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Topper's From IASbaba

162 Ranks UPSC CSE 2021 Topper's from IASbaba- 30 in Top 100 Ranks makes it even more special!

Dear Friends, It is wonderful news for us here at IASbaba. The sense of joy has no bounds today as something that we started with pure passion has borne the fruit. At IASbaba the focus from day one has been on quality and every year thousands of students realize why we are the most trusted and reliable portal! We are happy to announce that our students have bagged 30 out of the top 100 ranks, and over 162 have been successful in UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2021. These 162 students have been part of our Baba's Foundation Couse (Baba's FC), Integrated Learning Program (ILP), Gurukul, Think Learn Perform (TLP) Mains Test Series, TLP Connect (Prelims + Mains Test Series), and Prelims Test Series (AIPTS) and Interview Mentorship Program (IMP) and 60 Days RaRe Series. List of IASbaba’s Toppers UPSC CSE 2021 Rank Roll Number Name Programme 12 859275 YASHARTH SHEKHAR AIPTS - Prelims Test Series 13 511100 PRIYAMVADA ASHOK MHADDALKAR 60 Days RaRe Prelims Programme IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 15 7600782 C YASWANTHKUMAR REDDY TLP+ Mains Test Series 16 849748 Anshu Priya TLP Mains Test Series 20 854091 Arpit Chauhan TLP+ Mains Test Series 24 5110593 PUSAPATI SAHITYA TLP Mains Test Series 26 4121721 UTSAV ANAND 60 Days RaRe Prelims Programme TLP Mains Test Series 29 7102140 BHAVISHYA IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 33 3516855 JASPINDER SINGH TLP Mains Test Series 34 6305384 SHASHVAT SANGWAN TLP+ Mains Test Series 40 854740 KUSHAL JAIN ILP - Integrated Learning Programme 41 807878 Sonali Dev IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 43 623772 SHUBHAM SHUKLA 60 Days RaRe Prelims Programme IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 44 7808206 ANJALI SHROTRIYA Baba's Gurukull Geography Optional Foundation Course Prelims Exclusive Program (PEP) 54 6000943 ARPIT GUPTA TLP Mains Test Series 55 861023 PRATIBHA DAHIYA TLP+ Mains Test Series 58 861281 DIVYA SHAKTI ILP - Integrated Learning Programme 61 3512239 MOHIT KASNIYA TLP Mains Test Series 62 6206389 TIRUMANI SRI POOJA TLP Mains Test Series 71 6808285 SHREYA SHREE TLP Mains Test Series 75 7002601 SURBHI SINGLA TLP Mains Test Series 78 810011 SURBHI GOYAL TLP Mains Test Series 80 3532741 NIKHIL MAHAJAN ILP - Integrated Learning Programme TLP Mains Test Series 84 6306576 Sujawal Jagga TLP Mains Test Series 86 5304116 GOURAB KUMAR AGARWAL TLP Mains Test Series 87 1203664 S SIVANANDHAM TLP Mains Test Series 88 8102300 AMAN AGARWAL TLP Mains Test Series 93 879483 DEEPESH KUMARI TLP Mains Test Series 94 623878 INDRASHIS DATTA TLP+ Mains Test Series 96 6903989 Mini Shukla IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 97 6402953 BHAISARE SHUBHAM ASHOK TLP+ Mains Test Series 102 4904842 PRAKHAR CHANDRAKAR TLP Mains Test Series 105 1530989 SANKET KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 107 3402427 PANKAJ YADAV TLP Mains Test Series 108 1908437 Roja S Rajan TLP Mains Test Series 109 0811577 Areeba Nomaan IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 111 2402341 C B REX TLP+  Mains Test Series 120 1134168 TANUSHREE MEENA TLP Mains Test Series 121 3516891 Uttam TLP Mains Test Series 122 3512910 Shivani TLP Mains Test Series 123 2606278 Kritika Shukla TLP+  Mains Test Series 124 403759 RIJU SHRIVASTAVA TLP+ Sociology Mains Test Series 131 210332 ATULESH JHA TLP+ Sociology Mains Test Series 133 0835604  KISHLAY KUSHWAHA TLP+  Mains Test Series 134 0336768 SAM VARGHESE ILP - Integrated Learning Programme 138 0820560 Twinkle Jain TLP Mains Test Series 140 419129 LIPI NAGAYACH 60 Days RaRe Prelims Programme 146 830201 Abhinav IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 150 3539134 NAVDEEP AGGARWAL TLP+  Mains Test Series 151 0307435 Vinay Kumar Gadge TLP Mains Test Series 155 1035728 S CHITHARANJAN IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 156 4905633 PRATIK AGRAWAL TLP Mains Test Series 169 2608780 Ankita Mishra Baba's Gurukul ILP - Integarted Learning Programme TLP+ Mains Test Series 175 1415491 Amit Ranjan ILP - Integrated Learning Programme PEP - Prelims Exclusive Programme 176 5809230 Smriti Bharadwaj TLP MAINS TEST SERIES 189 2403312 P K SIDHARTH RAMKUMAR ILP - Integrated Learning Programme 193 1420086  ASHU PANT 60 Day Rapid Revision Series (RARE) TLP- Mains Test Series 196 308349 Shruti TLP Mains Test Series 200 0855930 ADITYA VERMA TLP MAINS TEST SERIES 202 6613135 RAMESHWAR SUDHAKAR SABBANWAD IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 60 Days RaRe Prelims Programme 207 316826 NITHYA R TLP Mains Test Series 212 6506988 MAHADIK AKSHAY SANJAY 60 Day Rapid Revision Series (RARE) 213 3902598 MANOJ RAMANATH HEGDE TLP Mains Test Series 215 848857 RISHABH TRIVEDI IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme TLP - Mains Test Series 220 6314064 GARIMA TLP Mains Test Series 222 319546 M P RAJESH PONNAPPA Baba's Gurukul 225 5400496 ADITYA RAJ TLP Mains Test Series 235 6210633 ASWIN MANI DEEP KAKUMANU TLP Mains Test Series 239 8500058 GEETIKA TLP Mains Test Series 240 6311881 UTSAV PANDEY TLP+ Geography Optional Foundation Course 241 2617076 Anuja trivedi TLP Mains Test Series 249 6013920 Prafull Kumar Sharma TLP Mains Test Series 250 3910447 Sahithya Aladakatti TLP+ Sociology Mains Test Series 251 850765 Rahul Bansal TLP Mains Test Series 257 6406439 Archita Goyal 60 Days Rapid Revision Series (RARE) 266 875941 ANURADHA TLP Mains Test Series 268 870289 ABHINAV JAIN TLP Mains Test Series 272 879559 VIDYASAGAR TLP Mains Test Series 273 814479 Samir kumar Jena ILP - Integrated Learning Programme 277 1525595 KUMAR ANIKET TLP Mains Test Series 