 Welcome to the Hindu news analysis by Shankarayesh academy, displayed our list of news articles selected for today's analysis and their page numbers in different editions of the newspaper. The link for the handwritten notes in the PDF format and the time stamping of the discussed articles are provided in the description and also in the comment section for the benefit of the viewers. Now, let us move on to the analysis of first news article. This editorial article is with reference to the manner in which an alleged criminal reportedly died in an encounter recently. We are here not to discuss what happened there, which will be dealt as per the procedures established by law. The author states that state must get tough on crime, but the police should not be allowed to break the law. It says that police should not commit a crime and project that punishment has been given to an alleged criminal. That is why the title is crime as punishment. In this scenario, know that an encounter is a real scenario where there is violence between police and the criminal gangs. The violence or the attack will be through armed weapons. In such situations, police have complete freedom under the law to kill the opponents under the right of self-defense. So what do we mean by fake encounter? See in a fake encounter, police generally arrest the individual to be killed, kill the individual and then stage or fabricate the scenes as if encounter has happened and therefore the individual was killed. Such actions of police, however worse a criminal may be, is unlawful because it amounts to extrajudicial killing. That is, only judiciary can sentence a person to death and no one else in India. And police cannot carry out such actions of extrajudicial killing. Now what happens if police do such activities? This means the rule of law and the authority of judiciary is compromised and more importantly beyond a particular level. When a criminal may inform police about his or her illegal activities or the nexus with political leaders or the nexus with the persons in the police department itself, when a criminal may say these things to the investigating authority, then the persons who are these persons having alleged links with the person who is a criminal, these persons are threatened to attend of their positions. So they want to eliminate the criminal, that is, they do not want the particular criminal to live. All these things lead to fake encounter so that the other criminals in contact with the killed person may escape and continue their illegal activities. And extrajudicial killings also bring to light the role of judiciary. This is because when judiciary fails to adhere to three cardinal aspects of punishment, the public unaware of rule of law, unaware of consequences of breaking the rule of law, these public they feel happy for the elimination of an alleged criminal. So what are the three aspects to be followed to deter or discourage any criminal, any person from committing offenses? See there must be certainty of punishment. An offender must certainly get the punishment, then there should be swift punishment. The offender has to be punished as soon as possible without any delay under the rule of law. And thirdly, the criminal should be punished proportionately to the offence committed. So these are some of the aspects as civil service aspirants we should know with reference to these matters and developments. Now let's move on to next part of the discussion. This editorial article talks about establishing a fiscal council. The author suggests this as a measure to embrace financial integrity. The author is a former governor of Rousseau Bank of India. In this discussion, Arthur provides expert opinion on the call for a fiscal council and he also provides arguments in favor and against the fiscal council. The syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. We know that due to the present economic situation for stimulating economic recovery, one of the major remedies suggested is borrowing by the government and to spend more. Generally the government is expected to support vulnerable households. But the drawback in borrowing is rising debt. This debt will threaten medium term growth prospects of the economy. This is because of the rising debt to GDP ratio and these situations generally limit the scope for using fiscal policy to support aggregate demand. So government is restraining itself from borrowing. But this unclear fiscal stance of the government is widely criticized by the economists. They suggest government to borrow and spend more on one hand and on the other hand, government should draft a credible plan for fiscal consolidation post COVID-19 so as to retain market confidence. Now when there is unclear picture about government's financial stance, this shows lack of accountability from the side of government and it points to lack of fiscal discipline as well. And when we say lack of fiscal discipline, it generally originates from the introduced or unwise use of policy discretion because discretion can be misused which results in persistent deficits, rising debt levels and over time it leads to a loss in policy credibility. Now based on these reasons Arthur notes that retaining market confidence may be a problem. When such a problem arises, government has to establish some new institutional mechanism for enforcing fiscal