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EVMs blamed lone erstwhile you lose: SC rejects plea for instrumentality of ballot papers
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main Examination: 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 Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a PIL which sought re-introduction of ballot papers successful spot of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) remarking that the machines are blamed lone erstwhile 1 loses an election.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Why the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL which sought re-introduction of ballot papers successful spot of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)?
• What precisely the Apex tribunal said?
• Discuss the Supreme Court’s rationale for rejecting the plea to revert to ballot papers successful Indian elections.
• Evaluate the implications of the Supreme Court’s determination to uphold the usage of EVMs implicit ballot papers connected the electoral process successful India.
• Analyse the imaginable challenges and benefits associated with reverting to ballot papers successful the discourse of India’s electoral system.
Key Takeaways:
• The Supreme Court of India has consistently upheld the usage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) successful elections, rejecting aggregate pleas to revert to ballot papers. In April 2024, the Court dismissed petitions seeking a instrumentality to ballot papers and 100% verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, emphasizing the sanctity of the electoral process and the extended measures successful spot to guarantee the integrity of EVMs.
—“What happens is, if you triumph the elections, EVMs are not tampered with. When you suffer elections, EVMs are tampered (with). When Chandrababu Naidu lost, helium said EVMs tin beryllium tampered. Now, this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, helium said EVMs tin beryllium tampered,” said Justice Vikram Nath presiding implicit a two-judge seat portion dismissing the PIL by evangelist K A Paul.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided elaborate explanations connected the functioning and information of EVMs, noting that manufacturers are unaware of the allocation of buttons to governmental parties, thereby preventing tampering.
• In 2 abstracted but concurring judgements, a seat of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, which “conducted an in-detail reappraisal of the administrative and method safeguards of the EVM mechanism”, said “to us, it is evident that a fig of safeguards and protocols with stringent checks person been enactment successful place”. The tribunal said that “data and figures” placed earlier it “do not bespeak artifice and deceit”.
• Rejecting the supplication for a instrumentality to ballot papers arsenic “unsound”, Justice Khanna had that would undo electoral reforms. “EVMs connection important advantages,” helium said. “They person efficaciously eliminated booth capturing by restricting the complaint of ballot casting to 4 votes per minute, thereby prolonging the clip needed and frankincense cheque insertion of bogus votes. EVMs person eliminated invalid votes… trim insubstantial usage… expediting the counting process and minimising errors.”
Do You Know:
• According to ECI Website, EVM stands for Electronic Voting Machine.
—It is simply a instrumentality utilized to electronically grounds and number votes formed successful elections.
—The Indian Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) strategy is besides termed arsenic ECI-EVM , meaning an EVM specifically designed, manufactured and utilized for Elections arsenic per predetermination process and rules framed by Election Commission of India and documented successful manual connected EVM , truthful arsenic to differentiate it from EVMs utilized successful different countries.
—ECI – EVM consists of Ballot Unit (BU ), Control Unit ( CU ) and the aboriginal added Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
—EVMs travel nether the wide class of DRE voting machines, oregon Direct Recording Electronic voting instrumentality systems, which is 1 of the galore voting methodologies disposable worldwide.
—ECI-EVMs are considered much businesslike and close than insubstantial ballots, arsenic they destruct the anticipation of invalid votes owed to unclear oregon improperly marked (stamped) insubstantial ballots, trim the clip required for counting and guarantee that a ballot is registered for a azygous campaigner only.
• In the Paper Ballot system, the database of contesting candidates is printed connected a insubstantial (ballot paper) on with serial number, sanction and awesome of the candidates.
—There is simply a circumstantial abstraction allocated for each contesting campaigner wherever a ballot tin beryllium formed by elector by putting a mark. Thereafter, elector needs to fold the ballot insubstantial successful a specified mode and to deposit successful the Ballot Box.
—For Counting votes obtained by that candidate, lone correctly marked votes are counted.
• Some of the large issues with ballot insubstantial voting are that
—Many votes go invalid owed to improper marking/ink smudging
—Ballot boxes are besides susceptible to “stuffing with spurious votes” by capturing the booth for fewer minutes.
—Voting with pre-marked ballot papers.
—Manual counting of votes is prone to errors and mischief and takes a batch of days.
—In the ECI-EVM strategy of voting, the Control Unit is placed with the Presiding Officer (In-Charge CU) and the Ballot Unit(s) and VVPAT are placed wrong the Voting Compartment.
—Instead of issuing a ballot paper, the Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit releases the physics Ballot by pressing the “Ballot Button” connected the Control Unit. This enables the elector to formed his/her ballot by pressing the “blue button” (Candidate button) connected the Ballot Unit against the campaigner of his/her choice.
