 A very good evening aspirants, welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankarayez Academy for the day 10th of January 2022. Displayed here are the list of articles that we are going to discuss today. The first one is an editorial article that is about the constitutional post Gawana. This article discussion will be majorly concentrated on the conflicts between the constitutional post and the state governments and we will see some of the discretionary powers of the governor also. Moving on the second article is about the western disturbances that brings rainfall to the Indian subcontinent mainly during winter season. Third one we have an advertisement here which is about the national pension system which is a much needed one after retirement to ensure financial security. And moving on this article is about Asian infrastructure investment bank which is AIIB. We will see some of the details about AIIB under this article discussion and finally we are going to end the analysis by discussing about an indigenous aircraft carrier which is the mighty INS Vikrant. Without any delay let's start our discussion. See this article given here it is an editorial article. It talks about the reason confrontation between the governors and the state governments. To be specific this article talks about the reason conflict between the governors and the state governments in Maharashtra and Kerala. This has again put spotlight on the fragile connection between the state's constitutional head and the elected administration. So in this context let us discuss the constitutional status of the governor his discretionary powers and we'll also briefly see what happened in Maharashtra. See this article is written by former secretary general of Lok Sabha so pay attention to this discussion you can use the points in your mains answer because the conflict between the governor and the elected heads is always a evergreen topic as far as UPSC is concerned. Before starting our discussion the syllabus relevant to the article is given here for your reference please go through it. Okay now let's start our discussion. First of all let us see the evolution of the discretionary power of the governor. See in the colonial era the governor was the absolute ruler of the province which means he is answerable ultimately to his majesty the king. This was the scenario then but after taking a closer look at the debates on the post of governor in the constituent assembly many had diverse opinions on the powers to be granted to the governor. In fact some members of the assembly wished for the governor to be as strong as the governors of the colonial era. But Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was very clear that the governor's role should be limited to that of a constitutional head and the executive power should be vested exclusively in the elected government. But still he advocated for the governor to be given some discretionary powers. This is because he thought that as the state governments are accountable to the union government the governor must be given some discretionary power to ensure that the state governments do so. That is they stay accountable to the union government. Here discretion means the freedom and power to make decisions by a person himself or herself. So in order to give some discretionary powers to the governor article 163 was added to the constitution. Here remember the article number here it is not very difficult to remember one or two articles here and there you can mention it in your answer. This enriches your main's answer. Okay now coming back note that the president of India has not given such powers. Only the governor is given such powers as per the constitution. See this article 163 is nothing but a blind duplication of section 50 of the Act Government of India 1935. This is according to one Mr. H. V. Kamath a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Here you can see the provisions of the article 163. Clause 1 specifies that the governor may use his discretionary powers when the conditions require it. Here it is not very clear what those conditions are but until then the governor has to exercise his powers with the aid and advice of council of ministers headed by the chief minister. Moving on clause 2 states that if any doubt arises about whether a matter is within the governor's discretion or not in such cases the governor's discretionary decision shall be final. So that decision is also taken by the governor and nobody can question the validity of governor's action on the ground that he might or might not have acted in his discretion. Apart from this according to clause 3 the advice offered by the ministers to the governor cannot be enquired in any court. So this exact reproduction of the provision in the Act of 1935 has to a large extent introduced ambiguity about the governor's actual powers in relation to the elected government in democratic India. See the provisions of the Act 1935 is relevant only in the colonial era because the British people wanted the governor to be the most powerful. But here the intention behind giving governor certain discretionary powers is to ensure the state governments remain accountable to the union government. So in this context Supreme Court in the Nabham Rebia case 2016 ruled that the governor can only exercise the executive power of the state with the aid and advice of the council of ministers except in a few exceptional circumstances. So that's all about the discretionary powers of governor. Now let us see what happened in Maharashtra. See the governor in Maharashtra refused to accept the date of election of the speaker recommended by the state government. Consequently the assembly could not elect the