 Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankar A.S academy. The displaying news articles along with the page numbers are provided here for your reference. The PDF link of the handed notes along with the time stamping of the news analysis is provided in the description box as well as in the comment section for smart mobile users. Now let us start our news analysis. This news article speaks about the upcoming 50th flight of PSLV. In this article we will be discussing in detail about PSLV and its important missions that were carried over the decades. The Indian Space Research Organization uses these launchers or launch vehicles to carry spacecraft to the designated orbits. It has two operational launchers that is Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that is known as PSLV and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle that is known as GSLV. In today's discussion we will be limited to PSLV discussion that is about the PSLV and its important aspects from the prelims dimension. The present version of PSLV is the thought generation launch vehicle of ISRO. The first and second generation launch vehicles are the satellite launch vehicle that is known as SLV and the second generation launch vehicle is the augmented satellite launch vehicle that is known as ASLV. So SLV is the first generation launch vehicle and ASLV is the second generation launch vehicle of PSLV series. PSLV is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages and the first mission of PSLV that is PSLV D1 was taken place in 1993 and it was unsuccessful mission. Then the first successful mission of PSLV that is PSLV D2 was successfully carried out in 1994 and the satellite launched was an Earth Observation Remote Sensing Satellite. After its first successful launch in 1994 PSLV emerged as a reliable launch vehicle for ISRO. Then during the period of from 1994 to 2017 the launch vehicle that is PSLV series has launched about 48 Indian satellites in addition about 209 satellites for customers from abroad. This indicates the success rate of PSLV series and because of this success rate of PSLV it has N the title of Workhorse of ISRO. If you observe PSLV series these launch vehicles are used for delivering satellites into low earth orbits and it is designated mainly to deliver the earth observation or remote sensing satellites with lift off mass of up to about 1750 kg to the sun synchronous circular polar orbits and these sun synchronous circular polar orbits have an altitude of up to 600 to 900 kilometers from the surface of the earth. Here the low earth orbit is an orbit around the earth with an altitude above the surface of the earth from 160 kilometers to about 2000 kilometers and this upper limit designation for low earth orbit mostly varies from with respect to different space stations. Now we will discuss about polar orbit it means that any satellite with an orbital path going over or near the poles maintain a polar orbit and these polar orbits are usually low earth orbits. Therefore if the satellite is placed in polar orbit it can cover or it can cover the surface of the earth when it passes through that orbit. A satellite in a polar orbit is placed to cover the surface of the earth by keeping the objective of the mission. In case of polar orbit a satellite has a 90 degrees inclination if the 90 degrees inclination is the angle of the satellite in the orbit with respect to the equator. Then we will see about sun synchronous orbit which is nearly a polar orbit a satellite in the sun synchronous orbit passes over any given point of earth surface at the same time of every day such satellites uses their inclination and the altitude to get constant illumination from the sun that is why these orbits are known as sun synchronous orbits. The fundamental difference between the satellites which are placed in polar orbit and the satellites which are placed in the sun synchronous orbit is that in case of sun synchronous orbit the satellite passes over any given point on the earth surface at the same time of every day but it is not in the case of the satellite which is placed in polar orbit. Now we will see some important features of PSLV. Know that it is an thought generation launch vehicle. It is a four stage rocket system and uses solid and liquid propulsion systems alternatively. In first stage it uses solid propulsion system then in the second system it uses liquid propulsion system then alternatively in the third stage again it uses solid propulsion system and finally in the fourth stage again it uses liquid propulsion systems. Therefore in first and third stages this PSLV uses solid propulsion systems then in the second and fourth stages it uses liquid propulsion systems. If you look at the most recent launch of PSLV series that is PSLV C-47 mission it has successfully placed the Cortosat-3 satellite and also 13 other small satellites of United States of America and this Cortosat-3 satellite is an earth observation satellite and is one of the most advanced remote sensing satellite mainly used for applications in the field of cartography. To know more about this mission we have recently discussed about Cortosat-3 and PSLV-47 in our recent analysis on 19th and on 27th November 2019. Now let us see some important facts and important missions of PSLV. Know that till date only two out of the 49 flights of PSLV have failed that is PSLV D1 in 1993 and then 41st flight that is PSLV C-39 in 2017. So if you look at from the aspect of success rate only two out of the 49 flights of PSLV have failed that is a reason PSLV series of launch vehicles are designated as work horse of the ISRO. Now we will discuss the important missions of PSLV that are carried by PSLV C-11 and PSLV C-25 which was successfully launched these two important spacecrafts that is Chandrayan-1 in 2008 and in 2013 the Mars Arbiter mission. The another important aspect of PSLV series is that that is PSLV C-37 it has successfully placed about 104 satellites into a polar sun synchronous orbit out of these 104 satellites it included the Kortosat-2 series satellite for Earth observation purpose then about 103 co-passenger satellites during this launch. These are some of the important missions of PSLV series and the significance of PSLV launch vehicle. Now let us look at the today's news article which says that 50th flight of PSLV that is PSLV C-48 is scheduled for 11th December 2019. The news article says that the 50th flight would have about 10 satellites on board including India's reset series satellites and nine other small satellites. The reset satellite means it is a radar imaging satellite developed by ISRO. The 50th flight