 A very good evening aspirants, welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankara IAS Academy. Today's date is 18th of October 2023. Displayed here are the list of news articles that we are going to discuss today. So without much delay, let us get into the news article discussion. Look at this image in the front page of Delay Edition. The image portrays a senior Puducherry turning red due to algal growth. Some of the critics say that this condition was due to the abundance of algae as a result of more nutrient in the water. See this phenomenon is only called red tide or algal bloom. So in this news article discussion, we shall see in detail about what is this red tide. So what is a red tide? See red tide is also called algal bloom. Since the algal growth causes the water to appear red, it is known as red tide. Now the red color in the water is due to the red color of dinoflagellate algae. When this red colored dinoflagellate algae grow in excess, they make the water to appear in red color. This is why this excess algal growth is called red tide. So what causes this red tide? See basically it is caused by excess accumulation of nutrients in water bodies. This excess nutrient lead to explosive algal growth. This process of nutrient enrichment in water bodies is called eutrophication. Excess nutrients from sources like agriculture runoff, sewage discharge and industrial processes provides enough nutrient base for the rapid growth of harmful algae. So the eutrophication is the major cause of algal bloom. See usually red tides occur more in the west coast of India than the eastern coast of India. Why this phenomenon occurs like this? This is because of several reasons. We shall see them one by one. First is the upwelling zone. See the west coast of India near the Arabian Sea experiences seasonal upwelling. Here upwelling is nothing but a process where cold nutrient rich water from the deep ocean rises to the surface. These nutrients like nitrate and phosphate support the growth of phytoplankton. This in turn encourages algal bloom. Second important reason is the influence of monsoon. See during the southwest monsoon the west coast receives heavy rainfall which leads to the runoff of nutrients from the land into the sea. This further contributes to the nutrient load in coastal waters and favor algal blooms. Third reason is temperature and salinity. See the west coast generally has warmer and less saline water compared to the east coast. This combination of temperature and salinity in the west coast waters is suitable to algal growth. Lastly geographical features also influence the growth of algal bloom. See the west coast has many coastal indentations and self areas than the east coast. This enhances the retention of nutrients and favors the development of algal blooms. These are all some of the important points that I have to remember about redtide what causes it and why redtide occur more in west coast of India than the eastern coast. So these learnt points now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. It talks about the Theosophical Society and the Related Controversies. We all know that Annie Besant was a prominent leader of this organization. She played an active role in our freedom struggle. Know that the home role league movement was the brainchild of Besant. So through the home role league movement Annie Besant also played an important role in our freedom struggle. So instead of learning about home role league movement in a usual way we shall try to understand home role league movement in a mains perspective. For that I have a question for you. Let me read out the question. The question is focus the objective of home role movement and it's a major contribution to the freedom struggle of India. Why did the movement fade out by 1919? Explain. See whenever the keyword explain is given in the question you are expected to give a clear account as to how or why something happened. So as a candidate here you are expected to clear with relevant facts and implications. So in the introduction you can write about the basics of home role movement. You can also mention a brief history of the movement in the introduction part. For example you can say that the home role movement 1916 to 1918 in India was an important milestone in the Indian freedom struggle. It was India's response to the first world war and its associated miseries like inflation poverty etc. Moreover it demanded the right to self-rule or home rule within the British Commonwealth. The movement took inspiration from the Irish home role league. Some of the important leaders of the movement are Bala Gangadhar Tillak, Annie Besant, G.S. Kapparday, Subramanya Ayer and Mohamad Ali Jena. So this could be your introduction. So now moving to the main body of the question. Here you can see that the question is very simple and structured. In the first part the question asks you to enumerate the objectives of home role movement and the significance of the movement. Now in the second part we are asked to write about the decline of the movement. So we are going to write the body of the answer in this way as well. First we shall see the objectives of the home role movement. Some of the objectives of the home role movement includes first to achieve self-government or home rule in India. Secondly to promote political education and discussion in India. Thirdly to increase self-esteem among Indians so that they will speak against the government's oppression. And finally to demand a larger political representation for Indians from the British government. Now this demand is very natural because Indians actively supported