 Good evening aspirants, welcome to daily news analysis by Shankar A.S academy. Today's date is 30th August 2023, 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. Shankar A.S academy's pre-storming test series is about to begin on 11th September. The first test will happen on 18th September and other details regarding the test series are given here, you can go through it. I also have another important announcement, Shankar A.S academy's All India Open mock test is going to start on 1st September. Other details regarding this mock test is given in the link in description, you can check it. Now let us get into the discussion. Have a look at this news article. This news article is an update on India's Chandrayaan 3 mission. The article says that Pragyaan rover has discovered the presence of sulphur in lunar south pole. So this is about the news article. In our discussion, we will see how sulphur was discovered and what is the significance of this discovery. First know that Pragyaan rover is equipped with two payloads. They were alpha particle x-ray spectrometer and laser induced breakdown spectroscope, also known as LIPS. Both these instruments are used to find the mineral and elemental composition on lunar surface. The thing is that they use different methods to find the elemental composition. So it is the LIPS payload that discovered the presence of sulphur in lunar south pole. So in our discussion, we will mainly focus about LIPS. This LIPS payload uses a scientific technique that analyzes the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses. In the first step of the technique, a high energy laser pulse is focused on the surface of the material such as rock or soil. The second step is a plasma formation. The energy of the laser pulse will be so intense that it will vaporize small amount of material on the surface. This will create a micro plasma. Here a plasma is a distinct state of matter that exists at high temperature or energy. So basically a plasma is a partially ionized gas that contains equal number of positively charged ions and free electrons. One of the important properties of plasma is that it emits light. So the last step of the process is analyzing the emitted light from the plasma. Here you have to note that each element has a characteristic emission at specific wavelength. So by analyzing the wavelength of light emitted by the plasma, scientists can deduct which element is present there. So using the above mentioned steps, the LIPS payload has made some discovery. It has identified the presence of aluminum, sulphur, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium on the lunar surface. It also revealed the presence of manganese, silicon and oxygen. So the Pragyan rover is undergoing investigation to detect the presence of hydrogen. Now why is the discovery of sulphur is significant? This discovery is significant because it gives us lot of insights into lunar surface. See sulphur is a volatile element meaning it typically evaporates at relatively low temperature. Its presence on the lunar surface suggests that there might be process on the moon that preserved sulphur containing materials, possibly volcanic activity or impact events. So studying the lunar sulphur will help us decode the moon's volcanic activity. Next the discovery of sulphur will help us understand the impact of solar wind. Sulphur is known to be affected by solar wind. As we all know the moon lacks a significant atmosphere. So the elements on the surface are directly impacted by the solar wind. Here the discovery of sulphur and its interaction with the solar wind can contribute to our understanding of space weathering process on air less bodies. Finally sulphur compounds could be used as resources for future lunar activities. It can be used for activities such as producing oxygen, sulphuric acid or other valuable materials that could support human presence on the moon. So this is the significance of finding sulphur on the moon. So this is all regarding this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Take a look at this news article. According to the article a senior IAS officer has alleged irregularities in Jaljiwan Mission in Jammu and Kashmir. So the mission has a total budget of 14,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir and he has accused several irregularities happened in the mission. So in this background let us quickly go through Jaljiwan Mission in prelims point of view. See the Jaljiwan Mission is a flagship initiative of Government of India in 2019. The mission aims to address the water scarcity and contamination of water by providing safe drinking water to every rural household in the country. So the mission is implemented by Ministry of Jal Shatthi and its aim is to achieve the goal of Hargar Jal which means water to every home. The primary objective of Jaljiwan Mission is to ensure every rural household with tap water connection. It also ensures the grey water treatment and its reuse. Here the grey water means the water collected from sink and kitchen waste water. So basically the mission aims to improve the health and well-being of rural communities by removing the burden of water scarcity and water contamination. Now let us see some key features of the Jaljiwan Mission. Firstly the mission emphasizes community engagement and participation in implementation of this mission. So in that line the Pani Samithis were created at village level. These Pani Samithis will involve in planning, operating and maintaining the village water supply systems. These Samithis consist of 10 to 15 members with at least 50% of women members. The members from self-help groups, health workers, Anganwadi teachers are also included in these Pani Samithis. The committee prepare a one-time village action plan and this plan will be approved by Gram Sabha. Next we shall see the funding pattern of the scheme. For Himalayan and Northeastern states the funding pattern is 90 is to 10 and for other states the funding pattern is 50 is to 50. The union territories have 100% funding from central government. Here 90 is to 10 means 90% of funding is done by centre and 10% of funding is done by Himalayan and Northeastern states. 