—When the elector presses a fastener against the campaigner of his/her prime connected Ballot Unit, a reddish LED glows against the chosen candidate’s fastener connected BU. A insubstantial gaffe showing the serial number, sanction and the awesome of the campaigner of his/her prime is generated and is disposable for astir 7 seconds done transparent model of VVPAT.
Hence the elector is capable to spot the “printed slip” and verify that ballot is formed arsenic per his/her choice. Thereafter, the printed insubstantial gaffe gets chopped automatically and stored successful sealed Drop Box of VVPAT. A large BEEP is heard from the Control Unit which confirms that the ballot is registered successfully. The awesome travel astatine the clip of voting betwixt BU, CU &VVPAT is shown. •
• The VVPAT insubstantial slips tin beryllium aboriginal utilized for verifying the physics number obtained from CU successful lawsuit of a dispute. This grounds of VVPAT printed insubstantial slips verified by elector and the process of correlating VVPAT and CU number arsenic per established mandatory verification process makes the voting connected EVMs trustworthy Hence it tin beryllium seen that nary method cognition is required for casting a Vote connected the EVM and mean citizens tin easy formed their votes connected ECI EVMs.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍What is an EVM? How does it work?
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
1. Consider the pursuing statements:
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. The 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
Previous twelvemonth UPSC mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍In the airy of caller contention regarding the usage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), what are the challenges earlier the Election Commission of India to guarantee the trustworthiness of elections successful India? (GS2, 2018)
Conversion lone for reservation, without ‘actual belief’, a fraud connected Constitution: SC
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination: 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: Religious conversion simply to avail quota benefits without “actual belief” successful the different religion would decision the societal ethos of the argumentation of reservation, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday arsenic it upheld a Madras High Court bid denying Scheduled Caste certificate to a calved Christian pistillate who claimed to beryllium a Hindu portion seeking the certificate for an Upper Division Clerk occupation successful Puducherry.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is spiritual conversion successful India?
• Forced conversion successful religion and spiritual conversion-what is the difference?
• Force vs Will (Choice)-How forced conversion successful religion is defined successful India?
• Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees what?
• Is spiritual conversion portion of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution?
• Discuss the law implications of spiritual conversions undertaken solely for availing preservation benefits. How has the Supreme Court addressed this contented successful its judgments?
• Know the Landmark Judgements of Supreme Court and High Courts connected Conversion
• What Supreme Court of India, said successful the Lily Thomas and Sarla Mudgal cases regarding spiritual conversion?
• Examine the relation of the judiciary successful balancing the close to state of religion with the request to forestall fraudulent practices successful spiritual conversions. Illustrate your reply with applicable Supreme Court judgments.
• Analyze the ethical and law challenges posed by individuals converting to different religion solely to avail preservation benefits. How has the judiciary responded to specified practices?
Key Takeaways:
• A seat of Justices Pankaj Mithal and R Mahadevan said that “in the instant case, the grounds presented intelligibly demonstrates that the appellant professes Christianity and actively practises the religion by attending religion regularly”.
• A larger question connected the constitutionality of utilizing religion arsenic a yardstick for Scheduled Caste quota is pending earlier the Supreme Court.
• The pleas fundamentally question preservation for Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam. The 1950 Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order issued by the President mandates SC presumption lone for Hindus. For the purposes of reservation, Sikhs and Buddhists are besides considered Hindus.
• In 2007, Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission study connected Religious and Linguistic Minorities, had recommended Scheduled Caste quota for Dalit Christians and Muslims.
• Writing for the seat connected Tuesday, Justice Mahadevan said, “India is simply a secular country. Every national has a close to practise and profess a religion of their prime arsenic guaranteed nether Article 25 of the Constitution.
—One converts to a antithetic religion, erstwhile he/she is genuinely inspired by its principles, tenets and spiritual thoughts. However, if the intent of conversion is mostly to deduce the benefits of preservation but not with immoderate existent content successful the different religion, the aforesaid cannot beryllium permitted, arsenic the hold of benefits of preservation to radical with specified ulterior motives volition lone decision the societal ethos of the argumentation of reservation.”
• The tribunal said that “the tract verification intelligibly revealed the registration of the matrimony of the parents of the appellant nether the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872, the baptism of the appellant and her member and besides the information that they had been regularly attending the church… There is thing connected grounds to amusement that she oregon her household has reconverted to Hinduism and connected the contrary, determination is simply a factual uncovering that the appellant inactive professes Christianity”.
Do You Know:
• Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the “freedom of conscience and the close freely to profess, practise and propagate religion”. It is simply a close that guarantees a antagonistic liberty — which means that the authorities shall guarantee that determination is nary interference oregon obstacle to workout this freedom. However, similar each cardinal rights, the authorities tin restrict the close for grounds of nationalist order, decency, morality, wellness and different authorities interests.
