 Good evening friends, I welcome you all to the Hindu Newspaper Analysis brought to you by the Shankar IS Academy. Today's date is 30th November 2023. Here are the list of articles which we are going to discuss today. So, without delay let us get into discussion. Look at this news article. Recently, Egypt introduced a resolution in UNGA. This resolution is against the illegal occupation of Golan Heights region by Israel. This Golan Heights region was originally a part of Syria. Nearly 91 countries supported this resolution which has condemned Israel. India also voted in support of this resolution. Few countries like USA, Australia, Canada, UK voted against this resolution that is in favour of Israel. See, this is the crux of the news article which was given here. As we all know, that the main 23 was over and we are all shifting our gears towards So, let us see an important world location and know how it was captured by Israel and other regions which are important using this map. Look at this map. See, Golan Heights is a region located in southwest Syria. It is bordered by Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In 1967, six days war was about between Israel on one side and Arab nations of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other side. During this war only, Israel has won and captured the Golan Heights region from Syria. Also note that in this war, Israel took control of several territories including West Bank from Jordan and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. After the war, Israel began establishing settlements in Golan Heights. See, this move was widely condemned by international community including UN. In 1981, Israel officially annexed the Golan Heights. The UNSC passed a resolution in the same year and declared the Israeli annexation as a null and void. So, as of now, Golan Heights remains a point of contention between Israel and Syria. See, Syria demands the return of Golan Heights because of the region's strategic and historical significance. On the other hand, Israel argues that Golan Heights is essential for its security interest because of the topographical advantages. Golan Heights have high elevation that provides a vantage point overlooking northern Israel. See, the international community including UN does not recognize the Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights, considered it as an occupied territory. The situation still remains unsolved and let us see what happens in the future. Here note that the Golan Heights is bordered by four countries that is Syria in the east, Jordan in the south, Israel in the west and Lebanon in the north. Now, look at the map. Apart from Golan Heights, we also need to know about the areas which are very important in this region. See, this is Sinai Peninsula which belongs to Egypt and it was annexed by Israel during the six days wars of 1967. But Israel returned this territory back to Egypt in 1982 as a part of peace treaty. Look at this point. This is West Bank which was originally a part of Jordan. It was bordered by Dead Sea and Jordan on the east. This region was originally designated as Palestine by UN partition plan. But in 1947 war, it was annexed by Jordan. Then in 1967, it was captured by Israel and at present, Israel controls this region. Look at this small territory. This is called Qasar Strip. It is occupied by Egypt after the 1947 war. Then again in 1967 war, it was taken back by Israel. At present, this territory was under the control of Israel. See, this strip was bordered by Mediterranean Sea, Egypt and Israel. See, this is all about this news discussion. In this discussion, we saw some of the important parts in the West Asia which will often come in our exams. This is all about this news discussion. In this discussion, we saw some important geopolitical parts which will often come in our exams. So, with these learned points, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article for our analysis. Look at this editorial article. This editorial article is about the Election Commission. This article discusses the challenges of enforcing the Model Code of Conduct or MCC during the election campaigns in India. It mentions the recent instances where the Election Commission of India invoked the MCC against several political parties. This includes various CMs and national level figures for alleged violations. The article goes on to criticise the selectivity of ECA in responding to the complaints, particularly in cases which is involving the ruling party. The article also raises concerns about the proposed move of the government, that is, the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners, appointment, conditions of service and terms of office bill 2023. See, this would give the ruling party a significant control over appointing the ECA members. This move, according to the article, could potentially jeopardise the independence of the commission and could affect the fairness of elections. This is about the editorial here. Since this article talks about the independence of ECA, let us try to solve a main question regarding the same. Look at this question. What are the constitutional safeguards to ensure the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission of India? And moreover, discuss the limitations to the functioning of ECA. This question will be asked in the GS paper 2 under the topic of appointments to various constitutional posts, power, functions and the responsibility of the various constitutional bodies. See, the question is very straightforward. We have to write about the constitutional safeguards, which are available to the ECA. Then we have to discuss about the limitations in the functioning of this body. Now, let us start answering the question. In the introduction, you can write about the importance of free and fair elections in a democratic country like India. You can mention that free and fair elections are fundamental pillars of democratic country. Election hold with elected officials accountable for their