Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Emergency Provisions
• The President can proclaim a national emergency only after receiving a written recommendation from
the cabinet.
• The Constitution prescribes imposition of President’s Rule under Article 356 on two grounds—one
mentioned in Article 356 itself and another in Article 365:
o Article 356 empowers the President to issue a proclamation if he is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the
government of a state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Notably, the
president can act either on a report of the governor of the state or otherwise too (i.e, even without the governor’s report).
o Article 365 says that whenever a state fails to comply with or to give effect to any direction from
the Centre, it will be lawful for the president to hold that a situation has arisen in which the
• government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
• The proclamation of Emergency must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament within one
month from the date of its proclamation by the President.
• Provision for periodical parliamentary approval was also added by the 44th Amendment Act of
1978. Before that, the emergency, once approved by the Parliament, could remain in operation as long as
the Executive (cabinet) desired.
Fundamental Rights
o Right to equality (Articles 14–18)
o Right to Freedom (Articles 19–22)
o Right against exploitation (Articles 23–24)
o Right to freedom of religion (Articles 25–28)
o Cultural and educational rights of minority groups (Articles 29–30)
o Right to constitutional remedies (Article 32)
• Right to Freedom (Article 19-22) consists of:
• Article 19 provides that all citizens shall have the right:
o to freedom of speech and expression;
o to assemble peaceably and without arms;
o to form associations or unions;
o to move freely throughout the territory of India;
o to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and
o to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business
• Article 20: Protection in respect of conviction for offences.
• Article 21: Protection of life and personal liberty.
• Article 21A: Right to elementary education.
Article 22: Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.
Swarms: Delhi is facing small but frequent shocks and this phenomenon is being compared to Palghar earthquake
swarms (Maharashtra).
GI tag has been given to Black rice of Manipur also called the Chak-Hao. Black rice variety has a deep black
colour and is higher by weight than that of other coloured rice varieties like brown rice, etc. This is mainly due to
the anthocyanin agent.
CBI has three divisions for investigation of crime:
o Anti-Corruption Division - for investigation of cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Public
officials and the employees of Central Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Corporations or Bodies owned or
controlled by the Government of India - it is the largest division having presence almost in all the States of India.
o Economic Offences Division - for investigation of major financial scams and serious economic frauds, including
crimes relating to Fake Indian Currency Notes, Bank Frauds and Cyber Crime.
o Special Crimes Division - for investigation of serious, sensational and organized crime under the Indian Penal Code
and other laws on the requests of State Governments or on the orders of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Indian Forest Amendment Act, 2017: the definition of tree includes palms, bamboos, stumps, brush-wood, and
canes. The Amendment Act amends this definition to remove the word bamboos. Following this, bamboo
growing in non-forest areas will be waived off the requirement of permission for its felling or
transportation for economic use.
RBI is actively considering introducing Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) for liquidity management, based on
which banks can park as much money as they want without getting collateral, and at a lower rate than the
reverse repo to absorb additional liquidity with the banks. The SDF, when introduced, will become the lower
bound of the corridor for the liquidity management window.
The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crores. But this amount is not disbursed
directly to MP but to the District Authority of the chosen district. Lok Sabha Members can recommend works
within their Constituencies and Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State of
Election. Nominated Members can recommend works anywhere in the country.
Ministry of Statistics & Programme is the nodal ministry.
• MPLADS works can also be implemented in the areas prone to or affected by calamities.
• MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 % for areas inhabited by SC population and 5 % for
areas inhabited by ST population. MPLADS Fund can be converged in MGNREGA and Khelo India Funds.
Till 1947, Sikkim was an Indian princely state ruled by Chogyal. In 1947, after the lapse of British
paramountcy, Sikkim became a ‘protectorate’ of India, whereby the Indian Government assumed responsibility
for the defense, external affairs and communications of Sikkim.
• 35th Constitutional Amendment Act (1974) was enacted by the parliament. This amendment introduced a new class of
statehood under the constitution by conferring on Sikkim the status of an ‘associate state’ of the Indian Union. For this
purpose, a new Article 2A and a new schedule (Tenth Schedule containing the terms and conditions of association)
were inserted in the Constitution.
• In a referendum held in 1975, they voted for the abolition of the institution of Chogyal and Sikkim becoming an
integral part of India.
• Consequently, the 36th Constitutional Amendment Act (1975) was enacted to make Sikkim a full-fledged state of the
Indian Union (the 22nd state). This amendment added a new Article 371-F to provide for certain special provisions with
respect to the administration of Sikkim.
CAG compiles and maintains the accounts of state governments. In 1976, CAG was relieved of his
responsibilities with regard to the compilation and maintenance of accounts of the Central Government.
The 102nd Amendment Act of 2018 conferred a constitutional status on the Commission and inserted
a new Article 338-B specific for NCBC. The Commission consists of a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and three
other members. National Commission for SCs (NCSC) has to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional
and other legal safeguards for the Anglo-Indian Community and report to the President upon their working.
• Ambubachi Mela is a festival marking the annual menstruation of the presiding Goddess at Guwahati’s Kamakhya
temple. It is also called ‘Mahakumbh of the East’.
o closely associated with Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in east and also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival.
o The Kamakhya temple is atop the Nilachal Hills, facing Brahmaputra River.
o A similar custom is followed at the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple (also called Bhagavathy Temple) in Alleppey.
• Chaitra Jatra is celebrated at the Tara Tarini hill shrine in Odisha. The shrine is located at a hilltop on the banks of
Rushikulya river. Rishkulya is the biggest breeding ground of Olive Ridley Turtles.
• Vishu is celebrated in Kerala. This festival involves worship of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna by the devotees.
• Rongali Bihu is celebrated in Assam. It is also called Bohag Bihu. It marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.
o Assamese celebrate Bihu thrice a year, which signifies the distinct cycles of farming - Bhogali/Magh Bihu (January),
Bohag/Rongali Bihu (April), and Kongali Bihu (October).
• Till 2018, the NCSC was also required to discharge similar functions with regard to the other backward
classes (OBCs). It was relieved from this responsibility by the 102nd Amendment Act of 2018.
Originally, the Constitution of India did not make any provision with respect to the Special Officer for
Linguistic Minorities.
• Later on the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (1953–55), the Seventh Constitutional
Amendment Act of 1956 inserted a new Article 350-B.
Article 13 declares that all laws that are inconsistent with or in derogation of any of the fundamental rights
shall be void (provides for the doctrine of judicial review). This power has been conferred on the Supreme
Court (Article 32) and the high courts (Article 226).
Shankari Prasad Case (1951): The word ‘law’ in Article 13 includes only ordinary laws and not the
constitutional amendment acts (constituent laws). Therefore, the Parliament can abridge or take away any of the
Fundamental Rights by enacting a constitutional amendment act and such a law will not be void under Article 13.
Golak Nath case (1967): The Supreme Court ruled that the Fundamental Rights are given a ‘transcendental and
immutable’position and hence, the Parliament cannot abridge or take away any of these rights.
Kesavananda Bharati case (1973): It ruled that the constituent power of Parliament under Article 368 does not
enable it to alter the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
Recently, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF)- India has facilitated mass multiplication and largescale
production of four varieties of Anthurium through tissue culture technique.
• Anthurium is domestic flowering plant known for purifying surrounding air and remove harmful airborne
chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene, and allergens.
