Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Seventh Schedule
Mains level: Paper 2- Federal system
The article analyses the issues of distribution of powers under the Constitution and the issues linked with it.
Debate on the role of Centre and states
- There is an argument for the need to re-examine the distribution of powers under the Seventh Schedule so as to rationalise the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs).
- Under the Centrally Sponsored SchemesCentre extends support in sectors pertaining to the State List.
- Spending by the Centre on a state subject like health and need for states’ contribute to a Union subject like defence is considered.
- However, the constitutional assignments between the Centre and subnational governments in federations, are done broadly on the basis of their respective comparative advantage.
- That is why the provision of national public goods is in the federal domain and those with the state-level public service span are assigned to the states.
3 settled issues in the debate
- The debate seems to have settled on at least three counts.
- One, the federal organisation of powers can be revisited and reframed.
- Two, the CSSs must continue but they should be restructured.
- Three, there is a need for an appropriate forum to discuss the complex and contentious issue of reviewing federal organisation of powers and restructuring of central transfers.
Review of the subjects in lists
- In spite of health being a state subject, the response to collective threats linked to the subject required some kind of organisation of federal responsibilities on a functional basis.
- A typical response is to recommend shifting subjects to the Concurrent List to enable an active role for the Centre.
- The High-Level Group, constituted by the 15th Finance Commission, recommended shifting health from the State to the Concurrent List.
- A similar recommendation was made earlier by the Ashok Chawla Committee for water.
Challenges
- Shifting of subjects from the State to Concurrent List in times of acute sub-nationalism, deep territorialisation and competitive federalism is going to be challenging.
Way forward
- The most collective threats and the challenges of coping with emerging risks of sustainability are linked to either the State List subjects or require actions by states — water, agriculture, biodiversity, pollution, climate change.
- This extended role of ensuring security against threats to sustainability of resources forms a new layer of considerations.
- This should define the contours of a coordinated response between the Centre and States — as it happened during the pandemic.
- In fact, such threats and challenges require the states to play a dominant role.
- At the same time, the Centre must expand its role beyond the mitigation of inter-state externalities and address the challenges of security and sustainability.
Consider the question “The federal organisation of powers under the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule needs review. In light of this, examine the problems faced by the distribution and suggest the challenge the review would face.”
Conclusion
The ongoing friction between the Centre and the states over GST reforms tells us that consensus-building is not a one-time exercise. It has to allow sustained dialogue and deliberation. Perhaps it is time to revisit the proposal for an elevated and empowered Inter-State Council.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Paris Agreement
Mains level: Paper 3- Paris Agreement and India's progress on climate action
The article takes stock of India’s climate action and the issue of phasing out the use of coal.
Context
- The UN Secretary-General called on India to give up coal immediately and reduce emissions by 45% by 2030.
State of India’s climate action
- India’s renewable energy programme is ambitious and its energy efficiency programme is delivering, especially in the domestic consumption sector.
- India is one of the few countries with at least 2° Celsius warming compliant climate action.
- India is also among one of smaller list of countries on track to fulfilling their Paris Agreement commitments.
- India’s annual emissions, at 0.5 tonnes per capita, are well below the global average of 1.3 tonnes.
- In terms of cumulative emissions, India’s contribution by 2017 was only 4% for a population of 1.3 billion.
How West is performing?
- While talking about their phasing out of coal, the global North has obscured the reality of its continued dependence on oil and natural gas, both equally fossil fuels, with no timeline for their phaseout.
- While it is amply clear that their commitments into the future set the world on a path for almost 3°C warming, they have diverted attention by fuzzy talk of “carbon neutrality” by 2050.
- Environmentalists in developed countries, unable to summon up the domestic political support have turned to pressure the developing countries.
- All of these are accompanied by increasing appeals to multilateral or First World financial and development institutions to force this agenda on to developing countries.
Implications of ending coal investment for India
- Currently, roughly 2 GW of coal-based generation is being decommissioned per year.
- But meeting the 2030 electricity consumption target of 1,580 to 1,660 units per person per year, will require anywhere between 650 GW to 750 GW of renewable energy.
