 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to daily news analysis brought to you by Shankara A.S. Academy. Today's date is 5th January 2024. Displayed here are the list of topics we are going to see today. Now before we get into the discussion, I have an important announcement. A new batch of geography official classes will start from 20th January. Other details regarding this weekend batch is given here. You can go through it. Now let us get into the discussion. Look at this news article. India is planning to form a consortium of state-owned companies to facilitate the import of coaking coal. Here consortium means association of companies. So they are going to create an association of state-owned companies in order to import the coaking coal. This will help domestic steel companies to overcome the shortage of coaking coal as the coaking coal is mainly used in steel industries. Now what is coaking coal? What is the difference between coaking coal and normal coal? Why coaking coal is used in steel industries? Let us know all these things in our discussion. See before entering into our discussion let us see a brief information about coal. See coal accounts for 55% of India's energy needs. Coal is a type of sedimentary rock which is compostable in nature. Coal contains carbon and other elements like hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen etc. Generally we differentiate coal into four types peat, lignite, bituminous and anthracite. This division is based on the composition of carbon content in the coal. See peat contains only 45% of carbon while anthracite may contain up to 95% of carbon. Also we can differentiate coal into two types based on its application thermal coal and coaking coal. Here thermal coal is used in the production of electricity whereas coaking coal is used in the production of coke. This coke is used as a fuel in steel industries. See from the name itself we can know that coaking coal is used in the production of high quality coke. This coaking coal is also called as metallurgical coal and it is a type of bituminous coal. Generally this type of coal has high carbon content, low contents of ash, moisture and sulfur. It is because of this property it is widely used in steel making industry. So this is the basics of coaking coal. See India's coal sector is the second largest coal sector in the world. India accounts for more than 10% of global coal protection and it is second after China. According to international energy agency India's coal conception has doubled since 2007. Moreover IEA says that India's coal production will surpass a billion tons by 2025 and the three top coal producing states are Jharkhand, Odisha, Chattisgarh. These three states account for almost 70% of coal reserves in India. So these are the important points about coal sector in India. In this discussion we have seen the basics about coal and some information about coaking coal. With this let us conclude this discussion and move on to the next topic. This is a science page mcq about vitamins. In our analysis we are going to see the basics about vitamins for our prelims examination. See vitamins are organic compounds required for normal growth and maintenance of body. It acts as a catalyst to produce energy in our body by utilizing carbohydrates and fats. See humans cannot live without vitamins but we should also know that human body cannot produce vitamins on our own except vitamin D and vitamin B3. So all other vitamins should be taken from outside sources. Now let us see the types of vitamins. See there are basically two types of vitamins water soluble and fat soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins as the name indicates they are dissolved in water. Know that these vitamins should be regularly supplied in our diet because most of them are excreted in urine and cannot be stored in our body. So they should be regularly supplied in our diet. Example for this vitamin vitamin B and C. Next is fat soluble vitamin. This vitamin is soluble in fats and oil but they are insoluble in water. So they are stored in liver and adipose tissues. Example for this type of vitamins are vitamin A, D, E, K. You can remember it as KDA. K, E, D, A. So these four vitamins are fat soluble vitamins. As we all know that deficiency of one or more vitamins can cause diseases in our body. They are called vitamin deficiency diseases. For example deficiency of vitamin A can cause night blindness. Deficiency of vitamin B1 can lead to berry berry. Deficiency of vitamin K causes non clotting of blood. Deficiency of vitamin C leads to scurvy. So I have given the list of vitamins and their deficiency diseases here. Have a look at it and revise it often. So with this let us conclude the discussion and move on to the next topic. Look at this editorial article. It is about civil society in India. The editorial mainly focus on challenges faced by the civil societies for taking anti-communal stand. The article also highlights how the government uses various legislations to curb the independence of NGOs. So in this context let us see the points mentioned in the editorial through a main question. Now look at the question. Discuss the role of civil society organizations in fostering democratic governance and the challenges faced by them in achieving their purpose. So the question demands us two things. Firstly we have to write about how the civil society organizations help in democratic governance. Secondly we have to write about the challenges faced by CSO that is civil society organizations. This question can be asked in GS Pepper 2 under the subtopic development process and development industry role of NGOs, self-help groups, various groups and associations. So this is the syllabus. Now let us start answering the question. In the introduction part you can write about basics of CSO. Civil society organizations are non-state not-for-profit voluntary entities. CSOs unite people to advance