 A very good evening aspirants, I welcome you all to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankar Ayes Academy. Today I am going to cover important news articles from the Hindu newspaper dated 24th of June 2023. Displayed here are the rest of the news articles that we will be discussing today. You can go through it. At the end of the video, we will also have pilgrimage practice discussion discussions. So try to watch the entire video and a kind request to you all those who haven't participated. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, do subscribe and hit the bell icon button so that you will get regular notifications about our current affairs videos. Now let's get into our first news article discussion. Now take a look at this news article. It says that the Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has conducted successful operations in June. During such operations, they had rescued 369 star tortoises and they seized two elephant tusks. In a separate case, they also stopped the trade of fake elephant pearls. And this is about the news. Now in this context, let us learn about elephant pearls and also we will learn about star tortoises. First, we will start with elephant pearls. See elephant pearls are special formations found in the heads and sockets of some elephant tusks. Note that elephant pearls are not actual pearls, but they are categorized as one of the nine pearls. See these elephant pearls were believed to have significant powers and they were highly valued by kings. It was thought that wearing elephant pearls could bring good luck, victory and sound health. Now how elephant pearls are formed? See to understand how elephant pearls are formed, let us explore the Anatomyophan elephant tusk. If you take the elephant tusk within the top one-third portion, there is a cavity filled with nose, blood vessels and tissue. And this cavity contains a fleshy substance that looks like a gel. The gel remains in a conical shape at the base of the tusk. See this gel diminishes with age and when the elephant reaches around 60 years old, the cavity becomes hollow. Sometimes a small piece from the wall of the cavity may get chipped off and this piece will rotate within the cavity. Later the piece of the cavity becomes polished over time as the elephant vigorously shakes its head. And this polished dentine is what we refer to as an elephant pearl. And note that in older elephants which are aged above 60, up to three or more chipped off pieces of dentine can be formed within the cavity. I hope you understand about elephant pearls. Now we will learn about star tartises. See the Indian star tartise is a species of tartise found in dry areas and scrub forests of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They are well adapted to monsoon seasons. One distinctive feature of these tartises is that they have star patterned shells. And this makes them easily recognizable. These tartises have certain characteristics that help distinguish them. They have medium sized heads, hookahed beaks and short thick legs covered with tubeless of various sizes and shapes. The male have long tails while females have short and stubby tails. And note that the star tartises are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, particularly in the morning and late afternoon. Also it is important to note that Indian star tartises do not like being handled. So frequent handling by the humans can cause stress and potentially make them ill. Now talking about their habitat, the star tartises inhabit a wide range of habitats in India. They include semi-desert grasslands, moist deciduous forests, sand dunes, scrub forests, humid jungles and in human altered habitats. In terms of their diet, star tartises are herbivorous. They primarily consume fresh and dark leafy greens and grasses to meet their nutritional needs. Unfortunately, Indian star tartises face significant threats. They are the most confiscated species of freshwater tartises in the world. Apart from this, loss of habitat due to agriculture and illegal harvesting for the pet trade are major challenges encountered by star tartises. Now we will see the conservation status of the star tartises. See the Indian star tartise is characterized as vulnerable according to the Ayurveda Red List of the 10 species. It is listed under Appardix 1 of Sites which means it is protected from international commercial trade. And this is all about star tartises. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about what is elephant pearls, then we saw about how elephant pearls are formed, then we moved on to see about Indian star tartises, their habitats and conservation status. See this topic is very much important for your prelims exam. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this editorial article here. This editorial article talks about uniform civil code. See five years ago, the 21st law commission of India stated that uniform civil code is neither necessary nor desirable. The 21st law commission took a stand in favour of equality within communities. That is, the law commission favoured equality between men and women within a community. Rather than equality between communities. So essentially the 21st law commission favoured personal law reforms rather than uniform civil code. Later the petitions were filed in the supreme court seeking uniformity in personal laws. That is, the petitions sought to establish uniform civil code. The central government while arguing in the supreme court in support of uniform civil code, the center mentioned that the constitution is obligated the state to have a uniform civil code for its citizens. The center also mentioned that when communities follow different personal laws, then the unity of the nation will be affected. So the center later placed the issue before 22nd law commission. So right now the 22nd law commission of India has asked for proposals from the public about the uniform civil code. So in this context only the editorial article is written. The author of the editorial article provides various points that the 22nd law commission