has had since independence…this is genuinely a narration forged successful crisis”, Rudra Chaudhuri, caput of Carnegie India, wrote successful his book, Forged successful Crisis: India and the US since 1947.
• The US is India’s largest commercialized partner, with bilateral commercialized reaching astir $120 cardinal successful FY24 — somewhat higher than India’s China trade. However, dissimilar China, India’s commercialized narration with the US is favourable, which makes the US a captious root of overseas exchange.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Recalling India-US relations successful Trump 1.0
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Questions Covering akin theme:
What is the value of Indo-US defence deals implicit Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with notation to stableness successful the Indo-Pacific region. (UPSC CSE 2020)
‘What introduces friction into the ties betwixt India and the United States is that Washington is inactive incapable to find for India a presumption successful its planetary strategy, which would fulfill India’s National self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. (2019)
GOVT & POLITICS
Cabinet clears PM-Vidyalaxmi for collateral-free loans to students
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions
What’s the ongoing story: The Union Cabinet connected Wednesday approved the PM-Vidyalaxmi strategy that makes students who get admittance successful Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) eligible for a collateral-free and guarantor-free acquisition loan.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the superior nonsubjective of the PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme?
• Who are the intended beneficiaries PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme?
• What are the Quality Higher Education Institutions?
• What is the Central Sector Interest Subsidy (CSIS) scheme?
• What criteria are utilized to find Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) nether the PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme?
• Compare the PM-Vidyalaxmi strategy and the Central Sector Interest Subsidy (CSIS) scheme.
• How the PM-Vidyalaxmi strategy align with the government’s broader goals for acquisition and younker empowerment?
• What are the law provisions related to the close to education?
• What different initiatives person been taken by the authorities of India successful the acquisition sector?
• What are the issues related to the acquisition strategy successful India?
Key Takeaways:
• An outlay of Rs 3,600 crore has been made for the strategy for 2024-25 to 2030-31 play and astir 7 lakh caller students are expected to payment from the involvement subvention offered nether the scheme.
• Students volition beryllium provided a 75% recognition warrant by the cardinal authorities for loans up to Rs 7.5 lakh. Students, with an yearly household income of up to Rs 8 lakh, who are ineligible for benefits nether immoderate different authorities assistance oregon involvement subvention schemes, volition beryllium provided 3% involvement subvention for indebtedness up to Rs 10 lakh during the moratorium period.
• This is successful summation to an existing strategy — the Central Sector Interest Subsidy (CSIS) that provides afloat involvement subvention connected loans up to Rs 10 lakh to students with an yearly household income of up to Rs 4.5 lakh, pursuing method oregon nonrecreational courses.
• Quality higher acquisition institutions (QHEIs) volition beryllium determined by NIRF rankings. The strategy volition beryllium applicable to each institutions, including authorities and private, successful the apical 100 successful wide and successful different domain-specific rankings, authorities authorities institutions ranked 101 to 200, and each Centre-run institutions. Students successful 860 higher acquisition institutions volition beryllium eligible, and the database volition beryllium updated based connected NIRF rankings each year.
Do You Know:
• PM Vidyalaxmi is different cardinal inaugural stemming retired of the National Education Policy, 2020, which had recommended that fiscal assistance should beryllium made disposable to meritorious students done assorted measures successful some nationalist and backstage HEIs.
• The Department of Higher Education volition person a unified portal “PM-Vidyalaxmi” connected which students volition beryllium capable to use for the acquisition indebtedness arsenic good arsenic involvement subvention, done a simplified exertion process to beryllium utilized by each banks. Payment of involvement subvention volition beryllium made done E-voucher and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallets.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍What is Vidya Lakshmi acquisition indebtedness scheme?
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims/Mains Question Covering akin theme:
Prelims
(1) Which of the pursuing provisions of the Constitution does India person a bearing connected Education? (UPSC CSE 2012)
1. Directive Principles of State Policy
2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies
3. Fifth Schedule
4. Sixth Schedule
5. Seventh Schedule
Select the close reply utilizing the codes fixed below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3, 4 and 5 only
(c) 1, 2 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
(2) Consider the pursuing statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)
1. As per the close to acquisition (RTE) Act, to beryllium eligible for assignment arsenic a teacher successful a state, a idiosyncratic would beryllium required to person the minimum qualification laid down by the acrophobic State assembly of Teacher education.
2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching superior classes, a campaigner is required to walk a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted successful accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.
3. In India, much than 90 % of teacher acquisition institutions are straight nether the State Governments.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 3 only
Mains
Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and constituent retired the measures to execute them successful India successful detail. (UPSC CSE 2021)
Sanction needed nether PMLA to prosecute nationalist servants: SC
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution and Polity
What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court connected Wednesday held that Section 197(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that mandates anterior authorisation from the authorities to instrumentality cognizance of an offence against nationalist servants volition use to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) too.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is wealth laundering?
• What is Section 197(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)?
