UPSC Key: Middle Class, Department of Government Efficiency and Domestic Workers in India

Musk’s DOGE gains entree to Treasury outgo systems

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: In a large triumph for billionaire Elon Musk led Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE has been granted support to person afloat entree to the US Treasury Department’s outgo system, New York Times reported.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What does the acronym DOGE basal for successful the discourse of Elon Musk’s caller governmental role?

• Which U.S. authorities authoritative approved DOGE’s entree to the national outgo system?

• What volition beryllium the implications of granting a backstage entity, led by Elon Musk, entree to the U.S. national outgo system.

• Know the relation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) successful the U.S. government.

• What are the ethical considerations and imaginable conflicts of involvement arising from Elon Musk’s dual relation arsenic a backstage entrepreneur and a authorities authoritative with entree to delicate national systems?

• Evaluate the imaginable nationalist information concerns associated with granting DOGE entree to the national outgo system, considering Elon Musk’s planetary concern engagements.

• What are the checks and balances wrong the U.S. governmental model that are designed to forestall misuse of powerfulness erstwhile backstage individuals are granted important authorization wrong national systems?

Key Takeaways:

• Trump’s recently formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is chaired by Elon Musk and is tasked to place fraud and discarded successful the government. The section had reportedly sought afloat clearance and entree to the Treasury department’s strategy which is utilized to rotation retired national funds.

• Musk led DOGE team’s efforts to execute afloat entree to the strategy were resisted by a vocation civilian servant astatine the Treasury section named David Lebryk, who was earlier placed connected permission this week and thereafter retired connected Friday aft the dispute, according to reports.

• The Times reported that, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Musk’s squad entree to the system. The Treasury department’s strategy sends much than $6 trillion per twelvemonth successful payments connected behalf of national agencies and stores accusation of millions of Americans who person Social Security payments, taxation refunds and different grants and alleviation from the US government.

• US Senator from Oregon, Ron Wyden, a Democrat confirmed that Musk’s squad astatine DOGE has received entree to the Treasury department’s system.

• The New York Times reported that it wasn’t instantly wide if Musk’s squad had blocked immoderate outgo related aft gaining entree to the system.

Do You Know:

• The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), officially named the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is simply a impermanent entity nether the United States DOGE Service, antecedently known arsenic the United States Digital Service.

• Despite its title, DOGE is not a national enforcement department, arsenic establishing 1 would necessitate support from Congress. Its main extremity is to trim wasteful spending and region unnecessary regulations, though the enforcement bid that created it defines its relation arsenic modernizing national exertion and bundle to heighten governmental ratio and productivity.

• DOGE was introduced successful November 2024 by past President-elect Donald Trump for his 2nd term.

• Established by enforcement bid connected January 20, 2025, DOGE is simply a impermanent enactment scheduled to reason connected July 4, 2026. It operates from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, with astir 20 employees stationed determination and further teams moving wrong national agencies.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Musk, Indian-origin Ramaswamy to caput assemblage to trim US govt: What is DOGE

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering akin theme:
1. The national outgo strategy to which DOGE has been granted entree handles which of the following?
A) Military operations
B) Distribution of Social Security benefits
C) Environmental regulations
D) Educational policies

FRONT PAGE

Trump imposes tariffs connected Canada, Mexico & China, spurs commercialized war

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: President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an bid to enforce stiff tariffs connected imports from Mexico, Canada and China, drafting swift retaliation and an undeniable consciousness of betrayal from the country’s North American neighbors arsenic a commercialized warfare erupted among the longtime allies.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the reasons down India’s exclusion from President Trump’s archetypal tariff measures, contempt anterior criticisms of its tariff structure.

• Discuss the implications of India’s exclusion for aboriginal India-U.S. commercialized relations.

• What volition beryllium the interaction of the U.S. imposing tariffs connected China, Mexico, and Canada connected planetary commercialized dynamics?

• How India’s commercialized strategy successful aboriginal volition accommodate successful effect to these caller tariff enforce developments?

• Discuss the value of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming sojourn to the U.S. successful the discourse of caller tariff impositions.

• What strategies should India employment to navigate imaginable commercialized negotiations with the U.S.?

• Assess the relation of bilateral commercialized negotiations successful mitigating tariff disputes betwixt nations. Use the illustration of India and the U.S. to exemplify your points.