speaker. See according to the article this Act of Refusal goes against the principles of constitutional government. Important point to note here is that the constitution has not assigned any role to the government in the election of speaker under article 178. It is exclusively the job of the house. It is only the house rule which says that the governor shall fix the date. The date as such has no great significance. Under the procedure followed in all the assemblies the government fixes the date and conveys it to the secretary of the assembly who forwards it to the office of the governor for his signature. After the date is formally approved by the governor which he in his duty bound to do so the members are informed about it. This is how things usually happen. Now the question here is if the governor does not approve the date can the election be held? As per the author fixing the date by the governor is not of any constitutional importance. Election by house is the important thing here. So if the governor stands in the way of the election the only way open to the house is to amend that particular rule which empowers the governor to fix the date. It can provide that the secretary on receiving the date from the government shall notify the members of the same. So this is the option given in the article. The election can be held either through secret ballot or through a motion in the house as done by the Lok Sabha. So what can be done? See these are truly odd circumstances. According to the author the governor is a high constitutional authority and he must function within the four walls of the constitution and he should be a friend, philosopher and guide to his government. He should not stand in the way of functioning of the government. The constitution does not grant him the authority to function as a parallel government nor does it hold him personally accountable for his acts as governor. So governor must work in such a way that he or she always upheld the constitution through their discretionary powers. So with this we have come to the end of a discussion. We'll have a quick recap. What all we saw today? We saw the evolution of discretionary power and the debates that happened in the constituent assembly. Some members wanted the governor post to be as powerful as the colonial era but Dr. Bia Ambedkar said that governor's role should be limited to that of a constitutional head but at the same time he advocated for the governor to be given some discretionary powers and we saw about those discretionary powers which is under article 163 and we also saw that it is a blind duplication of section 50 of the Act Government of India 1935. So what are those discretionary powers? He can use it when the conditions require it and if any doubt arises about whether a matter is within the governor's discretion or not, the governor's decision shall be final and the advice offered by the ministers to the governor cannot be enquired in any court and we saw what happened in the state Maharashtra where the governor refused the date of election of speaker recommended by the state government and we saw the implications of it which hindered the normal functioning of the elected state government and finally we saw the crucial role that should be played by the governor that he should be a friend, philosopher and guide to the state governments and he should always upheld the constitution through his or her discretionary powers. With these points let's move on to the next article discussion. See this news article here it talks about the showers received under the influence of intense western disturbance at the national capital Delhi. Also the article mentions that the air quality in the Delhi region was in the satisfactory category with an average 24-hour air quality index of 16.9 so this is the crux of the article given here so in this context let us learn about what is a western disturbance its arrival in India and their significance. See a western disturbance is an extra tropical storm which originates in the Mediterranean region. See the meaning of this western disturbance lies in its name itself. So what does the name indicates the disturbance travels from the western to the eastern direction. See the disturbance in this context means an area of disturbed or reduced air pressure. Now take the term extra tropical storm. Generally storm refers to low pressure and here extra tropical means outside the tropical region as the western disturbances originates outside the tropical region that is above the tropic of cancer in the Mediterranean region the word extra tropical has been associated with them. See look at this image here we can clearly understand that western disturbances are low pressure systems that originate in the Mediterranean Sea. While traveling in the eastward direction it crosses Black Sea Caspian Sea so from this region it collects the moisture and moves eastward. Typically formed over the Mediterranean Sea travels over Iran Iraq Afghanistan and Pakistan before entering India and it is loaded with moisture that has been taken from the Mediterranean Sea Caspian Sea and Black Sea. These moisture laden western disturbances eventually come up against the Himalayan region and it gets blocked and how is this happening? See there exists a zonal flow of jet stream normally in the upper stator of the atmosphere. So after the formation of this low pressure in the Mediterranean Sea this air is carried by the jet stream to the east direction. So the upper jet stream only aids the flow of this western disturbance. So after getting blocked by the Himalayas as a consequence the moisture gets trapped here and the precipitation is occurring. It occurs in the form of snow or rain over the north