 A very good evening aspirants, I welcome you all to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankar Ayes academy. Today I am going to cover important news articles from the Hindu newspaper dated 9th of June 2023 and displayed here a list of news articles that we will be discussing today, you can go through it. At the end of the video, we will also have practice prelims question discussion. So try to watch the entire video and a kind request to you all, those who haven't yet subscribed our YouTube channel, do subscribe and hit the bell icon button so that you will get regular notifications regarding our future content of this videos. Now let's get into our first news article discussion. Now look at this news article here, the news article states that the new ballistic missile Agni Prime was successfully tested by DRDO. Now in this context, let us learn about the Agni series of missiles and particularly the Agni Prime missile. Now let's get into discussion. See the Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles. Know that a ballistic missile is a type of missile that follows a ballistic trajectory. This means that the missile is initially propelled into the air and then it travels in a parabolic path under the force of gravity. Basically, Agni series of missiles are surface to surface ballistic missiles that can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. This is a basic about Agni missiles. Now moving on to see about the different missiles in the Agni series. Now let's start with Agni-1. See Agni-1 is the first missile in the Agni series. It was developed under the integrated guided missile development program and it was tested in 1989. Note that Agni-1 is also the shortest range missile in the Agni family. It is a two-stage solid fuel missile and it has a range of about 700 km. This is all about Agni-1. Then comes Agni-2. See the Agni-2 missile is inspired from the PSLV launch vehicle of India. Agni-2 is a two-stage ballistic missile with solid fuel. Note that Agni-2 has a range of about 2000 km and it was tested in April 1999. This is all about Agni-2. Then we have the Agni-3. The Agni-3 missile is the intermediate range ballistic missile and it has a range capability of around 2500 km. Agni-3 is a two-stage ballistic missile that uses solid propellant for its propulsion system. The Agni-3 missile has improved accuracy and maneuverability compared to its predecessor that is Agni-2. The Agni-3 incorporates advanced guidance and control systems to ensure precise targeting. This is all about Agni-3. Then we have the Agni-4 missile. See Agni-4 is a long-range ballistic missile and it has a range of about 3500 km. Similar to other missiles in the Agni series, the Agni-4 is also capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. Note that the Agni-4 missile is designed for launch from a road-mobile platform. Here a road-mobile platform refers to a vehicle-based system that can transport and launch missiles. So the mobility of Agni-4 missile provides strategic advantages as it allows for increased flexibility and survivability by reducing the predictability of launch locations. It is one of the advantages associated with Agni-4 missile. Now finally we have Agni-5. See Agni-5 is the longest missile in the series and it has a range of about 5000 km. It can even reach the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe. Note that Agni-5 is India's most advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missile. It is a three-stage solid-fueled missile and it is capable of carrying a nuclear payload weighing about 1.5 tons. See Agni-5 once launched, it can be only starved by interceptor missiles. Okay see as of now these five missiles forms part of Agni series that is they are developed and inducted into the Indian military. Now there is a new member in the Agni family called Agni-P or Agni-Prime. See Agni-Prime is a canisterized missile with a range of about 1000 to 2000 km. See canisterization is a cool feature that makes it easier to fire the missile quickly and improve its storage and mobility. Agni-Prime is an improved version of Agni-Class missiles and it has better maneuverability and accuracy. The Agni-Prime missile comes with new composites, propulsion systems and innovative guidance and control mechanisms along with the latest navigation systems. Here understand that Agni-Prime is an improved version of Agni-Class of missiles which means it has some important upgrades. As I said earlier the Agni-Prime missile is designed as a canisterized missile. The canisterized missile is a special kind of missiles that can be stored and launched from a container called canister. The canisterized is enough Agni-Prime brings several benefits. Firstly, it allows for faster deployment which means the missile can be ready to launch more quickly. Secondly, the Agni-Prime provides enhanced storage capabilities which means it can be easier to keep the missile safe and ready for use. And finally, the Agni-Prime offers increased mobility which means the missile can be easily moved to different places as and when needed. Now besides this, Agni-Prime is capable of killing moving targets. This means that the missile has maneuverable re-entry. As we all know aircraft carriers have air defense missiles which will protect aircraft carrier by intercepting any threat like a ballistic missile. But in case of Agni-Prime, it will be difficult for the air defense system to intercept because the Agni-Prime missile will not follow a predefined trajectory. So it is very much possible that it will hit the target. So this is all about the Agni-Prime missile. And also note that there is Agni-6. Agni-6 is an intercontinental ballistic missile. In fact, it is the longest range missile among all the Agni-Missiles developed so far. The reason I am telling this in the last is that the Agni-6 missile is still under development. Currently, the Agni-6 is being designed and tested to ensure its effectiveness and reliability. And once the process is completed, it is expected to have a remarkable range of approximately 11,000 to 12,000 km. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about Agni-Missiles, then we saw about different types of Agni-Missiles and then we saw about the Agni-Prime missile and finally we saw some points about Agni-6. So this topic is very much important for your prelims exam. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. It says that the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee has decided to keep the policy report unchanged at 6.5% for the second consecutive meeting. See the decision was made to ensure price stability. Okay, this is about the news. Now in this context, let us learn some important facts about Monetary Policy Committee. See the Monetary Policy Committee is a committee of the Reserve Bank of India. The committee is responsible for deciding the benchmark policy interest rates. That is, report rate, reverse report rates and so on. This is to control inflation with a specified target level. See before the MPC was established, the RBI governor used it to make monetary policy decisions with the help of a technical advisory committee. But now the decision making process has become more transparent and accountable through the committee-based approach. See the idea of setting up and monetary policy has been discussed for quite some time. Various committees and reports recommended the formation of Monetary Policy Committee. They said that a committee-based approach would bring more transparency and accountability to monetary policy decisions. And finally in 2015, the RBI and the Indian government signed Monetary Policy Framework Agreement. And this agreement led to the establishment of the Monetary Policy Committee. So this is about the background of setting up of Monetary Policy Committee. Now let us see about the functions of Monetary Policy Committee. See the functions of Monetary Policy Committee revolve around maintaining price stability and achieving inflation targets set by the government. The RBI's primary goal is to contain inflation at 4% with a standard deviation of 2% in the medium term. See to ensure accountability, the RBI has to explain its actions in a report to the government of India if it fails to reach the specified inflation targets. This is all about the functions of Monetary Policy Committee. Now let us see the composition of Monetary Policy Committee. See the Monetary Policy Committee consists of six members. The RBI governor shows us the chairperson. Then the deputy governor in charge of Monetary Policy is also a member of Monetary Policy Committee. Apart from this, one official nominated by the RBI board is also part of the Monetary Policy Committee. And the remaining three members represent the Indian government. The three Indian government nominees are appointed by the central government based on the recommendations of the Search Come Selection Committee. This committee includes the Cabinet Secretary, the RBI governor, the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs and three experts in economics or banking nominated by the central government. So based on the recommendations of the Search Come Selection Committee, the three members are nominated to the Monetary Policy Committee of RBI. See the decision making in the Monetary Policy Committee follows a majority vote. If there is a tie, the RBI governor has the casting vote, which means the RBI governor's vote will be the deciding factor. And note that the Monetary Policy Committee's decision is binding on the RBI and it has to implement the recommended changes in the policy rates. Then to ensure transparency, the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meetings are published by the RBI after 14 days of meeting. The RBI also publishes a document explaining how it plans to implement the committee's decisions. Note that the Monetary Policy Committee meetings are confidential and a minimum of four members including the governor or the deputy governor of RBI must be present to constitute a quorum. The RBI is obligated to provide necessary information to the Monetary Policy Committee for decision making. And if any member requests additional information, it must be provided to all members. In summary, the Monetary Policy Committee plays a crucial role in determining the report and maintaining price stability in India. And the Monetary Policy Committee follows a committee-based approach to decision making. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the background for the creation of the Monetary Policy Committee. Then we saw about the functions of the Monetary Policy Committee. Then we moved on to see about the composition of the Monetary Policy Committee. And finally, we saw some points about the working nature of the Monetary Policy Committee. See, this topic is very much important for your film's exam. Already, some questions were asked in UPSC related to the Monetary Policy Committee. So, this topic is very much important. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now, look at this article from the Text and Context page. This article talks about the recently imposed daily limits on the UPI transactions. It tries to explain why such restrictions are required. So, in this discussion, we will understand the points provided in this Text and Context article. Now, before getting into discussion, the syllabus relevant to this topic is given here. You can go through it. Now, before getting into the article, let us see some basics about UPI. See, UPI stands for United Payment Interface. It was launched by the NPCI, that is, the National Payment Corporation of India in 2016. It was launched in conjunction with the Reserve Bank of India and Indian Banks Association. Note that UPI is an advanced version of immediate payment services, that is IMPS. By using UPI, we can make cashless payments faster, easier and smoother. So, UPI is a round-the-clock funds transfer service. Now, how the fund transfers can be done? See, the funds are transferred through integration. The UPI system integrates various banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments under one roof. So, this allows users to access multiple bank accounts through a single mobile application. Apart from this, the UPI also caters the peer-to-peer collect requests, which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience. Note in fact here, UPI is currently the biggest among the National Payment Corporation of India's operator systems. See, the other operator systems of NPCI include National Automated Clearinghouse, Immediate Payment Service, other enabled payment system, Bharat Bill payment system, rupee, etc. So, among these operator systems, UPI is the biggest. The top UPI apps today we use include phone pay, Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and BIM. Among these BIM, that is, Bharat Interface for Money is being offered by the government. Now, look at this image here. In this image, you can find some of the features and benefits of UPI. See, due to seamlessness of UPI, currently, 447 banks are active on UPI. And around 9.4 billion of transactions is taking place per month. And this is exactly why the banks have now opted for daily limits. See, these daily limits are over and above the already imposed ceilings mandated by the National Payments Corporation of India in 2021. At present, users can make up to 20 transactions or rupees 1 lakh in a single day. That is, either all at once or throughout the day. For certain specific categories of transactions, like the capital markets, collections like bills, insurance, and forward and forward remittances. For this, the limit is 2 lakh. See, in December 2021, the limit for the UPI-based applications supported by block amount IPO and retail direct schemes was increased to 5 lakh for each transaction. From this, we can say that the limit of transaction varies according to the situation. And it is also important to note that the daily limit may change from time to time. And if one needs to transfer more than the limit set, they can use different payment applications like immediate payment service, NIFT, and bank payments. The thing here is that not all the banks have set up the same daily limits. The daily limits are varying depending upon the bank. For example, Kanada Bank allows transaction up to 25,000 while major players like SB have a set limit of rupees 1 lakh. So the daily limit varies bank to bank. Now let us see the reason for imposing such restrictions. See, the restrictions are laid mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, as I already said, the imposition of limit is to sustain the smoother functioning of payments interface as it continues to acquire popularity. Secondly, the restrictions was imposed to balance customer convenience and potential fraud or risk concerns. See, until February in the financial era of 2022-23, the total number of reported UPI frauds had increased about 13% in comparison to the previous financial era. So to combat the growing incidences, there's an urgent need for safeguarding infrastructure. And this is why the restrictions in the name of daily limits are imposed. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the UPI, that is the United Payments Interface. Then we saw about the working of UPI. And finally, we saw about the reasons for imposing the daily limits in UPI. Now with these key points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this small article here. It says that the Hyderabad-based company, that is the Barth biotech, has recalled a batch of its typhoid vasin called type bar. See, this happened after it was found that the vasin was not of standard quality by the Central Drug Standard Control Organization. That is the CDSCO. So in this discussion, we are going to learn about this important organization called the CDSCO. See the Central Drug Standard Control Organization, which is in short known as CDSCO, is a national regulatory body in India that regulates cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. Its