Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for September 16, 2022. If you missed the September 15, 2022 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here
FRONT PAGE
Expert accompanying cheetahs says adaptable, human conflict a challenge
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change
Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– On Friday, five female and three male African cheetahs will set off on an over 10-hour, 8,000-km transcontinental journey to their new home in India. And among those making the journey on the Boeing 747 jet is one of the world’s leading experts on cheetahs, Dr Laurie Marker, who says managing a human-animal conflict will be the biggest challenge in India.
• For Your Information-Cheetahs are among the oldest of the big cat species, with its ancestors going back about 8.5 million years. It is listed as “vulnerable” by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Two subspecies, the Asiatic cheetah and the Northwest African cheetah, are listed as “critically endangered”.
• One of the world’s leading experts on cheetahs, Dr Laurie Marker, said that managing a human-animal conflict will be the biggest challenge in India-What is human-animal conflict in India?
• What are the major causes of human-animal conflict in India?
• The Reintroduction of the Cheetah in India is the first such trans-continental project which is taking off-Know how Reintroduction of the cheetah in India plan is executed?
• What is the Reintroduction of the cheetah in India plan?
• Cheetah in India- Background
• Extinction of Cheetah from Indian Landscape-know the reasons
• Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India-Important Highlights
• Know the difference between cheetah and Leopard and African cheetah and Asiatic cheetah
• Supreme Court of India on Translocating Animals-know in detail
• Trans-continental translocation of Animals-know the Issues and Challenges
• Map Work World-South Africa, Namibia and Botswana
• Map Work India-Kuno Palpur National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild
📍What it takes to successfully move big cats like cheetahs out of their natural habitats
After mid-day meal, breakfast in TN schools: Not freebie, its duty, says Stalin
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance
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- Invoking the contribution of his predecessors cutting across party lines in ensuring that Tamil Nadu’s children get proper and nutritious meals in schools, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday launched a breakfast scheme for them, saying doing so was not a factor of cost but part of a government’s duty.
• What is the breakfast scheme launched by the Tamil Nadu government?
• Do You know-Tamil Nadu had pioneered the noon meal scheme in government schools, which was later replicated as mid-day meal across the country.
• What makes human a resource?
• How government policy helps humans to become resources?
• How breakfast scheme or mid-day meal schemes benefit children in long run?
• Who started Midday Meal Scheme?
• What is Midday Meal Scheme?
• Midday Meal Scheme-Know Key provisions of the scheme
• Midday Meal Scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan-Connect the dots
• Midday Meal Scheme and PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme-How they are connected?
• Convention on the Rights of the Child and India’s commitment to yielding “adequate nutritious food” for children-Know more in detail
• Supreme Court of India on Midday meal Scheme-Know the landmark Judgements
• Midday Meal Scheme-Welfare scheme or freebie?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍POSHAN Abhiyaan – PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment
📍Mid Day Meal Rules : Notification
Cloud over output from UP, Govt likely to restrict sugar exports
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development
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– After banning exports of wheat and broken rice, the Narendra Modi government is set to take a call next on sugar. On May 24, the Central government had moved sugar exports from the “free” to “restricted” category. The current 2021-22 sugar year has seen both production and exports from India touch record levels of 360 lt and 112 lt respectively. However, closing stocks, estimated at 60 lt on September 30, would be a five-year low.
• Why the Government of India decided to “restrict” the export of sugar, effective from June 1?
• What are the latest curbs?
• How much did India export Sugar during the last few seasons?
• Why the curbs, now?
• What can be the sugar output this season?
• For Your Information-India’s sugar exports, which were a mere 0.46 lt in 2016-17 and 6.32 lt in 2017-18, soared to 38 lt, 59.40 lt and 71.90 lt in the subsequent three sugar years, before the all-time-high of 112 lt achieved in 2021-22.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Government must resist demands for banning exports. Real problem that requires addressing is yields
📍SUGAR LOW
GOVT & POLITICS
In deep freeze, electoral bonds case may come up in SC on September 19
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance
Main Examination: General Studies II: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– The Supreme Court will likely hear pending petitions challenging the Electoral Bond Scheme on September 19. The petitions filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) figure in the advance cause list of the top court for September 19.
• What are Electoral Bonds?
• Electoral Bonds-Key Features
• Which Bank is the only bank authorised to sell Electoral Bonds?
• Electoral Bonds and associated issues
• When are the bonds available for purchase?
• Are electoral bonds taxable?
• Why were electoral bonds introduced in India?
• Why are electoral bonds being so vehemently opposed by transparency activists?
• How popular are electoral bonds as a route of donation?
• What does the Supreme Court have to say on electoral bonds?
• What is the Election Commission’s stand on electoral bonds?