British in World War I. So these are all the objectives of the movement. Now after mentioning all these objectives you can write about the significance of the movement. Firstly this movement was at the centre of transition India's freedom struggle that is the movement was at the centre of changing from prayer petition based struggle of the moderators to Gandhian face of struggle which are broadly mass based. So to put it in simply it shifted the movement towards the common people and served as a base for future Gandhian struggles. This is the first major significance of the movement. Secondly it was widespread than any previous movement. Know that with the setting up of two leaks by Balagangadrathalak and Anipasant this effectively covered the whole of India. It also bridged the rural urban divide. So this is the second significance. Thirdly the movement helped spread political awareness across the country. Know that Anipasant through writing in New India advised members to promote political discussions, establish libraries, create awareness among the people of India in the support of home rule. This is the third important significance. Fourthly the movement gained significant support from educated Indians with approximately 40,000 members in the combined leak by 1917. Then many members of Congress and the Muslim League joined the home rule leak. It includes many important leaders like Mothilal Nero, Jawaharlal Nero, C.R. Das, Mohammed Ali, Jinnah and etc. So the movement briefly united moderators, extremists and the Muslim League and created a solidarity. Sixthly it created the cadre of leaders like Nehru who led the future movements of Indian freedom struggle. Finally the significant achievement of the movement was influencing the Montague Declaration of 1917. See this declaration recognized the inclusion of more Indians in the government and the development of self-governing institution and etc. So the home rule movement forced the British to accept the rights of home rule of Indians. So these are all some of the significance of the movement that you can mention in the first half of the answer. Now coming to the second part of our answer, this part asks us to write about the reasons why the movement declined in 1919. See the first and foremost reason was the lack of effective organization of the movement. As we know that the movement has two branches and it got subdivided to even grass root levels. But the problem was with their lack of coordination, common ideology and structure. It was evident in the success of various Gandhian moments like non-cooperation movement, civil disobedient movement and etc. Secondly, retraction of more rates. See the more rates joined home rule movement after the arrest of Annie Besant. But when the government announced the Montague statement of 1917, the more rates were appeased by the reforms of the government and withdrew from it. This is the second reason. Thirdly, the Montague Chelmsford reforms of 1918 further divided the leaders of the country. Know that Annie Besant herself had doubts regarding the continuation of the league. It was because of the announcement of the reforms. So this is the third reason. Fourthly, lack of effective leadership. See Balagangadra went for England in September 1918 due to a liberal case and Annie Besant was not able to provide clear leadership due to her dilemma regarding the reforms. Since both the leaders are not functioning effectively, the home rule movement was left without a leader. And finally, the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi and his methods of Ahimsa attracted a large section of people. It ultimately led to the sidelining of home rule movement from the Indian politics. So these are all some of the important reasons why the home rule movement declined. So, with the conclusion, this question will be completed. In the conclusion part, you can write about the significance of the movement. Like it played an active role in politicizing the people of India. Moreover, it bridged the rural urban divide and it did spread the message of home rule to all parts of India. So overall, home rule movement created an environment which was the base for all Gandhian mass movements, which ultimately led to the freedom. So this could be a better conclusion. If you could write the answer even more better than this model answer, you can post that in the comment section so that your peers will also get another perspective. So with this, we shall wind up this main answer discussion and we shall move on to the next news article. Take a look at this news article. This news article talks about landslides. According to the news article, Kerala Forest Department is planning to prevent landslides along the Kurchi, Danuskodi National Highways in Munar. For this purpose, they are going to plant bamboo trees along the road and mountain sides. So this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us quickly revise about what are landslides, their types and important measures to prevent them. So what are landslides? See landslides are a geologic phenomenon where large masses of earth, rock or debris move down a slope. Landslides can vary in size from small localized slides to large catastrophic events that can destroy entire communities. They are largely relevant in hilly or mountainous ranges where the risk of landslides is higher. Landslides are a major cause of natural disasters worldwide. They are responsible for an estimated 25,000 deaths each year. So what are the types of landslides? See there are various types of landslides depending on the type of movement of materials. Firstly, slump. It is the