50 is to 50 means 50% of funding is done by central government and other 50% is done by the respective states. So this is the funding pattern of Jheljiven mission. Thirdly the mission places importance on capacity building initiatives. So at the rural level the mission aims to enhance the managerial skills of communities. Apart from this regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are also established to track the progress of the mission. Ultimately Jheljiven mission has ambitious target of providing tap water connections to all rural households by 2024. In order to understand the significance of this mission let us see a report submitted by World Health Organization. Recently in June 2023 World Health Organization conducted a study on the impact of Jheljiven mission. The study has shown that Jheljiven mission has a potential to prevent 4 lakh death from diarrhea. So this highlights the life saving impact of providing tap water connection to rural households. Currently 5 states and 3 union territories have reported 100% coverage of the scheme. That means these 5 states and 3 union territories have provided tap water connection to all their rural households. The 5 states are Gujarat, Telangana, Goa, Haryana and Panchap. And the 3 union territories are Andaman-Nikubar islands, Daman-Dayu and Dhadra-Nahar-Haveli and Pondicherry. So these 5 states and 3 union territories have reported 100% coverage of Jheljiven mission. In 2021 the central government also introduced Jheljiven mission for urban cities. So this scheme was implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. So this is all we need to know about Jheljiven mission. Now let us move to the next part of our discussion. Take a look at this editorial article. This article talks about the Appointments to Election Commission of India. See the Election Commission should be a neutral and independent body. But recently the central government has introduced a bill in parliament which is criticized for diluting the independence of election commission. So in this discussion we will understand the appointment process of election commission, issues with the appointment process and what are the suggestions made by the author of this editorial. Before that the syllabus regarding this topic is highlighted here. All this started with public interest litigation filed in 2015. The petition said that current process of choosing election commissioner is illegal. This is because article 324 of constitution clearly mentions that parliament has to make a law for the appointment of chief election commissioner. But until now no such law has been made by the parliament. Currently the Appointments to Election Commission are made by president on the recommendation of prime minister. So the petitioner made a case that election commission members must be chosen in a fair and transparent manner. Several similar petitions were also made in supreme court regarding this matter. Here the supreme court expressed its concern about the lack of separate law for this appointment process. But it did not order the government to make a law under article 324. Instead the constitution bench of supreme court itself decided to change the election procedure. So it established a three-member committee consisting of prime minister, leader of opposition and chief justice of India. The purpose of this committee is to make recommendation to the president regarding the appointment to election commission. This judgment by supreme court is significant because the procedures of appointment to election commission has been a much debate from the past. Now let us see a brief background of this appointment procedure for election commission. At the beginning the constitution assembly debated the appointment process of election commission. Some of the members of constitution assembly suggested that the chief election commissioner should be appointed by a joint session of parliament. He has to be elected with two-third majority vote. This was proposed to prevent any biases in appointment process. However this provision was not included in the constitution. Ultimately the parliament was interested with the responsibility of making laws regarding the appointment process of election commission. Then four important commissions were constituted regarding this matter. V. M. Tarkunde committee, Dinesh Goswami committee in 1990s, second administrative reforms commission in 2009. All of these committees recommended that appointments to the election commission should be based on a broad system like Collegium than by sole decision of ruling government. Then in 2006 a suggestion was made by former chief election commissioner Mr. B. B. Tandon. He suggested that a seven member committee headed by prime minister should choose the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners. But no action was taken by the government regarding this suggestion. In 2012 the opposition party also insisted that a Collegium should be formed with the prime minister as its chairman in order to decide the appointment procedure for election commission. Considering all this the supreme court established advisory committee to ensure the independence of election commission. But