1. Anti-dumping
- Context: India has imposed anti-dumping duty on five Chinese goods, including vacuum flasks and aluminium foil to protect domestic players from cheap imports.
Anti-dumping duty:
Tools of protectionism:
Prelims Special:
Q. With reference to NITI Ayog, consider the following statements:
- The governing Council of NITI Ayog comprising the Chief Ministers of all States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
- The team India Wing comprises representatives from every State and Ministry and serves as a permanent platform for national collaboration.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (c)
2. Chief Justice of India
- Context: Chief Justice of India constituted a three-member committee of senior judges to conduct an inquiry into the allegations that a “huge” amount of cash was found at the official residence of a senior Delhi High Court Judge.
Chief Justice of India(CJI):
Judges case:
- First Judges Case (1981): It declared that the “primacy” of the Chief Justice of India (CJI)’s recommendation on judicial appointments and transfers can be refused for “logical reasons.”
- The ruling gave the Executive primacy over the Judiciary in judicial appointments for the next 12 years.
- Second Judges Case (1993): SC introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”.
- It was not the CJI’s individual opinion, consultation with the two senior-most judges in the SC.
- Third Judges Case (1998): SC on President’s reference expanded the Collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior-most colleagues.
Transfer of judges:
- Article 222: It provides for the transfer of HC judges, including the Chief Justice. The President, after consultation with the CJI, may transfer a judge from one HC to any other HC and a compensatory allowance is provided to the transferred judge.
- Interpretation: The executive could transfer a judge, but only after consulting the CJI.
Prelims Special:
Q. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2019)
- The 44th Amendment to the Constitution of India introduced an Article placing the election of the Prime Minister beyond judicial review.
- The Supreme Court of India struck down the 99th Amendment to the Constitution of India as being violative of the independence of judiciary.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (b)
3. Tuberculosis (TB)
- Context: India set an ambitious goal of eradicating tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 during the “End TB Summit” held in New Delhi in March 2018, advancing by five years the target set in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the end-TB strategy of the World Health Organization.
Tuberculosis:
- TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family consisting of about 200 members.
- Some of Mycobacteria cause diseases like TB and Leprosy in humans and others infect a wide range of animals.
- In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
- TB is a treatable and curable disease.
- TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
- Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
What steps need to be taken to control TB?
- Nutritional support: It is an important step towards healthy development of TB patients.
- The growing focus on patient support, addressing stigma, and gendered aspects of TB is important.
- Bridge the gap between policy intent and on-the-ground realities.
- For instance, India needs to prioritize targeted interventions aimed at improving and expanding access to TB diagnosis and treatment.
- Expand the reach of TB testing facilities, particularly in rural and underserved areas
- Ensure the availability of free, affordable and quality-assured TB drugs.
- Molecular testing is the gold standard and less than a quarter of symptomatic patients are getting that as their first test.
- Focus on efforts to make care more humane.
- Mental health support and gender responsive care become critically important.
- Efforts are needed to strengthen community-based TB care models, empowering frontline health-care workers to deliver comprehensive care which addresses treatment and social, economic and mental health needs
- It is closer to where patients live.
- By supporting frontline TB workers, strengthening supply chains and procurement mechanisms, decentralizing TB services and empowering local communities
- India can reduce stigma, overcome barriers to access and enhance treatment outcomes.
- Addressing the socio-economic determinants of TB requires a multi-sectoral approach.
- Poverty alleviation, improvement in nutritional status, well-ventilated housing and better air quality will all contribute towards reducing TB.
- Recent research: It has shown that nutritional supplementation reduced TB incidence substantially in household contacts of adults with microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB.
- By tackling the underlying root causes of TB, India can make significant strides towards eliminating the disease and improving the overall health and well-being of its population.