must need to be taken into consideration before making a recommendation of uniform civil code. And this is the essence of the editorial given here. Now in this discussion we will see some basics about uniform civil code and later we will see the points mentioned in this editorial article. Now before getting into discussion I have highlighted the syllabus regarding this discussion. You can take a note of it. Now let's start with the basics. First of all what is a uniform civil code? See currently there are different personal laws for each religion in India. The personal laws govern various aspects like marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance. Often these personal laws are at conflict with one another. And here comes the uniform civil code. See the uniform civil code is a common law that is said to replace all the personal laws in our country. So basically uniform civil code is a separate set of common rules that mainly deals with the personal matters of our country's citizens like marriage, divorce, inheritance etc. Without any religious bias. See in our constitution the uniform civil code is mentioned in article 44. Article 44 says that the state shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India. As article 44 is placed under DPSP the citizens cannot compel the government to implement this provision. That is the DPSP is not enforceable. But as we all know DPSP guides the government in the governance of the country. So the government is also making an effort for the implementation of uniform civil code. See the support for the uniform civil code is not new in India. Even our nation's freedom fighters felt the need for uniform civil code. This is because of the colonial government's divide and rule policy. The colonial government opted not to interfere with the religious customs of Indians. And this was the part of divide and rule policy of the colonial government. So the national leaders even before independence felt the need for uniform civil code. See the uniform civil code has several significance in our modern democracy. Having a uniform civil code ensures gender justice. This is because most of the religious personal laws are discriminated towards one. Apart from this the uniform civil code also ensure unity of the nation. See in a multicultural society like India one of the main reasons for bitterness is the different treatment of different religions by law. So when uniform civil code is implemented then this issue can be addressed. In addition to this having a uniform civil code will also prevent vote bank politics followed by certain political parties before elections. And finally having a uniform civil code is a sign of a modern democracy. See because of these benefits associated with having a uniform civil code the supreme court through various judgments has called for implementation of uniform civil code. Now let's take Mohamed Ahmed Khan versus Shah Bhano Begum case for example. The case concerned women seeking maintenance after being diverted under triple talak. In this case the section 125 of the criminal civil code came in conflict with the Muslim personal law. So the supreme court in its judgment gave a preference to the section 125 of the CRPC and judged that the Muslim women are entitled to Halimuni after divorce. And due to the conflict of personal law versus CRPC the supreme court in its judgment highlighted the need for uniform civil code. The other cases in which the supreme court reiterated the need for UCC include 1995 Sarla Mudgal case 2001 Daniel Latifi case and 2006 Paulo Cochino versus Maria Lucia Valencia Pereira case. See during pronouncement of judgments in these cases the supreme court reiterated the need for uniform civil code. And this is all about the uniform civil code. Now let's come back to the editorial article. See any conversation about the uniform civil code has one thing at its core which is the conflict between personal and religious autonomy versus the state's authority to reform family relations. See in India we have the right to religious autonomy as part of our fundamental rights which is enshrined in article 29 class one of the Indian constitution. So people who are against the uniform civil code says that any religious reform must come from within the religion and the state cannot impose it upon a religion. For example the special marriage act 1954 and the Indian succession act 1925 are nothing but examples of voluntary adoption of uniform civil code and it was not forced by the state. So the author of the editorial feels that the law commission must consider this fact before the recommendations of uniform civil code. Secondly the editorial states that the proposed uniform civil code must take into consideration the multicultural polity of India. This is because the constitution by providing religious autonomy it also makes way for cultural accommodation and a celebration of group differences. So while framing the uniform civil code the law commission must have in mind that unity is more important than uniformity and a just code is more important than a mere one uniform law. Thirdly the law commission must bear in mind that though secularism is one of the fundamental principles governing Indian polity the Indian secularism is quite unique. For example the French version of secularism strictly prohibits bearing any religious outfit or marker in public. The French consider religion in public as a threat to the nation's secular fabric but the Indian version of secularism is more tolerant and accommodative. So these facts must also be taken into account when the law commission makes its recommendations for the uniform civil code. And finally rationality must be used while deciding which personal law deserves legal protection and promotion and what does not. The editorial states that the right to cultural relativism cannot justify continuation of unjust and discriminatory personal laws. Here what is cultural relativism? The cultural relativism is the idea that different cultures have their own unique values beliefs and practices and these should be understood