—Over the years, the Supreme Court has evolved a applicable trial of sorts to find what spiritual practices tin beryllium constitutionally protected and what tin beryllium ignored. In 1954, the Supreme Court held successful the Shirur Mutt lawsuit that the word “religion” volition screen each rituals and practices “integral” to a religion. The trial to find what is integral is termed the “essential spiritual practices” test.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Forced conversions dangerous, whitethorn impact nation’s security: SC
📍Explained: QUESTION OF CONVERSION
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
2. Assertion (A): The Supreme Court has declared that conversions without genuine belief, aimed astatine securing preservation benefits, are unconstitutional.
Reason (R): Article 25 of the Indian Constitution permits forced conversions for socio-economic advantages.
Select the close option:
a) Both A and R are true, and R is the close mentation of A.
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the close mentation of A.
c) A is true, but R is false.
d) A is false, but R is true.
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍What are the challenges to our taste practices successful the sanction of Secularism? (GS1, 2019)
Trump excludes India from archetypal tariff plans, targets China and Mexico
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: US President-elect Donald Trump, acceptable to instrumentality complaint of the White House connected January 20, has announced plans to enforce tariffs connected China, Mexico, and Canada, indicating that his medication volition proceed to usage tariffs successful an effort to bring manufacturing jobs backmost to the state and arsenic a leverage for commercialized negotiations. However, India does not diagnostic successful Trump’s archetypal tariff plans.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the imaginable reasons wherefore India mightiness person been excluded from Donald Trump’s archetypal tariff plan
• Analyse the interaction of tariffs connected planetary commercialized and relations, citing the circumstantial illustration of the U.S. imposing tariffs connected China, Mexico, and Canada portion excluding India.
• The imposition of tariffs by a large system similar the United States tin change the planetary commercialized dynamics. Critically measure the imaginable interaction of U.S. tariffs connected China, Mexico, and Canada connected India’s commercialized prospects.
• Assume you are a commercialized argumentation advisor for the Indian government. Considering the U.S. has excluded India from its tariff plans, outline a strategical program to capitalize connected this improvement for enhancing India’s commercialized with the United States.
• Examine the geopolitical implications of U.S. commercialized policies targeting circumstantial countries similar China, Mexico, and Canada, with a absorption connected their exclusion of India. How tin India leverage this accidental to fortify its commercialized and diplomatic ties with the United States?
Key Takeaways:
• In a societal media post, Trump stated that instantly aft taking office, helium would motion an enforcement bid imposing a 25 per cent tariff connected each goods from Mexico and Canada, and an further 10 per cent tariff connected Chinese imports until the Chinese authorities curbs the smuggling of synthetic opioid fentanyl.
• Notably, Mexico, China, and Canada are the 3 US trading partners astir exposed to imaginable argumentation changes nether Trump’s leadership, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which ranks countries based connected their bilateral commercialized equilibrium with the US. The EIU places India 8th connected its database of 10 specified countries.
• In 2019, India mislaid duty-free entree nether the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme, of which it was the largest beneficiary. The programme had allowed tariff-free exports worthy astir $5.7 cardinal to the US.
• According to Bernstein Research, a Trump presidency would adversely interaction China, but the benefits for India could beryllium “limited,” arsenic it whitethorn look renewed tariff pressures. The “China-plus-one” strategy could summation momentum, but the inflation caused by commercialized barriers mightiness disrupt the anticipated involvement complaint cuts, affecting middle-class depletion successful India, the probe enactment highlighted.
Do You Know:
• The United States successful caller years has gradually retreated from its post-World War II relation of promoting planetary escaped commercialized and little tariffs. That displacement has been a effect to the nonaccomplishment of U.S. manufacturing jobs, wide attributed to unfettered commercialized and an progressively assertive China.
• They are typically charged arsenic a percent of the terms a purchaser pays a overseas seller. In the United States, tariffs are collected by Customs and Border Protection agents astatine 328 ports of introduction crossed the country.
• The tariff rates scope from rider cars (2.5%) to play shoes (6%). Tariffs tin beryllium little for countries with which the United States has commercialized agreements. For example, astir goods tin determination among the United States, Mexico and Canada tariff-free due to the fact that of Trump’s US-Mexico-Canada commercialized agreement.
• By raising the terms of imports, tariffs tin support home-grown manufacturers. They whitethorn besides service to punish overseas countries for committing unfair commercialized practices, similar subsidizing their exporters oregon dumping products astatine unfairly debased prices.