discipline. Fiscal discipline is essential so as to improve and sustain economic performance to maintain macroeconomic stability and also for reducing vulnerabilities in the economy. So in this manner only Arthur comes to suggest a fiscal council. Now also know that establishing a fiscal council was also suggested by 13th Finance Commission and 14th Finance Commission and also by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee 2017. In fact, the 13th Finance Commission suggested that the council should be an autonomous body reporting to ministry of finance. The ministry should report to parliament on matters dealt by the council. And such an institution is necessary or imperative to assist the government in addressing the government's fiscal tasks in a professional, transparent and effective manner. And we have to also know that such fiscal councils like institutional arrangements to exist in around 50 countries, say for example, United States, UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, etc. The common agenda of these fiscal councils is to promote sound fiscal policies as watchdogs. And the common objective is to assist the national legislatures to monitor and evaluate the fiscal adjustment process. And they also play a role in imparting greater transparency to this process by objectively estimating costs of various policies and programs. And these councils help in adjusting fiscal policies as well. They enhance accountability to parliament or legislatures and also to the public. In addition, these institutions are also mandated to undertake objective and independent evaluation of budget forecasts, so as to give greater authenticity to budget formulation. International experience shows that such institutions may undertake ex-anti-analysis, that is, they carry out analysis based on forecast itself rather than waiting for actual results. But here note that currently the review of FRBMX is standard, FRBM Act of 2003. And it is done by Comptroller and Auditor General. For instance, if you take Section 7, Capital A, it requires the CAD to conduct a periodic review for the compliance of provisions of the Act. But there is one challenge here. The term review has not been defined. So it is generally understood as the review is only an exposed review, not a review based on forecast but based on actual results. Now, the 14th Finance Commission felt that it is important to have ex-anti-evaluation of fiscal implications of the budget proposals and therefore it suggested to establish independent fiscal council and it also proposed an amendment to the FRBM Act for this purpose. And this amendment should provide tabling the assessment made by this council in both the houses of parliament. Now, the proposed functions of fiscal council based on international experience has been given here for your reference. As we saw, they carry out analysis ex-anti and exposed and they also conduct long-term sustainability analysis. More importantly, they recommend suitable changes to fiscal strategy to ensure consistency of the annual financial statement for the budget with targets set under it is mentioned as DIT Act. For example, in our country for the matter, it is FRBM Act. What are the arguments or challenges or confusions with reference to establishing fiscal councils? One is that there is lack of demand for accountability in the present instrumentality. Now, with reference to bringing greater transparency, the FRBM Act encourages government to obey preset fiscal targets and if there is failure, the government has to explain the reasons why it could not adhere to. Under section 3 of the Act, government is also required to submit a fiscal policy strategy statement before the parliament. And such a statement, it helps in demonstrating the credibility of fiscal stance of the government. But the problem is there is no in-depth discussion in parliament on the government stance even after the submission of fiscal policy strategy statement. In this regard, there is lack of demand for accountability. And many argue that in this scenario, one another instrument established as like, you know, a fiscal council for accountability may not be a solution. Then as per the various mandates suggested to the fiscal council, the author feels that there is a wider role or many functions are being added to this council. So that may lead to confusion. For instance, the macroeconomic forecast given by fiscal council is to be used by the finance ministry for budget. And if ministry decides to defer from those estimates, it is required to explain. And presently, many agencies like RBA also gives forecast for growth and macroeconomic variables. So the roles have to be debated and finalized. And it should be established in such a manner there is no turf war. Thirdly, when there is already an institutional review mechanism by way of CAG audit, why fiscal council is required? Now with reference to this, the author states that if CAG audit is ineffective, then appropriate steps have to be taken to fix this existing mechanism rather than creating another costly bureaucratic structure that is the fiscal council. Despite these arguments, author still suggests for establishing fiscal council at least to try on a pilot basis so as to arrive at the right decision. For example, he suggests that a week before schedule budget presentation, the CAG shall appoint