of PSLV series would be using PSLV QL variant. The 50th flight of the PSLV series would be using PSLV QL variant that is a variant of PSLV with four solid strap-on boosters and these strap-on boosters or the rocket motors mainly use it to provide an extra thrust to the rocket during the initial stage to escape the gravitational pull of the earth. There is another such variant that is PSLV XL series which uses six solid strap-on boosters therefore if the PSLV uses QL variant it would be having four solid strap-on boosters and if it is a XL variant it uses six solid strap-on boosters and this PSLV XL variant can carry highest payload capability among all the other PSLV variants. So with respect to this news article we have discussed the complete details of PSLV that is Polar satellite launch vehicle series and its importance then the important missions that were launched by using this PSLV rockets. With this we have come to the end of this news article and the displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of the session. Now let us proceed to the next news article. This discussion is based on India's Sri Lanka relationship in the current scenario. The syllabus linking of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. Very recently that is in the last month the presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka and as a result of which Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been elected as the Sri Lankan president and this news article is in the context of the visit of the present Sri Lankan president and he has visited India for a three-day visit based on a special invitation extended by the Indian Prime Minister. In this context we will see the different aspects of India-Sri Lanka relations right from historical perspective to the present scenario. If you see the relationship between the India and Sri Lanka it is more than about two thousand years old and both the countries have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction. As a result the trade and investment have grown between the two nations to the significant level and there is a cooperation in the fields of development including education then culture and defence between the two countries. So in this way the Sri Lankan president's first OOC's trip to India is a route to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two nations. So during his visit the Sri Lankan president has shared his views regarding Sri Lanka's relationship with India and the other related issues. He has mentioned that his rule will be frank and straightforward with respect to India so that the misunderstandings between the two nations can be avoided. The present president of Sri Lanka has suggested for the other nations especially India to invest more in their country so that this investment will provide an alternative to Chinese investment. He also mentioned that it is necessary for Sri Lanka to build a consistent relationship with India and they have to be clear about which projects in Sri Lanka were viable and which were not. And one of the projects he is referring to is about the port and oil form projects in Trincon Male which is a port city of Sri Lanka. You should know that in 2017 India has signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in economic projects with Sri Lanka and as per this MOU India has to cooperate on infrastructure projects such as port petroleum refinery and other industries in Trincon Male. This also includes jointly operating and managing oil storage tanks in Trincon Male under a 50 year lease agreement but this project has not been realized yet. If you consider the present situation during the visit of the president of Sri Lanka India has announced an additional 400 million dollars for the developmental projects in Sri Lanka and these projects will be discussed by our Prime Minister and Mr. Ghotabaya when our Prime Minister visits Sri Lanka in the coming days. This has assumed significance because Mr. Ghotabaya has invited our Prime Minister to Colombo as the first state guest during his tenure. The Sri Lankan president also mentions the issue of rights for Tamil majority areas in the north and east of Sri Lanka. We know that in the post-independence period of Sri Lanka tensions arose between the Sinhala majority and the Tamil minority in the island nation and this has resulted a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka and this civil war started in the 1980s and ended only in 2009. So the Tamil majority areas in the north and the east of Sri Lanka are said to be the most backward part of the Sri Lanka. Based on this Mr. Ghotabaya noted that his intention is to focus on the development of the region but not on the political issues. Here the political issue that he is referring is about the devolution of powers in the country. Know that in 1987 the Sri Lankan constitution was amended by the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution and this 13th amendment was introduced to create more number of provincial councils in the country and to devolve more powers to these provinces and this was done as a follow-up action on Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987 and the crux of this agreement mainly aims at the mechanism to address the issues of the Tamilians in the Sri Lanka. Then the next issue discussed was with respect to moving towards a more parliamentary system in Sri Lanka and this was based on by the 19th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution and as per the 19th constitutional amendment no person who has been twice elected to the office of the president shall be qualified thereafter to be elected to such office by the people. It indicates that there is a two-term limit for the president of the Sri Lanka. The next issue which was discussed was about the Haman-Tota port agreement of Sri Lanka with China and this has assumed significance because in 2017 Sri Lanka and China signed the Haman-Tota port concession agreement. Soon after the agreement was signed China has declared that the Haman-Tota port is part of its Belt and Road initiative so this agreement has raised a concern for India and India's main concern is the long-term impact of Chinese state-owned companies acquiring the equity in the Sri Lankan economy. Then we will see with respect to security aspect. In 2014 Sri Lankan government gave permit for the Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo port and this permit was done in spite of India's strong protest. We know that there is an increase in Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean and this agreement has further increased Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean. Now