Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for March 30, 2023. If you missed the March 29, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here
FRONT PAGE
Cash-strapped Himachal’s water cess hits small hydel plants hard
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– Cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh government’s decision to impose a cess on hydel projects and raise an estimated Rs 4,000 crore is seen as regressive, particularly hurting small projects and players, and dampening the government’s efforts towards a hydro push.
• Why Himachal Pradesh government decided to impose a cess on hydel projects?
• The Himachal Pradesh water cess on Hydropower Generation Bill, 2023-know the key highlights
• What is the meaning of water cess?
• What is cess?
• What are surcharges and how does it differ from cess?
• Types of Cess levied in India
• Types of Cess levied by the states in India?
• Himachal Pradesh water cess on Hydropower Generation Bill, 2023 invited sharp criticism from the neighbouring states Punjab and Haryana-why so?
• What is sovereignty of States over natural resources?
• So does this cess infringes other states rights over natural resources?
• For Your Information-Himachal Pradesh’s water cess Bill provides for levying a 10 paisa per cubic metre cess on projects with heads up to 30 metres, 25 paise on 30-60 metres, 35 paise on 60-90 metres, and 50 paise per cubic metre over 90 metres. The Himachal government has estimated that the cess on all 172 hydel projects in the state would generate Rs 4,000 crore a year. The state has a power potential of more than 27,000 MW out of which 11,000 MW has been harnessed.
• What experts are saying?
• The power plant associations further argued that Himachal should adopt the Uttarakhand model of cess which varies from 7-10 paise on the plant’s meter head-What is Uttarakhand model of cess?
• How many hydroelectric power plants are in Himachal Pradesh?
• Which is the biggest hydro power plant in Himachal Pradesh?
• Punjab and Haryana have said that the cess imposed under the Himachal Pradesh Water Cess on Hydro Power Generation Act, 2023 is in violation of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956-What is Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Water cess doesn’t violate any treaty, won’t impact Punjab, Haryana: Sukhu
IN PARLIAMENT
No let-up in House logjam, Lok Sabha passes Competition (Amendment) Bill
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– Logjam in Parliament continued on Wednesday as both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day amid uproarious scenes with the Opposition members protesting against the ‘disqualification’ of Rahul Gandhi, and demanding a JPC into the Adani issue. However, the treasury benches managed to pass the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Lower House amid the din. Corporate Affairs and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the Bill for consideration and passage, and it was passed without a debate.
• Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022-Know the key highlights of the bill
• For Your Information-The Corporate Affairs ministry has made certain amendments to the original Bill. One of the changes is with respect to the turnover that will be considered for the imposition of penalty in case of competition law violations. “
• What do you understand by the term ‘turnover’?
• ‘Another amendment is that the CCI has to form a prima-facie opinion about a filing related to a combination within 30 days of receiving the filing’-What is the role of Competition Commission of India?
• How the bill defines the term ‘Acquisitions’?
• The Competition Act, 2002-Know the key features of this act?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022
Speed up disbursal of loans sanctioned by HEFA: panel to Education ministry
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– A Parliamentary panel has asked the Ministry of Education to make more efforts to ensure “speedy disbursal” of sanctioned loans by the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA), which was set up by the Centre in 2017 to upgrade the education infrastructure in the country to global best standards. In its report, presented in Parliament on Tuesday, the Rajya Sabha department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, has also recommended that the Centre expedite the revision of the scheme to widen its scope.
• What is Higher Education Financing Agency?
• How does the Higher Education Financing Agency provide funding?
• What are the terms and conditions to receive finance from Higher Education Financing Agency?
• How Higher Education Financing Agency works?
• Higher Education Financing Agency-Know its merit and demerit
• What is the higher education in India?
• What are the issues and challenges faced by Higher Education Sector in India?
• How is higher education in India regulated?
• Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022 and Higher Education Financing Agency-Connect the dots
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍In 6 years, special loans for higher education at one-third of target
House panel proposes overarching apex body for glacier management
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– Highlighting the “strategic” role of glaciers as a vital national resource, a Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended to set up an overarching apex body for glacier management in the country.
• Glaciers are surveyed and their detailed inventory is maintained by whom?
• First of all, what is Glacier?
• “Strategic” role of glaciers-what does it mean?
• By the way, how many glaciers are there in India?
• Which is largest glacier in India?
• Map Work-Siachen
• Have you heard of Siachen? What all you know about it?
• So, what exactly Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended?
• For Your Information-In its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the Standing Committee on Water Resources said, “…there are a plethora of ministries/departments/institutions with different mandates for dealing with hydro-meteorological and hydro-geological hazards of Himalayan glaciers. While the glaciers are surveyed and their detailed inventory is maintained by the Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines; the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change looks into all matters related to climate change… The Department of Science & Technology is involved in conducting research on glaciers and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research has done some studies on the Himalayan cryosphere.”