• Examine the broader implications of protectionist commercialized policies, specified arsenic tariffs, connected emerging economies similar India.

• How tin India safeguard her economical interests successful an progressively protectionist planetary environment?

Key Takeaways:

• Despite repeatedly criticising India’s tariff structure, Trump’s archetypal enforcement bid connected February 1 to enforce commercialized tariffs did not notation India, signalling that bilateral commercialized negotiations whitethorn beryllium connected the cards aboriginal this period erstwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to sojourn the US.

• International commercialized experts said that India has already begun lowering tariffs to favour US exports successful a bid to debar Trump’s tariffs. Duties connected items chiefly exported by the US, specified arsenic motorcycles with an motor capableness beneath 1,600cc, crushed installations for satellites, and synthetic flavouring essences, among others, were slashed successful the Union Budget 2025-26 presented connected Saturday.

• Meanwhile, exporters said that the existent 10 per cent tariffs imposed connected Chinese goods would make an accidental for much Indian goods to participate the US market.

• According to an investigation by Oxford Economics, India was the fourth-largest beneficiary of the commercialized diversions that occurred betwixt 2017-2023 aft Trump launched a tariff warfare with China successful his archetypal term.

• However, a commercialized warfare that drives up inflation successful the US marketplace whitethorn not beryllium successful India’s interest, arsenic America is India’s largest commercialized spouse and foremost export market. On Sunday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs connected American goods specified arsenic beer, wine, household appliances, and sporting goods.

Do You Know:

• According to Investopedia, Protectionism refers to authorities policies that restrict planetary commercialized to assistance home industries. Protectionist policies are usually implemented with the extremity of improving economical enactment wrong a home system but tin besides beryllium implemented for information oregon prime concerns.

• Former commercialized serviceman and caput of the deliberation vessel GTRI, Ajay Srivastava, said that the Union Budget has introduced important tariff reductions connected aggregate products, galore of which payment American exports. Among the cardinal tariff reductions, India lowered the work connected food hydrolysate for the manufacture of aquatic provender from 15 per cent to 5 per cent, a determination that straight impacts US exports worthy $35 million. Another notable tariff chopped affects Ethernet switches, wherever duties person been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, Srivastava said.

• While Trump announced the tariffs nether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to halt “illegal immigration” and halt “poisonous fentanyl and different drugs” from flowing into the US, the tariff targets were based connected the size of the US commercialized deficit.

• According to the Research and Information System (RIS), China is the largest contributor to the US commercialized shortage with an wide stock of 30 per cent. Mexico and Canada clasp the 2nd and 3rd positions with shares of 19 per cent and 14.5 per cent, respectively. In 2023, China had a commercialized surplus of $317 cardinal with the US, portion Mexico and Canada had surpluses of $200 cardinal and $153 billion, respectively.

• India contributes lone 3.2 per cent to America’s wide commercialized shortage and is the ninth-highest contributor. As such, India whitethorn beryllium connected the apical of Trump’s tariff deed list, but commercialized argumentation researchers suggest that India could beryllium susceptible successful definite finished goods merchandise categories, peculiarly pharmaceutical exports.

• The pharmaceutical sector, followed by the gems and jewellery sector, are the largest commercialized segments wherever India enjoys a important commercialized surplus. Pharma products comprised the largest stock of 21.9 per cent of the $20 cardinal worthy of last user goods that India exported to the US successful 2023. Precious metals, with a 9.6 per cent share, and shrimps and prawns, with a 6.6 per cent share, occupied the 2nd and 3rd spots.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍THE FIRST SALVO

EXPRESS NETWORK

The Budget and its politics: Pivot to mediate class, wide oculus connected Bihar, outreach to farmers

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies III: Government Budgeting.

What’s the ongoing story: Underlines the pivot to mediate people that has been evident successful the Delhi canvass campaign, and has a wide oculus connected Bihar, which votes next

Key Points to Ponder:

• What precisely defines the mediate people successful an economical context?

• Discuss the socio-economic value of the mediate people successful India’s development.

• How Union fund and taxation policies impacts India’s mediate class?

• The Indian mediate people has been a large operator of depletion and economical expansion. Discuss the relation of authorities policies successful sustaining and expanding the mediate class.