as per this agreement the new Sri Lankan president has noted that the Sri Lankan government must have control of all the statistically important projects including Haman-Tota. He also added that the 99-year lease agreement which was signed by the previous government will have an impact on Sri Lanka's future. Then Mr. Gotabaya also stressed the more cooperation with India on national security issue is also important because the threat in the Sri Lanka has now changed because previously the liberation targets of Tamil Ilam that is LTT was a specific threat to Sri Lanka but now the Islamic state or IS is a global threat posed by the terrorist across the globe including Sri Lanka. According to Mr. Gotabaya India and other countries have more information on this matter than the Sri Lankan government that is why he has demanded more cooperation with India on the national security issues. So these were the views of the new president of Sri Lanka on the certain issues and we'll get to know more about in the coming days. With this we have come to the end of this discussion. The displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of this session. Now let us proceed to the next news article. This news article is with reference to the recent developments in the government formation process in the state of Maharashtra. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article has been highlighted here for your reference. As we know already that the election results for the state legislative assembly for the state of Maharashtra were declared on 24th October 2019 but only on 28th November 2019 that is almost after a month the government was formed as a result of post poll alliance. Here you should know the difference between the pre poll alliance as well as the post poll alliance. In case of pre poll alliance it is an alliance that is between the political parties that is formed before the poll that is even before the declaration of results that is why it is known as pre poll alliance. But in case of post poll alliance this alliance is mostly formed after the declaration of the results. In this context if you look at the episode of Maharashtra the Sivashena and the BJP entered into a pre poll alliance before the elections. Know that in the state of Maharashtra the total members in the legislative assembly is about 289 out of which 288 are elected and one member is nominated. The nominated members of state legislative assembly they do not take part in the president elections as well as in Rajya Sabha elections but they do participate in the trust vote. As a result to prove majority more than 50% of the seats are required for a party or an alliance to form the government as well as sustain the government. In case of Maharashtra it is required at least 145 members to prove the majority. In case of Maharashtra we know that no individual party has caught majority. This scenario that is when there is no majority by a single party it is called as hung assembly. That means no party on its own could form the government. Definitely they would require support from the members of other parties. See in case of Maharashtra the political parties such as BJP and Sivashena together secured total strength of 161 members and they could have formed the government and they could have easily proved its majority. But the Sivashena and BJP failed to form the government because of differences over sharing of post of chief ministership. In such cases the role of governor is important. This is because it is the governor who calls the single largest party or the largest alliance to form a government. In this matter the governor has situational discretion when there is no clear majority either among the party or among the alliances. But the legal experts are saying that even the exercise of hidden discretion when there is hung assembly comes under the prosense of article 163 of Indian constitution. Here article 163 talks about the discretion power of the governor for those things is not required to act in the advice of the council of ministers in such decision making a governor is required to act as per the democratic principles and expected to abide sound moral principles. But the recent episode of the Maharashtra government formation once again exposes the importance of the fair role of the governor. Therefore again is this backdrop the author discusses the role of governor based on the recommendations of the Sarkare commission then the role of the Supreme Court. The today's news article is based on the recommendations of the Sarkare commission on interstate relations that are given to the governors in such cases. The today's news article talks about the guidance given to the governors by the Sarkare commission on interstate relations and this is about the order of preference in which the governor should invite the persons to form the government. The order of preference is such that the governor should first invite the pre poll alliance parties if that did not work then the invitation should be given to the single largest party who claims to form the government with the support of others. Even if did not work then the governor may invite the post electoral coalition parties to form the government and this is the order of preference should be followed by the governor. Once the government is formed then the formed government has to prove its majority. In this direction the Sarkare commission also recommends that such a flow test has to happen within 30 days from the appointment of the chief minister and these are the certain recommendations of the Sarkare commission. Now let us see some important statements made by the Supreme Court in this regard. The Supreme Court has observed that the flow test in the Legislative Assembly is the only constitutional forum for testing the strength of the government and this was observed by the Supreme Court in the case of SR Bomaia v. Indian of India in 1994. Then in 2006 the court has observed that there is nothing wrong in post poll adjustments and this was observed in the case law of Rameshram Prasad and others v. Indian of India. Then in 1998 the Supreme Court ordered a composite flow test. Here composite flow test will happen in a special session where the majority claimed by two or more leaders will be tested in the Legislative Assembly mostly on the single session and this was ordered in the case law of Jagadambika Paul v. Indian of India and others. These are some of the noteworthy statements and orders made by the Supreme Court and note that whenever judicial interference is required in educating these maters as a lost resort then the Supreme Court