 Good evening, as friends. Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankara ES Academy for the Rate 27th of October 2023. Displayed here are the list of news articles we will be going through today. Now let's start the discussion. Look at this article. The article says that Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee has asked Trinamul Congress MP, Miss Moitra, to appear before it. It is about the allegations of accepting money in exchange for parliamentary queries. Since this news has sparked various debate about the importance of Ethics Committee, let us learn about it in our discussion today. First, we will start with the creation of Ethics Committee. In 1996, a presiding office's conference held in Delhi created the idea of ethics panels for the two houses. The then Vice President K.R. Narayanan constituted the first Ethics Committee for Rajeshabha on March 4, 1997. But the Ethics Committee for Lok Sabha was created later. In 2000, an ad hoc Ethics Committee was established in Lok Sabha. It became a permanent committee only in 2015. This is about the origin of Ethics Committee in India. Now let us see the objectives of this committee. It is established for overseeing and enforcing the ethical standards and conduct among the members of parliament. The committee will examine cases of misconduct referred to it. The rules that are applicable to the committee of privileges also applies to the Ethics Committee. Now what about its composition? Ethics Committee in the Lok Sabha consists of 15 members. The speaker appoints the members of the committee for one year term. The Ethics Committee of Rajeshabha consists of 10 members and they are appointed by the chairman of Rajeshabha for one year term. Moving on, let us see the functioning of the committee. The Ethics Committee doesn't consider complaints solely based on media reports or matters that are already in court. Before looking into the complaint, the committee conducts an initial inquiry. If the committee decides to proceed, it provides the concerned member with an opportunity to be heard. After examining the complaint, the committee makes recommendation to the speaker of Lok Sabha or the chairman of Rajeshabha. Based on these recommendations, the speaker or the chairman may take appropriate actions such as issue of warning or recommending the expulsion of the member from the respective houses. This is how the Ethics Committee operates. Now if you look closely, the work done by the Ethics Committee overlaps with the work done by the Privileges Committee. This is because both the committees handle matters related to the conduct of the member of parliament. But the Privileges Committee in addition to overseeing the conduct of the MPs is responsible for safeguarding the freedom, authority and dignity of the parliament as a whole. So the powers of the Privileges Committee are wider than the powers of the Ethics Committee. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we covered the basic points related to Ethics Committee. Now with this, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this editorial article. This article is about the ongoing issue in Manipur state. As we all know, a statewide conflict is going on between cookies and mateys in Manipur. The crisis started five months ago and it is still continuing. So the author of this editorial says that the truth or the reasons that led to the violence should be identified. The author feels that identifying the truth will only help to resolve the ongoing dispute. So the author suggests that a fair platform should be created for facilitating a dialogue between the cookies and mateys. This will only help to reveal the truth. He also insists that the dialogue should be very open and fair. And it should accommodate the views of all the concerned parties. Overall, the author suggests creating a common and open dialogue platform to resolve the ongoing dispute in Manipur. This is the crux of the editorial article. In our discussion today, we will understand the reasons for the recent clash in Manipur. Then we will see the consequence of the recent clash. Finally, we will see the steps that can be taken to resolve the ongoing clash. This is the plan. Now coming to the syllabus, the topic comes under GS paper 3. And it falls under challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges. This is the syllabus. Now first, we will look at today's main question. The question is, analyze the factors leading to the recent clash between mateys and cookie communities in Manipur, along with the resulting impacts. Discuss the necessary measures that need to be taken to reinstate tranquility and unity in the northeastern area. This is the question for today. See, this question contains two keywords. They are analyze and discuss. If the question contains the directive analyze, we have to explain the issue from diverse perspective. And if the question contains the keyword discuss, we have to provide our thoughts with some evidence. OK, if you look at this question carefully, it demands us to do three things. First, we have to analyze the factors that led to the recent clash in Manipur. Then we have to analyze the impacts of the recent clash. And thirdly, we have to discuss the necessary measures that can be taken to bring back peace and unity in the conflict hit Manipur state. This is about how to approach the question. Now let's start. Let's start with the introduction. Since the question is about the clash between the mateys and cookies, we will provide some facts about the mateys and cookies in the introduction part. See, the mateys and the cookies are two main tribal groups residing in the state of Manipur. The mateys are mostly Hindus who live in the Impal valley of Manipur, while the cookies are mainly Christians who reside in the hilly areas of Manipur. Mateys comprise about 50% of the Manipur population, but they hold only 10% of the land in the state. On the other hand, the cookies comprise about 30% of the population. But they occupy 90% of the land in Manipur. Also, cookies are included in the scheduled trade list in the central government, but the mateys are not included in the list. So, the religious differences and the difference in population to land holding ratio have contributed to a long standing