• Reserve Bank of India on electoral bonds scheme?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: Why the electoral bonds scheme has been challenged in Supreme Court
EXPRESS NETWORK
Council passes anti-conversion Bill amid protest
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main 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– The Karnataka Legislative Council Thursday passed the contentious anti-conversion Bill tabled by the state’s BJP government amid objections by the Congress and JD(S). The Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill had been cleared by the Assembly on December 23, 2021 but was not introduced in the Upper House as the BJP lacked a clear majority at the time.
• The Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021-Why in News?
• The Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021-Key Highlights
• Anti-conversion law in other States
• Reason Behind Anti-Conversion Laws
• What Article 25 of the Constitution?
• Right to marriage in India-is it a human right or right enforced by the law?
• Landmark Judgements of Supreme Court and High Courts on Conversion
• What Supreme Court of India, said in the Lily Thomas and Sarla Mudgal cases regarding religious conversion?
• Do other states in India have anti-conversion bills?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: What does Karnataka’s contentious anti-conversion Bill propose?
📍Explained: Haryana govt’s anti-conversion Bill, its provisions and Opposition’s objections
THE IDEAS PAGE
A pointless defence
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- Ishan Bakshi writes: One would have thought that the intellectual consensus that emerged from the RBI’s ill-fated attempts to defend the currency in the past — that its primary objective should be to target inflation, and not manage the currency — would have guided its actions. But that doesn’t seem to be the case
• “Legally, the Reserve Bank of India is mandated to target an inflation rate. But with the global economic environment taking a turn for the worse, the central bank has also been targeting the exchange rate”-What have you understood by this statement?
• To what extent can the RBI continue to deploy its reserves to defend the currency?
• What do you understand by Rupee depreciation?
• What are the reasons for Depreciation of Indian Rupee?
• What will be the impact, and will exporters benefit?
• How RBI has been intervening from time to time to contain the volatility in rupee?
• What should policymakers do?
• “Some may believe that a stronger currency gives the impression of economic stability and generates confidence in the economy. But there is an inherent contradiction between artificially propping up the rupee and the country’s growth prospects”-Analyse
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍What Is Currency Depreciation?
Partners in prosperity
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- On September 15, two years ago, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the United States-brokered Abraham Accords. It was a historic moment for our peoples and nations, fostering new hope for peace and prosperity in the Middle East. It also brought exciting opportunities for India and its thriving business community, which enjoys strong relations and engagement with our countries.
• The Abraham Accord is between which Countries?
• Map Work-Countries involved in Abraham Accord
• The Abraham Accord is the first Arab-Israeli peace deal-True or False?
• India and The Abraham Accord -Know India’s stand and response on the same
• Why Abraham Accords is beneficial to many countries?
• “The Abraham Accords have paved the way for greater regional and multinational cooperation”-How?
• What is “I2U2”?
• “I2U2” and Abraham Accords-Connect the dots
• How The I2U2 sets the stage for a new and dynamic phase in India’s relations with the Middle East.
• How India can contribute significantly to peace and prosperity in the West Asian region through I2U2 Summit?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Making a case for Indo-Abrahamic accord
📍Explained: Israel and UAE normalise relations; here’s what it means for the Middle East
📍Explained: Why is the Israel-UAE trade pact more than just another international deal?
EXPLAINED
US, Pak & F-16 package
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- On Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter that he had “conveyed concerns” to his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on the US decision to provide Pakistan with a $450 million package for what the Pentagon has called the “F-16 Case for sustainment and related equipment”. This was the first public statement by India on the latest US F-16 package to Pakistan.
• What is this F-16 package from USA to Pakistan?
• What is USA’s stand on this?
• Why this deal is taking under the Biden Government and not under Trump’s tenure?
• India, Pakistan, the F-16 aircraft-Why India is concerned on this?
• Know about F-16 aircraft
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍US equipment package for Pak’s F-16 fleet: Rajnath conveys to Austin India’s concern
Why Jharkhand wants to define a ‘local’ with 1932 as the cut-off for domicile
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– The Jharkhand Cabinet Wednesday approved the draft ‘Local Resident of Jharkhand Bill’ for defining a local, keeping 1932 as the cut-off year for ‘proof of land records’ for the purpose.
• Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and for Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural and Other Benefits to Such Local Persons Bill, 2022’-highlights of the bill
• As per the draft Bill, ‘a local will be a person whose name or his ancestors’ name is recorded in the survey/khatiyan of 1932 or before’-so, why 1932?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Jharkhand Cabinet approves draft Bill with 1932 as cut-off year for domicile
ECONOMY
FSDC: Early-warning indicators, 2023 G20 presidency in focus
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)?
• Who heads Financial Stability and Development Council?
• What is the function of a Financial Stability and Development Council?
• What are the two pillars of financial stability?
• What factors affect financial stability?
• Financial Stability and Development Council is an organ of NITI Aayog- True or False
• Financial Stability and Development Council monitors macro-prudential supervision of the economy.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Maintain constant vigil on financial sector, work to achieve inclusive growth: FM to regulators
For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
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