a three member committee for a five week duration. And this committee shall have members from Finance Ministry, RBI, a Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Nithya Yoke. And this committee should have a limited mandate of scrutinizing the budget after it is presented to the parliament. After the scrutiny, the report of the committee should be placed in the parliament and also in the public domain. And thereafter, the committee can be dissolved. In this way, such a council can be tested so as to arrive whether it can be successful in addressing existing fiscal problems. Now, also know that such a pilot initiative will be low cost and also reversible, which will not be possible if we straight away go to the establishment of fiscal council as it is a bureaucratic expansion. With this, we come to the end of analysis of this news article. We discussed about the need for fiscal council, the arguments against it, the way in which it could be tested. Now, let us move on to next news article. Now, this news article talks about the establishment of a plasma bank in Chennai, reportedly going to be the second plasma bank in the country following Delhi. This comes at a time when there is no specific cure to treat COVID-19. So, the state government of Tamil Nadu is thinking to bring convalescent plasma therapy as an option to treat patients with moderate COVID-19. Under this, 500 millilitre of plasma will be collected from a person who has recovered from the disease. The collection will be made through a Pharisee's method and then will be transfused to the patients. In this context, let us discuss what do we mean by plasma, plasma therapy, and we'll also see about plasma bank. The syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. First, let's see about plasma. See, we have heard about white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. And they are important for the functioning of body. And along with them, plasma plays a key role in our body as it carries the components of blood throughout the body. Plasma is a straw or yellow-colored viscous fluid. It constitutes around 55% of the blood. Now, within plasma, if you see the constitution, around 92, 92% of plasma is water. And 6 to 8% are proteins. So here, when we say proteins, the major proteins are important, which are fibrinogen, globulins, and albumins. And fibrinogens are important, particularly for clotting of blood, as this helps in stopping bleeding. And plasma, without fibrinogens, without the clotting factors, is what is called as serum. Now, coming to globulins, they are primarily involved in defense mechanisms of the body because globulins contain immune globulins or antibodies in them. And these antibodies are needed to fight infections. And coming to albumin, they help in osmotic balance. That is, they help in regulating and maintaining the concentration of salt and water in our body. I also know that plasma also contains small amounts of mineral salts, like sodium, potassium, et cetera. Now, let's see what is the main role of plasma and why it is important for the body. See, the main role of plasma is to take nutrients, hormones, and proteins to the parts of the body, which are in need of such nutrients or hormones or proteins. Cells also put their waste products into plasma, which plasma then helps to remove from the body. Now, plasma is a critical part for the treatment of many serious health problems. That is why there are blood drives asking people to donate blood plasma. Now, when we donate blood, healthcare providers, they can separate the important parts, like fibrinogens, globulins, and albumins from our plasma through a method called as aphirosis. These parts can then be concentrated into various products. And the products are later used as treatments for burns, shock, trauma, and other medical emergencies. Now, the proteins and antibodies in plasma are used in therapies for rare chronic medical conditions also. Now, some of these conditions include autoimmune disorders or hemophilia. In fact, some health organizations call the plasma as the gift of life. In this regard, we also hear about using plasma in COVID-19 treatment as well. Although that there is a method of separation of whole plasma from blood, this is called as plasma phirosis. Now, let us come to convalescent plasma therapy. Now, we have been hearing about plasma therapy news during these days. Know that such a treatment is also known as passive antibody therapy. Now, let's see how it is done. A patient who has recently recovered from mild COVID-19 infection. In the patient, antibodies would have developed in the blood to fight the virus. Such blood is used to obtain plasma, and this plasma will contain antibodies to fight a virus, and this is done using plasma phirosis method. Now, this plasma will contain ready-made antibodies against the virus and then is injected to the patient. However, there are three important conditions. So as to take plasma from a person who recently recovered from the infection. One is that 14 to 20 days should have elapsed since the plasma donor has recovered. Then the person has to be aged. The person means the donor has to be aged between 17 to 50, and the donor should not be weak or anemic or with any other medical conditions. So what do we mean by plasma bank and how it differs from blood bank? See, blood bank is a place where