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Parliamentary panel holds meeting on glaciers, seeks to streamline research, warning systems
Previous year mains question covering similar theme:
📍How does the cryosphere affect global climate? (General Studies 1, 2017)
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
NOT JUST RATIONS
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), governs the country’s largest beneficiary-centric programme. The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) provides food security to 81.35 crore persons every month.
• What is meant by Public Distribution System?
• What are the objectives of Public Distribution System?
• What are the two types of Public Distribution System PDS?
• Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) and Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)-Compare and Contrast
• ‘The lack of credible and dynamic data on consumption and mobility patterns was always a big challenge for planners to ensure efficient delivery of critical central welfare schemes to the most vulnerable sections of our society’-Discuss
• ‘The SMART-PDS initiative of the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) to implement data-driven decision-making will go a long way in addressing this deficit’- What is SMART-PDS initiative?
• ‘To sustain the reforms brought in by the End-to-end Computerisation of TPDS Operations scheme and address the above key challenges, the government has launched a Central Sector Scheme – Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)’- What is Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)?
• Do You Know- Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) main objectives are the Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (nation-wide portability), creation of a national-level data repository for de-duplication of beneficiary/ration cards data; creation of integrated data infrastructure/systems across ration card management; allocation, supply chain of foodgrains and FPS automation among Centre and all states. Presently, the ONORC plan is seamlessly functional in all 36 States/UTs and is consistently recording over 3.5 crore monthly portable transactions. This count is steadily improving. Since its inception in August 2019 in just four states, ONORC has so far recorded more than 100 crore portability transactions, including both inter-state and intra-state transactions. The data generated during this process has now become a tool for many other central ministries and state governments.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍PDS has had a spectacular run. That may not last
EXPLAINED
Suu Kyi’s party dissolved: What this means for her, Myanmar
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– The dissolution of Myanmar’s main political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi since its inception in 1988, signals that the military is drawing further inward as it seeks to hold on to its power grab through an “election”.
• Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
• What is happening in Myanmar?
• For Your Information-The junta’s election talk began in January this year, ahead of the second anniversary of the February 1, 2021 military coup, erasing the NLD’s 2020 election victory that crushed the United Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a military proxy. Under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, a state of emergency can be imposed only for two years, and thereafter, elections have to be held within six months. But on February 1, the junta extended the emergency by another six months, which will end on August 31. This means that an election could be held by February 2024, unless another extension is planned.
• Who is Myanmar junta?
• Who is in charge of Myanmar now?
• What next for the NLD?
• What International organisations is Myanmar part of?
• Know India-Myanmar bilateral relations in detail
• Why is Myanmar important for India?
• Since coup in Myanmar, How India has taken diplomatic approach on Myanmar?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍India must prioritise stability in Myanmar
📍Why India must engage with Myanmar
2020-30: Possible ‘lost’ decade
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– From the perspective of the global economy, the year 2023 started off on a mildly optimistic note. As top policymakers and CEOs met in Davos, there was a sense that the global economy might be able to dodge the chances of a recession in 2023. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook in January provided a salutary stamp to that notion. However, the recent collapses in the banking sector had yet again ratcheted up the apprehensions of a recession. In this context, a new research publication by the World Bank, titled “Falling Long-Term Growth Prospects”, argues that the current decade (2020-2030) “could be a lost decade in the making—not just for some countries or regions as has occurred in the past—but for the whole world.” Simply put, the World Bank has found that the overlapping crises of the past few years — Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resultant spike in inflation as well as monetary tightening — have ended a span of nearly three decades of sustained economic growth.
• What are the reasons for the slowdown?
• What about India?
• What can be done to boost potential global growth?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Key takeaways from IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook update
When two aircraft come too close — and how they are kept safely apart
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story-On March 24, an Air India Airbus A319, flying to Kathmandu from New Delhi, and a Nepal Airlines Airbus A320 came close to a mid-air collision. The Air India aircraft, which was flying at 19,000 ft, descended to 15,000 ft following Kathmandu ATC “clearance”. The Nepal Airlines aircraft, flying from Kuala Lumpur, was also at 15,000 ft, according to the reports. While the Air India plane climbed sharply, the Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft to avoid a collision, the reports added.
• What causes air crash?
• What probably went wrong?
• What are the rules of separation between aircraft?
• Can two aircraft cross each other’s paths?
• Radar-controlled airspace & role of Air Traffic Control (ATC)-Know in brief
• What will happen if two aircraft violate separation standards?
• Do chances of survivors decrease when a plane catches fire after a crash?
• Even though plane crashes don’t happen very often, they cause a lot of damage and give the people involved very little chance of surviving. It has been observed that the majority of accidents occur during take-offs and landings. What role does disaster management play in the aviation industry?
• What factors contribute to aircraft accidents?
• What are the potential risk-reduction strategies and post-disaster requirements for the aircraft disaster?
• Past aviation disasters-What Lessons did we learn?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Air India and Nepal Airlines aircraft almost collided mid-air; 3 air traffic controllers suspended
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