this month government introduced chief election commissioner and other election commissioners bill in Rajasabha. If this bill gets passed it will nullify the earlier verdict of supreme court. This is because the bill has introduced a search committee and a selection committee. The search committee will be headed by cabinet secretary and have two other members. The selection committee will also have three member body headed by prime minister. It also include leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and a union cabinet minister. Note that members of judiciary are not represented in this election committee. So the author of the editorial criticizes two important things in this new bill. Firstly including the union cabinet minister and excluding a member of judiciary gives advantages to ruling party. This is against the recommendation of all committees which we have seen earlier. Second thing is the bill was intended to remove biases of ruling party from election commission. However in reality the bill only increased the government control over election commission. So this has led to concerns that bill is weakening the Indian democracy. So the author suggests that changes should be made in the bill to make election commission an autonomous institution. Independence of election commission is very important to ensure the public confidence in democracy. And for that government should review the composition of selection committee and make it more balanced. Here the government can involve independent experts, jurists, civil society representatives in the search committee. Their presence could help maintain the integrity of selection process. So these are the important points mentioned by the author in this editorial. So this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Look at this editorial article. This article was written in the backdrop of recently concluded G20 trade and investment ministers meeting. At the end of the meeting the ministers issued Jaypur call for action. This initiative aims to enhance various access to finance and market related information for MSMEs. So this is the background of the article. Now in the discussion let us understand the important points provided in the article. And we will see some important measures taken by Indian government to promote small businesses in India. Now first let us look at the points provided in this editorial. Recently G20 trade and investment ministers meeting was conducted at Jaypur for two days. There is 24th and 25th August. As India is now holding the G20 presidency, the meeting was led by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal. In the meeting the ministers discussed various trade related issues. The ministers also issued some action plans to enhance trade opportunity for G20 nations. One such important decision is Jaypur call for action. This action plan is aimed at enhancing access to information for MSMEs. As MSMEs are smaller in size they are not able to access information about finance and market sensitive data. So the Jaypur call for action recognizes this challenge and it aims to upgrade the existing databases to provide trade related information for MSMEs. For this purpose the ministers of G20 countries have called for international trade center to work on the implementation of this plan. They will work together on the upgradation of existing databases. So these are the important points mentioned in this editorial. Now we will look at important measures taken by government to promote small businesses in India. See the most of small businesses in India are being run by MSMEs. The MSMEs play very important role in Indian economy as well as the economies of many developing nations. The MSMEs account for 90 percentage of global business and 50 percentage of world GDP. Most importantly these MSMEs generate 60 to 70 percentage of jobs worldwide. Now let us see India specific information. In India the network of MSMEs is very vast. They account for 45 percentage of manufacturing output in India and also account for 40 percentage of direct and indirect exports. So we have seen earlier that MSME is the second largest employer in India after agriculture. Now let us look at the important steps taken by Indian government to promote MSMEs. Indian government has established National Small Industries Corporation in 1955. It is working under Ministry of Micro Small Medium Enterprises. The main task of NSIC is to support and grow micro and small scale industries throughout the country. The NSIC currently provides two important schemes to support the small business. They were marketing support scheme and credit support scheme. Under the marketing support scheme the NSIC provided market support to expand the reach of products developed by small businesses. Then the credit support scheme provides financial assistance to small businesses for getting raw materials and marketing etc. So this is an important step to promote small businesses in India. Another important step is credit linked capital subsidy scheme. It was launched in 2000 under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. Under the scheme a subsidized loan is provided to small businesses. To put it simply this scheme help MSMEs to improve their technology which in turn enhances their revenue generation. Apart from this we have Small Industries Development Bank of India, SIDB. This bank offers direct loan to MSMEs who are in need of funds. The bank also provides direct loan schemes to NBFCs and small finance banks and they in turn provide funds to small businesses. So these are the important measures taken by Indian government to promote small businesses in India. So we have seen the Jaipur call for