blood is collected. Stored before, it is used for transmissions among patients or those who are in need of blood. It takes place in a lab, and the bank will make sure that donated blood and blood products are safe before they are used by patients. They will also determine blood type and they will also test it for the presence of other infectious diseases as well. Now, coming to plasma bank, it also functions similar to a blood bank, but it is specifically created to collect and store the plasma of patients who are recovered in this case from COVID-19, and that will be donated to those who are suffering from COVID-19, particularly moderate patients, and those who are advised to take such convalescent therapy by doctors. So these are some of the important information with reference to the analysis of this news article. In this analysis, we saw about plasma, plasma therapy, and also the bank and some of the important functions of plasma as well. Now, let us move on to the analysis of next news article. This news article talks about the decision taken by Turkish President Erdogan to convert the grand Hagia Sophia, Raya Sophia, museum into a mosque. In this context, let us discuss about this Hagia Sophia. In the analysis of this news article, the syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. See this Hagia Sophia, Raya Sophia is a unique monument in world architecture because of its magnificence and functionality. One can find many attractions in this place. We can see from interesting forms of Byzantine architecture then we could see mosaics of the Christian period as well as the structures that were added during the Ottoman era. So we can say that this monument is a synthesis between the East and the West. The monument served as a Christian place of worship for around 916 years and then it was converted into a mosque which then served as a Muslim's place for worship. For around 481 years. As a museum, it was opened in the year 1934-35. So now let's see the brief history associated with this monument. See the very first building of Hagia Sophia was established during the reign of Constantius I. That is in the period between 324 AD to 337 AD. It was established as a Basilica Christian church with a wooden roof and however this structure was burned down during a revolt. Then in the same place another structure was erected in the year 415 AD during the reign of Theodosius. Again this Basilica was burned down during a revolt called as Nica Revolt in 532 AD. Then a new church was established in the same place by the emperor Justinian who ruled during the period 527 AD to 565 AD in the Byzantine Empire and during this period many columns, marble and colorful stones were brought to Istanbul from various ancient cities to build the new building of Hagia Sophia. And the work was completed by 537 AD. They are saying that the size of the inner space of the Basilica is around 100 into 70 square meter and it is covered by a magnificent dome supported by four large piles or vertical columns. The mosaics in this Hagia Sophia are very important. The oldest mosaics are gold gilded with geometrical and floral designs. They are figural mosaics with images of Lord Jesus Christ, Maria etc. However the Turkish period started with the conquest of Istanbul in 1453 AD where Hagia Sophia is located and after the conquest several repairs were made to this monument and then Ottoman Sultan named as Sultan Mehmet. He made several changes and converted the church into a mosque. The Turkish architects made changes in this monument by including Turkish pottery and calligraphy. The names of Lord Allah, Prophet Muhammad etc. they were inscribed there. So one can also find the tombs of several Ottoman sultans in this monument. These tombs with their interior design, pottery and architecture are excellent examples of Ottoman tradition and culture. So end of the day what we can say is that this monument represents the legacy of two cultures that is both Christian and Muslim culture. Later in 1934-35 it was announced as a museum from being a mosque and now a top court in Turkey has called that announcement of making it a museum as illegal. Now that this monument is part of historic areas of Istanbul in the same name of historic areas of Istanbul we can find a property inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and Hagia Sophia comes under this historic areas of Istanbul World Heritage Site. It is a cultural world heritage site. Now let's come to the news article. It states that the decision of Turkish President to convert this monument into a mosque was not receivable. In fact the director general of UNESCO has criticized this decision that it was taken without prior discussions and article states Greece has said that the decision of the top court is an open provocation to the civilized world. Political experts are saying that this decision might help Erdogan to win votes internally but this has the potential to rupture the relationship of Turkey with other countries even including some friendly countries of Turkey as well. So these are some of the important information with reference to the analysis of this news article. Now let's move on to next news article. This news article is with reference to national investigation agency registering a case in connection with the gold smuggling in Kerala. See the smuggling of gold into