slipping of one or several units of rock debris with a downward rotation. See this backward rotation is with respect to the slope over which the movement takes place. Second is debris slide. It is the rapid rolling or sliding of earth debris without backward rotation of mass. Third is creep. It is a very slow and continuous down slope movement of soil and rock. It is often unnoticed but can cause long term damage to structures. Fourthly, rock fall. See these are suddenly and fast moving events where individual rocks or boulders detach and fall from a steep slope. They are fast movement of rocks down a slope and the fifth type is rock slides. In rock slides, a mass of rock either with or without soil, they slide down a slope. It is typically slower than a rock fall. Okay. Apart from this, there is one more type in this landslide which is called lahar. It is the mud flow or debris flow that originates on the slope of a volcano. This is usually triggered by heavy rain eroding volcanic deposits. Sudden melting of snow and ice due to heat from volcanic bends or the breakout of water from glaciers. So these are all some of the important types of landslides that you have to remember. So now moving on to the measures to prevent landslides. See the first important measure that we can do is slope stabilization. Slope stabilization is nothing but strengthening unstable slopes using techniques like a retaining wall, terracing or rock bolting to prevent slope failure. Secondly, bringing vegetative cover like promoting the plantation of vegetation on slopes. This can prevent landslides. This is because the roots help to bind the soil and stabilize the slopes. So in today's news article, we saw about Kala Forest Department's idea to plant bamboo on the roadside, right? So bringing a vegetative cover will prevent landslides. That is why they are planning to plant bamboo trees. Now the third way to prevent landslide is erosion control. See implementing erosion control measures like silt fencing and mulching can also prevent the removal of soil by water runoff. Finally land use planning will be a better preventive method. We can enforce land use regulations and restrict construction in landslide prone areas. This can prevent the damage caused by landslides. So these are all some of the important points that you have to remember about landslides. This can be asked as a question in disaster management. So just make note of it. So these learned points in order to move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this front page article. Yesterday a five judge bench of the Supreme Court delivered a judgment on the legality of same sex marriage. The judgment was delivered with a three is to two majority. Majority of judges held that only legislature has the power to regulate and recognize same sex marriage. The judges observed that there is no fundamental or any other legal rights in India that allows the same sex marriage. Therefore majority of judges said that the legal recognition to same sex marriage can only be granted by enacting the law. This is the crux of the news article given here. So in this news article discussion, we shall understand the arguments for and against same sex marriage. So what is the same sex marriage? It refers to marriage between two people who belong to the same gender or six. For example, a marriage between two men or two women. Know that same sex marriages have been legally recognized in more than 30 countries across the globe. Some of such countries include US, England, Canada, Australia, Brazil, France and so on. But in India, the same sex marriage or not currently legal. The legal system of our country does not recognize same sex marriages. This is because our Indian law defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. See before 2018 same sex relationship that is the homosexuality was a criminal offense. This provision was provided in section 377 of the IPC Indian Penal Code. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court stuck down this provision and decriminalized homosexuality. But the Supreme Court did not legalize same sex marriages at that time. So several petitions were filed by the LGBTQ plus community for the legality of same sex marriage. But yesterday Supreme Court refused to provide legal status to the same sex marriage in India and the legal recognition to such marriage can only be granted by enacting the law. So this is the current situation. Now moving on to say about the arguments for and against same sex marriage. Firstly, we will look at the favor arguments. Firstly, legalizing the same sex marriage would reduce the social stigma faced by the LGBTQ plus community and it will promote equality and inclusivity in society. See currently the people of LGBTQ plus community in India are facing several social and legal challenges. The denial of same sex marriage aggravates these challenges rather than resolving it. Therefore, if same sex marriage gets legalized in India, it will allow the people of LGBTQ plus community to obtain social recognition. This in turn promotes equality and inclusivity in society. Secondly, legalizing same sex marriage would have a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ plus individuals. See the LGBTQ plus people in India are currently facing high rates of discrimination, harassment and violence. So legalizing same sex marriage will allow them to form legalized family, which in turn promotes mental health and well-being of such community. Thirdly, legalizing same sex marriage will help to fulfill the promises made in the Constitution. As we all know, Indian Constitution guarantees equality and