• What is the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)?
• What are the rights provided to the idiosyncratic nether the arrest?
• What are the assorted amendments to the PMLA?
• What are the criticisms of the PMLA?
• What are the powers of ED related to PMLA?
• What are the bail provisions nether PMLA?
Key Takeaways:
• Section 197 (1) says, “When immoderate idiosyncratic who is oregon was a justice oregon magistrate oregon a nationalist servant not removable from his bureau prevention by oregon with the authorisation of the government, is accused of immoderate offence alleged to person been committed by him portion acting oregon purporting to enactment successful the discharge of his authoritative duty, nary tribunal shall instrumentality cognizance of specified offence but with the erstwhile sanction.
• The ED, which filed the entreaty challenging the HC order, contended that IAS officers Bibhu Prasad Acharya was not a nationalist servant wrong the meaning of Section 197(1) of CrPC, arsenic it cannot beryllium said that portion holding the said position, helium was not removable from the bureau prevention by oregon with the authorisation of the government.
• The ED besides contended that successful presumption of Section 71 of the PMLA, its provisions person an overriding effect implicit the provisions of the different statutes, including the CrPC. But the tribunal did not agree, holding that the archetypal condition, arsenic required nether Section 197(1), is satisfied successful the lawsuit of some the respondents arsenic they are civilian servants.
• The ruling pointed retired that Section 65 of PMLA makes the provisions of the CrPC applicable to each proceedings nether the PMLA, provided the aforesaid are not inconsistent with the PMLA provisions and the words ‘all different proceedings’ see a ailment nether Section 44 (1)(b) of the PMLA.
Do You Know:
• The PMLA, similar the UAPA, lays down a stringent modular for granting bail. Section 45 of the PMLA is simply a ‘negative’ proviso — which bars courts from granting bail unless the accused tin beryllium that determination is nary “prima facie” lawsuit against them, and that they volition not perpetrate immoderate offence successful the future.
• The archetypal situation to PMLA was against the alternate transgression instrumentality strategy that the PMLA creates since the ED is kept extracurricular the purview of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The ED is not considered ‘police’, and hence does not travel the provisions of CrPC for searches, seizures, arrests, and attachment of properties.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Knowledge nugget of the day: Money Laundering
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims/ Mains Questions Covering akin theme:
Prelims
(3) With notation to the amendments successful the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) see the pursuing statements:
1. The Finance Ministry has amended wealth laundering rules to incorporated much disclosures for non-governmental organisations by reporting entities similar fiscal institutions, banking companies oregon intermediaries.
2. It has defined “politically exposed persons” (PEPs) nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) successful enactment with the recommendations of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group.
Which of the statements are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Mains
Discuss however emerging technologies and globalisation lend to wealth laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the occupation of wealth laundering some astatine nationalist and planetary levels. (UPSC CSE 2021)
ECONOMY
US lipid & state producers apt to person a bearish interaction connected petroleum prices
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests and Indian Economy
What’s the ongoing story: As Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump wrested the White House from the Democrats, planetary lipid prices declined Wednesday. Even arsenic the autumn successful lipid prices had much to bash with the strengthening dollar–a stronger greenback makes dollar-denominated commodities similar lipid dearer successful different currencies–and different lipid marketplace factors, the marketplace absorption whitethorn beryllium symbolic of the wide sentiment astir lipid prices going forward.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What are the apical 3 oil-producing countries successful the world?
• What are the apical 3 crude lipid suppliers to India?
• How bash the changes successful U.S. vigor argumentation nether Trump’s enactment power India’s vigor information and economical interests?
• What are the imaginable effects of accrued U.S. lipid accumulation and exports connected planetary lipid markets and prices?
• In what ways bash geopolitical uncertainties interaction vigor information successful India?
• How tin India mitigate the risks associated with volatile lipid prices?
Key Takeaways:
• While it is excessively aboriginal to accidental however Trump’s 2nd word arsenic president volition impact planetary lipid markets, manufacture watchers expect the Trump administration’s economical and vigor policies to enactment constricted downward unit connected lipid prices. If strictly implemented, his plans to enforce precocious tariffs connected imports–particularly connected those from China–could negatively interaction planetary lipid request arsenic China is the world’s apical lipid importer.
• Realistically though, the incoming dispensation successful Washington is apt to propulsion for a mostly balanced planetary lipid marketplace to support lipid prices successful cheque portion avoiding a steep diminution oregon crash, arsenic that would marque accumulation unviable for American lipid producers arsenic well.
• For India, which is the world’s third-largest user of crude lipid and depends connected imports to conscionable implicit 85 per cent of its request of the commodity, downward unit connected planetary lipid prices would beryllium mostly beneficial.
• Heavy dependence connected imported crude lipid makes the Indian system susceptible to planetary lipid terms volatility, isolated from having a bearing connected the country’s commercialized deficit, overseas speech reserves, rupee’s speech rate, and inflation.