India threatens the economic stability and national security of the country as the proceeds of crime could be used for financing terrorism in our country. In this context let us see in brief about NAA and know that we have covered in detail about the national investigation agency on 17th January 2020 and however let us see in brief see it as a statutory body under the National Investigation Agency Act of 2008. This legislation is having a wider jurisdiction not only the whole of India and to the citizens of India who are outside India but also to persons in the service of government wherever they may be and also to persons on ships and aircrafts that are registered in India wherever they may be. It aims to set the standards of excellence in counter-terrorism and other national security related investigations at the national level. It can investigate for schedule defenses under various legislations that are specified in the schedule to the National Investigation Agency Act. In the schedule you just note that the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 is also included meaning that those offenses coming under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act are to be investigated by National Investigation Agency. And with reference to schedule defenses state may request the center to take over the investigation of a case that is to be taken over by National Investigation Agency provided there is reasonable ground to suggest a commission of schedule defense and the schedule of NIA Act. In this regard it was reported that the Kerala Chief Minister has written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking effective investigation into the seizure of gold worth crores of rupees from a diplomatic baggage at the airport in Tiruvananthapuram. Around 30 kilogram of gold was seized from the diplomatic baggage. And center also has the authority to issue directions to NIA to some auto take over the investigation of a case as well. Now let us see the provisions under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. See this case has been registered under sections 16, 79, 18 of UAPA Act 1967. Coming to section 15 of the Act it defines what do we mean by a terrorist act. It states that whoever does any act with an intent to threaten or likely to threaten unity, integrity, security, also economic security or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror in the people or any section of people in India or people in any foreign country by using various prescribed means in the act commits a terrorist act. So it also mentions economic security. One such means to damage the monetary stability of India or economic security of India is through smuggling, then production and circulation of high quality counterfeit currency notes. So therefore in this ambit NIA has registered the case under UAPA 1967. Note that the provisions prescribed in UAPA provides punishment not only for terrorist act but also for raising funds for terrorist act or for conspiracy. With this we come to the end of the analysis of this news article. Now let's move on to the next part. This news article talks about the completion of delivery of 22 Apache attack helicopters under the contract between Indian Air Force and Boeing. Earlier in March, Boeing handed over the last five of 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters to the Indian Air Force. Now that Boeing is an American multinational aerospace corporation. It is one of the leading manufacturers of commercial jetliners and it is also leading manufacturer of different space and security systems. In this context we'll see in brief with reference to Apache and Chinook helicopters. We'll also discuss about foreign military sale program and direct commercial sales program of United States of America. Now when you come to Apache AH-64E helicopters, the number one point is that it is an advanced multi-role combat helicopter. Now when you come to Chinook, we'll call it as a heavy lift helicopter. Coming to Apache, here we can see advanced features like digital connectivity, joint tactical information distribution system. Then helicopters are capable to control unmanned aerial vehicles and they can also deliver a variety of weapons and it is said that given an environment it could be lethal if Apache helicopter is used for attack. In fact it can also operate during night as well. It carries fire control radar which has 360 degree coverage and also has a nose mounted sensor suit which is very helpful for target acquisition and also for night vision systems. And these helicopters are all weather capable and they have high survivability against battle damage. And Apaches were used as part of forward movement of assets of Indian Army during standoff with China in Lerak. Now coming to Chinook helicopters it is an advanced multi-mission heavy lift helicopter. When we say heavy lift helicopter you should note that it has advanced cargo handling capabilities. When we say multi-mission it can be used for other missions like humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. And it also has electronic warfare suit that complements the aircraft's performance. Now let's come to the military sales programs of U.S. First let's see about the foreign military sales program. See it is U.S. government's program to transfer defense articles, products, services and training