• Anthurium has economic importance because of its eye-catching and beautiful inflorescence (process of flowering).
The Central Government may, on an application, register as a citizen of India any person (not being an illegal
migrant) if he is a person of Indian origin who is ordinarily resident in India for seven years before making an
application for registration.
The Central Government shall constitute NCW and it shall consist of
o A Chairperson committed to the cause of women,
o Five members from amongst persons of ability, integrity, and standing,
o a Member-Secretary, all nominated by the Central Government.
• There is no such mandatory provision. But from the first chairperson, Jayanti Patnaik to the current chairperson Rekha
Sharma, NCW has always been headed by a woman.
In the Berubari Union case (1960), despite this recognition of the significance of the Preamble, the Supreme
Court specifically opined that Preamble is not a part of the Constitution.
• In the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), the Supreme Court rejected the earlier opinion and held that Preamble is a
part of the Constitution.
Article 334 of the Constitution lays down the provisions of the Constitution relating to the reservation of seats for
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and the representation of the Anglo-Indian community by
nomination in the Lok Sabha and in the Legislative Assemblies of the States.
Traffic Index published by TomTom, an Amsterdam-based company that offers traffic solutions, uses location
technology to collect traffic information, and has been publishing city rankings for eight years. The latest
index ranks 403 cities across 56 countries, including 13 new cities.
In 1976, Sardar Swaran Singh Committee was constituted to make recommendations about Fundamental
Duties. Though the Swaran Singh Committee suggested the incorporation of 8 Fundamental Duties, the 42nd
Constitutional Amendment Act (1976) included 10 Fundamental Duties. It added a new part, namely, Part IVA
to the Constitution. This new part consists of only one Article, that is, Article 51A.
Pet coke is a by-product obtained by refining crude oil and other petroleum cracking processes. Pet coke is over
80% carbon and emits 5% to 10% more CO2 than coal on a per unit of-energy basis when it is burned.
Fazl Ali Commission suggested the abolition of the four-fold classification of states under the original
Constitution and creation of 16 states and 3 centrally administered territories. Government of India accepted
these recommendations with certain minor modifications. By the States Re-Organization Act (1956) and the
7th Constitutional Amendment Act (1956), the distinction between Part-A and Part-B states was done away with
and Part-C states were abolished. Some of them were merged with adjacent states and some other were designated
as union territories. As a result, 14 states and 6 union territories were created on November 1, 1956.
o Union Powers Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
o Union Constitution Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
o Provincial Constitution Committee – Sardar Patel
o Drafting Committee – Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
The salient features of The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 are as follows:
o To establish the institution of the Lokpal at the Centre and the Lokayukta at the level of the State.
o The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson with a maximum of 8 members of which 50% shall be judicial members.
o 50% of the members of the Lokpal shall come from amongst the SCs, the STs, the OBCs, minorities, and women.
o The selection of the Chairperson and the members of Lokpal shall be through a Selection Committee consisting of the
Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of
India or a sitting Supreme Court Judge nominated by the Chief Justice of India and an eminent jurist to be nominated
by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee.
o The Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal with subject matter exclusions and specific
process for handling complaints against the Prime Minister.
The total number of ministers, including the chief minister, in the council of ministers in a state, shall not
exceed 15% of the total strength of the legislative assembly of that state. But, the number of ministers, including the
chief minister, in a state shall not be less than 12. This provision was added by the 91st Amendment of 2003.
o The Constitution does not specify the size of the state council of ministers or the ranking of ministers. They are
determined by the chief minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation.
o Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Home; Information and Broadcasting; States.
o Dr Rajendra Prasad: Food and agriculture.
o Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: Education.
o Dr John Matthai: Railways and Transport.
o Sardar baldev Singh: Defence.
o Shri Jagjivan Ram: Labour.
o Mr C.H. Bhabha: Commerce.
o Mr Rafi Ahmad Kidwai: Communications.
o Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: Health.
o Dr B.R Ambedkar: Law.
o Shri R.K. Shanmukham Chetty: Finance.
o Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerji: Industries and Supplies.
o Shri N. V. Gadgil: Works, Mines and Power.
The Committee on Public Accounts was first constituted in 1921. It was constituted under the GOI act 1919.A
minister cannot be elected as a member of the Public Accounts committee.
Based on the recommendations of Anupam Verma Committee, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare had notified Pesticides (Prohibition) Order, 2018 under which use of 18 pesticides was banned.
The Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members. The date of election of the Speaker
is fixed by the President.
• Though the Speaker being a member of the ruling party, whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker does not
vacate his office and continues till the newly-elected Lok Sabha meets, in order to avoid interregnum.
• Uighurs are Muslims native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and they regard themselves
as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations.
• Oromo, the largest ethnolinguistic group of Ethiopia, constituting more than one-third of the population and speaking
a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.
• Kurds make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East. They inhabit a mountainous region straddling
the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They also adhere to a number of different religions and creeds,
although the majority are Sunni Muslims.
The term of the prime minister is not fixed and he holds office during the pleasure of the President.
However, this does not mean that the president can dismiss the Prime Minister at any time. So long as the Prime
Minister enjoys the majority support in the Lok Sabha, he cannot be dismissed by the President.
• In accordance with the conventions of the Parliamentary system of Government, the President has to appoint the
leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister.
A person to be appointed as district judge should have been an advocate or a pleader for seven years.
• The Inter-State Council was set up in 1990, and Punchhi commission in 2007.
• Khusro Committee is also known as the Agricultural Review Committee which was established in 1989. The
committee examined the problems of agricultural and rural credits and recommended major systematic
improvements and not inter-state relations.
• The First Administrative Reforms Commission for the first time recommended the establishment of an
Inter-State Council under Article 263 of the Constitution. It also recommended transferring more financial
resources to the states to reduce their dependence upon the Centre and deployment of Central armed forces in the
states either on their request or otherwise. The recommendations were not accepted by government.
• The Inter-State Council was set up in 1990 following the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. But
it was already recommended by ARC in 1966 itself. The clamour for more autonomy by states led to the constitution
of Sarkaria Commission in 1983 which was asked to examine and review existing arrangements between the Centres
and the States in all spheres and recommend appropriate changes and measures.
• Dinesh Goswami committee (1990) was on electoral reforms in India. It suggested providing state funding in kind
to political parties. It also suggested that a candidate should not be allowed to contest election from more than two
constituencies.
• The Vohra (Committee) Report was submitted by the former Indian Home Secretary, N. N. Vohra, in October
1993. It studied the problem of the criminalization of politics and of the nexus among criminals, politicians and
bureaucrats in India.
• Tankha Committee was appointed in 2010. It was to look into the whole gamut of the election laws and electoral
reforms.
• The Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 has been enacted to provide for the establishment of the Gram Nyayalayas at the
grass roots level. The Gram Nyayalaya shall be court of Judicial Magistrate of the first class and itspresiding officer
(Nyayadhikari) shall be appointed by the State Government in consultation with the High Court.
The Nyayadhikaris who will preside over these Gram Nyayalayas are strict judicial officers and will be drawing the
same salary, deriving the same powers at First Class Magistrates working under High courts.
• The Gram Nyayalaya shall be a mobile court and shall exercise the powers of both Criminal and Civil Courts.