- Unlike the developed nations, India cannot substitute coal substantially by oil and gas and despite some wind potential, a huge part of this growth needs to come from solar.
- However, renewables at best can meet residential consumption and some part of the demand from the service sector.
- Currently, manufacturing growth powered by fossil fuel-based energy is itself a necessity.
Conclusion
India must unanimously reject the UN Secretary General’s call and reiterate its long-standing commitment to an equitable response to the challenge of global warming.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Solar Cycle, solar maxima and minima
Mains level: Solar Cycle and its impact
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the commencement of solar cycle 25.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Which one of the following reflects back more sunlight as compared to the other three?
(a) Sand desert
(b) Paddy cropland
(c) Land covered with fresh snow
(d) Prairie land
What is the Solar Cycle?
- Like seasons on Earth, the Sun follows a cycle of 11 years, during which solar activities fluctuate between solar minima and maxima.
- Depending on the number of sunspots detected on the Sun, scientists term it is as solar maxima (highest number of sunspots) or solar minima (lowest number of sunspots).
- Sunspots are small and dark, yet cooler areas formed on the solar surface, where there are strong magnetic forces.
- They start appearing at Sun’s higher latitudes and later shift towards the equator as a cycle progresses.
- In short, when the Sun is active, there are more sunspots in comparison to fewer sunspots during the lesser active phase.
- Maxima or minima is not a specific time in the 11-year cycle but is a period that can last for a few years.
How are solar cycles determined?
- One of the important elements researchers look out for on the Sun’s surface is the number of sunspots.
- A new cycle commences when the Sun has reached its lowest possible minima phase.
- Every time the cycle changes, the Sun’s magnetic poles reverse.
Monitoring solar cycles
- Since the Sun is a highly variable star, data of sunspot formation and its progress need close monitoring.
- Data of six to eight months are required to confirm whether the star has undergone a minima phase.
- Traditionally, telescopes were used to record sunspots and recorded data since 1755 is available.
- With the advance in technology in recent decades, satellites are also used to make real-time sunspot observations.
- On this basis, scientists announced the completion of solar cycle 24, which lasted between December 2008 and December 2019.
- With the Sun’s activities having reached its lowest minima between the two cycles, the new solar cycle 25 has now commenced.
How has the transition between solar cycles 24 and 25 been?
- The Sun’s activities were notably lesser during 2019 and early 2020. There were no sunspots for 281 days in 2019 and 181 days in 2020.
- Since December 2019, the solar activities have slowly picked up, corroborating the beginning of the news cycle.
- The panel termed solar cycle 25 to be a weak one, with the intensity similar to that of Solar cycle 24.
What solar activities affect us on Earth?
- Solar activities include solar flares, solar energetic particles, high-speed solar wind and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).
- These influence the space weather which originates from the Sun.
- Solar storms or flares can typically affect space-dependent operations like GPS, radio and satellite communications, besides hampering flight operations, power grids and space exploration programmes.
- CMEs pose danger to space weather. Ejections travelling at a speed of 500km/second are common during solar peaks and create disturbances in Earth’s magnetosphere, the protective shield surrounding the planet.
- At the time of spacewalks, astronauts face a great health risk posed by exposure to solar radiation outside Earth’s protective atmosphere.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Queens Council
Mains level: NA
India has suggested Pakistan appointing a Queen’s Counsel for the Kulbhushan Jadhav case to ensure a free and fair trial.
Queen’s Counsel
- In the UK and in some Commonwealth countries, a Queen’s Counsel during the reign of a queen is a lawyer who is appointed by the monarch of the country to be one of ’Her Majesty’s Counsel learned in the law’.
- The position originated in England.
- Some Commonwealth countries have either abolished the position, or re-named it so as to remove monarchical connotations, for example, ’Senior Counsel’ or ’Senior Advocate’.
- Queen’s Counsel is an office, conferred by the Crown that is recognised by courts.
- Senior Advocate Harish Salve earlier this year has been appointed as Queen’s Counsel (QC) for the courts of England and Wales.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Smart City Index
Mains level: Success of the Smart City Mission
Four Indian cities -New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru – witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities that was topped by Singapore.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’?