and northwestern areas of India. See as a result of this western disturbances northern states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and union territories like Delhi, Jammu Kashmir, Ladakh receives rainfall. But sometimes when the western disturbances become more intense in the Indian region it can result in rainfall up to North Maharashtra, Gujarat, the entire Madhya Pradesh to the south. Also know that an average of four to five western disturbances formed during the winter season and the rainfall distribution and the amount varies with every western disturbance. Now that we have finished seeing the western disturbance and its occurrence let's see the significance of it to India. See the western disturbances specifically the ones in winter bring moderate to heavy rain in low lying areas and heavy snow to mountainous areas of Indian subcontinent. So that's the first significance. Secondly they are the cause of most winter and pre monsoon season rainfall across northwest India. Lastly and the most important of the significances the precipitation caused during the winter season has great importance in agriculture particularly for the rabi crops. Among them wheat is one of the most important crop which helps to meet India's food security. So that's all about this article discussion. Let's have a quick recap. We saw what is a western disturbance. It is an extra tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region. We saw why it is called as extra tropical because it is originating outside the tropics and we saw the flow of it from the west to east direction and what aids this flow. See the upper jet stream carries this western disturbances from the Mediterranean region to India and after that we saw the states which receive rainfall due to this western disturbances and finally we saw the significance of it to India which includes bringing rainfall to the Indian subcontinent and aiding in agriculture particularly rabi crops. With these points in mind let's move on to the next article discussion. See this advertisement here. It is given by the trust of the national pension system of the government. So in this context let us discuss about this national pension system in detail and finally let us see its significance. Now let's start our discussion. See India's better health and sanitation conditions they have increased the lifespan of Indian people thanks to Swach Bharat and other initiatives by government and the people of India. As a result number of post retirement years increases. So this increase in the lifespan in turn increases the cost of living also. How does it happen? It is mainly because of the inflation. See the extended life expectancy makes the retirement planning an essential part of today's life. So in order to provide social security to more citizens the government of India started the national pension system. See in general pension plans provide financial security and stability during old age when people don't have a regular source of income. This is because the pension scheme gives you an opportunity to invest and accumulate savings and get a lump sum amount as regular income through annuity plan on retirement. So far we saw generally about pension schemes and its necessity. Now let us discuss about the national pension system. See the NPS which is nothing but the national pension system was launched on 1st January 2004. The objective of this NPS is to provide retirement income to all of the citizens. See this NPS aims to institute pension reforms and to inculcate the habit of saving for retirement amongst the citizens. So what does this NPS do? It develops the habit of saving for retirement. Initially NPS was introduced for the new government recruits except armed forces. But from 1st May 2009 NPS has been provided for all of the citizens of the country including the unorganized sector workers on a voluntary basis. Now we'll see the important features offered by the national pension system. See first of all the subscriber who is going to save for the retirement will be allotted a unique permanent retirement account number which is nothing but PRAN. This PRAN will remind the same for the rest of the subscribers life. This number is unique and can be used from any location in India. What does this number do? It will provide access to two personal accounts. One is tier one account which is a non-withdrawable account meant for savings for the retirement. So whatever you're saving in this account you can't withdraw at any time. Only after your retirement you can take money from this account. The next one is tier two account. This is simply a voluntary savings facility. The subscriber is free to withdraw savings from this account whenever subscriber wishes. Note that tax benefit is not available for this account. Now we'll see the eligibility factor. All the citizens of India between the age of 18 and 60 on the date of submission of the application can join the national pension system. So that's all about the pension system scheme. Now we'll see some of the significance of it. Firstly it is a transparent and cost effective system. See the pension contributions that are made by the citizens are invested in the pension fund schemes and the employee will be able to know the value of the investment on a day to day basis. Hence transparent right. Secondly the NPS it is a very simple system. It is not very hard to understand in all. This is because all the subscriber has to do is just open an account and get a permanent retirement account number. That's all they have to do. So it is a very simple system. And thirdly NPS is portable. Now you will wonder how is this possible. See like I said this PRAN number it is very unique. Each employee