Recently an experiment conducted by NASA using Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) has
indicated the possibility of a parallel universe. In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers have succeeded
in finding "a fountain of high-energy particles erupting from the ice" in Antarctica which according to the
researchers could be proof of a parallel universe.
• ANITA instrument is a radio telescope which is used to detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray neutrinos from a
scientific balloon flying over Antarctica. ANITA is the first NASA observatory for neutrinos of any kind.
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) announced that it would soon launch a national ecommerce
marketplace ‘Bharat market’ for all retail traders in collaboration with several technology partners.
• The e-commerce portal will include nationwide participation by retailers and will integrate capabilities of various
technology companies to provide end-to-end services in the logistics and supply chains from manufacturers to end
consumers, including deliveries at home.
The National Integration Council was constituted in 1961. It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. The
members of the NIC include union ministers, leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya
Sabha, chief ministers of all states and Union Territories, leaders of national and regional political parties,
chairpersons of national commissions, eminent journalists, and other public figures in India.
• The objective of the National Integration Council is to promote guiding principles of the idea of India such as unity in
diversity, inclusiveness, equal rights for all, philosophy of coexistence & tolerance.
The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added a new Part XIV-A to the Constitution. This part is entitled as
‘Tribunals’ and consists of only two Articles—Article 323 A dealing with administrative tribunals and Article
323 B dealing with tribunals for other matters.
• Article 263 contemplates the establishment of an Inter-State Council. The council is a recommendatory body on
issues relating to inter-state, Centre-state and Centre–union territories relations. It aims at promoting coordination between
them by examining, discussing and deliberating on such issues.
Manner of election of the total number of members of a legislative council:
• 1/3 are elected by the members of local bodies in the state like municipalities, district boards, etc.,
o 1/12 are elected by graduates of three years standing and residing within the state,
o 1/12 are elected by teachers of three years standing in the state, not lower in standard than secondary school,
o 1/3 are elected by the members of the legislative assembly of the state from amongst persons who aren’t members
of the assembly, And
o the remainder are nominated by the governor from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical
experience of literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service.
• Thus, 5/6 of the total number of members of a legislative council are indirectly elected and 1/6 are
nominated by the governor.
The members are elected in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable
vote. The bonafides or propriety of the governor’s nomination, in any case, cannot be challenged in the courts.
• This scheme of the composition of a legislative council as laid down in the Constitution is tentative and not
final. The Parliament is authorized to modify or replace the same. However, it has not enacted any such law so far.
• The Council may meet at least thrice in a year. Its meetings are held in camera and all questions are decided by
consensus.
• Standing Committee of the Inter State Council. was set up in 1996. It consists of the following members:
o Union Home Minister as the Chairman
o Five Union Cabinet Ministers
o Nine Chief Ministers
At present a party is recognized as a national party if any of the following conditions is fulfilled:
o If it secures 6% of valid votes polled in any four or more states at a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the
legislative assembly; and, in addition, it wins four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states;
o If it wins 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha at a general election; and these candidates are elected from three states; or
o If it is recognized as a state party in four states.
o The recognized 'state' and National Parties are given two sets of electoral rolls free of cost by
the Election Commission. In addition to this the candidates contesting on the ticket of National or
state party get a copy of the electoral roll free of cost during the general elections.
o The National parties receive land or building from the government to establish their party office.
Eleventh Schedule contains following 29 functional items placed within the purview of panchayats:
o Agriculture, including agricultural extension
o Land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation and soil conservation
o Minor irrigation, water management, and watershed development
o Animal husbandry, dairying, and poultry
o Fisheries
o Social forestry and farm forestry
o Minor forest produce
o Small-scale industries, including food processing industries
o Khadi, village and cottage industries
o Rural housing
o Drinking water
o Fuel and fodder
o Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways and other means of communication
o Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity
o Non-conventional energy sources
o Poverty alleviation programme
o Education, including primary and secondary schools
o Technical training and vocational education
o Adult and non-formal education
o Libraries
o Cultural activities
o Markets and fairs
o Health and sanitation including hospitals, primary health centres and dispensaries
o Family welfare
o Women and child development
o Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and mentally retarded
o Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes
o Public distribution system
o Maintenance of community assets.
• Marriage and divorce is an item placed under List III—Concurrent List, of the seventh schedule of
the constitution.
The Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights
over the others' entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities. Under the treaty, a member state can
“spy” on any part of the host nation, with the latter’s consent. A country can undertake aerial imaging over the host
state after giving notice 72 hours before, and sharing its exact flight path 24 hours before.
Article 136 authorizes to grant in its discretion special leave to appeal from any judgement in any matter
passed by any court or tribunal in the country (except military tribunal and court martial).
Article 114 states that ‘no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under
appropriation made by law’.
The Constitution has not fixed the term of office of members of the Rajya Sabha and left it to the Parliament.
• Accordingly, the Parliament in the Representation of the People Act (1951) provided that the term of office of a
member of the Rajya Sabha shall be six years. The act also empowered the president of India to curtail the term of
members chosen in the first Rajya Sabha.
A formal impeachment is not required for removal of Vice President. He can be removed by a resolution of
the Rajya Sabha passed by an absolute majority and agreed to by the Lok Sabha. But, no such resolution can be
moved unless at least 14 days advance notice has been given.
• Notably, no ground has been mentioned in the Constitution for his removal.
• The objective of the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme is to promote indigenous defence production, with a
special focus on the participation of MSMEs and Start-Ups by bridging gaps in defence testing infrastructure in the
country.
• The Scheme aims at setting up of Greenfield Defence Testing Infrastructure (required for defence and aerospace
-related production), as a common facility under private sector with Government assistance mainly in DICs.
• The projects under the Scheme will be provided with up to 75% government funding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’.
The remaining 25% of the project cost will have to be borne by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) whose constituents
will be Indian private entities and State Governments.
• The Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in UP and TN may be given preference for setting up of DTIs, being the
focus areas. These corridors have been selected as they are expected to support a large number of industries involved
in defence and aerospace manufacturing in the future. However, the Scheme is not limited to setting up DTIs in the
DICs only.
• The Constitution provides that every state shall constitute at the district level, a district planning committee to consolidate
the plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities in the district, and to prepare a draft development plan for the
district as a whole. The state legislature may make provisions with respect to the following:
o The composition of such committees;
o The manner of election of members of such committees;
o The functions of such committees in relation to district planning; and
o The manner of the election of the chairpersons of such committees.
• The act lays down that four-fifths of the members of a district planning committee should be elected by the elected
members of the district panchayat and municipalities in the district from amongst themselves.
• The representation of these members in the committee should be in proportion to the ratio between the rural and
urban populations in the district.
Article 303 deals with the restrictions on the legislative powers of the Union and of the States with regard to trade
and commerce.
o Nothing in clause (1) shall prevent Parliament from making any law giving, or authorizing the giving of, any
preference or making, or authorizing the making of, any discrimination if it is declared by such law that it is
necessary to do so for the purpose of dealing with a situation arising from scarcity of goods in any part of the
territory of India.
The property of Centre is exempted from all taxes imposed by a state or any authority within a state. The
word ‘property’ includes lands, buildings, chattels, shares, debts, everything that has a money value, and every
kind of property— movable or immovable and tangible or intangible. Further, the property may be used for
sovereign (like armed forces) or commercial purposes.