(a) Maintenance of law and order
(b) Paying taxes
(c) Registering property
(d) Dealing with construction permits
Global Smart City Index
- The Institute for Management Development, in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design, has released the 2020 Smart City Index.
- Its key findings rest on how technology is playing a role in the Covid-19 era.
- The 2020 Index was topped by Singapore, followed by Helsinki and Zurich in the second and the third place respectively.
- Others in the top 10 list include Auckland (4th), Oslo (5th), Copenhagen (6th), Geneva (7th), Taipei City (8th), Amsterdam (9th) and New York at the 10th place.
India’s performances
- In the 2020 Smart City Index, Hyderabad was placed at the 85th position (down from 67 in 2019), New Delhi at 86th rank (down from 68 in 2019), Mumbai was at 93rd place (in 2019 it was at 78) and Bengaluru at 95th (79 in 2019).
- This drop can be attributed to the detrimental effect that the pandemic has had where the technological advancement was not up to date.
- From 15 indicators that the respondents perceive as the priority areas for their city, all four cities highlighted air pollution as one of the key areas that they felt their city needed to prioritise on.
- For cities like Bangalore and Mumbai, this was closely followed by road congestion while for Delhi and Hyderabad it was basic amenities, the report said.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kaling frog and its habitat
Mains level: Western Ghats and its biodiversity richness
Indian scientists have reported a first-of-its-kind discovery of morphological phenotypic plasticity (MPP) in the Kalinga cricket frog.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following statements:
- Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions.
- India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands.
Which of the above statements is/ are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Kalinga Frog
- The Kalinga Frog (Fejervarya Kalinga) was recently identified species which was documented in 2018.
- The species was encountered several times during field expeditions in the Western Ghats. However, the physical characteristics vary entirely from the known species of Eastern Ghats.
- However, it has been reported from the central Western Ghats, with the evidence of considerable MPP.
- It was the only genetic analysis that helped prove that physically different-looking frogs from eastern and western ghats were the same.
What is MPP?
- The morphological phenotypic plasticity (MPP) is the ability of an organism to show drastic morphological (physical features) variations in response to natural environmental variations or stimuli.
- The term “phenotype” refers to the observable physical properties of an organism, which include the organism’s appearance, development, and behaviour.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kosi River
Mains level: Not Much
PM has dedicated to the nation the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu (mega-bridge).
Kosi Rail Mahasetu
- The Kosi Mega Bridge line project was sanctioned during 2003-04.
- The bridge is 1.9 km long. It is of strategic importance along the India-Nepal border.
- In 1887, a meter gauge link was built in between Nirmali and Bhaptiahi (Saraigarh).
- During the heavy flood and severe Indo Nepal earthquake in 1934, the rail link was washed away and thereafter due to meandering nature of river Kosi no attempt was made to restore this Rail link for long period.
- The dedication of the mega-bridge is a watershed moment in the history of Bihar and the entire region connecting to the North East.
About Kosi River
- The Kosi is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, Nepal and India.
- The river crosses into northern Bihar, India where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges near Kursela in Katihar district.
- Its unstable nature has been attributed course changes and the heavy silt it carries during the monsoon season, and flooding in India has extreme effects.
- It is also known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” as the annual floods affect about 21,000 km2 of fertile agricultural lands thereby disturbing the rural economy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- India-China relations
Context
- After the skirmish at the border, Beijing started to concentrate troops, armoured vehicles and munitions opposite our posts in Aksai China at Galwan.
2 interpretations of China’s move
- First believes that the Chinese exercise was a territorial snatch in Aksai Chin, which they believe is entirely theirs.
- The move was accompanied by a “lesson” to the Indians on aggressive Indian behaviour in not conceding Aksai Chin.
- The second school of thought in India believes that territory has nothing to do with it.
- They believe that, due to growing economic power, Beijing will lay down the rules of world governance.
How it matters for India
- India contest China’s entire southern border, refuse to join the Belt and Road initiative, create an anti-China maritime coalition, compete with them for influence in South East Asia and Africa.