Before the national income taxation was established successful 1913, tariffs were a large gross operator for the government. From 1790 to 1860, tariffs accounted for 90% of national revenue, according to Douglas Irwin, a Dartmouth College economist who has studied the past of commercialized policy.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Trump’s tariff plans could interaction planetary commercialized — including India
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
3. Consider the pursuing statements:
1. The quantity of imported edible oils is much than the home accumulation of edible oils successful the past 5 years.
2. The Government does not enforce immoderate customs work connected each the imported edible oils arsenic a peculiar case.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
EXPRESS NETWORK
IMD: Cyclone processing successful Bay of Bengal, heading towards Tamil Nadu
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
Main Examination: General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena specified arsenic earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes successful captious geographical features and successful flora and fauna and the effects of specified changes.
What’s the ongoing story: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Tuesday announced the apt intensification of the existing heavy slump into a cyclone by Wednesday and the chances of the tempest hitting the Tamil Nadu seashore implicit the coming 2 days.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the imaginable interaction of Cyclone Fengal connected the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and the measures being taken by authorities to mitigate its effects.
• Analyse the challenges faced by catastrophe absorption authorities successful preparing for cyclonic events similar Cyclone Fengal successful the Bay of Bengal region.
• Evaluate the relation of aboriginal informing systems successful mitigating the adverse effects of cyclones similar Fengal connected coastal communities.
• Discuss the relation of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) successful forecasting cyclones similar Fengal and the value of aboriginal informing systems successful catastrophe management.
• What are the challenges faced by coastal states similar Tamil Nadu successful managing the interaction of cyclones? Suggest semipermanent and short-term measures to mitigate the harm caused by cyclonic storms.
• Cyclones successful the Bay of Bengal airs important risks to India’s eastbound coast. Analyse the reasons for the higher frequence of cyclones successful this portion and their socio-economic impact.
Key Takeaways:
• Once intensified, the tempest volition beryllium identified arsenic Fengal, a sanction projected by Saudi Arabia. This is the 2nd cyclone successful the post-monsoon play to impact the Indian seashore aft Cyclone Dana, which crossed Odisha arsenic a ‘severe’ class tempest successful precocious October.
• As per the latest meteorological updates, the prevailing heavy slump implicit the Northwest Bay of Bengal was located astatine astir 280 km southeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, 570 km south-southeast of Nagapattinam, 680 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 770 km south-southeast of Chennai.
• “It is precise apt to proceed to determination north-northwestwards and intensify further into a cyclonic tempest by Wednesday. Thereafter, it volition proceed to determination successful the north-northwestward absorption towards Tamil Nadu seashore and skirt the Sri Lankan seashore during consequent 2 days,” IMD said connected Tuesday.
• Even though La Nina, the antithetic cooling of the oversea aboveground on the equatorial Pacific Ocean, is yet to emerge, 2024 is expected to beryllium a La Nina year.
• According to IMD officials, during La Nina years, the cyclones that make successful the North Indian Ocean portion (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) thin to timepiece a way and caput towards Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts.
Do You Know:
• A “Cyclonic Storm’ oregon a “Cyclone” is an aggravated vortex oregon a whirl successful the ambiance with precise beardown winds circulating astir it successful anti-clockwise absorption successful the Northern Hemisphere and successful clockwise absorption successful the Southern Hemisphere. Tropical cyclones are besides referred to arsenic ‘Hurricanes’ implicit Atlantic Ocean, ‘Typhoons’ implicit Pacific Ocean, ‘Willy-Willies’ implicit Australian Seas and simply arsenic ‘Cyclones’ implicit northbound Indian Ocean (NIO).
• Also known arsenic mid-latitude cyclones, extratropical cyclones hap extracurricular the tropics (that is beyond the areas that autumn nether the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn). They person “cold aerial astatine their core, and deduce their vigor from the merchandise of imaginable vigor erstwhile acold and lukewarm aerial masses interact”, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
It added that specified cyclones ever person 1 oregon much fronts connected to them. A beforehand is simply a upwind strategy that is the bound betwixt 2 kinds of aerial masses, wherever 1 beforehand is represented by lukewarm aerial and the different by acold air. Such cyclones tin hap implicit onshore and ocean.
• Tropical cyclones are those which make successful the regions betwixt the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. They are the astir devastating storms connected Earth. Such cyclones make erstwhile “thunderstorm enactment starts gathering adjacent to the centre of circulation, and the strongest winds and rainfall are nary longer successful a set acold from the centre,” NOAA noted.
• The halfway of the tempest turns warm, and the cyclone gets astir of its vigor from the “latent heat” released erstwhile h2o vapour that has evaporated from lukewarm water waters condenses into liquid water, the bureau added. Moreover, lukewarm fronts oregon acold fronts aren’t associated with tropical cyclones.
• Tropical cyclones person antithetic names depending connected their determination and strength. For instance, they are known arsenic hurricanes successful the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Atlantic Ocean and the eastbound and cardinal North Pacific Ocean. In the occidental North Pacific, they are called typhoons.
• Flanked by the oversea connected 3 sides, India’s eastbound and westbound coasts are affected by cyclones, annually.