Katkari is one of the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups found in Maharashtra (Pune, Raigad and
Thane districts) and part sof Gujarat. Katkaris are also known as Kathodis because of their old occupation of
making Katha (Catechu) the thickened sap from wood of Khair (Acacia catechu).
In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on panchayati raj institutions under the
chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. The three-tier system of panchayati raj should be replaced by the two-tier
system, that is, zila parishad at the district level, and below it, the mandal panchayat consisting of a group of
villages with a total population of 15,000 to 20,000. • Due to the collapse of the Janata Government before the completion of its term, no action could be taken on the
recommendations of the Ashok Mehta Committee at the central level.
• All the other committees mentioned - Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, Thungon Committee and Gadgil Committee –
recommended a three-tier system of Panchayati raj.
Estimates committee was first constituted in 1950 on the recommendations of John Mathai the then finance
minister. Only Lok Sabha , not more than 30 members.
• Mission Sagar is India’s helping hand across the Indian Ocean Region. Mission Sagar’ is inspired by the Prime
Minister’s vision of SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region.
• Indian Navy has launched Operation “Samudra Setu”, as a part of national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from
overseas. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa and Magar are presently en-route to the port of Malè, the Republic of Maldives to
commence evacuation operations.
• Operation Warp Speed is public-private partnership, initiated by USA, to facilitate and accelerate the development,
manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
• About Curative Petition: The concept of the curative petition first evolved by the Supreme Court in Rupa Ashok
Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra & another case (2002) on the question whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief
against the final judgement/order of the Supreme Court, even after the dismissal of a review petition.
• It is based on interpretation of Article 137, which provides that in the matter of laws and rules made under
Article 145, Supreme Court has the power to review any judgement pronounced (or order made) by it.
o A curative petition may be filed after a review plea against the final conviction is dismissed.
o It can be entertained if the petitioner establishes that there was a violation of the principles of natural justice, and that
he was not heard by the court before passing an order.
o A curative petition must be first circulated to a Bench of the three senior-most judges, and the judges who
passed the concerned judgment, if available. Only when a majority of the judges conclude that the matter needs
hearing should it be listed before the same Bench.
o A curative petition is usually decided by judges in the chamber unless a specific request for an open court
hearing is allowed.
• Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report monitors global, regional and country progress on the three targets of
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7: access to energy and clean cooking, renewable energy, and energy
efficiency.
• The report is produced by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank and the World Health Organization
(WHO). The 2020 edition was chaired by IRENA.
By a resolution of the Constituent Assembly passed on the 21st December 1946, the following members, viz. The
Hon'ble Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, The Hon'ble Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, The Hon'ble Sardar Vallabhbhai
J. Patel, Dr. B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Mr. Shankarrao Deo, The Hon'ble Sir N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
were appointed as a Committee to confer with the Negotiating Committee set up by the Chamber of Princes, and
with other representatives of Indian States.
• A judge may be removed from office through a motion adopted by Parliament on grounds of ‘proven misbehaviour or
incapacity’. While Constitution does not use the word impeachment, it is colloquially used to refer to proceedings under
Article 124 (for the removal of a Supreme Court judge) and Article 218 (for the removal of a High Court judge).
• The Constitution provides that a judge can be removed only by an order of the President, based on a motion passed by
both Houses of Parliament.
• The procedure for removal of judges is elaborated in the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968.
•Centrally Sponsored Scheme - "Scheme for Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)" for the
Unorganized Sector on All India basis with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore was launched recently. The expenditure
will be shared by GOI and the States in ratio of 60:40.
• Objectives:
o Increase access to finance
o Increase in revenues of target enterprises
o Enhanced compliance with food quality and safety standards
o Strengthening capacities of support systems
o Special focus on Women entrepreneurs and Aspirational Districts.
o Encourage Waste to Wealth activities
o Focus on minor forest produce in Tribal Districts
o Transition from the unorganized sector to the formal sector
• Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Under the said Act,
the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all
parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law.
• The persons deciding the cases in the Lok Adalats are called the members of the Lok Adalats, they have the role of
statutory conciliators only and do not have any judicial role; therefore they can only persuade the parties to come to a
conclusion for settling the dispute outside the court in the Lok Adalat and shall not pressurize or coerce any of the
parties to compromise or settle cases or matters either directly or indirectly.
• National Level Lok Adalats are held for at regular intervals where on a single day Lok Adalats are held throughout the
country, in all the courts right from the Supreme Court till the Taluk Levels wherein cases are disposed off in huge
numbers. At every level retired or sitting judges, Social workers, retired judicial officers can become members.
• Permanent Lok Adalats have been set up as permanent bodies with a Chairman and two members for providing
compulsory pre-litigative mechanism for conciliation and settlement of cases relating to Public Utility Services like
transport, postal, telegraph etc. The jurisdiction of the Permanent Lok Adalats is Up to Rs. 1 crore. The award of
the Permanent Lok Adalat is final and binding upon the parties.
Recently, tensions among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)
on the Blue Nile have escalated, particularly after Ethiopia announced that it had started filling the GERD’s
reservoir, an action contrary to Egypt’s mandate that the dam not be filled without a legally binding agreement
over the equitable allocation of the Nile’s waters.
o PMFBY has until now been a voluntary scheme only for non-loanee farmers, while mandatory for those availing
crop loans from banks. Under the new guidelines, the enrolment is made 100% voluntary for all farmers from
2020 kharif.
o The Cabinet has decided to cap the Centre’s premium subsidy under these schemes for premium rates up to 30% for
unirrigated areas/crops and 25% for irrigated areas/crops.
o In the revamped PMFBY, if states don’t release their share before March 31 for the Kharif season and September 30
for rabi, they would not be allowed to participate in the scheme in subsequent seasons. Insurance companies have to now
spend 0.5% of the total premium collected on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
• Third Schedule Forms of Oaths or Affirmations for:
1. The Union ministers
2. The candidates for election to the Parliament
3. The members of Parliament
4. The judges of the Supreme Court
5. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
6. The state ministers
7. The candidates for election to the state legislature
8. The members of the state legislature
9. The judges of the High Courts
• Article 17: "Untouchability" is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. To give effect to this Article,
Parliament made an enactment viz., Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955. To make the provisions of this Act more
stringent, the Act was amended in 1976 and was also renamed as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955.
• Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President under Articles 124(2) and 217.
• FIRST JUDGES CASE: In S P Gupta Vs Union of India, 1981, the Supreme Court by a majority judgment held that the
concept of primacy of the Chief Justice of India was not really to be found in the Constitution. The Constitution Bench also
held that the term “consultation” used in Articles 124 and 217 was not “concurrence” – meaning that although the President
will consult these functionaries, his decision was not bound to be in concurrence with all of them.
• SECOND JUDGES CASE: In the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association Vs Union of India, 1993, a nine-
judge Constitution Bench overruled the decision in S P Gupta, and devised a specific procedure called ‘Collegium System’
for the appointment and transfer of judges in the higher judiciary.
• THIRD JUDGES CASE: In 1998, President K R Narayanan issued a Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court over
the meaning of the term “consultation” under Article 143 of the Constitution. The recommendation should be made by
the CJI and his four senior most colleagues.
