1. Indian Heritage

• Culture

GURU NANAK DEV JI

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism was the first of the ten Sikh gurus who helped in formulating the pillars on which Sikhism was established. His teachings are inscribed in the Guru Granth Sahib and they continue to be the guiding principles for not only Sikhs but people across communities and religions. He preached many life-long lessons and teachings that can be applied today and have become even more important and much-needed values in today’s turbulent times. In order to get a better understanding of his philosophy, we bring you the 10 life lessons that you can learn from Guru Nanak Dev Ji. 

• Modern Indian history

• The Freedom Struggle

 

• Post-independence

• Indian Society

A. population and associated issues

B. poverty and developmental issues

C.urbanization

   7. Geographical features

8.Indian Constitution

       Constitution Day Of India: Know Why Do We Celebrate Samvidhan Divas

India celebrates Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas on November 26. This year marks the 132nd birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who was the chairman of the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly and played an important role in the drafting of the Constitution. Earlier, this day was celebrated as Law Day but in 2015 the Indian government modified Law Day as Constitution Day. November 26 marks the day when India adopted its constitution in the year 1949. The Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950. BR Ambedkar, known for championing the cause of the downtrodden, was the head of the committee that finalised the draft of the Indian Constitution. The completion of the draft had taken 2 years, 11 months and 17 days. Meanwhile, BR Ambedkar’s statue will be installed on the Supreme Court premises. It is reported that President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the statue at 10.30 am on Sunday and the occasion will be telecast live. In most places across the country, small or big cities, towns and villages, statues of BR Ambedkar are seen with raised hands, inspiring people to move forward. The statue is being installed on the Supreme Court premises following an initiative by Chief Justice Chandrachud, people familiar with the matter said

9. Polity

Rejection by Governor does not mean death of Bill: Supreme Court

The Governor is under Article 168 a part of the legislature and is bound by the constitutional regime

The Supreme Court, in a 27page judgment, has clarified that the rejection of a Bill by a Governor does not mean its death.

Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, writing for a threejudge Bench, held that a law proposed by a State legislature is not extinguished merely because the Governor refuses to sign his assent.

The judgment explains that the substantive portion of Article 200 of the Constitution provides the Governor with three options when presented with a Bill — consent to the proposed law, withhold consent, or reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President.

The first proviso of Article 200 goes on to say that the Governor may send the withheld Bill, if it is not a Money Bill, back to the House as soon as possible with a message suggesting amendments or requesting the Assembly to reconsider the Bill or specific provisions of it. The judgment holds that the first proviso does not offer the Governor a fourth contingency.

The court clarified that the Governor cannot choose between letting a Bill die after rejecting it and sending it back to the House for relegislation.

The Chief Justice held that a Governor should necessarily return a Bill to the House for relegislation after deciding to withhold consent. The court held that the procedure enumerated in the first proviso was the mandatory followup to the Governor’s choice of withholding consent. Thus, the court has inextricably linked the withholding of consent with the return of the Bill to the House for reconsideration.

The court had made it clear that the final word belongs to the legislature. Once the House repasses the returned Bill, with or without amendments, the Governor has no choice but to grant consent.

“The Governor as the unelected head of State would be in a position to virtually veto the functioning of the legislative domain by a duly elected legislature by simply declaring that assent is withheld without any further recourse. Such a course of action would be contrary to fundamental principles of a constitutional democracy based on a parliamentary pattern of governance. The Governor is under Article 168 a part of the legislature and is bound by the constitutional regime,” the court held.

 

 

10. Governance

A. institutions

B. regulatory

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 as amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.

It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Paris in October 1991, and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its Regulations 48/134 of 20 December, 1993.

The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

Vision & Mission

The National Human Rights Commission, India has been set up by an Act of Parliament under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 for the protection and promotion of human rights. The functions of the Commission as stated in Section 12 of the Act and apart from enquiry into complaints of violation of human rights or negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant, the Commission also studies treaties and international instruments on human rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation to the Government.

The Commission is responsible for spreading of human rights awareness amongst the masses and encouraging the efforts of all stake holders in the field of human rights literacy not only at the national level but at international level too. NHRC is a unique institution because it is one of the few National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs) in the world whose Chairperson is the former Chief Justice of the country. The world looks at NHRC of India as a role model in promoting and monitoring effective implementation of promotion and protection of human rights.