will be allowed at a different number. So the benefit here is it will remind the same even if an employee gets transferred to any other office also. Now moving on to the fourth benefit it is safe and it is authentic. See the NPS is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority set up under Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Act 2013. This regulation is done through transparent investment norms and regular monitoring and also performance review of fund managers done by the trust. So investing in this scheme is safe and it is authentic also. Finally we'll see the tax benefits of the National Pension System. See the tier one account it is Exempted Exempted Taxed. It is nothing but the amount contributor in this account is entitled for deduction from your gross total income up to an amount of rupees 1.5 lakh. This is as per the section ATC of the Income Tax Act 1961. See this means that whatever you're contributing in this tier one account which we saw earlier as non-withdrawable account right. So whatever you're contributing in this account it is entitled for deduction from your gross total income and this has a limit what is that limit rupees 1.5 lakh and also note that it is amended from time to time. Additionally the appreciation accrued on the contribution and the amount used by the subscriber to buy the annuity is not taxable and also note that only the amount withdrawn by the subscriber after the age of 60 is taxable. So with this we have come to the end of a discussion. We'll see a quick recap what all we saw we saw what is the necessity of pension in a person's life which is to have financial security and stability during old age and we saw the features of the National Pension System and the beneficiaries which includes all the citizens of India and we saw important features under the system which includes tier one account which is a non-withdrawable account and tier two account from which the subscriber can withdraw savings whenever he wishes and we saw about the unique number permanent retirement account number PRAN and we saw the eligibility which is between the age of 18 to 60 years and finally we moved on to see the benefits or the significance of the National Pension System. It is a transparent and cost effective system a simple system it is portable and it is safe and authentic regulated by pension fund regulatory and development authority and as a final touch we have tax benefits also. So with these key takeaway points let's move on to the next article discussion. See this news article here it talks about the appointment of former RBI governor as the vice president of the Beijing based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank AIIB. He will serve a three year term as one of the multilateral development banks five vice presidents. So in this context let us discuss in detail about this AIIB which is nothing but the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. See the AIIB is an international development bank that began its operations in January 2016. It provides financing for infrastructure projects in Asia like green infrastructure with sustainability innovation and connectivity at its core. Its headquarters is in Beijing China. See the goal of AIIB is to bring prosperity and economic development for Asia. To realize this AIIB facilitates the infrastructure for tomorrow that empowers regions and their people with the access to physical digital and social services. So by giving access to the social physical and digital services they are empowering the region as well as the people in that region. This in turn contributes to local regional and global sustainability. Having said that now let us see the membership of the bank. Though it's a development bank focused on developing Asia it has members from all over the world. It has one or three approved members so far. Among them India is also a member. See it is an open and inclusive multilateral financial institution. So it is open to countries and regions dedicated to promoting economic and social development in Asia. Membership in AIIB shall also be open to members to the international bank for reconstruction and development or in other terms the Asian Development Bank. Now let us see some of their purpose and few examples with respect to India. Firstly AIIB's investments in infrastructure and other productive sectors seek to foster sustainable economic development, create wealth and improve infrastructure connectivity. For example last year the AIIB approved a 356.67 million dollar loan to the Indian government to support the expansion of the Chennai metro rail system. Secondly they adapt and innovate constantly to deliver customized investment solutions that overcome the client's challenges. In this context we'll see an example now. During the COVID-19 pandemic it emphasized green projects and supported public health initiatives besides infrastructure. So by doing this they delivered customized investment solutions. Lastly let us see some of the achievements of AIIB. See in 2018 AIIB was granted permanent observer status in the United Nations in the deliberations of both United Nations General Assembly, UNGA and the Economic and Social Council. These are two important organs of UN. Another achievement is that since 2017 AIIB has received triple A ratings with the stable outlook from the top credit rating agencies. They include Standard and Poor, Moody and Fitch. So that's all about this article discussion. Let's have a quick recap. What all we saw today? We saw about former RBI governor's appointment as vice president of AIIB and we saw about the bank, its genesis which is in January 2016, its goal which is financing for infrastructure projects in