action which was taken in G20 meeting and some important measures taken by Indian government to promote small businesses. So this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Now take a look at this article. It says that opposition party has raised concerns about inaction of SEBI against Adani group. So they are accusing that SEBI is not taking NF actions against Adani group in recent controversies. So let us use this opportunity to revise about SEBI. See in order to understand the role of SEBI first we should understand how a stock market functions. See there are stock exchanges which enables buyers and sellers of the shares to meet in a common place and transact with each other. See this image. You can see how a stock market functions. It seems very simple. The securities are listed by the companies. The investors then buy them. But there are lot of issues with this mechanism. Frauds such as unofficial private placements, insider trading, non-inherents to the provisions of companies act, market manipulation, violation of rules, manipulation of prices etc. So these problems occur frequently. So this happened in India during 70s and 80s when the stock market started blooming in India. Therefore in the year 1992 the Securities and Exchange Board of India that is SEBI was established as a statutory body. Basically SEBI was introduced to develop transparency in Indian stock market. It has to protect the interest of investors, issuers of securities and other market participants. In this light SEBI has authority to check the account books of stock exchanges and audit the books of market intermediaries like companies, banks and registered brokers. So the main objective of SEBI is to make stock market safe for investors. Now let's see the structure of SEBI. SEBI comprises 9 members. A chairman selected by union government. Then 2 representatives from finance ministry. One representative from reserve bank of India. And remaining 5 members are selected by government of India. Now coming to the powers of SEBI. SEBI has 3 key powers in stock market. Firstly it is a quasi-judicial body. It means it has authority to deliver judgments related to fraud as well as unfairness activity. Then it is a quasi-executive body. This means it can execute rules and regulations to safeguard the interest of investors. Moreover it can also take legal proceedings against the violators of its rules and regulations. Then it has the functions of quasi-legislative body. Here it has rights to frame guidelines such as trading guidelines, disclosure requirements and listing obligations. Now let's see the functions of SEBI. Firstly it encourages the development of stock market and controls the market. It also offers a platform for investment advisors, portfolio managers, merchant bankers and other associated participants in market. It also regulates the working of dispositories and importantly the foreign portfolio investors, the FBI. It prevents the insider trading and any unfair trade practices in stock market. Here what is insider trading? It means trading of public companies stock or other securities based on material or non-public information about the company. Say for example you are an employee at the stock exchange. You know some inside information about the company's share. So you buy or sell them based on the information you know. So this is called insider trading and SEBI works to prevent this insider trading. It also prohibits price manipulation of stocks in securities market. Then it also updates investors about various cautions through media. It also educates investors by conducting online and offline classes to provide market insights. Finally the SEBI regulates the merger and acquisition of companies. So these are the important functions of SEBI and this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next part of our discussion. Now take a look at this article. Recently the central government cancelled the FCRA license for an NGO called Center for Policy Research. This is due to an alleged violation of laws by the NGO. The CPR made a plea in Delhi High Court challenging this suspension. This is about the article given here. In this context let us revise about FCRA. First let us start the discussion by looking into some important features of FCRA. That is Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. The NGOs act as a link between government and people. Most of the NGOs help in bringing the government schemes to the grassroots. For example, consider the Polie vaccination program. Various NGOs played a significant role along with the government in Polie vaccination. And eventually they made India a polio-free country. So in a large country like India, the NGOs play a significant role. So in order to function effectively, NGOs need funding, right? Since they are most of non-profit organizations, they depend on donations for their day-to-day functioning. Donations can come from fellow Indian citizens or Indian government and in some cases from foreign countries also. Since India is a sovereign country, unmonitored inflow of foreign funding could potentially weaken the India's sovereignty. So the foreign funding for NGOs should be regulated. This is where the FCRA comes in. That is Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. So the only NGOs who are registered under this FCRA can receive foreign funding. In essence, FCRA helps in regulation of foreign funding. Now what is the objective of this FCRA? The main goal of FCRA is to prohibit acceptance and utilization of foreign contributions for any activities that is detrimental to national interest. In this regard, FCRA is meant to ensure two things. Firstly, FCRA ensures that foreign