Variants of TB:
- Drug-resistant (DR-TB)
- Totally drug-resistant (TDR-TB)
- Extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB)
- Pulmonary TB (P-TB)
- Non-pulmonary TB
Prelims Special:
Q. H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases? [UPSC 2015]
- AIDS
- Bird flu
- Dengue
- Swine flu
Ans: (d)
4. Farakka barrage
- Context: The Union Government has tentatively decided to commission “soon” the Farakka Barrage, notwithstanding some doubts raised by the Bangladesh team.
Farakka Barrage:
- In 1951, India had initiated the construction of the Farakka Barrage. It was on the river Ganga, which flows from India into Bangladesh, where its primary distributary is known as the river Padma.
- The river drains into Bay of Bengal after a confluence with river Meghna. In 1975, the barrage was finally constructed.
- The reason for India to establish the barrage was to flush out the silt of Bhagirathi Hoogly river to ensure smooth operationalization of Kolkata port.
Prelims Special:
Q. With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct? [ UPSC 2024]
- Ghaghara — Gomati — Gandak — Kosi
- Gomati — Ghaghara — Gandak — Kosi
- Ghaghara — Gomati — Kosi — Gandak
- Gomati — Ghaghara — Kosi — Gandak
Ans: (b)
5. Panchayat Raj
- Context: The Tamil Nadu government has granted administrative sanction for allocation of ₹1,087 crore for the implementation of ‘Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam – II’ to improve basic infrastructure in rural areas during 2025-26.
73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment Act:
Challenges faced by Panchayats:
- Failure of the State government to release funds in time: It forces them to utilize either private resources or borrow large amounts to complete panchayat activities and meet various targets.
- State governments: through the local bureaucracy, continue to exercise considerable discretionary authority and influence over panchayats.
- Gram panchayats remain fiscally dependent on grants (both discretionary and non-discretionary grants) from the State and the Centre for everyday activities.
- Their own sources of revenue (both tax and non-tax): They constitute a tiny proportion of overall panchayat funds.
- For example: In Telangana, less than a quarter of a panchayat’s revenue comes from its own sources of revenue.
- Access to discretionary grants for panchayats remains contingent on political and bureaucratic connections.
- An inordinate delay in transferring approved funds to panchayat accounts stalls local development.
- Delays in the disbursement of funds by the local bureaucracy have led to pressure on sarpanches leading some to end their life.
- State governments also bind local governments’ through the local bureaucracy.
- Approval for public works projects often requires technical approval (from the engineering department) and administrative approval
- Higher-level politicians and bureaucrats intervening in selecting beneficiaries for government programmes and limiting the power of sarpanches further.
- The ability of sarpanches to exercise administrative control over local employees is also limited.
- In many States, the recruitment of local functionaries reporting to the panchayat, such as village watchmen or sweepers, is conducted at the district or block level.
- Sarpanch does not have the power to dismiss these local-level employees.
- Unlike elected officials at other levels, sarpanchs can be dismissed while in office.
- Gram Panchayat Acts in many States have empowered district-level bureaucrats, mostly district Collectors, to act against sarpanches for official misconduct.
- For example: Section 37 of the Telangana Gram Panchayat Act allows District Collectors to suspend and dismiss incumbent sarpanches.
Prelims Special:
Q. Consider the following statements: [UPSC 2016]
- The minimum age prescribed for any person to be a member of Panchayat is 25 years.
- A Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder period.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (b)
6. Elephant
- Context: The Forest Department captured a wild makna elephant (tuskless male).
Reasons for Tuskless Female elephants:
- Researchers have sequenced the genome of tuskless and tusked elephants to deduce two genes responsible for this, first is MEP1A, whose roles include the formation of enamel.
- The second is in the X chromosome, called AMELX.
- This gene is located close to other crucial genes, which are necessary for the survival of males or the Y chromosome.
- Mutation in this gene affects these other genes as well, causing the death of the Y chromosome.
- Female elephants in Gorongosa can produce both tusked and tuskless female offspring, but only tusked male offspring
Elephant:
Prelims Special:
Q. With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements: (2020)
- The leader of an elephant group is a female.
- The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
- An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
- Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 4 only
- 3 only
- 1, 3 and 4 only
Ans: (a)