• It was also held that even if two judges gave an adverse opinion, the CJI should not send the recommendation to the
government.
• The second part of Article 22 (Preventive Detention) is available to both citizens as well as aliens and includes
o The detention of a person cannot exceed three months unless the advisory board reports sufficient
cause for extended detention. The board is to consist of judges of a high court.
o The grounds of detention should be communicated to the detenu. However, the facts considered to be against the
public interest need not be disclosed.
o The detenu should be afforded an opportunity to make a representation against the detention order.
• The Constitution has divided the legislative power with regard to preventive detention between the Parliament
and the state legislatures.
• National Security Act (NSA), 1980 was enacted by the parliament to implement Article 22 of the constitution that
provides for Protection Against Arrest and Detention.
Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was brought in to include the chairpersons of the
National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights,
and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the National Human Rights
Commission.
Project AHANA, working for a world where no child is born with HIV/ AIDS. It focuses on the elimination
of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and is implemented by Plan India with support from The Global Fund.
More than 50% of India’s pregnancies occur in villages and blocks, where the availability of HIV testing in health
facilities remains a challenge.
•Parliament has recently passed legislation to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 31 to 34
including the Chief Justice of India.
• Constitutional provisions Originally, under Article 124 of the Indian Constitution the strength of Supreme Court was
fixed at eight (one chief justice and seven other judges).
• Article 124 (1) provides the power to the Parliament to increase the number of judges if it deems necessary.
Regarding Citizenship, it only identifies the persons who became citizens of India at its commencement (i.e., on
January 26, 1950). It does not deal with the problem of acquisition or loss of citizenship subsequent to its
commencement. It empowered the Parliament to enact a law to provide for such matters and any other matter
relating to citizenship. Accordingly, the parliament has enacted the Citizenship Act, 1955, which has been
amended in 1957, 1960, 1985,1986, 1992, 2003, 2005 and 2015.
In Sodan Singh v. New Delhi Municipal Committee, the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court distinguished
the concept of life and liberty within Art.21 from the right to carry on any trade or business, a fundamental right
conferred by Art. 19(1)(g) and held the right to carry on trade or business is not included in the concept of
life and personal liberty.
On May 28, 2020 'World Dugong Day' was celebrated.
• Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called as ‘Sea Cow’ is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the
only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea including in India.
• Dugongs are protected in India and occur in Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch and Andaman and Nicobar
islands. Once abundant in Indian waters, Dugong population has now reduced to about 200 individuals and is believed to
be continuously declining in its number and range.
• Constitution has not prescribed the qualifications of the members of the Election Commission.
• Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission.
• Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.
• The expenditure incurred by the ECI is not charged on the Consolidated Fund of India (as in the case of CAG or
Supreme Court); rather it is voted by the parliament.
• Fazl Ali Commission: (1953) It’s other two members were KM Panikkar and H N Kunzru. It submitted its report in
September 1955 and broadly accepted language as the basis of reorganization of states. But, it rejected the theory
of ‘one language– one state’.
• JVP Committee: (Dec 1948) to examine the whole question afresh. It consisted of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai
Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya and hence, was popularly known as JVP Committee6. It submitted its report in April
1949 and formally rejected language as the basis for reorganization of states.
• Dhar Commission: (June 1948) The commission submitted its report in December 1948 and recommended the
reorganization of states on the basis of administrative convenience rather than linguistic factor.
• Article 74 provides for a Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President while Article 75 deals with the
appointment, tenure, responsibility, qualification, oath and salaries and allowances of the ministers.
According to Article 118, the President, after consultation with the Chairman of the Council of States and the
Speaker of Lok Sabha, is responsible for making rules regarding procedure with respect to joint sittings.
Government of India Act, 1935: state had the power to borrow outside India with the consent of the centre.
• When the vacancy is going to be caused by the expiration of the term of the sitting President, an election to fill the
vacancy must be held before the expiration of the term. In case of any delay in conducting the election of new President
by any reason, outgoing President continues to hold office (beyond term of 5 years) until his successor assumes charge.
• This is provided by the Constitution in order to prevent an ‘interregnum’. In this situation, the Vice-President does
not get the opportunity to act as President or to discharge the functions of the President.
• Article 81 of the constitution defines the composition of the House of the people of Lok Sabha.
• SC in Nabam Rebia vs. Deputy Speaker on July 13, 2016, held that a Governor cannot employ his ‘discretion’, and
should strictly abide by the “aid and advice” of the Cabinet to summon the House.
• The Supreme Court highlighted that Article 163 of the Constitution does not give the Governor a “general discretionary
power to act against or without the advice of his Council of Ministers”.
There are 8 committees of which Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs is headed by the Minister of
Defence and the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation are headed by Home Minister.
o Every Panchayat at the village level shall be required to obtain from the Gram Sabha a certification of the utilization
of funds for the above plans, programmes and projects.
o The reservation of seats in the Scheduled Areas in every Panchayat shall be in proportion to the population of the
communities for whom the reservation is sought to be given under Part IX of the Constitution.
o However, the reservation for the Scheduled Tribes shall not be less than one-half of the total number of seats.
Further, all seats of Chairpersons of Panchayats at all levels shall be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
o The recommendations of the Gram Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be mandatory for
grant of prospecting license or mining lease for minor minerals(not major) in the Scheduled Areas.
•24 standing committees cover under their jurisdiction all the ministries /departments of the Central Government.
Each standing committee consists of 31members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). The members
of the Lok Sabha are nominated by the Speaker from amongst its own members, just as the members of Rajya Sabha
are nominated by the chairman from amongst its members. A minister is not eligible to be nominated as a member of
any of the standing committees. In case a member, after his nomination to any of the standing committees, is
appointed a minister, he then ceases to be a member of the committee. The term of office of each standing committee
is one year from the date of its constitution. Out of the 24 standing committees, 8 work under Rajya Sabha and 16
under the Lok Sabha.
• Business Advisory Committee: The Lok Sabha committee consists of 15 members including the Speaker as its
chairman. In the Rajya Sabha, it has 11 members including the Chairman as its Ex-officio chairman.
• Rules Committee: The Lok Sabha committee consists of 15 members including the Speaker as its ex-officio
chairman. In the Rajya Sabha, it consists of 16 members including the Chairman as its Ex-officio chairman.
• Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions: This is a special committee of the Lok Sabha and consists
of 15 members including the Deputy Speaker as its chairman.
Under rules formulated by G V Mavalankar, the first Speaker of Lok Sabha, a party must have at least 10%
of the strength of the House in order to qualify to be designated as a parliamentary party and the leader of
the largest such parliamentary party in the opposition ranks is designated Leader of Opposition.
MEA has set up New and Emerging Strategic Technologies (NEST) Division to engage in technology
diplomacy and deal with the foreign policy and international legal aspects of new and emerging technologies.
World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $500 million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and
Results for States Program (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six
Indian states (Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan). Some
250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit
from the program.
Rajya Sabha Forum on Panchayati Raj: with the Hon'ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, as the ex-officio
President of the Forum and the Minister of Panchayati Raj as the ex-officio Vice-President of the Forum.
• The Forum shall consist of not more than 15 members of Rajya Sabha, to be nominated by the Hon'ble Chairman,
Rajya Sabha, from amongst members who have special knowledge or keen interest in the subject.