282 405359 ABHI JAIN TLP+ Mains Test Series 284 838018 PRIYA RANI TLP Mains Test Series 289 6903490 PEEYUSH DUBEY TLP Mains Test Series 291 314182 KALPASHREE K R IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 296 857918 RITURAJ PRATAP SINGH TLP Mains Test Series 304 5404917 Garima Nagpal IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 311 312332 DEEPAK RAMACHANDRA SHET IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme IASbaba's Team 313 3601556 GAURAV KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 314 1012216 JEENU SRI JASWANTH CHANDRA IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 323 310765 DIVYA P TLP+ Mains Test Series 324 823314 AJIT KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 325 6607403 KAJALE VAIBHAV NITIN IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 327 6305247 HEMANT KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 331 0833887 Vandana Meena IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 342 407963 AKARSH SONI TLP Mains Test Series 344 6404515 Nazish Umar Ansari IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 345 6317832 Usha Yadav TLP Mains Test Series 352 310144 VINAY KUMAR D H TLP+ Mains Test Series 355 0829978 PRATIBHA TLP Mains Test Series 368 0844663 Shumaila Choudhary IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 381 885161 Manoj Kumar Yadav TLP Mains Test Series 386 506335 MAVIS TAK IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 388 848197 UMESH GOYAL TLP Mains Test Series 394 0827313 Suvigya S Chandra IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 400 1222390 MADHIVANAN S TLP Mains Test Series 403 6312383 Aashish Kumar TLP Mains Test Series 405 823411 MANJEET KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 409 6604949 More Shivhar Chakradhar TLP+ Mains Test Series 413 5812513 ALOK KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 421 1523385 SUMAN SAURABH TLP Mains Test Series 424 6606201 MANE AJINKYA BABURAO IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 425 7306447 MEGHANA K T TLP+ Mains Test Series 427 7602888 POLUR SREELEKHA TLP+ Mains Test Series 429 1209936 SANGEETHA K IMP - Interrview Mentorship Programme 433 6617205 SHINDE OMKAR RAJENDRA TLP+ Mains Test Series 438 854715 DIVYA TLP Mains Test Series 440 850871 VAISHALI JAIN TLP Mains Test Series 442 866416 NEELESH KUMAR SINGH ILP - Integarted Learning Programmme 447 1121275 JITENDRA SHARMA TLP Mains Test Series 449 335906 PREETI PANCHAL TLP Mains Test Series 457 6404830 MASOOM RAJA KHAN TLP Mains Test Series 461 8200826 BAIRY RUTHVIK IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 462 6619699 PATIL DEVRAJ MANISH TLP Mains Test Series 467 1111749 SANYA TLP Mains Test Series 468 4115126 KUMAR KISLAY TLP Mains Test Series 469 806670 Y V R SASHI SEKHAR TLP Mains Test Series 473 3912873 VINEET KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 474 0833416 MUSKAN DAGAR TLP Mains Test Series 478 6312184 Rshabh TLP Mains Test Series 482 0504688 Tahseenbanu IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 492 3800698 KULKARNI ANIKET LAXMIKANT TLP+ Mains Test Series 494 329658 ABHINANDAN KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 497 807702 SHUBHAM SATYAM TLP Mains Test Series 498 853389 Deepak Kumar TLP Mains Test Series 506 911936 Shilpa Khanikar 60 days Rapid Revision Series (RARE) 510 831821 Atul Kumar Singh TLP Mains Test Series 512 820114 Rohit singh TLP Mains Test Series 517 8104768 ASHISH TLP Mains Test Series 521 1016153 P SRAVAN KUMAR TLP+ Mains Test Series 526 5814251 VIKRANT KUMAR SINGH TLP Mains Test Series 527 1225246 Arunkumar S TLP Mains Test Series 532 311525 CHETHAN K IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 538 878142 RAJESH RANJAN IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 550 325390 NEERAJ KUMAR IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 551 2204578 PAWAN KUMAR TLP Mains Test Series 552 6204937 MANDA JAVALI ALFONS IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 556 6805260 SHUBHAM KUMAR SHARMA TLP Mains Test Series 557 3533364 Shweta Kamboj IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 569 877568 ANURAG DARU TLP Mains Test Series 572 1224948 NIVEDITA R TLP Mains Test Series 574 325344 RANJITH KUMAR PARVATHI TLP Mains Test Series 579 2621988 HARSHIVANI SINGH IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 582 7002240 NAVKIRAN KAUR ILP - Integarted Learning Programme 589 826832 Akshat Kumar Singh TLP Mains Test Series 591 1140599 ANNU TATU ILP - Integarted Learning Programme 600 1800124 Anwar Hussain IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 611 1124695 Vikas Meena TLP Mains Test Series 619 7003104 Vaishavdeep Mattu TLP+ Sociology Mains Test Series 621 3524489 RAJNISH MEHRA TLP Mains Test Series 629 5920417 ABHISHEK VYAS TLP Mains Test Series 635 1100724 Kuldeep Meena TLP Mains Test Series 641 316469 PRASHANTH KUMAR B O IMP - Interview Mentorship Programme 644 2600288 Sparsh Verma Regular Current Affairs Follower 654 303382 VAIBHAV MEENA TLP Mains Test Series 655 336662 VENKATRAM TLP Mains Test Series 664 861961 Umesh Meena TLP Mains Test Series 669 335453 CHETANKUMAR B TLP Mains Test Series 670 1135714 ABHISHEK MEENA TLP Mains Test Series   NOTE: We are fully aware that Toppers receive guidance from multiple institutes and sources, with the complete credit going to their dedication and hard work, we have carefully made a list of the Toppers along with the programmes/initiatives they were a part of. (Which made us take these many days to publish this list). If any Topper from the list has any objection to their name being included in the list, please drop us a mail at support@iasbaba.com. We will do the needful immediately.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 9th June 2022