freedom to all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation. By giving legality to the same sex marriages, these principles in the Indian Constitution will be met by the government. Fourthly, it would allow the homosexual people to get basic rights and privileges that are currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples. For example, heterosexual couples in India are currently enjoying shared ration, health and pension benefits. Apart from this, they are also enjoying joint property rights. So if India legalizes the same sex marriage, it will allow the homosexual couples to obtain basic couple privileges. These are also most important points for the same sex marriages. Now we will see the arguments against the same sex marriages. Firstly, such marriages undermines the traditional family values and the institution of marriage. See, in India, marriage is considered as a sacred institution and marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. So changing the definition of marriage to include the same sex couples would undermine traditional value of our country. Apart from this, the primary purpose of marriage, which is to raise children, cannot be fulfilled by the same sex couples. This further creates difficulties. Secondly, same sex marriage would have a negative impact on children who are adapted and raised by same sex couples. See, some of the opponents argue that children need both a mother and a father to have a well rounded knowledge. But the same sex couples are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems. So it would be detrimental to the child's well-being. Thirdly, same sex marriage would lead to a breakdown of social norms. See, India is traditionally having a set of cultural and religious beliefs that are respected by many other countries. So if India allows same sex marriage, it would erode India's culture and religious traditions. And finally, allowing same sex marriage will bring hatred in the society. As we all know, majority of Indian population does not support the same sex marriages as they believe that legalizing same sex marriage would affect traditional value of our country. So this will bring a hatred mindset and it further encourages discrimination. These are all some of the arguments against the same sex marriages. So to conclude, India is a democratic country where each and every individual of the country has certain basic rights, including the right to choose sexual orientation. So to promote equality and integrity, the government should enact a suitable legislation to address the concerns of homosexual couples. Apart from this, the society also should need to understand the feelings and emotions of LGBTQ plus community. The society should change its mindset to live along rather than discriminating them. So these are all some of the important points that I have to remember about same sex marriages. With these learned points, now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. It talks about the debate of inclusion of the Métis community under scheduled tribes ST list. The article says that the proposal to include the Métis community in the ST list has been already examined and rejected twice over the last four decades. This information has not been publicly disclosed by the union government during the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state. See, this issue of granting ST status to the Métis community has caused divisions and opposition among tribal groups in Manipur. So the debate on this matter continues to be a sensitive issue in the region. This is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, we'll know what is the basic process of including a tribe under ST list and what are the benefits after inclusion in the list. First, we shall see the process of including tribes in the ST list. See, initially the state government identifies the tribe that deserves ST status. Then it recommends the list to the union government. These recommendations are reviewed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs at the national level. The reviewed recommendation are then sent to the Registrar General of India for further evaluation and approval. After this, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes NCST verifies the recommendations to ensure their validity. The NCST may conduct consultations with various stakeholders including the tribal community, government agencies and experts. So once approved by NCST, the list is submitted to the President and his decision is final. President may issue a notification for the inclusion of tribe by the powers vested in Article 341 and Article 342. So this is the overall process of including a tribe under ST list. Now we'll look into the benefits of inclusion under the ST list. First is the reservation in education. See, the ST individuals have reserved seats in educational institutions ensuring better access to quality education. It is ensured under Article 15, Clause 4 of Indian Constitution. Next is reservation in employment. ST communities are provided with reserved positions in government jobs and services including promotions. This is ensured under Article 16 of Indian Constitution. Then there are various safeguards for ST population under Article 244 along with the 5th and 6th schedule of the Constitution. These provisions safeguard the rights and promote the socio-economic development of scheduled tribe communities living in tribal areas. Finally is the political representation. See, Article 243D ensures the reservation of seats for scheduled tribes in panchayats promoting their participation in local governance and Article 330 