actions. Elections are also essential in safeguarding the individual rights and freedom. Finally, regular free and fair elections ensure political stability in the country. This is done by allowing a peaceful transfer of power. This stability is crucial for the economic growth, social progress and overall development of our country. To ensure free and fair elections, we need an independent body. In India, we have the ECA or Election Commission of India to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner. But for the Election Commission to perform its duty, it needs to be independent. This can be a real introduction. Now, coming back to the body of the answer. Here, first we have to write about the constitutional safeguards that ensures the independence of ECI. See, write like this. The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body which got established under Article 324 of the Constitution. To ensure independence, this article contains the following provisions. Firstly, the tenure of CEC is secured. The chief election commissioner and other commissioners have a tenure of six years up to the age of 65, whichever is earlier. In addition to this, the CEC cannot be removed from the office except in the same manner and the same ground as the judge of Supreme Court. To make it clear, the CEC can be removed with a president based on the resolution passed in Parliament. See, this resolution for the impeachment should be passed by a special majority in both the houses of the parliament. Moreover, the reason for the impeachment can be either on the ground of proved misbehavior or incapacity. Thus, the CEC does not hold his or her office as under the pleasure of the president, even though she or he got appointed by the president. Not just the CEC, the other ECs also have the security of tenure. Any other election commissioner or regional commissioner cannot be removed from the office except on the recommendation of the chief election commissioner. This is the first safeguard provided by the constitution. The second one is regarding the service conditions. When we look at the service condition of the chief election commissioner, it cannot be varied to her or his citizen footage after their appointment. Both these provisions are explicitly mentioned in the article 324 class 5 of the constitution. Lastly, you can also mention about article 324 class 1 in this context. It specifically states that election commission is responsible for the superintendent's direction and control of the preparation of electoral roles for and the conduct of the elections. This elections can be for the elections of parliament, state legislature, office of president and vice president. This ensures the independence of ECA as no other body can interfere in its functioning. See, these are some of the constitutional safeguards that ensures the independence of ECA. Having addressed the first part of the question, now let us move on to the second part. In the second part, we have to write about the limitations in the functioning of ECA. Here, you can mention the following points highlighting the limitations. Firstly, you can mention that ECA has no legal backing to punish the offenders for the violation of MCC. This effectively makes the ECA a toothless body. Then, you can mention that ECA lacks power to deregister a political party. See, under section 49A of the RPA, the election commission has the power to register, but it lacks the power to deregister the political parties. The ECA also has no power in enforcing the inner party democracy and regulation of party finances. This also acts as an impediment in the functioning of election commission of India. Then, you can also mention the executive influence on the appointment of the ECA. The government continues to appoint the election commissioner on its own, in spite of the fact that multiple commissions have advised it to stop this practice. Since the commissioners are getting appointed by the current government, they might feel obliged to the government. This also affects the impartial functioning. Then, you can also mention the lack of financial independence of the ECA, because the expenses of the ECA are not charged on the consolidated fund of India. It is still dependent on the union government for financial matters. This also curtailes the independent functioning. Moreover, you can also mention that ECA does not have an independent staff of its own. Wherever election takes place, it has to depend on the staff of central or state governments for effective functioning. This also limits the capacity of ECA to enforce the free and fair elections. Guys, you can mention all these points highlighting the limitation in the functioning of ECA. Now, we have addressed both the part of the question. Now, we shall move on to the conclusion part. See, in questions like this, your conclusion can be a way forward approach. That is, you can mention some steps to ensure the autonomy of ECA. The steps like firstly, you can mention that the appointment process should be made transparent. Here, you can quote the suggestions made by the Goswami committee in 1990. The committee suggested that CEC should be appointed with the president in consultation with the chief justice of India and the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha. The rest of EC should be appointed in consultation with the chief election commissioner. Secondly, you can mention that the expenses of the ECA must be charged on the consolidated fund of India. This will give financial autonomy to ECA. Finally, you can mention the steps must be taken to create a permanent independent security rate for the election commission of India. This will protect his staff from the various puddles and pressure from the executive. This can address the conclusion part. To make you guys an active participant, you can also write your own answer and feel free to write and post it in the comment section. So, there will be a win-win situation for both of us. See, this is all regarding this question discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the constitutional safeguards of the election commission of India. And in the second part, we also saw about the issues which are limiting the powers of the ECI. See, with this learned points, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article for our analysis. Look at this news article. Yesterday, the union cabinet approved the extension of Pradhan Mandir Garip Galyan Anna Yojana for another five years. This decision was taken days after the prime minister announcement at an election rally in Chattisgarh. This is the crux of the news article. In this discussion, let us understand some important points about Pradhan Mandir Garip Galyan Anna Yojana or PMGKAY. See, PMGKAY was launched in April 2020. Under the scheme, the government is currently providing free food grains to interstate migrants and poor people across India. Note that the scheme was included under the Atmanirbar Bharat Abhyan. Now, let us see a quick brief about what is Atmanirbar Bharat Abhyan or ABA. See, ABA is an economic stimulus package introduced in May 2020, that is during the COVID-19 outbreak. It was aimed at creating a self-sufficient and resilient India. Know that this package is focusing on various sectors in India, including cotton industries, MSME, laborers, middle-class people, industries and so on. So, basically, ABA is a relief package that was launched to attain economic recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, coming back to our discussion on PMGKAY. See, to address the food insecurity which was associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government has introduced it in April 2020. Later, it got included in the ABA. As I said earlier, the scheme aims to provide free food grains to interstate migrants and poor peoples. Know that the scheme is implemented by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Since its launch, PMGKAY was extended multiple times. Recently, the central government extended the scheme for another five years. That is from Jan 2024 to December 31, 2028. Now, let us see the benefits of the scheme. Nearly 81.35 crore people are being benefited under the PMGKAY scheme. Under the scheme, the government provides 5 kg of free wheat or rice per person per month. Know that wheat has been allocated to six states or union territory such as Punjab, Ariana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Chandigarh. The rest of the state will be provided with rice. Here, note that till December 2022, food grains were provided over and above the regular monthly entertainments under the National Food Security Act 2013. Here, let us see a quick brief about NFSA. Under NFSA, the entitled beneficiaries such as Anthyodhya Anna Yeojana, AAY Cardholders and PHH or Priority Household Cardholders received subsidized food grains. Here, priority households includes the poorest section of our population. And moreover, AAY Cardholders are the poorest of the poor section. Know that both of them were given food grains at a rate of Rs 3 per kilogram of rice and Rs 2 per kilogram of wheat. For priority households, the center provided 5 kg of food grains per person per month at the above said subsidized rate. Then for AAY, the center provided 35 kg of food grains per family at the same above said subsidized rate. In addition to that, entitlements such families will also receive extra food grains under the Pradhan Mandir Garib Kalyan Anna Yeojana. See, this distribution apparatus was existed until December 2022. However, in January 2023, the central government merged the PMGKAY with the NFSA Act. So, now the AAY Cardholders and the priority households receive their entitlements at the free off cost. This means they don't need to pay even that subsidized rate. Here note that the extra provision of food grains that were earlier granted under the PMGKAY have been stopped. But they will receive their already existing entitlements at free off cost. To sum it up what we discussed under the PMGKAY, the central government currently provides 35 kg of free food grains to AAY Cardholders and 5 kg of free food grains per person per month to priority households. See, the eligible criteria for the scheme are given here for your reference. Please go through it. See, this is all about the Pradhan Mandir Garib Kalyan Anna Yeojana. With all these learned points, let us complete this discussion and take up the next news article for our analysis. Look at this news article. Yesterday, the union cabinet approved the continuation of Fast Track Special Court Scheme or FTSE Scheme. The scheme has been extended till March 31, 2026. This is the crux of the news article. In this discussion, let us understand some points about Fast Track Special Court Scheme or FTSE Scheme. See, the FTSE Scheme was launched in October 2019. The scheme was created under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2018. Know that this particular act was brought up to expedite the trail of cases related to sexual offenses. The act also mandates immediate reliefs victims of sexual offenses. Based on these provisions, the central government has created the Fast Track Special Courts or FTSE. Under the scheme, the government aims to set up numerous courts, including exclusive box of courts across the nation. These courts will ensure the timely disposer of cases related to rape and poxo act. Here note that FTSE is a centrally sponsored scheme. This means the fund of the scheme will be shared jointly by both states and centre. Know that the scheme is implemented by the Department of Justice, which comes under union ministry of law and justice. Now, let us talk about the futures of this scheme. The FTSE Scheme is being operated with the total budgetary outlay of ₹1952 crores. In this budget, ₹1200 crores is being given by the central government and the remaining ₹744 crores will be shared amongst the state. Here note that the central share for the scheme is being funded from the Nirbaya fund. Now, let us see a quick recap about what is Nirbaya