• How does urbanization and the integer system interaction the aspirations and manner of India’s mediate class? Discuss with examples.

• Analyze the governmental value of the mediate people successful India’s electoral landscape. How bash authorities budgets and payment policies people this segment?

Key Takeaways:

• Sitharaman’s Budget breaks with the past to supply important taxation alleviation to the salaried mediate classes. The zero income taxation slab up to an income of Rs 12 lakh per annum covers the widest conception of the salaried mediate people successful the country.

• While taxation slabs person been revised to supply for zero taxation up to Rs 4 lakh, 5% from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, and 10% from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, the authorities has provided a rebate to guarantee that those earning up to Rs 12 lakh, unless superior gains taxation is chargeable from them, would wage nary income tax.

• With Bihar going to polls aboriginal this year, and with state-based parties Janata Dal (United) and LJP (Ram Vilas) among important NDA allies, Sitharaman mentioned Bihar six times successful her speech, isolated from abstracted mentions of Mithilanchal (north Bihar) and of destinations associated with the Buddha, which autumn mostly successful Bihar and eastbound UP areas neighbouring the state.

• The promises made for the authorities successful the Budget see mounting up of a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management successful Bihar arsenic portion of ‘Purvodaya’ (rise of eastbound India), to supply a fillip to nutrient processing activities, heighten income of farmers, and accomplishment youth. Other promises are a Makhana Board for Bihar, greenfield airports successful the state, and enlargement of the Patna airport.

• The Budget addressed farmers, but with a absorption connected 100 districts with debased productivity, mean harvest strength and below-average recognition parameters, and with the purpose of encouraging harvest diversification, post-harvest storage, recognition proviso and irrigation. The Budget said that this strategy – named Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana – would assistance 1.7-crore farmers.

• Sitharaman besides announced an summation successful subsidised Kisan Credit Card (KCC) indebtedness bounds to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 5 lakh, a ‘Rural Prosperity and Resilience’ programme to code agrarian unemployment, and promotion of probe for processing high-yield, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient seeds.

Do You Know:

• The economical conception of “middle class”, connected which abundant lit exists, is that a genuine mediate people should supply a definite quantum of depletion that is unchangeable and resilient due to the fact that of however the income to devour is generated (the quality of occupation); and should person capable surpluses aft regular expenditure to assistance them upwind economical downturns and beryllium capable to bounce backmost without having to declaration their depletion excessively overmuch for excessively long. This is wherever galore of the alleged mediate people households successful India bash not qualify.

• For a mediate people to beryllium a long-term, high-commitment concern thesis for businesses, successful summation to the stableness and resilience of its consumption, determination needs to beryllium a beardown instauration that enables continuous betterment successful income levels, starring to much and amended prime depletion arsenic well.

• A genuine mediate people household is 1 wherever the depletion behaviour steadily shifts upwards from terms sensitivity to payment sensitivity. This, successful turn, stimulates different virtuous rhythm of powerful, divers and amended prime proviso responses.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Experts Explain | Who makes up India’s mediate class: a world check

📍Experts Explain | A stunted mediate class: Role of the manufacturing, informal sectors

UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
2. Along with the Budget, the Finance Minister besides places different documents earlier the Parliament which see ‘The Macro Economic Framework Statement’. The aforesaid papers is presented due to the fact that this is mandated by (2020)
(a) Long lasting parliamentary convention
(b) Article 112 and Article 110(1) of the Constitution of India
(c) Article 113 of the Constitution of India
(d) Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Stopping abbreviated of the farm

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for improvement successful assorted sectors and issues arising retired of their plan and implementation.

• General Studies III: Government Budgeting.

What’s the ongoing story: Ashok Gulati, Raya Das Writes: Budget makes immoderate advancement successful addressing cultivation challenges. But attack remains incremental alternatively than transformational

Key Points to Ponder:

• According to the All-India Debt and Investment Survey of 2019, what percent of cultivator households successful India owned tractors?

• What is the superior crushed tiny and marginal farmers successful India find it challenging to follow mechanization?

• What percent of Indian cultivation households are classified arsenic tiny and marginal farmers?

• Know the implications of India’s antagonistic Producer Support Estimate (PSE) connected the cultivation sector.

• Discuss the challenges faced by tiny and marginal farmers successful adopting mechanization.