steps in to set the things right. That is the Supreme Court steps in to curtail unlawful practices such as austerity and it steps in to avoid uncertainty and to effectuate smooth running of the democracy. This can be done by ensuring a stable government and these are the statements made by the Supreme Court while passing orders in the recent case law of Shivashena and others v. Indian of India and this case has assumed significance because the Supreme Court has passed this order on the 70th constitutional day that is on 26th November 2019. With this we have come to the end of analysis of this news article and the observations made by the Supreme Court are very relevant in the mains point of view under GS2. Here the observations made by the Supreme Court are very important for your mains examinations. Now let us move on to the next news article. This is with reference to the Transgender Poisons Bill 2019 which was passed in the Lok Sabha in August 2019 then the Rajasabha also passed in November 2019 and this bill aimed to protect the rights of the transgender community which is now facing the rights of the transgender community and this bill is facing the country wide protest but mainly organized by the transgender community. The syllabus linking of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. In this analysis we will be discussing the important reasons for the criticism against the proposed transgender persons bill which was passed by the both the houses of the parliament. Before discussing the bill let us discuss the developments in the field of rights of the transgender persons. Know that the state of Tamil Nadu is the finest state in India as it had already established Transgender Welfare Board in 2008 itself and this board has facilitated the transgender community to access the existing social welfare protection schemes of the state as well as the central government. Then in 2013 an expert committee was constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to make an in-depth study of the problems being faced by the transgender community and to suggest suitable measures to overcome their conditions. The committee in its report has observed that the transgender community is a highly marginalized and vulnerable one and is seriously lagging behind on human development indices mainly in the area of education and employment. The most important development in protecting the rights of the transgender persons is the Supreme Court judgment in 2014 that is the case of NALSA versus Indian of India. In this judgment the Supreme Court has said that the fundamental rights granted under the constitution of India will be equally applicable to transgender people and the Supreme Court gave them the right to self-identification of the gender as male or female or thought gender. The crux of this judgment is that the transgender community is given the right to self-identification of their gender. The activists are saying that the title of the bill itself is misleading because it is very restrictive as it does not comprehensively cover the complexities of the LGBT community. As we have already mentioned that the Supreme Court upheld the right of transgenders for self-identification of their gender but the section 5 of this proposed bill mandates a certificate of identity as transgender from a district magistrate declaring the holder to be transgender. That is the reason that the activist arguing that goes against the principle of self-identification. The bill is also silent on what can be done if the appeal for such a certificate is rejected. Then another criticism is that the bill does not provide enough affirmative actions for the welfare of the transgenders. The positive aspect of this bill is that it proposes to set up a national council for transgender persons to provide the institutional framework for its implementation and this council also includes the representatives of the transgender community, experts working for the welfare of the transgender persons as members in this council. But the activist says that the community and their concerns were not consulted while framing the bill. They are also demanding that to set up a working group for a council for intersex persons who have been ignored in the proposed bill. Then section 18 of the bill deals with the offenses and penalties. It penalizes compelling a transgender person to do post or bonded labor, then obstructing their right to access to public place to which other members have access in right, then forcing them to leave a place of residence on the grounds of their gender. Therefore, these are the certain measures or the provisions with respect to the transgender persons bill and the bill is proposed to set up a national council for transgender persons which would be implementing the provisions of this bill. With this, we have come to the end of the discussion of this topic. Now, let us start our practice prelims question session and this question is with reference to PSLV and they have given two statements and you have to choose the correct statements. Statement one says that it is a third generation but three-stage launch vehicle and this statement is incorrect because it is a third generation but four-stage launch vehicle. Now, look at the second statement. It says that Chandrayan-1 mission was launched by PSLV and Moss Arbiter mission was launched by GSLV. This statement is also incorrect because both the missions were successfully launched by PSLV. Therefore, for this question option D neither one nor two is the correct option. Now, let us look at the practice main questions. For today, we are giving two main questions as a practice questions and the first question is that the time has come for India and Sri Lanka to build a strong contemporary relationship involving global and strategic partnership that will have a great significance for India. Comment and this question is about 10 marks and you have to write in 150 words. Now, look at the second practice main question that is what do you mean by a pre-polar lens discuss the ways in which a governor can execute is discretion in making invitations to form a stable government in states when there is a hung assembly. This question is also 10 marks question and you have to write in 150 words. For these two practice main questions, you can write your answers and you are requested to post your answers in the comment section and your answers would be evaluated and write guidance will be given to the aspirants. With this, we have come to the end of today's analysis. If you like the video, please do like, comment, share and subscribe Shankara's Academy YouTube channel. Thank you.