The DTEE project supports transport decarbonization in Argentina, Azerbaijan, India and Morocco and
not all the developing economies of the world.
• NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of OECD jointly launched the ‘Decarbonizing
Transport in Emerging Economies’ (DTEE) project in India. The ambitious five-year project will help India develop a
pathway towards a low-carbon transport system through the development of modelling tools and policy scenarios.
• On April 29th, 2018, at the Ministerial Conference on Maritime Safety and Security held in Mauritius, five States
from the ESA-IO Region, namely Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Union of Comoros and Seychelles, signed the
Regional Agreement for the Setting up of a Regional Maritime Information Exchange and Sharing Mechanism the
Western Indian Ocean.
• Madagascar has been confirmed by the States of the ESA-IO region as the host country of the RMIFC
• Role and Missions of the RMIFC: Consistent with the objectives set out in the Regional Agreement for the Setting up of
a Regional Maritime Information Exchange and Sharing Mechanism in the Western Indian Ocean region of April 29th, 2018,
in its article 3, the missions of the RMIFC is to:
o Collect, fuse and analyze maritime information;
o Establish a regional Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) and maintain a Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP);
o Interact with the Regional Center of Operations Co-ordination (RCOC) ;
o Produce reports and studies related to regional maritime safety and security and the marine domain in general.
• Area of Interest:
o Based on information from Parties and Partners, the RMIFC receives, processes, fuses, stores, shares and exchanges
information with the objective of issuing an alert in the event of imminent or proven danger to maritime security and safety
in its general area of interest considered to be the regional maritime space laying between latitudes 26 ° North and 37 °
South and longitudes 20 ° East and 76 ° East. The general area of interest of the RMIFC is complementary to that of the
IFC Singapore in the east and the Gulf of Guinea maritime safety and security architecture in the west.
o The Committee to review the existing Administrative Arrangements for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation
Programmes under the chairmanship of G.V.K. Rao was appointed by the Planning Commission in 1985.
o In 1986, the Rajiv Gandhi government appointed a committee to prepare a concept paper on ‘Revitalization of
Panchayati Raj Institutions for Democracy and Development’ under the chairmanship of L M Singhvi.
o In 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institutions under chairmanship of Ashoka
Mehta. The committee submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the
declining Panchayati Raj system in the country.
As per Part IX of the constitution, all questions of disqualifications of members of Panchayat shall be
referred to such authority as the state legislature determines.
• Twelfth Schedule: It contains the following 18 functional items placed within the purview of municipalities:
o Urban planning including town planning.
o Regulation of land use and construction of buildings;
o Planning for economic and social development;
o Roads and bridges;
o Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes;
o Public health, sanitation, conservancy and solid waste management.
o Fire services;
o Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of ecological aspects;
o Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including the handicapped and mentally retarded;
o Slum improvement and up-gradation;
o Urban poverty alleviation;
o Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens, playgrounds;
o Promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects;
o Burials and burial grounds, cremations and cremation grounds and electric crematoriums;
o Cattle ponds, prevention of cruelty to animals;
o Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths;
o Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops and public conveniences; and
o Regulation of slaughterhouses and tanneries.
• Traffic management is recommended by 2nd ARC report but still not included in 12th Schedule.
Petrapole is the Indian side of Petrapole-Benapole border checkpoint between India and Benapole of
Bangladesh, on the Bangladesh-India border, near Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Petrapole border is the only land port in south Bengal. It is also the largest land customs station in Asia.
• The Central Council of Local Government was set up in 1954. It was constituted under Article 263 of the
Constitution of India by an order of the President of India.
• Originally, it was known as the Central Council of Local Self-Government. However, the term ‘self government’
was found to be superfluous and hence was replaced by the term ‘government’ in the 1980s. Till 1958, it dealt with
both urban as well as rural local governments, but after 1958 it has been dealing with matters of urban local
government only.
• The Council is an advisory body. It consists of the Minister for Urban Development in the Government of
India and the ministers for local self-government in states. The Union Minister of Urban Development
acts as the chairman of the council.
• The institutions of urban local government originated and developed in modern India during the period of British rule.
o In 1687-88, the first municipal corporation in India was set up at Madras.
o In 1726, the municipal corporations were set up in Bombay and Calcutta.
o Lord Mayo’s Resolution of 1870 on financial decentralization visualized the development of local self-
government institutions.
o Lord Ripon’s Resolution of 1882 has been hailed as the ‘Magna Carta’ of local self-government. He is called the
father of local-self government in India.
o The Royal Commission on decentralization was appointed in 1907 and it submitted its report in 1909. Its chairman
was Hobhouse.
o Under the dyarchy scheme introduced in Provinces by the Government of India Act of 1919, local self-government
became a transferred subject under the charge of a responsible Indian minister.
o In 1924, the Cantonments Act was passed by the Central legislature.
o Under the provincial autonomy scheme introduced by the Government of India Act of 1935, local self-government
was declared a provincial subject.
• Introduced in 1964, Committee on Public Undertakings is a type of Financial Committee which came into existence
on the recommendations of Krishna Menon Committee.
• This financial committee has 22 members. Out of 22 members, 15 are elected from Lok Sabha and 7 members are
elected from Rajya Sabha Hence statement 1 is not correct
• The members of the committee are elected annually (for one year) by the Parliament from amongst its members. The
principle of Proportional Representation (PR) by means of Single Transferable Vote (STV.)
• Lok Sabha speaker has the authority to appoint the chairman of the committee from amongst the members of Lok Sabha.
Hence, there is no representation of Rajya Sabha members as a chairman of the committee.
Question Hour: The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slotted for this. During this time, the members
ask questions and the ministers usually give answers. The questions are of three kinds, namely, starred, unstarred
and short notice. Starred question (distinguished by an asterisk) requires an oral answer and hence
supplementary questions can follow. Unstarred question, on the other hand, requires a written answer and
hence, supplementary questions cannot follow. Short notice question is one that is asked by giving a notice of
fewer than ten days. It is answered orally.
Article 87 provides for the special address by the President. It provides that at the commencement of the
first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first
session of each year, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform
Parliament of the causes of its summons. Such an Address is called 'special address'; and it is also an annual
feature.
Each year the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of 10 in total) for a two-year
term. In accordance with the General Assembly resolution 1991 (XVIII) of 17 December 1963, the 10 non-
permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows: five for African and Asian States; one for the
Eastern European States; two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and two for Western European and
other States.
India has signed with partner countries, viz., Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with
the United States (US) in August 2016, Implementing Arrangement Concerning Mutual Coordination,
Logistics and Services Support with Singapore in June 2018, Agreement for the Provision of Reciprocal
Logistics Support between the Armed Forces with France in March 2018, Agreement to Extend Logistical
Support to each other’s navies with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in September 2019, the Reciprocal
Logistics Support Agreement (RLSA) with Russia (not yet signed) and, most recently, it signed similar
agreements with Australia and Japan. Similar agreement is in the pipeline to be signed with United Kingdom.
India has no such agreement with Israel as of now.
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit, Public Sector Enterprise,
set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.
• An ELISA (enzyme based) test may be used to diagnose:
o HIV, which causes AIDS
o Lyme disease
o pernicious anemia
o Rocky Mountain spotted fever
o rotavirus
o squamous cell carcinoma
o syphilis
o toxoplasmosis
o varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles
o Zika virus.