Section 2(1) (d) of the PHR Act defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The NHRC, India plays an active role in coordinating with other NHRIs of the world to enhance awareness from the perspective of human rights. It has also hosted delegations from UN Bodies and other National Human Rights Commissions as well as members of civil society, lawyers and political and social activists from many countries.

Securities and Exchange Board of India

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)- Regulator of the financial markets in India that was established on 12^th April 1988.

It was initially established as a non-statutory body, i.e. it had no control over anything but later in 1992, it was declared an autonomous body with statutory powers. he

This regulatory authority plays an important role in regulating the securities market of India. Thereby it is important to know the purpose and objective of the same.

Thus, In this blog, we will discuss why this regulatory body was formed and what are the roles, functions, and objectives of this regulatory authority:

Role of SEBI:

This regulatory authority acts as a watchdog for all the capital market participants. Its main purpose is to provide such an environment for financial market enthusiasts that facilitate the efficient and smooth working of the securities market. SEBI also plays an important role in the economy.

To make this happen, it ensures that the three main participants of the financial market are taken care of, i.e. issuers of securities, investors, and financial intermediaries.

1. Issuers of securities

These are entities in the corporate field that raise funds from various sources in the market. This organization makes sure that they get a healthy and transparent environment for their needs.

2. Investor

Investors are the ones who keep the markets active. This regulatory authority is responsible for maintaining an environment that is free from malpractices to restore the confidence of the general public who invest their hard-earned money in the markets.

3. Financial Intermediaries

These are the people who act as middlemen between the issuers and investors. They make financial transactions smooth and safe.

Functions of SEBI:

The main primary three functions are-

1. Protective Function
2. Regulatory Function
3. Development Function

1. Protective Functions

As the name suggests, these functions are performed by SEBI to protect the interest of investors and other financial participants.

It includes-

• Checking price rigging
• Prevent insider trading
• Promote fair practices
• Create awareness among investors
• Prohibit fraudulent and unfair trade practices

2. Regulatory Functions

These functions are basically performed to keep a check on the functioning of the business in the financial markets.

These functions include-

• Designing guidelines and code of conduct for the proper functioning of financial intermediaries and corporate.
• Regulation of takeover of companies
• Conducting inquiries and audit of exchanges
• Registration of brokers, sub-brokers, merchant bankers etc.
• Levying of fees
• Performing and exercising powers
• Register and regulate credit rating agency

3. Development Functions

This regulatory authority performs certain development functions also that include but they are not limited to-

• Imparting training to intermediaries
• Promotion of fair trading and reduction of malpractices
• Carry out research work
• Encouraging self-regulating organizations
• Buy-sell mutual funds directly from AMC through a broker

C. Government policies

D. role of NGOs

E. measures

11. Social Justice

A. Welfare schemes

 

B Health

Trends of ILI/SARI to be closely monitored by District and State surveillance

Increase in respiratory illness predominantly due to usual causes like Influenza, Mycoplasma pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2

n view of the recent reports indicating a surge in respiratory illness in children in northern China in the recent weeks, the Union Health Ministry has proactively decided to review the preparedness measures against respiratory illnesses, as a matter of abundant caution. This is noted to be important in view of the ongoing influenza and winter season that results in an increase in respiratory illness cases. Government of India is closely monitoring the situation, and indicated that there is no need for any alarm.

In a letter by Union Health Secretary to States and UTs, they have been advised to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures viz. availability of HR, hospital beds, drugs & vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment,testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, infection control practices in health facilities, at a senior level.

All States and Union Territories have ben advised to implement ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of COVID-19’, shared earlier this year, which provides for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens presenting as cases of influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). They have also been asked to ensure that the trends of ILI/SARI should be closely monitored by the district and state surveillance units of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP), particularly of children and adolescents. The data of ILI/SARI is required to be uploaded on IDSP- IHIP portal particularly from the public health institutions including medical college hospitals. States also asked to send nasal and throat swab samples of patients with SARI, particularly of children and adolescents, to Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL’s) located in the States for testing for respiratory pathogens. The cumulative effect of implementation of these precautionary and proactive collaborative measures is expected to counter any potential situation and ensure the safety and well-being of the citizens.