Climatologically, astir 5 cyclones make successful the North Indian Ocean basin — comprising the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea — each year. Of these, an mean of 4 cyclones make implicit the Bay of Bengal and 1 implicit the Arabian Sea. This basin is astir prone to cyclone improvement during the pre-monsoon play (April – June) and post-monsoon play (October – December) months.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Cyclone Dana to deed Odisha, West Bengal: How and wherefore cyclones are named
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
4. Consider the pursuing statements: (UPSC GS1, 2020)
1. Jet streams hap successful the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only immoderate cyclones make an eye.
3. The somesthesia wrong the oculus of a cyclone is astir 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 2 only
d) 1 and 3 only
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Tropical cyclones are mostly confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why? (GS-1, 2014)
📍The caller cyclone connected the eastbound seashore of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical cyclones named crossed the world? (GS-1, 2013)
‘Wanted to seizure Siddi community’s corporate imagination, taste identity’
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: 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.
What’s the ongoing story: Rhythm of Dammam is simply a visually striking and moving diagnostic that shines a airy connected the marginalised Siddi assemblage — an taste radical of chiefly African descent whose ancestors came to India done the enslaved commercialized centuries agone — done the communicative of 12-year-old Jayaram Siddi (Chinmaya Siddi), who is possessed by his precocious grandfather’s spirit.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the value of preserving the taste individuality of marginalized communities successful India, with peculiar notation to the Siddi community. How tin modern creation and cinema lend to this endeavor?
• Examine the humanities origins and taste contributions of the Siddi assemblage successful India. What challenges bash they look successful preserving their heritage, and however tin argumentation interventions assistance successful this regard?
• Analyze the relation of filmmakers and artists successful documenting and promoting the taste identities of indigenous communities successful India. Illustrate your reply with examples, including the portrayal of the Siddi community.
• The Siddi assemblage is recognized arsenic a Scheduled Tribe successful definite Indian states. Critically analyse the relation of authorities policies successful ensuring the socio-economic upliftment of specified marginalized communities.
• The Siddi assemblage has faced societal exclusion and economical marginalization. Discuss the challenges they look successful achieving socio-economic improvement and suggest measures to beforehand their integration into mainstream society.
• “Preserving the taste individuality of marginalized communities similar the Siddis is important for India’s pluralistic ethos.” Critically discuss.
Key Takeaways:
• Filmmaker Jayan Cherian’s caller work, showcased astatine the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), delves into the affluent taste tapestry of the Siddi community. Key insights from his task include:
—Exploration of Cultural Identity: Cherian’s movie aims to authentically represent the Siddi community’s unsocial taste identity, emphasizing their corporate imaginativeness and heritage.
—Focus connected the Siddi Community: The communicative centers connected the Siddis, an Afro-Indian taste radical chiefly residing successful parts of India, highlighting their traditions and mode of life.
—Artistic Approach: Through his cinematic lens, Cherian seeks to contiguous an immersive acquisition that reflects the community’s stories and taste expressions.
Do You Know:
• The Siddis are dispersed on the seashore of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
• The Siddi assemblage is an taste African radical brought to India successful the aboriginal seventh period by the Portuguese, to enactment for them. The assemblage is included successful the database of the Scheduled Tribes successful Karnataka. About 50,000 Siddi radical reside successful India today, of which, much than a 3rd unrecorded successful bluish Karnataka. Their parent lingua is called Siddi Basha and galore are fluent successful Kannada.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
5.Consider the pursuing statements astir Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) successful India:
1. PVTGs reside successful 18 States and 1 Union Territory.
2. A stagnant oregon declining colonisation is 1 of the criteria for determining PVTG status.
3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified successful the state truthful far.
4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included successful the database of PVTGs.
Which of the statements fixed supra are correct?
a) 1, 2 and 3
b) 2, 3 and 4
c) 1, 2 and 4
d) 1, 3 and 4
EXPLAINED
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination:
• General Studies II: Bilateral, determination and planetary groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
• General Studies III: Conservation, biology contamination and degradation, biology interaction assessment.
What’s the ongoing story: The COP29 clime gathering successful Baku ended successful disappointment past week. On the main contented of finance, developed countries agreed to mobilise lone $300 cardinal for the processing nations each year, a three-times summation implicit their existent mandate of $100 cardinal but mode abbreviated of astatine slightest $1 trillion that each assessments said was required. Even this nominal scale-up — the needs already tally successful trillions of dollars — is not expected to hap instantly but lone from 2035.
Key Points to Ponder:
• At COP29, which large geopolitical lawsuit influenced the dynamics of the clime negotiations?
• Critically analyse the outcomes of COP29 held successful Baku, Azerbaijan, with a absorption connected the $300 cardinal clime concern agreement. Discuss the implications of this statement for processing countries and the planetary clime agenda.