Asia with sustainability, innovation and connectivity at its core and we saw the headquarters of AIIB which is in Beijing China and after that we saw the goal of AIIB which is to bring prosperity and economic development for Asia. In this context it facilitates infrastructure for tomorrow initiative and we moved on to see about the membership status which has members from all over the world who are dedicated to promoting economic and social development in Asia and after that we saw some of the purposes of the AIIB and its relevance to India. Firstly AIIB's purpose is to invest in infrastructure and other sectors to foster sustainable economic development, wealth creation and improvement in infrastructure connectivity. So in this context what is the relevance for India? AIIB approved a loan to Indian government to expand Chennai metro rail system. What is the second purpose we saw? It is to deliver customized investment solutions that overcome the client's challenges. For that we saw in the Indian context as how the AIIB supported the public health initiatives besides infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally we saw some of the achievements of the AIIB which is it was granted permanent observer status in the deliberations of United Nations General Assembly and Economic and Social Council and secondly it received triple A ratings with a stable outlook from the top credit rating agencies. So with these points in mind let's move on to the next article discussion. See this news article here it mentions that the indigenous aircraft carrier the mighty INS Vikrant is heading out for the next set of sea trails. So in this backdrop we shall see in brief about INS Vikrant. See INS Vikrant is an indigenous aircraft carrier that is it is built indigenously and it is often referred to as IAC1. First of all let us see what is an aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier is nothing but a warship that serves as a sea going air base. So it is nothing but an air base in the middle of the sea. It is equipped with a full length flight deck which is capable of carrying, arming, deploying and recovering aircraft. See in this image here you can see what an aircraft carrier looks like. It looks like a mini floating city right? See at present India has only one aircraft carrier that too it is a Russian origin one. It is nothing but the INS Vikramaditya. This aircraft carrier was not indigenously built rather it was acquired from Russia for around 2.3 billion dollars. And now this IAC1 which is INS Vikrant is expected to be commissioned in 2022. This is one of the four most examples of Indian Navy's indigenization. IAC1 was designed by the Indian Navy's direct rate of naval design DND and it was built at Kochin Shipyard Limited CSL. CSL is a public sector shipyard under the ministry of ports shipping and waterways. Now let's move on to see the specifications of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. See it is 262 meter long and 62 meter at the widest part with a height of 59 meter including the superstructure. Here superstructure means this structure built on top of something. Here in this example built on the top of a ship there are totally 14 decks including five in the superstructure. It can carry around a crew of 1700 people and 30 aircrafts including the fighter jets and the helicopters. It also has specialized cabins to accommodate women officers. The ship is a mammoth steel structure of 21,500 tons. It is a special grade steel developed indigenously and used in Indian naval ships for the first time. It also contains a very high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability. Therefore Vikrant is the largest warship built in the country. So what is its significance for Indian Navy? See India has a coastline of 7,516.6 kilometer out of which 5,422.6 kilometer of mainland coastline and 2,094 kilometer of highland territories. India has nine coastal states. Now you understand why coastal security is crucial for India. See the physical proximity of India's coast to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Gulf countries adds to its vulnerability in a multi-dimensional way. Apart from this China is also establishing its presence in the Indian Ocean region by developing ports in India's neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Pakistan etc. So in this aspect INS Vikrant is significant for the Indian Navy. See a three-tire coastal security ring all along our coast is provided by Marine Polis, Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy. With the development of INS Vikrant it will give the Indian Navy the much needed upper hand. So that's all about this article discussion. Let's see a quick recap. What all we saw? We saw about the indigenous aircraft carrier which is INS Vikrant and we saw a brief about INS Vikramaditya and after that we saw the development of INS Vikrant which was designed by Directorate of Naval Design built at Kutchinshipyad Limited and after that we saw about the specifications of the aircraft carrier. We saw about its length, width and height and the number of decks which is 14 and the capacity of the aircraft carrier which is 1,700 people 30 aircrafts including fighter jets and helicopters and finally we saw its significance to Indian Navy. With these key takeaway points let's move on to the next part of our discussion which is the practice prelims questions. We have here some of the prelims questions for your practice. We'll solve them one by one. You also try to solve it on your own. Let's take the first question here. With reference to western disturbance consider the following statements. Statement one it originates in the Pacific Ocean. Statement two it gives rainfall