and judged based on their own cultural context rather than through the lens of one's own culture. In simpler words the cultural relativism means that what is considered right or wrong good or bad and can vary from one culture to another. Now let us say you are from a culture where eating beef is considered normal and acceptable. However you come across a culture where cows are considered saccade and eating beef is seen as disrespectful and morally wrong. Here from a cultural relativist perspective you would understand that in this particular culture their belief and practice regarding cows are different from your own and you would respect their viewpoint. So basically the cultural relativism encourages us to suspend judgment and try to understand different cultural perspectives even if they differ from our own culture. This is all about the cultural relativism. Now coming back to the editorial the author of the editorial feels that the right to cultural relativism does not validate the continuation of practices that are discriminated towards women are straight up harmful. So when certain religious practices are considered dangerous then they must be removed while framing the uniform civil code. So the law commission must also consider this while making its recommendations on uniform civil code, okay. These are some of the points mentioned in the editorial. And that's all regarding this discussion is the discussion we saw about the uniform civil code and the constitutional mandate of uniform civil code. And finally we saw some points about what are all the things that must be kept in mind while 22nd law commission making its recommendations on uniform civil code. See this topic is very much important for your mains exam. You can use these points while writing your mains answers. Now with these key points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now take a look at this article from the editorial page. Recently the gender gap report for 2023 was released. The report shows that India has climbed eight places in the rankings. But sadly India currently stands at 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity. So the article says that India's improved gender parity is not a cause for celebration. The gender gap persists in the economic, educational, health and political field and remains to be addressed. Now with this background let us understand the points provided in this news article. But first we'll see a little on gender gap report. See the global gender gap index is an annual report published by the World Economic Forum. The index measures gender equality across countries. Basically it assesses gender disparities in four key areas. The areas include economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and finally political empowerment. The global gender gap index ranks countries based on their progress towards gender equality. The index basically aims to raise awareness about gender disparities and it encourages the policy makers to take action to address the gaps. So this is all about the gender gap index. Now let us see the points provided in the article. As I told you earlier India has moved up eight places in the global gender gap report of 2023. But India ranked 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity. So the article basically discusses about the performance in the four indicators. The first one is economic participation and opportunity. India ranks near bottom with less than 40% parity. This means that there are significant disparities between men and women when it comes to access to economic opportunities. For example, women's representation in senior positions and technical roles has decreased over a time. Then the second marker is education attainment. Here India has fad well. However, there is still room for improvement. For instance, women face the burden of unpaid work like caregiving. This can limit their opportunities for paid employment. So if girls are given job-assured education it can improve their overall development. Also this will break the cycle of early marriage which often leads to poor maternal and child health. Then the third marker is health and survival. Here India's performance is a concern. See, there has been some improvement in the sex ratio at birth. This indicates progress but there are still challenges to overcome. Then the last indicator is political empowerment. The news article mentions that women in India represent over 40% in local governance. This is due to the efforts made by certain amendments like 73rd and 74th amendments. But sadly when it comes to national political representation women makes up only 15.1% of parliamentarians. Also if we consider the case of Nagaland see Nagaland became a state in 1963. But the state elected its first two women MLAs only in 2023. From this we can say that there should be improvements needed. See make note of this example it will be very useful for topics related to women empowerment. Lastly the article mentions that the impact of the pandemic on women. It states that women's labour participation rates dropped during the pandemic. This has lead to reduced household incomes. Additionally patriarchal and cultural norms as well as concerns about safety often impede women's progress in the workforce. Okay and that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about the global gender gap report and then we saw about the performance of India in four indicators of global gender gap report. See this topic is very much important for your both prelims and mains. You can use these points while writing your mains answers. This will definitely enrich your mains answer. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now take a look at this news article. See recently 22 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities on the charge of trespassing into their territorial waters while fishing. So they were arrested and remanded in a judicial custody. So the Indian consular officials were providing legal aid to the Indian fishermen. And this is about the news. Now in this discussion let us quickly go through constitutional provisions for legal aid then eligible persons then challenges in providing legal aid and measures to address the challenges. Now before getting into discussion the syllabus relevant to this topic is given here. You can go through it. Firstly know that legal aid means providing legal assistance to the poor persons in any judicial proceedings before the court tribunals or any other authority. So the main intent is to provide free legal assistance to the poor persons who are not able to enforce the rights given to them by the law. See such an arrangement is made just to ensure that even the poor and illiterate could approach the court and to ensure that the ignorance and poor should not be impudent in the way of obtaining justice from the courts. Hope you can understand. Now we shall see about the constitutional provisions of legal aid. See the preamble of the Indian constitution aims to secure socio-economic and political justice to the people of India. Therefore in India legal aid is regarded as a part of basic structure of the constitution. And it is also a natural justice. See under part 4 of the Indian constitution article 39A states that the state can provide free legal aid through suitable legislation or schemes to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen. Whereas article 14 and 22 class 1 makes it obligatory for the state to ensure equality before law and a legal system which promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all. So these are the constitutional provisions under which free legal aid is provided to the poor persons. Now commit to the institutions for providing legal services. See the National Legal Service Authority was constituted under Legal Services Authority Act 1987. They monitor and evaluate the implementation of legal aid programs at the national level. Apart from this the National Legal Services Authority also laid down policies and principles for making legal services available under the Legal Services Authority Act 1987. And know that the Chief Justice of India is the Patron and Chief of NALSA that is the National Legal Services Authority. See under NALSA there is also State Legal Services Authority and it is headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court. And under State Legal Services Authority there is District Legal Service Authority and it is headed by District Judge. Apart from these institutions that is also Taluk or Subditional Level Legal Services Committee and they are headed by Senior Civil Judge. Okay This is all about the institutions that provides free legal services. See some of the mandates of legal service authorities are given here. You can go through it. Now who and all can get free legal services? See the person eligible for getting free legal services include women and children, industrial workmen, victims of mass disaster, violence, drought, earthquake, industrial disaster, then disabled persons, then persons in custody and the victims of trafficking in human beings or beggars. See these persons are eligible to get free legal services. See the legal services authorities in the countries provides various free legal services and the services are listed here. You can go through it. Now moving on to see about the challenges faced by the legal services system. See the legal aid system in India has proven ineffective. There are four main reasons why the national legal service authorities has not able to deliver legal aid. Firstly, since many people are not informed about the existence of free legal aid, there is a lack of awareness of availability of legal aid. Secondly, there is a perception that free services incompatible with quality service. Basically, the people assumes that the quality of free services is poor. Thirdly, there are not enough lawyers available to provide free legal services. Unfortunately, lawyers are generally uninterested in providing competent legal assistance because of financial constraints. See, most often lawyers are assigned to provide legal aid and they are paid with public funds, which do not faithfully represent their claims. Some lawyers engaged by legal aid committees hold their claims cases for ransom by employing delay tactics. So these employees compel their innocent claims to pay additional amount of money to provide legal assistance. These are the challenges faced by the legal service systems. Now, what are the possible measures to address these issues? Firstly, the legal aid movement has to go to the grass to travel and the government should spread awareness about the free legal aid system. Secondly, the role of non-governmental organizations should be involved to create awareness among peoples about their rights and effective justice delivery. Thirdly, more informal paralegal services should be promoted in the places where the basic access to justice opportunities and infrastructures are absent. And finally, more comparative models of legal aid should be offered to the government to reform the system. And a pro bono that is for the public good type of service within the legal profession should be promoted. So these are all some of the measures that can be taken to address the issues faced by legal service systems. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about what is legal aid? Then we saw about the constitutional provisions of legal aid. Then we moved on to see about the eligible persons to get free legal aid. And finally, we saw some points about the challenges faced by legal service systems and the measures to address such challenges. Now with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this another editorial article. This article speaks about India-Egypt relations. See, our Prime Minister is visiting Egypt right after his US visit. So in this context only, this editorial is written. So in this discussion, we will understand the historic ties between India and Egypt, then the trade relationship between both the countries, and then finally about the opportunities and challenges that lies ahead in the bilateral relationship of India and Egypt. Now before getting into discussion, the syllabus relevant to those articles given here, you can go through it. Now first, we will look at the historical ties between India and Egypt. See, India and Egypt are the world's oldest civilizations. Indian civilization flourished on the river banks of Indus. Whereas, Egyptian civilization flourished on the river banks of Nile. The relationship between both the countries dates back to Maurinera. See, the Ashokan edicts revealed the relationship that he had with Egyptian ruler Petolomi II. Apart from this, there is also historical mention about the ships sent by Egyptian ruler Farok Shahood to land of Panthe in 2750 BCE. The historians have identified that the land of Panthe refers to the Peninsular India. Now, when you think about Egypt, what comes to your mind? Big premise and the mummy's right. See, the mummies of 2500 BCE were wrapped with the help of muslin cloths and they were dyed using Indigo. As we all know, India is famous for both muslin and indigo. So probably there was a trade between India and Egypt in 2000 BCEs. So from these facts, we can know how older the ties between both the India and Egypt. See, even in modern era, there are many similarities between India and Egypt. For example, let's take the case of the independence struggle of both the countries. See, the Indian independence movement is led by Mahatma Gandhi. And the Egyptian struggle is led by Saad Zagloal. See, both of the leaders took civil disobedience as one of the means for independent struggle. Here we could witness the similarities right. Then after the independence also, Jawaharlal Nehru had a friendly relationship with the Egyptian president Nasser. As a result of this, a friendship treaty was signed in 1955. Apart from this, both the countries were the founding members of non-alignment movement. And recently in the year of 2022, 75th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between India and Egypt was celebrated. Okay, this is all about the historical ties between India and Egypt. Now moving on to see about the trade relationship between India and Egypt. See, Egypt is one of India's important trading partners. Both of the countries had signed a bilateral trade agreement on March 1978. I note that India stayed with Egypt stood at 6061 million US dollars in 2022-23. See, India was Egypt's sixth largest trading partner. And Egypt was India's 38th largest trading partner. See, India had invested on 50 projects in Egypt. Worth of 3.15 billion US dollars. And Egypt had invested around 37 million US dollars in India. Okay, now coming to imports India imports mineral oil, fertilizers, inorganic chemicals and cotton from Egypt. And India's exports to Egypt include buffalo meat, iron and steel, engineering products, light vehicles and cotton yarn. Okay, this is all about the trade relationship between India and Egypt. Now moving on to see about the opportunities that lies ahead in the relationship of India and Egypt. See, Egypt has a population of about 105 million. And the size of its economy is 378 billion US dollars. Moreover, it is a politically stable and its socio-economic conditions are similar to India in many aspects. See, the major imports of Egypt from other countries include refined petroleum, wheat, cars, corn and pharmaceuticals. See, India has the potential to supply all of these products. So there is a trade potential between India and Egypt. For example, let us take the case of wheat. See, Egypt is the world's largest importer of wheat. Previously, 80% of wheat for Egypt comes from Russia and Ukraine. But due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, there are issues in the supply. So India used this opportunity. Because of consistent talks, the Egypt had added India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt. As a result of this, India can supply wheat to Egypt without any tariff barriers. So as part of this arrangement, on 17th May 2022, India had shipped 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt. Apart from this, India has a great opportunity in infrastructure development. See, Egypt has an ambitious infrastructure development agenda. Egypt has plans for 49 mega-projects which include construction of a new kerosity, a nuclear power plant and a high-speed rail network. So India can contribute in infrastructural developments of Egypt and it can reap benefits. Now, coming to defense trade, see, Egypt is the world's third largest arms importer during 2015-2019. So India can also try to export its defense equipment to Egypt. These are some of the opportunities available for India. As like a flip side of the coin, there are some challenges which stand in front of India-Egypt relationship. Now let us look at those challenges briefly. The first and foremost challenges which lies ahead is economic crisis in Egypt. See, the economy of Egypt is facing some serious troubles because of its huge financial commitments along with static economy, pandemic, global slowdown and Ukraine conflict. This indirectly affects the Egypt's trade with India. Then the next issue is that the tourism which is one of the major sources of revenue for Egypt has been badly affected due to COVID restrictions. Then the annual inflation of Egypt is above 30 per centage. And as a result of this, the Egyptian currency had lost more than half of its value since February 2022. So these various economic crises had ultimately led to far-reaching scarcity in Egypt. So this bad economic situation of Egypt is also affecting India's trade with Egypt. As we saw earlier, India exports wheat to the Egypt. A tough economic situation of Egypt resulted in deferral of payments to India for many essential commodities such as wheat. Okay? This is all about the challenges lies in front of India-Egypt relations. Now what can be done? See, firstly, to exploit the available opportunities in Egypt, India should try innovative solutions such as line of credit, barter, and trading in rupees without going for dollar. Then India should not forget the lesson it had learned from Iraq. See, in 1980s and 1990s, India had worked on the infrastructural development of Iraq. But the Iraq had not paid the amount properly to India. So India can arrange funds for Egypt using trail-lateral arrangements with the help of Gulf partners, G20, or any other multilateral financial institutions. So this can benefit both India and Egypt. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the historical ties between India and Egypt. Then we moved on to see about the trade relationship between India and Egypt. And then we saw about the opportunities and challenges lies ahead in India-Egypt relations. And finally, we saw some points about what can be done to strengthen India-Egypt relationship. Now with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news-article discussion. Now look at this news-article. This news-article is about a report published by Bank of Baroda. The report states that only four states, Karnataka, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have met a capital expenditure target for the financial year 2023. And the worst performance was recorded in Andhra Pradesh, which met just 23% of capital expenditure targets. Even big states like UP and Maharashtra performed poorly in terms of meeting its capital expenditure. And this is about the article. Now in this context, we'll see what is capital expenditure, then the difference between tangible and intangible capital expenditure, then the difference between capital and revenue expenditure, and finally the importance of capital expenditure. This is what the plan. Now first, let's see about capital expenditure. See in a government budget, capital expenditure refers to the funds allocated for long-term investments in infrastructure, public facilities and other assets that provide benefits to the public over an extended period of time. The capital expenditure can be reclassified into two. That is tangible and intangible capital expenditure. Here tangible capital expenditure in a government budget involves spending on physical assets that can be seen untouched. For example, constructing new roads, building schools, purchasing vehicles for government. So they forms tangible capital expenditures. While intangible capital expenditure in a government budget refers to investments in non-physical assets that contribute to long-term benefits. This can include expenditures on research and development, education and training programs, and expenditures on software development for government systems. So these are some of the examples of intangible capital expenditure. Now having understood about capital expenditure, now let's understand the difference between capital and revenue expenditure in a government budget. As we saw earlier, capital expenditure in a government budget is used for long-term investments. Whereas the revenue expenditure covers day-to-day operational expenses. See the capital expenditure focuses on building and improving assets. While revenue expenditure is used for routine maintenance and ongoing operational costs. For example, if the government invests in constructing a new hospital, it would be a capital expenditure. This is because it creates a long-lasting asset. On the other hand, paying of salaries to the hospital staff or purchasing medical supplies would be considered as revenue expenditure. This is because these expenses are necessary for the hospital's daily operations. Okay? This is all about the difference between capital and revenue expenditure. Now finally, let us see the benefits of capital expenditure over revenue expenditure. Firstly, capital expenditure has long-term benefits. See capital expenditure focuses on acquiring or improving assets that provide long-term benefits to the government. The assets such as infrastructure, technology or research and development can contribute to increased productivity, efficiency and growth in the long term. Secondly, capital expenditure plays a vital role in stimulating economic growth. See by investing in infrastructure, public facilities and other capital projects, the governments create job opportunities, attract investments and they promote economic development in the long term. Then the last major advantage is improved service delivery. See in the case of government expenditure, the capital investment in infrastructure and public facilities leads to improved service delivery to citizens. It enhances public transportation, healthcare facilities, education systems and other essential services which is resulting in a better quality of life for the population. So these are the reasons why it is advantageous to increase capital expenditure. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about what is capital expenditure. Then we saw about two types of capital expenditure that is tangible and intangible capital expenditure. Then we saw about difference between revenue and capital expenditure. And finally we saw some points about the advantages of capital expenditure over revenue expenditure. Now with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this small article here. It says that the United Nations human rights chief has warned the recent outbreak of violence in the West Bank could escalate. The violent outbreak has already caused multiple casualties. And this is about the news. Now in this context, let us quickly go through about United Nations Human Rights Council. See United Nations Human Rights Council or UNHRC is a significant international body that works to protect and promote human rights around the world. It was established in the year 2006 as a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly. The main objective of UNHRC is to address human rights issues globally and also to ensure the respect and protection of human rights for all individuals. Okay, now talking about the membership, see the membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council is determined through an election process. The council consists of 47 member states. These members are elected by the United Nations General Assembly. See the member states so for a fixed return. And note that the membership is distributed among different geographical regions to