Archives (PRELIMS & MAINS Focus) [su_box title="Government announces hike in MSP for Kharif season" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Agriculture Mains – GS 3 (Agriculture) In News: The Union Cabinet hiked the minimum support price (MSP) for 2022-23 Kharif season. The rates for 14 Kharif crops have been increased, the hikes ranging from 4% to 8%. MSP The MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers. The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The mandated crops include 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and 2 other commercial crops. In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively. Factors for Recommending the MSP: The CACP considers various factors while recommending the MSP for a commodity, it considers following factors Cost of production Changes in input prices Input-output price parity Trends in market prices Demand and supply Inter-crop price parity Effect on industrial cost structure Effect on cost of living Effect on general price level International price situation Parity between prices paid and prices received by the farmers Effect on issue prices and implications for subsidy Crops covered The list of crops is as follows. Cereals (7) - paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi Pulses (5) - gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil Oilseeds (8) - groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed and nigerseed Raw cotton Raw jute Copra De-husked coconut Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price) Virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco Source: The Hindu [/su_box] [su_box title="Kheer Bhavani Temple" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Current Affairs In News: Around 18,000 Kashmiri Pandits and other devotees visited the Kheer Bhavani temple in Kashmir Valley’s Ganderbal district on Jyeshtha Ashtami. The religious sanctity of the Mata Kheer Bhavani temple, built atop a holy spring, has a special spiritual significance among Kashmir Pandit devotees across the world. About Kheer Bhavani temple Mata Kheerbhawani temple at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Ragnya Devi. Situated 30 km from Srinagar city, it is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Kashmiri Hindus. The temple gets its name from kheer, or milk and rice pudding, that pilgrims pour into the spring inside the temple complex as an offering to the goddess. Legend has it that the water of the temple’s spring changes colour from white to red and black. The colour of the water is said to predict the impending future. Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir and Maharaja Hari Singh contributed to building and renovating the temple. Source: The Hindu , Indian Expres [/su_box] [su_box title="Environment Performance Index" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Environment – Current Affairs Mains – GS 3 (Environment) In News: Environment Performance Index-2022, an international ranking system that measures environmental health and sustainability of countries India's Performance India was ranked last among 180 countries that have been ranked With a score of 18.9, India’s 180th ranking comes after Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Myanmar — the bottom five together make up the poorest performing countries for environmental health. India has also scored low on rule of law, control of corruption and government effectiveness India was ranked 168th in EPI-2020, with a score of 27.6 About EPI The EPI, a biennial index, was started in 2002 as Environmental Sustainability Index. EPI is published by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network Using 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories, EPI ranks 180 countries on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. Top five rank holders this year are - Denmark, UK, Finland, Malta and Sweden Findings of the report It has found that good policy results are associated with wealth, meaning economic prosperity makes it possible for nations to invest in policies and programmes that lead to desirable outcomes This is especially true under environmental health, as building the necessary infrastructure to provide clean drinking water and sanitation, reduce air pollution, control hazardous waste etc yields large returns for human well-being The report says that top-performing countries have paid attention to all areas of sustainability, while their lagging peers tend to have uneven performance. It highlights that countries making concerted efforts to decarbonize their electricity sectors have made the greatest gains in combating climate change, with associated benefits for ecosystems and human health. Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="India and Vietnam relations" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – International Relations Mains – GS 2 (International Relations) In News: India and Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual logistics support Also signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’, which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation And agreed for early finalization of $US 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam What are Logistics agreements? Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military when operating away from India. India- Vietnam Relations Relations between India and Vietnam have been governed by several areas of shared political interests. Areas of Cooperation: Economic ties: India is now the 8 th largest trading partner of Vietnam. Vietnam is the 4th largest trading partner of India among ASEAN countries Vietnam is also the second largest export destination for India after Singapore in the ASEAN region. India is investing in development and capacity assistance for Vietnam through quick impact projects (QIP), proposals in the area of water resource management in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and digital connectivity. Defence Cooperation: The relations between the two countries especially defence ties, benefited extensively from India's Look East policy. Vietnam is interested in India’s Akash surface-to-air systems and Dhruv advanced light helicopters and Brahmos missiles. Apart from this, the defence relations include capacity building, dealing with common security concerns, training of personnel, and cooperation in defence R&D. Both countries reaffirm the strong India-Vietnam Defence cooperation which is a key pillar of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Strategic partnership: Bilateral relations were upgraded to a "Strategic Partnership" in 2017, and upgraded to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" in 2016 Cooperation in the UN Security Council has been exemplary. The shared respect for international law, including UNCLOS 1982, and a rules-based order is a strong commonality. Cooperation at Multiple Fora: India and Vietnam closely cooperate in various regional forums such as East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), and UNSC. Tourism: Around 169,000 Indians visited Vietnam and over 31,000 Vietnamese visited India in 2019, recording a growth of 28% and 32% over 2018 respectively. India is a favored spiritual destination for many Vietnamese because it is home to many famous Buddhist temples China factor: Both countries have border problems with China. China aggressively continues to encroach in the territories of the two countries. Hence, it is natural for both the countries to come closer with a view to restrain China from its aggressive actions. Way Forward Mutual Co-ordination and Co-operation: Considering the unique challenges of Indo-Pacific region, both the countries should work in close coordination at multiple forums Promoting Common areas: India and Vietnam both can mutually benefit each other in the arena of Blue Economy and ocean security. Providing financial resources, improving connectivity and establishing good relations in the region, helps both the country to fight Chinese presence in the region Source: The Hindu [/su_box] [su_box title="Next-generation Corvettes" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Science and Technology Mains – GS 3 (Science and Technology) In News: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for several capital acquisition projects of the Indian defence forces. This includes the procurement of next-generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy at an approximate cost of Rs 36,000 crore. What is a Corvette? A Corvette is the smallest class of naval ships and it falls below the warship class of a frigate. These are highly agile ships and are categorised as missile boats, anti-submarine ships, coastal patrol crafts and fast attack naval vessels. The word corvette itself is derived from French and Dutch origin. Corvettes date back to the 18th and the 19th century when they were extensively used in the naval warfare duels that were fought at high seas During World War II, the term Corvette was used to describe vessels which had anti-submarine roles assigned to them. Modern Corvettes can go up to 2,000 tons in displacement which helps in keeping them agile. What kind of Corvettes does the Indian Navy possess? The Indian Navy at present has the Kamorta Class Corvettes, which are also known as Project 28. These ships have an anti-submarine role and are manufactured at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata. The four Kamorta Class Corvettes that the Indian Navy possesses are named INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt, INS Kiltan and INS Kavaratti. The first of these was commissioned in 2014 and the last one in 2020. What new capabilities will the new generation Corvettes have? The next-generation Corvettes will be manufactured for various roles like surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, surface action group operations, search and attack and coastal defence. As per the AoN accorded by the DAC, these next-generation generation Corvettes will be constructed based on new in-house design of the Indian Navy using latest technology of ship buildings and would contribute to further the government’s initiative of Security and Growth for all in the region (SAGAR). Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Treatment of Mismatch repair deficient cancer" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Science and Technology Mains – GS 3 (Science and Technology) In News: In a medical trial, 12 patients in the United States were completely cured of rectal cancer without requiring any surgery or chemotherapy. The trial used a monoclonal antibody called dostarlimab every three weeks for six months for the treatment of a particular kind of stage two or three rectal cancer. The trial showed that immunotherapy alone – without any chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery that have been staples of cancer treatment – could completely cure the patients with a particular kind of rectal cancer called ‘mismatch repair deficient’ cancer”. No cases of progression or recurrence had been reported during the follow-up What is this deficiency, and how was it cured? ‘Mismatch repair deficient’ cancer is most common among colorectal, gastrointestinal, and endometrial cancers. Patients suffering from this condition lack the genes to correct typos in the DNA that occur naturally while cells make copies. The immunotherapy belongs to a category called PD1 blockades that are now recommended for the treatment of such cancers rather than chemotherapy or radiotherapy. PD1 is a type of protein that regulates certain functions of the immune system, including by suppressing T cell activity, and PD1 blockade therapy looks to release the T cells from this suppression. By giving the PD1 blockades, we release and T cells to destroy the cancerous growth If PD1 therapy was already in use, what’s new in the trial? Earlier, this therapy was used post-surgery, but the study has shown that a surgery may not be required. Although the therapy is usually used for cancers that have metastasised (spread to locations other than where the cancer formed), it is now recommended for all mismatch repair deficient cancers as they result in quicker improvement and lesser toxicity as compared to traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This study shows that even the surgery was not needed in these patients Cost is a concern Immunotherapies are expensive and unaffordable for most people in India An immunotherapy treatment can cost around Rs 4 lakh per month, with patients needing the treatment for six months to a year. Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Repo Rate" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Economy – Banking In News: In its bi-monthly review the Reserve Bank of India hiked the repo rate by another 50 basis points. Also RBI removed the word “accommodative” from the policy stance Why has RBI hiked the repo rate? The 50-basis-point hike, which follows a 40-basis-point hike in May has been done with a view to taming inflation The RBI aims to bring inflation down to its targeted 4% (±2%). The two hikes in repo rates over the last five weeks, totalling 90 bps, takes the rate to 4.9%. How will it impact borrowers and depositors? Banks and housing finance companies, which have already raised their lending rates between 40 bps and 50 bps points following the 40 bps hike in repo rate in May, are now expected to raise the rates again. Both borrowers and depositors are expected to see a hike in lending rates and offering on deposit rates, respectively What will be the impact of withdrawing the accommodative policy? RBI removed the word “accommodative” from the policy stance. RBI has decided to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within the target. The RBI had pumped huge liquidity into the system in 2020 to counter the impact of the pandemic. While this did support economic recovery, it has also been the main reason for the rise in inflation. Recent RBI’s market operations had led to a decline in liquidity in May. Still, overall system liquidity remains in large surplus, with the average daily absorption under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) moderating in consonance with the policy of gradual withdrawal of accommodation. The withdrawal will also put upward pressure on interest rates. Will consumer spending be impacted? The policy withdrawal and the rate hike are expected to impact consumption and demand in the economy. The impact is likely to be more pronounced in non-discretionary spending by consumers. According to the RBI policy panel, the forecast of a normal monsoon should boost kharif sowing and agricultural output. This will support rural consumption. The rebound in contact-intensive services is expected to sustain urban consumption. RBI’s surveys suggest further improvement in consumer confidence and households’ optimism for the outlook a year ahead. Monetary Policy Measures Monetary policy refers to the policy of the central Bank with regard to use of monetary instruments under its control to manage money supply and interest rates. In 2016, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework. Under amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Composition: the MPC shall consist of 6 members: RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson, Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, An officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board, Three persons to be appointed by the central government Tools Features Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) The average daily balance that a bank is required to maintain with the Reserve Bank as a share of such per cent of its Net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) that the Reserve Bank may notify from time to time. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) The share of NDTL that a bank is required to maintain in safe and liquid assets, such as, government securities, cash and gold. Repo Rate The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank provides overnight liquidity to banks against the collateral of government and other approved securities under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF). Reverse Repo Rate The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank absorbs liquidity, on an overnight basis, from banks against the collateral of eligible government securities under the LAF. Marginal Standing facility (MSF) It is the rate at which Banks can borrow short term funds from RBI. Under MSF, banks can borrow funds from the RBI by pledging government securities within the limits of the SLR. Open Market Operations (OMOs) These include both, outright purchase and sale of government securities, for injection and absorption of durable liquidity, respectively. Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS)  It is a monetary policy intervention by the RBI to withdraw excess liquidity (or money supply) by selling government securities in the economy, the mobilised cash is held in a separate government account with the Reserve Bank. Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Linking Credit cards with UPI" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Economy In News: The Reserve Bank of India has proposed to allow the linking of credit cards with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). RBI also stated integration will first begin with the indigenous RuPay credit cards. What is the significance of the move? Experts believe that the linkage of UPI and credit cards could possibly result in credit card usage zooming up in India given UPI’s widespread adoption. The integration also opens up avenues to build credit on UPI through credit cards in India, where in the last few years, a number of startups have emerged The move could also be a push to increase adoption by banking on UPI’s large user base. So far, UPI could only be linked to debit cards and bank accounts. Unified Payments Interface (UPI): It is an advanced version of Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)- round–the-clock funds transfer service to make cashless payments faster, easier and smoother. UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application  merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood. UPI is currently the biggest among the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) operated systems including National Automated Clearing House (NACH), Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS), Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), RuPay etc. The top UPI apps today include PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and BHIM, the latter being the Government offering. NPCI launched UPI with 21 member banks in 2016 Source: Indian Express [/su_box] Daily Practice MCQs [su_box title="Daily Practice MCQs" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Q.1)The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) considers various factors while recommending the MSP for a commodity, which among the following factors are considered by CACP Changes in input prices Effect on cost of living International price situation Inter-crop price parity Effect on issue prices and implications for subsidy Choose the correct code: 1, 2 and 3 2, 4 and 5 1, 3, 4 and 5 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Q.2) Consider the following statements about Corvette It is the smallest class of naval ships It falls below the warship class of a frigate It is categorised as missile boats and anti-submarine ships Presently there are no corvette ships with Indian Navy Choose the correct code: 2 and 4 1, 2 and 3 1, 3 and 4 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.3) The term PD1 recently seen in news, is related to? A type of protein that regulates certain functions of the immune system Radio collar for wildlife tracking New Genetically modified variety of Wheat Pesticide to fight Bacterial blight of cotton Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!! ANSWERS FOR '9th JUNE 2022 - Daily Practice MCQs' will be updated along with tomorrow's Daily Current Affairs. [/su_box] Baba's Explainer - War Crimes [su_box title="War Crimes" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Syllabus GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. Context: On May 23, a domestic court in Ukraine sentenced a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison for committing war crimes. The soldier had shot dead an unarmed civilian in Ukraine. This was the first conviction related to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Since the war began, Ukrainian authorities have claimed commission of around 10,000 war crimes by the Russian soldiers. Read Complete Details on War Crimes [/su_box] ANSWERS FOR 8th JUNE 2022 - Daily Practice MCQs [su_box title="Answers- Daily Practice MCQs" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Q.1) - d Q.2) - d Q.3) - c [/su_box]

हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2022: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 9th June 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करेंअब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2022 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 9th June 2022

Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

Baba’s Explainer

Baba's Explainer - BIMSTEC

ARCHIVES Syllabus GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.  Context: June 6 marked the completion of 25 years since the 1997 Bangkok Declaration launched the grouping of BIMSTEC. [su_spoiler open="yes" title="What is BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a multilateral regional organisation established with the aim of accelerating shared growth and cooperation between littoral and adjacent countries in the Bay of Bengal region. It has a total of seven member countries- five from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand. It was founded as BIST-EC, in June 1997, with the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration, with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand as members. It became BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) with the entry of Myanmar in late 1997. And eventually, it was named in its current form, when Nepal and Bhutan became members in 2004. It has its secretariat at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The BIMSTEC Secretariat coordinates, monitors and facilitates the implementation of BIMSTEC activities and programmes. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Geography of Bay of Bengal" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] The Bay of Bengal (Bay) is in the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It is bound by land on three sides; on the west and northwest by India on the north by Bangladesh on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman &Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between Sri Lanka and the northwestern-most point of Sumatra (Indonesia). Important ports on the Bay include Paradip, Kolkata, Haldia, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Pondicherry, Dhamra, Gopalpur in India and Chittagong, Mongla, Payra Ports in Bangladesh. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the objectives of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] To revive Connectivity: The Bay of Bengal region, was one of the world’s most integrated regions until the early twentieth century, but after the 1940s, when members of the region became independent and pursued separate goals and alliance systems, the region’s sense of community eroded. So, the aim of setting up the regional grouping was to revive the connectivity and common interests of the members of the Bay of Bengal region. The shared goal now is to head towards “a Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region”. To revive focus on Blue Economy: The region, though united historically with a rich cultural heritage, but post decolonisation got impregnated with crimes like insurgency, terrorism, narcotics smuggling, trafficking, illegal immigration which prompted the member states to consider internal and border security issues on priority. Except for addressing security issues, development of the blue economy of the Bay of Bengal never received the required thrust. The grouping provides littoral countries to come together to exploit the potential of Blue economy that the region offers. Bridge between two sub-regions: BIMSTEC not only connects South and South-East Asia, but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal. With shared values, histories, ways of life, and destinies that are interlinked, BIMSTEC represents a common space for peace and sustainable development. Sector Driven Organisation: What makes BIMSTEC different from other regional groupings such as SAARC or ASEAN is that it is a sector-driven organisation. This means the goals or areas of cooperation are divided between members. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the Principles of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Principles of BIMSTEC are: Sovereign Equality Territorial Integrity Political Independence No-interference in Internal Affairs Peaceful Co- existence Mutual Benefit Constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What is the significance of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Major Shipping route: A fourth of the world’s traded goods cross the Bay of Bengal every year. Huge Market: BIMSTEC grouping is home to around 1.5 billion people that constitute around 22% of the global population. High Growth Potential: With a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.8 trillion economy, BIMSTEC member States have been able to sustain an average 6.5% economic growth trajectory in the recent past. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Significance of BIMSTEC from maritime perspective" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Ecological Importance: Bay of Bengal is home to mangrove forests of around 15,792 square kilometres, coral reefs of around 8,471 sq.km, sea grass meadows, fragile estuaries and mass nesting sites of sea turtles. Fish resources: It is an important fishing region with an annual fish catch of around six million tonnes, constituting 7% of the world’s catch and valued at around U.S.$4 billion. Support to Livelihood: Approximately 185 million people are dependent on the natural resources provided by the bay. The fishermen population alone is estimated to be around 3.7 million. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="How BIMSTEC is Important for India?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Platform to manifest its foreign policy: BIMSTEC allows India to pursue two core policies- Neighborhood First (primacy to the country’s immediate periphery), Act East (connect India with Southeast Asia) and Security & Growth for all In the Region (SAGAR). Development of India’s North-East: The grouping also provides opportunity for economic development of India’s northeastern states – by linking them to the Bay of Bengal region via Bangladesh and Myanmar. Counter China: The grouping allows India to counter China’s creeping influence in countries around the Bay of Bengal due to the spread of its Belt and Road Initiative. Alternative to SAARC: A new platform for India to engage with its neighbors with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) becoming dysfunctional because of differences between India and Pakistan. Showcases Leadership in region: India aspires to be a global power & “Vishwaguru” and through this platform, India can prove to the world the inherent capabilities in its eminent leadership to create a new world order. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the Institutional Mechanisms of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] BIMSTEC Summit – highest policymaking body in BIMSTEC process and is comprised of heads of state/government of member states. Ministerial Meeting – second apex policy-making forum of BIMSTEC attended by the External/Foreign Ministers of Member States. Senior Officials’ Meeting – represented by Senior Officials of Foreign Ministries of the Member States. BIMSTEC Working Group – attended by Ambassadors of BIMSTEC Member Countries to Bangladesh or their representatives on a monthly basis at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka. Business Forum & Economic Forum – the two important forums to ensure active participation of private sector. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the Key Highlights of the recently held Fifth Summit of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] BIMSTEC grouping’s fifth summit took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka in March 2022. The key highlights of the summit were BIMSTEC Charter: The signing of the BIMSTEC Charter was the main outcome of this summit. With the Charter, the BIMSTEC now has an international personality. It has an emblem and a flag. It has a formally listed purpose and principles that it is going to adhere to. Under this Charter, the members were expected to meet once every two years. Rationalising Sectors of Cooperation: In line with the development of the organisation into a formal structure, the leaders of the member-countries have agreed to divide the working of the grouping into seven segments, with India providing leadership to the security pillar (details of sectors given in achievements section) Connectivity Framework: The Summit adopted the ‘Master Plan for Transport Connectivity’ by Leaders which lays out a guidance framework for connectivity related activities in the region in the future. Other Agreements: Member countries also signed a treaty on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters. A Memorandum of Association (MoA) on the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility (TTF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. India will provide the (BIMSTEC) secretariat USD 1 million US dollars to increase its operational budget. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the achievement of BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Creation of Charter- It has crafted a new Charter for itself ( during its fifth Summit in 2022), spelling out the grouping’s vision, functions of its constituent parts and has secured a legal personality. Survival amidst internal tensions- The BIMSTEC region witnessed Rohingya refugee crisis; Political instability in Myanmar due to military coup and economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Despite these, the summit was held in 2022. Multi-sectoral Cooperation- The grouping has also registered progress in combating terrorism, forging security cooperation, better management of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Institutions such as an Energy Centre and the Centre on Weather and Climate are in place to push sectoral cooperation forward. Prioritisation of sectors- The organisation which started with six sectors of cooperation expanded to 14 sectors which was becoming unwieldy. However, during the fifth summit, it has prioritised the sectors of cooperation (7 sectors) with each member-state serving as the lead country for the assigned sector. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What are the major concerns with BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Inconsistency in Meetings: BIMSTEC planned to hold summits every two years, ministerial meetings every year, but only five summits have taken place in 25 years upto 2022. Neglect by member states: It seems that India has used BIMSTEC only when it fails to work through SAARC in the regional setting and other major members like Thailand and Myanmar are focused more towards ASEAN than BIMSTEC. Bilateral Issues: A strong BIMSTEC presupposes cordial and tension-free bilateral relations among all its member-states. This has not been the case, given the trajectory of India-Nepal, India-Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh-Myanmar ties in recent years. China’s increasing footprint in subcontinent: China’s decisive intrusion in the South-Southeast Asian space has cast dark shadows about the cohesiveness of the grouping on issues like trade pacts, investments & security. Untapped potential of Business cooperation: It lacks an effort to enthuse and engage the vibrant business communities of these seven countries, and expand their dialogue, interactions and transactions. Poor implementation of FTA: A major failure relates to the continuing inability to produce a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 18 years after the signing of the Framework Agreement in 2004. Out of the seven agreements needed to operationalise the FTA, only two are ready. Poor intra grouping Connectivity- The connectivity in infrastructure, energy, digital and financial domain institutions that bring people closer together for trade, tourism and cultural exchanges is disappointing.  Only limited progress has been achieved so far, despite the adoption of the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Low Collaboration amongst private players- Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the activities of BIMSTEC leaving the grouping largely in the hands of officials and experts. Ocean Governance neglected: Though the Bay has been an intrinsic part of the economy of the BIMSTEC nations, Ocean governance has been a low priority issue for the member states. Most of these member states have outdated colonial laws still governing the waters of the region Over exploitation of fish resources: In the 2017-18 fiscal year, 6.5 lakh ton of fish was produced from the Bay which is more than seven percent of the world’s catch. The issues affecting fishing industry in the Bay are declining availability of fish; illegal and destructive fishing; changes in species composition and loss of vulnerable & endangered species. Inadequate cold storage facilities leading to huge wastage of fish catch Countries providing excessive fishing subsidies and unable to adopt ecosystem approach to fisheries. Ineffective Developmental Regulation: Other issues of concern within the Bay economy pertain to lack of coastal development plans, ineffective marine protected areas and lack of enforcement, upstream development that affects water-flow, intensive upstream agricultural practices, and increasing ad-hoc tourism. If these issues are not managed systematically with a correct policy and a regulatory mechanism, they will start eating into the economy rather than resulting in development. Criminal Activities: Terrorism, smuggling of drugs, human trafficking, smuggling of contraband items are a very common feature across the Bay. IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing in the EEZ of other member states has been a cause of tension between member states of the BIMSTEC. Environmental Degradation: Destruction of natural protection against floods such as mangroves, sea erosion. The annual loss of mangrove areas is estimated at 0.4% to 1.7% and coral reefs at 0.7%. Climate Change: It is predicted that the sea level will increase 0.5 metres in the next 50 years. It is also prone to extreme weather events. for ex: 13 cyclonic storms in the last five years. Marine Pollution: Industrial growth in the coastal areas is leading to huge quantities of untreated waste flow in the Bay. As a result, we are witnessing the emergence of a dead zone with zero oxygen where no fish survive primarily caused by leaching of plastic & untreated waste from rivers as well as the Indian Ocean Refugee Crisis: This subregion is one of the biggest sources of humanitarian crisis in the Indo-Pacific region, which primarily emanates from the Rohingya crisis and domestic political upheavals in Myanmar. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What is the difference between SAARC & BIMSTEC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in South Asia- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan (joined in 2007). SAARC BIMSTEC ·       A regional organisation looking into South Asia ·       Established in 1985 during the cold war era. ·       Member countries suffer for mistrust and suspicion. ·       Suffers from regional politics. ·       Asymmetric power balance. ·       Intra-regional trade only 5 percent. ·       Interregional organisation connecting South Asia and South East Asia. ·       Established in 1997 in the post-Cold War. ·       Members maintain reasonably friendly relations. ·       Core objective is the improvement of economic cooperation among countries. ·       Balancing of power with the presence of Thailand and India on the bloc. ·       Intra-regional trade has increased around 6 precent in a decade. [/su_spoiler] Mains Practice Question - As BIMSTEC  celebrates the silver jubilee of its formation, it faces a serious challenges to bring in a paradigm shift in raising the level of cooperation and regional integration. Elucidate. Note: Write answers to this question in the comment section. MIND MAP