• What argumentation interventions tin the authorities instrumentality to facilitate mechanization among farmers?

• Evaluate the interaction of post-harvest losses connected India’s nutrient information and farmers’ livelihoods.

• Examine the relation of budgetary allocations successful addressing the issues of mechanization and post-harvest losses successful Indian agriculture.

Key Takeaways:

Ashok Gulati, Raya Das Writes:

• The large question from the agriculture conception of the Union Budget for FY26 is whether it tin bring successful clime resilience, and augment the productivity and incomes of farmers and workplace labourers.

• There are respective initiatives announced for agriculture that are apt to assistance the farming community. The peculiar absorption connected 100 districts to augment agri-productivity, beforehand sustainable farming practices and harvest diversification, extending recognition entree done Kisan Credit Cards from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, starting a Pulses Mission to attain atma nirbharta successful tur, moong and urad, etc, are each steps successful the close direction. So is the mounting up of a Makhana Board successful Bihar.

• The fund allocated for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, arsenic good arsenic for allied sectors, enactment unneurotic is Rs 1.49 trillion. This marks astir a 4 per cent summation implicit the erstwhile year’s budget.

• The biggest strategy nether the Ministry of Agriculture is PM-Kisan, the allocation for which has been astatine Rs 60,000 crore since 2019. In existent terms, it has been declining. The accidental to dovetail this income transportation with the nonstop transportation of the fertiliser subsidy, which is bigger than the fund of the Ministry of Agriculture, has been missed.

• While agriculture’s stock successful wide GDP has been declining implicit the decades, reaching astir 17.7 per cent successful caller years, its stock successful the workforce, aft a secular decline, reversed, and it accrued from 42.5 per cent successful 2018-19 to 46.1 per cent successful FY24. This has depressed the existent wages successful the farming sector, wherever 55 per cent of employment is of workplace labourers, who are astatine the bottommost of the economical pyramid.

• The budget’s accent connected releasing 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties of 32 tract and horticulture crops is welcome. However, without capable concern successful R&D and extension, productivity gains whitethorn not construe into higher workplace incomes.

Do You Know:

Ashok Gulati, Raya Das Writes:

• Agriculture’s challenges are profoundly intertwined with planetary terms dynamics. India continues to look shortages successful pulses, oilseeds, and cardinal earthy materials for agri-processing industries similar fabric and maize, starring to rising import dependence. The fund does small to code these shortages structurally.

• Expanding the country nether pulses successful rice-fallow regions and incentivising private-sector information successful oilseed accumulation could assistance span this gap. But the structural situation remains: Farming successful India is inactive heavy babelike connected atom and wheat, mostly owed to MSP-centric procurement policies that assemblage retired high-value crops similar pulses, oilseeds and horticulture. The displacement to a crop-neutral inducement operation is imperative to thrust sustainable diversification.

• Post-harvest losses stay a important issue. Around 8.1 per cent of fruits and 7.3 per cent of vegetables are mislaid successful the post-harvest worth chain, amounting to 37 per cent of full post-harvest losses of Rs 1.53 trillion annually. Higher investments successful acold chains, processing facilities, and logistics are needed to trim specified losses.

• The authorities has taken steps to promote backstage concern successful retention and selling infrastructure, but much needs to beryllium done. The allocation nether the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has accrued from Rs 600 crore successful FY25 to Rs 900 crore successful FY26, which tin amended the post-harvest worth concatenation successful India.

• While the Union Budget 2025-26 makes immoderate advancement successful addressing cultivation challenges, the wide attack remains incremental alternatively than transformational. A paradigm displacement is needed — 1 that moves distant from subsidy-heavy interventions towards investment-driven growth, greater backstage assemblage participation, and technology-led ratio improvements.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍After budget, what India’s system needs amid planetary uncertainties

MY WORKPLACE, YOUR HOME

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Social empowerment

• General Studies II: Welfare schemes for susceptible sections of the colonisation by the Centre and States and the show of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the extortion and betterment of these susceptible sections.

• General Studies II: Issues relating to improvement and absorption of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What’s the ongoing story: Neetha N Writes: The asymmetric narration betwixt leader and employee, wherever the workplace is the former’s backstage abstraction and the latter’s workplace is an contented that makes the assemblage qualitatively different. Supreme Court bid connected instrumentality to modulate the assemblage offers immoderate hope

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the percent of home workers successful India?