to its international partners and international organizations. Now under this program of FMS U.S. government uses acquisition system of its department of defense so as to procure defense articles and services on behalf of partners. So the purchaser in this case say the Indian Air Force will not deal directly with the seller rather the defense security cooperation agency of U.S. will service intermediary between the purchaser and the seller. And the eligible countries may purchase defense articles and services that their own funds or funds provided through U.S. government sponsored assistance programs. Currently there are some 189 partners including India and other international organizations in this FMS program. Now if you come to direct commercial sales program here U.S. companies or corporations they obtain commercial export licenses from the department of state of USA. This allows these companies to negotiate and sell directly to the partners. And coming to how Apache helicopter was sold to India the report say that it was through a hybrid arrangement Indian Air Force invoked both foreign military sales arrangement and also direct commercial sales arrangement available with the United States. With this we come to the end of analysis of this news article. Now let us move on to next news article. This news article it states that France has asked Israel to drop the West Bank annexation plan as such a move would contraven international law or violate international law and jeopardize the possibility of a two state solution on the basis of fair and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. In this context we would like to inform you that these aspects say Gaza Strip the U.S. plan information with reference to announcement of Israel to annex West Bank. All these matters have been covered in our previous in the news analysis. On these days like the 27th January 29th and recently on 30th June. For these aspects we request the viewers to watch these analysis to get a full picture. Now let's move on to next part of the discussion. We have come to the last session the practice questions discussion session. This question is with reference to blood plasma. The question reads consider the following statements with reference to blood plasma. Three statements are given. They're asking which of the statements given above are correct. Proteins like fibrinogen, globulins and albumins are the main constituents of plasma and they constitute around 90% of plasma. This statement is incorrect because 90% of plasma we could find water and protein constitute only around some six to eight percent. So once the first statement becomes incorrect your correct answer is option B two and three only. Second statement it is used in treatments of various medical emergencies like burns, shocks and trauma which is true and aphorosis is a method used to separate various constituents of plasma which is also correct. Correct answer option B two and three only. This question is with reference to National Investigation Agency Act 2008. They have given four legislations and asking offenses under which of the given acts constitutes scheduled offenses under NA Act of 2008 for which NA is authorized to investigate. Atomic Energy Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Anti-Hijacking Act 1982 and the SART Convention Act of 1993. Know that all these given four legislations come under the schedule to the NA Act of 2008. So the correct answer is option D. This is a description based question. The Hagia Sophia Museum is considered a unique monument in the world architecture due to its magnificence and functionality. It constitutes a synthesis between the East and the West. It is located in. Correct answer is option D. Turkey in Turkey it is located in Istanbul. This question is with reference to Foreign Military Sale Program of United States. The question reads with reference to FMS Program of US. Cancel the other following statements. Two statements are given which of the statements given above are correct. Under this program US companies can obtain commercial export licenses from US Department of State and this allows them to negotiate with and sell different articles directly to the customers. Now this statement is what is the description of direct commercial sales program of US, not FMS. Under FMS purchases can be only done through the US government which stays as an intermediary between the seller and the purchaser. So first statement is incorrect. Second statement currently more than 180 countries including India participate in FMS Program of USA. Now this statement is correct. Therefore the correct answer is option B, two only. Now we have given you two questions for your mains practice under GS2. One with reference to the suggestion to establish a fiscal council and the other with reference to plasma therapy. Now with reference to the first question you should note that while presenting arguments you have to not just mention the arguments foreign against but you have to discuss each argument. With this we come to the end of today's the Hindi news analysis. If you liked the video, if you would have enjoyed the content don't fail to click the like button and share this resource among your friends and those who are in need of such resources. And subscribe to the Shankarai's Academy YouTube channel to get notified about new updates.