• S&P Global Commodity Insights (SPGCI) expects Asian buyers—including India—to witnesser importantly much opportunities to import “attractively priced crude from the US” arsenic its contention with the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) suppliers intensifies
• Growing US crude accumulation has posed a important situation for OPEC+ (OPEC and its different spouse countries) successful caller years, exerting downward unit connected prices, threatening the bloc’s marketplace stock and prompting monolithic output cuts.
Do You Know:
• The US is India’s fifth-largest root marketplace for crude lipid down Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• As the world’s third-largest user of crude lipid with a precocious import dependency level of implicit 85 per cent, India is highly delicate to lipid prices.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍What Trumponomics means for India, the world
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
(4) The word ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes recovered successful news, refers to a people of (UPSC CSE 2020)
(a) Crude oil
(b) Bullion
(c) Rare world elements
(d) Uranium
EXPRESS NETWORK
Session tribunal indispensable bid compensation: SC
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist value and Rights issues
Mains Examination: GS-II: Government Policies & Interventions, Issues Related to Children
What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court directed precocious that successful cases of “bodily injuries specified arsenic intersexual battle etc. peculiarly connected insignificant children and women”, Sessions Courts indispensable besides bid the compensation to beryllium paid to the unfortunate portion convicting oregon acquitting the accused.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the relation of the District Legal Services Authority and the State Legal Services Authority, arsenic mandated by the Supreme Court, successful implementing unfortunate compensation?
• What is the value of Section 357A of the CrPC successful the discourse of unfortunate compensation for intersexual battle cases?
• How mightiness the Supreme Court’s directive to guarantee unfortunate compensation successful cases of bodily harm and intersexual battle against insignificant children and women impact judicial proceedings astatine the Sessions Court level?
• What is the ‘Manodhairya Scheme’?
• What are the law provisions related to children?
• What are the assorted issues related to kid exploitation successful India?
• What is the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act?
• What are the Initiatives, legislations and laws taken by the Government of India for the children protection?
Key Takeaways:
• A seat of Justices B V Nagarathna and Pankaj Mithal besides said that the absorption indispensable beryllium implemented by the District Legal Services Authority oregon State Legal Services Authority.
• “… we nonstop that a Sessions Court, which adjudicates a lawsuit concerning the bodily injuries specified arsenic intersexual battle etc. peculiarly connected insignificant children and women shall bid for unfortunate compensation to beryllium paid having respect to the facts and circumstances of the lawsuit and based connected the grounds connected record, portion passing the judgement either convicting oregon acquitting the accused. Secondly, the said absorption indispensable beryllium implemented by the District Legal Services Authority oregon State Legal Services Authority, arsenic the lawsuit whitethorn be, successful missive and tone and successful the quickest mode and to guarantee that the unfortunate is paid the compensation astatine the earliest,” the apical tribunal said successful its November 4 order.
• The seat passed this absorption portion granting bail to a antheral convicted and sentenced nether the IPC and the POCSO Act. The appellant had challenged the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of his exertion seeking suspension of condemnation and bail, pending a last determination connected his appeal.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍POCSO: An investigation of India’s landmark kid maltreatment law
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and propulsion airy connected the presumption of its implementation. (UPSC CSE 2016)
EXPLAINED
Prospects for H-1B visas: what the past trends show
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
What’s the ongoing story: With Donald Trump acceptable for triumph successful the US Presidential elections, here’s a look astatine however Trump’s archetypal word successful bureau affected the visa programme for specialty occupations, known arsenic the H-1B.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is the quality betwixt a visa and a passport?
• What is the H-1B visa program?
• How does the H-1B visa programme interaction skilled migration from India to the United States?
• What important argumentation changes person occurred successful caller years regarding the H-1B visa?
• How does the H-1B visa programme impact diplomatic and commercialized relations betwixt India and the United States?
Key Takeaways:
• The H-1B visa programme allows American employers to prosecute non-immigrant workers successful specialty occupations that necessitate a precocious level of skills and astatine slightest a bachelor’s degree, according to the US Department of Labour.
• “The intent of the H-1B provisions is to assistance employers who cannot different get needed concern skills and abilities from the US workforce by authorising the impermanent employment of qualified individuals who are not different authorised to enactment successful the United States,” the section says.
• The US authorities has capped the full fig of caller H-1B visas astatine 65,000 each fiscal year. Another 20,000 visas tin beryllium fixed to those who person obtained a Master’s grade oregon higher from a US institution. H-1B workers employed astatine higher acquisition institutions, non-profits oregon authorities probe organisations are not covered by the cap.
• US authorities information shows that Indians person been the bulk of H-1B visa-holders successful the past fewer years.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍What is the publication of Indian Americans to US nine and economy?
📍Spouses of H-1B visa holders tin enactment successful US, says judge
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
Indian diaspora has a decisive relation to play successful the authorities and system of America and European Countries.’ Comment with examples (UPSC CSE 2020)
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