• Is determination immoderate instrumentality for home workers successful India?

• Discuss the cardinal challenges successful ensuring the rights and payment of home workers successful India.

• Analyse the relation of the Indian judiciary successful protecting the rights of home workers. Provide examples of landmark judgments successful this regard.

• Examine the interaction of the lack of a broad ineligible model for home workers successful India. How does it comparison with planetary standards specified arsenic ILO Convention No. 189?

• What are the socio-economic implications of providing ineligible extortion and payment benefits to home workers successful India?

Key Takeaways:
Neetha N Writes:

• Domestic workers and those who enactment towards the well-being of this susceptible conception of the workforce person recovered anticipation with the Supreme Court’s absorption connected January 29 to the Union authorities to look into a instrumentality to modulate the sector.

• The seat comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered the authorities to signifier an inter-ministerial committee to “consider the desirability of recommending a ineligible model for the benefit, extortion and regularisation of the rights of home workers”.

• The committee is to springiness its study successful six months to the authorities based connected which the second is directed to determine connected a instrumentality for home workers.

• As inheritance to this direction, the tribunal noted that the mediocre and susceptible conditions of home workers are mostly owed to the deficiency of due regulations.

• The tribunal besides highlighted immoderate past attempts to modulate the assemblage and the exclusion of these workers from galore labour legislation, including the Minimum Wages Act and the Equal Remuneration Act. While acknowledging existing state-specific regulations, the seat noted the value of having national-level authorities that is binding connected each authorities governments.

Do You Know:

• According to authoritative statistics, determination are 4.75 cardinal home workers successful India, 3 cardinal of whom are women, the International Labour Organisation, on with others are steadfast that the existent fig is overmuch more, ranging from a wide 20 to 80 million.

• According to Neetha N, Domestic enactment is simply a feminised occupation, with migrants from marginalised communities constituting a sizeable proportion. Wage rates and different non-wage benefits alteration crossed the tasks performed by the idiosyncratic and the quality of employment. There is saltation successful wages crossed employers for a fixed task adjacent successful the aforesaid locality. Low wages, unfair moving conditions (such arsenic the lack of immoderate permission and denial of remainder and food), the work to be to further tasks, accrued workload without further compensation and truthful connected are the cardinal features that people the sector.

• India is yet to ratify the ILO Convention 189 connected home workers. The judiciary has intervened successful the past successful favour of the documentation and registration of placement agencies. Though immoderate follow-up was done, it didn’t marque overmuch quality to the moving conditions of home workers.

• It is often asked wherefore a circumstantial conception of the workforce, similar home workers, needs abstracted authorities erstwhile the caller labour codes are much inclusive. The Code connected Wages (2019), dissimilar the Minimum Wages Act, by explanation covers the sector. But anyone who recognises the intricacies, complexities and hierarchies of the concern which intersects with gender, caste, and people volition backmost a abstracted legislation.

• The caller attempts successful the absorption of the states of Kerala and Delhi could surely beryllium looked astatine for learning. Domestic workers’ unions and organisations crossed the state bring with them affluent experiences of crushed realities that request to beryllium taken into relationship portion framing immoderate instrumentality for the sector. A authorities to modulate the assemblage whitethorn not effect successful an contiguous betterment of moving conditions.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Domestic idiosyncratic draught argumentation for minimum wages, societal security

UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Distinguish betwixt ‘care economy’ and ‘monetized economy’. How tin the attraction system beryllium brought into a monetized system done women empowerment? (2023)

THE IDEAS PAGE

But babe whitethorn not drill

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: Vikram S Mehta Writes: Trump’s inaugural pronouncement that America had “the largest magnitude of lipid and state successful the world” and the “liquid golden nether its feet” would marque it “a affluent federation again”, combined with the revocation of the electrical conveyance mandate and the enforcement bid withdrawing America from the Paris clime accord (Libya, Iran and Yemen are the 3 different non-signatories), signalled his “shock-and-awe” intent to derail the greenish agenda.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the challenges faced by the U.S. medication successful expanding home lipid accumulation contempt argumentation initiatives aimed astatine boosting output.

• Analyse the economical implications of accrued lipid accumulation connected planetary lipid prices and the imaginable interaction connected home lipid companies’ profitability.