only to the western guards region. Statement three it is a high pressure system. So what will be the correct option here? We'll see that after analyzing each and every statement. First statement it originates in the Pacific Ocean. Is it true? No. The statement is incorrect because in our discussion we saw that it originates from Mediterranean Sea. From there it moves with the help of the upper jet stream. So the statement one here is incorrect. It gives rainfall only to the western guards region. This statement is also incorrect because it gives rainfall to the northwestern and northern parts of India. The states which receive rainfall due to the western disturbances are Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and union territories such as Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh. So here the second statement is also incorrect. Third statement it is a high pressure system. This statement is also incorrect because we know that western disturbances are extra tropical storms which is nothing but a low pressure system. So the correct option here is option D none of the above. Moving on to the second question with reference to the national pension system consider the following statements. Statement one it includes only the organized sector workers. Statement two it gives a unique number called PRAN. Statement three PRAN changes when an individual gets transferred to another office. Statement four entire amount contributed under this NPS is taxed. Which of the following statements given above is or are correct? We'll analyze each in every statement here. The statement one it is incorrect because it includes all the citizens because the scheme functions on a voluntary basis. Even unorganized sector workers can also save under this pension scheme. Statement two it gives a unique number called PRAN. This statement is correct because under this national pension system a unique number is given to each and every employee. This PRAN is nothing but permanent retirement account number. Moving on to statement three this statement is also incorrect because try to recall it in our discussion we saw that one of the significance of this national pension system is that this unique number doesn't change when the individual gets transferred to another office. So the benefit here is the portability of it. Moving on to statement four this statement is incorrect because we saw that only the amount withdrawn by the subscriber after the age of 60 is taxable. The amount that is saved under the national pension system is entitled to a deduction from the gross income up to a limit of rupees 1.5 lakhs. So what is the correct option here? Option A 2 only. Moving on the third question consider the following statements with reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Statement one its headquarter is in Russia. Statement two it provides financial support for infrastructure projects in Asia. Statement three it has a membership norm that says only Asian countries can become AIIB member. Which of the following statements given here are correct? See the first statement which says that its headquarters in Russia is incorrect because where is it? It is in Beijing China. So this one is wrong. Second statement it provides financial support to infrastructure projects in Asia is correct because that is the whole purpose of the existence of the bank AIIB. Third one is this statement correct? Try to recall our discussion. We saw that it is an open and inclusive financial institution. So according to that this statement is incorrect because the members can be from anywhere in the world and the membership is open for countries and regions dedicated to promoting economic and social development in Asia and also to the members of Asian Development Bank. So the correct option here is option B 2 only. Moving on consider the following statements. Statement one INS Vikranth also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 is an aircraft carrier constructed by Kuchin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy. Statement two it is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India. So here both the statements are correct. We saw in our discussion that IAC that is Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 also known as INS Vikranth is constructed by Kuchin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy. The second statement here is also correct because even though India has INS Vikramaditya it is not indigenously made. It was acquired from Russia. So the fact that the first aircraft carrier to be built in India is the INS Vikranth is true. So what is the correct option here? Option C both 1 and 2. Moving on to the next question with reference to the governor of the state consider the following statements. Statement one he or she is appointed by the president by warrant under his hand and seal. Statement two he or she can pardon a death sentence. Which of the following statements given above is correct? Option A one only. Option B two only. Option C both 1 and 2. Option D neither one nor two. So we have discussed four brilliance questions so far. Now this is a quiz question for you aspirants. I'm not going to discuss this question. You're going to give me the answer in the comment section. Even if you don't know the answer try to solve the question. Always solving the question is a way of learning. I have given a main question for your practice. Interested candidates write it and post it in the comment section. If you have any queries at all regarding the articles discussed today post that also in the comment section. I'll address them. So with this we have come to the end of the analysis. 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