fund. See, Nirbaya fund was set up in April 2015. This fund was created in the memory of Jyothi Singh, who is referred as Nirbaya, which means a fearless girl. In December 2012, Nirbaya was assaulted and brutally raped in a moving bus in Delhi. It shook the conscience of the nation. So, to avoid such brutal incidents in the future, the government has set up Nirbaya fund. See, Nirbaya fund is a non-lapsable corpus fund, which is being administered by Department of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance. This fund can be utilized for projects, which are specially designed for the safety and security of women. So, using this fund, central government is financing the FTSC scheme. Now, let us come back to our discussion. See, each FTSC court comprises of one judicial officer and seven staff members. Since the introduction of the scheme, about 30 states and union territories have actively participated in the scheme. As of now, a total of 761 fast-track courts, including 414 exclusive box oak courts, have been set up across the country. See, the courts have resolved over 195,000 cases. They continue to provide timely justice to the victims of sexual offenses, even the remote part of our country. See, for the robust implementation of the scheme, the government has created an online monitoring framework. This helps in monitoring the monthly K statistics of the country. See, coming back to the scheme duration, initially the scheme was announced for one year. Later, it got extended for additional two years. That is until March 31, 2023. And now, it has been further extended until March 31, 2026. To summarize our discussion, the central has launched the fast-track special court scheme to expedite the trial of cases and to deliver immediate relief to the victims of sexual offenses. See, this is all about the discussion. In the discussion, we saw about the fast-track special court scheme, or FTSC scheme. And in the process, we also saw about a little background about nearby affan. So, with all these learned points, let us conclude this discussion and let us take the next news article for our analysis. Look at this article from the science page. This article is speaking about the fast-radio bursts, or FRB. This article explains the mystery associated with the FRBs. So, let us understand some problems related facts about this phenomenon. First of all, what are fast-radio bursts? See, FRBs are bright bursts of radio wave signals. It means they are sudden signals in a radio wave frequencies. Know that they were discovered in 2007. Though they are looking like flickering stars, know that they are not stars. Moreover, FRBs last only for milliseconds in the sky. Because of this, it is difficult to detect and determine their position in the sky. Now, let us see what is the origin of this phenomenon. Generally, FRBs are spotted in various parts of the universe. So, their origins are unknown and their appearance is highly unpredictable. But the astronomers are saying that the magnetars could be a likely source of FRBs. Let us see what is magnetars. See, magnetars are a type of neutron stars that has extremely powerful magnetic field. Here, a neutron star is a celestial object, which has a very small radius, typically about 30 km. Know that they have a very high density and it is composed of closely-packed neutrons. Moreover, they are formed by the gravitational collapse of a massive star after a supernova explosion. See, before Canadian hydrogen intensity mapping experiment or CHIME experiment, only a few FRBs were identified. But the CHIME project has nearly quadrupled the number of FRBs which were discovered. So, with more observations, astronomers would soon find the origins of FRB. We can generally know about FRB by their defining properties. So, we should know about their defining properties. And the defining property of FRB is their dispersion. Generally, these bursts produce a spectrum of radio waves. Know that when these waves travel through matter and they are dispersed at high radio frequencies, by doing so, they can be detected earlier at the telescope than those at low frequencies. See, what is the use of studying FRBs? This dispersion phenomenon allows the researchers to learn about two important things. Firstly, by measuring this dispersion, we can analyze about the matters that radio waves would have passed through when they travel towards Earth. By doing so, we can be aware of the missing matters of the universe. Secondly, by measuring dispersion, astronomers can indirectly determine the distance between the two astronomical things. To put it simply, the larger the dispersion, the more material the signal would have passed through. So, it means the bursts would have traveled farther across the universe. To sum it up, the fast radio bursts are bright flashes of light that appear for few milliseconds. It comes from the distant galaxies and is extremely powerful. The magnetars, a type of neutron star, is speculated to be the source of this FRBs. See, this is all about this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the fast radio bursts, its properties, its origin, and we also saw about the defining property of the bursts. With these learned points, we can conclude this discussion and take up the next news article for our analysis. Look at this news article. After extensive and rigorous efforts, the workers trapped in the partially collapsed Sikhiara tunnel in Uttarakhand were successfully rescued. Know that in the final stages of the evacuation process, rat hole mining was employed. This is the crux of the news article. In our discussion today, let us see all about rat hole mining. See, first of all, rat hole mining is a form of mining that involves digging narrow horizontal tunnels which are usually 3-4 feet high into the ground to extract minerals. In India, rat hole mining is mainly employed to extract coal. See, this type of method is typically used to extract coal from regions like Meghalaya. Now, you may have a question. Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand also have a lot of coal reserves. But in this stage, rat hole mining is not employed. So, what makes the conditions in Meghalaya unique, which makes it employed as a rat hole mining? See, in Meghalaya, rat hole mining was employed due to various reasons. The first reason is the terrain and economic viability. The coal seams in Meghalaya are very thin. This thin coal seams makes traditional open-cast mining less economically feasible. Rat hole mining was considered as a more viable method despite its hazards because it was believed to be more cost effective for extracting coal from this region. The second reason is limited control over the land. See, Meghalaya is a sixth scheduled state where the Cold Mines Nationalization Act of 1973 does not apply. Landowners in Meghalaya also own their minerals beneath their lands resulting in the limited government control over the mining activity. This lack of stringent regulation led to the prevalence of unregulated mining industries. These are the two main reasons why rat hole mining is employed in Meghalaya. Moving forward, let us see the issues with the rat hole mining. The first issue is with the safety hazards. Rat hole mining poses various risks to the workers. These risks include poor ventilation, lack of structural support leading to mine collapses and the potential for flooding inside the tunnels. These safety risks might turn fatal for the workers. The second issue is the environmental degradation. Unregulated mining led to severe environmental degradation. Rat hole mining in Meghalaya has led to deforestation, land degradation and contamination of water bodies with a high concentration of various toxic substances like iron and other heavy metals. For example, take two rivers, River Lukia and River Mintu, became too acidic to sustain aquatic life due to the pollution caused by rat hole mining. Third issue is exploitation and child labour. Reports indicate that the exploitation of labour including children who got employed in these mining practices. Children are mainly employed in this mining due to their ability to fit into the narrow tunnels. Due to the above mentioned issue, the NGT National Green Tribunal banned the rat hole mining in Meghalaya in April 2014. Despite the ban, illegal mining continued leading to the tragic incident such as drowning of miners in December 2018. So in addition to banning this practice, steps must be taken to adopt more sustainable and environment friendly mining practices. This is because Meghalaya has 576.48 million metric tons of codersurfs. Only by adopting sustainable and environmental friendly practices, we can offer a long term solution by balancing development and environment. See this is all regarding the discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the rat hole mining, its ill impact on the environment. This is all about the discussion. Now with this, let us move on to the next part of the video that is to discuss the preliminary practice question. Today we are having four questions. Let us solve them one by one. See the first question. With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kallan Anayojana or BMGKAY, consider the following statements. The statement one tells that the eligible beneficiaries under the scheme are provided with food grains at a subsidized rate. See from our discussion, we can say that earlier it was the case, but after January 2023, the scheme got merged with NFSA. Now the food grains are given at free off cost. So the first statement is incorrect. See the second statement. The interstate migrants are covered under this scheme. See from our common sensical understanding, you can easily say that this statement is correct. So the correct option is option B. Now see the second question. Consider the following statements regarding the faster track special code scheme or FTSC. See the first statement. It was launched under the Criminal Amendment Act 2018. In this article discussion, we can easily say that this statement is correct. See the second statement. It was brought up to expedite the trial of the criminal cases against the MPs and MLAs. See the statement is incorrect because the scheme was brought to expedite the trials of the cases primarily related to sexual offenses. See it also aims to deliver immediate relief to the victims. So the statement two is incorrect. See the third statement. It is a central sector scheme. See the third statement is also incorrect because we know that the scheme is centrally sponsored but the funds should be shared between state and central government. So we can eliminate that statement two and three are incorrect. So the correct option is option A. See the third question. The term fast radio bursts FRB sometime appears in the news referred to which of the following. See from our news article discussion, we can easily say that the third statement. A bright flash of light from the distant galaxies that appear for a few milliseconds in space. See this statement is correct. So the correct option is option C. See the final question of the day. It's a UPSC previous equation. Under which schedule of the Constitution of India can the transfer of tribal land to private party for mining will be declared unland void. See the four option. The third schedule deals with the oath and affirmation of union ministers, MPs, MLAs etc. So this option is wrong. See the third option. Ninth schedule. See we know that ninth schedule deals with the laws which are given immunity from the judicial preview. This option is also wrong. See the option D. Twelfth schedule. We know that the schedule deals with the functions of the urban local bodies. So this is also wrong. So the correct option is option D. See the main question based on our today analysis is given here. Interested aspirants can write the answer and post it in the comment section. If you like today's video, like, comment and share with your friends. For more updates regarding our UPSC preparation subscribe to Shankar IAS Academy. Thank you.