- India is also unsupportive of their crackdown on Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang and move ever closer to the United States.
- When China assumes hegemonic power after 2030, India is going to get a nasty surprise.
- Secularism, democracy and the rights of man will play no part in Chinese foreign policy.
- China will overturn every international, financial, trade, diplomatic, arms control and nuclear agreement that the world has put together in seven decades.
Way forward
- We in India need to conduct a large and vociferous debate on Chinese intentions.
- If the Chinese intention is to “teach us a lesson” we need a new national strategy, combining diplomatic and military means.
- If our national goal is to concentrate on the creation of wealth and growing GDP, let us proclaim it, tighten our belt, look down and avoid conflict.
Conclusion
What China wants is Indian acceptance of Beijing’s benign superiority, and that is a purely Chinese trait, not to be confused with the known rules of international diplomacy. Talking from a position of inferiority will not lead to an equitable solution. But first, a national debate.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Reorganisation of States
Mains level: Paper 2- Federalism in India
The article analyses the challenges federalism in India faces and the important role played by the division of states based on the languages.
Three conceptions of nationalism in India
- Following three conceptions of nationalism were prevalent in India before independence.
- The first, the idea that a community with a strongly unified culture must have a single state of its own.
- The second saw the nation as defined by a common culture whose adherents must have a state of their own.
- But this common culture was not ethno-religious.
- It conceives common culture in terms of a strong idea of unity that marginalises or excludes other particular identities.
- A third nationalism accepts that communities nourished by distinct, territorially concentrated regional cultures have the capacity to design states of their own as also educational, legal, economic, and other institutions.
- This may be called a coalescent nationalism consistent with a fairly strong linguistic federalism.
- The central state associated with it is not multi-national.
- At best, it is a multi-national state without labels, one that does not call itself so; a self-effacing multi-national state.
Suspicion of linguistic identities
- After Partition, the Indian ruling class began to view with suspicion the political expression of even linguistic identities.
- It was feared that federation structured along ethno-linguistic lines might tempt politicians to mobilise permanently on the basis of language.
- The second fear was about an increase in the likelihood of inter-ethnic violence, encourage separatism and eventually lead to India’s break up.
- Thus, when the Constitution came into force in 1950, India adopted unitary, civic nationalism as its official ideology.
Formation of states on linguistic basis and its implications
- A unitary mindset shaped by the experience of a centralised colonial state was resurrected.
- The second tier of government was justified in functional terms, not on ethical grounds of the recognition of group cultures.
- Following the Committee’s recommendations, States were reorganised in 1956.
- India slowly became a coalescent nation-state, moving from the ‘holding together’ variety to what is called the ‘coming together’ form of (linguistic) federalism.
- This meant that regional parties were stronger than earlier in their own regions and at the centre.
- This let to more durable centre because it was grounded more on the consent and participation of regional groups that, at another level, were also self-governing.
- Indian federalism also attempted to remove its rigidities by incorporating asymmetries in the relation between the Centre and different States.
- Treating all States as equals required the acknowledgement of their specific needs and according them differential treatment.
Conclusion
Coalescent nationalism has served India well, benefiting several groups in India. True, it has not worked as well in India’s border areas such as the North-east and Kashmir. But their problems can only be resolved by deepening not abandoning coalescent nationalism.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: APMC reforms
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against three ordinances promulgated by the Centre back in June this year. After the Monsoon Session of Parliament began this week, the government has introduced three Bills to replace these ordinances.
Try this PYQ:
The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus:
(a) Transportation cost only
(b) Interest cost only
(c) Procurement incidentals and distribution cost
(d) Procurement incidentals and charges for godowns
What are these ordinances?
The ordinances included:
- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020;
- The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020; and
- The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 (It is the Bill replacing the third that has been passed in Lok Sabha)
The cause of discontent
- While farmers are protesting against all three ordinances, their objections are mostly against the provisions of the first.
- Their concerns are mainly about sections relating to “trade area”, “trader”, “dispute resolution” and “market fee” in the first ordinance.
What is a ‘trade area’, as mentioned in the Bill?