Recently, information shared by WHO has indicated an increase in respiratory illness in northern parts of China. This is predominantly attributed to usual causes like Influenza, Mycoplasma pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 etc. As per WHO, the release of Covid-19 restrictions coinciding with the onset of winter season in addition to cyclical trend of respiratory illnesses such as Mycoplasma pneumonia have led to this surge. While WHO has sought additional information from Chinese authorities, it is assessed that there is no cause for any alarm at the moment.

C. Education

D. Human Resources             

Khelo India Para Games 2023

first-ever Khelo India Para Games to be held in New Delhi Over 1350 participants from across 32 states and union territories including the Services Sports Control Board are expected to participate in the maiden Khelo India Para Games.

E. poverty and hunger

India and the Global Hunger Index

The government objects to India being ranked 111 of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index, it is reluctant to conduct a household consumption survey, but it has extended the free foodgrains scheme for five more years. A look at what the GHI numbers say.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023 has ranked India 111 out of 125 countries with sufficient data to estimate hunger levels, provoking India to once again take exception to the methodology used by the hunger audit and im

pute “malafide intent”. Around mid-october each year, two global organisations, Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, release the Global Hunger Index report, which ranks countries according to hunger and undernutrition prevalence levels in the population.

For the last two decades, the GHI has been a tool to track hunger at global, regional, and national levels. Its main objective is to get governments to take greater notice of hunger levels.

Governments rarely object vehemently to the ranking, which makes India a notable exception. India has been expressing pique at the GHI findings, particularly since 2014 when the Narendra Modi regime came to power. The National Democratic Alliance government, through the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has for the second time faulted the ranking, saying the GHI “continues to be an erroneous measure of hunger with serious methodological issues and shows a malafide intent”.

One complaint is that the GHI does not take into account the government’s initiatives to address hunger. But the GHI is not designed to audit the achievements of governments; it reports things as they stand.

The GHI is calculated on the basis of a set of globally agreed parameters and relies heavily on data in the public domain, supplied by the United Nations and other multilateral agencies. Some of them are international UN bodies such as UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The countries that met the criteria for inclusion in the GHI report numbered 136, but data were insufficient in 11 countries. Where data were insufficient or original source data were unavailable, estimates were based on the latest data available. Some countries with insufficient data were provisionally designated as showing “alarming” levels of hunger; the report says that had data been available, these countries would have been categorised as “severely alarming” because of the conflict situation prevalent there. This shows that GHI scores tend to err on the conservative side.

The GHI report for 2023 makes certain general observations on global hunger, especially against the backdrop of the Ukraine-russia conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic preceding it. Years of advancement in reversing or slowing down global hunger came to a standstill after 2015. The “era of polycrisis”, a term used in the report, had affected younger populations disproportionately. The under-25 population comprised around 42 per cent of the world’s population. Regionally, hunger levels in South Asia and south of the African Sahara were found to be among the worst. Hunger levels were either serious or alarming in 43 countries. The report cautions against making year-to-year comparisons. For comparisons over time, the authors suggest that the scores of 2000, 2008, and 2015 can be used.

The scores use four component indicators: undernourishment (proportion of population with insufficient calorie intake), child stunting (proportion of children under 5 with low height for age, indicating chronic undernutrition), child wasting (children under 5 with low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition), and child mortality (proportion of children who die before the age of 5). These indicators reflect insufficiencies in calorie intake and micronutrient deficiencies. By combining the proportion of the undernourished in the population and the indicators on child health, the GHI estimates the food supply situation of the population as a whole and the effects of inadequate nutrition within a particularly vulnerable subset of the population.

INDIA’S HUNGER LEVELS were rated as “serious”, which means worse than low or moderate hunger but not alarming or seriously alarming. The prevalence of undernourishment seems to have risen between 2015 and 2023, whereas child mortality, though still high, showed a decline. The figure for Prevalence of Undernourishment (POU, 16.6 per cent) is sourced from the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report 2023 of the FAO; those for child wasting (18.7 per cent) and stunting (35.5 per cent) data are from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21); and the child mortality (3.1 per cent) rate is from the report of the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation published in January 2023.

The GHI uses the same data sources to calculate the country scores, making it possible to rank countries and compare the results.

GHI rankings from one year’s report cannot be compared with rankings in reports from other years because every year there is a different set and different number of countries in the ranking, depending on changing data availability.