shared goals and interests. They are basically non-state actors who don't want to generate profits or to seek the power. CSOs represent a wide range of interest. They include non-government organization that is NGOs, professional associations, foundations, independent research institutes, community-based organizations, social movements, labor unions etc. So this can be our introduction now coming to the body of the answer. Here we are going to write about the role of CSO in democratic governance. Firstly CSOs facilitate citizen participation. CSOs empower citizens by facilitating their active involvement in development initiatives. Through this they ensure the voices of diverse communities are heard in decision making thereby CSOs aid in democratic process. Secondly civil society organizations promote transparency, accountability and integrity in government actions. So this makes the government responsive to the citizens needs. Thirdly CSOs bridge the grab between governments and public. This strengthens the connection between them. So they act as intermediaries ensuring the government actions and aligned with the needs and concerns of the public. Fourthly CSOs by acting as advocates for underprivileged and marginalized populations they promote inclusivity in decision making. In doing so the CSO help ensure that policies and projects are considered for the needs of all segments of society. So this is how they strengthen the democratic governance. Then CSO also aid in informed decision making. They do this by conducting research, disseminating information and training leaders. This empowers citizens and policy makers with the necessary knowledge to engage in democratic processes effectively. CSO also constantly engage with the public. They generate a sense of ownership and commitment with the local communities towards the development initiatives. This local engagement is fundamental to sustaining democratic governance as it ensures that projects are rooted and supported by affected communities. Lastly CSOs are flexible and highly adaptable. By adapting to the local conditions they are effective in addressing the local needs. So this helps in addressing the emerging needs within the framework of democratic governance. So these are some of the important roles played by civil society organizations in democratic governance. Now moving on to the second part of our body. Here we are going to see about the challenges faced by CSO. First let us look at the legal and regulatory challenges faced by CSOs which are highlighted in the editorial article. The government made a recent amendment in prevention of money laundering act. This amendment has widened the definition of proceeds of crime. Through this the government has increased the attack on CSOs which do not align with the views of the government. The government also amended the foreign contribution regulation act and by this the government has restricted the foreign funding access for numerous civil society organizations. Also after the recent amendment the CBI has been empowered to investigate CSOs. So the government is using the CBI to intimidate the civil society organizations. Finally through a recent change made to income tax act particularly regarding the sections providing tax exemptions for CSOs it is now mandatory to file renewals every five years. So the recent change also makes the donor data disclosure to ministry of finance. Due to this the domestic donor funding to the CSO has declined. So these are the legal and regulatory challenges faced by CSO. The next major challenge is a lack of capacity and expertise. CSOs often struggle with limited organizational capacity. They also have limited knowledge in regards to project management, fund raising or strategic planning. The next challenge is financial constraint. CSOs in India mainly rely on short-term funding. In addition to this the government has increased its effort to curtail the funding of CSOs. Due to this lack of financial stability they are not able to plan and implement impactful projects. The next challenge is coordination issue. There is a lack of coordination among the CSOs themselves. So this can lead to duplication of efforts, inefficiencies and a reduced overall impact on societal issues. The next issue is a lack of public trust. Due to issues created by few civil society organizations the public view about the civil society organization is skeptical. Due to this mistrust the funding for CSOs have been reduced. The last issue is technological mismatch. See CSOs have just now started adopting to the technology. Due to this they have not fully exploited the technological tool like social media. So these are some of the challenges faced by CSOs in India. Now having addressed the main body of answer, now let us move to the conclusion part. In conclusion part we can provide some steps that can be taken to address the challenges faced by CSOs. One of the main reasons our government is concerned by the CSO is that government believes that CSOs are acting with vested interest. So one way to reduce the mistrust is to make the functioning of CSOs completely transparent. Also steps like capacity building, creating long-term funding and effective coordination will address the challenges faced by CSOs. You can also mention that addressing these challenges is important because CSOs play an important role in positive social change and democratic governance. In this way we can end the answer. So in this discussion we have seen the role of CSOs in democratic governance and the challenges faced by them. So this is all regarding this discussion. Now let us move to the next topic. Look at this news article, Minda and Precall are auto-component manufacturing firms. These firms are trying to undergo a merger. But recently the Competition Commission of India has stated that their merger will affect the competition in the sector. So this is about the news article given