• The origin of ELISA was the idea of finding an alternative method to substitute radioimmunoassay (RIA).
An immunoassay is a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a
small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody or an antigen. Before the invention of ELISA, RIA
is the only method to conduct immunoassay.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) is a statutory body constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961 to regulate and
represent the Indian bar.
The salary and allowances payable to and the other conditions of service of— (a) the Central Vigilance
Commissioner shall be the same as those of the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission; (b) the
Vigilance Commissioner shall be the same as those of a Member of the Union Public Service Commission.
ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) aims to provide reliable annual estimates of children’s
schooling status and basic learning levels for each state and rural district in India. It is the largest citizen-led
survey in India and is also the only annual source of information on children’s learning outcomes available in
India today. It is published by NGO Pratham.
• GGI is used to track the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at state level. The identified sectors and
indicators are directly linked to some of the critical SDG.
• The Department of Administrative Reform and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India partnered
with Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Hyderabad in designing and development of Good Governance Index.
• In RC Cooper vs. Union of India (1970) the Supreme Court, while examining the constitutionality of the Banking
Companies (Acquisition of Undertakings) Ordinance, 1969 which sought to nationalize 14 of India’s largest commercial
banks, held that the President’s decision could be challenged on the grounds that ‘immediate action’ was not
required; and the Ordinance had been passed primarily to bypass debate and discussion in the legislature.
• In AK Roy vs. Union of India (1982) while examining the constitutionality of the National Security Ordinance, 1980,
which sought to provide for preventive detention in certain cases, the Court argued that the President’s Ordinance
making power is not beyond the scope of judicial review. However, it did not explore the issue further as there was
insufficient evidence before it and the Ordinance was replaced by an Act. It also pointed out the need to exercise
judicial review over the President’s decision only when there were substantial grounds to challenge the decision,
and not at “every casual and passing challenge".
• In T Venkata Reddy vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (1985), while deliberating on the promulgation of the Andhra
Pradesh Abolition of Posts of Part-time Village Officers Ordinance, 1984 which abolished certain village level posts, the
Court reiterated that the Ordinance making power of the President and the Governor was a legislative power,
comparable to the legislative power of the Parliament and state legislatures respectively. This implies that the
motives behind the exercise of this power cannot be questioned, just as is the case with legislation by the Parliament and
state legislatures.
• It was argued in DC Wadhwa vs. State of Bihar (1987) the legislative power of the executive to promulgate
Ordinances is to be used in exceptional circumstances and not as a substitute for the law making power of the
legislature. Here, the court was examining a case where a state government (under the authority of the Governor)
continued to re-promulgate ordinances, that is, it repeatedly issued new Ordinances to replace the old ones, instead of
laying them before the state legislature. A total of 259 Ordinances were re-promulgated, some of them for as long as 14
years. The Supreme Court argued that if Ordinance making was made a usual practice, creating an ‘Ordinance raj’
the courts could strike down re-promulgated Ordinances.
• National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) aims to provide an enabling provision and platform for
proactive and open access to the data generated by various Government of India entities.
• The National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy will apply to all data and information created, generated, collected
and archived using public funds provided by Government of India directly or through authorized agencies by various
Ministries/Departments/Organizations/Agencies and Autonomous bodies.
• The Department of Science and Technology is serving the nodal functions of coordination and monitoring of policy
through close collaboration with all Central Ministries and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology by
creating data.gov.in through National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The Public Financial Management System (PFMS) is a web-based online software application that tracks
payments by Government departments. It is developed and implemented by the Controller General of Accounts
(CGA) in the Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry. The biggest strength of PFMS is its
integration with the banking network in the country.
Banks Board Bureau recommends for selection of heads - Public Sector Banks and Financial Institutions
and helps banks in developing strategies and capital raising plans.
o Gore Committee on Police Training (1971-73): was constituted to review the state of police training in the country
and suggest improvements.
o Ribeiro Committee on Police Reforms (1998): was set up by the Supreme Court to examine if the National Police
Commission‘s recommendations were still relevant or that any modifications were called for.
o Padmanabhaiah Committee on Police Reforms (2000): was set up to examine the requirements of policing in the
new millennium.
o Group of Ministers on National Security (2000-01): examined the reports of various Committees which were set
up in the wake of Pakistan‘s aggression in Kargil, including the one dealing with internal security, and suggested
comprehensive measures to strengthen the internal and external security apparatus.
o Malimath Committee on Reforms of Criminal Justice System (2001-3): was of the view that the present
Adversarial System could be improved by adopting some features of the Inquisitorial System, and recommended that
'Quest for Truth‘ should be the guiding principle of the entire criminal justice system. The Committee suggested
significant changes in the Criminal Procedure Code to expedite the disposal of cases and in the Evidence Act to
facilitate securing of convictions.
• The Jan Chowkidar (People’s watch) is a Patna based NGO. Its plea centred around Sections 62 of the RoPA 1951.
Section 62 of the act said:
o Only an elector can be a representative. If a person is not qualified to vote, he cannot represent the people.
o Section 62 implies that if a person is jailed or in lawful detention at the time of elections, he shall not be eligible for
voting. However, if a person is in preventive custody, he can vote.
o The question was that – If only an elector can be representative, then how those who lose being an elector on account of
their jail or custody, can contest the elections?
o In 2004, the Patna High Court had that when a person in custody is disqualified from voting he or she must be disqualified
from contesting in elections too.
• Lily Thomas v. Union of India case, 2004
o SC ruled that any Member of Parliament (MP), Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Member of a Legislative
Council (MLC) who is convicted of a crime and given a minimum of two years' imprisonment, loses membership of the
House with immediate effect.
o This is in contrast to the earlier position, wherein convicted members held on to their seats until they exhausted all judicial
remedy in lower, state and the Supreme court of India. Further, Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, which
allowed elected representatives three months to appeal their conviction.
• PUCL Case, 2004
o SC upheld the constitutional right of citizens to cast a negative vote in elections.
o Supreme Court held that a Right to vote also includes a right not to vote i.e. right to reject. which has its genus in freedom
of speech and expression.
o Also, the Right to secrecy is an integral part of a free and fair election. While the name of the voters who have not cast
their votes was publically disclosed, but by casting a negative vote, secrecy will be maintained.
o The judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in this case, is significant not only because it introduced the option of
NOTA on the EVMs but also because it dignified the right to vote
• In the LIC of India case, 1995, the Supreme Court held that the Preamble is an integral part of the Constitution.
Law Commission of India: The Law Commission of India is a non-constitutional, non-statutory body constituted by
the Government of India from time to time. It is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India.
• The tenure of the Commission is three years. It is usually re-constituted after every three years.
• The Law Commission of India is an advisory body to the government for legal reforms in India. The recommendations
of the Law Commission is not binding upon the government.
Bhutan’s foreign ministry has issued a demarche to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi for the claims made by
Beijing over Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, situated in eastern Bhutan.
o At 2,967, India hosts 70% of the world’s tigers. Tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6% per annum
(2006 to 2018). Nearly a third of India’s tigers are living outside tiger reserves.
o According to the report on the condition of all 50 tiger reserves, Madhya Pradesh (526) has the maximum
number of tigers followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
Under Article 344, The President shall, at the expiration of five years from the commencement of this
Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of ten years from such commencement, by order constitute
Commission which shall consist of a Chairman and such other members representing the different languages
specified in the Eighth Schedule as the President may appoint, and the order shall define the procedure to be
followed by the Commission.