• Evaluate the relation of planetary alliances and geopolitical considerations successful shaping a country’s vigor accumulation policies, with notation to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

• Assess the biology and economical trade-offs progressive successful prioritizing fossil substance accumulation implicit renewable vigor sources successful nationalist vigor policies.

Key Takeaways:

Vikram S Mehta Writes:

• The marketplace reacted predictably. International lipid and state prices softened and the shares of cleanable vigor companies fell. Will this pronouncement pb to a substantive alteration successful the planetary vigor marketplace oregon mightiness it beryllium nary much than “a tale…full of dependable and fury, signifying nothing”? I reason that it volition astir apt beryllium the latter.

• On petroleum, my logic is built astir the fundamentals of exploration and production. This is simply a high-risk, capital- and technology-intensive enactment with a agelong pb time. Its occurrence hinges connected navigating 3 interlocking uncertainties

• First, the uncertainty implicit whether a fixed geologic operation contains hydrocarbons. Technological advancement successful mapping underground geologic structures and interpreting stone formations has reduced this uncertainty significantly. Second, whether these hydrocarbons tin beryllium located. Here, too, innovations related to good determination and drilling person allowed for greater accuracy and productivity. Third, whether the reserves, erstwhile located, tin beryllium produced profitably.

• Petroleum companies usually instrumentality much than 4 years to determination from exploration occurrence to the instauration of improvement infrastructure to the commencement of production. The magnitude of this process depends connected permitting procedures, tract determination (offshore/onshore; plains/hilly; remote/well-connected) and geology, but adjacent nether the astir favourable of combinations, these companies would beryllium hard pressed to monetise their investments during the tenure of a statesmanlike term. This constituent volition explicate (in portion astatine least) wherefore companies whitethorn not respond to President Trump’s determination to assistance the prohibition connected drilling successful environmentally delicate areas similar the Arctic seas.

• As regards the greenish agenda, America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement does formed a unreality implicit sustainability. It volition choke the travel of American funds for clime change. This is, however, a rerun of an earlier play. And similar past time, its interaction volition beryllium managed.

Do You Know:

• In his archetypal code arsenic the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump reiterated 1 of his statesmanlike run slogans — “drill, baby, drill” — indicating that helium volition propulsion for much lipid and state production, and depletion successful the US. President Trump besides said helium would state a “national vigor emergency” to boost US lipid and state accumulation and bring prices down.

• History of ‘drill, baby, drill’: The slogan was coined successful 2008 by Michael Steele, the US person who served arsenic the archetypal African-American lieutenant politician of Maryland and seat of the Republican National Committee.

• Speaking with Carbon Brief successful March 2024, Steele said helium had utilized the operation to beforehand US independency from Middle Eastern oil. While addressing the Republican National Convention successful 2008, helium told the crowd: “Let’s trim our dependency connected overseas sources of oil, and beforehand oil-and-gas accumulation astatine home. Let maine marque it precise clear: Drill, baby, drill – and drill now.”

• The US has travel a agelong mode from being reliant connected lipid from the Middle East and currently, does not person immoderate dearth of fossil fuels. In fact, arsenic of now, the state is the largest shaper of lipid successful the world, and is simply a nett exporter of fossil fuels. Since 2016, accumulation of American lipid has gone up by 70%.

• According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US’s crude lipid accumulation reached an yearly grounds of 13.2 cardinal barrels per time (b/d) successful 2024. The accumulation is acceptable to somewhat summation this year, reaching 13.5 cardinal b/d, EIA said.

• Similarly, LNG exports person gone from astir zero successful 2016 to the US becoming the planetary lead.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍‘Drill, baby, drill’: Slogan’s history, wherefore Trump uses it truthful often

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering akin theme:
3. Which of the pursuing factors are contributing to the reluctance of U.S. lipid companies to summation production, contempt governmental encouragement?
1. Fear of repeating past overproduction starring to bankruptcies.
2. Current lipid prices being excessively debased to warrant expansion.
3. Anticipation of stricter biology regulations.
Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3

EXPRESS NETWORK

DRDO carries retired 3 consecutive tests of Very Short-Range Air Defence system

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Achievements of Indians successful subject & technology; indigenization of exertion and processing caller technology.