- Section 2(m) of The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 defines “trade area” as any area or location, place of production, collection and aggregation.
- It includes (a) farm gates; (b) factory premises; (c) warehouses; (d) silos; (e) cold storages; or (f) any other structures or places, from where the trade of farmers’ produce may be undertaken in the territory of India.
- In effect, existing mandis established under APMC Acts have been excluded from the definition of trade area under the new legislation.
- The government says the creation of an additional trade area outside of mandis will provide farmers with the freedom of choice to conduct trade in their produce.
Why are farmers protesting?
- The protesters say this provision will confine APMC mandis to their physical boundaries and give a free hand to big corporate buyers.
- The APMC mandi system has developed very well as every mandi caters to 200-300 villages.
- But the new ordinance has confined the mandis to their physical boundaries.
What is ‘trader’ and how is it linked to the protests?
- Section 2(n) of the first ordinance defines a “trader” as “a person who buys farmers’ produce by way of inter-State trade or intra-State trade or a combination thereof.
- Thus, it includes processor, exporter, wholesaler, miller, and retailer.
- According to the Ministry of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, “Any trader with a PAN card can buy the farmers’ produce in the trade area.”
- In the present mandi system, arhatiyas (commission agents) have to get a licence to trade in a mandi.
- The protesters say arhatiyas have credibility as their financial status is verified during the licence approval process.
Why does the provision on ‘market fee’ worry protesters?
- Section 6 states that no market fee or cess or levy, by whatever name called, under any State APMC Act or any other State law, shall be levied in a trade area.
- Government officials say this provision will reduce the cost of the transaction and will benefit both the farmers and the traders.
- Under the existing system, such charges in states like Punjab come to around 8.5% — a market fee of 3%, a rural development charge of 3% and the arhatiya’s commission of about 2.5%.
- By removing the fee on trade, the government is indirectly incentivizing big corporates.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Agreement
Mains level: Maritime Security of India
India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) as Observer, following the high-level virtual meeting.
Try this MCQ:
Q.The Djibouti Code of Conduct is related to:
(a) International trade in precious stones (b) Maritime Security (c) Data sharing on Terrorism related activities (d) Data Localization
Djibouti Code of Conduct
- DCOC/JA is a grouping on maritime matters comprising 18 member states adjoining the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, the East coast of Africa and Island countries in the IOR.
- The DCOC, established in January 2009, is aimed at the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Western Indian Ocean Region, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Provisions of the code
- The Code provides a framework for capacity building in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean to combat the threat of piracy.
- It is a partnership of the willing and continues to both deliver against its aims as well as attract increasing membership.
- The Code was signed on January 29 by the representatives of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Seychelles, Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.
- Since the meeting, further countries have signed bringing the total to 18 countries from the 21 eligible.
Significance for India
- India joins Japan, Norway, the UK and the US as Observers to the DCOC/JA.
- As an Observer at the DCOC/JA, India looks forward to working together with DCOC/JA member states towards coordinating and contributing to enhanced maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
- Delhi has been steadily increasing its strategic footprints in Western and Eastern Indian Ocean besides Eastern African coastal states.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 115, 116
Mains level: Supplementary Grants
Finance Minister has tabled the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for this financial year in the Lok Sabha.
Supplementary Demand for Grants
- Article 115 of the constitution provides for Supplementary, additional or excess grants. (Note: Article 116 provides for Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants.)
- They are additional grants which are required to meet the expenditure of the government
- Their demand is presented when the authorized amounts are insufficient and need for additional expenditure has arisen.
Why need supplementary grants?
- When actual expenditure incurred exceeds the approved grants of the Parliament, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Railways presents a Demand for Excess Grant.
- It is needed for government expenditure over and above the amount for which Parliamentary approval was already obtained during the Budget session.
- When grants, authorised by the Parliament, fall short of the required expenditure, an estimate is presented before the Parliament for Supplementary or Additional grants.
- These grants are presented and passed by the Parliament before the end of the financial year.
Who notices such grants?
- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India bring such excesses to the notice of the Parliament.