clash between the mateys and the cookie community. You can mention some of these points that we discussed in the introduction part. Now, coming to the body of the answer. As we saw earlier, the body of the answer is divided into three parts. In the first part, we have to write about the reasons for the clash between the matey and the cookie community. The first and the immediate reason for the ongoing clash is the demand of the matey community people to be included in the ST list. See, as we saw just now, mateys are not included in the ST list. But on the other hand, cookies are included in the ST list. And they are enjoying the reservation benefits. So, mateys also demanded the central and the state government to include them in the ST list. But the governments did not take any significant steps. This is because the government feels that providing ST status to the mateys would undermine the cookie community people. See, mateys comprises more than 50% of the Manipur population. So, if they are provided with ST status, they will dominate the reservation policies. This in turn affects the representation of the cookie community people. So, citing this reason, the government rejected the proposals of the mateys. After that, the matey people approached the Manipur High Court. In April 2023, the Manipur High Court directed the state government to consider the petitions of the matey people. The court also asked the Manipur government to send a recommendation to the centre regarding the demand of the matey community to include them in the ST list. Opposing this order, the All Tribal Student Union Manipur held a Tribal Solidarity March. The Student Union has opposed the mateys' demand for ST status and they have voiced support for other Tribal people including the cookies. This angered the mateys and they started attacking the cookie trades. This in turn resulted in a clash between the two communities. This is the first and the immediate reason for the ongoing clashes. Despite this immediate reason, there are also several other long-term reasons that have contributed to the ongoing clashes. We will see the Mumbai one. The first reason is land. As we saw at the introduction, despite mateys being larger in population they hold only 10% of Manipur's land. But on the other hand, cookies hold 90% of the land. Simultaneously, the mateys live in the valley but they are not allowed to settle or buy land in the hilly areas because they are occupied by the cookie people. But the cookie tribal people can buy land in the valley which is occupied by the mateys. See these differences have also contributed to the ongoing conflict. The second reason is the prosecution of the Chin people by the mateys. See Chin people are ethnic group who are native to Myanmar. See the Chin belong to the same ethnic group of cookies. So the Chin are considered to be the kins of the cookie people. The Chin's who are living in the valley of Manipur are continuously facing violence and prosecution from the matey people. This has also angered the cookies and it is also fuelling the ongoing clashes. The last reason is the government resistance to land use. Day by day, the tribal population including the cookies is increasing in Manipur state. As population increases, the tribal land tend to spread out to the surrounding forest area of the hills. The tribals consider such expansion as their historical and ancestral rights. But the expansion of such tribal settlements is consistently opposed by the Manipur government. But on the other hand, there is no significant regulation in the valley which is occupied by the mateys. This also angered the cookie tribe and it is contributing to the ongoing clashes. See these are all some of the reasons for the ongoing conflict between the mateys and cookies. Now coming to the second part of the answer. In this we have to write about the impacts of the recent clashes. The first impact is the consistent threat to law and order. For any state, maintenance of law and order is essential for smooth functioning of the government and it is also essential to safeguard the people. But the ongoing violence defeats the purpose of law and order. The police personnel are not able to maintain law and order in Manipur because of the continuous and widespread clashes. So the violence threatens the life of the Manipur people and it also damages the image of Manipur state. The second impact is reduced investment. See if a business is looking to invest in a particular state it looks for peaceful circumstances. But if there is a clash like that is happening in Manipur it will discourage the investors to invest in that particular state. So the state won't get business investment. This is the second impact. And the third impact is the hindrance to India's Act East policy. See Indian government is continuously insisting the northeastern states as a gateway to its Act East policy. The Manipur conflict hampers the development and acts as a hindrance to India's Act East policy. The last impact is increase in insurgency. As we all know there are many insurgent groups active in the northeastern states. They are opposing the government for various reasons. Some of them even want to establish their own government. So the insurgents may use the ongoing clash as a chance and they will persuade the people to turn against the government. This results in increased insurgency and threat to India's internal security. See these are all some of the impacts of the ongoing clash in Manipur. Now coming to the final part. Here we will see the necessary measures that need to be taken to bring peace and unity in the conflict hit Manipur state. Firstly the government should facilitate dialogue between the matees and cookies as mentioned in the editorial. See facilitating an open and fair dialogue will bring out the true reason for the ongoing conflict and if the reasons are identified then it can be easily resolved. This is the first step that can be taken. Secondly the government should strengthen the intelligence mechanism to avoid any future mishaps. As we all know in the event of the Manipur clash several people have died and in some cases women were also brutally harassed. These incidents have further fueled the violence. So to avoid such negative things from happening in