12. International relations

A. India and its neighbourhood

B. groupings and agreements

C.Indian diaspora

13. Economic Development

A. Government Budgeting

B. industrial

Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 

Milk Production:

Union Minister Shri Rupalainformed thatthe total Milk production in the country is estimated as 230.58 million tonnes during 2022-23 registered a growth of 22.81%over the past 5 years which was 187.75 million tonnes in 2018-19. Further, the production has increased by 3.83% during 2022-23 over the estimates of 2021-22. In past, the annual growth rates were 6.47% in 2018-19; 5.69% in 2019-20; 5.81% in 2020-21 and 5.77% in 2021-22.

Minister stated that the highest milk producing State during 2022-23 was Uttar Pradesh with a share of 15.72 % of total milk production followed by Rajasthan (14.44 %), Madhya Pradesh (8.73 %), Gujarat (7.49 %), and Andhra Pradesh (6.70 %). In terms of annual growth rate (AGR), the highest AGR recorded by Karnataka (8.76%) followed by West Bengal (8.65%) and Uttar Pradesh (6.99%) over the previous year.

Egg Production:

Shri Parshottam Rupala stated that the total Egg production in the country has estimated as 138.38 billion nos. during 2022-23 registered a growth of 33.31% growth over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 103.80 billion numbers during 2018-19. Further, the production has increased annually by 6.77%during 2022-23 over 2021-22. In past the annual growth rate was9.02% in 2018-19; 10.19% in 2019-20; 6.70% in 2020-21 and 6.19% in 2021-22.

Shri Rupala informed that the Major contribution in the total Egg production comes from Andhra Pradesh with a share of 20.13 % of total Egg production followed by Tamil Nadu (15.58 %), Telangana (12.77 %), West Bengal (9.94%) andKarnataka (6.51 %). In terms of AGR, the highest growth rate was recorded by West Bengal (20.10%) and followed by Sikkim (18.93%) and Uttar Pradesh (12.80%).

Meat Production: 

Union Minister stated thatthe total Meat production in the country is estimated as 9.77million tonnes during 2022-23 registered a growth of 20.39 % over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 8.11 milliontonnes in 2018-19.Further, the production was increased by 5.13 % in 2022-23 over 2021-22.In the past the growth rate was 5.99 % in 2018-19; 5.98 % in 2019-20; 2.30% in 2020-21 and 5.62 % in 2021-22.

He further stated that the Major contribution in the total meat production comes from Uttar Pradesh with 12.20 % share and followed by West Bengal (11.93 %), Maharashtra (11.50 %), Andhra Pradesh (11.20 %) and Telangana (11.06 %). In terms of annual growth rate, the highest Annual Growth Rate (AGR) has recorded in Sikkim (63.08%) followed by Meghalaya (38.34%) and Goa (22.98%).

Wool Production:

Shri Rupala inormed that the total Wool production in the country is estimated as 33.61 million kg during 2022-23 registered a negative growth of 16.84% over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 40.42 million kg during 2018-19. However, the production has increased by 2.12% in 2022-23 over 2021-22. In past the growth rates were -2.51% in 2018-19; -9.05% in 2019-20, – 0.46% in 2020-21and-10.87% in 2021-22.

He informed that the Major contribution in the total Wool production comes from Rajasthan with a share of 47.98% followed by Jammu & Kashmir (22.55%), Gujarat (6.01%), Maharashtra (4.73%) and Himachal Pradesh (4.27%). In terms of annual growth rate, the highest AGR has recorded by Arunachal Pradesh (35.75%) followed by Rajasthan (6.06%) and Jharkhand (2.36%).

PRSI National Awards 2023′

Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) during 25^th to 27^th November 2023 in New Delhi. The award recognizes the overall high-quality, layout and design of NHPC Annual Report 2022-23.

NHPC Limited, India’s premier hydropower company, has won the 2^nd prize under the ‘Annual Report’ category of ‘PRSI National Awards 2023’. The award was presented during the International Public Relations Festival

E.issues

14. Technology

 

15. Environment

Indian Coast Guard conducts 9th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) off Vadinar, Gujarat

The 9^th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard on 25 Nov 2023 off Vadinar, Gujarat. DG Rakesh Pal, Director General Indian Coast Guard, and the Chairman NOSDCP reviewed the preparedness of all agencies during the exercise. Representatives of various ministries and departments of central and coastal state governments, ports, oil handling agencies, and other stakeholders participated in the exercise. More than 31 foreign observers and 80 delegates participated in the exercise.