ensure a balanced representation. So this allows for diverse views when discussing human rights matters. There are 13 seats for African states, 13 seats for Asia Pacific states, 8 for Latin American and Caribbean states, 7 for Western European states and 6 for Eastern European states. Okay, and note that the tenure of the members in the United Nations Human Rights Council is limited to three years. Also the members are not eligible for immediate reelection after serving two consecutive terms. This is all about the membership. Now let's discuss some of the important functions of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Firstly, the council conducts the universal periodic review. This involves the comprehensive assessment of the human rights records of all UN member states. During the universal periodic review process, the member states present their achievements, challenges and commitments in relation to human rights. And this helps to identify areas for improvement and facilitates dialogue and cooperation among member nations. Secondly, the United Nations Human Rights Council addresses urgent human rights issues by establishing special procedures such as special rapporteurs and independent experts. They focus on specific human rights themes or country situations. These experts conduct studies, issue reports and make recommendations to address human rights violations and they promote accountability. Furthermore, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopts resolutions on various human rights concerns, including thematic issues and country specific situations. These resolutions serve as a collective expression of the council's stance. In addition to this, the resolution guides states in their efforts to promote and protect human rights. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the formation of UN Human Rights Council. Then we saw about the membership of the council and finally we saw some points about the functions of UN Human Rights Council. Now with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this news article here. Seeing a press note, the governor of Kerala said that constitutional duties of a governor are different from the duties of elected government. He also said that it is the duty of governor to protect the constitution. Okay, this is about the news. Now in this context, let us learn few important powers and functions of governor. See the powers of governor can be grouped into four categories. They are executive powers, legislative powers, financial powers and judicial powers. Now let's look at the powers one by one briefly. Now first we'll begin with executive powers. See as per article 154 of the Indian Constitution, all the executive actions of the state government are taken in the name of governor. And this is one executive power of the governor. Then the governor makes the important appointments of a state such as the chief minister and other ministers, then advocate general of a state, state election commissioner and the chairman and members of state public service commission. So it is another one executive power. Apart from this, the governor can recommend the imposition of state emergency to president under article 356 and 365. Okay. And the governor is the chancellor of universities in the state. And he appoints the vice chancellor of the universities. Okay. This is all about the executive powers. Now we look at the legislative powers of the governor. See the governor can summon or prologue the state legislature and he can also dissolve the state legislative assembly. Then the governor has the utmost legislative powers when a bill passed by the state legislature is presented before the governor. See if a bill is presented before the governor, he can either give his assent or he can exercise his veto powers under article 200. And note that a bill that was passed by state legislature can become an act only if it gets the governor's assent. So this is one of the most important legislative power of the governor. Then the governor can promulgate ordinances under article 213. And this is done when the state legislature is not in session. Okay. So this is all about the legislative powers of governor. Now we look at the financial powers that are vested with the governor. See the financial bills in the state legislature can be introduced only with the prior permission of the governor. Then he is the authority to handle the contingency fund of the state to meet any unforeseen expenditure. And finally the governor constitutes a state finance commission once in every five years. This is all about the financial powers of governor. Now finally we look at the judicial powers of governor. See the governor of a state can grant pardons, suspend, remit, or commute sentences in certain cases under article 161. And note one point here. The governor cannot have the power to pardon death sentence and the sentence passed by court martial. Okay this is one judicial power. Then the next important power is that the governor is consulted by the president while the president appointing the judges of the state high courts. And finally the governor has the power to appoint or promote the judges of district high court which is the consultation of state high courts. Okay and this is all about the judicial powers of governor. And that's all regarding this discussion. This discussion we saw about different powers of governor. That is judicial powers, financial powers, executive powers, and legislative powers of governor. Now with these key points in mind let us move on to the next part of the news article discussion that is to discuss preliminary practice questions. Now look at the first question. This question is regarding United Nations Human Rights Council. Here two statements are given. We have to find whether both the statements are correct or not. Also you have to check whether the second statement is the correct explanation of statement one or not. Statement one, the United Nations Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states. See this statement is correct. As we saw in the discussion, it