 Welcome to the Hindu news analysis by Shankarayesh academy. We at Shankarayesh academy are happy to share with you about the pre storming 2021 program which is the prelims test series for the upcoming 2021 UPSC civil services preliminary examination. Shankarayesh academy has started admissions for the second test batch and this has started from 11 December 2020. Our pre storming program is India's first full-fledged artificial intelligence supported preliminary test series. All the required details are provided in the description of the video about this program and also in the comments section. With this let's move on to the analysis part. These are the list of news articles taken up for today's discussion and their page numbers in different editions of the newspaper. The link for the handwritten notes in the PDF format and the time stamping of the discussed articles are provided in the description box and also in the comments section for the benefit of mobile phone viewers. Now let's move on to the analysis of first news article. This FAQ article talks about the recent proposal by election commission of India for extending the electronically transmitted postal ballot system to non-resident Indians. On 16 December we had a brief discussion about it regarding the definition of non-resident Indians and other related matters. Today in this discussion let us see how the right of voting of non-resident Indians have evolved. What are the issues to be addressed and the suggestion of the author in this regard? The syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. First let us see how a general elector is registered in our country. See as per section 19 of representation of People Act 1950 every Indian citizen who has attained the age of 18 years on the qualifying date is eligible to be registered as a voter. So she will be registered in the electoral role of the polling area of a particular constituency where she is ordinarily residing. Now here when we say qualifying date it refers to first day of January of the particular year of revision of electoral role. So now what about non-resident Indians because they are also Indian citizens. See till the year 2011 non-resident Indians and other Indian citizens who are residing outside India but those who were residing abroad for more than six months say for reasons like employment, education and other valid reasons they were not allowed to vote. And according to this article the reason for this was because the non-resident Indians or such other individuals their names were deleted from electoral roles when these persons stayed outside the country for more than six months at a stretch. But in the year 2010 the representation of People Act 1950 was amended so as to insert a section called as section 20 capital A and this amendment came into effect in 2011. Now this section it provides for a special provision that deals with citizens of India residing outside India. So those citizens of India who are residing outside India you know obviously it includes non-resident Indians as well they are eligible to vote under subsection 3 of section 20 capital A and they are eligible only if they fulfill three conditions one is that their name is not included in the electoral rule secondly who has not acquired citizenship of any other country thirdly who is absentee from her place of ordinary residence in India because of her employment education or other valid reasons. Now these individuals they can get registered in the electoral role in the constituency which is her place of residence in India as mentioned in her passport. Now you may ask if the overseas resident leaves her place of residence in India how can she be called as ordinary resident or ordinarily resident. So to avoid this particular discrepancy the representation of People Act 1950 provides for a provision under section 21 capital A. Now this mentions that a person absenting herself temporarily from her place of ordinary residence shall not cease to be ordinarily resident therein because of this reason. So based on this the non-resident Indians were able to exercise their right to vote but very low proportion of eligible overseas residents actually registered and it also did not bring the expected non-resident Indians or overseas voter turnout. Now the reason for this is the requirement to vote in person at the polling station. So to remove such restriction the government introduced a bill titled as the representation of the People Amendment Bill 2017. Now this bill came to insert a new provision in section 60 of RPA 1951. Now this section deals with special procedure for voting by certain classes of persons. A subsection was to be included which was any of the persons as is referred to in section 20 capital A of the 1950 Act to give his vote either in person or by proxy and not in any other manner at any election in a constituency where poll is taken. Now this would have allowed for proxy voting by non-resident Indians and here when we say proxy it refers to the scenario that a person is appointed by a voter as his proxy to give vote on his behalf and in his name. You know the bill lapsed however because of the dissolution of 16th Lokshaba. Now in furtherance of this move to increase overseas voter registration and turnout Election Commission of India has proposed to permit non-resident Indians to vote through electronically transmitted postal ballot system. Now we discussed about this electronically transmitted postal ballot system on 16th December. See already electronically transmitted postal ballot system is allowed for service voters and because of this we were able to see greater voter turnout among the service voters in the 2019 Lokshaba election. We are expecting the same in the case of non-resident Indians or overseas voters as well once the proposal is accepted and implemented and here we need to understand that already Election Commission of India has declared overseas or non-resident Indians as eligible for this electronically transmitted postal ballot system but if they have to exercise their vote first the postal ballot has to be sent electronically. Now this requires a legal mandate under conduct of elections rules 1961. See under rule 23 of this 1961 rules only already the postal ballots are sent electronically to the service voters by the returning officers. So if the same has to be done that is if the returning officer has to transmit the postal ballot electronically a provision for that has to be made with reference to non-resident Indians or overseas voters. So this requires an amendment to the conduct of elections rules 1961. This is the reason why the Election Commission of India has approached the union ministry of law. Now if the rules are amended then the non-resident Indian voters who are willing to vote through this electronically transmitted postal ballot system they will have to inform the returning officer at least five days after notification of the election. The returning officer will then send the ballot electronically. The non-resident Indian voter can then register her or his mandate on the ballot printout and send it back with an attested declaration. Here two possibilities may arise one is that the voter may send the ballot through ordinary post to the returning officer number two the overseas voter can submit it at the Indian consular office or embassy at the country where she is currently residing. What happens then then the particular office or embassy may send the constituency wise consolidated envelopes that are having voted ballots to the concerned returning officers. So which of the above possibilities will be made needs to be clarified by the Election Commission of India. Now in this pandemic such extension of voting procedures like you know the electronically transmitted postal ballot system to different classes and categories of voter will also help to curb the spread of the disease therefore the need of the hour is framing a proper postal ballot mechanism with adequate security that allows for proper authentication of a ballot at designated consular or embassy offices. In addition an effective postal system will also make the entire process much easier for overseas voters. So these are some of the important information with reference to the analysis of this frequently asked question article from the Hindu newspaper. Now let's move on to the analysis of next article. This news article states that recently IUCN has declared the Himalayan Trillium as endangered. The population of this common herb is expected to decline by at least 50 percent between 2010 and 2079. In this context let us discuss in brief about this Himalayan Trillium and also the reasons for its decline. The syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. First know that India has 2.4 percent of the world's land area but it accounts for 7 to 8 percent of all recorded species. Now these recorded species include more than 45,000 species of plants and more than 91,000 species of animals. Now these diverse physical features and climatic conditions in our country have resulted into a variety of ecosystems for example forests, wetlands, grasslands, desert and coastal and marine ecosystems. Now these diverse ecosystems they harbor and sustain high biodiversity and they contribute to human well-being. And out of 34 to 35 globally identified biodiversity hot spots four of them are found in our country. One is the Himalayas, then the Western Guards, then the Northeast and the Nicobar Islands. And with reference to IUCN note that India became a state member in the year 1969 through the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. While we cherish the biodiversity some of India's biodiversity is a threat. One such example is what we call as the threat faced by Himalayan Trillium which is locally known as Naak Chhatri. See Himalayan Trillium is a robust trifoliate perennial herbaceous plant species. It has deep red and green colored flowers on its axis. Trifoliate means three leaves. Now this plant is found in the temperate and subalpine zones of Himalayas in our country, then in Nepal, China and Bhutan. It is found in the altitude of about 2700 meter to 4000 meter. The article also mentions its presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well. In India it is found in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Uttarakhand. See this herb grows to a height of 15 to 20 centimeters. The stem is purple red in color. It carries three green leaves just below the flower. There will be a single small starry flower which will be deep red and green in color. The specialty is that the roots of this species contain trilarin. Now this trilarin on hydrolysis gives 2.5 percent diosgenin which is a corticosteroid hormone. Now reportedly this corticosteroid hormone which is isolated from this plant is used in various preparations. For example like cortisone and allied preparation used in disorders related to joints or in connective tissues or rheumatism. Then in regulation of menstrual flow and in stomach related problems and also with reference to sex hormones and other uses. It has also been used in traditional medicine to cure diseases like dysentery, wounds, skin boils, inflammation, sepsis etc. Now when we say sepsis it is a life-threatening condition which is caused by response of human body to a particular infection. The body normally releases chemicals into bloodstream to fight a particular infection. When the body's response to these chemicals is out of balance then the changes that occur can lead to damage to organ systems. That is what we refer to as sepsis. Now coming to our main discussion because of the effective medicinal properties of this plant. The demand of this drug is high in international markets and it is often smuggled out to markets in Punjab. In recent years the herb has become one of the most traded commercial plants of the Himalayan region. Now article states that recent experiments have shown that the rhizome of the herb is a source of steroidal saponins. Now this can be used as an anti-cancer and anti-aging drug or agent. Now this discovery has also further increased its market value that has led to more poaching and illegal trade as well. Article states that the herb is sold at 3,502 around 23,000 rupees per kilogram. Now this rise in demand and the huge rate of decline is expected to lower its population by at least 50% between 2010 and 2079. Now some of the factors that are threatening the survival of this plant we can say over exploitation. Long life cycle that is it takes longer time to reach reproductive maturity and then there is also poor capacity for seed dispersal. Now it requires highly specific habitat requirement. We saw the altitude, we saw the temperate and subaltpine conditions that are required. Then there is also high trade value and increasing market demand. These are other factors that are associated with the survival of this plant. Coming to way forward see the authorities must enforce sustainable collection protocols. One suggestion is to designate the area of its natural habitat and involvement of local communities for the management of harvest to control the illegal trade. Another suggestion we can say implementation of fair wild standard. Now it is a set of guidelines which ensures continued use or sustainable use long-term survival of wild plant species in their habitat. So these are some of the information with reference to the analysis of this news article. In this analysis we saw about Himalayan Trillium where it grows, the countries where it is found, the features of this particular herb and the special facts associated with this herb and the projected decline and the way forward. Now let's move on to next article. This news article talks about the opening of protected monuments of archaeological survey of India to visitors and about resuming the sale of physical tickets which were stopped in order to prevent the COVID-19 spread. In this context let us see in detail about archaeological survey of India. See it comes under Union Ministry of Culture. It is the premier organization when it comes to archaeological research and protection of cultural heritages of India. Some of its major works include maintenance of ancient monuments, archaeological sites and other remains of national importance. Apart from this it also regulates the archaeological activities that are taking place as per the provisions of two important legislations. One the ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains act of 1958 and the other is the antiquities and art treasure act of 1972. See in the modern Indian history the archaeological and historic pursuits began with the efforts of William Jones. He founded Asiatic Society in the year 1784 in Calcutta. Later the archaeological survey of India was created in the year 1871 as a government department and the first director general was Alexander Cunningham. See till 1904 there was no legislation to protect the important monuments of the country. During the time of Cursan as the vice-roy of India the situation was changed with the passing of an important law called as the ancient monuments preservation act of 1904. Now this law gave a firm footing to this archaeological survey of India and since then it has been successfully conducting excavations. It rediscovered the past and also protects and safeguards important heritage structures. Now we saw a brief history and also the overview with reference to archaeological survey of India. Now let us see some of its important functions that are given here for a reference. You can observe that in addition to conducting archaeological explorations and excavations and maintenance conservation preservation of protected monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance, its functions also include chemical preservation of monuments and antiquarian remains, then archaeological expeditions outside India and also horticulture operation in and around ancient monuments and sites. Now let us see the composition of this survey. See it is headed by a director general who is assisted by additional director general, then joint director general and other directors. For the sake of administrative convenience, archaeological survey of India divides the entire nation into more than 20 circles. Each circle is headed by a superintending archaeologist. There are also posts such as conservation assistants. In addition to this there are also six excavation branches that are created for conducting specialized archaeological researches. We could see prehistory branch, building survey project, temple survey projects, epigraphy branches, science branch and underwater archaeology wing. And some of the important recent developments we could say out of around 3692 protected monuments and sites of national importance, 100 monuments were declared as Aadarsh monuments or Aadarsh smarak. Under Aadarsh smarak, the monuments are provided with necessary tourist facilities. This include washrooms, drinking water, cafeteria, audiovisual center, Wi-Fi, security and other important facilities. The monuments are also to be made disabled friendly. Under the Swachabaratha Biyan, cleanliness and healthy atmosphere is also being maintained within the heritage boundaries and the archaeological sites. So these are some of the important information with reference to archaeological survey of India. We saw the brief history, overview and functions of archaeological survey of India and other related aspects in this analysis. Now let's move on to next news article. Now this snippet article talks about a bacterium that has been reported to AID in the production of bioplastics. Now this bacterium is called as Sobelilla dentrificans ZD1. It is this bacterium which is referred to as the bioplastic bacteria. So first let's see in brief about bioplastics. See when we say bioplastics, they are not just one single substance. They consist of a whole family of materials that may have differing properties and applications. Generally we say a plastic material as a bioplastic if it is either biobased or if it is biodegradable or if it has both properties. Here when we say biobased, it means that the material of the product is partly derived from biomass. Biomass for bioplastics come from corn, sugarcane, cellulose. So it means that biobased bioplastics or plastics made from renewable resources of agricultural feedstocks. The starches, oils, sugars from these agricultural feedstocks are extracted, modified, then used as chemical building blocks for new bioplastic products. Now when we come to biodegradation, it refers to a chemical process wherein microorganisms in the environment convert materials into natural substances like water, compost, carbon dioxide. Now the process of biodegradation depends on environmental conditions like location, temperature, then it depends on the material and also on the application. Now today's focus is on plastics that are both biobased and biodegradable. Now this includes polylactic acid called as PLA, then polyhydroxyalkonates called as PHA. A PLA plastic, you might have heard the terms like PLA plastic, PHA plastic like that. In this PHAs are the most promising type of bioplastic. This is because they are non-toxic, they are biodegradable and they are biocompatible. They have properties similar to those of conventional plastics. See PHAs or polyhydroxyalkonates, they are biopolymers with diverse structures and for surviving stress conditions with nutrient imbalance. As a defense mechanism, PHAs accumulate inside bacterial cells as a stored energy. Most common form of PHAs called as polyhydroxy butrate. This polyhydroxy butrate accumulates in many microbes and it has these properties that are given here for your reference. Now because of these properties, PHAs is considered as a promising alternative to petroleum based plastics. However, the production of PHAs is costly due to expensive carbon sources for culturing php accumulating microorganisms under sterile conditions. This is where the new bacterium zobalilla dentrificans ZD1 is important as this bacterium is capable of using non-sterole crude glycerol and nitrate to produce high php yield under saline conditions. And this bacterium feeds on sludge wastewater and produce polyhydroxy butrate and the non-sterole crude glycerol is a waste from biodiesel production. So php plays a very important role in the production of bioplastics and this discovery of utilizing this bacterium in this process can also help reducing the burden on landfills and may serve as an alternative to the present day single use plastics. So these are some of the information with reference to the analysis of this news article. Now let's move on to next article. This news article states that the enforcement directorate has attached the assets in a money laundering case associated with former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In this regard, let us see about the enforcement directorate. See it is a specialized financial investigation agency. It comes under department of revenue of ministry of finance just because it is an investigation agency need not consider it to come under ministry of home affairs. It is a multidisciplinary organization that is mandated with the task of enforcing the provisions of two special fiscal laws. One is the foreign exchange management act of 1999 and the prevention of money laundering act of 2002. Now coming to the composition in addition to direct recruitment, the directorate gets officers from different investigating agencies like customs and central excise, income tax, police department on deputation so as to undertake a particular mission. The headquarters of enforcement directorate is in New Delhi. It is headed by director of enforcement. It has five regional officers and each of them are headed by special directors. Now coming to its functions, it has investigating role with reference to the two legislations Femma and PMLA. Then it adjudicates show cost notices that are issued under the repealed law for an exchange regulation act of 1973 for the notices that were issued up to made 2002. Then it is involved in processing the cases of fugitives under the fugitives economic offenders act of 2018. Therefore it preserves the sanctity of rule of law in our country as it creates deterrence to fugitive economic offenders from evading the process of law in our country by staying outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts. When it sponsors cases of preventive detention under Kofi Posa or the conservation of foreign exchange and prevention of smuggling activities act of 1974 in respect to contravention under the Femma 1999. Then it renders cooperation to foreign countries in matters related to money laundering and restoration of assets under PMLA and also seeking cooperation in related matters. So these are some of the information with reference to enforcement directorate. Now let's move on to next part of the discussion. We have come to the last session, the practice questions discussion. Now see this question with reference to representation of people act 1950. Two statements are given, they're asking which of the statements given above are correct. A citizen of India residing outside India cannot be registered in the electoral role and is ineligible to vote at an election in the constituency. See this statement is incorrect. An overseas Indian citizen can register and can vote as per section 20 capital A of RPI 1950. Now second statement, a person absentee himself temporarily from his place of ordinary residence for valid reasons shall not cease to be ordinarily resident. Now this statement is correct. Through this enabling provision, the citizens of India residing outside India, they are participating in registration and voting. So the correct answer for this question is option B to only because only the second statement is correct. We see this question with reference to enforcement directorate. Two statements are given, which of the statements given above are correct. It is a multidisciplinary organization mandated with the task of enforcing the provisions of two special fiscal laws, FEMA 1999 and PMLA 2002. The statement is correct. Its headquarters is in New Delhi and comes under the control of union home ministry. Yes, its headquarters is in New Delhi, but it comes under the control of union finance ministry. Therefore, only the first statement is correct. Correct answer option A111. The Himalayan Trillium recently seen in news is an invasive species in the Himalayas endangered herbaceous plant in the Himalayas. The correct answer is option B. We have given a practice main's question under GS paper one. You may write answers and post it in the comment section. With this, we come to the end of today's The Hindu News Analysis. If you like the video, click the like button, comment, share and subscribe to Shankaray's Academy YouTube channel for more updates and content on civil service exam preparation.