The NATPOLREX-IX accomplished its objective of testing the level of preparedness and coordination between various resource agencies to respond to a marine oil spill invoking provisions of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan or NOSDCP.

The ICG deployed surface as well as air platforms including Pollution Response Vessels (PRVs), Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III, and Dornier Aircraft configured for marine pollution response. The event also showcased India’s industrial prowess in terms of the ‘Make in India’ thrust under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The stakeholders like major ports also deployed their maritime assets for showcasing synergized efforts in combating marine pollution.

Indian Coast Guard assumed responsibilities for protecting the marine environment in the maritime zones of India on 07 Mar 1986, when these responsibilities were transferred from the Ministry of Shipping. Subsequently, the Coast Guard prepared the NOSDCP for combating oil spill disaster at sea, which was approved by the Committee of Secretaries in 1993. Apart from drawing up the NOSDCP, the Coast Guard has established four Pollution Response Centers at Mumbai, Chennai, Port Blair and Vadinar.

A robust national system for oil spill response is critical to India’s preparedness for oil spill disasters in Indian waters. Indeed, 75 percent of India’s energy requirements are met by oil that is imported into our country by sea. Oil transportation by ships is fraught with inherent risks and requires preventive measures to be taken, both, by the ship owners as well as the oil receiving facilities inside the port. However, the threat of oil pollution through maritime accidents and unforeseen perils of the sea is omnipresent.

The Indian Coast Guard functions as the Central Coordinating Authority for response to Oil spills in Indian waters.

Antarctica’s ozone hole expands mid-spring since 2001

The core (middle stratospheric layer) of the Antarctic ozone in midspring (October) has experienced a 26% reduction since 2004, contrary to previously reported recovery trends in total ozone, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Communications. However, recovery trends remain in early spring (September). The findings highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluation of the state of the ozone layer with the changing dynamical state of Earth’s climate.

Ozone reduction

The Montreal Protocol designated a list of controlled ozone depleting substances that were banned from future production in 1987 and is widely considered to have been successful for ozone recovery.

However, the past three years (20202022) have witnessed the reemergence of large and longlived ozone holes over Antarctica in mid spring, while early spring still shows a slight ozone increase (or a slight recovery of the ozone hole). Understanding ozone variability remains of high importance, due to the major role Antarctic stratospheric ozone plays in climate variability across Southern Hemisphere.

To assess recent changes in the Antarctic ozone hole, including during the 2022 season, Annika Seppälä from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand and others analysed monthly and daily ozone changes between 20012022. Data from 2002 and 2019 were excluded as sudden stratospheric warming broke up the ozone hole anomalously early in these the years. They looked at different stratospheric layers throughout the key austral springtime months of September to November.

When satellite data from 2022 is considered, they found that previously reported recovery trends in Antarctic spring total column ozone (the total ozone above a given point on Earth across all atmospheric layers) from 2001 onward disappear. The middle stratosphere has been dominated by continued, significant ozone reduction since 2004, amounting to 26% loss in the core of the ozone hole. This reduction is potentially driven by dynamical changes in the mesosphere (the atmospheric layer above the stratosphere and the ozone layer). The findings suggest that changes in the Southern Hemisphere atmosphere are contributing to a persistent Antarctic ozone hole.

16. Security

 

 

17. Disaster Management

Rescue ‘dangerous’, may take a ‘long time’: NDMA

With the auger machine stuck, horizontal drilling has not proceeded in 48 hours; manual drilling mulled for last 10 metres; plasma cutter being brought in from Hyderabad to cut out stuck auger

multiple hurdles are now delaying the rescue of 41 labourers, who have been trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi of Uttarakhand for two weeks now. With no sign of rescue in the next one or two days, the kin of the trapped workers are getting restless, even as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami promised the workers that their safe evacuation was the government’s “top priority”.

For the past 48 hours, there has been no forward movement in the efforts to drill through the tunnel horizontally, as the auger drilling machine stopped working after it reached the 48metre mark on Thursday, with its blades stuck in the debris, which is full of rocks and iron girders. A plasma cutter machine is being brought in from Hyderabad, likely by Sunday, to cut out the stuck auger.

The rescue teams then plan to manually drill through the last 10 metres of debris to reach the trapped workers, a “dangerous” process, which is likely to take a “long time”,