• ‘The re-election of Donald Trump arsenic President of the United States during COP29 had important repercussions connected the clime negotiations’-Do you agree?
• Despite the statement connected a $300 cardinal yearly clime concern people by 2035 astatine COP29, galore processing nations expressed dissatisfaction, terming it insufficient. Evaluate the reasons down this discontent.
• The prominence of fossil substance interests astatine COP29, particularly fixed Azerbaijan’s relation arsenic a large lipid and state producer, raised concerns astir the integrity of the clime talks. Discuss the challenges posed by hosting clime conferences successful fossil fuel-dependent nations and suggest strategies to mitigate imaginable conflicts of interest.
Key Takeaways:
• This is not the archetypal clip that the yearly clime league has produced a disappointing outcome. Each 1 of them successful the past 15 years has delivered overmuch beneath expectations.
—As a result, the discussions and outcomes of these summits person been astir wholly delinked from the requirements of gathering the somesthesia targets mentioned successful the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• While subject says that the satellite needs to chopped its emissions by astatine slightest 43% by 2030 from 2019 levels, each assessments of existent actions estimation that planetary emissions, adjacent successful the best-case scenarios, would beryllium hardly 2% down by that time.
• It is not a astonishment that the existent planetary statement connected clime alteration has turned retired to beryllium this ineffective. It is the lone large multilateral strategy which is wholly aligned against the affluent and almighty nations.
• The clime alteration architecture, arsenic represented by the 1994 UN Framework Convention connected Climate Change (UNFCCC), goes wholly against this norm.
• In this system, the affluent and the almighty — a radical of astir 40 including the United States and astir of Europe — are the main culprits for causing clime change, and the rules are stacked heavy against them.
—They person been made solely liable for cutting their greenhouse state (GHG) emissions, and besides for providing wealth and technologies to the processing countries to assistance them combat clime change.
Do You Know:
• It was not earlier the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the precursor to the Paris Agreement, was finalised that the developed satellite realised that this strategy could wounded their interests and disrupt the prevailing planetary powerfulness balance. The Kyoto Protocol took guardant the principles enshrined successful the UNFCCC and assigned circumstantial targets to each of the developed nations successful accordance with their “guilt”. The targets were to beryllium fulfilled successful a circumstantial clip frame, failing which they could beryllium penalised.
• The efforts to dismantle the strategy began instantly aft the Kyoto Protocol came into effect successful 2005 aft the requisite fig of ratifications. Although the US played a cardinal relation successful finalising the Kyoto Protocol, the state ne'er ratified it.
• The thought was to teardrop down the operation ceramic by brick, not successful 1 go. The important differentiation betwixt the developed and processing countries successful the duty of clime responsibilities was repeatedly targeted. This was done to guarantee that the nonaccomplishment to conscionable targets could not beryllium blamed lone connected the developed nations and alternatively beryllium shared with everyone.
• The archetypal effort to regenerate the Kyoto Protocol with a caller statement was made successful Copenhagen successful 2009 but it failed. Developed countries worked for different six years and succeeded successful Paris. But adjacent portion it was successful force, till 2020, Kyoto Protocol targets were wholly ignored by each the developed countries. Many of them walked retired of the Kyoto Protocol.
• The Paris Agreement made cardinal changes to the mode clime responsibilities were structured till then. Emission cuts were not the sole work of the developed countries immoderate longer. Everyone had to “contribute” though successful a “nationally-determined” manner. There were nary assigned targets for developed countries, their emanation cuts besides had to beryllium “nationally-determined”, meaning decided by themselves.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍COP29: How India plays a pivotal relation successful planetary clime governance
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
6. With notation to ‘Global Climate Change Alliance’, which of the pursuing statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2017)
1. It is an inaugural of the European Union.
2. It provides method and fiscal enactment to targeted processing countries to integrate clime alteration into their improvement policies and budgets.
3. It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Describe the large outcomes of the 26th league of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention connected clime alteration (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India successful this conference? (UPSC CSE 2021)
Recalling stories of women who helped draught the Indian Constitution
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement.
Main Examination:
• General Studies I: Post-independence consolidation and reorganization wrong the country.
• General Studies I: The Freedom Struggle — its assorted stages and important contributors/contributions from antithetic parts of the country.
What’s the ongoing story: On Constitution Day (November 26), President Droupadi Murmu recalled the relation women members played successful the Constituent Assembly, the assemblage tasked with formulating the Constitution of autarkic India.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Who was the lone women Muslim subordinate successful the Constituent Assembly of India?
• Discuss the contributions of Dakshayani Velayudhan to the drafting of the Indian Constitution.
• Analyze the value of the contributions made by women members of the Constituent Assembly successful shaping the Indian Constitution.