Baba’s Explainer

Baba's Explainer - War Crimes

ARCHIVES Syllabus GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. Context: ON May 23, a domestic court in Ukraine sentenced a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison for committing war crimes. The soldier had shot dead an unarmed civilian in Ukraine. This was the first conviction related to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Since the war began, Ukrainian authorities have claimed commission of around 10,000 war crimes by the Russian soldiers. [su_spoiler open="yes" title="What are war crimes?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] War crimes are violations of rules of international humanitarian law that create direct criminal responsibility under international law. A war crime occurs when superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering is inflicted upon an enemy. At the heart of the concept of war crimes is the idea that individuals can be held criminally responsible for the actions of a country or its soldiers. They are considered so serious that there is no period of limitation for such crimes - which means that those who commit them can be prosecuted and punished no matter how much time has elapsed since the crimes were committed. The meaning of war crimes was clarified in the four 1949 Geneva Conventions. International humanitarian law regulates the actions of warring parties of a war or armed conflict. These laws are provided for under the four Geneva Conventions, which protect ‘Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field’ ‘Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea’, ‘Prisoners of War’ ‘Civilian Persons in Time of War’. In addition to these four conventions, there are three Additional Protocols which provide further rules for protection of victims in international and non-international armed conflicts. Combined, these documents govern war, and protect combatants and civilians. India domesticated the Geneva Conventions by enacting the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960. Serious offences such as murder, rape or mass persecution of a group are known as "crimes against humanity" or, in some circumstances, "genocide". [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="How has the concept of War Crimes evolved over period?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] The concept of war crimes is a recent one. Before modern times, it was generally accepted that the horrors of war were part of the nature of war, and recorded examples of war crimes go back to Greek and Roman times. Before the twentieth century armies frequently behaved brutally to enemy soldiers and non-combatants (civilians) alike - and whether there was any punishment for this depended on who eventually won the war. Commanders and politicians usually escaped any punishment for their role in war - or, if they lost, were summarily executed or imprisoned. There was no structured approach to dealing with 'war crimes' nor any general agreement that political and military leaders should take criminal responsibility for the acts of their states or their troops. The term war crime has been difficult to define with precision, and its usage has evolved constantly. The first systematic attempt to define a broad range of war crimes was the Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States in the Field—also known as the “Lieber Code” after its main author, Francis Lieber—which was issued by S. President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War (1861-65) For example, the Lieber Code held that it was a “serious breach of the law of war to force enemy subjects into service for the victorious government” and prohibited “wanton violence committed against persons in the invaded country,” including rape, maiming, and murder. Immediately following World War I (1914-18), the victorious Allied powers convened a special Commission which recommended that war crimes trials be conducted before the victors’ national courts and, when appropriate, before an inter-Allied tribunal The Allies prepared an initial list of about 900 suspected war criminals and submitted the list to Germany. The commission’s main target was Germany’s Emperor (Kaiser) William II, who took refugee in Netherlands that refused to extradite him. Most of the remaining suspected war criminals on the list similarly managed to avoid prosecution, because Germany was reluctant to turn them over to the Allies. Only a small number of suspects to be tried in Germany which resulted in few convictions with most sentences ranging from a few months to four years in prison. Attitudes changed during World War II (1939-45) when the murder of several million people - mainly Jews - by Nazi Germany, and the mistreatment of both civilians and prisoners of war by the Japanese, prompted the Allied powers to prosecute the people they believed to be the perpetrators of these crimes. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Have individuals been prosecuted for War Crimes before?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Individuals were prosecuted for war crimes for the first time at the Nuremberg Tribunal in the aftermath of the Second World War. The Nuremberg trials, series of trials held in Nürnberg, Germany, in 1945–46 were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries and other crimes in World War II. Subsequently, many prosecutions have happened at international and ad-hoc criminal tribunals. For example, the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda prosecuted individuals for, inter alia, war crimes. Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) both have roles upholding the rules of war. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules on disputes between states, but cannot prosecute individuals. Ukraine has begun a case against Russia. If the ICJ ruled against Russia, the UN Security Council (UNSC) would be responsible for enforcing that. But Russia - one of council's five permanent members - could veto any proposal to sanction it. The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and prosecutes individual war criminals who are not before the courts of individual states. It's the permanent modern successor to Nuremberg, which prosecuted key Nazi leaders in 1945. The court is also investigating war crimes committed by Russian soldiers related to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. But Russia has denounced the court and denied all allegations of war crimes. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What is International Criminal Court (ICC)?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Governed by an international treaty called 'The Rome Statute' of 2002, the ICC is the world’s first permanent international criminal court. On 17 July, 1998 Rome Statute was adopted by 120 States in direction of creating a more just world. On 1 July, 2002 Rome Statute took effect upon ratification by 60 states, officially establishing the ICC. ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: Genocide War crimes Crimes against humanity Crime of aggression. Through international criminal justice, ICC aims to hold those responsible for their crimes and to help prevent these crimes from happening again. India is not a party to Rome Statute along with US and China. Today the ICC has over 900 staff members from approximately 100 States. ICC Headquarters at The Hague, the Netherlands. Currently, ICC is prosecuting 27 defendants for charges of war crimes. The ICC is intended to complement, not to replace, national criminal systems; it prosecutes cases only when States do not are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely. ICC is not a UN organization but is has a cooperation agreement with the United Nations. When a situation is not within the Court’s jurisdiction, the United Nations Security Council can refer the situation to the ICC granting it jurisdiction. This has been done in the situations in Darfur (Sudan) and Libya. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Limitations/ Concerns with ICC" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] As a judicial institution, the ICC does not have its own police force or enforcement body; thus, it relies on cooperation with countries worldwide for support, particularly for making arrests, transferring arrested persons to the ICC detention centre in The Hague, freezing suspects’ assets, and enforcing sentences. ICC has been accused of being a tool of Western imperialism and biased in favour of powerful countries against weak states. ICC cannot impose a death sentence; it can impose lengthy terms of imprisonment of up to 30 years or life when so justified by the gravity of the cases. The ICC court has no retrospective jurisdiction as it can deal only with crimes committed after 1 July 2002 when the 1998 Rome Statute came into force. ICC has automatic jurisdiction only for crimes committed on the territory of a state which has ratified the treaty; or by a citizen of such a state; or when the United Nations Security Council refers a case to it. Procedural and substantive deficiencies leading to delays and frustration, have questioned the efficacy of the court. It also faces scarcity of human resources and funds. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What has been Russia’s historical stance on international crimes?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Historically, Russia has played a significant role in the evolution and development of the field of international criminal law. Soviet Union was on the forefront of arguing that hostage taking is illegal as per international law. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union’s position was recognised through Article 34 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that “The taking of hostages is prohibited”. In the aftermath of the Second World War, it was the Soviet Union, through then Premier Joseph Stalin, which first mooted the idea of individual criminal responsibility for committing war crimes. In 1941, Stalin had asked for “punishment of Hitler’s criminals”. It was the Soviet Union which pushed for trial by an international tribunal, a suggestion opposed by the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. However, subsequently, both the countries, along with other victors of the Second World War, agreed for an international tribunal. They signed the Nuremberg Charter and tried German soldiers for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity Despite being a proponent of trials for war crimes, Russia is trying to evade responsibility for the same when its soldiers are under trial in Ukraine. This takes us to another question – can Russian soldiers be tried at an international tribunal like the ICC? [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Can Russian soldiers be tried at the International Criminal Court?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Russia had signed the Statute in 2000, but did not ratify it. When the ICC started investigating the Crimean annexation, Russia officially withdrew from the process of joining the court. In theory, the UN Security Council could ask the ICC to investigate this offence. But again, Russia could veto this. Neither Ukraine nor Russia is a member of the ICC. But via Article 12.3 of the Rome Statute, which allows non-members to accept the Court’s jurisdiction, Ukraine has accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction. This is not the first time Ukraine has accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction. Earlier, when Russia had annexed Crimea, Ukraine had used Article 12 to bring Russia’s actions before the ICC. Despite this, it will be difficult to bring Russian soldiers to trial before the ICC. The court doesn’t try individuals in absentia and hence getting custody of the individuals will be a tough task. The court is already facing a similar situation in the Afghanistan case, in which members of the Central Intelligence Agency of the U.S.A. are to be investigated. Another hurdle, which is not being discussed right now, is the possibility of Ukrainian soldiers being investigated and prosecuted for committing war crimes. Ukraine’s acceptance of ICC’s jurisdiction does not mean that only Russian soldiers can be prosecuted. The court now has jurisdiction over the entire conflict, and it means, if a Ukrainian soldier commits any crime which is within the court’s jurisdiction, they too can be prosecuted. Such a scenario might force Ukraine to withdraw its consent to the court’s jurisdiction. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="Can President Putin be tried for Crime of Aggression at the ICC?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Such a scenario is far-fetched because he is a Head of State (HoS). Under international law, a HoS enjoys immunity from prosecution. There have undoubtedly been instances of HoSs being tried for international crimes. Examples include former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, former Liberian President Charles Ghankay Taylor, and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. One important distinction between these cases and that of Putin is that the latter is an incumbent HoS. ICC has in the past unsuccessfully tried to prosecute an incumbent HoS when it issued an arrest warrant against former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Even after Bashir was removed from his office, the ICC has been unable to get him under its custody till date. Even if tomorrow Putin is voted out of his office, and if the ICC issues an arrest warrant against him, it is very improbable that he will land in its custody. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler open="no" title="What is genocide?" style="fancy" icon="chevron"] Genocide is considered one of the most severe crimes against humanity. It means the deliberate attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The term was coined in 1943 by the Jewish-Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin who combined the Greek word 'genos' (race or tribe) with the Latin word 'cide' (to kill). After witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust - in which every member of his family except his brother and himself was killed - Dr Lemkin campaigned to have genocide recognised as a crime under international law. His efforts led to the adoption of the UN Convention on Genocide in December 1948, which came into force in January 1951. Individuals are chosen as victims purely, simply and exclusively because they are members of the target group, and not because of anything an individual has done. Genocide is a crime under international law even if it is not a crime in the country where it takes place, and incitement to commit genocide is also a crime. [/su_spoiler] Mains Practice Question - Critically analyse the role & significance of International Criminal Court. Note: Write answers to this question in the comment section. MIND MAP  

TLP Connect/TLP+

[UPSC 2022 MAINS] Toppers’ Recommended TLP+ 2022 Mains Test Series cum Mentorship Program – Starts 13th June!