the future the government should strengthen their intelligence mechanism. Thirdly the government should build trust among the people with the help of the NGOs and the civil society organizations. See the lack of trust is the main reason for any conflict. So through awareness campaign the Manipur government could build trust between the matees and the cookies. This will help bring a long term solution in terms of ending the conflict between the matees and the cookies. These are all some of the steps that can be taken by the government. Having completed the body of the answer now let us move to the conclusion part. In the conclusion you can write that the ongoing clash in Manipur is damaging India's image globally. Recently also the European parliament passed a resolution regarding the Manipur clashes. So the government should take prompt action to end the conflict. The people also should mind that conflict and violence are not the ultimate solution for any problems. Only through peaceful and democratic dialogue a long term solution can be brought to any conflict hit state. You can use this as a model conclusion in your answer. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we covered the reasons for the Manipur conflict the impact of the conflict and the steps that can be taken to address the conflict through a mate's question. Now with this let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at the news article here. The news here is that the election commission has sent a notice to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi regarding her comments about our Prime Minister. In this context in our discussion today we shall understand the functions of the election commission in ensuring free and fair elections. See the election commission is a permanent and an independent body established by the Constitution of India. The main objective of the election commission is to ensure free and fair elections in the country. Article 324 to article 329 of the Indian Constitution contains the provisions related to the election commission of India. With this basic understanding now we shall see how the election commission of India ensures fairness in the election process in India. Firstly the election commission ensures free and fair election by enforcing and maintaining a model code of conduct before the elections. It also punishes any candidates or party that violates the model code of conduct. Secondly the commission can discipline the political parties with a threat of deregognizing if the parties failed in maintaining the inter-party democracy. Then the election commission of India is empowered to cancel the election or call for reelection if any kind of corruption or mall practice are formed. This is the most powerful tool in the hands of the election commission. This power of the election commission helps to uphold the democratic values in our country. Fourthly the election commission of India monitors the election expenditure by candidates and the political parties. This is done to ensure that the political parties do not exceed the permissible limit of spending. The election commission of India ensures that all political parties and the candidates have a level playing field during the election process. Then the election commission of India encourages the participation of all eligible candidates in the electoral process. It also tries and creates a voter centric and a voter friendly environment. It also engages with political parties and all the stakeholders in the interest of the electoral process. Then the election commission of India conducts election with the highest standard of credibility, fairness, transparency, accountability and professionalism. At the time of election duty, the government workers or the government officers work under the control of the election commission and not under the control of the ruling party. This helps in ensuring accountability, transparency and professionalism in the electoral process. Finally the election commission of India conducts voter education program to increase the awareness among the voters about their rights and responsibilities. This is done to ensure that all voters participate in the democratic process of election. See these are some of the steps taken by the election commission of India in ensuring free and fair elections in our country. The election commission of India by taking these steps upholds the values enshrined in our constitution. That is equality, equity, independence and rule of law in the electoral process. So to summarize the election commission of India plays a vital role in ensuring that the elections are conducted in a free and democratic manner. It also takes efforts to maintain the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process in our country. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw the steps taken by the election commission of India to ensure fairness in the election process in our country. Now with this let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Now look at this news article. The news article here is about the issue of Saragasi. See recently an amendment was made to the Saragasi rules. The amendments say that the couples should use their own gametes that is couples should use their own sperm and egg for Saragasi. But this provision has been challenged by a woman who has a rare medical condition. The condition is Mayor Rokitansky Kushtar Hauser syndrome is MRKH syndrome. See women with MRKH syndrome have a condition that is characterized by a underdeveloped vagina and uterus. People with MRKH syndrome will have a uterus which may be small or absent and they might also have a shortened vagina. In case of this petitioner she cannot produce her own egg since she has a absent ovaries and an absent uterus. So the court in order to give the right of parenthood to this woman has put a stay on the implementation of the recent amendments made to the Saragasi regulation rules. This is about the news article given here. In this context let us quickly go through what is Saragasi and we will also see the types of Saragasi available. See Saragasi is defined as the practice of one woman bearing and giving birth to a child for an intending couple with the intention of handing over such a child to the intending