What’s the ongoing story: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted 3 successive flight-trials of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) from Chandipur disconnected the seashore of Odisha. These tests were carried retired against high-speed targets flying astatine precise debased altitude.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is simply a Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS)?

• Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) rocket system-Know successful detail

• Discuss the value of the palmy trials of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) by DRDO successful enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities.

• Analyse the technological advancements incorporated successful the VSHORADS rocket strategy and their imaginable interaction connected India’s aerial defence strategy.

• Evaluate the relation of indigenously developed defence systems similar VSHORADS successful achieving self-reliance nether the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

• Know astir Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

Key Takeaways:

• VSHORADS is simply a 4th procreation technically-advanced miniaturised Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD), indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad-based premier installation Research Centre Imarat (RCI) successful collaboration with different DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry partners.

• During each the 3 flight-tests connected Saturday, the missiles intercepted and wholly destroyed the targets which had a reduced thermal signature to mimic debased flying drones. These targets were flown astatine antithetic flying conditions.

• The flight-tests were carried retired successful last deployment configuration wherever 2 tract operators carried retired the afloat cognition series of limb readiness, people acquisition and rocket firing.

Do You Know:

• The improvement trials of the rocket were carried retired astatine the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges successful Rajasthan successful October past twelvemonth and showcased repeatability of hit-to-kill capableness of the limb strategy successful assorted people engagement scenarios covering approaching, receding and crossing modes. The DRDO said that the rocket strategy has the capableness to conscionable the needs of each the 3 branches of the equipped forces — Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

• During the improvement signifier of the VSHORADS missile, 2 accumulation agencies were engaged successful the development-cum-production spouse (DcPP) mode. In the improvement trials successful October past year, the missiles produced done DcPPs were successfully used, paving the mode for aboriginal idiosyncratic trials and accumulation successful a abbreviated time. Similarly, 2 palmy trials were conducted successful February 2024 and successful September 2022.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍India successfully formation tests VSHORADS missile

ECONOMY

GST complaint rationalisation, simplification successful the works; Centre-states talks underway

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development and Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination:

• General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the national structure, devolution of powers and finances up to section levels and challenges therein

• General Studies III: Inclusive maturation and issues arising from it.

What’s the ongoing story: Even arsenic the authorities announced rationalisation of income taxation rates successful the Budget, determination is besides enactment going connected to simplify and rationalise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Goods and Services Tax (GST) and How does it work?

• What are the benefits of Goods and Services Tax (GST) successful India?

• Goods and Services Tax (GST)-Issues and Challenges

• GST Council and Article 279A of the Constitution-Key Provisions

• GST Council and Members-Know successful detail

• What is the relation of GST Council?

• Discuss the value of GST complaint rationalisation successful India’s taxation structure.

• Examine the relation of the GST Council successful India’s national structure.

• How does the collaborative attack betwixt the Centre and states interaction the effectiveness of GST implementation and reforms?

• Assess the connection to destruct the 12% GST slab?

Key Takeaways:

• Discussions betwixt Centre and states person taken spot to undertake not conscionable GST complaint rationalisation but besides simplify the structure, with a peculiar absorption connected doing distant with the 12 per cent slab, The Indian Express has learnt.

• The ministerial sheet formed nether GST to oversee complaint rationalisation is learnt to person held threadbare discussions connected the items successful each of the cardinal slabs — zero, 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent — and whether the items request to beryllium moved to a higher oregon little slab. But, adjacent aft the elaborate exercise, the 12 per cent GST slab was projected to beryllium retained by the panel, on with the different 3 cardinal slabs. This was flagged successful interior discussions arsenic being inconsistent with the nonsubjective of reducing the fig of slabs, sources said.

• Earlier successful interior discussions regarding GST complaint rationalisation, a connection has been discussed to merge the 12 per cent and the 18 per cent slabs to make a caller 15 per cent slab, and person lone a three-slab structure.

• However, merging the 2 slabs did not summation wide statement due to the fact that the gross nonaccomplishment from shifting the items from the 18 per cent slab to 15 per cent would beryllium acold greater than the gains from raising the GST complaint connected the items successful the 12 per cent slab to 15 per cent.

• A higher complaint than 12 per cent was besides flagged arsenic a constituent of interest for immoderate of the items linked to pharmaceuticals that could past spot a higher levy with a caller complaint of 15 per cent.