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort Over the years, IASbaba’s TLP+ initiative has become synonymous with success. We are happy to announce the next cycle of TLP+ for Mains 2022. In this brief write up, we touch upon the factors that make TLP+ an indispensable tool in your preparation kitty for Mains. The importance of answer writing practice can’t be stressed much. As a sincere aspirant, you already know this. But what sort of practice do you need? One obvious answer is to join a test series. But there are many test series out there.READ MORE - CLICK HERE

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 8th June 2022

Archives (PRELIMS & MAINS Focus) [su_box title="Religious Tolerance and Social Harmony" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Mains - GS 1 (Social Issues) Context: The atmosphere of religious intolerance which has seen a sharp rise in the last several years has been a serious cause for concern in the country. India is the beloved home for practitioners of all major religions in the world. Indian culture accepts diversity of faiths and beliefs. Religious harmony and social cohesion are two core elements for progress and development. As per Pew Research Survey 2021, Indians of diverse religious backgrounds overwhelmingly say they are very free to practice their faiths But there is growing intolerance towards diverse religions leading to communal violence and ripples in social harmony. Instances of intolerance Recent incident of ruling party spokesperson commenting on Islam and the Prophet Haridwar Hate speech incident Frequent use of National Security Act (NSA) for ‘cow slaughter’ by some state governments As per pew research on the question of inter-religious marriage, most Hindus (67%), Muslims (80%), Sikhs (59%), and Jains (66%) felt it was ‘very important’ to stop the women in their community from marrying outside their religion Why is there raise in intolerance? Political parties polarize naive voters in the name of religion Various cultural organisations are misinterpreting and propagating truths to affirm revivalist predispositions Irresponsible Reporting by Media: Many a times media broadcasts unconfirmed, sensitive and often biased reports on national television For instance: Tablighi Jamaat case during first Covid lockdown State’s support: India has many hostile neighbors, who wish to make it weak through a communal divide. Struggle for identity Consequences Threat to minority: Rise in intolerance and communal disharmony lead to majoritarianism Mob-violence: Rise in disharmony has led to targeting of religious minorities and led to a rise in mob-violence Threat to Rule of law: With rise in incidence of mob lynchings, there is a threat to rule of law - Lynching on cow smuggling, lynching of youth in golden temple Freedom of speech: It has also impacted freedom of speech-shows of comedians being banned by vigilante groups Regionalism: The anti-national elements get adequate opportunity to fan regional feelings and work on creating an atmosphere to break the cohesiveness of our society. Damage social fabric: The social fabric of the society gets irreparably damaged and the conditions of mistrust serve as a catalyst for future conflicts Degrading International image where countries are losing faith in India’s diverse credentials Way forward Political and moral support to the minorities Effective administration - fair probe, media guidelines Implementation of constitutional and legal safeguards We, the people of India, must strive hard to generate compassion, strength, sincerity and commitment to ensure the safety and security of the people of India. And uphold the values which are synonym with the word "INDIA" - tolerance, compassion and peace. Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Judicial Accountability" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Mains - GS 2 (Judiciary) In News: In a rare exhibition of transparency the Orissa High Court has published an annual report taking stock of its performance in a difficult year that was punctuated by the resurgence of the pandemic. By subjecting itself to the scrutiny of the common citizen, the court has shown exceptional humility. The report provides a district-wise breakup of cases and availability of judges. It contains a section explaining the reasons for delays and backlog at the level of the district judiciary. The report also sheds light on the administrative functioning of the court. Importance of Judicial Accountability Annual reports have traditionally been an important way of ensuring accountability of public bodies to Parliament and citizens. Unlike the executive, the judiciary is not under any legal obligation to prepare annual reports or table them before Parliament or the state legislature. Making annual reports mandatory will lead to judicial accountability to the citizens of India Helps Higher judiciary to take measures to avoid delays in resolving cases, appointments of judges and administration of sub ordinate courts The report helps to introspect on the challenges facing the institution. Source: Indian Expres [/su_box] [su_box title="Governor’s Role in Universities" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Polity Mains – GS 2 (Polity) In News: The West Bengal government’s decision to make the Chief Minister the Chancellor of State-run universities, instead of the Governor has refocused the attention on the Governor’s Role in Universities The area of conflict here are the appointment of Vice-Chancellors and the functioning of universities VCs were appointed by the Chancellor of the universities Similar Instances: Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu recently passed Bills to empower the State government, instead of the Chancellor, to appoint VCs. It also passed a separate bill to establish a new university for alternative systems of medicine with the Chief Minister as its Chancellor. Kerala In Kerala, the situation is different, with Governor asking the Chief Minister to take over the Chancellor’s role in the light of alleged political interference in the functioning of universities. These developments underscore that the conferment of statutory roles to Governors may be a source of friction between elected regimes and Governors who are seen as agents of the Centre Governor’s role in: State Universities: In most cases, the Governor of the state is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in that state. While the Governor’s powers and functions as the Chancellor are laid out in the statutes that govern the universities under a particular state government. Their role in appointing the Vice-Chancellors has often triggered disputes with the political executive. Central Universities: Under the Central Universities Act, 2009, and other statutes, the President of India shall be the Visitor of a central university. Chancellors are appointed by the President in his capacity as Visitors. They are titular heads with their role limited to presiding over convocations in central universities. The VCs too are appointed by the Visitor from panels of names picked by search and selection committees formed by the Union government. The President, as Visitor, shall have the right to authorize inspections of academic and non-academic aspects of the universities and also to institute inquiries The original intent of making Governors hold the office of Chancellor and vesting some statutory powers on them was to insulate universities from political influence Sarkaria Commission Justice R.S. Sarkaria Commission noted the use of discretion by some Governors in some university appointments had come in for criticism. It acknowledged the distinction between the Governor’s constitutional role and the statutory role performed as a Chancellor, and also underlined that the Chancellor is not obliged to seek the government’s advice. M.M. Punchhi Commission Noted that Governor should not be “burdened with positions and powers, which may expose the office to controversies or public criticism, it advised against conferring statutory powers on the Governor, it advised against conferring statutory powers on the Governor. Previous Year Questions Q.1) Consider the following statements: (2016) No criminal proceedings shall be instituted against the Governor of a State in any court during his term of office. The emoluments and allowances of the Governor of a State shall not be diminished during his term of office. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Source: The Hindu [/su_box] [su_box title="Ream Naval Base" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – International Relations – Current Affairs Mains – GS 2 (International Relations) Context: A Chinese base in Cambodia could become a chokepoint in the Gulf of Thailand close to the strategically important Malacca Strait that has prompted global concern that it will be used by Beijing as a naval outpost on the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia's official described the expansion of the Ream Naval Base as “cooperation between China and Cambodia” Background China and Cambodia have reportedly signed a secret pact allowing China exclusive use of a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand, although officials from both countries have denied such a deal exists. Ream Naval Base Location: Ream Naval Base is a facility operated by the Royal Cambodian Navy on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the province of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Ream faces the Gulf of Thailand, adjacent to the South China Sea Significance This would be china’s second overseas naval foothold, after a base in Djibouti opened in 2017. A Chinese base in Cambodia could become a chokepoint in the Gulf of Thailand close to the strategically important Malacca Strait. China’s strategic military footprint in Southeast Asia would help it bolster its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. Source: The Hindu [/su_box] [su_box title="Draft amendments to IT Rules, 2021" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Polity Mains – GS 2 (Governance) In News: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has published a fresh draft of amendments to the Information Technology Rules, 2021 What are the proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021? The draft proposes to create government-appointed appeal committees that will be empowered to review and possibly reverse content moderation decisions taken by social media companies. It means in case a user is not satisfied with the content moderation decision taken by a company’s grievance officer, they can appeal that decision before the proposed government-appointed appeals committee. Every order passed by the Grievance Appellate Committee shall be complied with by the concerned intermediary Currently, the only recourse a user has against companies’ content decisions is to approach the courts Responsibility on grievance officers appointed by social media companies - if a user complains about content which is “patently false”, infringes copyright, and threatens the integrity of India, among other things, a grievance officer will have to expeditiously address it within 72 hours. Under current rules, grievance officers have 15 days to act on and dispose of users’ complaints. What prompted the amendments? The IT Rules, 2021 provide for a robust grievance redressal mechanism. However, there have been many instances that grievance officers of intermediaries either do not address the grievances satisfactorily and/or fairly. In such a scenario, the need for an appellate forum has been proposed to protect the rights and interests of users