couple after birth. In simple words Saragasi refers to a contract in which woman undergoes pregnancy for another couple. Ok. There are two types of Saragasi. They are gestational Saragasi and traditional Saragasi. First let us take up gestational Saragasi in case of gestational Saragasi through invitory of fertilization and embryo is made and placed inside the Saragat. For making the embryo eggs and sperms of the intended parents or donors is used. Here note that the egg of the Saragat mother is not used for creating the embryo. As mentioned earlier the embryo is implanted into the uterus of the Saragat mother who carries and delivers the baby. In gestational Saragasi the child is not biologically related to the Saragat mother. And the Saragat mother is often referred to just as a gestational carrier. That is the Saragat mother does not share a DNA with the child. See in most cases at least one intended parent is genetically related to the child. That is the intended parents provide both the sperm or egg to make the embryo or either one of the intended parent provides their gamete. The news today is about gestational Saragasi where the sperm of the intended parent and the egg of a donor is used. Here since at least one intended parent is genetically related to the child gestational Saragasi is less legally complicated. In India gestational Saragasi is legal. Ok now moving on to traditional Saragasi. In traditional Saragasi the Saragat mother impregnated with the sperm of the intended father artificially. Here the child shares DNA with the Saragat. In case of traditional Saragasi the Saragat is both the genetic and the gestational mother. In India traditional Saragasi is not legal. This is about the difference between gestational and traditional Saragasi. See Saragasi can also be classified into commercial and altruistic Saragasi. This is depending upon whether the Saragat receives financial reward for her pregnancy. In case of commercial Saragasi the Saragat mother is compensated for her services beyond reimbursement of medical expenses. That is in addition to covering the medical expenses the Saragat is offered some money for doing the service of Saragasi. The alternative to commercial Saragasi is altruistic Saragasi. In this case the Saragat does not receive money in compensation. Only the medical expenses is covered. In India commercial Saragasi is banned while altruistic Saragasi is legally allowed. These are the types of Saragasi. So that is all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw what is Saragasi and the types of Saragasi. We also saw the legality of Saragasi in India. Now with this let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article from the western context page. It talks about the recently held boundary talks between China and Bhutan. In this discussion we will look at the points mentioned in the article briefly. To understand the points better first we must discuss about the 2017 China-India Doklam standoff. Doklam issue was a border standoff between China and India. It took place in the Doklam region which is the disputed area between Bhutan and China. Doklam is a trade junction point where the borders of China, India and Bhutan meet. The conflict began when Chinese troops attempted to extend the road through the Doklam plateau. Indian troops intervened to stop this leading to a tense standoff between the armies of China and India. India supported Bhutan's claim over Doklam region and took efforts to maintain the status quo. After a 73 day standoff both sides agreed to disengage and China halted its road construction. But since 2017 standoff China has increased its control over the Doklam region. China has started building infrastructure in disputed areas in Bhutan. This activity of China reduced the strategic gains made by India during the Doklam standoff. This is the summary of the Doklam issue. Now we will see about the importance of the China-Bhutan border talks for India. In 2021, Bhutan and China signed a memorandum of understanding and they agreed on a three-step roadmap to resolve their border issues. The goal of this roadmap is to establish a clear border between the two countries through negotiations. See, India is concerned about this ongoing border talks between China and Bhutan. India is particularly worried about the discussion over the Doklam region. This is because China has suggested a swapping of territories with Bhutan. China asked for Bhutan-controlled Doklam and in turn China is ready to offer Jakarlang and Paasamlang which are Chinese-controlled areas. See, the Doklam region has a strategic importance for India because it is close to the Siluguri corridor. As we know, Siluguri corridor is a narrow area connecting north-eastern states of India with the rest of India. So, India does not want China to gain access to the Doklam region. The other concern for India is that China is establishing an embassy in Bhutan and China is also ready to fully engage diplomatically with Bhutan. This increased Chinese presence in Bhutan could be problematic for India. But Bhutanese leaders have assured that they will consider India's interest in their decisions and discussions with China. We just have to wait and see how the negotiations between China and Bhutan turn out. So, that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw a brief about the 2017 Doklam issue then we saw the significance of the China-Bhutan border talks in regards to India. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. See, yesterday the Kenara Bank released a report regarding its overall performance. The bank noted that its gross non-performing assets has declined over last year. This is about the news article given here. In this context in our discussion today, let us learn some points about non-performing assets and we will also see the steps that can be taken to reduce non-performing assets in banks. Let's start with NPAs. As we all know, banks provide various loans to their customers like housing loans, personal loans, vehicle loans etc. Once the banks provide loans, they will get interest from their customer. The customer can pay the interest through monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. Know that loans form part of the assets of the company. This is because the loans hold some value and they are generating some value for the banks. In some cases a particular loan might stop generating revenue to the bank. These types of loans are termed as non-performing assets. In India if a customer stops paying interest for the loan for 90 days then such a loan is termed as non-performing asset. To put it in simple words if the bank doesn't receive interest amount from a customer for its loan for 90 days then such a loan are considered as non-performing assets from the 91st day. With this basics, now let us see the steps that can be taken to reduce non-performing assets in our banks. Firstly, a stricter mechanism should be framed to assess the creditworthiness of the customer. Here creditworthiness means the customer's ability to pay interest for the loan or the ability to repay the loan. The RBI should frame new comprehensive rules to monitor the creditworthiness. Some of the actions like recruiting separate banking personnel to look into the loans, then compulsory site visit before providing loans and proper documentation will help to strictly assess the creditworthiness of the customers. This in turn will reduce the non-performing assets. Secondly, the RBI should constitute a separate specialized monitoring authority to look into NPS. Such authority should be employed for every 5 to 10 bank branches. See, most of the bank employees are already overburdened. So, sometimes they fail to oversee the performance of the loans. So, a separate monitoring authority should be created to monitor the non-performing assets. Thirdly, RBI with the help of government needs to strengthen the recovery mechanism. Currently, India is having the Surface Act and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to deal with non-performing assets. This can be improved upon to address the issue of non-performing assets. Finally, both the central government and the RBI should educate the borrowers on the importance of timely loan repayment and the consequences of the default. These are some of the steps that can be taken to address the issue of non-performing assets. With this we have come to the end of the news article discussion session. Now let us take a look at the practice problems questions. We have four practice problems questions today. Let us see them one by one. Let us take up the first question. This is a three statement question about the ethics committee of the parliament. We have to find how many of the statements given here are correct. Let us take up the first statement. Members of the ethics committee of both Lok Sabha and Rajasabha are appointed by the speaker. This statement is incorrect because the merge of assembly and the chairman of Rajasabha appoints the members of the ethics committee for their house, so the first statement is incorrect. Moving on to the second statement, chairman of Rajasabha serves as the chairperson of the ethics committee of the house. This statement is incorrect because chairman of Rajasabha nominates is responsible for drafting an amending legislation related to parliamentary ethics and conduct. This statement is incorrect. The Ethics Committee primarily focuses on promoting ethical behavior and ensuring proper conduct on MPs. So all the statements given here are incorrect. So the correct answer here is option D none. Moving on to the second question. Three statements about election commission is given. We have to find how many of the statements are correct. Look at the first statement. The Election Commission of India is a five member body. The statement is incorrect. Currently India has one chief election commissioner and two election commissioners. So the Election Commission of India is a three member body and not a five member body. So statement one is incorrect. Moving on to the second statement. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both the general election and the pie elections. This statement is incorrect because it is the election commission of India that is mandated to fix the election schedule. Moving on to the third statement. Election Commission resolves the disputes related to split or merger of the recognized political parties. This statement is correct. Election Commission of India is also a quasi-judicial body. As it is a quasi-judicial body, it settles disputes relating to splits or mergers of the recognized political parties. So here statement one is incorrect. Statement two is incorrect and statement three only is correct. So the correct answer here is option A only one. Moving on to the third question. Which of the following statements best to describe the term schemes for sustainable structuring of stressed assets? That is S4A and this was recently seen in use. The correct answer here is option B. It is a scheme of RBI for reworking the financial structure of the big corporate entities facing genuine difficulties. This scheme was launched by RBI in 2016 and it addresses the large stressed assets in corporate sector and strengthens the lender's ability to handle stressed assets. Moving on to the last question. Which of the following regarding the MRKH syndrome is correct? It is an X-linked genetic disorder. This statement is incorrect because there is no conclusive evidence that this syndrome is linked to genetics. So statement one is correct. Moving on to statement three. It typically presents with overdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics. This statement is also incorrect. This is because MRKH does not affect the secondary sexual characteristics like growth of breast or pubic hair in women. So statement three is also incorrect. Moving on to statement four. It is more prevalent in women over the age of 40. This is also incorrect because the MRKH syndrome is a congenital condition meaning it is present from the birth. So fourth statement is also incorrect. Now coming to the second statement. It is primarily characterized by the absence of the uterus and ovaries. This statement is correct because people affected by MRKH syndrome usually have absent uterus and absent ovaries. So statement B is correct. That's all regarding the discussion today. If you like the video, like, comment and share it with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankara IS Academy's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.