• Evaluate the challenges faced by women members of the Constituent Assembly successful a predominantly male-dominated situation and however they overcame them to power the Constitution-making process.
Key Takeaways:
• The 299-member Constituent Assembly included 15 women from varied backgrounds, specified arsenic Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kriplani, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who played pivotal roles successful shaping the Constitution.
• These women were instrumental successful advocating for sex equality, ensuring that the Constitution enshrined adjacent rights for women, and addressing issues similar favoritism and societal justice.
• Their contributions extended beyond sex issues, influencing broader societal policies and debates wrong the Assembly, thereby shaping the nation’s foundational ineligible framework.
• The engagement of these women acceptable a precedent for pistillate information successful Indian authorities and governance, inspiring aboriginal generations to prosecute successful nationalist work and enactment roles.
Do You Know:
• In the publication The Fifteen: The Lives and Times of the Women successful India’s Constituent Assembly, authors Angellica Aribam and Akash Satyawali wrote that Swaminathan hailed from Palakkad, Kerala. Following her matrimony to the overmuch older Subbarama Swaminathan successful her teens, she became funny successful politics.
• Annie Mascarene was calved successful Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) successful a Latin Christian family, considered to beryllium astatine the lowest rung of the caste system. Despite her societal status, she went connected to survey and thatch law. She aboriginal joined the Congress. As portion of the Constituent Assembly, she spoke astir the request for a beardown Centre successful the aboriginal days of the republic, portion emphasising the autonomy of section governments. Mascarene contested arsenic an autarkic campaigner successful 1952, winning from Thiruvananthapuram.
• Begum Qudsia Aizaz Rasul was among the fewer members opposing abstracted electorates based connected religion. Her views connected the thought of Pakistan were much complex. She believed it would assistance uplift Muslims but perchance harm mediocre Muslims successful India pursuing a division. Ultimately, she decided to enactment successful India. Post-independence, she became a UP Rajya Sabha subordinate successful 1952.
• Dakshayani Velayudhan marked respective firsts — she was the archetypal Dalit pistillate to postgraduate successful subject successful Cochin (now Kochi) and the archetypal Dalit pistillate successful the Cochin Legislative Council. Belonging to the Pulaya community, considered a “slave” caste, upper-caste professors successful her assemblage would garbage to amusement her applicable experiments.
• Renuka Ray calved successful Pabna, present-day Bangladesh. Her begetter was a bureaucrat, portion her parent was 1 of the archetypal women students astatine Calcutta’s Presidency College. A gathering with Gandhi successful 1920 led her to discontinue assemblage and articulation the state struggle, wherever she went door-to-door to rise awareness. Ray aboriginal studied astatine the London School of Economics.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Explained: Women heroes of India’s state struggle, mentioned by PM successful his I-Day speech
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍Defying the barriers of age, gender, and religion, Indian women became the torchbearers during the conflict for state successful India. Discuss. (2013)
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
What’s the ongoing story: Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Both successful India and the US the electoral plank that “Democracy volition beryllium successful danger” oregon the “Constitution is successful danger” has not worked. Elections are a contention implicit comparative credibility. The outcomes are ever a effect of tons of factors, from macro communicative gathering to micro strategy management.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Role of absorption successful a democracy-evaluate
• According to Pratap Bhanu Mehta, which of the pursuing factors lend to the opposition’s ‘democracy successful danger’ communicative failing to resonate with voters?
• Pratap Bhanu Mehta suggests that for the absorption to efficaciously situation the existent government-what should they bash successful this regard?
• Critically analyse wherefore the opposition’s communicative of ‘democracy successful danger’ has not importantly influenced the Indian electorate, arsenic discussed by Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
• Pratap Bhanu Mehta argues that the opposition’s ‘democracy successful danger’ transportation fails to resonate with Indian voters. Critically analyse the factors contributing to this improvement and suggest measures the absorption tin instrumentality to efficaciously prosecute with the electorate.
Key Takeaways:
• Pratap Bhanu Mehta analyses the ineffectiveness of the Opposition’s “democracy successful danger” communicative successful resonating with Indian voters.
• Pratap Bhanu Mehta observes that voters are much acrophobic with contiguous economical and societal issues alternatively than abstract antiauthoritarian principles. The Opposition’s absorption connected democracy’s peril fails to code the tangible concerns of the electorate.
• The Opposition’s past governance records and interior disunity undermine their credibility. Voters are sceptical of their quality to contiguous a viable alternate to the existent government.
• The ruling enactment efficaciously communicates its achievements and controls the governmental narrative, overshadowing the Opposition’s messages. This dominance makes it challenging for the “democracy successful danger” taxable to summation traction.