Concerns The proposal, without any legislative basis, seeks to subject content on social media to the direct scrutiny of the government by permitting users to appeal decisions of social media platforms to a Grievance Appellate Committee constituted by MeitY IT Rules, 2021 These new rules deal with social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. These rules have been framed in exercise of powers under section 87 (2) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 New Guidelines for Social Media/Intermediaries: Categories of Social Media Intermediaries: Based on the number of users, on the social media platform intermediaries have been divided in two groups: Social media intermediaries. Significant social media intermediaries. Features In case, due diligence is not followed by the intermediary, safe harbor provisions will not apply to them. The safe harbor provisions have been defined under Section 79 of the IT Act, and protect social media intermediaries by giving them immunity from legal prosecution for any content posted on their platforms. Grievance Redressal Mechanism is Mandatory: Intermediaries shall appoint a Grievance Officer to deal with complaints and share the name and contact details of such officers. The grievance Officer shall acknowledge the complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve it within fifteen days from its receipt. Ensuring Online Safety and Dignity of Users: Intermediaries shall remove or disable access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of contents that exposes the private areas of individuals, show such individuals in full or partial nudity or in sexual act or is in the nature of impersonation including morphed images etc. Additional Due Diligence for the Significant Social Media Intermediaries: Appointments: Need to appoint Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer, all of whom should be resident in India. Rules for News Publishers and OTT Platforms and Digital Media: For OTT: Self-Classification of Content: The OTT platforms, called as the publishers of online curated content in the rules, would self-classify the content into five age based categories- U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult). Parental Lock: Platforms would be required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+ or higher, and reliable age verification mechanisms for content classified as “A”. Display Rating: Shall prominently display the classification rating specific to each content or program together with a content descriptor informing the user about the nature of the content For Publishers of News on Digital Media: They would be required to observe Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 1995 thereby providing a level playing field between the offline (Print, TV) and digital media. Grievance Redressal Mechanism: A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has been established under the rules with different levels of self-regulation. Self-regulation by the Publisher: Publisher shall appoint a Grievance Redressal Officer based in India who shall be responsible for the redressal of grievances received by it. The officer shall take decision on every grievance received by it within 15 days. Self-Regulatory Body: There may be one or more self-regulatory bodies of publishers. Such a body shall be headed by a retired judge of the SC, a High Court or independent eminent person and have not more than six members. Such a body will have to register with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This body will oversee the adherence by the publisher to the Code of Ethics and address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within 15 days. Oversight Mechanism: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shall formulate an oversight mechanism. It shall publish a charter for self-regulating bodies, including Codes of Practices. It shall establish an Inter-Departmental Committee for hearing grievances. Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Rajya Sabha Election" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Polity Mains – GS 2 (Polity and Constitution) In News: The Assemblies of 4 states will elect 16 MPs to Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha, or the Council of States, has 245 seats No ruling party has ever touched the 100 mark in the last three-and-a-half decades Every Rajya Sabha seat counts as any Bill, barring Money Bills, needs the assent of the second chamber to become law. How often are Rajya Sabha elections held? Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and cannot be dissolved. To ensure continuity, one-third of its members retire after every second year, under Article 83(1) of the Constitution, and “biennial elections” are held to fill these vacancies. The term of a member is six years. Out of the 245 members, 12 are nominated by the President and 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. Rajya Sabha polls: Who votes, and how? Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by MLAs through an indirect election. Article 80(4) provides that members shall be elected by the elected members of state Assemblies through a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. The Fourth Schedule to the Constitution provides for allocation of Rajya Sabha seats to the states and Union Territories, on the basis of the population of each state. How are the votes counted? The number of votes a candidate requires depends on the number of vacancies and the strength of the House. If there is only one vacancy, the required quota is calculated by taking the number of votes polled, divided it by 2, and adding 1. If there is more than one vacancy, the equation is based on an assigned value of 100 for every first-preference vote. The values of the votes credited to all candidates are totalled. The total is divided by 1 more than the number of vacancies, and 1 is added to this quotient. If for any seat, candidates fail to get the specified number, the second-preference votes will be taken into account, but with a lower value. Beyond passing Bills, why do Rajya Sabha numbers matter? Rajya Sabha enjoys some special powers It can pass resolution to enact laws on state subject Recommend creation of one or more All India Services common to the Union and the states Rajya Sabha has a role to play if the President proclamations national emergency, in the event of failure of constitutional machinery in a State, or in the case of financial emergency. Every such proclamation has to be approved by both Houses of Parliament within a stipulated period If a proclamation is issued at a time when Lok Sabha has been dissolved or the dissolution of Lok Sabha takes place within the period allowed for its approval, then the proclamation remains effective, if the resolution approving it is passed by Rajya Sabha within the period specified under Articles 352, 356 and 360 of the Constitution. Previous Year Questions Q.1) Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in (2020) the matter of creating new All India Services amending the Constitution the removal of the government making cut motions Source: Indian Express [/su_box] [su_box title="Carbon bombs" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Open in new window Syllabus Prelims – Environment Mains – GS 3 (Environment) In News: A group of environmentalists, lawyers, and activists have come together to identify and ‘defuse carbon bombs’– coal, oil and gas projects that have the potential to contribute significantly to global warming. The usage of the term ‘carbon bombs’ picked up after an investigative project of The Guardian The project reported the plans of countries and private companies all over the world to engage in 195 ‘carbon bomb’ projects. Each such project, will release huge amounts of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. What are carbon bombs? It is an oil or gas project that will result in at least a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Whenever coal, oil, or gas is extracted it results in pollution and environmental degradation. In total, around 195 such projects have been identified world over, including in the US, Russia, West Asia, Australia and India. These projects will collectively overshoot the limit of emissions that had been agreed to in the Paris Agreement of 2015. What does the investigation say? More than 60% of these carbon bomb projects are already underway Apart from coal, oil, and gas operations, the report highlighted the threat of methane, which routinely leaks from gas operations and is a powerful greenhouse gas, trapping 86 times more heat than CO2 over 20 years The report criticized reliance on fuel from conventional sources and not making use of emerging, green sources of energy. What is the plan for ‘defusing’ carbon bombs? The network working towards this goal is called Leave It In the Ground Initiative (LINGO). Its mission is to leave fossil fuels in the ground and learn to live without them. It believes the root of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, and the 100% use of renewable energy sources is the solution. LINGO aims to organise ground support for protesting such projects, challenge them through litigation, and conduct analysis and studies for the same. Previous Year Questions Q.1)Which one of the following best describes the term 'greenwashing'? (2022) Conveying a false impression that company's products are eco-friendly and environmentally sound Non-inclusion of ecological/environmental costs in the Annual Financial Statements of a country Ignoring the disastrous ecological consequences while undertaking infrastructure development Making mandatory provisions for environmental costs in a government project/programme Source: Indian Express [/su_box] Daily Practice MCQs [su_box title="Daily Practice MCQs" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Q.1) 'Ream Naval Base', recently in news is located in? Sea of Azov Mediterranean Sea Horn of Africa Gulf of Thailand Q.2) Consider the following statements While the Governor of the state is the chancellor of State Universities, the President of India is the Chancellor of Central Universities. Vice-Chancellor of both Central and State Universities are appointed by respective State Government. Choose the correct statements: 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Which one of the following best describes the term 'carbon bomb'? It is the amount of Carbon stored in methane hydrates of Artic region It is the amount of carbon released into atmospehere during Industrial Revolution It is an oil or gas project that will result in at least a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions over its lifetime It is a newly invented technology that captures and stores carbon di oxide from Coal power plants Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!! ANSWERS FOR '8th JUNE 2022 - Daily Practice MCQs' will be updated along with tomorrow's Daily Current Affairs. [/su_box] ANSWERS FOR 7th JUNE 2022 - Daily Practice MCQs [su_box title="Answers- Daily Practice MCQs" style="soft" box_color="#f3f3f3" title_color="#d45f07"] Q.1) - d Q.2) - d Q.3) - d [/su_box]

हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2022: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 8th June 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करेंअब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test -Click Here

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2022 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 8th June 2022

Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions.To take the Test - Click Here

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