main job is to make sure that these products are safe and they are of good quality. Know that CDSCO is part of the ministry of health and family welfare, and it is responsible for reviewing and approving all medical devices throughout the India. This even includes implants and contraceptions. Note that CDSCO is headquartered in New Delhi, and it also has offices all over the country. The CDSCO is headed by the Drug's Controller General of India. Okay. See 1940, the Indian government passed the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. This act outlined the responsibilities of federal and state regulators in ensuring the safety and well-being of patients. So in essence, CDSCO was created to carry out these duties under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Now coming to the mission, see the mission of CDSCO is to protect and improve public health by ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and quality of drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. The CDSCO do this function by regulating the manufacturing, import, and export of drugs. Okay. So this is a brief about CDSCO. Now we will see the functions of CDSCO. Firstly, CDSCO is responsible for evaluating and approving clinical studies conducted on new medications. The CDSCO do this to ensure their safety and efficacy before they can be introduced in the market. Secondly, CDSCO oversees registration and licensing process for the import of drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices into the India. Thirdly, CDSCO has the authority to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of drugs and cosmetics. The CDSCO do this when the product is found to be unsafe, substandard, and not in compliance with the regulations. And finally, CDSCO grants permission to conduct tests and studies on drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. Okay, so these are all important functions carried out by CDSCO. See, there are also some other functions carried out by CDSCO and the functions are displayed here. You can pause the video and go through it. So in summary, CDSCO is an important organization in India that ensures the safety and quality of drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. And the CDSCO regulates and monitors these products to protect public health. Okay. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about CDSCO, then about the mission of CDSCO and finally we saw some important functions of CDSCO. See, this topic is very much important for your problems exam. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this news article here. This news article is about the investigation conducted by National Commission for Backward Class Panel. See, the investigation is regarding the reservation for OBC Muslims in West Bengal. Now why they are conducting investigation? See, there were many allocations that in West Bengal, illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the Rohingyas were granted reservation. So to look into this matter, the National Commission for Backward Classes initiated an investigation. It was found that there are more Muslim OBC castes than Hindu OBC castes in West Bengal. And it was found that 103 OBC communities out of 180 communities are categorized as Muslim communities. So in this regard, the investigation committee had asked for detailed clarification from the West Bengal government. So because of this issue only, the National Commission for Backward Class appeared news today. Now in this context, let us learn about National Commission for Backward Classes from Primm's perspective. Now first we look at the formation of National Commission for Backward Classes. See, the Supreme Court in Mandel case ordered the central government to constitute a permanent body to address the issue relating to backward classes. Subsequently, the Union government had established National Commission for Backward Classes in 1993. Note that the National Commission for Backward Classes, that is the NCBC, was a statutory body when it was established in 1993. But later, the constitutional status was conferred to NCBC through one or second Constitutional Amendment Act. The Amendment Act inserted Article 338 B into the Indian Constitution. So this article only conferring constitutional status to NCBC. Now moving on to see about the composition. See the NCBC consists of a chairperson, a vice chairperson and other members. And note that all of them are appointed by the president based on the recommendations of central government. Now moving on to see about the functions of NCBC. Firstly, NCBC will investigate, monitor and evaluate the matters relating to constitutional and legal safeguards for backward classes. Secondly, the NCBC inquires into complaints related to deprivation of rights and safeguards of backward classes. Thirdly, NCBC participates and advises on socio-economic development of backward classes. Fourthly, NCBC summits annual reports to the president of India. And the president will place the report before the parliament. Fifthly, NCBC recommends measures for effective implementation of safeguards and measures for development and advancement of socially and educationally backward classes. Sixthly, NCBC also discharge any other functions related to protection, welfare and advancement of socially and educationally backward classes as the president of India may specify. Okay, in addition to this, the NCBC has the power to regulate its own procedure. Apart from this, while investigating any complaints, the NCBC has the powers of a civil court. Okay, now that's all regarding NCBC. In this discussion, we saw about the formation of national commission for backward classes. Then we saw about the composition of NCBC and finally we saw some points about the functions and powers of NCBC. See, this topic is very much important for your both problems and means. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now, with these points in mind, let us move on to the next part of the news article discussion that is to discuss preliminary practice questions. Now look at the first question. This question is regarding Agni series of missiles. Now look at the first statement. Agni Prime is India's longest range ballistic missile. See, this statement is incorrect. As of now, Agni 5 is the longest range ballistic missile developed in India. It has a range of over 5,000 kilometers. And note that Agni 6 is under development. Once it get developed, Agni 6 would be the longest ballistic missile which would have a range of about 10,000 to 12,000 kilometers. Now coming to Agni Prime, see Agni Prime has a range of about 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers. So it is not the longest range ballistic missile. So statement one is incorrect. Now coming to the second statement, both Agni 2 and Agni 3 can be launched through rail cars. See, this statement is correct. Both Agni 2 and Agni 3 are likely to be launched via rail cars that are with slide open roofs. So statement two is correct. Now coming to the third statement, Agni 5 is the first Indian missile with man-eurable re-entry vehicle. See, this statement is incorrect. Agni Prime is the first Indian missile with man-eurable re-entry vehicle. See, the man-eurable re-entry vehicle is a type of vehicle that is capable of shifting targets during its flight. It means we can able to change the trajectory of the particular vehicle. So Agni 5 is not the first Indian missile with man-eurable re-entry vehicle. It is none other than Agni Prime. So third statement is incorrect. Here the question asks, how many of the statements given is or are correct? Here only second statement alone is correct. So the correct answer is option A1 only. Moving on, let's take up the second question. See, this is a statement based questions. Here two statements are given. We have to identify whether either of the statements is correct or not. And we have to identify whether statement two is the correct explanation of statement one or not. Now look at the statement one. Recently, Bharat Biotech has cancelled a batch of its Typhoid Vasin called Typhoid Bar. As you saw in the discussion, this statement is correct. The Hyderabad based company, Bharat Biotech, has recalled a batch of its Typhoid Vasin called Typhoid Bar. This happened after the Typhoid Vasin was found that it was not of standard quality by the Central Drug Standard Control Organization. So statement one is correct. Now come to the second statement. In India, Indian Council for Medical Research has the authority to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of drugs and cosmetics. See, this statement is incorrect. In India, the Central Drug Standard Control Organization that is CDSCO is vested with the authority to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of drugs and cosmetics. So second statement is incorrect. So here the correct answer is option C, statement one is correct, statement two is incorrect. Moving on, let's take up the final question. See, this question is regarding the National Commission for Backward Classes. Look at the fourth statement. NCBC is a constitutional body. See, this statement is correct. The NCBC was accorded with the constitutional status by the insertion of article 338B through 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act. So statement one is correct. Now come to the second statement. It is vested with the powers of the civil court while investigating complaints. See, it is one of the powers of NCBC. It has the powers of civil court while investigating complaints regarding the socially and educationally backward classes. So statement two is also correct. Now come to the third statement. The chairman of NCBC will be appointed by the president of India. See, this statement is also correct. The chairperson, vice chairperson and three other members of NCBC are appointed by president by warrant under his hand or seal. So third statement is also correct. Here question asks for how many of the above statements are incorrect. Here all the three statements are correct. So the correct answer for the question is option D none. This is the quiz question for you today. I will post this quiz question in a community section. Try to answer it and don't worry the answer for the quiz question is posted in the comment section of the quiz question itself. You can verify it and displayed here are the main questions for your practice. Go through the questions, write your answers and post it in the comment section. With this we have come to the end of the video. If you liked our analysis, please like, comment and share. And don't forget to subscribe to Shankara IS Academy YouTube channel. Now thank you for listening.