• Merely criticizing the authorities without offering constructive solutions oregon a compelling imaginativeness fails to animate voters. The Opposition’s communicative lacks the substance needed to mobilize nationalist support.
Do You Know:
• According to Pratap Bhanu Mehta, the rhetoric of checks and balances and “institutions successful danger” has a akin effect. The Right has convinced important parts of the electorate that these checks and balances were not really protectors of liberty oregon people’s interests. Instead, they were structures devised by aged elites to thwart the powerfulness of the people; old, often corrupt, oligarchies oregon undemocratic intelligence vanguards utilized them to workout powerfulness implicit the people.
• Modern ideology relies connected law protections similar idiosyncratic rights. But modern ideology besides promises practice and agency. The committedness of practice is not the part of powerfulness based connected immoderate pre-existing taste oregon societal cleavage.
• The bureau and recognition dimensions are genuine successful a democracy. But they besides incorporate its top dangers. It is often easier to make a consciousness of agreed agency, not connected agelong word diffuse goals similar improvement oregon adjacent nationalist power, but connected disposable enemies arsenic targets.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
THE WORLD
Unsafe homes: UN study says 140 women, girls killed by spouse oregon kin per time successful 2023
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination:
• General Studies I: Role of women and women’s organization
• General Studies I: Social empowerment
What’s the ongoing story: The United Nations has reported that homes stay the deadliest spot for women and girls, with an mean of 140 killed each time by intimate partners oregon household members successful 2023. This equates to astir 51,100 pistillate victims globally, marking a emergence from the 48,800 deaths recorded successful 2022.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What are the cardinal takeaways from United Nations study connected unit against women?
• The study “Femicides successful 2023” highlights what?
• The 2023 UN study highlights that astir 140 women and girls are killed regular by intimate partners oregon household members globally-Critically analyse the socio-cultural and ineligible factors contributing to specified unit and suggest effectual measures to code it.
• The contented of home unit against women and girls remains a planetary situation contempt planetary ineligible frameworks. Discuss the effectiveness of planetary conventions similar CEDAW (Convention connected the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) successful combating home violence.
• The UN study connected unit against women successful 2023 emphasizes the urgency of implementing preventive measures and enforcing ineligible frameworks. Discuss the relation of education, economical empowerment, and instrumentality enforcement successful combating home violence.
• Despite advancement successful sex equality, home unit remains a large contented globally, arsenic highlighted by the UN successful 2023. Examine however patriarchal norms and taste practices perpetuate unit against women.
• What measures are suggested by the UN to code home unit globally?
Key Takeaways:
• The increase, according to UN Women and the UN Office connected Drugs and Crime, is attributed to improved information postulation alternatively than a surge successful killings. However, the organisation emphasised that “no portion is excluded” from the pervasive interaction of this utmost signifier of gender-based violence, arsenic reported by Associated Press (AP).
• The study revealed stark determination disparities, with Africa signaling the highest fig of victims astatine 21,700 successful 2023. The continent besides had the highest complaint comparative to its population, astatine 2.9 victims per 100,000 people. In comparison, the Americas reported 1.6 victims per 100,000, Oceania 1.5, Asia 0.8, and Europe 0.6.
• In Europe and the Americas, astir women were killed by intimate partners, portion antheral homicide victims predominantly died extracurricular the home. “Although men and boys relationship for the bulk of homicide victims, women and girls carnivore the disproportionate load of lethal unit successful the backstage sphere,” the study noted.
• Nearly 60% of women intentionally killed successful 2023 were victims of intimate spouse oregon family-related homicides. Meanwhile, men accounted for 80% of each homicide victims globally.
Do You Know:
• On 18 December 1979, the Convention connected the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
—It entered into unit arsenic an planetary pact connected 3 September 1981 aft the twentieth state had ratified it.
—The Convention was the culmination of much than 30 years of enactment by the United Nations Commission connected the Status of Women, a assemblage established successful 1946 to show the concern of women and to beforehand women’s rights.
—These efforts for the advancement of women person resulted successful respective declarations and conventions, of which the Convention connected the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the cardinal and astir broad document.
• Among the planetary quality rights treaties, the Convention takes an important spot successful bringing the pistillate fractional of humanity into the absorption of quality rights concerns. The contiguous papers spells retired the meaning of equality and however it tin beryllium achieved. In truthful doing, the Convention establishes not lone an planetary measure of rights for women, but besides an docket for enactment by countries to warrant the enjoyment of those rights.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Femicides successful 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
7. ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’, often seen successful the news, is (2015)
(a) a strategy to tackle the determination terrorism, an result of a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(b) a program of enactment for sustainable economical maturation successful the Asia-Pacific Region, an result of the deliberations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum
(c) an docket for women’s empowerment, an result of a World Conference convened by the United Nations
(d) a strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, a declaration of the East Asia Summit
| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (c) |
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