- The Public Accounts Committee examines these excesses and gives recommendations to the Parliament.
What are other grants?
- Excess Grant: It is the grant in excess of the approved grants for meeting the requisite expenses of the government.
- Additional Grant: It is granted when a need has arisen during the current financial year for supplementary or additional expenditure upon some new service not contemplated in the Budget for that year.
- Token Grant: When funds to meet proposed expenditure on a new service can be made available by re-appropriation, demand for the grant of a token sum may be submitted to the vote of the House and, if the House assents to the demand, funds may be so made available.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Hispanic Heritage Month
Mains level: NA
The National Hispanic Heritage Month has begun in the US.
Try this MCQ:
Q.The event National Hispanic Heritage Month recently seen in news is primarily celebrated in which of the following countries?
(a) US (b) Spain (c) Mexico (d) Cuba
National Hispanic Heritage Month
- The annual event honours the history, culture and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors hailed from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
- It is marked every year from September 15 to October 15.
- The observation was started by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was extended to an entire month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, the year it was enacted into law.
Hispanics in the US
- With a population of over 5.7 crores, Hispanic Americans are currently the largest minority group in the US, making up a fifth of the total US population.
- More than half– 3.5 crore– are of Mexican origin, followed by Puerto Rican (53 lakh), and about 10 lakh each of Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans and Colombians.
- The community is referred to as Hispanic, Latino or Latinx– terms that refer to a person’s origin or culture, without considering their race.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SWAMIH Investment Fund
Mains level: Not Much
In order to give relief to homebuyers of stalled projects, a Special Window for Completion of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH investment fund) has been created for funding stalled projects.
Try this MCQ:
Q.The SWAMIH Fund recently seen in news is related to:
(a) Higher Education (b) MSMEs (c) Housing (d) Highways
SWAMIH Investment Fund
- SWAMIH investment fund is an alternative investment fund which aims to provide last-mile funding to the stressed affordable and middle-income housing projects in the country.
- It is expected to fund the projects which are net-worth positive, including those projects that have been declared as NPAs or are pending proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal under the IBC.
Why need such funds?
- Several real estate projects have suffered due to a combined effect of two changes in the real estate sector.
- On one hand, incremental launches and slow sales have increased unsold inventory in each project.
- While the effect has then got compounded by the fact that consumer preference is now towards completed projects rather than under-construction projects.
- This preference has developed as consumers are largely avoiding taking project completion risk and instead are more inclined to completed projects.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Parliamentary committees.
Mains level: Paper 2- Department related committees
The article analyses the issue of tenure of the members of the Department related committees and suggest the changes to the rules about the tenure.
Context
- There was speculation in the media that the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu, is keen on amending the rules to give them a fixed tenure of two years.
Why 2-year tenure?
- According to the Rajya Sabha Rules, the term of office of the “members” of the committees shall not exceed one year.
- Thus, it is the term of office of the members and not that of the committees per se that is one year.
- The tenurial issue has to be looked at against the backdrop of the fact that the Rajya Sabha itself undergoes partial biennial renewal.
- While Lok Sabha has a fixed tenure of five years, unless sooner dissolved.
- Given these facts,2-year tenure suggestion is in consonance with the biennial partial reconstitution of the Rajya Sabha.
Need to rethink the tenurial prescription
- In case of Lok Sabha, the major reconstitution takes place when a new Lok Sabha is elected, that is normally after five years.
- Since Rajya Sabha elects new member every two years and the Lok Sabha after every five years, it is only once in 10 years that the requirement of major reshuffle of the Standing Committees in both the Houses is expected to coincide.
- Given the different election schedules of the two Houses, there is perhaps no need to mandate the same term for the members of both the Houses.
Way forward
- There are 24 Department-related Standing Committees, each with a membership of 31 (10 of the Rajya Sabha and 21 of the Lok Sabha).
- They can accommodate 240 members of the Rajya Sabha and 504 members of the Lok Sabha.
- Therefore, once a member is nominated to a committee, he should be allowed to continue till he retires or otherwise discontinues the membership in order that the committee is able to benefit from his experience and expertise.