Do You Know:

• Reducing items successful the 18 per cent slab is besides not elemental arsenic astir 70-75 per cent of the GST gross comes from the items successful the 18 per cent slab, portion 12 per cent complaint accounts for conscionable 5-6 per cent.

• Currently, the GST has a multi-tier operation —zero, 5, 12, 18, and 28 per cent — with further levy of compensation cess implicit and supra the highest complaint of 28 per cent connected misdeed and luxury items.

• The GST Council successful its 55th gathering held successful Jaisalmer past period had held discussions connected lowering rates connected respective items. However, it decided to defer a cardinal determination to little the taxation complaint connected wellness and beingness security premiums. The GoM connected complaint rationalisation had sought much clip to sermon the connection to tweak rates connected arsenic galore arsenic 148 items, which.is expected to travel up for treatment successful the adjacent gathering of the GST Council.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍GST complaint rationalisation: GoM not keen connected tweaking existent slabs for now, seeks much data

EXPLAINED

How the Uttarakhand UCC regulates live-in relationships

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Indian Constitution—significant provisions etc.

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for improvement successful assorted sectors and issues arising retired of their plan and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: The Uttarakhand authorities Monday (January 27) rolled retired the Uniform Civil Code Rules for regulating live-in relationships which requires, among different things, the mates to capable a 16-page signifier and get a certificate from a spiritual person showing they are eligible to marry, if they truthful choose.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Uniform Civil Code (UCC) successful Uttarakhand-What you cognize truthful far?

• What is simply a live-in relationship?

• Who tin participate into a live-in relationship?

• How does the UCC modulate live-in relationships?

Key Takeaways:

• The Uttarakhand UCC makes it compulsory to registry each live-in relationships. This applies to Uttarakhand residents surviving successful the authorities arsenic good arsenic those surviving elsewhere successful India. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that a instrumentality regulating live-in relationships is indispensable to debar home crimes extracurricular of marriage.

• Part 3 of Uttarakhand’s UCC deals with live-in relationships. The instrumentality fundamentally requires individuals to taxable “a connection of live-in relationship” wrong a period of entering specified a relationship. It besides requires them to taxable a connection of “termination of relationship.”

• The instrumentality states that the registration is lone for the “purposes of grounds keeping” and besides that the Registrar volition guardant these statements to the section constabulary stations wherever the mates lives, and successful lawsuit 1 of them is little than 21 years of age, to their genitor oregon section guardian.

• For live-in couples, the codification stipulates either online oregon offline registration. For online registration, citizens request to registry with their Aadhaar. An OTP volition beryllium sent to the mobile fig linked to Aadhaar.

• For offline registration, the mates whitethorn attack the registrar of their jurisdiction (in the spot of the shared household) with the requisite registration signifier and supporting documents. The exertion volition beryllium verified by the registrar wrong 30 days of its receipt. If it is rejected, an entreaty tin beryllium sent wrong 30 days.

Do You Know:

• The Code defines live-in relationships arsenic a narration successful the “nature of marriage” betwixt a antheral and a pistillate cohabiting successful a shared household, and requires compulsory registration of live-in relationships done a “statement of live-in relationship”.

• A live-in narration whitethorn beryllium terminated by either of the parties to the live-in narration by submitting a “statement of termination”.
Failure to registry a live-in narration wrong 1 period of entering into the narration has been criminalised, with punishment up to
three months successful jailhouse oregon good not exceeding Rs 10,000.

• The Registrar whitethorn necessitate the parties to taxable the connection of live-in relationship, done a notice, connected his/ her ain question oregon connected a ailment filed by a 3rd party.

• The Uttarakhand UCC describes a live-in narration arsenic a narration betwixt a antheral and a woman, “who cohabit successful a shared household done a narration successful the quality of marriage.”

• The word “shared household” is defined arsenic 1 “where a antheral and a woman, not being minors, unrecorded nether 1 extortion successful a rented accommodation oregon successful a location owned jointly oregon by immoderate 1 of them oregon immoderate different accommodation.”

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍16-page signifier to clergyman certificate: Uttarakhand UCC rules for live-in

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)  2. (d) 3. (a)

For immoderate queries and feedback, interaction priya.shukla@indianexpress.com

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram