 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu news analysis session by Shankarayesh academy dated 11th June 2021. Before going to the news discussion, we have an important announcement to make. It is regarding the professional mock interview program offered by Shankarayesh academy, the candidates, those who have cleared the civil service exam 2020 mains can make use of this opportunity. This is the free initiative and it starts from tomorrow that is from June 12th to know more about this program you can contact this number given below or send your queries to this email address. The first topic for today's discussion is regarding this news article Terror in the Sahel. See this editorial is regarding the hot core terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa and the article highlights the need for global power to address this hot core terrorism. In this context, let us discuss in brief about the situation in Sahel and the recent attack in Bukino Faso etc. Finally, we will be discussing in brief about the country Bukino Faso from political and geographical perspective. The syllabus covered under this topic discussion is given for your reference. Know that the Sahel region of Africa is an arc shaped land mass lying to the immediate south of Sahara desert. The image is given here the aspirants can have a look at it. See this semi arid region of western and north central Africa extends from Senegal to Sudan. Know that this includes many of the poorest countries in the world such as Bukino Faso, Mali, Mauritiana and Niagara. In recent years the Sahel has been in the global spotlight for all wrong reasons. This includes felines, religious terrorism, anti-state rebellions, arms and drugs trafficking and human trafficking etc. For example, in Mali religious terrorism remains a great threat. Also the Mauritiana is a traditional route for drug and human trafficking between South America and Europe. And you might have heard about the Boko Haram which is a ruthless jihadist group based in Nigeria. Recently there was a militant attack which killed 160 people in villages in the northern Bukino Faso. The authority have named the Islamic state in Greater Sahara responsible for this attack. Know that this ISGS is a terrorist group that is based in Mali and Niagara operating along the Mali-Niger border. Also since the year 2018 this group has gained popular support in northern Mali and has contributed to an escalating Salafi jihadist insurgency in Bukino Faso. And know that the other main terrorist outfits in the region are like the Islamic state, West African province, Al Queda, Boko Haram etc. As we know, like in the Middle East some of the policies of West like the United States and France have been blamed for the present problems in Sahel. The author says that the removal of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya by NATO could be the beginning point. And know that after Gaddafi's assassination the jihadist filled the power vacuum in Libya. In the later years this slowly spread to other poor countries in the region. And the author says that all major powers which work together to defeat the IS in West Asia shall do the same in Africa. Here the UN also has a role to play in building institutions, ensuring stable governance and in countering insurgency operations. With this we saw about the current issues that are occurring in the state of Bukino Faso and with that the suggestions of the author is also discussed. Now let us discuss Bukino Faso from Prillin's perspective. See Bukino Faso is a landlocked country in western Africa. Know that it is a form of French colony and gained its independence as Upper Volta in 1960. Later on the name Bukino Faso was adopted in the year 1984 which means it is the land of incorruptible people. Know that the capital of Bukino Faso is Vagadogo and as we said Bukino Faso is a landlocked country. In addition know that this country is bounded by Mali to the north and west whereas the Niagara is a country that is in the northeast and the Benin to the southwest of Bukino Faso whereas the Ivory Coast Ghana and Togo are the countries to the south of the Bukino Faso. See the country Bukino Faso occupies an extensive plateau and its geography is characterized by Sabana. It is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forest in the south. The three principal rivers in Bukino Faso are the Black Volta, the Red Volta and the White Volta. All these three rivers mentioned converge in Ghana to the south to form the Volta River. And know that as per the World Bank Bukino Faso is a low income Sahelian country with limited natural resources and the economy there is largely based on agriculture which leads to its poor performance on many development indicators particularly in the areas of health and education. With this we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now let us move on to the next topic. Our next news discussion is going to be based on this news article should retired officials be barred from disclosing information. Now look at this article. Last week our government prohibited retired officials of security and intelligence organizations from publishing anything about their work or organization. And it says if at all the retired officials wants to publish anything about their work or organization they have to get prior clearance from the head of the organization. In this discussion we will look into the issue in detail. The syllabus covered under this topic discussion is given for your reference. See the government has notified this change as an amendment to central civil services pension rules 1972. As per this amendment it prohibits the retired officials of security and intelligence organization from communicating to the media or publishing anything that falls within the domain of the organization. If you see the amendment has been introduced in the rule 8 of central civil services pension rules. According to this the rule 8 deals with pension subject to future good conduct. So, this means that any violation of the new guidelines would threaten a retired officer's pension. And note that the organizations that are covered under the schedule 2 of RTA Act are included. As per this schedule 2 there are nearly 26 organizations under the RTA Act. So, the officers belonging to these 26 organizations are prohibited from writing or speaking about their job in public even after retirement. We have provided a list of few organizations covered under the amendment as parents can go through it roughly. See these organizations are the intelligence organizations and paramilitary organizations in general. Now, coming back to the article our government justifies its action saying some high profile information pertaining to national securities need to be preserved. And the government says that such moves was prompted by concerns arising out of the fact that some high profile retired officers have written books on their tenure and some of these had revealed information. But however this move by the government has invited some criticisms. Let us look at it one by one. Firstly, it increases the opacity in the government functioning and runs counter to the democratic spirit of governance. Secondly, the amendment to the rule 8 affects the pension of the retired bureaucrats. Henceforth which will bring down the number of publications that have provided interesting but much needed insights in the government policies to the public. Thirdly, some say that this is not the much needed policy move because we already have existing provisions that will cater to such unwanted disclosures of information. In that context, the participants in the article discussion have highlighted the presence of official secrets act. And fourthly, the experts also say that most of the so-called secrets are worthy of disclosures and causes no negative consequences. So, this is a needless effort merely to stifle information sharing. These are few views expressed in the article and aspirants are free to take stand on this issue. These criticisms can be useful in main writing. And now since the official secrets act has been mentioned in news, let us know about it through this discussion. See, the official secrets act has its root in the British colonial era. The original version was the Indian official secrets act 1889 which was brought with the main objective of censoring the voices of large number of newspapers. See, during those times, there were large number of newspapers that had come up in several languages. And this act was invoked as several newspapers began opposing the British Raj policies in that time. Later on, the amendment was made more stringent in the form of Indian official secrets act 1904. Note that it was during the Lord Kersen's tenure as vice-roy of India. And if you see, in the year 1923, a New Year version was notified. According to it, the Indian official secrets act 1923 was extended to all matters of secrecy and confidentialities in the governance in the country. See, this act broadly deals with two aspects. One is regarding spying or espionage. Two, it is regarding the disclosure of other secrets information of the government covered under section 5. Whereas, in case of spying or espionage, it is covered under section 2. See, the set secret information can be of any form. It can be an official code, password, sketch, plan, model, etc. And in addition, another important aspect is that both the person communicating the information and the person receiving the information can be punished under this act. Note that a guilty person could be charged with 14 years of imprisonment, a fine, or both. See, with time, debates have arisen on whether to review, amend, or repeal this act. In that regard, the law commission in 1971, in its report on offenses against national security had observed that every secret document should not attract the provision of this act unless it is of national emergency. Also, the second administrative reforms commission wanted this act to be repealed and included in the part of National Security Act. And it was said that official secrets act was said is against the ideals of transparent government in a democratic society. So, these are few suggestions which are given regarding the official secrets act. Till now, in this topic discussion, we saw regarding the new amendments to the Central Civil Services Pension Rules 1972 and about the Schedule 8 of RTI Act. And finally, we saw about the official secrets act in detail. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now, let us move to the next topic. Coming to the third news article for today's discussion, this is taken from the Friday review of Hindu newspaper, The Bond Between Anna Maya and Kuchipuri. This article is very important for your problems from art and culture's perspective. And this news article talks about the Tallapakka Annamacharya and his relationship with Kuchipuri, which is one of the classical dances of India. Know that the Tallapakka Annamacharya was a 15th century Hindu saint. And this article says that he was born in the year 1408 in a village named Tallapakka in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Know that Annamacharya favored the lyrical style of poetry and composed songs and Psalms. In addition, the article says that for his great contribution to Telugu poetry, he is known in Telugu as Padakavita Pitamaha. And according to some sources, it is said that Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala, a form of Vishnu was his family deity. And in addition to it, know that he has composed more than 32,000 devotional hymns in praise of Lord Venkateshwara. These devotional hymns are collectively called as Sankeetanas. Note that these keetanas were said to karnatic style of music and are very popular throughout India. It is believed that Annamacharya's wife named Timmaka was the first poetess in Telugu literature. Note that she composed a poetry named Subathrakalyanam. Now coming to Annamacharya's contribution, know that his contribution was known only by the year 1922 after the discovery of 2,500 copper plates from the temple in Tirupati. These plates enshrined these songs composed by Tallapakka Annamacharya. Over the years, the Annamaya's contribution were turned by different musicians and most of them have adopted to Kuchipudi. Now let us discuss in brief about Kuchipudi. See, Kuchipudi is one of the classical styles of Indian dance which originated from Andhra Pradesh. Also know that it grew largely as a product of Bhakti movement. In addition, Kuchipudi is the name of a village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh where a long tradition of dance drama were known under the generic name of Yaksagala. In fact, in 17th century, Kuchipudi style of Yaksagala was conceived by a Vaishnava poet named Siddhendra Yogi. Also know that the Kuchipudi is a dance drama of Ritha, Nrithya and Natya. The Nrithya consists of tirmanas and jatis whereas the Nrithya is of saptams and Natya is of acting with Buddras for the songs. Know that Kuchipudi combines speech, abhinaya and pure dance. This form of dance is accompanied by karnatic music. Know that Kuchipudi today is performed either as a solo or a duet or as a group dance. But historically it was performed as a dance drama with several dances taking different rules. And finally before concluding this topic, know that there are eight different classical dances in India. They are the Bharatanatyam from Tamil Nadu, Manipuri dance from Manipur, Kathak from Northern India, Odisi dance from the state of Orissa, Kathakali and Mohini Atom from Kerala, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh and Satria dance from Assam. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now let us move to the next article. Moving to the next news article, Odisha's Tribal's Flea Village Fearing Jab. Now let us take up this news article. The article reports about the vaccine hesitancy among the tribals. As per the news, the tribals in Odisha's Rayagara district fled the village after locking up their houses to avoid taking COVID-19 vaccines. According to sources, the people of the community were apparently misled by some WhatsApp videos which predicted death within two years of vaccination. Further, this article mentions similar situations of vaccine hesitancy that was encountered among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups. And because of such vaccine hesitancy, it consumed days to make them agree to vaccination. Hence, the vaccine hesitancy has been a major factor for the state administration across the state. So in this light, let us see some important facts related to the PVTGs or the particularly vulnerable tribal groups. See, the PVTGs refer to those tribal communities with a declining or stagnant population. Also, there are several other peculiar factors such as low literacy rate, pre-agriculture level of technology, economic backness amongst those tribal sections. Note that these groups are among the most vulnerable sections of our society. This is because such tribal communities are few in numbers and have not attained any significant level of social and economic development. In addition, they generally inhabit remote localities having poor infrastructure and administrative support. Remember that so far there are 75 such groups identified and categorized as particularly vulnerable tribal groups. See, these PVTG communities are already covered under the schemes that are generally directed to all eligible persons. And there are various schemes of central and state governments that are targeted towards the tribal population as well. And another important fact is that there are many schemes which are covered under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In addition to this, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements schemes in the name of development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups, which is a centrally sponsored scheme. Based on this scheme, central assistance are being provided to 18 states and union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands where communities identified as PVTGs reside. And importantly, the fund under these centrally sponsored schemes are released under two major components. They are the grant in aid and for the purpose of creation of capital assets. Note that this scheme operates as a gapfiling intervention that is targeted specially for upliftment of such communities. And with these informations in mind, let us move to the next news article. Now, let us take up this news article. Refused entry, MP moves against Lakshadeep administrator. See, this news article pertains to the prevailing political conditions in Lakshadeep islands. In that context, let us know about the privilege motion from exam point of view. See, the parliamentary privileges are certain rights and immunities that are enjoyed by the members of parliament. Note that the MPs can enjoy these immunities and rights both individually as well as collectively so that they can effectively discharge their functions. Hence, in the essence of this motion is that in the absence of these privileges, the MPs might not be able to discharge the functions effectively. With this, there is also another purpose for these privileges. That is, to exercise effective control over the executives, such parliamentary privileges are needed. Therefore, whenever any of these rights and immunities are disregarded, the offence is called as the breach of privilege. For that, a notice is moved in form of a motion by any member of Aydir House against those held guilty of breach of privilege. Like many parliamentary rules, some rules govern this. Let us see that. In Lok Sabha, it is the rule number 222 in Chapter 20 of the rule book, and correspondingly the rule 187 in Chapter 16 of Rajya Sabha rule book governs the privilege motion. So, it becomes clear to us that the motion can be moved in Aydir House of the Parliament. Know that according to the constitution, the powers, privileges and immunities of parliament and the MPs are defined by the parliament itself. But however, there is no law so far been enacted for this purpose. Hence, in this absence of such a law, the rule book continues to govern the privilege motion. And it is the, in addition to it, the British parliamentary conventions also continues to be a governing factor. Here, note that the role of speaker and the chairman of Rajya Sabha is important. Let us see how. See, the speaker or the Rajya Sabha chairperson is the first level of scrutiny of a privilege motion. Here, the speaker or chairman can decide on the privilege motion or they can refer it to the privilege committees of the parliament. Important fact is that the decision of the presiding officer is the final. Now, let us know what is the privilege committee? We refer to. See, the committee is present in both the houses where in case of Lok Sabha, the speaker nominates the committees of privilege. Whereas, in case of Rajya Sabha, the deputy chairman heads the committees of privilege. In Lok Sabha, there are 15 members who are nominated as per the respective party strengths in the house. And whereas in Rajya Sabha, there are only 10 members in committee of privileges. As said earlier, the representation in the committees in both the houses is in proportion to the party representation in the house. In this discussion, we saw in brief about the parliamentary privileges, the privilege motion, the rules governing the privilege motion. And finally, we also saw about the privilege committees in both the houses of the parliament. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now, let us move to the final topic. The last topic for today's news discussion is going to be based on this open editorial titled Making Peace With Nature. This article is written by the head of the UNEP India and the UNDP resident representative of India. See, this open editorial article is written in the backdrop of the United Nation decade on ecosystem restoration that runs from 2021 to 2030. And as the title suggests, the author talks about the importance and the urgent need to restore our ecosystem. This is to ensure that we have a healthier planet and a healthier people. So in this light, let us see some important points from the article and also about the UN decade on ecosystem restoration. The syllabus relevant for this open editorial article is highlighted for your reference. Now coming back to the article. See, as we know, the COVID pandemic has left us in a critical situation with the loss of life and livelihood. And there can be no better example that could highlight the urgent need to restore the damaged ecosystem. To understand better, as per the WHO, all available evidences for COVID-19 suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 has a zoonotic source. See, the zoonotic disease or caused by zoonotic pathogens, which refers to organisms that are naturally transmitted between animals and humans. Know that the principal way of transmissions are through breathing air, drinking water or eating contaminated foods or hands to mouth contact, etc. Hence, the emergence of coronavirus is viewed as a direct result of degradation of natural areas, species loss and also exploitation. This is because the loss of natural habitat leads the wild animals to come in closer contact with humans. This ends up with the zoonotic pathogens more frequently jumping from wildlife to humans, thereby creating public health emergencies. So for this, one of the best way to prevent such an event from happening again is by creating a healthier ecosystem. So when we say we want to restore our ecosystem, it includes multiple areas and approach that needs to be reformed. This includes land cultivation, soil usage, exploitation of coastal, preventing exploitation of coastal and marine ecosystem as well as forest management. Know that the damage to our ecosystem has been done over decades. Therefore, the degradation cannot be reversed overnight and it may take more time. But though it is time consuming, the results could be worth the struggles. So all we need in the process is patience and sustained efforts. The article continues by saying that we need to start somewhere and it says the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is one such initiative that can be beneficial. See the ecosystem restoration refers to the process of reversing the degradation of ecosystem such as landscapes, lakes and ocean to regain their ecological functionality. Or in other words, it means to improve the productivity and capacity of ecosystems in order to meet the needs of the society. And this can be done by allowing the natural regeneration of over exploited ecosystems like that of planting trees and other plants. Hence for the stated objectives, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 to 2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Environment Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations will be leading its implementation. See this UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystem on every continent and also in every ocean. Know that this helps us in ending poverty, combating climate change and also in preventing a mass extinction provided everyone plays a part without fail. And some of the objectives of UN Decade on Ecosystem Restorations are given, the aspirants can have a look at it. Coming back to the article, the author insists on the need for India to indulge actively in the participation since ecosystem restoration is mutually beneficial. This is because 10 years of sustained action to protect and revive the country's ecosystems will help India in ending poverty. See measures from India could also assist in combating climate change by reviving natural carbon storage and more importantly it helps in bringing a halt to the collapse of biodiversity by rebuilding homes for wildlife. In that way, the author considers prime minister's announcement in 2019 which is to increase the total area that could be restored from its land degradation status to be an effective path in this regard. See the announcement by the prime minister in 2019 was regarding the land degradation status and its restoration to 26 billion hectares by the year 2030. The author further puts forward three steps that would actually help India in building on this commitment. Firstly, there should be a coordinated effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. See as we know, climate change is not only dangerous to humans but also to the fragile ecosystems that sustains all life on earth and this is why it is advisable to adder to the needs to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 45% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. So by having this in mind, we must reach net zero emissions by 2050 to have a hope of achieving 1.5 degree Celsius Paris Agreement targets. For this, the author says India should contribute towards it by transforming energy systems and many such factors. It includes proper land use, agriculture, forest protection, urban development, infrastructure and lifestyle. Most importantly, the reduction in net carbon emission should be aligned with conserving and restoring the biodiversity as well as in minimizing the air and water pollution. Secondly, the article suggests India to adopt and transform towards sustainable economic, financial and production systems. And it says this can be done by including natural capital in decision making and also by eliminating environmentally harmful subsidies and also by investing in low-carbon and nature-friendly technologies. Also, in addition, it suggests for attracting investments in sustainable development, which could actually shift the financial flows and investment patterns towards sustainability. The third and most important step in this regard is the need for each individual to take up responsibility to revive our environment. And in order to achieve it, India should make efforts in creating food systems that will work with nature, reducing waste and are also adaptive to change. Some of the ways to achieve this is through empowering small-scale farmers and women farmers and also by changing the pattern of conception. And it finally says for achieving the third objective, there needs to be capacity building and education for creating environmental awareness. So these are some of the takeaway points from this open editorial article. With this information in mind, let us move to the next part of the session that is preliminary practice questions. Now, let us take up the first question under practice question plumes session. Arrange the following countries in Africa from west to east direction. The country is given our one Mali, two Nigeria, three Sudan, four Senegal, five Ethiopia. Select the correct answers using the code given below. Options given are option A, one, four, two, three, five. Option B, four, one, two, three, five. Option C, one, two, four, three, five. Option D, four, one, two, five, three. See, this is a map-based question and a factual question. So the aspirants must be clear of the locations of various countries and while answering this question, if you know that Ethiopia is in the far eastern side of Africa, then you can eliminate the option D, four, one, two, five, three. Also in the western side of the Africa, there is a small country named Senegal. If you know that location, then the answer for this question will be option B, four, one, two, three, five. See, the map of African continent is given for your reference. The aspirants can have a glance of it. Now, let us move to the next question. Second question, with reference to the Talapaka Annamacharya, consider the following statements. Statement one, also known as Padakavita Pitamaha, he conceived the Kuchipudi style of Yakshagana. Statement two, he was a contemporary of Mughal emperor Akbar, which of the statements given above is so or correct. Options given are option A, one only, option B, two only, option C, both one and two, option D, neither one nor two. See, considering the first statement, it says, Talapaka Annamacharya is also known as Padakavita Pitamaha. See, this first off of the statement is correct, but it says that Talapaka Annamacharya conceived the Kuchipudi style of Yakshagana. See, from our previous discussion, we saw that in the 17th century, the Kuchipudi style of Yakshagana was conceived by a Vaishnava poet named Siddhendra Yogi. So, the first statement is incorrect. Now, considering the second statement, it says Annamacharya was the contemporary of Mughal emperor Akbar. See, Akbar's time period is around 1542 to 1605, whereas Annamacharya was a Hindu saint who lived in 15th century. His probable time period was around 1408 to 1503. So, the second statement is also incorrect. Hence, the answer for this question is option D, neither one nor two. Now, coming to the last question, consider the following statements about the particularly vulnerable tribal group. The statements given are statement one, they are among the most vulnerable sections of our society who have not attained any significant level of social and economic development. Statement two, so far 75 such groups have been identified and categorized as particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Statement three, development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups is a centrally sponsored scheme that covers 18 states and Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar island where the PBTGs reside. Which of the above statement is or are correct? Option A, one only, option B, two and three only, option C, one and three only, option D, one, two and three. See, this is a direct question from our discussion itself. We can conclude that all the three statements are right where we saw in detail about PBTGs and in addition to this, let us see a few additional information. See, under the development of PBTG scheme implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, activities like education, housing, land distribution and several others are provided for comprehensive socio-economic development of PBTGs. And know that under the scheme, the state government submits conservation come development plan on the basis of their requirement. And 100% grant in aid are made available to state as per the provision of this development of PBTG scheme. The answer for this question is option D, one, two and three. These are few main questions that are given for your practice and you may write and post them in the comment section for peer review. That's it for today's discussion. If you like the video, kindly press the like button, comment, share and subscribe to Shankaray's Academy for further updates. Thank you.