- The Standing Committees are permanent. Hence, there should be no difficulty if the terms of the members of the two Houses on these committees are different, in consonance with the tenure of the Houses themselves.
- Given these facts, it would stand to reason if the tenure of Department-related Standing Committees is prescribed differently for the two Houses.
- The Rules could also provide that casual vacancies may be filled in by the Presiding Officers.
Conclusion
While making changes to the rules the Chairman and the Speaker should consider the different tenure for the members of the two Houses on the Department-related committees.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Basic Structure doctrine
Mains level: Paper 2- Basic Structure and essential feature doctrine
The article revisits the impact and significance of the case for the democracy in India.
Understanding the Basic Structure doctrine
- Basic Structure and essential features doctrine was expounded in the Kesavananda Bharati case.
- In the case, the validity of the 29th amendment which immunised, in the Ninth Schedule Kerala’s takeover of the religious mutt’s property was challenged.
- Basic structure is the power of judicial review and essential features are what the Court identifies as such in the exercise of that power.
- Justice Bhagwati remarkably enunciated as an essential feature the “harmony” between fundamental rights and directive principles.
- The crucial message though is that the apex court has, in the rarest of rare cases, the constituent power to pronounce a constitutional amendment invalid.
Limits on the powers of Supreme Court
- The Court is bound by the “golden triangle” of rights created by Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.
- Court must derive the “spirit” of the Constitution by reference to the provisions of the Constitution.
- Since 1973, the evidence shows the Apex Court has shown utmost democratic responsibility and rectitude in interpreting the doctrine of BSEF.
Consider the question asked by the UPSC in 2019 “Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution is limited power and it cannot be enlarged into absolute power”. In light of this statement explain whether parliament under article 368 of the constitution can destroy the Basic Structure of the Constitution by expanding its amending power? “
Conclusion
The ultimate message of BSEF doctrine is not merely to set limits to the power of the managers of people, but to make little by little the tasks of emancipation less onerous.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Art. 239AA
Mains level: Special provisions for NCT
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to introduce legislation in the ongoing Parliament session to amend a 1991 Act pertaining to the powers and function of the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Consider the following statements
- Union territories are not represented in the Rajya Sabha.
- It is within the purview of the Chief Election Commissioner to adjudicate the election disputes.
- According to the constitution of India, the Parliament consists of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha only.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) None
Key propositions of the Bill
- The Bill proposes to clearly spell out the functions of the Council of Ministers and the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) by giving more discretionary powers to the L-G.
- As per the Bill, the L-G could act in his discretion in any matter that is beyond the purview of the powers of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi in matters related to the All India (Civil) Services and the Anti Corruption Branch.
- It will also give more teeth to the L-G, and the validity of any decision taken as per such discretion shall not be questioned.
Back2Basics: Special provisions for New Delhi
- The Union Territory of Delhi with a Legislative Assembly came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution inserted by ‘the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991’.
- It said that the UT of Delhi shall be called the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
- The administrator thereof appointed under Article 239 shall be designated as the Lieutenant-Governor.
- According to the existing Act, the Legislative Assembly of Delhi has the power to make laws in all matters except public order, police, and land.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MPLADS
Mains level: MPLADS and its implementation
While extending support to the move for salary-cut, most Members of Parliament have demanded that the MPLADS funds, meant for development work in constituencies, be restored immediately.
Try this PYQ:
Q.With reference to the Parliament of India, consider the following statements:
- A private member’s bill is a bill presented by a Member of Parliament who is not elected but only nominated by the President of India.
- Recently, a private member’s bill has been passed in the Parliament of India for the first time in its history.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
What is the MPLAD scheme?
- The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a programme first launched during the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993.
- It was aimed towards providing funds for developmental works recommended by individual MPs.
Funds available
- The MPs then were entitled to recommend works to the tune of Rs 1 crore annually between 1994-95 and 1997-98, after which the annual entitlement was enhanced to Rs 2 crore.
- The UPA government in 2011-12 raised the annual entitlement to Rs 5 crore per MP.
Implementation
- To implement their plans in an area, MPs have to recommend them to the District Authority of the respective Nodal District.