consists of 47 member states from different regions of world. Statement two, the members of United Nations Human Rights Council are elected by the majority of members of United Nations General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. See this statement is also correct. The members of Human Rights Council are elected by United Nations General Assembly through secret ballot. So statement two is also correct. Now we have identified both the statements are correct. Now we will apply the because trick. Now I am going to add because at the end of statement one and I am going to read statement two continuously. The United Nations Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states because the members of United Nations Human Rights Council are elected by majority of members of United Nations General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. Does it make sense? Actually no. So statement two does not explain statement one. See the statement two provides additional information about how the members are elected but it does not explain the composition of the council. Now we will also use another trick which is called SO trick. Now add SO at the end of statement two and we will read statement one continuously. The members of United Nations Human Rights Council are elected by the majority of members of the United Nations General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. So the United Nations Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states. Does it make sense? Again no. Therefore statement two is not the correct explanation for statement one. So the correct answer here is option B, both statement one and statement two are correct and statement two is not the correct explanation for statement one. Moving on let's take up the second question. Now look at this question here. Here three organisms are given. We have to find how many of them are diurnal. Know that diurnal means the organisms being active during the day rather than at night. Now first let's take Indian flying fox. See Indian flying fox are large fruit bats and they are nocturnal. Here nocturnal means the organisms are active at night rather than day. See the Indian flying fox can be found in various parts of India. It feeds on fruits and nectar. See generally bats are nocturnal and if you have known that the Indian flying fox is a bat you could have eliminated Indian flying fox. So Indian flying fox is nocturnal and they are not diurnal. Now coming to star tartars as we saw in the discussion star tartars are diurnal which means they are active during day. Now coming to Indian pangolins see Indian pangolins are nocturnal mammals. It is covered in scales and it primarily feeds on ants and termites. Here star tartars alone is diurnal. So the correct answer is option A only one. Moving on let's take up the third question. See this is a current air question which was asked in 2023 UPSC films. Here four investments in assets is given and we have to find how many of them are intangible investments. First one brand recognition. Second one inventory. Third one intellectual property. Fourth one mailing list of claims. See here brand recognition is a intangible investment. That is the brand has some value. So it is considered as intangible asset. Then second one inventory. See inventory refers to the goods or products that a company holds for sale. It represents tangible assets as inventory consists of physical items that can be seen, touched and measured. Therefore the inventory is not considered as an intangible investment. So inventory does not come. Then the third one intellectual property. See intellectual property is a type of innovation and it has some value. So it is an intangible investment. And the fourth one mailing list of claims. See the mailing list of claims also have some values because that would be considerable goodwill to the company. So mailing list of claims is considered as an intangible investments. See here apart from inventory all the three are intangible assets. So the correct answer is option C only three. Now moving on let's take up the final question. This question is regarding discretionary powers of the governor. Here four powers are given. We have to find how many of them are discretionary powers of the governor. Statement one sending a report to the president of India for imposing the president's rule. See this is a discretionary power of the governor. Second one appointing the ministers. See this does not come under the discretionary powers of the governor because the ministers are appointed by the governor on the advice of chief minister. So it is not a discretionary power of governor. Statement three reserving certain bills passed by the state legislature for consideration of president of India. See this is also a discretionary power of governor. It is up to the governor to decide whether the bill should be reserved for consideration of president or not. So it is a discretionary power of the governor. Statement four making the rules to conduct the business of the state government. As we saw in the discussion the governor shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of business of government of state. See the allocation of business among the ministers is not the business with respect to governor. It is general power and not discretionary power. So statement four does not forms part of discretionary power of the governor. Here only two statements are discretionary powers of governor. So the card answer is option B only two. This is the question for you today. I will post this question in a community section. Try to answer it and don't worry the answer for the question is posted in the comment section of the question itself. You can verify the answer. And displayed here are the main questions for our practice. Go through the questions, write your answers and post it in the comment section. With this we have come to the end of the video. If you liked our analysis, please like, comment and share. And don't forget to subscribe to Shankarayas Academy YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.