reserves a seat in the Lok Sabha for scheduled tribes allowing their representation in the national parliament as well. So these are all some of the important points that I have to remember about. The process of including tribes in the ST list and the benefits after inclusion in the list. So these learned points. Now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. According to the article the speaker of Lok Sabha referred the compliant against MP Mahua Moetra to the ethics panel. This complaint is called bribe for inquiry. See here the acquisition was that she was taking bribes from a businessman to ask questions in parliament. So this is the crux of the news article given here. So in this context let us discuss about the powers of speaker from the preliminary perspective. So what are the sources of power of the speaker? See the speaker derives power from three sources. They are Constitution of India, Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and Parliamentary Conventions. So now let's briefly see about the powers of speaker. See with respect to the proceedings of the House the powers of the speaker are firstly as a presiding officer of the House he or she maintains the order and decorum of the House. Know that this order is very important for the smooth conduct of business of the House. To ensure this the speaker is made as the final authority with respect to any question of order and decorum. Secondly the speaker adjourns the session of the House. Know that he or she can also suspend the meeting of the House in the absence of a quorum. Here quorum is nothing but a minimum strength of the House. Thirdly the speaker does not vote in the first instance of a bill but in case of a tie of votes he or she can execute their vote. This is called as casting vote. Fourthly he or she can preside over a joint session of the two Houses of Parliament. Know that the joint sitting happens when there is a deadlock of the bill between Lok Sabha and Rajesh Sabha. And finally the most important power is that he is the final interpreter of the Constitution, the rules of procedure of Lok Sabha and the Parliamentary Conventions within the House of Lok Sabha. Now let us see the powers of speaker in case of money bills. See firstly the speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill or not. In this question his decision on the bill is final and it cannot be challenged in any court of law. Moreover the endorsement of the speaker is necessary when it is sent to Rajesh Sabha or the President. Now talking about the powers regarding anti-defection law. See the speaker decides on the question of disqualification of a Lok Sabha MP. This question will be generally under the anti-defection law and the provisions of the 10th schedule. Now regarding the parliamentary committees the speaker appoints the chairman of all the parliamentary committees of the Lok Sabha. He also supervises the functioning of the committees. Know that the speaker is the chairman of the business advisory committee, the rules committee and the general purpose committee. These are all some of the powers of the speaker that you have to recall in Praline's perspective. So these are the points. Now let us move on to the next part of the news article discussion which is the preliminary practice question discussion. Now take a look at this first question. This question is about speaker of Lok Sabha. Statement one says the source of power of the speaker is from the constitution only. This statement is obviously incorrect because the speaker derives power from constitution of India, rules of procedure of Lok Sabha and parliamentary conventions. Statement two says the speaker appoints the chairman of all committees of the parliament. This statement is incorrect because he can appoint only members of the Lok Sabha not the entire parliament. Statement three says the decision of the speaker on the money bill is final and cannot be questioned in any court of law. This statement is also incorrect. It is open to judicial review since other case verdict of Supreme Court. Okay, so the correct answer here is option D none of the statements are correct here. Moving on in the process of inclusion of drives in the scheduled drive list in India. What is the role of the registrar general of India? See the correct answer here is option C reviewing and approving the recommendations. It is the role of registrar general of India when it comes to the process of inclusion of drives in the scheduled drive. So here the correct answer is option C. Now moving on look at this question. Three statements are given. First statement says algal bloom or always red. This statement is actually incorrect. Algal bloom or not always red. Now statement two says growth of cyanobacteria can lead to formation of algal bloom. This statement is correct. Third statement says algal blooms increases the biological oxygen demand of the water body. This statement is also correct. So the correct answer for this question is option B1 lead 2 because the first statement is incorrect. Moving on look at this question. Which type of landslide is characterized by a slow downslope movement of soil and rock material often triggered by heavy rainfall and saturation of the ground. The correct answer here is option D creep. So the questions displayed here are the main practice questions for you today. Just go through the question try to answer it in the comment section. With this we came to the end of the news article discussion. If you like the video hit like, do comment and don't forget to subscribe to Shankara ES Academy YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.