- The District Authorities then identify Implementing Agencies which execute the projects.
- The respective District Authority is supposed to oversee the implementation and has to submit monthly reports, audit reports, and work completion reports to the Nodal District Authority.
- The MPLADS funds can be merged with other schemes such as MGNREGA and Khelo India.
Guidelines for MPLADS implementation
- The document ‘Guidelines on MPLADS’ was published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in June 2016 in this regard.
- It stated the objective of the scheme to enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs in their Constituencies.
- Right from the inception of the Scheme, durable assets of national priorities viz. drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc. should be created.
- It recommended MPs to works costing at least 15 per cent of their entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by ST population.
- It lays down a number of development works including construction of railway halt stations, providing financial assistance to recognised bodies, cooperative societies, installing CCTV cameras etc.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Himalayan orogeny
Mains level: NA
China and Nepal are expected to announce the latest official height of Mt. Everest.
Try this PYQ:
Q.When you travel to the Himalayas, you will see the following:
- Deep gorges
- U-turn river courses
- Parallel mountain ranges
- Steep gradients causing land-sliding
Which of the above can be said to be the evidences for the Himalayas being young fold mountains?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Mt. Everest
- Mount Everest or Sagarmatha, Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, is located in the Himalayas between China and Nepal -– the border between them running across its summit point.
- Its current official elevation – 8,848m – places it more than 200m above the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, which is 8,611m tall and located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
- The mountain gets its English name from Sir George Everest, a colonial-era geographer who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century.
- Considered an elite climbing destination, Everest was first scaled in 1953 by the Indian-Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary.
Everest’s first survey
- The mission to measure the world’s highest peak was taken up on a serious note in 1847 and culminated with the finding of a team led by Andrew Waugh of the Royal Surveyor General of India.
- The team discovered that ‘Peak 15’ — as Mt Everest was referred to then — was the highest mountain, contrary to the then-prevailing belief that Mt Kanchenjunga (8,582 m) was the highest peak in the world.
- Another belief, prevailing even today, is that 8,840 m is not the height that was actually determined by the 19th-century team.
- That survey, based on trigonometric calculations, is known as the Great Trigonometric Survey of India.
Why is the height being measured again?
- Everest’s current official height– 8,848m– has been widely accepted since 1956, when the figure was measured by the Survey of India.
- The height of the summit, however, is known to change because of tectonic activity, such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
- Its measurement over the decades has also depended on who was surveying.
- Another debate is whether the height should be based on the highest rock point or the highest snow point.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)
Mains level: Not Much
The RBI has proposed allowing foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake exchange-traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of ₹5,000 crores.
Every year, there is a question on a capital market instruments. Make note of all such separately. Also, try this PYQ:
Q. Which of the following is issued by registered foreign portfolio investors to overseas investors who want to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly? (CSP 2019)
(a) Certificate of Deposit
(b) Commercial Paper
(c) Promissory Note
(d) Participatory Note
Interest Rate Derivatives (IRDs)
- An IDR is a financial instrument with a value that is linked to the movements of an interest rate or rates.
- These may include futures, options, or swaps contracts.
- They are often used by institutional investors, banks, companies, and individuals to protect themselves against changes in market interest rates.
- The proposed directions by RBI are aimed at encouraging higher non-resident participation, enhance the role of domestic market makers in the offshore market, improve transparency, and achieve better regulatory oversight, according to the central bank.
Back2Basics: Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)
- FPI involves holding financial assets from a country outside of the investor’s own.
- FPI holdings can include stocks, ADRs, GDRs, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds.
- Along with foreign direct investment (FDI), FPI is one of the common ways for investors to participate in an overseas economy, especially retail investors.
- Unlike FDI, FPI consists of passive ownership; investors have no control over ventures or direct ownership of property or a stake in a company.
FPI vs FDI
- With FPI—as with portfolio investment in general—an investor does not actively manage the investments or the companies that issue the investments.
- They do not have direct control over the assets or the businesses.
- In contrast, foreign direct investment (FDI) lets an investor purchase a direct business interest in a foreign country.
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