contributions are received from legitimate sources. Secondly, FCRA ensures that received foreign contributions are utilized only for the legitimate purposes. We should know that this act is an internal security legislation. So despite a law related to financial legislation, it comes under the Home Ministry and not the Reserve Bank of India or Ministry of Finance. So we have seen the objective of FCRA. Now let us see what constitutes a foreign contribution. According to section 2 of FCRA, Foreign Contribution means the donation made by foreign source to India. Remember that it does not include gifts for personal use. Also note that if the market value of such gift is more than the value specified by central government, then it will be considered as a foreign contribution. Some other exceptions are educational fees and business transactions. If someone in India is receiving money to pay educational fees or to make business transactions, then it is excluded from regulation under FCRA. Also note that contributions made by NRI from his personal savings are not treated as foreign contributions. So we have seen what constitutes a foreign contribution. Now let us see who can actually receive foreign contributions under FCRA. Any person or association can receive foreign contributions in India. But there are certain conditions that must be satisfied. Firstly, the person or association must have a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social program. Secondly, the person or association must obtain the FCRA registration and prior permission from the government. Finally, the person or association must not be prohibited under section 3 of FCRA. So basically any person or association satisfying the above condition is eligible for receiving foreign funding from other countries. In addition to this information, let us see who cannot receive foreign contributions. Here comes the section 3 of FCRA which defines the entities which are prohibited from receiving foreign contribution. It includes election candidates, correspondent, columnist, cartoonist, editor, printer or publisher of registered newspaper, then a judge, government servant or employee of any corporation or body controlled by government, member of any legislature, political party or office bearers or organization of political nature as specified by central government, then public servants, finally association or company engaged in the protection or broadcast of audio news or current affairs programs through electronic mode or any other electronic form. So these are the entities that are prohibited from receiving foreign contribution under the Foreign Contribution and Regulation Act. So we have seen who can receive foreign contribution and who cannot receive foreign contribution. So as per section 1 of FCRA, the provisions of this Act is applicable to whole of India and also the citizens of India living outside the India. So it is also applicable to foreign branches and foreign subsidiaries of corporate bodies or companies that are registered in India. So these are the important provisions of FCRA Act. So this is all regarding this discussion. Now let us move to the next part of our discussion. Now we have come to the prelims practice question discussion. Look at the first question, it is about Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. So according to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, who among the following cannot receive foreign contributions? Look at the four options, election candidates, cartoonist of registered newspapers, public servants, political party. So we have to select the correct code. As we saw in the discussion, all these individuals cannot receive foreign contribution according to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, FCRA. So the correct answer is option D. Now look at the second prelims question. Consider the following statements. How many of the statements are a significance of discovery of sulphur by Pragyan rover in lunar surface? Decoding the volcanic history of moon as it is correct. Understanding the impacts of solar wind on atmosphere-less celestial bodies? Yes, it is also correct. Help establish moon as a base for future space exploration? Yes, this is also correct. So the answer is option C, all the three. Now look at the third prelims practice question. The word cryptocracy, which is often seen in the news, is related to which of the following? Look at the first statement. It is a government whose corrupt leaders use political powers to misappropriate government funds at the expense of wider population. So this statement refers to kleptocracy. Yes, this is the correct answer. Now we shall see other three statements. A form of government in which decision makers are selected based on their expertise in given area of responsibility, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. This statement refers to technocracy, which is also a form of government. Look at the third statement, a form of government that is loosely defined as a part democracy and part dictatorship or as a regime that mixes democratic with autocratic futures. So this describes anocracy. Look at the fourth statement. It is a system of government in which absolute power is held by the ruler. So this statement refers to autocracy. So the four statements refers to four forms of government. So our correct answer is option A. This describes the kleptocracy. So this is the quiz question for you today. Try to answer it in comment sections. And these are the main practice questions for you today. Try to write an answer and post it in the comment section. So we have come to the end of the discussion. 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