• The expression “office of profit” has not been defined in the Constitution or in the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• It is for the courts to explain the significance and meaning of this concept. Over the years, courts have decided this issue in the context of specific factual situations.
• But, articles 102 (1) and 191(1) which give effect to the concept of office of profit prescribe restrictions at the central and state level on lawmakers accepting government positions.
Role of Judiciary in defining the ‘office of profit:
The Supreme Court in Pradyut Bordoloi vs Swapan Roy (2001) outlined the four broad principles for determining whether an office attracts the constitutional disqualification.
1. First, whether the government exercises control over appointment, removal and perf ormance of the functions of the office
2. Second, whether the office has any remuneration attached to it 3. Third, whether the body in which the office is held has government powers (releasing money,
allotment of land, granting licenses etc.). 4. Fourth, whether the office enables the holder to influence by way of patronage.
The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-
2016, according to the special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18, released by the Office of the Registrar
General’s Sample Registration System (SRS). At (215), Assam had the highest while Kerala lowest (43).
• e-Pramaan is a standards-based National e-Authentication framework, which facilitates authentication and security
of users accessing various government services on mobile and fixed platforms. It aims to consolidate disparate identity
documents across government departments including driving license, PAN, voter ID, etc. under a single digital profile.
• In order to utilize and harness the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India has embarked upon an ambitious
initiative - "GI Cloud" which has been named as "MeghRaj". The focus of this initiative is to accelerate delivery of e-
services in the country while optimizing ICT spending of the Government.
• The Mission of e-Kranti is to ensure a Government-wide transformation by delivering all Government services
electronically to citizens through integrated and interoperable systems via multiple modes while ensuring efficiency,
transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs.
National e-Governance Services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)framework primarily assessed all the service
portals (State/UT and Central Ministry service portals) on 7 key parameters, viz. Accessibility, Content
Availability, Ease of Use, Information Security & Privacy, End service Delivery, Integrated Service Delivery and
Status & Request Tracking.
• The framework covers six sectors, viz. Finance, Labour & Employment, Education, Local Government & Utilities,
Social Welfare (including Agriculture & Health) and Environment (including Fire) sectors. The framework covers
services under G2B (especially to small businesses) and G2C segments, in these six sectors.
As per Section 25 of the RTI Act, the Central Vigilance Commission is required to prepare an annual report
on the implementation of the provisions of the Act during that year which is to be forwarded to the appropriate
Government, which, in turn, is required to lay the report before each House of Parliament.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recently announced a new category of awards titled
‘Prerak Dauur Samman’ as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.
• Swachh Survekshan, conducted by MoHUA since 2016, is the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
• The Prerak Dauur Samman has a total of five additional subcategories -Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal
(Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) - with the top three cities being recognized in each.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights is a statutory body established in 2007 under the
Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. It is a multimember body consisting of a
chairperson and six members, out of which at least two are women. The chairman is a person of eminence
who has done a outstanding work for promoting the welfare of children.
• Special Invitees of NITI Aayog : Experts, specialists and practitioners are nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Full-time Organizational Framework: In addition to the Prime Minister as the Chairperson:
o Vice-Chairperson
o Members: Full-time,
Green-Ag Project: aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management and ensure
49 million Carbon dioxides equivalent sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.
o The project will be implemented in Mizoram, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand. It is
funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’
Welfare is the national executing agency.
o Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and MoEF&CC.
• Arunachal Pradesh: 3097 MW Etalin Hydropower Project is proposed to be constructed over Dri and Tangon
Rivers, situated inside the Dibang catchment zone.
• Sikkim: 1200 MW Teesta III Hydroelectric Project on River Teesta.
• Manipur: The Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed 1500 MW hydroelectric project which is going to be built on the
Barak River.
• Some other hydro-projects in N.E. India
o Mizoram: Tuirial H.E. Project on Tuirial river
o Nagaland: Doyang H.E. Project on river Doyang (a tributary of the River Brahmaputra)
o Assam: Kopili H.E. Project on Kopili River
o Arunachal Pradesh:
▪ Ranganadi H.E. Project on Ranganadi river
▪ Pare H.E. Project on river Dikrong (a tributary of river Brahmaputra)
▪ Kameng H.E. Project utilizes the flows from Bichom and Tenga Rivers (both tributaries of the River Kameng).
o Part-time Members: Maximum of 2.
o Ex-Officio Members: Maximum of 4.
o Chief Executive Officer: He is appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the
Government of India,
• First and Second Meetings of Governing council were held in 2015, the third in 2017 and fifth meeting in 2019.
The Churachandpur Mao runs north-south into Myanmar along the border of Champhai and the Mat Fault runs
northwest-southeast across Mizoram, beneath the river Mat near Serchhip.
All SAARC members except India (only signatory) and Bhutan (neither signatory nor ratified) haven’t
ratified Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
• The Centre has announced the formation of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee
(DDCMC) to be named 'Disha' for effective development coordination of almost all the programmes of Central
Government, whether it is for infrastructure development or Social and human resource development. These Committees
would monitor the implementation of 28 schemes and programmes of Ministry of Rural Development and other
Ministries to promote synergy and convergence for greater impact. Main purpose of this committee is to coordinate
with Central and State and local Panchayat Governments, for successful and timely implementation of schemes.
• The meetings of the committee should be held once in every Quarter (Third Saturdays of April, July, October and
February) and this has been made mandatory. The Chairperson of the committee will be the senior most Member of
Parliament (Lok Sabha) elected from the district, nominated by the Ministry of Rural Development.
NGO-DARPAN portal creates healthy partnership between VOs/NGOs and Government of India. It provides
interface between VOs/NGOs and the key government ministries/departments/government bodies.
• National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is a multi-member body consisting of a chairperson and five members.
• The chairperson should be retired chief justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court and members should be a
serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, a serving or retired chief justice of a high court and three persons (out
of which at least one should be a woman) having knowledge or practical experience with respect to human rights.
• In addition to these full-time members, the commission also has seven ex-officio members–the chairpersons of the
National Commission for Minorities, the National Commission for SCs, the National Commission for STs, the National
Commission for Women, the National Commission for BCs and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
• Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019 included Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes,
Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons
with Disabilities as ex-officio Members of the Commission. Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities was
already an ex-officio member of NHRC.
• Baswan Committee was appointed by UPSC in 2016 to examine the plan of civil services examination, UPSC in
three stages, number of papers, structure and duration of civil service exams, marking scheme of papers, weightage of
marks and system of evaluation of the civil services examination.
• The Civil Services Examination Review Committee, 2001 (Professor Yoginder K. Alagh) recommended major
changes in the structure of the examination system for recruitment to the civil services. It favoured testing the candidates
in a common subject rather than on optional subjects.
• The Committee on Civil Service Reforms (Hota Committee Report, 2004) made recommendations, on recruitment
and recommended that the age for entrants to the higher civil services should be between 21-24 years with a five years’
age concession for members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and three years’ for the Other Backward Classes.
It also recommended that aptitude and leadership tests may be introduced for selection, and that probationers may be
allowed one month’s time after commencement of training to exercise their option for Services.