here. In this context let us know about Competition Commission of India. CCA is a statutory body and it was established under Competition Act 2002. Its main aim is to ensure fair competition in the market and product the interest of consumers. Basically it is a quasi-judicial body that gives opinions to statutory authorities. In accordance with the provisions of Competition Act the Competition Commission of India and the Competition Appliate Tribunal were established. But the government replaced the Competition Appliate Tribunal with the National Company Law Appliate Tribunal in 2017. So since 2017 the appeals against the decision of CCA can be filed in National Company Law Appliate Tribunal. So this is a very important point, note that. Now what is the composition of CCA? The commission consists of one chair portion and six members. The members are appointed by central government and the chair portion and other members are whole time members. Now let us talk about the eligibility criteria for the members of CCA. The chair portion and every other member should be a person of ability and integrity and they should have special knowledge and professional experience of not less than 15 years. Now let us see the functions and role of CCA. The main aim of Competition Commission of India is to eliminate the practices that have adverse effects on the competition in market. The commission also works towards protecting the interest of consumers. It also gives an opinion on competition issues on a reference received from statutory authorities. Additionally it undertakes competition advocacy, creates public awareness and imports training on competition issues. So the main focus is on the consumer welfare and making the market work for the benefit and welfare of consumers. So these are the important prelims related points about Competition Commission of India. So with this let us conclude this discussion and move to the next topic. Look at this news article. Recently Union Commerce Minister told that the government is going to expand ECGC coverage to individual exporters of jewelry industry. This will make the jewelry industry a hundred billion dollar industry in exports. So this is the crux of the article given here. In our discussion we are going to see about ECGC from our prelims exam perspective. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India or ECGC. It was established by Government of India in 1957. It was formed under Companys Act 1956. Know that ECGC functions under Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was created to provide export credit insurance services to the exporters and also to the banks on no profit no loss basis. It aims to promote the exports from the country by providing credit risk insurance and other related services for the exports. Now let us see the functions of ECGC. Firstly it promotes exports by providing credit insurance services to the exporters. So this will protect them from any non-payment of dues by overseas buyers. Secondly it provides insurance covers to the banks for the risk in export credit lending. By doing this it will ensure seamless flow of credit to the exporters. Thirdly it provides export factoring facility for MSME sector. Fourthly ECGC works to improve labor intensive sectors by expanding the insurance coverage to labor rich export oriented industries. Now there are various schemes which are administered and implemented by ECGC. National Export Insurance Account Trust scheme. This scheme aims to increase the exports in the sectors of strategic and national importance. ECGC also implements NIRVIC scheme. This scheme is to help small scale exporters. Then ECGC also implements remission of duties and taxes and exported product scheme. Under the scheme the exporters will get the refund of duties that were not refunded yet. So these are the schemes implemented by ECGC. So in our discussion we have seen some basic information about ECGC. Now we have come to the problems practice question discussion. Look at the first question. It is about Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India. It is formed under Export Credit Guarantee Corporation Act 1956. This statement is incorrect because it is formed under Companies Act 1956. It works under Ministry of Finance. This statement is also incorrect. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is administering the NIRVIC scheme of India. This statement is correct. So the correct answer is option A. Now moving on to the second question. It is about Coal. Coal is a type of metamorphic rock. This is incorrect because coal is a sedimentary rock. Coaking coal is mainly used in the thermal power plants of India. This is also incorrect. Coaking coal is used in the steel industries and not in thermal power plants. Look at the third statement. India's coal production is on the decreasing trend as it is moving towards renewable energy. This statement is incorrect. The coal production in India is on the increasing trend and it will surpass 1 billion tons by 2025. So all the three statements are incorrect. The correct answer is Option D. Now look at the third question. Which of the following vitamins helps in blood clotting? The correct answer is Option D, Vitamin K. Now look at the fourth question. With reference to Competition Act 2002, consider the following statements. The competition act replaced the esterville, monopolies and restrictive trade practices act. Yes this statement is correct. The act aims to curb anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position. Yes this statement is also correct. The provisions of the act is implemented by Competition Commission of India. Yes this is obviously correct. So the correct answer is Option C. With this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like the video, please share it with your friends and don't forget to subscribe to Shankara IS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you for watching.